"On such a full sea are we now afloat..."

"There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. But omitted, and the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves- or lose the ventures before us."

-William Shakespeare, from Julius Caesar

It has been said that one moment can change your life. I believe that is true. The moment you say I love you for the first time, when he asks and she says yes, when they hold their newborn child for the first time, or when you lose someone you love. Moments that can change your life happen all the time and this summer has been made up of life changing moments for me. I have been dropped into the middle of something completely new and unknown for me. It has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, filled with such wonderful people. I hold so many precious memories from this place that I know it will always be a part of me. I changed this summer and I think it is a change for the better. I am still me, but I feel a much bigger peace about who I am and what God wants to do in me and through me. Haiti is now and forever holding a piece of my heart. That place is in such need for love and help, yet they all give love so freely it is astounding.

I have been afloat in this experience for 7 weeks now, which means in 3 weeks I will be home. Bittersweet emotions run through me about leaving. I can hardly wait to see my family, my love, and my friends back home, but my heart aches thinking about leaving my friends that I have made here. I know that I will see them again, hopefully soon I will be able to come back up here and visit and just be with them. I know I have to come back to this place, it is only a question of when. That is how I feel about Haiti too, I will go again, I have to. It is amazing to me how often I forget about just how surprising God can be. He directs our lives in these directions that confuse or worry us, but when we get there we wonder how we ever thought anything else could have worked for our lives. This summer has shown me up close and personal how God can work in any situation He puts you in. Especially the ones where we choose to let go of control and just trust, that is when He works in ways that will blow your mind. That is when radical things happen, when we get out of the way. Thank you God for bringing me here and showing me how to get out of the way so that you could move in my life. I pray that the tide continues to cascade over me so that I may stay afloat and take the current when it serves your purpose.