day three: ...

before:
Lord, do a miracle and open my mouth. remove that spirit of fear. give me words to say and eyes to see.
1 john 2:14- i write to you, abby, because you are strong. the Word of God abides in you, you have overcome the evil one.
1 john 3:2- but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall finally see Him as He is.
hallelujah.


during: we went to the tap tap, which is like a little chicken bus.


we drove through the city, and ended up in this tent community. i was pretty shocked. it was literally hundreds and hundreds of tents made of sheets and sticks.

at first, i had no idea what to do or say. all i noticed was most of the adults were curious and hesitant, and the children were curious and eager. the kids smiled everytime we made eye contact. its like every glance and every touch was full of meaning. they would just walk up to you and hold your hand and look up and grin. it was amazing. we broke into groups and decided to pray for people as we felt led. the first woman we prayed for was an overweight woman who was with her grandson. the asked for healing of her back, because it had been hurting her for a while. she asked for safety of her family and things of that nature. after that, it became sort of a blur. all the people we prayed for were women that asked for safety, and provision for their families. they were all hesitant to be honest about things. although, one women did say that her toothache was healed after we prayed over her. that was cool.
anyway, one of the kids spotted my camera, and it turned into chaos. i taught several of them how to use it, and they were so crazy stoked.

the rest of my team spent time with this older lady, listening to her stories and praying over her. and i was surrounded by little kids begging for a 'kodak'. but there are no names or stories to match the photos, and that breaks my heart. partially, due to the fact that the translators were doing something else.
we ate lunch at the church across the street(peanut butter jelly).
we went back to the village, and quite honestly i didnt feel Gods hand on any of it. we did a village wide worship service that afternoon, but, for me atleast, God didnt show up in it. earlier in the morning, God spoke to the team through visions and scripture, and told us to do this worship service in the morning. we didnt obey and i couldnt tell you why. it just slipped our mind i guess. but anyway, obeying late isnt obeying at all.
ben played his drum, and people danced and sang and read scripture and things of that nature.
one guy got really offended that i took his picture, even though i wasnt aware i did. i deleted it, and he and his friends kept making fun of me. that kind of ruined my day.
we rode home via tap tap, and i sat next to mike, a guy from boston or something. he told me, "He is gonna do something amazing through you. He has great plans for you." that was encouraging, but i still felt the weight of doubt.
we got back, and i played soccer with a Ramses, and a few other translators. they are basically the bomb. i felt a little more comfortable and at home after that.
we cam inside, and i asked paige to pray over me. she ended up speaking alot of much needed Truth too. she reminded me i can be honest with God, because He and His omniscient self already knows my heart and mind. if i dont feel like worshipping, dont. if its meaningless to me, chances are its meaningless to Him. she interceded on my behalf, which was a relief. since then, ive felt God lightening the load a little bit, knowing that He is still working through me and around me, regardless. that was definitely a spiritual attack, and paige said that may affirm His calling on my life as a missionary because that means im a threat to satans kingdom.
God, lay Your spirit of Truth and peace on me. give me whatever you gave paige. let me have that desire for You and Your will. draw me back home, please. i hate this place. please.


after:
man, today was hard. it was as if i was trying to worship a God i didnt really know. everything felt so simulated. i didnt feel like doing any of it. it was just dry. i got sick of being here. i just wanted to be home. anyway, the goal for today was build meaningful relationships. paiged talked for a while and what she said was great, but i didnt write it down, so i forgot it all.

day two- part two: finally getting to haiti (or, holy crap guys..)

[on the way from the airport to the compound at which we resided]
haiti looked exactly like it looked in pictures and on the news. the second we landed and got to baggage, guys were asking to carry our stuff. a short, animated guy named marcio greeted us and told us, "dont let anyone touch your bags!" he was bossy and hasty.

the streets were absolute chaos. from the second the plane landed, you could tell that this country operated with zero order. this was made really evident in the way people drove. basically, they had no laws, stop lights, stop signs, road signals, speed limits, anything. and the fastest any of us went was like 40 mph. it took forever to get anywhere and there was alot of dust and gas and honking.

all of the people just sat on the side of the road. one thing i noticed immediately was no one was doing anything. they were just sitting there. there was graffiti everywhere, and dogs ate the trash. people took pleasure in kicking them and beating them. no one gave them food. and they were all skiddish all the time. that hit me really hard the first day, especially in light of recent traumatic adventures. some kind of pains are heavy, like trying to comprehend starvation and desperation and poverty. but some pains are sharp, like seeing a starving dog being beaten, totally helpless.
anyway, he told us his story. basically, ran away at 15, went nuts, was introduced to Jesus, became a wanderer that followed Him. he was in haiti when the earthquake hit, and has been here for a while now. hes been a Christian for 9 months. God sure does work in His own time, huh?

getting to the compound/place of residence:




we stayed in pastor christians house. the girls slept on the roof in tents, and the guys slept outside in tents. there were mango tents all over the place, and it was a danger to just chill outside because those things hit hard. but they were delicious. seriously. we had electricity and water sometimes, but no a/c or anything.
anyway, im hot and humid and surrounded by concrete walls. a chick named paige led our 3 person orientation. she just explained how nothing was planned, time isnt valuable, and spending time with the haitians was key. she told us that revival was stirring before and after the earthquake.
[some useful background info: haiti was the satanic capitol of the world. they made a pact with satan that went like this, if he freed them from french rule, they would serve him. and so, this nation has been reigned by satans kingdom for years and years. 750 pastors got together and prayed that God would do whatever it took to "shake the nation", and then the earthquake happened. since then, and before then, even, God has been in the process of taking His nation and His people back. revival really is stirring, people are getting saved by the thousands, churches dont know what to do with all the new believers, worship services are the bomb, stuff like that. instead of partying for marti gras, there was a nation wide 3-day fast & pray sesh. awesome?!]

then, the team got back. this is about the time i realized how antisocial i really am. it was so excrutiating meeting all these people and putting on a show.
[ie, nice to meet you. thats a lie, no matter what. because when you meet someone, there is no way to know whether you are going to be glad or not so glad you met them. so, its impossible to know ahead of time just how 'nice' it would have been to meet them.]
there is a reason God put us all together, but it wasnt something i am interested in participating in right now. i feel like i have a hermit abby and an outgoing abby. ive been shy today, and my mom has to introduce me as her daughter, because im 12 years old and cant introduce myself. awesome!
its hard to praise God for who He is. He just isnt in my face. theres so much going on, its hard to see Him kinda. thats not accurate. its just hard to describe.
Lord, please break down my walls that make me antisocial. i need You to help me relate and become bold like Jesus. theres something about this that makes You hard to find. i know You are here, working. so please, change my heart. make my life about You alone. let me praise You for what You have done and are doing. please, open my lips to bring You glory. change my heart to love impartially. Lord, use me as You will. make me a willing vessel. on my own, i am incapable of being friendly and real. i cant evangelize and build new relationships. i cant bring people to You. please, use me anyway. make me willing. open my mouth to speak and bring You glory. Lord, i can do all things through Christ. You havent given me a spirit of timidity, but of peace and courage. im gonna need alot of that this week. i need You to be an everpresent help in time of trouble. this is draining. Holy Spirit, intercede.

day two-part one: on the way again, (or, my soul lives in the clouds)

[on the plane on the way to san juan]
there is a mountain range of clouds in the sky. we are flying over the ocean. its really fascinating. its just like these masses in the sky, they look completely still because we are moving so fast. half the people on the plane are asleep, that blows my mind. its like we have occupied the earth so long we cant appreciate the beauty in the "little things" (ie the enormous things like clouds) ive always wondered if the angels lived in the clouds. like real, fire breathing, demon conquering angels. what if there was Holy war that took place in these heavenly bodies of mass? what if clouds in the sky were really battle grounds? also, ive always wondered if, on my way to heaven, i could take a break and spend a day in the clouds.

im begging for the day my soul breaks free from this body and finds its way homes. somewhere beyond these clouds.

regarding my new friend who is also going to haiti also:
she graduated from A&M last year, majoring in business and communication. she says evangelizing isnt her strongsuit and she emails Aaron Ivey every now and then. she talks to her mom alot, one time her moms plane got struck by lightning. she hates not being in open spaces or not being able to see outside. shes good at meeting strangers. she looks more like an amanda, which doesnt narrow anything down. she has trouble sleeping any other time than at night. i wonder what God has done/is doing/will do in her life. on that note, earlier today, she said "a plane thats actually on time, what a miracle!" amen sister, it truly is. you know what else will be a miracle? if our luggage ever finds its way to haiti.



praise You! who knows Your plans, Your mind? not us, not even the angels. You are a mystery. You will do and have done great things.

[in the San Juan airport]
something about what im about to do really bothers me. its so american. "okay, im here now! everyone can relax now!" just the whole idea is off. honestly, the state that Haiti is in will be exactly the same is it was before i came. im feeling kinda useless, kinda selfish. if you cant tell. i saw a guy with a beard in a dashiki with a huge headwrap sitting in the airport waiting to go to Haiti too. in my mind, his name was elijah. he is a missionary not affiliated with any big NGO or nonprofit. he just goes and does and follows Him, loving along the way. a really beautiful african looking woman sat down next to him. so they go together. but, what ive realized is no matter where you go, you cant fly without a boarding pass. there will always be obligations, money, schedules. you cant just be. you cant just exist. im considering spending the rest of my life finding that place. finding the place where i can live; finding my home. this is my prayer:
Lord, wherever i go, let this be said "her feet carried the gospel. they carried peace." ill always be a wanderer, a vegabond. but i will always be at home with You. Lord, open my eyes to speak, give me some nerves (balls). through these feet, bring the gospel, bring peace. only You are capable of doing this Lord. come here. guide me, use me, my words are Yours. i am Yours. i love You. You are my home.

things that made me smile today:
the search dog in the airport, elijah, the haitian woman, the lady that smiled as big as emily ward.

birds are really fish swimming in the sky.

no matter where you are, that is where you are.

day one: in transit via aeroplane (or, be careful what you pray for)

[preface: these thoughts are very obscure, irrelevant, and random. bear with me if you want to. either way, doesnt matter]

i want to see God like those two girls do. i want to love Him so evidently. i am jealous of that. is that a sin? i want to see His heart, His feet, His face. not just His works and His faithfulness. i am tired of just seeing the effects of Him and His character, i want to see HIM. its like trying to see the wind. if there wasnt anything for the wind to move, it wouldnt be visible. basically nonexistent. i want Him to be so real to me He is almost tangible. maybe Haiti will help. maybe ill meet a whole new side of Him there. [be careful what you pray for]


i decided that maybe God has someone for me and maybe i should wait it out for him. meeting that one guy at that one coffee shop has made me think there is someone compatible somewhere in the world, and he might just be worth waiting for. he will be my home. im falling in love with him in this airport in dallas. how weird.

Lord, use me. shape me. mold me. break me. shape me. change me. i am Yours. i surrender. thank You, praise You, for you are working in her. Lord, strengthen my faith, build me into who You want me to be. God, i have no earthly idea what to expect. i dont know what Youre doing or what Youll have me do. i know Youve been preparing me and i pray You continue doing that. i am clay in Your hands. my heart will be sensitive to Your touch, and it will break along with Yours. all i ask is, never leave me. be there to give me strength, words, peace. endure me. sustain me. You are all i need. i want to see a new side of You. open my eyes. i pray that Your will is done perfectly this week. hear my cries. please, let me dwell in Your house and gaze upon Your beauty all day long for the next week. God, make Yourself manifest!

being a woman of God
proverbs 31: dresses herself with strength, opens her hand to the poor, reaches out to the needy. strength and dignity are her clothing. laughs at the time to come. speaks wisdom, teaches kindness, fears the Lord.

1 peter 3: but let your adorning be the hidden person of your heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in Gods sight is very precious.

Lord, give me a strong, wise, kind, fearful, gentle, quiet spirit that You think is beautiful. prepare for me a husband thats worth submitting to.



so, the logistics of the travel situation are as follows:
we got stuck in the miami airport because our flight was delayed. i didnt get flustered because i promised Him i would trust Him. He really graced me with the knowledge that He is in control, so i was pretty good to go. except for the fact that that airport sucked so much! everything was metal and covered in sand and humid air and gross things like that. but, whatever. and i met shelby, she was cool. we talked for a while. my mom, shelby, and i all slept in a hotel in the airport until the next morning.

the weirder things in life.

growing up. its so weird.
i think id rather not.

that is all.

and you know, i'm not resentful. im really not. people do what they need to do to take care of themselves, right? right. i mean he did what i asked him to do, and so in a twisted ingenuine way im happy. but either way its irrelevant.
all i know is that He is alleviating the pain and filling the holes.
and i am not afraid, because He reminded me this morning that He is with me. (isaiah 41:10)
i also realized that i care alot about the things i care about, which tend to be far and few between. obscure things like old alchoholic homeless men and photos and my dog. i care about these things so much i forget to shower and eat. i havent decided if this is healthy or not, and i havent even decided if i care about that.

you know what i want? i want to sit down and go over everything with him. tell him everything i miss and everything i hated and everything i loved and how its so different.
you know what i need? to pee and go to sleep.

joy.

i got a nose ring and found my bible.
it tickles and bleeds sometimes.
but heres the thing, God is good.
and he takes away my desires that i dont want.
He is good because He just is. and He does good things because He is good.
i love Him, and that is all.

and i am going to haiti in t-3 weeks. im super excited, i want Him to break me and teach me to love with abandon.

things i've come to realize.

here are the do's and dont's of dating as far as i am concerned:
1. do NOT date.
2. DO not date.

im having to come to terms with the fact that maybe no one will make me as happy as he did. that my feelings werent artificial, but substantial. that the smiles were real. ive noticed something odd, that i dont even look the same anymore.
even my appearance is affected by the overwhelming heaviness, and now i dont have anyone to make it lighter and make me smile, really smile.
seeing as i havent been alone once in the past three years, i think this is something i will be struggling with for quite some time.
here's the upside: my joy comes from the Lord. i pray so fervently that this emptiness and this loneliness will leave a void only He can fill, and i pray that He gracefully and faithfully chooses to do so. that really is the only way i can make it through this time in my life. i dont want another person, i dont want someone i cant depend on for forever. i want my God to fill these holes and make me whole again. i want Him to put the smile on my face, i want Him to make me beautiful and share my burdens.

its just a matter of allowing Him to do that, right? i guess so. i sure pray so. i know He is capable, but is He willing? i believe so.

my God loves me so endlessly and ferociously. He is my lover.
this is the truth i will choose to dwell on.