Dear Haiti,

Two years ago, I visited you for the first time. I loved you so much that I have come back to you twice.

I have had made many memories during my visits. Like that one time when my team and I were on the ocean in the boat, and it was a little rougher than we thought. That is still one of the scariest moments of my life. But then, you showed us dolphins in the end, so I'll forgive you. Or when we went up one of your mountains, and the drive almost gave me a heart attack. But then, we got to share the gospel with three people who have never heard of Jesus before. That was just amazing.

I have to say that my favorite was when we got to visit the Blaukhaus school. Now, I know that all of your schools are basically shacks, but Blaukhaus was definitely the bare minimum. Seeing about 150 kids of various ages in a 50 foot by 100 foot metal shack was extremely humbling. However, the best gift came disguised as a 2 year old boy. The boy never said a word, but he and I formed a connection regardless. I sat in the back of the building with him playing little games for an hour. It was awesome to see how God could connect 2 people who couldn't even communicate. That was one of the best moments of my life.

Come to think of it, most of the best moments of my life happened while I was visiting you, Haiti.

Let me be honest, Haiti. You have changed my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you. You have definitely stolen a piece of me, and I can't help but miss you every day.

As grateful as I am for you, I am more grateful for the opportunity the Lord gave me to visit you. None of this would have been possible without the Lord. He truly had His hand in every part of it.

I am so undeserving of the opportunity to serve with you, Haiti. I am the last person that I would have picked, but the Lord sees me differently. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." God used what was weak (me) to show his strength.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank God every day for you, Haiti. I will never look at the ocean, a mountain, or a school the same way again because of you, and I am so thankful for it. I will never forget you, Haiti, and I know I will see you again soon. Trust me when I say that I am counting down the days until I can visit you once more.

Sincerely,

The girl who left a piece of her heart in Haiti.

Once upon a time, a girl boarded a plane to go to a country that she didn't know for the first time. Two years later she is returning home from her third trip. Two years later she has two homes. Two years later half of her heart is on the streets of Borel with kids who can't pronounce the r's in her name. She had no idea that people who can hardly speak her language would have such an impact on her life. She had no idea that she would eventually miss the cold showers, the lack of sleep, having rice at every meal, and even the sound of that stupid rooster. She had no clue that every prayer she prays until she returns would somehow have something to do with the country that stole her heart.