i kind of threw everyone for a loop when i just casually mentioned i would be traveling to Haiti next week.
as in… everyone.
my own mother texted me within minutes "WHAT!? WHY don't you tell me these things?"
all day my friends were texting me asking "how did i miss this?"
they didn't.
i think i had mentioned it to three people.
total.
it was a coping mechanism.
i knew it was coming but i also knew i had a very busy month and needed to get through it one thing at a time.
so craft weekend january is done and now it is time to think about going to Haiti.
i am nervous deep down. for my heart to break. for my world to be rocked again.
but i am not scared.
i am aching in my heart already because once you SEE and KNOW… you see and know.
it doesn't go away.
you can't UNSEE it…. and that is major.
so here we go.
i am going with Becky Straw and Jody Landers. (they are the two women in the video)
i have not met Becky yet but i am stoked about finally getting to meet face to face.
Jody was the team leader from the trip to Sierra Leone, Africa a few years back (so sad that it's been years)
there are a few others going along that i will meet there too.
we will be documenting stories and photos of the stove vendors that are part of The Adventure Project.
i am SO excited!!
i don't have any idea even where to begin with the emotions in my heart about it all.
i feel like i cried my way through africa…. it was a lot of crying.
and i hope i can be a little more composed on this trip.
hmmmmm.
pray for me ok?
that i will have a servant's heart and mind.
that i will see what God wants me to see… not necessarily with my eyes.
that i would listen when i need to listen and keep quiet when i should.
and that there will be no speed boats. (just kidding)
i would LOVE to reach my goal of 50 stoves sponsored in the next 7 days.
i would actually truly love to exceed my goal and i would really like your help.
i need 29 more stoves sponsored to reach my goal.
each stove is a $20 donation.
twenty dollars.
that is…. a disney dvd. a new cardi from target. ONE earring at anthro.
twenty dollars can provide so much good!
{{{sigh}}}
Give a Stove this Holiday – The Adventure Project Campaign on Vimeo from The Adventure Project on Vimeo.
twenty nine more stoves.
i am fully aware that a stove won't change the world.
(but... will your cardi?)
i am not trying to "save the world."
i am trying to help where i can and when i can.
the leading cause of death is from breathing smoke while their mothers cook their meal?!
oy.
lets help to change this.
thank you for helping reach my goal of 50 stoves.
if you sponsor THREE stoves your name is put in with all the others who sponsored 3 stoves and we will draw one name to win a trip to Haiti!
seriously?!
you would get to see it all with your own eyes.
i get to help pick the winner!
wouldn't it be so rad to see that YOU won?!
life changing.
but one stove is awesome.
it's super amazing.
and so much better than a cardi.
(that says a lot coming from a cardi collector….)
lola - sounds like an incredible trip. wow.
when you said “unseeing” is not an option, that’s powerful.
be safe.
Shara - Will for sure be praying for you and the team going. Thank you so much for your obedience to the Lord and your call to action for His followers!
ira lee - i just went to haiti in august of 2012 and it was the best experience EVA! i went with a group of friends from church. we flew into port au prince and stayed the whole week in leogone at life waters compound. we worked at an orphanage there and completely fell in love with it all! we had sketchy power, no working bathrooms after day 2, no showers (we did bucket baths just like the locals), drank warm water all day and we so hot sweaty and smelly! but i went with some of my dearest friends, the chemistry between us was so unique and that is exactly why i think the trip was so magical. we were there spreading the word of god, loving on orphans, playing with them, letting them know that they are loved. i wanted to scoop them up and take them home with me. in fact my fiance at the time told me to not sneak a baby into the luggage on the way home! i met a darling couple from here in arkansas, he was a kidney doctor and she a stay at home/home school mom. they were lead to move their family to haiti and open an orphanage there to help with the burden. hope rising childrens home was born and you can check them out at http://www.hrch.org. its amazing!!! i was moved by so much! i am certain that i gained more from the experience than what i gave. my friends are going back, some even twice this year and i cannot join them and that makes me want to cry!!! i will never ever forget it and even to this day, i am moved by how little they have yet how happy they were. that trip has taught me to be thankful, appreciate what i have, love deeply, and want little.
Monique U. (A Half-Baked Notion) - Congrats on your project, Meg, and prayers for you and everyone whose lives you will be privileged to touch!
Laura - Our Compassion child that we’ve sponsored for the last 5 years lives in Haiti and I hope some day to meet him!!!! His name is Frantz, if you see him tell him I said hello 😉
Tonya - So excited for your trip and project. Looks like you’ll meet that goal!
Tesi - So excited to meet you, Meg! (I’ll be heading there too in 2 days.) I feel much the same way you do. Amazing work rallying your blog readers! Love to you.
the.mrs - 171 Stoves so far!!! A-ma-zing!!
Sarah - Prayers for you.
I can’t imagine…. as you said, seeing it can’t be undone, and that is scary.
Glad you are going, and I know so much good will be done because of that.
Kim - My 21 year old daughter & he boyfriend traveled to Haiti last summer to build block houses. They stayed for a week in missionary home in Carrefour. She said that it was the most life changing experience & helped her with her journey to become closer to God. They will be traveling there this summer again to build. She cries every time she talks about her trip there & the sweet children she met. Once you go there you will want to return. I made my donation at Christmas for a stove. Many prayers Meg <3
Angie G. - Hi, Meg! Miss you guys already. How awesome that you´re going to Haiti. You know it´s our neighbor country and we know how tough life is overthere. Here in the Dominican Republic things are hard, but in Haiti is sooo much worst. It so sad. My church goes to Haiti a few times each year to help too. I´ve never gone…. maybe someday I will. I´ll be praying for you… hope you a have a great time getting in touch with God´s heart through this expirience. A big hug from the Dominican Republic!
Kerstie Pederson - Was going to go to Target this am and spent some extra Christmas money……. I just bought a stove instead. Much better use of some “fun money”. Can’t wait to see what you show us.
Routhie - Have fun and good luck with your overflowing emotions. Thanks for posting about this opportunity to help. Much love and safe travels to you and the others.
Ashley - Can I hide in your bag? So excited for you. Seriously, SO STINKIN’ excited for you.
Jamie - Glad I could help… You rock!
Angela A - Oh my! My eyes completely missed you posting you were going to Haiti. I need to read better, quit skimming so much. How wonderful! Praying for you now and for the weeks ahead, even after you get back. My son and I hope to go in a few years.
Kait - I went to Haiti for the first time as a teenager. It changed my entire life. How could I complain about my parents being unfair with my curfew when at least my parents were there, and they had fed me, and given me a roof, and we were a family and things were safe? I went back twice more as a teen, giving up my summer vacations to live and work in orphanages.
That’s why when I met my husband, on our very first date, I told him I wanted to adopt. We have four kids now, none from Haiti because of their rules, but my time spent there has shaped me and my life in ways I can’t even begin to explain.
It will rock your world. It has been eight years since the last time I was there and it still rocks mine. I am so excited to see how God shapes your heart through your visit.
denise@victory rd. - 3 stoves.
the line, “that i will see what God wants me to see… not necessarily with my eyes” … yes!
i thank God that His Spirit WILL cause you to see all he has in mind for you. i pray for His continued glory in you and through you- here on the blog, there in Haiti, and in “whatever” you do in the name of the LORD (Col 3:17).
Denise Kessler - Oh, Meg…you are so right about preparing your heart. Our family has sort of adopted some young Haitian men that I met on a mission trip 2 years ago. I fell in love with the Haitian people, but on my first trip, I could barely eat and I cried for all 9 days. I just could not understand how God would allow me to be born to “this” and them be born to what they have.
I am thankful to say, it changed my life…and I am sure it will change yours as well. I love your heart and especially how you share it with the world!
Sonja - THANK YOU for telling us about the Adventure Project! I just gave my husband a stove for Haiti for his birthday. 🙂
He’s the kind of guy who’ll get excited about this… and I’m still making him a cake.
I’ll remember you in my prayers. Go bring hope and happiness to Haiti!
Monique - My neighbor is an amazing girl. She co-founded the organization Little Footprints Big Steps and has been living in Haiti for the last 2 years since she graduated high school. She runs a safe house for children and she is only 20 years old! I am so overwhelmed when I think of her and I thought you might be interested in checking out the organization.
Regina - Just donated a stove and am glad you gave us this opportunity to do so. Praying for safe travels, great health, and many blessings for the trip ahead!
Heidi Jo the Artist - Praying for you, Becky, Jody, and the others that travel there as well. God’s many blessings to you guys and all those that are doing the work of the Lord. 🙂
Kirsten J - I don’t know if I told you this before….my brother worked at the US Embassy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast for 4 years. And the stories he told absolutely broke my heart. Every time he came home, I loaded him up with stuff for his housekeeper and the street urchins he had taken under his wing, and his armed guards. I’m an empath and I would get so depressed just thinking of it all. And the thing he kept telling me was, there wasn’t enough I could do to change their reality. I needed to take care of my house first, then give to my local charity of choice, and still it was ok to give him stuff for his African friends. But I could only do so much. I still give to various charities but try to distance myself just a little. You are golden. To actually walk the walk is amazing to me. Hugs and prayers for a trip where you may feel uplifted. You will make a difference.
nicole i - just sponsored 3 stoves…wow isn’t God good…your goal has been met and you have 7 more days!
Angela Storm - Check out the song “Albertine” by Brooke Fraser! I immediately thought of it when you wrote, “…you see and know.” A line in the song says, “Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead.” I will definitely be praying for you and your team members and your family, in your absence. God bless, Meg.
And one earring at Anthro…. YES. Very yes.
gina mitchell - I love your writing and your heart.
Jessica H. - I just bought the 90th stove! So excited to see how far beyond the original goal you will reach. Trips like this are life-changing, eye opening, and pull on your heart strings like no other. So do newborn babies…I have one of those :)….but I’m glad I can donate in lieu of getting to experience a trip like yours firsthand. I pray for safe travels and for you to embrace the moments that are molding you as well as those you are helping!
Taryn - So proud of you, friend, for allowing yourself to continue to live in the tension of this broken world! I have no doubt you will not only be a blessing but be blessed as you walk among some of those closest to Jesus’ heart. Will be praying and look forward to hearing about it when you’re back. Love ya!
Jen - What part of Haiti will you be going to? My husband is with a group in Pignon right now. They are helping out at a school and working on buses and vans while they are there. The ladies that went will be putting on a ladies seminar. I can’t wait to hear how his trip went. I wish I could have gone with him. He will be back home on the 27th.
Gina - “you can’t UNSEE it.” Wow! So so true. Prayers for you. 🙂
Judy@Considering the Options - Meg thank you for the prompting! I just donated your 80th stove!!! Way to go! Our family was just dreaming in the car last night about what we would do if we won the $70 million jackpot (we’d have to play to win I guess). I love that everyone wanted to do something for someone else. Then I got to thinking, we can do that on a small scale right now. I don’t have a million dollars to give to a charity the way I would like. But, I do have $20 I can give to buy a stove. I bet it’s like a million dollars to the family that will receive it:)! That makes my heart happy.
Good luck on your adventure – can’t wait to be moved by your account of it all!
Sarah{Handbags*N*Pigtails} - I had to laugh when you said $20 would buy ONE earring at Anthro. So true! 🙂 Praying for you as you prepare(emotionally and in the physical) to go down there. I can hardly wait to get down there in just a few months.
Lisa - So excited for your trip!! It’s been way to long since I’ve been on a mission trip. Love everything you wrote. Once you see and know, you see and know. So true!! Life changing! Praying you get all the stoves and more!