Day 5: JESUS!

Today was without a doubt the most God-filled, joyful and fullest day of my life.  To give you a little background, earlier this year I had gone through a rough time.  I lost friends, I lost dreams and I lost all sense of hope in finding my joy back.  The reason why I came to Haiti is I had heard about all of the joy people had experienced from previous trips.  In that moment, when I heard those stories, the only thing I could want was joy.  I was nervous the first couple of days when I was not experiencing the learning that I wanted to take place.  I was expecting that God would show me His love through the heartbreak throughout Haiti.  I was expecting to break down in tears and feel God in that moment.  I realized later on in the trip that God had planned the exact opposite.  It was not long before I figured out that water truck days are my favorite part about Haiti.  Just to see all of the kids running up behind the truck, reaching their hands up for love, produce the opposite effect and instead gave me love.  I was reminded through their smiles, through their hugs, and through their stories that even in the worst circumstances, you can find joy.  These kids have nothing.  nothing.  Yet, they still wake up with a hope beyond what I could imagine.  

Tonight was only another reminder of that same joy.  When I was with my Haiti family, we were asked what we would like to have from God for the rest of this week.  I asked God for guidance and to keep showing me him, even if the rest of our activities seemed more like activities for a tourist.  I just want God to be shaping me constantly, no matter the agenda.  And man did I get that reminder!  Before worship, Drew gave a little miny sermon about how water was such a huge part of our trip-how at home we could literrally flood our homes with water, where as here we value it as a precious gift.  People stand in lines just to get a necessity.  And Drew just explained how we should be like the trees in Psalms 1:3, who only need water to survive.  Without it, they die.  And after this week I cannot picture a day without Jesus anymore.  I just need to have Him in my life.  He is my living water and without it I would not be living.  I cannot wait to take this faith back with me to Minnesota, because I have never felt so alive and hopeful in my entire life.  I truly believe that the best possible life comes from Jesus, and I do not want to picture my life without Him.  I have made a promise to not only keep the word of the day a part of my schedule-to constantly focus on how God is working in my day, but to never lose sight of the God who completely transformed my life today in Haiti.

-Emma V.