On our last trip to Haiti in January, a seed of an idea began to blossom. We felt such compassion and a burden to help the women of Haiti. Many have children to support, no husband and little means to do so. So many appeared hopeless, with all the light gone out of their eyes.
As we did our knitting projects with kids, it occured that we could do the same with women and it could be a viable vocational skill. Ashlee from ReachGlobal was totally behind the idea and shared her excitement with Pastor Jim Scott from Constance who was there the week after we left.
God has been behind the scenes all the time orchestrating this entire plan which all started about 3 years ago when a few friends and I decided to take a knitting class. It had been on my bucket list for awhile. Shortly after learning, we became aware of a knitting group at Constance hosted by Jim Scott's wife Denise (a knitting veteran). We all laughed, talked, prayed and enjoyed fellowship together and once in a while we actually got some knitting done!
God had also placed another burden on my heart which was on my bucket list too. I had always wanted to go on a mission trip to a third world country. That item was fulfilled in August of 2012 when I went on my first mission trip to Haiti...
So these very women I had knitted with are part of the team going to Haiti in May to lead this knitting mission trip! God's timing of all of this is truly amazing.
We don't have all the details worked out in the bigger picture. There are many questions about how this will work or where it will lead. I certainly don't have "business sense"as far as how we can turn this into a profitable vocation for these women. But step by step, God has been leading us and we can see his fingerprints all over this project.
I was reading this in my Jonah bible study by Priscilla Shirer and felt God speaking to me and our team as we are preparing. It's 3 principles to remember when we are up against a monumental task that seems too overwhelming to tackle:
1. We are right. It most likely is too big for us to handle.
2. If God is calling us to it, He will equip us for it.
3. God has been at work in the situation long before we are scheduled to arrive and and He is preparing the way for our obedience to make a difference.
So we pray. And we trust. And we buy supplies. And we get our shots. And we ready our passports. And we cut strips of T shirts into yarn. And we pray some more.
The God who helped Joshua win the battle of Jericho and David slay Goliath can certainly work miracles in Haiti as well. And we don't have to do it by our own strength but through His...
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