July 18th rolled around and it was time for the mission trip to the Bahamas! My heart is in mission work so I was so excited. We drove down to Orlando, Fl, ate at the Rainforest Café and spent the night. We got up the next morning and headed for the airport. The trip was not at all what I was thinking but it was great! We stayed in cabins that we thought were so cute from the outside, but was a bunk house with roaches every where on the inside! Sick I know. That is nothing compared to the bathrooms we used. It’s sad to say but these may have been the nastiest restrooms I have ever had to use on a daily basis, and I have been to Africa, Guatemala and Costa Rica. These restrooms were filthy and the water smelled like rotten eggs! Did I mention we had no air condition at all and the heat index one day was a sweltering 123 degrees! Okay enough of all of that, because honestly I don’t mind things like that. I would rather rough it on a mission trip personally. Just wanted you all to be able to visualize and get the mind set we were in.
We did a VBS and worked on a Church. The first day was a little crazy and the kids were pretty whelmed up to say the least. The next day we did VBS the kids responded great! We painted the outside of the church and bonded with the kids. This was the first trip I have ever been on where I could actually speak their language. I have a huge, special place in my heart for children maybe that’s why my degree is in elementary education! I have a heart for all kids and when I see one that is causing problems I like to try to find the good in them and bring that out. There was one little boy who was bothering a lot of the people while they were working, so I pulled him aside and said “Would you like to be my special helper?” he said “Oh Yeah!” with a big smile.. He followed me around with paint and a rag. He would wipe the paint that fell on the tile, for me and loved it! He felt important, he had a purpose, a job. He and I bonded and talked a lot. He was about 8 years old. He told me he had a lot of brothers and sisters.. then he told me his mother had a baby that came out dead! That’s how he said it. My heart immediately broke, because I know what it feels like to lose a sibling. This little boy ended up pouring out his little heart to me and telling me how his mother was sad. The next day I decided to let these little girls “plat my hair” this mean tiny braids that are all knotted up, that hurt like crazy!! Meanwhile, while this girl was braiding my hair she began to tell me how her sister died at the age of nine. Again I knew her pain… I told her about my brother and how he died. She said “oh girl, I’m so sorry” She may have been 11 years old. It’s funny how just when we think God is picking on us we encounter things like this. I many times feel like God decided to hurt “me” and “my family” then when I get out of my bubble I’m reminded that death is a part of life. My heart breaks for the mother who never got to hold her new born baby for a moment of its life here on earth. After a few days of moments like these the last day of VBS was my day to teach. I taught on Salvation. It was also my 16 yr old cousin, Ethan’s day to give his testimony and what a testimony he had! First of all I have to say Ethan is a great, handsome, young, Christian man. He has a wonderful spirit, and the crazy thing is the older he gets the more he looks like my brother. When Ethan got up to speak I’m not going to lie the kids were a little talkative. But when he started speaking, tears came to my eyes. Not only was my heart overjoyed and proud to see my cousin who I have now adopted as my brother up giving his testimony but the words he said brought life to my soul. You see, Ethan got saved at Allen and Justin’s funeral. He began to say how he lost a dear friend and cousin who he looked up to very much. He shared how He made the decision to follow Christ at that moment. All this time and I never had a clue his very soul was saved because of my brothers’ life and then death! I know that if Allen could go back in time and do it all over again, even just for one more to be added to the Kingdom of heaven, He would! That’s what it’s all about. Getting souls to Heaven how ever they have to get there! Just like I have spoke about how fast this summer goes by, life goes by just that fast! We have to hurry and use every moment!
As the trip ended we flew back to Orlando. Back to AIR CONDITION! YAY! We arrived and relaxed we were going to Disney world the next day! Just FYI I have a lot of very close cousins we are all seriously like brother and sister. I love them just like brothers and sister. There are 7 girls, Me, Megan, Lauren, Lindsay, Anna, Allie, Alivia, and now Jessica,(Allen’s wife, my sister in law) and there were three boys Allen (my brother) Ethan and Austin. Then Justin came along also. I don’t know what I would have done this past year with out them all! They have been amazing and have taken me in as their sister. Ethan, Allie, and Lindsay were all on this trip also. Right after Justin and I got engaged in 2007 Lauren, moved to Orlando, Fl. Lauren is a beautiful girl who has so much to offer this world. She and I were best friends! I love her with all my heart. Well after Lauren moved down there something click inside her heart. We drifted apart and although she was still in our wedding something wasn’t the same. After Lauren came home for the funeral she immediately went back to Orlando and I never heard from her. She moved back to Mobile in the fall but left unexpectedly again in October. That was the last time I had talked to her. She called me to tell me she was moving back and poured her heart out to me, we both cried and that was all. Well after many phone calls, emails and text messages; We were all finally reunited on this trip! Lauren finally agreed to meet up with us while we were in Orlando. She looked as beautiful as always and I was so excited to finally see my long lost best friend. It was just like old times we laughed, we hugged, we acted silly and simply enjoyed each others company! I don’t know what she will do in the future but I pray everyday for her that she will open her heart to God and let him lead her life 100%, I know He has something special for her. I know it’s so hard for us to trust him completely, but we have to.
To sum it up this trip was amazing and led by God and His spirit! Things happened on this trip that were indescribable but I know Gods foot prints were there. He led us down there, protected us while we were there, brought us back to the USA, took us to Lauren and led us back home safe and sound. I’m still every day in awe of Him!
We did a VBS and worked on a Church. The first day was a little crazy and the kids were pretty whelmed up to say the least. The next day we did VBS the kids responded great! We painted the outside of the church and bonded with the kids. This was the first trip I have ever been on where I could actually speak their language. I have a huge, special place in my heart for children maybe that’s why my degree is in elementary education! I have a heart for all kids and when I see one that is causing problems I like to try to find the good in them and bring that out. There was one little boy who was bothering a lot of the people while they were working, so I pulled him aside and said “Would you like to be my special helper?” he said “Oh Yeah!” with a big smile.. He followed me around with paint and a rag. He would wipe the paint that fell on the tile, for me and loved it! He felt important, he had a purpose, a job. He and I bonded and talked a lot. He was about 8 years old. He told me he had a lot of brothers and sisters.. then he told me his mother had a baby that came out dead! That’s how he said it. My heart immediately broke, because I know what it feels like to lose a sibling. This little boy ended up pouring out his little heart to me and telling me how his mother was sad. The next day I decided to let these little girls “plat my hair” this mean tiny braids that are all knotted up, that hurt like crazy!! Meanwhile, while this girl was braiding my hair she began to tell me how her sister died at the age of nine. Again I knew her pain… I told her about my brother and how he died. She said “oh girl, I’m so sorry” She may have been 11 years old. It’s funny how just when we think God is picking on us we encounter things like this. I many times feel like God decided to hurt “me” and “my family” then when I get out of my bubble I’m reminded that death is a part of life. My heart breaks for the mother who never got to hold her new born baby for a moment of its life here on earth. After a few days of moments like these the last day of VBS was my day to teach. I taught on Salvation. It was also my 16 yr old cousin, Ethan’s day to give his testimony and what a testimony he had! First of all I have to say Ethan is a great, handsome, young, Christian man. He has a wonderful spirit, and the crazy thing is the older he gets the more he looks like my brother. When Ethan got up to speak I’m not going to lie the kids were a little talkative. But when he started speaking, tears came to my eyes. Not only was my heart overjoyed and proud to see my cousin who I have now adopted as my brother up giving his testimony but the words he said brought life to my soul. You see, Ethan got saved at Allen and Justin’s funeral. He began to say how he lost a dear friend and cousin who he looked up to very much. He shared how He made the decision to follow Christ at that moment. All this time and I never had a clue his very soul was saved because of my brothers’ life and then death! I know that if Allen could go back in time and do it all over again, even just for one more to be added to the Kingdom of heaven, He would! That’s what it’s all about. Getting souls to Heaven how ever they have to get there! Just like I have spoke about how fast this summer goes by, life goes by just that fast! We have to hurry and use every moment!
As the trip ended we flew back to Orlando. Back to AIR CONDITION! YAY! We arrived and relaxed we were going to Disney world the next day! Just FYI I have a lot of very close cousins we are all seriously like brother and sister. I love them just like brothers and sister. There are 7 girls, Me, Megan, Lauren, Lindsay, Anna, Allie, Alivia, and now Jessica,(Allen’s wife, my sister in law) and there were three boys Allen (my brother) Ethan and Austin. Then Justin came along also. I don’t know what I would have done this past year with out them all! They have been amazing and have taken me in as their sister. Ethan, Allie, and Lindsay were all on this trip also. Right after Justin and I got engaged in 2007 Lauren, moved to Orlando, Fl. Lauren is a beautiful girl who has so much to offer this world. She and I were best friends! I love her with all my heart. Well after Lauren moved down there something click inside her heart. We drifted apart and although she was still in our wedding something wasn’t the same. After Lauren came home for the funeral she immediately went back to Orlando and I never heard from her. She moved back to Mobile in the fall but left unexpectedly again in October. That was the last time I had talked to her. She called me to tell me she was moving back and poured her heart out to me, we both cried and that was all. Well after many phone calls, emails and text messages; We were all finally reunited on this trip! Lauren finally agreed to meet up with us while we were in Orlando. She looked as beautiful as always and I was so excited to finally see my long lost best friend. It was just like old times we laughed, we hugged, we acted silly and simply enjoyed each others company! I don’t know what she will do in the future but I pray everyday for her that she will open her heart to God and let him lead her life 100%, I know He has something special for her. I know it’s so hard for us to trust him completely, but we have to.
To sum it up this trip was amazing and led by God and His spirit! Things happened on this trip that were indescribable but I know Gods foot prints were there. He led us down there, protected us while we were there, brought us back to the USA, took us to Lauren and led us back home safe and sound. I’m still every day in awe of Him!
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