Shortly before Thanksgiving, I was thinking about preparations for Christmas in our home, and I was so excited that I would soon be able to set out my new nativity that we purchased from a metal-work artisan we met while in Haiti this past February. That led me to reminisce about the transformational immersion trip Carlin and I took, and gave me pause to pray for the beautiful people of Haiti and their heartbreaking living situations.
From the moment I learned about our partnership with the Haitian Timoun Foundation, I felt a pull to learn more about this ministry. But travelling to Haiti? That was way out of my comfort zone. I was well aware of the health risks that Haitians (and ill-prepared visitors) face on a daily basis from contaminated water sources and mosquito borne diseases, as well as uncomfortable living conditions from years of weather-related catastrophes the island has endured. I would be crazy to travel there! And yet, the pull kept getting stronger, until one day at dinner, I turned to Carlin and said, "I need to go to Haiti. I feel very strongly that God is calling me to do this."
We talk a lot during Advent about preparation: we prepare for and await the Savior who will come to us as a baby. In this reading, we learn about other ways God prepares God's people. Before God sent Jeremiah to his ministry, the first thing God did was to sit down and share with Jeremiah that he was loved and that God already had an amazing plan for his life. The truly notable thing is that this preparation began long before Jeremiah was even conceived. God knew the plans for Jeremiah and had already prepared for this day. God said, "I started getting you ready, and the world ready for you, long before you were born."
What's really amazing is that this isn't just something that applied to Jeremiah the prophet or someone we think of as extraordinary. This is true of each one of us. I, personally, find it pretty cool to know that long before I was born, God had already planned for me to be part of God's mission in Haiti. Where has God prepared YOU for mission? Listen to the call.
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