Sports, Kids, Haiti, and Little Black Babies

So I have been going to church again for the past two months and it has been good. I still sometimes feel church is more of a popularity contest than what it is technically for, so I have taken a low key approach to it all and really have not been involved in much.

Tonight they were talking about an aide trip to Haiti and the whole time they were talking about it, deep in my heart the first moment they mentioned it I knew I was going. This was definitely no hard decision, in my life some of the moments I have felt the greatest joy is when I get the constructive chance to help those who really need it, like seriously if I could do it everyday and not have to worry about how I was going to live or pay bills I would do it. The second thing that makes this an easy decision is I love kids and seeing all those children living on the street tugs at everyone of my hearts strings, so I was sitting there hoping that I would get the chance to sign up in some way to work with kids. The third thing that makes it easy is I LOVE BLACK BABIES! Haha for some reason I have always thought this, I think they are the cutest babies in the whole world, I even said at one point in time that I would adopt one if I never got married, so I am hoping that there will be plenty of them around, it will be great!

So after it was over the pastor whom I have known my whole life and admire very much, came up to me as I was talking to a friend and was asked if he could have a moment. In my mind I was thinking what have I done now :) So as we began talking he asked me if I was interested in going on the trip, to which I could not hold back my excitement of answering yes. He then asked me something which still has me glowing......He asked me if I would organize and run sports camps for the kids of Haiti all week. Basically I get to design and direct an integral part of the whole trip and it deals with kids and sports.....HALLELUJAH! It feels like Dec 25th just came today and I got that one gift that gives you that feeling....

The last trip like this I went on was the summer after my senior year of high school to Honduras and we were sleeping in an abandoned school in the middle of the mountains, with a guard with an AK-47 standing at the compounds door. I will never forget that trip and the joy it gave me helping people. It was amazing as I spent a whole week in 100 + degree heat working in a modified pharmacy, filling prescriptions that our doctors wrote. The week and a half spent in those mountains stay with me now, women with their babies that were so sick that nothing could be done, but to write them a prescription of Tylenol, which basically just alleviated the pain that the child was in. Then when I would give these women the medicine, they would grab you by the arm and hug you or kiss you on the cheek because in their mind you were healing their child, but in my mind I understood what was going to happen after we left. When it comes to my emotions I am never really outward with them and usually guard them and keep them close. After seeing the pain those people were in and the malnourished children over and over again, it finally broke me. I have a feeling that going on this trip will probably do it again.

I know going on this trip the main focus is going to be spreading the word of God. When it comes to this I am still not sure of myself being able to do so. I know in my heart my main goal is to go and hopefully put a smile on a few peoples face. I hope that the time I spend there I can at least bring hope and joy to those who dont have much right now. I hope the kids enjoy the sports programs and games that I come up with and maybe one day I will see one of them playing professionally. At the same time I hope that from this trip I come back better than when I went, what I mean by this is that I hope that I learn things about myself whether good or bad that being in situations like this tend to bring out. I hope that I hold onto and focus on the good and rid and forget the bad. I know that I will leave with an appreciation for life and the simple things that seem to get lost in the hustle and bustle of our days.

I wish this trip was happening tomorrow, but alas all good things require patience and I am willing to wait, besides I have a ton of planning to do.

"To do more for the world than the world does for you - that is success."

"If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path."

"If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody."