From Miami to Haiti

Hey everyone! I am updating from my phone in the Miami airport, while waiting for my flight to board, so this is going to be a relatively short one.

My journey to Haiti started Sunday night. Friends and family prayed over me at my sisters grad party, making me cry tears of happiness, fear, peace, anxiety, and just about every other emotion one could experience. It was an emotional day for me.

Then, my friends had a surprise for me. A journal with 'open in Haiti' letters for me as I take this step of faith and travel to children of the promise by myself. Once again, making me cry. I am so incredibly blessed by these beautiful, God-fearing, loving, fearless group of women (and men). Thank you God!

I started packing at 9 pm the night before I left. With friends on my bed watching friends and our 6th grade video, reminiscing on our many adventures in life together, I was a stressed out messing asking my mom to help me pack cause I didn't know how to even begin. After she helped me get my things together, she told me to grab my passport from the safe. I was planning on waiting till the morning I left to grab it cause I thought I would lose it. When I went to open the safe it was locked, and we didn't have the combination. My dad tried to open it until 1 am to no avail. Scared of being unable to grab my passport, I was a mess. Then a friend told me that this was just another attack, a way of making me stress out and not trust God. I said prayers all night, fell asleep and the next morning my dad called a locksmith. The locksmith cancelled his morning appointment to open the safe for us. He unscrewed the locks and got it open exactly 45 minutes before I had to leave for the airport. Praise the Lord! God is so good!

Getting to the airport was an adventure as always. LAX is a mess. But after going to terminal 6 and having to book it to terminal 4, I was able to check my luggage, get through security, and get a water and salad before boarding my flight to Miami.

The plane ride was long, but we made it safely and 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I was able to get my luggage with in 15 minutes and find the hotel shuttle 30 minutes later after waiting to go down in an elevator that only went up (because we were already on the bottom floor... Oops) But I flagged down my shuttle, verified its destination, and had a cool conversation with the driver, since I was the only one on it.

I checked into my hotel, got a soup, got ready for bed, called my parents, and fell asleep after figuring out what time the shuttle would leave.

Today, I woke up, unwillingly might I add (those beds are soooo comfortable), got breakfast at the hotel, packed up my things, got on the shuttle ( by myself again), chatted with the driver, who then carried my checked back to the door of the American Airlines international check in after telling me he was doing it cause I was pretty (awww... Shucks), I got in the right line, checked my bag, proceeded to get in the wrong security lines twice, before finding the right one, made it to my terminal with a tea, got a stranger to take my picture (awkward) which is on Facebook and Instagram, talked with my mom, and updated this blog:).

I am currently nervous, excited, peaceful, ready, scared, but confident in His unfailing love, His incomprehensible power, and His plans for me and this trip. Prayers are needed and appreciated! I love you all!

I will try to update in Haiti, but I'm not sure if I can. Otherwise, text or call my mom for information about my trip as I will be emailing her with updates!

Keep praying! And live fearless!

Fearlessly His,
           Madi