Home Alone…

On Thursday morning my dad left for France.  He will be gone for two weeks, and when he arrives, I will be out of town, doing some work with the JRC Restavec Foundation and will not see him until a few days later.  My dad has traveled in Haiti without me before, but this will be my first time traveling far without him.  In my mind, all of this adds up to one thing: I am officially home alone and living independently in a “foreign” country.

You may not think this is a big deal, but this is huge for me.  Dad would not have left me alone if he did not think that I knew how to function in the country on my own.  At first, I would never leave his side, working on whatever he was working on.  Then, gradually I started working more independently as I took on my own projects, working outside of dad’s own endeavors.  This continued more and more each day until suddenly I realized that I actually have my own life in Haiti.  From day to day, I deal with my own affairs, money, transportation, scheduling, etc., now almost completely on my own.  I’m growing up…

Of course my dad and I have parts of our life that will always intersect.  I especially still count on him and look to him for advice (both spoken and demonstrated) on how to go about ministry in Haiti.  We work in different domains within the church (he oversees everything while I focus mainly on children and youth), but his example is so very valuable, his advice is priceless, and his 39 years worth of wisdom and experience are extremely rich.  I would be foolish to go about my business without tapping into this wisdom.

Still, all in all, my dad’s absence makes me feel like I have “graduated,” so to speak.  I have passed through an important phase of training and I now have a life of my own.  I don’t recall what it felt like the first time I found myself functioning entirely independently, but I feel like I’m becoming a man all over again.  I do miss my dad, but it feels good to be independent.

Last Weekend in Ohio

Many of you have asked me how my trip to Ohio went.  Most of you have gotten the short answer: “amazing!”  In truth, I don’t think that there are many details to tell (other than specifically what I spoke about–which I think that I outlined pretty accurately in another blog), but I can tell you a bit about what it felt like to speak at home.  As planned, I spoke to the Freshmen about living above society’s weak standards for them.  I challenged them to step out and try “hard things,” and I gave them a chance to do that by spearheading a relief drive for Haiti.  They have been at it for a week, brainstorming, meeting, talking to teachers and different community leaders, building a website, and pretty soon they will have some concrete plans in place.  I’m already so proud of them, and I have full faith that they can go the distance and accomplish their extravagant plans and goals.  The kind of message that I gave to them is one that has to be preached over and over for most to get it.  I hope that it will be preached by example through some of those who responded present to organize this drive.

I also spoke to the Seniors last Monday, asking them to challenge the societal definition of success, pushing them to live for a purpose greater than themselves.  I spoke to them about what it means to leave a legacy, to live your life in such a way that when you die, there is actually evidence left behind that testifies that you had actually lived (a topic I plan to discuss at length on this blog, soon).  I don’t think that I had ever been so well received in my life.  I feel like I had their undivided attention, and it showed in their next period of classes.  I had a teacher come to me and thank me for my words of encouragement, saying that her students talked about my talk for the whole period.  One student felt like her call to be a missionary (this is not a Christian school) was confirmed in my talk, and she is now corresponding with me through email with the school Guidance Counselor to see what she can get her hands on after she graduates.  I thank God for such an opportunity.

When I spoke to the Church in Felicity, I said very little about Haiti.  God had another message in mind, a “call to ministry” for everyone in the congregation.  I spoke to the pastor afterward, and she said that everything that I said was a confirming word for what she has been preaching for months, and it was a great encouragement to some of the new ministries for the community that are beginning in the church.  God knows what he’s doing.  Though I said next to nothing about Haiti, they still plan to help.  I will find out what they plan to do very soon.  Later that evening, I spoke at Bethel UMC.  It was very humbling to stand before the congregation that I grew up in.  I told them that it was interesting to stand before them to present the word of God when many of them had a hand in raising me and giving me God’s word.  It’s something that I probably never imagined as a kid.  Just as before, they were so very interested in what I am doing and quick to extend a hand to help me.  I truly am blessed to still have them “by my side,” supporting me.

Before and after speaking, I reflected on the scripture that says that a prophet is never honored in his hometown.  I realized that this principle probably would not apply to someone whom everyone expected to someday become a prophet.  I received a very honorable “welcome home,” every where that I went.  It’s because no one is surprised at what God is doing in me, with me, and through me.  They knew it all along, and they have always been pushing me toward it.  They are the ones who encouraged me in the work of the Lord all of my life.  They all spoke great things over me and always raised the bar higher for me.  I am so blessed to have had such strong support behind me as I grew up.  And I am thankful that they are still there for me.  God bless you all!

I’m Coming Home!

Everyone kept asking me if I get to go home at all this summer, but home is a stranger concept every day, especially since Judy (the reason why I usually go “home”) will be in North Carolina next year. When they ask, I tell them that I get to go home at least five times this summer.

Right now i am in Florida visiting a couple sibs and the in-law (sister-in-law that is). I’m here just to hang out, enjoy the company of family, and help a couple brothers move into their new apartment. So far, this home doesn’t feel much different from Ohio. It’s warmer here, the TV is bigger, I sleep on a couch… but that doesn’t mean a thing. I’m home with people who welcome me, feed me, and look after me.

On the 20th I get to go home to Pittsburgh. Feguens graduates from Med School on the 22nd and I’m going to be there to support him. When i go there, I expect the same feeling as here. It will be very different yet all the same. Soon after that, I get to go home to Ohio to watch my little sister graduate from High School. Once again, different, but all the same.

After the graduations I get to go back to Duke for June and July to do my thing. There I will find a different kind of family, different set of friends, yet the same feeling of home with peope who love me, feed me, and care about me. Finally in August, for the first time in 18 years i get to visit my first home ever, Haiti. God knows what I’ll find when I get there, but I cannot wait to meet the family and experience the home I know so little about.

Of course when I’m here I miss people, cultures, surroundings, places, and customs of Ohio, but the same goes for everywhere else I go, so whats the diff? I read an article in Relevant Magazine recently about missing home that really shed some light on the concept. The way that we miss things when we are in other places is a reminder of the fact that in this world we will always be lacking something, whether it be a a favorite diner, mom’s home cooking, or your favorite neighbors. No place can physically contain everything that we love. This feeling is a reminder of the fact that we are never really home at all until we are in HIS house with friends and family and all the time in the world to share each other’s company.