About three years ago, I turned down an amazing opportunity to spend a month building houses in Guatemala. I might give you all the reasons in the world for making that decision – it would be hard on my job, I had loans to pay, I couldn’t leave responsibilities with my church, etc. The truth is, I was scared.
I’ve only really been out of the country once. I don’t count day trips to Canada and Mexico as real international travel. So the thought of spending an extended period of time away from the comfort and safety of home was frightening.
At the same time, travelling internationally – with the specific intent of helping others while I travel – is something I feel very strongly about. I’ve felt called to do something abroad for years, but fear and uncertainty has kept me from taking that leap. Recently, a friend questioned why I hadn’t taken that step yet. Then another brought it up. Then, by a weird twist of fate, I was asked to present a sermon on the importance of service to others.
So when I was given the chance the very next day after presenting that sermon to sign up for a missions trip to Haiti, I didn’t hesitate.
I will be leaving next Friday for the island nation of Haiti where I will spend a week with 6 other members of the church helping out a community any way I can. It’s exciting, terrifying, and refreshing to be taking such action at this point in my life. So, to keep you all up-to-date, I’ve started yet another blog: Eric in Haiti.
I’ve been updating this new site as details have been arriving. I hope to keep updating it as the trip grows near. And I’ve worked out a way to (hopefully) update the site from the missions field using a pay-as-you-go cell phone. Also, once I’m back in the States, I plan to share stories and photos from my trip as well.
So take a minute to head over and sign up for updates. I’ll try to keep them coming as often as you want them!