THE WAIT IS OVER. THE JOURNEY BEGINS TODAY!!

I was awakened this morning with a rush of emotions as it FINALLY hit me that this journey begins this morning. no turning back, no more waiting, no more anticipation. First of all I want to thank EVERYONE who is making this trip possible for me. Your support and prayers means more to me than I think you could possibly realize. Knowing each morning we wake up in Haiti will be bathed in prayer by so many people who love us back home is overwhelming. We firmly believe that prayer will carry us thru each day and we know that the Lord has already gone before us to prepare the way. ("See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared." -Exodus 23:20) We are answering a call set before us to go and we are so beyond blessed for such an opportunity. ("However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." -Acts 20:24) We are submitted in God's will so we don't walk in fear, but instead in a hope of where the Lord is taking us ("Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, it's God's." -2 Chronicles 20:15) As you pray for me and my precious God-picked team, we pray for you also. We pray that a comfort sweep thru your lives and that the enemy is completely bound up from placing concerns or fears in your mind. ("I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad." -Psalm 16:8-9) What a joy to know that lives will be changed this week. Many will see the Light for the first time.("The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor." -Matthew 11:5) Many will be set free from things that have trapped and bound them for years and years. Miracles will happen. ("The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor." -Matthew 11:5) Many that were considered an orphan before our arrival will no longer be orphans upon our departure because they will come to know a Father that far surpasses an earthly daddy. ("Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." -Matthew 10:8) we declare this is Your name Abba God. ("But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish." -Psalm 9:18) What an amazing God we serve for His continuous faithfulness in our lives. ("I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad." -Psalm 16:8-9)

Please keep our team close in your prayers this week. Pray for travel mercies both to Atlanta today(march 12) and flying mercies tomorrow(march 13) as well as upon our return(march 19). pray for our health. our unity among our team. pray for the people the Lord has placed before us. And of course that our every step will be made because we were sensitive to where the Lord was leading us to go.
If you would like to pray for our team by name:
Benson
Dana
Ann Marie
Joshua
Chasity
Kelly Anne
Hannah
Rebecca
Jared
Becky
Nathan
Mary Beth
Allison
Michael

Just for fun, here are some facts about Haiti that we are believing for a change in:
* Haiti is the poorest country in the western Hemisphere.
* One out of five children die from preventable illnesses before reaching the age of five.
* Diarrhea is the leading cause of death for children under five
* Only 50% of the population have access to running water
* 300,000 child laborers
* 2,500 street children in Port au Prince alone.
* GNI per capita for Haiti is $450 (in 2005)
* Under-five mortality rate for Haiti is 120 (in 2005) 120 out of 1000 die before they are 5 years old.
* Infant mortality rate for Haiti is 84 (in 2005)  84 out of 1000 die before the age of one.
* Life expectancy is 51
* 50% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
* 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day


The journey begins when this post is published and I close the computer. Excitement overtakes me now! I love each and every one of you so much and am so honored to be the one going to Haiti to carry His name!! No matter where the Lord leads, so thankful for a grace to follow! Cant wait to share all about it upon my return! Trust me, pictures and videos are to come!

This is Starting to Become a Reality

I can not believe we are leaving for Haiti TWO weeks!! That means I have 14 days before this dream becomes reality. It's all beginning to sink in that I am actually fixing to hop in a plane and step foot onto a country that many wouldn't dare enter. Along with the excitement of new places, new experiences and new people comes a bit of fear and anxiety of just what is in store. BUT I am completely at peace knowing that I am in the will of God heading out on this trip. Praise God!!
I am continuously burdened for the people of Haiti. I wake up thinking about them, I go through out my day thinking about them and I go to bed thinking about them! (Suprisingly I don't think I have dreamed about them yet!!) The Haitian people are already so close to my heart which makes each day that passes closing into the day we leave, that much more exciting!
Now that we are getting  so close to March, people are always asking when were leaving and if I am ready to go. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! AM I READY??! LET ME GO TODAY is what I feel like the correct response would be, but YES i am absolutely ready to go.

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act"

Proverbs 24:12

Just a few updates:
We had another meeting with our team this past Sunday. Such a hand picked group that God has choosen to send over there! I am so excited and blessed to call myself a part of this team that has a heart to make Jesus' name known to the ends of the Earth. Such a selfless group and I know that every breath we take, every step we journey on and every word that leave our mouths will bring all the glory to OUR sweet Jesus that He deserves. We are here for HIM and we desire that He be made famous among the Haitian people!

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships -

so that we may live deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people -

so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war -

so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in the world -

 so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen. (Franciscan Benediction)

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS:
1. overall safety while travelling by bus and plane as well as safety while in the villages and community
2. Health
3. Language and cultural barriers
4. Unity among our team both now and on our trip
AND
5. the Haitian people- for hearts to already begin geing stirred before we even get there

Thank yall again for all the love, support and prayers!

Etched in my heart..

So I have already failed at my promise of updating once a week, but school has gotten the best of me. Praise the Lord, after a full day of school work, I now have time to update you on my life before heading to bed. Luckily, today was our first long meeting with our wonderful, hand-picked by God, team of 14. Filled with lots of exciting information that I now get to pass along to you!

I can not believe we are down to the last few weeks as we now have just 33 days left and counting. It's coming up quickly, but each day the Lord is preparing me more and more.

We are now flying out early on Sunday morning and returning mid afternoon the following Saturday due to flight schedules. But the Lord's timing is perfect and I am believing that the trip has been altered slightly for a reason. We are staying at an orphanage in Jacmel, as most of you know, which is just south of Port-au-Prince.

Although alot of our time will be spent at the compound of the orphanage, we will also be doing tent revivals in the city, street evangelism/ministry and possibly going into the jails to do ministry to the imprisoned as well. Now at first glance of reading that last part of the prior sentence, please do keep in mind our hearts must go out to the imprisoned too. They need Jesus just as much as the 4 year old orphaned boy or the 27 year old mother of 3 that is living in the tent city. We are walking in complete confidence that the Lord is going before us and the Lord will be with us in every step that we take. We will be under the covering of each one of your prayers and will be completely safe. Our sweet Jesus gave us common sense too for a good reason, and I can assure you we will be using it quite a bit while over there. I ask you to be supportive and excited for the opportunities we have been given and any reserves you may have about things, seek the Lord for a peace and comfort that far exceeds, we as humans, understanding!

Other exciting news we recieved today... we will be wearing skirts every day that we are there. Now for those of you who know me and know my love for my nike shorts and a tshirt, you are going to be in for a real laugh once pictures go up of me actually wearing these lovely skirts! I give you full permission to laugh, because laughing is what I will do each morning I put one on. They will look great with my tennis shoes to match! Let's see what else we learned today... oh man, how could I forget our culture lesson on Haitian food. For those of you who do not know the typical foods that Haitians eat...

you are now looking at a yummy feast made up of chicken, potatoes, black beans and rice! I am determined to have a positive outlook on this considering almost everybody we come in contact with while we are over there would kill to have this meal. I know some of you who have left the country and have eaten a similar meal will be quick to tell me that outlook won't last 5 seconds after I put it in my mouth and actually taste it, but a positive outlook on it now doesn't hurt anybody does it?!

We did learn today that one of our team members will be updating Twitter for you social network goo roo's

 in order for yall to keep up with and follow us on our 8 day journey to bring as much hope and light in a third world country that is physically possible with the strength and mercies that the Lord has promised to provide. The link to that and how to follow us will come as we get closer to the trip itself!

The last thing I would like to share with you tonight about our trip before wrapping up for the night is we found out today that we will be taking stuff over to Haiti for the kids and people that we will come in contact with. Over the next few weeks remaining before our trip, some of us will be making salvation bracelets to hand out.

We will also begin collecting items like:

BUBBLES

BALLOONS

 STICKERS

and CRAYONS to cram in our bags in order to bring joy to these precious little children of God.

As I leave you tonight, I know this blog has been longer than most but I am attaching this YouTube video for you to go watch. It is close to 8 minutes long, but as I came across it tonight, I knew I had to share it with you. This is my reason for going to Haiti. This is my burning desire to get across to you and what I want you to grasp as the reason for me going to another country to spread the LOVE of Christ. I hope to impact many "Hudson's" while I am there! Do yourself a favor and watch this video. I can assure you that it will etch something so deep in your heart that you will never view children in poverty and need the same.

Depraved Indifference Video 

Praying for you all tonight and asking for prayer from you also! You just have no clue the impact you each are making on my life by praying for me even now. May you be blessed in the week ahead!

A Fight For Justice

I bet you can't guess the number of orphans there are in the world today. And when I tell you this number, I pray something stirs within you with a desire to see this number decrease in large measures daily. Are you ready? Here it is... in the world today, depending on the criteria used to decide who is considered an orphan or not, there are between 147 and 210 MILLION orphans in this world. That is simply heart wrenchinG.
"Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the opressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow" Isaiah 1:17
As most of you know, the majority of our trip will be spent at an orphanage in Jacmel. A lot of attention has been placed on the orphans of Haiti, especially since the earthquake struck just last year. The children are placed in orphanages for many reasons ranging from the death of a parent or disease and poverty within the family/village. The number of orphans in Haiti skyrocketed after parents of these children realized the few resources they had had now been stripped away from them leaving them empty handed and with nowhere to turn. It was estimated that prior to the 2010 earthquake there were nearly 350,000 orphans, and now there is an estimated 1 million orphans in Haiti alone. This is something we're seeking justice for. Something that must be changed. The biggest fear for this large number is the target that is placed on them to be considered at risk for child traffickers to prey on such a vulnerable group.

Although I believe it is great to go and pull these kids out of such poverty stricken conditions, I truly believe there is something greater we can do for the people of Haiti. Most of these families wouldn't just give their kids up if they believed they could take care of them. This is where we take the resources we have readily available and make a long lasting difference in the communities and villages among the Haitian natives. What if a family was able to have clean water? They wouldn't be putting their families in as much risk for cholera. They would be able to provide their families with safe drinking water. YOU CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN. (http://www.cleanwaterforhaiti.org/Design/HTML/donate.html)

What if mothers and fathers could provide shelter and a place for their families to lay their heads at night? They wouldn't have to worry about the safety issues that come from sleeping on the streets. They wouldn't have to worry about how to stay dry when it rained. Can you imagine the thought of not being able to put a roof over the ones you care most about each and every night. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. (https://www.homesforhaiti.com/donate/)

(Each block of wood represents $36. 100 blocks of wood builds one house in Haiti. One house is $3,600)

What if a child could recieve education, food, health care and the opportunity to hear the gospel and about Jesus daily, would you do it?

Let me introduce you to Markens. He is my sweet and precious five year old friend from Haiti. His family now has a little stress taken off their shoulders because he is recieving everything I just mentioned. This little guy has changed my life and i've never even met him. We were given an opportunity to "adopt" and help fund education and health to a child through Compassion International while we were at Passion. The response was overwhelming so I had to wait until I got home to do this, but it has been a blessing already and I urge you to take part in being blessed while you get to bless another child and his/her family as well. YOU CAN BE SOMEONES LIFESAVER. (http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/waystosponsor/childsearch.htm)

As I leave you tonight, I beg you to seek the Lord and ask Him where He wants you to make a difference. It may not be in Haiti. He could call you to change a life of a child in South Africa. Or maybe help a girl out of sex trafficking in Bolivia. Or maybe He is calling you to feed the homeless in your own city. Even volunteer some of your time in an after-school program for kids coming from abused or neglected backgrounds. Whatever it may be surrender your life to His calling and let Him direct your every step. Its worth it when youre walking in His will.

AND THE JOURNEY BEGINS...

What a blessing it is to have you partnering alongside with me in prayer as I get closer and closer to departing on a journey that is sure to change my life. I have been beyond blessed with your kind words, prayers and financial gifts that has made this trip possible. I am excited to inform you that I have almost reached my goal of raising enough money for the trip itself, but in addition to the cost of the trip comes the cost of vaccinations and a passport, as well as little things here and there that will be needed on my trip. Many people have asked if their is anything that I need help with as far as the medical cost of the shots or supplies for the trip and things of that nature. All I can tell you as of right now is yes, I still have a few medical cost remaining and we are going to be taking things for the kids but a later post will talk about that when we know more about wht we can and can not take. Any checks made to Church of the Highlands only covers the cost of the trip and anything else must come from my pocket. So a few people have donated cash/checks to me, which is completely fine. I can assure you every bit of it will be greatly appreciated.
Speaking of vaccines, I think I have recieved more vaccines in the past week than I expected to come in such a short period of time. You will be glad to hear I recieved my Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Tetanus shots! And as most of you have been concerned with the recent outbreaks of Malaria and Cholera in the area I will be travelling into, rest assured I am good to go as I  now have prescriptions ready to protect and fight off both of those!
This is such an exciting time for me and I am completely at peace knowing this is where the Lord is leading me to go.
I am extremely swamped this semester with school as I complete all of my final courses for my major, so I plan on updating this once a week until the week before my trip, in which I will then update daily up until I leave on March 12. I ask you to continue praying for me and my precious team that I will be journeying with. This is one thing hat I am not taking lightly. The money is of great importance, but I feel as if prayer is a much greater need. The Lord will provide for the cost, but this is where I am heavily depending on you to keep prayers coming daily.

This picture is from the Passion conference I attended in Atlanta the first week of January, but read it carefully and let these words soak into your spirit.

 Be sensitive to what the Lord is speaking over you and what He is leading you to do or even where He is leading you to go. Remember it doesn't take leaving the country to make an eternal difference in this world. Our communities are in need of Christ and are just as desperate to feel His love and peace! You have the answer the world is searching for! Just be a living example of Christ in your everyday life!
I love each and every one of you!