This time last week, as many of you know, I was in Haiti. Normally once I return home I am ready to tell everyone all about my trip but not this time. It was different. My trip impacted me so much that I needed time to process all the thoughts in my head. I thought that today being Thanksgiving would be ye best time for me to share thoughts from my week by sharing what I am Thankful for & why!
1. I am THANKFUL for my LIFE! This is something that I so often have taken lightly but after being in Haiti I have learned it is a true gift! While there last week there was one who lost is life & another that began life! I don’t know either one of their stories but all I know is ones chance to make a difference in the world is over & one is just beginning! I want to make a difference in my LIFE everyway I can. Another thing I learned last wk was my Haitian friends & family live each day with true JOY & a smile because it’s one day closer to them spending eternity in heaven! That’s how I want to live & for my LIFE I am THANKFUL!
2. I am THANKFUL for my FAMILY! So many times I get frustrated over the tiniest things. Beds not made, clothes not put up, things not looking perfect. Haiti has taught me that each moment with my family is a precious moment that I can NEVER get back so let the little things go! Family is a special gift that I should protect, LOVE, grow, teach & respect! I should feel this way everyday & not just on Thanksgiving! All the STUFF in the world can vanish & fade away, but FAMILY is there forever! Being able to spend the whole week with Tia was yhe most AMAZING experience ever! She is everything i could have ever dreamed if & more! She is funny, she is smart, she loves to draw, she loves to see where her boundaries are, & she LOVES to eat! She is 100% a Wilson & it AMAZES me that almost five years ago (She eill be 5 Jan. 5th) that God knew he was forming her to be a part of our family! Today i am THANKFUL for her dad….thankful that he was willing to give up such a precious gift & give it to us that we may have our family complete! That is why I am THANKFUL for my family!
3. I am THANKFUL for my SALVATION! I don’t think I have ever thought about this aspect of my life until Haiti last week. While doing village ministry I had the AMAZING priviledge of praying with several people to accept Christ, but when I heard them pray it was different. It’s was a pray of a hope & a future! My best friend Kelly & I had the opportunity to pray with a mother & daughter who recieved Christ! It was one of the most AMAZING memories I have of Haiti. seeing a family rejoice together, knowing they will NEVER have yo worry another day about where their strenght comes from….THE LORD! I saw a JOY in them that took me back to my salvation & for that I am THANKFUL!
4. I am THANKFUL for the house I live in, the clothes I wear & the food I will eat today & everyday. In Haiti the word “house” would be a very loose term to most American’s. A house to them may be sticks with some tatch weaves together making walls, it could be cinderblocks piled up with some concreate stuck in between keeping it from falling & for the very fortunate it good be a solid concreate structure that would seem like no more than very small wareshouse to us here in America. The one thing I have noticed in Haiti though is no matter what kind of house they have, they take pride in the fact that they have it! I feel like so many times here I get so caught up in wanting more that I forget to stop & be THANKFUL for what I do have! I never think about all the clothes I have. Some of my Haitian friends today will put on the ONE nice thing they own. Some may only have a couple of pieces of clothing, some may only have the scraps people have given them. When I sit down to eat today I know there will be a spread of food….just like there is every year! I will be THANKFUL for that today because I know that in Haiti some people won’t get any food today! Some may get meal if they are lucky & some may have enough rice for the month because we were able to supply them with that while we were there last wk! As I think about how excited each person who came through that rice line was last week, I pray that image will be burnt in my mind FOREVER! For that I am THANKFUL!
5. I am THANKFUL for Haiti! This past week was my 7th trip to Haiti & by far the most impactful! I saw LIVES changed, I saw miracles right in front of me, I built lasting friendships, I felt things in my heart that I have NEVER felt, I bonded with my baby girl! I don’t want to lose what God showed me in Haiti last week! I want to SEE these things everyday here, I want to remember how much Haiti has impacted me & I want to share that with everyone who will listen (& maybe even those who won’t :). I am THANKFUL that God has parked my heart in Haiti because it has allowed me to seey LIFE with SO MUCH MORE MEANING!
These are the things I am THANKFUL for this holiday season & I intend on carrying them with me in my heart everyday for the rest of my LIFE!
bring TIFI home 