The Comfort of Knowing

When we said goodbye to Gwenn and Nick and the children on Sunday I had a peace that I had not expected. It was hard to say goodbye but not as hard as I imagined it could have been. As I ponder this a bit I have come up with a few thoughts. Fear comes from not knowing and from knowing. When I gave birth the first time the fear was because I did not know what to expect and my imagination went into overdrive. When I was preparing for the birth of my second child the fear was because I did know what was coming.
What's this got to do with Gwenn and Nick's move to Haiti? Lots. Before I traveled to Haiti myself I only had things I had read and stories (sometimes horror stories) from people who had gone before.(Much like how women share their birthing experience with pregnant women.) So I only had my overactive imagination and other people's ideas. When I got there it didn't smell as bad or feel as hot as I imagined. The people who wanted to carry my bags were not as aggressive as I expected. I got to meet many of the people that Gwenn and Nick will be working with and I got to see first hand the home where they will live. So the fear of not knowing was replaced with the confidence of knowing.
Now that I have experienced Haiti first hand I am not afraid because I do know. Had I had a bad experiecne with this trip then the fear would be there. The fear of knowing.
So with fear gone I am free to imagine other things. I am free to imagine how God is going to make provision for my frequent and/or extended trips to Jacmel.Imagining myself and the rest of our family as part of the vision that is being birthed changes everything. I know we will not see the grandchildren as often as I would like but I am no longer fearful that they will not know me.
Am I concerned that difficult things will be faced in Haiti that might be avoided in the US? Yes. But I am equally as confident that "He who began this work will be faithful to complete it."
I also know that it is far better to miss your someone because God has called them and they have obeyed than to miss someone because they live down the street and never call you. I am sure I will cry at times but in the meantime I will be pricing out tickets and thanking God for the Internet and that daily I can be in touch with my children. My children in Haiti. My children in Penn. and my children in Manteo.