I remember driving home after work one day, when I had an unexpected desire to return to Haiti. Without thinking twice about it, I brushed it away, knowing it was close to impossible for me to return. I had no vacation time left at work, and the chances of my parents letting me go were even lower, especially after the last trip to Haiti in January. But God still continued to speak to my heart. I finally decided to take a couple of days to pray about it. I wanted to make sure this was not my own will, and that this was something God wanted me to do. Through each step of the way, I saw how God’s hand was opening doors that seemed impossible to open. With my parent’s blessing, and time off from work, God began to show His almighty hand through even more miracles than I had ever hoped to see.

Even prior to our departure, God began to do miracles. The first miracle was that our medical team leader- Irina Laba- was able to go on the trip. Through many prayers and amazing circumstances, God had worked everything down to the smallest detail, and she was able to go. I remember during one evening service on the roof of Pastor Capre’s house, our leader Veniamin Vysotsky told us that God specifically picked each person individually to go on this missionary trip. That was especially true for our medical team. Together we continued to pray for medical supplies and medicine that we would need in Haiti. God opened many doors, and through donations from a few organizations and the dedicated work of Igor Kutsar and Vadim Levtonyuk, we were able to receive the necessary supplies for the trip.

Monday morning, we flew out to Haiti. I was extremely thankful that God had made this trip possible for me. Before we left, my pastor told me: “If you have a desire to serve God, He will make miracles out of impossible situations.” Many times those words encouraged me to keep praying for things which in my mind I knew were completely impossible.

The first couple of days in Haiti, the plans our medical team had made were falling apart. We didn’t know where to go, what to do, and had no medical supplies to work with. There were problems with unloading the container which had all of our medical supplies. We didn’t know the area, or who to turn to for help. Each day we would pray, and try to make plans for the next day. We were trying so hard to plan everything ourselves that we missed the lesson God was trying to teach us through these circumstances. He didn’t want to simply carry out our plans, He wanted to us to be a part of His. When we finally came to realize that, God began His amazing work each and every day. From then on we dedicated our day to God, asking Him to lead and guide our steps.

We were able to set up clinics in the tent cities, as well as in churches, schools and orphanages. Many of the health problems people had resulted from lack of clean water. It was obvious that many people were malnourished and dehydrated. A lot of the pre-existing medical conditions were either uncontrolled or unable to be treated due to the lack of, or unavailability of, medications. Some people stood in line for hours simply to have their blood pressure taken. Not one of them seemed to mind the hot weather, or the waiting.

In the U.S., I have often found myself frustrated with certain things at our hospital. After our team had a chance to volunteer at one of the hospitals in Haiti, I was able to see things in a different perspective. On the pediatric floor, I realized how thankful parents were that their children were getting at least some kind of medical care. They didn’t have to say anything, because it was seen in their eyes. They had no remote control to make a bed go up and down, no button to press for the nurse when they were in pain. A simple cot, and a blanket, was pretty much all these children had. Parents slept on the floor right beside the child’s bed. In the hot, humid weather, whether they were in pain from surgery, hungry or thirsty, they never forgot to say “thank you”.

I was touched by the many people, and especially children, who came to seek medical care. They made me realize how many things I often take for granted in my life, and how fortunate I am to have these blessings, only through God’s grace. I often asked God why I have so much, and yet these children have so little. I have never had to go through the pain of losing a parent, yet these kids have. Often times I have big hopes and dreams, and all these kids hope for is to be able to eat once during the day. I’ve never had to feel completely alone, sick and hungry. But when I looked into the eyes of these kids, that was what I saw. Some of them, tired from the hard labor or physical abuse from their relatives, simply want to be held, to be shown a little bit of kindness and love. Looking at the thousands of tents that they call homes, I thanked God for a comfortable house, which so many of these children either lost during the earthquake or never had in the first place.

Driving through the street one day, I noticed a family that was working on re-building their home after the earthquake. Unlike the many other families who were rebuilding remains of rubble, this family was building a new house from blocks they were making themselves. Through that example, God showed me that I often do the same in my life. When my hopes and plans shatter, I try so hard to work through the debris and re-build among the ruins. But what God really wants is to build something completely new, carefully building each day of my life into a greater plan.

I came to Haiti with my own expectations and a certain plan of how everything was going to work. The first few days I was disappointed when those expectations weren’t met. Had I realized sooner to fully surrender to God and rely on His plan for the day, I would have lived through many more blessings. Each day in Haiti, God wanted to teach me what it really meant to fully surrender to His will. I learned that the answer was simple: I have to place my hope for tomorrow, into God’s hand today, with the only expectation that He will answer, in His own time, His own way.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

God alone deserves all the glory, may His name be praised!

Amen.