Palms Up

Our lives will be changed forever!  This trip started at 3:45 am Monday morning as we all met at the airport in Minneapolis to begin our adventure to Haiti.  We were all excited and ready to go.  Everything went as planned and we were on the plane in Miami ready to fly to Haiti.  We sat on the plane for an hour after boarding and were told that we just needed the mechanic to sign off and we were off.  The plane took off and stayed at 7,000 feet.  The pilot announced that they were having difficulties with a flap and were going to check all their instruments.  Little did I know we were circling Miami as the pilots decided what to do!  I am not afraid of flying, but I am not a fan of take-offs and landings.  Scared does not begin to describe the emotions I felt as we were in the air!
 I closed my eyes and began to pray.  “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9) kept running through my mind.  As my mind started to focus on these words I begin to feel a calmness come over me.  I then was reminded of a comment Jeff (our leader) made as we were waiting to take off.  He said we need to go to God with our palms up.  We can’t cling to our plans or desires when we say we want to do God’s will.  We have to be palms up, not grasping for earthly wishes.  I don’t think I have ever felt such a peacefulness.  I knew God would take care of us.

The pilot announced that we were going to be heading back to Miami and that the emergency crews would be out just in case our brakes were a little hot, but he was trained to land a fully fueled plane and we would be boarding a new plane shortly after landing.  His landing was the softest landing I have experienced!  As we landed, we were all looking out our windows and watching these neon green fire engines following us.
I knew at that moment that Christ had used this experience to prepare my heart for what I would see and do in Haiti.

We flew out of Miami 4 hours later than scheduled and safely arrived in Port-au-Prince Haiti around 7:30 pm.

We loaded the Healing Haiti truck with our bags, all 10 of us climbed in and we were off to serve the Haitian community for the next 7 days.
I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us.  One thing I do know-I do not need to be terrified or fear anything I encounter on this trip because I am here with my palms up ready to follow HIS plan!

Jill Jopp
Healing Haiti Team Member