Cati Goes to Haiti

Grandpa Wally Campbell The last six weeks have been a whirlwind of my time. I've had the intention of sitting to write this post for about 2 weeks, but simply haven't had the time. I think it's because God was doing work behind the scenes and redeeming a few situations and helping me to get my head right, so I can hopefully encourage others. In the last 2 weeks I have said goodbye to a lot of things. Saying Goodbye to Grandpa  The world lost a great man on October 2. This is made much easier knowing that he is knowing walking on streets of gold with Jesus. I had the blessing of being able to travel back from Haiti to see him before he passed and spend the following week with friends and family. ((It was an adventure to get there -- see my plane picture, but so glad that I could make the trip.)) My brother wrote a BEAUTIFUL tribute of our grandpa. You can read it here . Yes, they are PUSHING the plane after a flat tire.  Saying Goodbye to Comfort For those ...

Some of Wood's family at his graduation. What a few weeks it has been. Here in Haiti, we've been meeting ourselves coming and going. That trend doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. Passing the holidays in Haiti wasn't quite what I expected. It wasn't necessarily better or worse...just different. Christmas doesn't hold the same weight that it does in America. Much more attention is given to New Year's Eve and Day as January 1 is Haiti's Independence Day.  You all enjoy your snow...I'll keep my beach views. On Christmas Eve, Wood and I went to church (which wasn't packed to the gills like in America) and then we went to a party. Christmas Eve was difficult. It was tough not being with my family for the first time in 26 years! I did get to phone in for prayer time at my grandparent's house which filled my heart with gladness. On Christmas Day, Wood and I headed to Kaliko Beach Resort to spend the day and night with the Br...

This sweet gift was the inspiration behind this post and serves as a constant reminder. Life has a funny way of making you wait. But is it really life that's making you wait or is it God trying to teach you something? God has a funny way of proving that the waiting is all worth it.  Six months ago I was making myself over-anxious about decisions that I had no control over and that weren't even relevant at that point in time. I was pushing far too hard. I knew that I needed to sit and wait and that it would all work out when it needed to. However, my flesh didn't want to let go. It wanted final decisions. It wanted action. But it still wasn't the right time.  So, I had to take a pause. I had to take a step back and focus on the things that I could control and wait for the rest.  What's the biggest thing that I can control? My PRAYERS . God hears us when we talk to Him. He hears our concerns. He hears our desires. He knows our hearts, mo...

By now I'm sure that many of you have heard...things in Haiti got a little bit tense last week and especially over the weekend. I thought that I would give you an "official" update of how things are and also a little perspective. The last thing in the world that I want is for anyone to think that this place is dangerous or a "lost cause." One thing I know to be true, is that social media and other news outlets do not always portray the full story, or for that matter, the full truth. So, let me give you a little bit of background... Last week, the government made an announcement that they would be increasing fuel prices on gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. These fuel increases varied anywhere from 36-49%. That's a huge increase, right? It would be a large increase in America too. Just as any American would be enraged by an increase that steep, so were the people of Haiti. Fuel is a huge part of life here -- transportation, generators, many forms of work, and...

The last time we talked, I was in the middle of a study on Colossians and in the midst of long-suffering. Today, I'm going to share some more truths I've taken out of Colossians and how they apply to the place I sit now ... grace and peace. Like most long-suffering, it was for a time and has begun to pass. [That's not to say there won't be long-suffering ever again in my future.] It's no secret I've been working through some conflict and was working to find the best way through it. I'm on to the next piece of my processing and that is grace and peace. Does that mean all of my conflict is completely resolved and no longer an issue? No...but it does mean that I'm making steps towards the closure that I need on the situation.  Over the last few weeks, I've been able to rely on the Lord to guide me in my next steps and to let Him lavish peace on me...regardless of how the situation turned out -- because God doesn't always work it out like we ...

This wasn’t originally going to be the title of my blog. The original title was going to “My Life is 85 Degrees.” God has a funny way of changing things.   Before I really get into the heart of this blog post, I do want to say that I was able to get to the States for a couple of weeks at the end of June and get a refreshing break that I needed from my Haiti life. Don’t get me wrong, I was ready to come back here, but it was SO good to see my people and spend some quality time with those I love most!   Visited Dad at his new job while I was home so naturally I took a selfie with Baby Barrel Bob! Let me also say, my life is normally about an average of 85 degrees (or more) and air conditioning is cold. I have officially acclimated to Haiti weather. While in America, I had to take a long-sleeved shirt with me everywhere I went! That’s what 11 months in the Caribbean gets you! Coming back to Haiti, I knew that July would potentially be a tough month. If you’ve be...