It "Dozen" Get Much Better Than This: Dreams Do Come True!

Last night a dream came true for our sweet Sabrina! She left on a mission trip to Haiti!!! She has wanted to do this for years!!! The timing has never been right.....until now! She wanted to be able to pay for the trip herself....and she did!! A couple of years ago, she was going to Ukraine to teach English to young children. She raised all the money she needed herself, by working long hard hours on a calf ranch. She was responsible for feeding, giving shots, cleaning out the pens and dragging the dead ones out to a pile, she also had to nurse the sick ones back to health. Most of the time the weather was freezing cold with a wind that blew her sideways!! If it wasn't cold, the weather would be so hot that she would come home covered in sweat and hay. Regardless of the weather, she always came home covered in cow poop and cow drool. It was not a glamorous job, it was not a job for the faint of heart, it was not a typical job for a girl....but she did it and she did it well.

She raised the $2500+ that she needed for that trip. And then a week before she was to leave, we found out that we were adopting our sweet Zachary and that he would be in the hospital in a different state for weeks while he had open heart surgery. She offered to go with him to the hospital and stay with him as long as was there. Her dream of going to Ukraine, all the money she had paid were gone the second she made that decision, but the relationship she created with her baby brother will last eternity. The lullaby that she constantly sang him to him became the song that we all think of when we think of him. Having him pass away at 3 months old made it crystal clear to her that she had made the right choice. She will never regret the time she spent with him.

When this opportunity came around, she knew the time was right. She just completed her training to become a CNA, so having a medical background will be an added bonus as she helps the children in Haiti. Currently, she has a great job working for the state. She works as a mentor for troubled teenage girls. The life experiences she has had up to this point have all prepared her for this trip!

We are so excited for her. She worked hard to collect 100 lbs of supplies to take with her. Our church family has been so supportive as she has asked for donations. She was blessed with more than she ever thought possible!

Last night as her Dad took her to the airport, they knew it was going to be a little stressful. Her flight into Portland was a tight connection to catch her flight into NY. She was flying two different airlines who were not partners. Her luggage would not be able to be checked all the way through as we were hoping. She would have to get off the plane, go retrieve her luggage in baggage claim, get back to the counter and have it checked in for her next flight, get back into the security line and get back to her gate in less than 30 minutes. If her plane was late getting in or her luggage took too long getting on the carousel for her to collect, she would have to leave her bags in Portland and just run to her gate to board. She was stressed. She cried. She had worked hard to gather all the supplies. Good people had donated so many supplies. The clinic and orphanage in Haiti needed the supplies she was bringing. Her dad suggested they say a prayer. He specifically prayed for her plane to be 10 minutes early arriving and her next flight to be delayed by 20 minutes. He hugged her. He reassured her to have faith and sent her through security.

We didn't hear anything from her when she landed in Portland. Finally at 3:20 this morning, when she landed in NY, she sent a text to say her plane was 10 minutes early arriving in Portland and her flight to NY was delayed 20 minutes and her luggage made it on the plane! She had experienced a tender mercy from our Father in Heaven and reminder that He is in control. He's got her back. He wants her to succeed. The children in Haiti need her supplies. God is good.

This will be a life changing experience for her. We are so thankful for her desire to serve others and share her love with them! We can't wait to hear all about her journey! We love you Sabrina!!!!