Haiti Mission Trip

I, Abigail Wynd Zwart, was born on November 29, 1996 at approximately 11:42 A.M. Since then, I have grown. I have obviously grown physically but also mentally and spiritually. Many people and events have shaped how I’ve grown and helped pace my rate of growth. One of those events occurred fairly recently and has changed how I act and think about a lot of things. A mission trip to Haiti changed my life.

Last year Kirk Vander Pol organized a trip to Haiti through Solid Rock Youth Group and three area churches. In June of 2011, three groups of youth and adults went to help out at Children of the Promise (hereafter COTP). I was in the third group along with my mom.

When I first heard about this trip I kept saying to myself, “This is not something I would do. There are plenty of other people for the ‘job’.” Nearing the deadline for sign-up, God obviously changed my heart. Haiti was all I could think about. After praying about it and talking with my parents, I was on the list to go to COTP.

Upon arrival at the Cap Haitien airport there was a little bit of culture shock for me. Going from Minneapolis International Airport to driving down a “road” lined with shacks, shelters, and people was obviously a lot different for me. However, because of all the preparation meetings there wasn’t as much culture shock as I expected. We readily encountered the new culture.

One of the first things I noticed was the absolute beauty of the country. While most might think of Haiti as a dump, some of the country is incredibly breathtaking! Mountains, palm trees, fields, and much more cover the countryside where I was.

While our group was there, we did all sorts of different projects: cleaned the baby house, organized the depot, cleaned toys, helped the nannies, and spent time with the children. I enjoyed "working." In fact, it didn't seem like work at all. The language barrier created some interesting situations but for the most part it was a lot of fun spending time with the nannies and children despite what we were doing.

Every morning and evening the nannies would lead a time of prayer and singing with the children, staff, and volunteers. This was my favorite, most blessed time of the whole trip. I looked forward to this every day we were there. It was in Creole so I couldn't understand it but I didn't have to understand what they were saying and singing to understand what they were feeling. Their passion and love for the Lord is so incredible. I saw it in the way they took care of the children and especially in their praise and worship.

My most remembered part of the trip was quite unexpected. I, along with other members of the group, were playing with some children underneath the pavilion. As we were playing one nanny started to sing. Then all of the nannies joined in! One by one, everyone was dancing, even the children! Everyone was jumping around, clapping, and singing. I was incredibly close to bursting out crying, crying tears of joy! I can't even come close to describing the amount of joy I saw. That time blessed me more than you could imagine and has impacted my life.

Coming back to America was extremely difficult. After seeing and being with some of the people of Haiti, I did not want to go back. Arriving in Minnesota, I was to the point of anger and frustration of how we could be living like this when so many people are living like that. I no longer could stand there and tolerate what they have to go through every single day to stay alive.

That trip changed my life for the better. It has shown me how incredibly blessed I am and how many privileges I take for granted every day. Missions are now something that is on my heart all the time. I started with the mindset of this being a one-time thing. After I came back and still to this day I am definitely going back!

Teen Suicide

           A teenager’s life can be quite stressful with school, relationships, extracurricular activities, family, and much more. With that stress comes a pressure to fit in or do the “right” thing. Teenagers try to find different ways to cope with that pressure that life brings. Some have hobbies to get their mind off things but not everyone can find a safe and healthy way to deal with stress. Unfortunately, some turn to drugs, sexual relationships, or alcohol. Even worse, many teens turn to what they feel is the only way out: suicide.
          Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one’s own death. Over one million people, including teenagers, die by committing this act every year. The statistics are horrifying. Among adolescents, suicide accounts for 12-18% of all deaths. It is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year old, sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and the thirteenth leading cause of death worldwide.
          Despair and stress overwhelm the victim and are usually the causes of one committing suicide. Depression is one of the greater factors that cause a want to commit suicide. A feeling of complete hopelessness takes over making them think suicide is the only option. The depression may be caused by bullying, specifically cyber bullying. The loss of a loved one may also cause depression, which may lead to suicidal thoughts in some cases. Mental illnesses, extremely high levels of stress and anxiety, and family issues such as divorce may also cause suicidal thoughts, especially in teenagers.
          Teenagers with suicidal thoughts do give warning signs. However, they are sometimes difficult to tell if they’re trying to hide it. Some warning signs include isolation from friends and family, chronic sadness, excessive drug and alcohol use, dramatic mood swings, and losing interest in most things. One of the ways suicide can be prevented is if people look for those warning signs and address them to the person or someone in authority.
          What does the Bible have to say about suicide? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” In this verse it clearly states that we are to honor God with our bodies. Abusing and destroying your body does not consist of honoring God with it. Romans 6:23 says,  “For wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Suicide is destroying the gift that God has in store for each one of us.
          Suicide is obviously a terrible choice that is unfortunately not uncommon. Many teenagers do not take the time to get help. They feel like suicide will solve everything without thinking about how it will affect others. Most teenagers do not see it as what it is: a permanent solution to a temporary problem. If we educate ourselves about it, know the warning signs, and how to deal with it, who knows? Maybe we can save a life.

SuperMom!

There have been and still are many influential people in my life. Throughout the past 15 years people have come alongside me, watching me grow up and nurturing me in my faith. Of all those individuals, one has done above and beyond what I could ask for. She has been alongside me since my birth. In fact, she gave birth to me! Let me introduce to you, my mom.

    My mom displays Christ-like character in her everyday actions. Her love and thoughtfulness reflects that of Christ Jesus. Her relationship with God is very evident in the way she lives every single day. That alone makes me look up to her as a positive role model. Another reason I admire her is her resemblance of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There’s not a day that goes by that my mom doesn’t display patience, self-control, or any of the other fruits. Trust me, when there are seven children living in your house, patience is a virtue.

My mom is incredibly selfless. Most of the many things she does in a day aren’t for her. They’re for me, my siblings, my dad, or someone in the community. She makes birthday and anniversary cards for everyone in our church. She makes then brings meals to those who are sick or have lost a loved one. She is always on the lookout for any possible way she can be a blessing to someone else. The rest of my family can be the first to testify to this. My mom has definitely taught me that even if you may not want to do something, do it anyway to bless someone.

Over the past 2 years, I’ve begun to appreciate my mom and all she does a lot more. I could not imagine living without her! She has set a great, but not perfect, example for me to live by when I become a mom someday. Her parenting skills are something I will take with me when I become a parent. I hope to be the best mom I can be just like mine!

She is simply extraordinary. My mom manages to be a social worker, a pastor’s wife, and run a household with seven children without her head completely exploding. I’m almost convinced that my mom is a superhero. She tries to keep this identity a secret, but we all know she’s nothing but ordinary. She is known to me as SuperMom. Why? She has super strength and super speed to accomplish a million things in one day. She has courage to do most things people wouldn’t do. She rescues my bad days making them good. She takes super good care of her children. My mom (A.K.A. SuperMom) does above and beyond what any mom should have to do. I can always count on her to be there when I need her. No need to fear! SuperMom is here!