Haiti Team Interview Two: Julie

Julie was one of the two leaders of the trip. It was Julie who first approached Sandi (the other leader) to get the Haiti trip started. She lived in Laos until she was five, is a graphic artist, and has a passion for missions. Julie's ability to see the talents of others led her to choose a specific role that each would play during the trip, myself included. Her passion for life and for God is evident when you meet her. Not shy, Julie threw herself into getting to know the Haitian staff and helping in the kitchen with the cook. What I noticed was that she was undeterred by the Creole-English language barrier: prominent in her was the conviction that love is a universal language. She communicated that to the cook, and stood with her as she cried. Julie's strength, to me, was empathy. I saw this several times as we worked and talked, offering understanding to those with whom she spoke. She also doesn't discriminate when it comes to ice cream. All flavors are fair game for her.

Julie first thought about Haiti at 2:00 in the morning on June 8th, 2010. In fact, she awoke hearing God tell her she was going to Haiti. Missions, in fact, had been on her mind for a time when this happened, and afterward she had no doubt at all about whether she would go. It was, in fact, this conviction that helped push her past the initial barriers that she and Sandi met with when they first brought the trip up with others. Her challenge was never a lack of faith, but instead involved getting to know the team's intentions. She needed to know that each team member's heart was in the right place to go on a trip like this, and she felt it was her responsibility to find that out.

As we neared the trip, the focus of her spiritual responsibility shifted to keeping fellowship with God while there: she asked the young adults pastor to organize a devotional for the team for the week, then prompted one of the team members to co-lead that study with her. Finally, the focus shifted to physical needs: more than anyone, it was Julie who reminded the team to stay hydrated and rest. She told me, personally, to sit down because, she said, I looked red. Now, after the trip is over, that sense of spiritual responsibility has shifted again: her focus for the future is to get others involved in missions. I have no doubt she will herself return to Haiti at some point. It seems the trip left a legacy for all of us.