Let Hope Arise- Haiti Edition

To the Wonderful Individual reading this post,

I hope this message finds you well and that in this season of giving, you feel the warmth of family, peace of reflecting on past blessings, and joy in all circumstances.

A lot has happened since I graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2014. I was blessed with three awesome opportunities; a job working at the U-M School of Social Work as the Program Assistant for the Community Action and Social Change minor; an opportunity to be a part-time nanny to three wonderful boys; and going on staff part-time with H2O Campus Church, my church home at U-M. I am so thankful for the chance to serve students and to bring hope and light to U-M. God is good! I am learning more about his love every day, experiencing what it means to choose joy in all situations in life, and to be obedient to his will. With that in mind, I want to share my excitement about serving in Haiti in just a few months!

The first week of March 2016, a team of 19 people from H2O will go to Haiti to partner with Jesus in the work being done there through the missionaries and Haitians who follow Him. Our team will be serving with Arise Haiti , an organization that hosts a medical clinic, kids club Bible study, and a school of ministry to train Haitian Christian leaders. I am both excited and a bit nervous to go, but I feel it in my soul that this is what I am supposed to be doing! I want to serve and learn from them and to be a representation of the Father’s love. I am so grateful for this chance to do just that.

I would like to get real with you for a moment. I am in a personal season where I am seeking to get uncomfortable. I know, not a sentence you hear everyday! Although growth can happen through comfort, my experience is that the fastest growth occurs when I am in a position where I feel discomfort. Discomfort encourages me to pray, encourages me to humble myself, and encourages me to work through language barriers and cultural differences. It encourages me to get out of my world where I have access to Wi-Fi at my fingertips and a guaranteed bed to come home to at night. Although I am extremely grateful for both of those things and it is in no way bad to have access to them, I am at a time when I need to learn what it means to sacrifice comfort for the sake of spreading the Gospel. For me, that means surrounding myself with people with different cultures, ideologies, and ways of living. It is understanding what it means to go without and to truly feel joy in times where the comfort I am used to having is no longer available.

Okay, thanks for letting me share some of my heart with you.  I am passionate about loving people and about making sure everyone has the opportunity to hear and experience the Gospel truth: that Jesus loves us, died for us, and rose again because death could not hold him! That he wants us to spend eternity with him. And that is why I am here on this earth- to bring others with me to our true home in Heaven. That is why I am going to Haiti- to partner with the missionaries and Haitians there that want to share the love of Jesus and share the hope of spending eternity with him.

I need your help though! Will you partner with me financially so I can go to Haiti to help share the Good News? I need to raise a budget of $1,500 before February 13, 2016. Will you consider giving a one-time gift of $50, $75, $100, or another gift that fits your ability? Please note: donations given via GoFundMe are not tax deductible, so if you would prefer to give a tax deductible gift, please contact me! You can leave a comment below or message me directly though any form of personal or social media avenue.

Thank you for considering giving financially! If you would like to talk more with me in person or over the phone, I would be happy to talk with you! You are truly a blessing to me and I am thankful for your time in reading this message and hearing my heart.

For the Kingdom,

Brianna Jackson