Seven.

The number of fish my brother currently has in his new fish tank. The number of skirts I just bought at goodwill. The record number of skirts I have ever owned at one time. The number of days until I leave for Haiti. Seven. Cue anxiety, nervousness, stress, overwhelming to-do lists, excitement, joy, and peace. To quote a great character, “One person can’t feel all that at once, they’d explode!” Well, Ron Weasley, some days I feel like I might.

There have been days where I’m so overwhelmed with what life will look like in Haiti that there is no other option than to sit down and cry. I think about all the things that I’ll miss while I’m gone for a year. I’ll miss the premiers of the new Hunger Games, Divergent, Pitch Perfect, Spiderman, and Shemar Moore movies. I won’t get to drive my red jeep with the top down home to a nice air conditioned room with a queen size bed. I won’t get to have ice cream. Ice cream, y’all! I think about the people I have become so accustomed to living life with. My mom, dad, and brother. My best friend. The people I have relied on to get me through my four years of college and the friends I have made along the way. I have begun to think about everything I went through the past year and the people who were there to support me physically, emotionally, and lead me spiritually. I know that I’ll still be able to contact all these people when I need them, but there’s something terrifying about being in a different country. They can’t come give me a hug when I need it or pop my back or give me a massage when I’m stressed or frustrated.

            Yet, there are days when I experience complete joy and peace when I think about what will happen this upcoming year. Some days, I am so excited to leave that I just can’t hold it in. I sit and look at pictures from my previous trips and am giddy when I think that I will be back in the country that I love. My heart seems to swell with pure joy when I think about the kiddos I will meet and the Gospel message that they will hear. I smile when I think about the smell of burning trash, the dust, the bugs, and the sun. I’m excited!!! I know some of you are reading this and thinking that I’m a little crazy to be smiling when I think of bugs and dust, and sometimes I wonder too. But I know that this peace, contentment, and joy that I feel can only be from God.

I want to share a few stories of what God has been doing in my life these past few weeks as I began preparing for this adventure. He has been teaching me so much and I’ve already grown in several different ways and I haven’t even left the country yet! This makes me so excited to see what will happen when I eventually DO leave!

Two days ago, I was riding on the back of the motorcycle that my dad was driving. I was admiring all the green trees standing tall in front of a gorgeous sunset. I watched beautiful country homes with wrap around porches fly past us and waved at people sitting outside. I began to think about how this was so different than what I was going to be experiencing in just seven days. There wouldn’t be smooth, paved roads or tall, green trees. There would be dust and crowds of people; the air would smell of burning trash. The sunset would seem even more gorgeous without the buildings standing in its way. And instead of freaking out over all the changes I would be facing in the next several weeks, I was content. In that moment, God showed me that yes, Haiti will be different. But different isn’t bad. It’s just different.  I can love America and the people and the beauty that I find here. At the same time, I can love Haiti and the different people and the different types of beauty that I find there. I don’t need to be anxious about the changes and differences.

God has also taught me so much about how faithful He is. Just last week, I received an email from the finance guy at Christian Light Schools (the school I’ll be teaching at) which informed me that I had not received any support yet. Panic started to well up in my stomach. Here I was, two weeks away from leaving the country, and I had not raised a single penny to help get me there and pay for my expenses for the year. God knew I was panicking and mercifully stepped in with a reminder. He has called me. He opened doors to my dream job. He allowed the perfect school to be hiring. He has perfectly orchestrated this entire adventure long before I even knew about it. He will provide. I know without a doubt that this is where I am meant to be. God isn’t going to open all these doors to send me, but close the money door. A few hours after I had read that email, a friend stopped by to tell me that his parents had just donated. My parents text me to let me know that they just filled out the form online and were supporting me monthly. A friend from summer project messaged me to tell me the same thing. A few days later, I went to the dentist. This is so cool; I seriously have goosebumps as I’m typing this. There I am, sitting in the chair when the dentist asks about what I’m doing now that I graduated. I tell him my story, leaving out the part about raising money because I’m never quite sure how to work that into a conversation. He looks at me and says, “Well, I didn’t get a support letter, but I would love to help you out! Let me get my checkbook.” The lady who cleans my teeth pulled out her checkbook too! Let me tell you what- that was God telling me that He knows I am stressing about raising $10,000 and reminding me that He is in control and He can do all things. Thank You Lord for doing more than I could ever ask or even imagine!!

            Thank you to everyone who has donated to help send me to Haiti. I honestly could not do this without you. If you haven’t donated yet, there is still time. Please prayerfully consider supporting me with a monthly donation of $25, $50, or $100. Any amount that you feel led to give is greatly appreciated! One-time donations, monthly donations, anything works and any amount will help! Please go to http://www.christianlighthaiti.org/brittany-gilbreath.html and click donate now on the right side of the screen. This will take you to a new page, where you will click ‘donate now’ again. This will take you to a new screen where you will input all your information and how much you would like to donate. This next part is extremely important- on the next screen, you need to put my name in the box that asks for any special instructions. This will ensure that your donation goes directly to me- to pay for my rent, food, travel, and medical expenses. If you don’t feel comfortable with donating online, you could send a check made out to Christian Light Schools, Inc to Christian Light Schools, Inc. at PO Box 2190 in St. Augustine, FL 32085. If you choose to send a check, write my name in the memo line so they know whose account to place the money in. I still need about $8,000 in order to be fully supported for the year. While this seems daunting, I have complete faith in my God; He will provide.

            It has been amazing to see how many people care and are genuinely interested in my story. I’ll be standing in line at the store buying skirts when the clerk comments about how many I’m buying. I’ll start talking and telling my story and we’ll stand there for a few minutes extra even after everything has been rung up, discussing why I’m going to Haiti and what I’m doing there. I was at the post office the other day and asked for 100 stamps. The guy kinda looked at me weird before pulling them out and asked, why do you need so many stamps? Boom. I got to tell him that God was sending me to Haiti to teach, and we talked about ministry and churches for a while. Every day, I hang out with someone different- a friend, someone I work for, and random people I happen to run into. Every day, you ask thoughtful questions and express concern for my wellbeing while I’m in Haiti. You guys are AWESOME! I love to talk about what I’m doing and I love even more that you are interested in what God has called me to do! Thank you for caring, for praying, for expressing concern, for spreading the word and sharing my story with your friends. It‘s one of the neatest things ever when one of you texts me to tell me that you shared my story with a friend who wants me to know they’re praying for me. Prayer is so powerful and I appreciate it every prayer said on my behalf! Please keep praying!

This is probably my last blog post while I’m in the states. Ahhhh! That’s really scary to think about! This time next week, I’ll be in Haiti! Please pray for my heart as I have to say goodbye. Some days, I feel like it might rip in two. Pray for my parents, as I know it’s harder for them than it is for me. Pray for the kiddos that I will meet while I’m in Haiti, and that God will start preparing their hearts for the Gospel message. Pray that God will start preparing my heart for all that I will learn about Him through these children. I have no doubt that this will be a life changing trip and I am so looking forward to sharing the experience with you guys!

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.... You are serving the Lord Christ." ~ Colossians 3:23-24