As I get ready to take a right turn on the path that God has directed me to go down I think how thankful I am to serve such a wonderful Creator who is wanting to use ME, Emily Schoneman to change the lives of his lost children. Looking back He has prepared me to be His hands and feet in Haiti. Never thinking I would be going into the mission field as I thought I was "happy" as a florist and that this was what I was going to do for the rest of my life. Think again Emily, God has His plans for my life... NOT ME! It is so easy to get caught up in doing things all on your own, planning your life, making your own critical decisions when in the end its Gods race that we are running and we need to daily surrender our lives over to Him so that He gets the glory in all we do with this life that He gave us. Let me rewind first and tell you how He has shown me this new direction that I am so eager to go in.
February 2013 I boarded a plane with my parents and Collins Creek Church to fly to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti for a week of life changing, not in just Haitians lives but in us as well. I had no clue what to expect as this was my first missions trip and first time going to a third world country. As we landed I remember the first blast of heat that hit my face and the smell of heavy moisture that was lingering in the air. I was excited yet nervous as I didn'tknow how I was going to react to seeing such poverty and distress.
As we drove through the maze of bumpy, people, and animal filled streets of Port au Prince I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Houses still in shambles, rubble everywhere from the 2010 earthquake, people in shacks with tin roofs, piles and piles of trash filling the gutters. That moment I was ever more thankful for where I grew up and had a house and bed to sleep in. It is so hard to comprehend what these beautiful people have to endure everyday yet I wanted to know and learn. The week was amazing and I could feel God everywhere we went from our compound, the villages we distributed water filters in, and the beautiful resort that we spent our last day at. Kids were everywhere we went, either in bright school uniforms, beautiful sunday church dresses or in their everyday play clothes. Their joyful smiles and loud laughs made me miss being a child with no worries in the world. Holding and playing with the bubbly children gave me so much happiness yet at the same time broke my heart that I couldn't give them all they needed. I held a sweet girl for 3 hours during church which was stifling hot yet it did not bother anyone from shouting praises and singing to our God.
I knew that God was speaking to me and breaking my heart for a reason. He took a piece and left it right there in Haiti with those children. I went to Australia because He wanted to prepare me to be on my own in a different country, to form relationships with strangers who I now call my family, and to fully rely on Him for strength when I am scared or lonely. He has given me 2 beautiful girls in Melbourne and 2 beautiful girls in Minnesota to mentor and love for the rest of my life. He has given me 3 nephews and 2 nieces to shower with love and be the "cool" auntie emmy in their lives. He has given me SO MUCH and I want to glorify Him by sharing it with children who aren't as fortunate to grow up in a loving family having what we think is "normal" for a child. I want to be that "mommy" to those children God puts into my life. One girl kept calling me mommy and I kept saying "no no I'm not your mommy" Yet i wanted to so badly say yes I want to care and love you and show her who her true Father is. All I knew when we were saying good-bye and heading on the Tap Tap back to the airport was that this was not the only time I was to come to Haiti and that I would be back soon scooping those kids up into my arms and holding them tight & loving them.
As soon as I got home to Minnesota things were not the same. As most people who go on Missions trips are on top of the mountain with wanting to help and then slowly get back into normal routine as they come down the hill. But Me... that didn't happen. I know God put a new desire on my heart and gave me a new passion. I quickly began to google ministries and organizations that had orphanages. I emailed several and heard back from Christian Light School & Children's home the next day. I began emailing Sherrie who is a wonderful woman of God who was called to open a school in Haiti in 2000. She has endured many catastrophes while spreading Gods love down there but is still going strong. I felt a peace when talking with her and a month later got the YES that I can come down and help out teaching summer school while the Haitian teachers take time off. It has been a whirlwind as I moved down to Kansas with my sister who just had a handsome baby boy, Jude. Packing my life up yet again in a storage unit and getting everything figured out. I am going into this blind as I have never taught a class before. I will be writing my own lesson plans, crafts and being Miss Emily to a classroom of 13-17 kinder students! God has given me wonderful resources and such a peace about where He is sending me. I pray that I will make a difference in one childs life. This will be an adventure that I will give all the glory honor and praise to God. Who knows maybe this will be my life for the next decade? Only God knows that and that gives me a peace just knowing He is holding my hand through this all.
Please keep Christian Light School & childrens home in your prayers as we are raising money to build a new childrens home so that more and more children will have a sanctuary to live in and be showered with love and laughter. Also that God will prepare each and every childs heart in these upcoming months. Please pray for safe travels for all summer school volunteers and that God will be with us everywhere we go.
We would love for people to be apart of this vision that Sherrie has built in Haiti. If you would like to donate supplies please pray about it : )
I will be leaving June 17th. If you would like to send school supplies or anything for me to bring down please feel free to email me and I will give you my address.
I thank everyone for their prayers and support as I could not do this without them.
I want to thank my family for always being by my side through my million moves I have made. I am so thankful to have such wonderful role models in my life. Praying maybe someday we will be able to ALL go on a missions trip together : ) That would definitely be a God thing.
Rejoice Always, Pray Continually, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Emily
www.clshaiti.com <----- Website for Christian Light School. read about history and what they are doing down there to bring Gods Kingdom here on earth.
