“What are your plans after college?” This seems to be the dreaded question for
most people my age right now. The
quicker graduation approaches, the more often you hear this question. Unlike a lot of people who are dreading this
next step after college, I am counting down the days! Two weeks after graduation I will be heading
down to Haiti to start my long-term track there. I will be going through Northwest Haiti
Christian Mission (the same organization I have previously gone with). The next step for me in their long-term
missionary candidacy is to complete a “long” internship, which will be from the
end of May to just before Thanksgiving.
After this internship, I will be able to spend some time with family,
evaluate where exactly I see myself in Haiti, and start fundraising for the
long-run.
Since my first trip to Haiti in
2009, I have known that God had more in store for me there. I just did not know exactly what that meant
(and I still cannot fathom the depths of His plans for me there!). However, He did give a little guidance after
my three-month internship with Northwest (in 2012). During the semester after this, a professor
encouraged me to write one of my research papers on sustainable healthcare in
Haiti. This opened a huge door for
me. I had always loved health, but I
thought that it would not be a part of my life after I felt God was steering me
away from the medical school track.
However, sustainable healthcare combined business and health. Throughout writing this research paper, I
fell in love with the concept of sustainable healthcare. I was able to add public health to my degree,
and I have spent a lot of the last two years continuing this research. God has opened so many doors for me in this
area from meeting different contacts to attending the global medical mission
conference this past November.
During my trip to Haiti last
summer, I was able to talk to some of Northwest’s leadership about my future in
Haiti. Little did I know, they were
planning a community health development project. Northwest does a ministry called Neighbors Projects,
where different churches in the United States are partnered with a community’s
church in Haiti. Northwest had been
looking for ways to further develop these communities where they have churches,
and one of the ways they were looking at was through public health. God’s timing never ceases to amaze me, and I
am so excited to partner with Northwest in this endeavor. Community health development will be my focus
this internship. Health is not only a
need in every community, but it also opens a door for a way of evangelism. I cannot wait to see how God combines
community health and evangelism during this internship. I anticipate this internship being a lot of
learning, and hopefully a bit of doing.
I cannot wait to see how God stretches me, teaches me, and uses me.
While I am so excited about working
towards my calling in Haiti, this is something very different than what I am
“expected” to do. I recently had a
professor tell my class that as graduating business students from Georgetown
College, we would be the ones making the most money. I am expected to go from here and either
continue my education or go into the workforce and start working my way up a
company. I would not mind doing this;
however, I would rather do what God has called me to do, even if that is often
the unexpected. A line from one of Emily
Dickenson’s poems says “Much madness is divinest sense.” I love this quote because I see this in my
life. To most, being 22 years old and
moving to a third world country seems like “much madness”. However, that madness is “divinest sense,” or
what God has planned for me. During one
of our recent sermons about faith, my pastor said “Faith sees what reason
cannot – faith goes beyond reason.”
There are so many examples of this in the Bible: Noah building an arc,
Moses being put in the river, the paralytic’s friends cutting a hole in the
roof to lower their friend to see Jesus.
None of these (and so many others) seemed reasonable. However, through the faith of these people
doing the unreasonable, God’s plan was done.
Sometimes I find it hard when
people tell me I should be getting a master’s degree, finding a job, worrying
about retirement, or paying off students loans instead of going to Haiti. For a moment, comments like these make me question
what I am doing. However, God is
faithful, and He has encouraged me in so many ways. I spent this past week in Tampa with my best
friend for spring break. The first night
there, we were driving around to see what was around our hotel. Wouldn’t you know, there was a Haitian
restaurant pretty close to it! We went
for lunch one day and were able to not only enjoy a yummy Haitian meal, but
also talk to some of the Haitian people who owned and visited the restaurant. We were the only Americans in the place, so I
felt a bit like we were in Haiti! Later
in the week, we went to a bakery for breakfast.
As we were walking in, I noticed a Haitian flag on the door. The owner was from Haiti, and had a little
Haiti store inside! Little things like
these remind me that as unconventional as it may be, going to Haiti is what I
am supposed to do.
If you are interested in supporting
my journey in Haiti, please contact me at tckarenbauer@gmail.com. I will also be selling these t-shirts for $15
as a fundraiser! If you would like one,
let me know! They say "spirit lead me where my trust is without borders" and "Haiti 2015"
In closing, I ask for your prayers
as I prepare to finish school and head to Haiti. There is a lot that needs done in a little
amount of time! I also ask for prayers
of peace for both my family and myself. Though
we have known this day was coming, it will still be hard to saying goodbye.
