goin up country

Well we leave tomorrowto go up country to a national park for 10 days. Basically we'll be camping the in tents and little huts. We'll be making our own food and bathing in the river. Hard core stuff like that! We'll hopefully see a lot of monkey's and maybe even some hippos. I'll take pictures! The last servant team went to the same place and came back COVERED in mosquito bites...can't say I'm looking forward to that. The intent of the trip is just to provide a time for us (the servant team) to reflect and process and for the staff to have a week to relax and spend time with God away from the craziness of Freetown. I'm really exctied and thankful for the opportunity because I'll get to process a lot. There are a lot of questions I have for Papa God.
The other night we were reading the end of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus practically yelled tryin to get me to listen. See, when I walk around Freetown people are always asking if they can have my bag, or my water bottle, or other things I'm carrying; and lately I've just been feeling like it's rediculous that I want to hold on to them so bad. Sure, I paid for them and have become unhealthily attached to them...but what's the harm?
CHELLO! Am I not supposed to hold everything lightly in the palm of my OPEN hand, willing to give them away when ever anyone asks? As I was trying to make excuses to myself, I turned back one page in the bible to see the "Treasures in Heaven" section (Matt. 6:19-24). I just smiled because I knew what He was saying...so I averted my eyes...to find the "Giving to the Needy" secion (Matt. 6:1-4). OK! I get it...no more excuses. Now it's time to decide what that is going to look like for me. Does not Christ tell us that "everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand"?
So, that's just one of many things I'll be talkin out with Papa God. I'm really looking forward to processing with Him.
The next time I"ll be able to get online will be after the 10th on November. I would ask that you would pray with me that what He tells me would not fall on deaf ears but that I would drink it in. Pray with me that I would not be hesitant no matter how big and hard the challenges He lays in front of me. I really want to be His...completely surrendered.

surrendering,
Haley Kate

Oh yeah, wierd... it's Halloween. Nobody even knows what that is here...I thought about wearing a costume around freetown, then I snapped back to reality. Honestly, I look strange enough already being one of the few blond hair, blue eyed people in Freetown but just imagine...a blonde haired blue eyed person walking around in a giant M n M costume...yeah, that'd be bad, I'd of course find it hillarious...the Sierra Leoneans...not so much.
Happy Halloween!

ps-Kara, I love you too!