Molly Bullington - Off to Haiti

Why am I going on a mission trip to Haiti?

That’s a good question.  There’s two key words that I feel like I need to address: mission and trip.  “Trip” is the easy word to address, so let me tackle that first.  When I first came to Roanoke in 1999, my new boss, Nick Brash, introduced me to RCPC, and told me about his experience going to Haiti on two trips to build the Allison School.  I never thought much more about it, or had the desire to go, until one day over a year ago when I had lunch with Helen Favor.  We were talking about our involvement in the church, and she brought up the renewed interest in the Allison School and going to Haiti.  I said “Let’s go!” and from then on, I was sucked in to the mission and going on this trip.  After all, I am always game for a good excuse to get away from the routine of everyday life (and my kids, God love them) for a few days.

Now for the “mission” part of the initial question.  Throughout my life, I have lived on a faith rollercoaster.  Growing up I went to church every Sunday, was part of the youth group, sang in the choir, etc. When I went to college, that all changed, and I enjoyed my new found freedoms of being away from home.  I attended church off and on at Blacksburg Presbyterian, and once I settled here in Roanoke and at RCPC, I have even had my ups and downs here as well.  Then I had kids, and everything changed.  Maybe it was the fact that I had a preemie in the NICU and I felt like he and I needed the extra help from a congregation and from God, or maybe it was just that I knew that I wanted my kids to grow up being surrounded by loving, caring people, and this is where I know those people are.  Regardless, the past few years I have spent trying to explore my relationship with God, strengthen that relationship, and share God’s love with my family.  By going on this mission to Haiti, I don’t expect to have all the answers to my questions about faith, and surely there will be a few more downhill slides on my rollercoaster.  However, I am hopeful that I will experience God’s love in a way that I have never experienced it before, and I will be able to bring it back to my family and to you.

Molly Bullington