Molly's Mission Encounter in Helene- Week 3

photo from March 2011
An email from Molly yesterday ended with “what a day.” As I thought about writing her update for the week… I couldn’t help but think… “what a week.”
For as long as we’ve known that Molly would be traveling to Honduras for her Mission Encounter, we have taken comfort and been excited that her sister Abby and a team from our home church, Sunset, would be traveling there week three of her ten week stint.
This reality eased some of our apprehension about Molly's trip, and honestly last Sat at 4am as we were gathering at PDX saying goodbye to Abby I had not one fear or concern for the trip. This was the 9th time afterall, that a Fraser had a ticket to Helene. We know the route, the challenges, the people and that parameters. We were all very excited and good to go, I didn’t even cry at the airport, which is a first.
We’ve predictably heard less from her this week, because there’s SO much to do when a team is at the clinic. But, it is also true to say that the communication we have received has been full of twists and turns for our girls; stormy seas, illness, sleepless nights processing troubling news, relational dynamics, potential physical danger culminating in a pretty scary injury yesterday for Abby and a scorpion crawling on Molly’s leg as she was sitting with her in the clinic. What a week. Not the one we had planned.
So, I don’t have much to share from Molly today, but if you will indulge me, I will share a little of how I have been experiencing God this week. First, it’s got me thinking about how we plan things, how we look forward to these things because we imagine we somehow know what the next moment will bring. When in reality, we don’t really have a clue. But, I also have been reminded this week that it is generally in the unplanned that God reveals Himself more to me than on the days that I orchestrate. Because then I’m not so distracted by how wonderful the world I have created is… and I am focused on Him and how all I have is my faith in His love and character.
It’s also been very interesting to process this at a distance. I cannot step in to a tough conversation for them, I cannot protect them from danger or calm their fears by being near, nor can I carry a bleeding child from the boat to the clinic. But, I do know that both they and I have experienced true biblical community this week and that more importantly without a shadow of a doubt that God is very present both there with my girls and with the team and here at home. My God was a very big God this week. He was Father, Wisdom, Physician, Healer, Comforter, Protector, more than Worthy of My Praise. He was ENOUGH.

Prayer requests:
- The Sunset team leaves the island on Sunday. This will be a sad day for Molly and a day of real realization that she will be there seven more weeks. She and I know she is growing there, and so please pray that she will fully experience what God has in mind for the rest of her time there.
- Travel for the Sunset team. Sunday by boat from Helene to Roatan, then Monday by plane Roatan to Houston, to Portland arriving at PDX at 11pm.
- Molly’s 20th birthday is June 28th. She is on facebook off and on so you can post something to her or my wall or reply to this email and I’ll make sure she gets it on Tuesday.