Short & Sweet

Hi everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving week!  I will be updating my blog soon, but wanted to send a reminder that if you are interested in sending Spanish books through my friend Rachel who is traveling here on December 4, please do so by November 30.  She has received around 25 books!  THANK YOU to all who have donated.

We can never have too much!  The shelves are almost done!

I have also had recent requests from teachers for Spanish Kid's Bibles to use in their classrooms during Spanish hour.  It seems as though they are hard to find here.  Please look at my wish list online if you don't know what to get:

 Check it out!  http://amzn.com/w/3TJ16XIBKOEQS

Remember, you can send books to my friend Rachel Todd by November 30 to:

Rachel Todd:

7068 Stinger Pl.

St. Louis, MO. 63129

Thank you so much for your help!

Humbled

This past week has been a bit strange for me.  I was sick -- coming down with pneumonia, so God put a halt on most ministry... and because I became sick away from Quisqueya, I have been at the SCORE complex since last Sunday.  Most who know me though know that not doing anything and just resting is a lot easier said than done.  But, I did rest completely for 2 days.  Then, slowly, I would rest during the day and help out with the Baseball conference that was here, sharing about opportunities for sponsoring a child through SCORE at the orphanage or at Emanuel House.

The other thing that I did do this week was work with Dalma (the founder of the orphanage that I work with.)  I took her shopping for a second set of school uniforms for the girls and helped a future missionary family get to and fro.  They will be moving to Pasitos Orphanage sometime next year to help out with the ministry.  I think it will be a true blessing to the girls and to Dalma!  Please pray for them.  They are just starting to raise funds and trying to figure out their exact ministry.  They are the Enget family and are from Tampa.

Anyway, in the midst of being away from my normal routine, not feeling completely myself, and not feeling like I was being helpful in the way that I normally am, the Lord embraced me through the girls and Dalma at Pasitos.  I had spent most of Thursday with Dalma and the missionary family that will live with her. And then on Friday returned so that they could say goodbye and so that I could help her with some other errands, and I had the privilege to see her home.  (That's where the humbling comes in.)  I don't know what I expected, but her home came as a surprise to me.  She had a beautiful house, peaceful, still humble, but so nice.  She told me she had lived there since she and her husband were married.  But, 6 years ago when she started the orphanage, she began dedicating her whole life to minister to the girls through the orphanage.  She no longer lives at her house nor with her husband or sons.  They stay at the house and she and her daughter are at the orphanage.  Not that the niceness of her house made a difference, but I realized in that moment all that she had left behind for what she does.  And, I had the opportunity to understand her life a little better as well by looking at old family pictures of the kids when they were little, what life was like before she started Pasitos de Jesus.  They were not a poor family like many here.  They seemed happy and clearly loved and were following the Lord.  And she gave it up!  Still happy, their life looks very different.  She does not enjoy many of the conveniences that she has and chooses to live in a smaller, less comfortable place.  GOD IS SO GOOD!  I praise Him for Dalma and what she is doing with those girls.

I know that part of God's BIG plan here in using me involves building relationships with people here.  The fact that Dalma took me to her house shows me that more and more, she is feeling comfortable with me and wanting to share life.

When we returned from her house, I thought I was leaving.  And, Dalma told me, "nope."  She called some of the older girls over to wash my car.  (It was pretty dirty.  Traveling on dirt roads daily does not lead to a clean car.)  Having them wash my car was such a humbling experience.  They took out all of the mats, washed them, there is no vacuum so they brushed out the dirt from the inside using a broom and even wiped down the seats.  They let me help a little... but I was just amazed that they would do that for me.  I recognize their love for me -- enough to notice my dirty car which I hadn't had a chance to clean  -- and then wash it.  (They washed it, by the way, without one single complaint.  Those girls are so obedient and love serving.) And, that simple action made me think of home.  In the states, I sometimes would get in the habit of being so busy that I didn't take care of the little things of my own -- like washing my car.  My dad always made sure that my car was clean when I went home.  So grateful for those who notice.

And, probably one of the funniest and sweetest things of the afternoon was that in the middle of us washing the car, it began to rain... and little by little I witnessed little girls running out of the building with only their underwear on shrieking and giggling as the rain fell on them!  Pure heaven!

I am thanking God for the relationships that are being built.  I thank God for the sacrifices that people have made and continue to make to be in ministry here.  I praise God for beginning to feel better.  May He continue to strengthen my body, my spirit and my understanding of His truth!

Lord, may you bless Dalma and the ministry that she is doing at Pasitos.  Recognize the sacrifices that she and others have made to do Your work!  Keep the girls safe and full of your joy and continue to bring them closer to you.

insight and understanding

I have recurring thoughts in my mind about what God is planning long-term with my ministry here.  Is it ministry solely through Emanuel House and Quisqueya, in Juan Dolio with the kids from the GAP program, in Boca Chica with the girls there or in the small village, San José, working with the teacher there?  Is it teaching English to missionaries who come from Spanish-speaking countries or teaching Spanish to missionaries who haven’t learned the language yet?  Is it mentoring Dominican teenagers or leading Bible studies with kids?  Am I supposed to be working with child sponsorship long-term? Or is it a combination of some of those?  And which ones?

I can get pretty overwhelmed pretty quickly if I think about it too long.  For a few weeks I took the advice of a Sunday school teacher in Florida who told me to just be, not thinking about what God’s eventual plans for me were, but just building relationships.  Stop thinking about it and just be!  It was probably some really good advice that is a lot easier said than done.  When I really just concentrate on serving Him, there are so many opportunities that come up.  (All of the ones above have fallen into my lap as long-term possibilities.)  Most of them I like, but realistically, I cannot and should not be a part of each one of these ministries – not long-term.   Gas is too expensive, doing everything doesn’t allow me to put my all into any of it, and I am only one person.  God did gift others to help too?  He knows there is a need and will send others, right? I want to use God’s gifts to glorify Him well.  I want to be able to love the people well that He has put into my path. 

Over the last month or so, I have really begun to feel at home here, even more than before.  I have made friendships, built community with other missionaries, and I am starting to feel respected by the teachers with whom I am working – to the point that they are listening about some teaching strategies.  I am often asked, “Adrienne, how are you really?”  The truth is that I am pretty honest on my blog.  I have some hard days I guess… I am tired sometimes or get frustrated about little things, but overall I know that God has me here.   I see the deep needs and I see my gifts and in those two, I see that God has me here long-term.  I miss the states sometimes and I think about my old job too, but I really do feel at home here.  I do miss teaching and know that will definitely be a larger part of my ministry in the future. If I could just bring the people that I love here, I think I would be in Heaven!  HA!

I am currently in the books of Isaiah and Acts.  However, yesterday during my morning reading time, I flipped my Bible open and instead of flipping to Isaiah, the Lord led me to Proverbs.  After taking a moment to read what it said, I knew that it wasn’t by coincidence that I landed there. 

Proverbs 2:1-8 says:

My child, listen to what I say,

And treasure my commands

Tune your ears to wisdom,

And concentrate on understanding.

Cry out for insight

And ask for understanding

Search for them as you would for silver;

Seek them like hidden treasures.

They you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,

And you will gain knowledge of God.

For the Lord grants wisdom!

From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.

He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

He guards the paths of the just

And protects those who are faithful to Him.

Then, in Proverbs 3:5 was highlighted and I read it too:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

Do not depend on your own understanding.

I am reminded to just lean on Him.  Read. Trust. Pray. Don’t freak out!  Don’t think about it too much!  All of my wisdom and direction comes from Him.  The words of the Sunday School teacher were right.  Just be (in Him) and He will lead me where I should go.

I ask for continued prayer that God would lead me where He wants me and that I would be in His Word – still learning and memorizing it.  May it be imprinted in my heart! 

Praises!

• After my last post, I received a very generous donation for Spanish books for the library!  THANK YOU!
• I also have received inquiries about what books are most needed.  The truth is that any Spanish books for children are helpful.  They do not have access to books here and books are a lot more expensive than in the United States.  However, I have created a wish list on Amazon that also links to Spanish readers on scholastic and another website that was shown to me.

 Check it out!  http://amzn.com/w/3TJ16XIBKOEQS

Remember, you can send books to my friend Rachel Todd by November 30 to:

Rachel Todd:

7068 Stinger Pl.

St. Louis, MO. 63129