But God!

It's funny to think what an encouraging week I had recently when my school came to visit and minister alongside me.  And, it's funny to think how quickly I was shaken just a day after they left by the reality of the situations of the people with whom I work and live. 

This past week has not been easy.  I have been confronted with desperate mothers who have made sinful choices in order to support their family.  I have been confronted with a child who was found lying and stealing from the only one who truly loves her, as she was abandoned by her own family.  I have been confronted by a little baby, Samuel, and his mother, Joselyn, who have spent the last 5 days in the hospital because he had pneumonia. Samuel is less than 20 days old. I have been confronted with the reality of the 5 little girls who I have come to love and their scarcity of food, care, and even them being outside really late at night just hanging in the streets.  And I continue to be confronted by the reality of their cancer-ridden mom who is bed day after day. 

This week has been hard.

But God!

I praise Him because I was able to pray for the desperate mother and talk to someone about her situation so that we can both be supportive to her and in prayer for her and her decisions. 

I praise Him because the little girl who was lying and stealing may not get kicked out, but instead has been given another chance. 

I praise Him because little Samuel is in the clear.  Even though they thought he would have to have a blood transfusion, God provided a miracle.  He is better and should go home in a few days.

I praise Him for all of my supporters who have been praying for little Samuel and His mother.  The power of prayer is great!

I praise Him for the little girls who I have gotten to visit and hug and love.  I praise Him for showing us ways to show our love to others and for providing a way to support the family with food.

I praise Him for their mother and for time spent with her to read to her and to pray with her and her little girls.

I also praise Him for moments to walk the streets of Quisqueya, sit with a new believer and mom and read John 1, and for time of rest this week.

This morning I woke up and read Matthew 9.  In verses 35-38, Jesus encourages his disciples.  The verses read, "Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom.  And he healed every kind of disease and illness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  He said to his disciples, The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.

I know that there is much work to be done.  We, His people, are the workers.  It is important to know that the "harvest" does not just exist here in the Dominican Republic or around other missionaries, but instead that the harvest is great and exists everywhere... and as believers we are His workers.  There are a lot of people who are without the Lord and who need to be shown compassion by those of us who love Him.  I pray that God would take away any "worldly" thoughts and instead renew our minds with His mindset of compassion, love, mercy, kindness, joy and peace.  May we approach every situation remembering the compassion that Jesus had on the lost and hurting people people with whom He came in contact.  And, may we continue to praise Him for who He is and for when He has done.

Prayer Requests:
- for four children with whom I will be working with reading: Virginia (4th grade), Perla (5th grade), Rafael (4th grade), María Altagracia (4th grade)
- for continued time in the Word and verse memorization
- for continued dependence on His strength and not my own
- for the Saturday Kids' Club.  I am losing one of my helpers, a teacher from Emanuel House.  Please pray that God would provide more help and direction on how to do it well.  Please pray for the kids and their behavior.
- for upcoming mission trip to Panama and for the planning that goes into that. 

Blessed & Spreading J.O.Y.

In the last Bible Study that I had with some woman missionaries a couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to look at blessings and talk about what it means exactly to be blessed.  Many times as Americans we look at blessings to have some kind of monetary value.  Those who have much are blessed which, if we think about it, automatically assumes that those who don't have much are not blessed.  Of course, when we say I am blessed for what I have, we are not thinking of the direct opposite, but in general we are insinuating just that.  After reading Matthew 5 which is an account of  Jesus' sermon on the Mount, it is clear that blessings in God's eyes have nothing to do with the material.  Instead, those who are truly blessed are blessed because of their pure hearts, humility, compassion, mercy, persecution for their faith, hunger and thirst for righteousness, and work towards peace.

I talk about blessings today because over the last few weeks I have been showered with blessings.  It's not at all the material gifts that I have received (although those are always always nice), but instead the people who have come to serve with me, who have had compassionate hearts, who have shown mercy to the hungry, who have shared God's love with the broken, and who have prayed over the people whom I have come to love.  And because of those blessings I am also encouraged to remain humble, compassionate, generous and bold in my faith as God keeps me serving here in this little town called Quisqueya.

Two weeks ago, I hosted a group from UGA.   The group of 7 young women, including one who graduated from Wesleyan and a missionary whose husband taught with me there spent the week washing hair, learning how to do Dominican hair, praying over families, painting a home, and just loving God's creation.  God showed up in many ways, but one special way was by protecting each of us in not getting lice.  God also showed me another way that I can serve the families that I live near.  I loved washing and doing hair and teaching others how to as well.  I am sure that there is more hair washing in my future.

This is the UGA group after washing the hair of the 5 girls whose mom has cancer.

I am preparing Genesis' hair before washing it outside of her home.

During that same week, I had the opportunity to spend all week with two very special girls, Kelsey and Lauren, who I met at Wesleyan about 8 years ago when I was their grade chair and Bible Study leader.  God has blessed our relationship so much by allowing them to grow in their faith, by allowing us to pray together, and by sending them to spend a week with me here in the D.R.  Our time was spent reading Hebrews, laughing, praying, visiting, and serving.  Looking back on the week, God truly helped me to understand more His desire for me to love the people here, he revealed even more His plan for me, and over and over again, he showed His love for me by sending me such friends and supporters.  In Hebrews 10:23-24, the writer explains that as believers we should "think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works,^" and that we should "not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."  Being visited by such young, vibrant, loving, and strong women of God truly was an encouragement and a great reminder that we are not meant to walk alone. 

Kelsey and Lauren sporting Emanuel House shirts and surprising me with kisses before heading home.

Lauren, Kelsey and friends after washing hair.

I must say that I have felt showered over the last weeks with people who have come to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  And I am struck by the relationships that God put in my life that were formed because of my past job.  I praise the Lord for allowing me to work at a place that not only encouraged our growth in our faith, but also stretched us to share with the kids in our care.  Always emphasizing the importance of Jesus first, Others next and finally Yourself, it is clear that the kids who had the opportunity to serve here with me get it.  Thanks be to God that the  J.O.Y motto has rubbed off! 

The 2014 Wesleyan Coed Team

My prayer over the past week as I welcomed a group of 24 Wesleyan teens and teachers here to Quisqueya each day was that we would serve the Lord well and help the people here and not hurt them.  My prayer was also that this time would be one that supplemented ministry that I was already doing and jumpstarted some that I can see doing in the future.  I must say, God answered big time!  God blessed Quisqueya with a group of young people who were ready to be stretched in their faith by praying in homes and sharing testimonies.  We put together literacy packets to encourage parents to help their children to learn at home, put on skits giving 5 suggestions for helping at home, and a leader / parent gave her testimony about depending on God even when it's hard.  Please pray for those parents who are illiterate themselves.  Please pray for the Lord to provide ways to open their eyes and minds to learning along with their children.  Along with sharing testimonies and helping parents, this past week was filled with prayer walks, performing skits in one of the most spiritually poor neighborhoods here in Quisqueya, and helping me with my Saturday Kids' Club where we had a record of about 70 kids attend. 

Emma chats before a game of baseball with neighborhood kids.

At Saturday's Kids' Club we acted out the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus.

I praise God for His hand in this week's activities and for helping us speak His word and be His hands and feet to serve some of the most physically poor people here in Quisqueya.  I also praise God for blessing me with the Wesleyan community over the last month (Brad - pastor and former co-worker, Lauren, Kelsey and Jessie - former students; & Wesleyan Coed and Girls Teams) which showered Emanuel House kids and staff with encouraging words, hugs for kids who may not get them at home, and with relationships that hopefully will last.

Thank you for your Prayers! 

Please pray:

- that the experience over  the last week would be one that stretches the Wesleyan kids and UGA girls in their faith.
- for continued time in the Word and Bible verse memorization
- a young Emanuel House girl who is facing abuse at home.  Pray for discernment in how to handle it and for a changed heart among the adults in her life.
- for Mirqueya's continued guidance by the Lord as she faces many hard decisions each day.
- for spiritual and physical rest both for Mirqueya and me!

Colossians 2:16-17 - Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Falling in Love

Ephesians 4:!-6

Therefore, I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling for you have been called by God.  Always be humble and gentle.  Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  For there is one body and one spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 

PATIENCE.

HUMILITY.

UNITY.

LOVE.

PEACE.

ONE BODY.

HOPE.

Since my last post, I have continued to have a renewed prospective on ministry.  I am excited about God's purpose with me here and I can even see clearer, feel a bit more organized, and have taken time for myself to rest and plan during the week.  More and more, I feel myself accepting differences, praying for patience as God works out His will in my life and in all, I am finding myself at peace here.  This past week, I had various opportunities to see how God is building relationships between me and my neighbors, how I am feeling more and more comfortable, and I realize more and more just how much I love this place.  Quisqueya, a town of 50,000 people, seems smaller and smaller the longer I live here which is a true comfort being so far away from home.

Early in the week, I had the opportunity to visit some moms of Emanuel House kids who are probably around my age or a little younger.  Cynthia is a new believer and mother of 8.  She has 2 children at Emanuel House and her kids range from 1 year old twins to about 12 years old. Adalgisa is a mother of two sweet girls and often comes to volunteer to clean Emanuel House.  Adalgisa loves the Lord and in talking to her, even though she is a young believer, it is evident that she is a wise woman.  I chatted for about an hour with the two ladies and ended up getting into a conversation about loss of salvation, a belief that is very prevalent here. We talked about God's grace.  We talked about nothing being able to separate us from the Lord.  We talked about the fact that God has chosen us. We talked about us being imperfect creatures, about repentance and about spiritual growth.  I am so grateful to have the opportunity to live here and have natural conversations with people about their lives and for the time to get to know them better and love them -- whether that be by praying for their sick children, playing with them, or just sitting on a curb talking.  I know that God is good and that He is working.  

Thursday was the 27th of February and if you have ever been to the Dominican, you know that there is a very long main highway in the Capital with that name.   February 27 was the date that the Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti.  It's a big day!  So, I had the opportunity to enjoy a parade with my fellow Quisqueyan's and even march alongside them.  As we walked for about 2 hours, I kept seeing people that I know: kids from Emanuel House, teachers, people from my church, young adults from a neighboring village and kids from my Saturday Bible Study.  It was so much fun to listen to the drums, see everyone dressed in their red, white and blue, and just feel the Dominican pride that filled the day.  

On Saturday I had my normal Bible Club and had a lot of kids there that I had met while walking around throughout the week.  Earlier in the week I had visited one of my favorites, Franklin, a little boy who lives with his dad and is known for begging and not getting enough to eat.  Please pray that these boys will continue to come on Saturdays and that God would help me to love them well.  Please help for their behavior as it is obvious that they have little discipline in their lives.  After Saturday school, I walked a little girl home and was surprised at God's goodness.  As I walked up to the house that I have never been to, I met a little girl's mom and then saw a familiar face of a little 4 year old.  God is so good.  My last summer as a SCORE intern (Summer 2012), I had the opportunity to babysit and be with a family that was being rescued from an abusive situation.  Unfortunately, the mom has returned home to the abusive situation and the kids are no longer a part of Emanuel House.  But, on Saturday, I had the opportunity to spend hours with little Esmeralda, who I hadn't seen in over a year.  Additionally, God gave me a few hours just to spend with the family and love on some kids.  Thanks be to God!

I thank the Lord for the blessings of this past week.  I thank God for perspective, for continued love for the Quisqueyan people, and for the opportunity to live life in this community.

Thank you for praying:

- This Friday I will be speaking at a church.  Please pray for God to give me discernment on what He would have me share and that He will speak to the hearts of the people through me.

- I have been asked to help a small group of kids with reading.  I am very excited about this opportunity as it shows that there is trust being built with regards to my abilities.  Please pray for time and that I would commit only to what I can do right now in this season of my life.  Pray that I would be able to use God's gifts that He has given me to help these kids to read.

- During the next 2 weeks, there will be groups from my Atlanta community coming to minister here.  Please pray for the people's hearts to be softened, pray for excitement among the community here and the groups, and for them to really help out the ministry and grow in their faith throughout the week.

-Continue to pray over the library ministry and the librarians as they have begun to bring the library out into the community on Fridays.  Pray for creativity and seeds being planted.