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.
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