Trusting God. Believing like David.

I remember years ago having the habit of asking my Spanish class if David from the Bible was good or bad.  Seniors in High School, who had been in a Christian school their whole lives and many who came from Christian families struggled over that question.  It's a hard one.  "David is good,"  they would answer. Pause. "Wait but he did some bad things.  He did some really bad things." "Well which one is it?  Is he good or bad?" They'd ask.  And they would be stumped.

For the past few months, I have been reading about David.  In my personal quiet time, I am in the book of 2 Samuel and in our missionary Bible study, we just finished reading through Psalm 119.  Various things stick out to me about David:

He was courageous, had a clear understanding, respect, and love for God, and he desired to do God's will.  And at the same time he was human and suffered the consequences that his sin had on his family and his life.  And yet, God showed grace and was faithful to His covenant with David.

When we first meet David in the Bible, he's a kid, a shepherd boy, and God's chosen future king.  He's the unlikely choice to fight Goliath, but does so and defeats the philistine giant.  Later,  he "fails" when he lusts after Bathsheba, hides her pregnancy and kills her husband.  This man, who is clearly chosen by God and has shown His deep love for Him struggles.  And yet, over and over again, he refocuses, repents, and keeps going.  He's a perfect reflection of life as a Christian, of our human struggles, of our need for God's grace, and of the daily need to look to God for direction.

David, like all of us was human.  He was a sinner like us all.  He struggled to keep God's commands like us all, and yet he had a deep desire to follow God plan and serve Him.  Other things that catch my attention and that I can learn from:

David was patient. He was anointed as a boy to be king and waited until he was 30 to have that position.

David was forgiving and merciful.  When I think of all the ways that Saul came after him and the evil that he desired for David, I am amazed at David's respect for Saul as king, forgiveness, and non-vengefulness.  And again, David showed all the same characteristics with his son Absalom who tried to kill him and take his place as king.

David accepted suffering.  There is a point towards the end of 2 Samuel where David is being cursed by a bad man.  And David basically says, "It's okay. God is allowing it." (2 Samuel 16:10-12) Wow!  

And David, in spite of his humanness, in spite of his weaknesses and suffering, was used by God.  He loved God's Word.  He remained steadfast even in the midst of struggle.  And God used him as one of the men in the lineage of Jesus -- in spite of his mistakes and wrong steps.

This past month I have been reflecting on my own need for God, my missteps, and struggles.

I, like David, love God and want to be in His will, do good, and serve Him.  I want for my eyes to be fixed on Him above all else and yet, the fight with my flesh is continual.  The more I know God, the more I recognize my sinful nature.  I struggle with being a Martha.  I struggle with my desire to be comfortable and avoid change or "the messy stuff."  I struggle to be courageous. I struggle with anxiety and fear. And I struggle to put my trust fully in Him, to spend enough time with Him, and to believe that what His Word says is true for me. 

I know that God, in the midst of struggles, is asking me to trust Him. 

In the last month, many around me have come to me and shared in confidence some problems that they have in friendships, in marriage, and with ministry.   I thank God for those moments because it is a testimony to my friendships and deepening relationships with the people here.  I can't fix their problems and often I can hardly give advice, but GOD CAN FIX IT.  And in the past couple of months, I have witnessed the un-relenting spiritual warfare that presents itself in this culture in the form of demons.  And I thank God for those moments as well, because although scary, I am reminded of the spiritual realities of the kids and families we serve and IT CAUSES ME TO PRAY THAT MUCH MORE.

And God reminds me of the fact that this world is sinful and that Satan hates Him and those of us who follow Him. He reminds me that our hope can only be found in Him. He reminds me that He is my constant in the midst of all the changes around me.  And, He reminds me that courage and strength comes from Him alone. 

God,

Give me faith 

to trust what you say

That you're good 

and your love is great

I'm broken inside

I give you my life

I may be weak

but your Spirit's strong in me

My flesh may fail

but my God you never will

-Elevation Worship

May God give us His strength, true faith, and trust in Him alone.  He's at work!

A GLANCE AT MY LIFE THESE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS:

Chichigua and the Local Church.  I had the opportunity to be the link between a local church in Puerto Plata and the local church in Chichigua.  I gave them a tour of the community, introducing them to my friends in the community and the Makarios kids and they prepared a VBS-like program.  It was great to have a local Dominican church reaching out to a mostly Haitian community in such a dynamic way.  Please pray that more local churches would reach out to the communities in need  around them.

Literacy. Our second cycle of literacy has come to an end.  We have had classes three evenings a week since September.  Lord willing, two ladies will graduate from the program at the end of next semester.  Please pray that the women and will stay committed to the program and for them to have confidence that they can learn!  Please also pray for God to provide some more volunteers to help out!

Discipleship.  Family Empowerment has a weekly discipleship program for new believers.  I got to teach the class about prayer a few weeks ago.  Please pray that these women would continue to learn God's Word and guard it in their hearts and that they would get connected to a local church if they are not already.

Interviews and Applications.  This past month, the Family Empowerment Ministry has begun to accept applications for Makarios' 3 year old class for next year.  Meet Louis and Alex, two of the kids who will most likely be a part of Makarios next year.  They are from Chichigua and have older siblings in the school.  I also get to visit and spend time with them when I am in Chichigua.   Please pray for the process of finding new families and discerning who should be a part of the newest Makarios class!

Girls Bible Study.  Earlier this month, we had our last Bible Study with high school girls until January. Their questions and curiosity about God's Word shows that seeds are being planted and that God is working in their hearts.   Will you pray for them to come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ?   

Goodbyes.  This last month has been a month of goodbyes which has been hard for me.  Some of my closest friends here have moved or are moving soon.   Please pray for me, for Makarios, and for my friends who are moving as they experience transition.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Thanks, as always, for your prayers and support.  God is definitely at work here!  To HIM be all of the glory!

END OF YEAR GIVING.

Are you interested in giving a one-time end of year gift to support Makarios and the work that God has me doing here?  If so, click here. Your financial support is always a blessing!   

My favorite day

It's Thursday.  I spend a couple of hours at home reading God's Word and preparing for my day.  At 10:00, I leave for home visits in Chichigua.  I plan to visit 3 women today.  Two are Christians and one is not.  I prepare by reminding myself of verses to explain the Gospel and of verses to encourage the two who already know Him.  I remember that they both are taking care of children who are not theirs.  I remember the verse about not being weary of doing good.  They've chosen a good thing to take care of these kids.  I imagine it's not easy, yet they are steady.  Their work is good.  I'm sure God is pleased.  I spend some time in prayer. 

It's about a 10 minute drive.  I turn off of the highway onto a dirt road, passing the motorcycle taxis.  The view at the curve catches my eye as it always does.  The mountains proclaim His glory.  It's a pretty day.  After many days of rain, the rain has ceased. It's hot. No rain seems to be in the forecast.  I drive up on the community to my left.  Some moms are outside.  Many are getting their laundry ready to wash -- partly by hand and partly with the 1/2 automatic machine.  There's electricity today.  

I find myself in her home and listen to her story about how she obtained the girls.  She's their grandmother.  Her Spanish is broken, but somehow it is so clear to me.   She tells me how their father is her son.  Their mother doesn't have a relationship with them.  She explains that after the earthquake in Haiti, he needed help and they came to live with her.  She's been taking care of them ever since.  Don't tire of doing good.  I look at where they sleep.  Two small twin-sized beds.  Very thin cushions.  Everything is very neat and there is an interesting array of about 10 pairs of kids' sized sunglasses hanging on one of the pieces of wood.  I wonder if they've been saving them every year when the dentists come.  I smile.  Her granddaughters are very sweet girls.  We stand together at the kitchen counter and pray.  God is there. He is good.

I head to another home.  The mom isn't there.  No one knows where she is.  I'll have to visit another day.

I walk down the narrow path between houses and find myself towards the back of the community.  She is crouched inside her house scrubbing clothes with her hands.  She has a big tub filled with clothes and soap inside.  I ask if I can chat for a while and know it's okay because I sent a note home so she was expecting me.  I lower my head to fit through the doorway of the wooden house and grab a chair that I see from the other room and begin to chat about why I'm there.  We talk about how she ended up taking care of "her" child.  He was so sick, she explains.  His mom asked me to be his godmother.  He was 2 months old when she died.  I fought to take care of him.  I still take him to the doctor.  My husband is sick and can't work.  Back problems.  I'm doing everything in our home.  She smiles. But, God is good.  I thank Him.  She is different than many others.  God is with her. She knows it.  She's not defeated.  She leans on Him.  Don't tire of doing good.  I encourage her.  Don't be anxious but in prayer and petition with thanksgiving offer your request to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind.  She chuckles. Amen!  Amen!  And she thanks me for the visit.

I head out the door and remember another mom.  She wasn't on my list, but she is struggling right now.  She's been having some deep spiritual issues.  Many are concerned about her spiritual welfare.  She has a daughter in the pre-school at Makarios.  I find her sitting in a plastic chair next to a hammock that her husband is sleeping in.  There's a big radio on the ground and it's set to a Christian station.  They seem to be on a commercial.  I ask to turn it down.  I read scripture, and I pray for her.  It's a situation that only God can fix.  He is God all-powerful.  He always wins.  I beg God to help her, to heal her, to fight for her.  I pray that He will show Himself to her.  She's not right.  I don't know if she is a believer.  I pray that she will come to know Him in a way that she never has before.

I stop by one more home.  She is a part of the Literacy program and has 3 kids at Makarios.  We sit outside where it is cooler on a rock and talk about the kids and how they are doing.  She is a new believer and is attending the local church.  She's a young mom with four kids.  I ask her about sin.  In the literacy class we've been talking about God and thus about our human condition as sinners.  I ask her about her comment the other day that she is not a sinner.  She says she was joking.  I remind her that we all have done wrong.  If we hadn't, we wouldn't need Jesus.  We pray.  I encourage her with some advice for her son who is having some behavior problems at school.  She is a good mom.  I pray for God to continue to grow her in her faith.

I hear a woman call my name.  Well, a version of my name.  It's her.  She is a special needs woman who is often at the house at the entrance of the community.  She cannot walk.  She's often on the ground.  She smells like a mixture of body odor and urine.  She calls my name again, and I smile and head towards her.  I touch her shoulder and greet her.  As soon as I touch her she starts pointing to her back and to her stomach and begins to grunt.  They hurt, I know.  I pray for her.  God, help me know how to help.  Take these pains from her.  I don't sing with her this time.  She really likes that.  I should next time I see her.

I haven't mentioned my shadow.  He's about 2 and he likes to follow me.  Sometimes, he is clothed, many times he's not.  But when I turn around, I often find him following me.  He doesn't say much and when he does it is in a language that no one really understands... a mix of baby, and creole and Spanish.  He has sad eyes most of the time.  I try to give him big hugs and show him attention when I can.  He'll be at Makarios next year along with his sisters.  May He know You one day, God.

It's well into lunch time at this point.  I say my goodbyes, get in the car and head to the school.  The rest of the day will be preparing for literacy later in the afternoon.  Maybe I'll get to rest a little beforehand.  I think about all that happened... the conversations, the people, and how I saw God.  I'm encouraged and saddened at the same time. God is working. 

May His kingdom come.  

May they see Christ in me.

In Jesus' Name....

During the month of September, Family Empowerment guided the teachers around the various communities as they visited their kids' parents.  We shared the gospel and encouraged parents in God's Word. Praising Him for some planted seeds.  

This is Jenny from Quisqueya.  After we visited, three teachers from Emanuel House got invited to participate in a Makarios Psychology workshop about the importance of movement in kids' learning.  "Ready Bodies, Ready Minds." It was a joy to host them here in Montellano and show them around the communities we serve.

I travelled to Quisqueya with 3 Makarios teachers to train teachers in ZOO PHONICS, the program we use for the Pre-school classes here at Makarios.  It was a blessing in so many ways.

Jenna, teaching the ladies about ZOO PHONICS.


I got to introduce the girls to Aris.  She's a house mom at a Boys Home in San Pedro.  It was so nice to be loved and encouraged by her story after serving in Quisqueya.

We had our first parent meeting.  The big topic was marriage.  I did an object lesson about communication, making sure the foundation is Jesus, and roles in marriage.  

I got invited to a baptism in the Haitian church in Chichigua.  Two were baptized!

Literacy began about a month ago.  We have 11 women who have committed to learning this cycle.  From women who have never learned to read before, to others from our first cycle who are reading, to a couple of new ones who have learned a little, it's been a challenge and it's been good!!!  We pray for God to open their eyes to the words around them!

SURPRISE!  For my birthday, I had some friends come and sing to me.  My first serenade.  And, I got to spend some time at the beach with friends.  God is good and reminded me how loved I am.


  

God's Got This!

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, 

and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. 

Habakkuk 3:19

SUMMER.

It was refreshing.  I spent a month in the States, visiting churches, traveling the east coast, and spending time with friends and family.

 

BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED.

I was able to ease back into the country a little slower than usual.  I spent a week with my Dominican family, and once back in Montellano, got to spend some quality time with friends catching up, eating and just spending time.  During pre-planning the Family Empowerment team did some team building, lots of planning and praying, and helped with school registration.  I also gave several workshops to teachers during that time.  Right before school started, I also got to participate in a local church camp for youth with the theme “Don’t waste your life” and gave a workshop there on managing time.

 

                              

THE FIRST TWO WEEKS.

School started about 2 weeks ago and we are now in full gear. The Family Empowerment Team has moved into our office, completed our first parent meetings of the year, and we are looking ahead to literacy classes starting up again later this month, visiting families in their homes regularly, and beginning a new counseling program.

FAMILY EMPOWERMENT TEAM 2018-2019

MY LIFE THESE DAYS.

I wake up and make a cup of coffee using the once unfamiliar greca.  I remember about 5 years ago when I didn’t know how to use one.  Trying several times, the coffee just wouldn’t rise.  And I remember giving in and buying an electric one — which was problematic if we didn’t have electricity. And now, without thinking, I fill the bottom up with water to just the right spot, add the coffee, and wait for the certain grumbling that tells me it’s ready.  The once unfamiliar is now comfortable.  

I drive onto the school’s campus.  A new big building is on my left.  On my right is where our Family Empowerment office is.   I glance at the dilapidated “casita” or little house that will be my home this year.  

I get out and instead of walking to the Family Empowerment office, I walk around to the old school building which is still being used and the place where 3 years ago, I hesitantly entered, forcing myself to do the traditional greeting to those around me —  kissing on the cheek and saying "God bless you.” The once uncomfortable act is now familiar, comfortable and unforced.  Both teachers and kids now know me well enough to give me a good hug, wave from afar, call out "Adriana," or put their tiny hands over my eyes as I guess who it could possibly be.   

I don’t walk up the stairs to my office next to the library.  My “place” isn’t at the school with the kids. My new place is the small building that I saw on the right when I drove in.  After greeting the people I see and saying “hey” to my kitchen friends, Oldicia and Monica, I take the trek back to the little yellow house which is now my home.

Whereas I used to share responsibilities — school sometimes and Family Empowerment sometimes, this year, I am serving full time in Family Empowerment, while giving the occasional workshop to teachers.  While ministry means time in communities, helping women learn how to read and write, evangelizing, and helping believers grow in their faith, this year it also means helping organizing, creating sustainable programming, and communicating with everyone who is a part of our team - in the U.S. and here.  I definitely have a full plate and am still getting used to my responsibilities and how to juggle it all.

I recently read about Gideon when God chose him to fight for Israel.  I read about how he felt before going into battle.  His doubting… His constant questioning... “But God, show me one more time that you are with me,” Gideon pleads.  I read about how he placed his confidence completely in God even though he must have been nervous, he clearly doubted his own abilities, and at first he even was unsure that it was actually God who was sending him.  Yet, God worked through Him and with what seemed impossible.  The Lord reassured him,  “I am with you.”  “Do not fear.”  “Do not I send you?”  (Judges 6)

I feel like how I imagine Gideon must have felt, and yet I know that God says to me too...

I am with you.

Do not fear.

Did I not send you?

I carefully walk to our little house, passing some construction wood that still has to be cleared.  I pause and stare at the warn down house, and wonder how we can make it prettier.   Then, I step in and greet Andrea, my close friend and ministry partner.  The inside is freshly painted and divided into an office/ waiting room, a conference and meeting space, and the classroom for the Adult Education classes. It’s a project that will take time to fully furnish and decorate, but God has been so good… providing us with a space of our own until our longer-term office is ready.  I stare at the simple space, and then think about what God may be up to.

I remember Much-Afraid, a character in an allegory I’m reading.  She had a new relationship with the Shepherd and was being led to the High Places.  She had been reassured by Him that while she may not always see him, she could always call for help and He would be by her side at once. And yet, pain and suffering had her going into an unfamiliar place.  She didn’t know how long she would be there and she was hesitant and afraid.  And yet, she listened to the Shepherd’s voice, and entered in with Him. She released understanding and comfort to Him and chose acceptance and joy.

You are not alone.  

I am here with you.  

Enter in with me with joy.

This little building, as warn down as it may seem from the outside… is one of God’s High Places, I know. Our team has plans for counseling on marriage, parenting, sexuality, and money management. And in the new classroom, we hope to begin some classes to give practical skills to those who want to know how to read or learn to create things with their hands.  And we are trying to create a comfortable space where families will continue to feel welcomed to come in and visit.  Lots of planning and praying and sharing and crying and rejoicing is going to happen inside this small space. I am sure of it. And while I can’t see just how, I know God is up to something good. 

In the midst of this transition from working closely with kids to working with families, and from working at the school to working with Family Empowerment, and from working in my old office to moving to the worn down casita, I find myself in a time of fearfulness, self-doubt, and questioning. I can see Him working so clearly, and yet I'm hesitant, unable to see His clear plan, and wondering if I can do this. I need His reassurance. I feel as I have many times in this country: weak, unable and overwhelmed.  And I recognize even as I feel it that God is strong, able, and my peace.  While I feel quite heavy with the tasks ahead, He comes near.  The Lord’s voice to Gideon, “I am with you.”  “Do not fear.”  “Do not I send you?”  And, the reassuring voice of the Shepherd, “You will not see me all the time, Much-Afraid… but whenever you call for help I promise to come to you at once.”

And then, I remember the words that Lauren Daigle sang in my kitchen earlier that morning: 

You say I am strong when I think I am weak…  

You say I am held when I am falling short…  

When I don’t belong, you say I am yours…

And I feel a bit calmer.  I exhale.  And I pray.  I try to release it… the weight.  It’s not mine to carry. You’ve got this, God.  

Oh how good you are.  How patient you are.  

There is no one in the whole world as good and kind as you.  

I will go with you to the mountains.  

I will trust you to make my feet like hinds’ feet, 

and to set me, even me, upon the High Places.

-Much-Afraid, 

Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Leaning In

I find myself lately with a great thirst to know God more.  I can see how much I've grown.  There is so much that I didn't used to know.  Then sometimes, I can see just how much there is still to learn. There is so much still that I don't know about God or that I don't truly trust about Him.  I desire to know Him -- to know how He really is.

But I need space for that.

Maybe it is because I'm coming out of an incredibly busy season.  Or, because sometimes I am mentally distracted or emotionally and physically drained and I just cannot find the space that it takes for my mind to begin to digest who my God is.

Or, maybe it is that I've been challenged by others around me or see the need to know more in order to be able to encourage others better.

May I have time to stop, listen, and lean in.

I'm praying for a mind like His, set on eternal things. And I'm giving thanks for the last month and a half.  It's been a busy one!

F.O.F. GRADUATION.  After 13 months of classes one Saturday a month, we were finally able to have a graduation for the ladies of Fundamentals of the Faith.  Kaylee, Jenna and I worked together to celebrate their accomplishments of memorizing scripture and books of the Bible, completing homework, and attending at least 80% of the classes.  The end is bittersweet.  We've all grown in our understanding of the Word, who God is, and His desire for us to be obedient and in His will.  In the end we had 11 ladies graduate from the program and are already seeing fruits...  Family ministry has recently begun a men's discipleship program and will begin to go through the same book with men in the fall.  Also, we hope that the women who graduated will take advantage of the opportunity to disciple other women in their communities and churches.

LITERACY PROGRAM. We started the program in early March and there is not one woman who has not advanced.  We say that everyone is in their own lane... "Don't look left nor right just pay attention to how you are doing."  And, of course, we constantly remind them that God made them, gave them a mind, and that they can learn.  They have one week left of class before we break for summer and start up again in the fall.  Many still wish to know how to read as they desire so badly to know the Word of God for themselves and be more active participants in the world around them.  Please pray for two who have made professions of faith but who are not sure of their salvation.  May God bring them understanding, peace and confidence.  Please also pray for them to finish well!

They are reading!  Most knew very little when we started the program.  May God be given all of the glory and honor for her success!  Watch the excitement a few weeks ago as Adriana from Chichigua read a book!

LAST DAYS WITH KIDS.  Last week, I finished up my classes with kids.  While excited as I look back at their advances this year, I will miss the one-on-one time that I have had with them.  I have worked with most of them for the past two years and some even three.  But, God has put on my heart the importance of empowering locals.  Next year, I will focus more on continuing to train teachers in reading strategies and will help equip locals in working one-on-one or in small groups with the kids who are a bit behind.  I will be spending most of my time next year helping to continue to develop and support the Family Empowerment Program.  I'll be in the communities, deepening relationships with families, and working with Family Ministry.  Please pray for this time of transition.  I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.  It's been a long time since I've been completely out of the classroom.

SPONSORSHIP.  Makarios is completely run by donations, relying heavily on child and teacher sponsorships to be able to do the day to day and minister to the kids and their families.  Being that I minister and live here, I see the importance everyday of child sponsorship and the impact that it could have.  I have been praying for some time about how I can help and whom?  But, God had not yet given me the right kid... until last week.  I am so excited to be able to sponsor one of my own kids who I already pray for regularly and have had the honor to work with these past several years.  Praying for cycles to be broken and for knees to be bent towards Him.  Interested in sponsoring a child or teacher?  Click Here.

PARENTS' VISIT.  When the people you love the most come and visit you, it's absolutely special.  I am grateful to have had my parents here for a week and to show them Makarios, the ministry we are doing here and also the people who are my community and family.

 

BIBLE OLYMPICS. Soldiers of the Faith vs.  Christ's Athletes.  I was invited by a co-worker to help out with Bible Olympics at her church in Puerto Plata for the month of May.  Every Saturday, I was a judge who voted on which team looked up verses quicker, had the most excitement, answered Bible questions first, and decorated.  Soldiers of the faith

WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS.  One of our goals in Family Empowerment Ministry is to help parents understand that when they solicit their kids to be a part of the school, they are also agreeing to be a part of the Makarios family.  Starting this year, parents of kids who are going to enter the school have to participate in a 2-day workshop put on by the Association of Christian Schools International about raising children and the book Shepherding a Child's Heart.  We had about 20 families participate in the workshop.  May what they learned be seeds for them as they continue to parent their kids.  Many are not believers.  Please pray that God would touch their hearts for the Gospel.

BIBLE STUDY &  DISCIPLESHIP.  Our Makarios teenagers are a special bunch.  While they do not attend the Makarios School, they are sponsored by Makarios sponsors, eat lunch at Makarios and attend a discipleship class once a week.  This year a few have come to know Christ and most continue to be people who enjoy and are encouraged by hearing His Word.  I had the opportunity to share a bit of my story and talk about identity as God's creation and if we believe, as His children.
My High School Bible Study girls, who are also in the Makarios Discipleship group, continue to show interest in His Word and finished the school year having memorized verses, with a deeper understanding of the Bible and how it relates practically to their lives.  We even had an opportunity to go on a trip together on a cable car as a prize for their hard work.  Please pray for Neify who recently lost her mom suddenly and for the girls in general, that God would turn their eyes and hearts away from the world and towards Him.  It's been a hard season for them, but His hand is so obviously working.

As a prize for having memorized verses and books of the Bible, the girls won a trip to the go up the mountain in Puerto Plata about 15 minutes from where we live on the cable car.  It was their first time. We went up up up and enjoyed a great time walking around in God's creation.

KIDS AND HIKES.

One of my favorite things to do is leisurely hike up to a Haitian community from Chichigua.  I got to do that last week with these kids... Gotta love them!

THANK YOU!  Just today, the Family Empowerment team had a meeting and had the opportunity to reflect on all the wonderful things that God has done this year.  We took folded up sticky notes out of a jar that we had written on since August as a way of giving things.  Reflecting on the last 9 months and God's provision, protection, and love towards us was a joy.  An hour later, this is what we had to show for it.  God is indeed Good.  I'm thankful for everyone who is part of my team and able to help love, educate and empower the people here in the Dominican.  May they truly be transformed by the Gospel and become leaders in their communities!

TRAVEL TO THE USA.  I'll be in the United States from June 26 - July 23 mostly raising funds for Family Ministry.  It seems like I may have the opportunity to travel within Florida, Georgia, and up to North Carolina and Pennsylvania.  I would love to have the opportunity to chat with anyone who is interested in supporting Makarios Family Ministry and becoming a part of our team.  Email me if you have interest in me talking more to you:  acorinnechristian@gmail.com

WHAT'S GOD BEEN TEACHING ME?

He's been teaching me about obedience.  I'm reading "Discerning the Voice of God" by Priscilla Shirer and have been convicted and challenged already and I'm only on week one.  The line that stands out?

He's been teaching me about His Character.  As I am slowly working my way through the Bible and find myself in Numbers, I am amazed at what a jealous and at the same time just God I serve.  I read about the Israelites and their forgetfulness and grumbling and am struck by His response: punishment.  He forgives them, yes, but there are consequences for their unbelief.  Lord, please strengthen my faith.  Please guard my heart and my tongue against grumbling.  Help me to fully trust in you and your promises..

And, He is showing me about patience, and that I still have so much to learn.  So I pray for the courage to lean in more towards Him, to bend my ear to His Word, and focus on things eternal.

To Him be all the Glory for the work that He is doing.

NEW LIFE

I’m working with Raidy, a 5th grader, in my office.  He struggles to read and write on grade level.  At the beginning of our time together, we pray for him and for his family.  I pray for him to one day know Jesus.  He’s sitting at the small blue table doing a reading activity when a pre-school teacher stands in the doorway and mouths to me that Sylvia, a Makarios student and also member of my high school girls Bible Study, has passed away. 

In the beginning, God’s world was perfect.  There was no hunger.  There was no death.  When God created man, His relationship with Him was perfect too.  God is holy and He is just and He allows us to have free will.  He allows us to choose.  When man decided to run from God and not do His will, He sinned.  He missed the mark. God (in His holiness) could have nothing to do with him.  Man's relationship with God broke.  And consequently, everyone’s relationship with Him is broken.

And, as is true in life, sin has consequences.  We can see them.  The world that we live in also became broken.  Now, there’s hunger.  There’s death.  There’s sadness.  There are people killing others.  There are people who hate and others who fight.   We see things and experience things that were just not meant to be.  

And we, along with the world, are broken.  We do things we shouldn’t, think things we shouldn’t, and say things we shouldn’t.  We treat people in a way that does not please God. We judge our neighbors as if we don’t ourselves fall short.  Yet, we do fall short.  We fall short all the time. We are separated from God.  We find our value in things and make idols out of people, government, and money.  Our relationship with God and our relationship with each other is far from perfect.  It’s easy to see that there is something not right in us, even when we try to do right.

We search for a way out of the brokenness.  Sometimes by drinking, sex, or drugs.  We try to get richer or have the best things.  Sometimes we self-inflict pain or we fight.  Others go the other route and try to work off their bad by doing good things: going to church, not doing “bad" things or even by being kind to all those around them. Nothing we do is good enough to mend the brokenness although we yearn for the problem we have with God.  We yearn for restored relationships, healthiness and peace.   

From Genesis until now, we see that in spite of the crazy mistakes that the men and women of God did and do, He sought and seeks after them.  He forgives them, guides them, gives them another chance, and protects them. In Exodus 25 and Leviticus 16, God talks about the need for a sacrificial someone to take the place of our sins and His temporary way that He fixed our sin problem. Isaiah 43 points to the future chosen savior who “blots out our transgressions and remembers no longer our sins.”  And in Romans 5:6, Paul tells us that while we were still sinners, the Savior died for us.  BUT GOD, because of His love for us and His desire to have relationship with us as He did before, He sent His perfect son, JESUS, to die on the cross for us and bear the punishment (death) for our sins (John 3:16).  

And the story doesn’t stop there.  JESUS CONQUERS DEATH.  After He lives a perfect life, dies as a sacrifice our sins (taking our punishment of death), He rises again to new life.  Jesus thus shows us that there is new life after putting our faith in Him.

I send my student back to his classroom and float downstairs to see people with tear filled eyes.  There’s an eery quietness. Silvia had been in the hospital.  I had visited her days before and had plans to visit the following day with the girls.   The Martha in me spends the next few hours unsure of what to do.  The rituals in this culture are different than in my home country and although I have experienced death here, it’s foreign.  So, I find myself praying off and on for others who were closer to her than I, and I have the nagging question if she had truly accepted Christ as her Savior.  It’s all I can think about.

          The next week is a bit of a blur... 

That night I find myself at Sylvia's grand-aunts house helping to prepare the house for the body and all of the people who will come visit her family and sit outside in plastic chairs. Some will stay overnight until the burial the next morning.  Then, I’m walking with a big crowd to the cemetery, as the truck with her body blares “Mighty to Save.”  Sylvia was an orphan.  She was sick.  She had accepted Christ a few years before, and days before her death many testify that she was asking for scripture and her favorite songs.  She was sure of her saving faith in Christ.  Those who were with her in the end share that she knew that that day "so many would come visit her.”

I’m reminded that the most important thing -- not because I’m a missionary, but because I’m a believer --  is spreading His Word.  I’m reminded that at the end of the day, it’s what I wondered about her.  Did she know Him?  Did she love Him.  Yes, she went to church and Bible Study and Makarios, but did she really know Jesus?  After all, the Bible does say that many after they die will say Lord, Lord and He will say He never knew them. 

A few days later, I sit in an evangelism training with others from Family Ministry and learn a simple way to share my story.  

I used to be...

Then I chose to make Jesus King over my life.

Since then God has changed me. And now I am…. 

He continues to grow me each day to be more and more like Him.

I practice a variety of times, maybe 10 or so.  First with the leader, then with Andrea from Family Ministry, then in the group as a whole.  

After a while, we begin talking about the importance of sharing God’s story and who we should share with.  

We learn about people of peace.  They are those people that when you talk to them, they welcome your prayers, your continued conversation about God, and want to learn more.  We all have people of peace around us who don’t know Him yet.  They ask questions, they wonder, they enjoy the conversation.  God’s working in them.  He can use us if we are willing.

Something like 95 percent of American Christians will never share the good news of Jesus Christ.  I wonder why that is.  

We talk about discipleship and the importance of prayer.  We make a web of names of people in our lives who do not know Jesus.  And then the people connected to them.  We commit to praying for them, as their conversion could mean the conversion of their families and of their friends.  This is the story of the man who is teaching us. Through one, four have been saved.  This is the story of the disciples that Jesus sent out.  And those who believed shared and the sharing continues.  This is my story.  If it hadn’t been for someone sharing, I wouldn’t know. 

Noah (blue shirt) comes to the D.R. about 10 weeks a year and trains Haitian pastors.  This time, he also worked with Family ministry to train us in evangelizing.  Part of the vision for Makarios' families is that they would come to know Christ and be leaders in their communities.  This day, we found some people of peace right near the school and one of our fathers accepted Christ!

 It's Friday. I’m sitting in Bible Study with 4 high school girls.   We talk about God’s story and how He can change our’s.  We talk about the hope that Sylvia had because of her decision to have faith in what Jesus did on the cross and start walking toward Him.  We talk about how God changed us, our new lives, our hope for the future, and confidence in God that both Nicole and I have because of our faith in Jesus.  They listen. They are curious.  They are definitely people of peace.  I wonder what keeps them from making a decision for Christ. I know that God is working and am grateful for Him using me.

The next day  I am at Fundamentals of the Faith Bible Study.  Present are about 15 ladies - Dominican, Haitian, American. Missionaries, teachers, mothers and wives (some even of pastors). We represent various denominations, families, communities and churches. We sit and listen to Jenna talk about the topic for the month: Evangelism and the Believer.  

Jenna asks a group of faithful believers, "What keeps you from sharing your faith."  It’s a somewhat uncomfortable question.  We’re believers.  Some of us missionaries.  Others, pastor’s wives.  But if we are honest., we miss opportunities.  None of us shares the way that we should… with neighbors, strangers, or other people of peace in our midst.  What keeps us?  

Being vulnerable, we each answer.  Not surprisingly, fear and not feeling equipped are the two most common answers.  I wonder.  How are the churches equipping its people to not be fearful and to share their story and most importantly, God’s story?   

That afternoon we spend 2 hours at a memorial service for Sylvia.  The church is packed.  We hear                  songs  in French.  How Great is our God in English and Spanish.  There is a slide show and people get to            talk about what she meant to them. 

My Bible Study girls do a tribute to Sylvia at her memorial.

And the same day, Wesleyan arrives, my former school — with about 15 teenagers and some teachers.  I’m greeted by two teachers whom I know and most kids whom I’ve never seen before. I realize that I have connections to a few of them.  Throughout the week I pray for them, most of whom come from Christian families, many of whom are not yet believers.  I pray that God would open their eyes and that He would become king in their lives.  God gives me the opportunity to share His story with them.  

2018 Wesleyan Mission Trip Team

The following week, I’m sitting in the small classroom where we are teaching ladies to read.  There are 11 of them and a group of women from the community who make up the support team of teachers.  The women have never gone to school.  They’ve been coming for over 2 weeks, 3 days a week, and God is opening their brains to learn.  I sit as Tatis explains our problem as sinners.  This week in the devotion at the beginning of the class we are talking about sin.  He shows how sin separates us from God and how there is nothing we can do to be good enough to be able to be in relationship with God again.  That truth hits hard. It’s uncomfortable to sit in, but important to understand how unworthy we are of what Jesus did for us.

Literacy Program Big group where we concentrate on phonics.

Small group where the ladies rotate, receiving a reading lesson, writing lesson and input on the kids' ipads.

A few days later we are on vacation from school. All things Makarios related have ceased.  No pulling out kids, no literacy program, no meetings.  I take the time to go down to the capital, Santo Domingo, and visit a close family, to Juan Dolio where some missionary friends live, and to Quisqueya where I used to live.  

In Quisqueya, I find myself in the homes of each of the women that I used to disciple. Most are struggling.  All but one are still struggling to feed their families and three are far from the church.  Two are unwed and have since had babies.  Yet, I see that God is working.  I do not judge them.  I know that their lives are hard in a way that I have never experienced.  I praise him for being able to sit with each one, un-rushed and spend time encouraging and praying with them.  They all recognize their need for God.  Some just haven’t reached the end of their ropes and are still looking to other things as a fix.  Some don’t know yet that only in Christ is their hope found.   Only He can give them life.  God is working.  Two have stayed faithful to the local church and one is on her way to getting baptized.  In spite of hard relationships, she is learning in a weekly class more about the Bible and after finishing will be baptized.  
          

Ranyelis - one of the five "little" girls from Quisqueya.  She and her sisters seem to be doing well and are in school. 

Our second week out of school, Andrea and I sit on the couch at a 2nd graders’ sisters home.  His mom is there as they’ve been displaced while a home is being built for them in another community.  She tells us about her upbringing.  She says it was hard.  She talks about lack of daily necessities and manual labor.  She has grown up in the church but does not understand sin and our inability to save ourselves through the good things we do. We explain about this world’s brokenness — our brokenness.   We tell her that nothing that we do can fix it.  We talk about a need for a Savior. We explain God’s good news of Jesus taking our place when He died on the cross.  We explain about having faith and being repentant (turning 180 degrees in the other direction — towards God and not away from Him.) We explain new life, new relationship, and how God grows us each day.  We take time to pray.  I’m struck by the woman’s prayer to God.  It’s so sincere and yet so simple and she tells Him, "God, I think maybe my life is about to change.”  To God be all the glory.

God. He is still waiting.  He wants to be in right relationship with us.  He wants to give us new life.  While many people ask, “This good God, where is He?  So much brokenness?  Why does He allow it?” -- I understand that man’s decision to flee from God causes our brokenness, just as it did in the beginning when Adam sinned.  Our decision not to act in accordance to His will causes the pain and the corruption and the ugliness around us.  Our will, our thoughts, our actions.  And we deserve the worst punishment.  BUT GOD. In spite of what we deserve, He loves us. In spite of our decision to flee from Him, He provides a solution.  In 2 Peter 3:9, we are reminded that God is not slow but instead patient with us.  He is waiting for all of His family to come to know Him.

So to those know Him, for those of you who have faith and who believe and have turned away from the world, are you answering God’s call for you as a believer?  Are you helping others know that they don’t have to live in their brokenness, but that God redeems?  

Who are those people of peace around you?  They are there. Who one day will be in God’s family? We don’t know, but God does. Our responsibility if we are Christians is to be obedient as we go, share, and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).  God is already working.  What a privilege it is to get to be a part of that awesome work!

Please pray that I would be steadfast in prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Pray that God would open doors for me, Makarios, and believers in our community, to declare the mystery of Christ whenever given the opportunity.  Pray that we would be clear about God’s good news.  Please pray that I would walk in wisdom around those who do not yet believe, making the best of my time, and that my speech would always be gracious and seasoned with salt so that I would know how to always answer each person (Colossians 4:2-6).

Please also pray for:

The four girls in my Bible Study and the other leader, Nicole.  May we be loving, clear, and use wisdom in teaching God’s Word to them.  May God protect them from the temptations of this world and may they come to know Jesus as their Savior and King.

Makarios, as an organization,  as we go through changes in leadership.  May God give wisdom, patience and grace both to the leaders and to the staff.  May our eyes always be fixed on Him.

          This season in ministry.  It's full!  May I lean on Him for energy and not work out of my own                              strength.