It might seem random, but God is SO good!

A goat moved in somewhere close by.  Thus, for the past 3 days instead of waking up to the sound of a rooster crowing, I've been awakened by a goat. And today was no different.  I don't think I like 4:30am.

I didn't make it inside church today.  It seems like my car has temper tantrums sometimes, and right when I park and am ready to head inside wherever I'm going, I turn the car off, open the door and…. boom… the windows go down.

My previous thought was that my car could sense rain and right when it was about to rain, that happened.  But, today proved my theory wrong.  Outside it was bright and sunny.  And yet, windows down.  Because of where I live, I couldn't leave my car open.  So, I journaled and every once and a while I tried again to open the door…  Fail.  Windows down.

And as I journaled inside my car during church today, all I could do is wonder what God was trying to teach me.  Maybe it is that in every new day, there are new experiences, new glimpses of things that can either make me frustrated, sad, excited or amazed. Maybe it's that God is teaching me patience.  Maybe it's a mixture of both.

Every day there is something new.

I continue to be amazed by what all the Lord still is teaching me here.  I am amazed by how He continues to teach me and show me little things about the culture that I didn't know before.  In some ways I think since I've been here for over a year now, I should get it.  And, there are many things that I do understand.  But truthfully, a year and a half has given me deeper relationships and through those relationships more trust and thus, I am learning things that I didn't know before and understanding culture and relationships in a way that maybe I didn't get before.  It also gives me insight to how to help in a way that maybe I couldn't see before.  And, I am reminded on a daily basis the need to be patient so that God will work out His will.  I constantly pray that the Lord gives me wisdom, gentleness, non-judgment, a positive attitude, and patience.  His will be done, not my own.

This past week, in addition to teaching, I had the opportunity to take 8 kids and a mom to the local clinic in order to be checked for fungi.  The truth is that every one of the kids had a fungus in their head and the mom had scabies.  Wow!  I saw scabies for the first time in my life.  The doctor commented that it's because of their living conditions.  And then, after helping divide the medicines while the kids waited, I got to explain the doses, etc.  The sad reality is that if it weren't for Emanuel House, two of the kids wouldn't be able to take their medicines regularly because it must be taken with food.  And, the mom who accompanied us had to wash her clothes the next day, but she was too ashamed to tell me that she didn't have any detergent.  The realities of the families gets to me sometimes.

But I've learned to just keep walking.  Keep helping.  Keep loving. One day at a time.

New Beginnings.

One of my deepest dreams is that the moms that I work with will one day be able to support their own children and themselves and some of those dreams are starting to come true.  Five of the moms from my Bible Study (yes 5!) are working towards learning skills or have found a job.  One mom (thanks to another local ministry) received a freezer and learned how to make beads.  She now is selling ice cream and necklaces.  I went on an interview with another mom who started working last week.  She is learning to make jewelry. And three other moms spent a week and a half learning to sew uniforms and make bags and jewelry.  God is moving.  My prayer is that they will capture what they have learned and not only learn for themselves, but eventually help their communities.

 

New Ideas.

I was able to go to a leadership conference with Mirqueya and some local pastors a few weeks ago.  What a joy to be poured into!  It is a conference given all over the world with speakers like Louie Giglio and the writer of QUIET (you know that book for introverts) to share how to be better leaders as Christians.  It was wonderful and I walked out of it with a clearer vision, strategy, and goals for this coming year.  While I pray and pray and pray for insight, God brings it to me at unexpected times and in unexpected ways.  I did not have that conference in my plans and truly had no clue what it was about.  But God is good.  His timing is perfect.

More Patience.

For those of you who pray, please continue to pray for the home life of the little girls that I love so dearly.  Pray for their safety and for God's light to shine in their home.  Please pray for their father's salvation.  Pray for God's will to be done and for us to be faithful in loving the girls, courageous in teaching them about Jesus and wise in helping them.

On a Different Note.

I will be headed home a week from today.  My itinerary is below. I look forward to uniting with my team, encouraging and being encouraged, and resting a bit!

While at home, I will be praying for the upcoming year.  Please join me in prayer.  If you aren't sure how to pray, please pray these specific verses over me:

Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God for he cares about you.  1 Peter 5: 6-7

Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you.  Watch over it willingly not grudgingly-- not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.  1 Peter 5:2

Love each other deeply with all your heart.  1 Peter 1:22

Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially that sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Hebrews 12:1-2a

See you soon, God Willing!

My schedule while in the States:

December 7-15 in Florida

December 15-21 in Atlanta

December 21-26 in South Georgia 

December 26- January 2 in Atlanta

Leave for Santo Domingo on January 3

A nomad with hope

By faith, so many have lived their lives here on earth.  Hebrews talks specifically about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Moises, and others.  In Hebrews 11:13-16, the writer states, "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

I have had the chance in the last two weeks to live in two worlds.  Traveling to the United States to be a part of my friends wedding and now being in the Dominican again, I am reminded over and over again that I don't belong here, in either place.  

I am a nomad.  

My experience in the States is one of dependence on other people -- no home, no car, just kind friends and family who are willing to take me here, pick me up from there, and house me some nights.  

It's uncomfortable sometimes.  

And, in the Dominican, while I can go "home," have a bed that is mine and have transportation, there are many things that make me uncomfortable.  I still don't speak my first language, my mind is still "American" and I often don't understand some customs. 

Like in the States, the Dominican is filled with brokenness….  

Bad music.  
Broken families. 
Abuse.  
Children raising themselves.  
Lost souls.  
Drunkenness.  
Hatred.
…and people who believe it's all okay.

The Bible says that as Christians we are not of this world.  We should not feel comfortable here, we should not … we should look to what's ahead, understanding that we are citizens of heaven.

John 15:19
The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

Romans 12:1-2
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

In Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer reminds us that as Christians people are watching and that it is through our faith that we receive good reputations.  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

We keep going even though we see all of the brokenness, by keeping our eyes on Jesus.  He is the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  He is the savior that welcomes us into His Kingdom.  We strive to see His completed Kingdom one day.  It is by focusing on Him and keeping the faith that we have good reputations in this world.  

I thank God for time in the Word, for time in the States, and for time on the many planes to reflect on Him, ministry and life in general.

Once I returned to the Dominican, I taught my classes in the mornings.  I praise God because it seems that some kids are learning to read simple words.  We are working on our numbers 11-19 -- recognizing them and understanding the concept of those numbers in preparation for addition.  And, last week we studied the promise that God made to Abraham to give him more children than the stars in the sky.  

God has been good.  

I am finally feeling energized even after teaching.  Along with teaching, I had the opportunity this week to spend time with a group, share about Emanuel House and Child Sponsorship at a baseball conference, provide food for a missionary family, visit  some of my Bible study women, take a woman to the hospital, go cliff diving early on Saturday morning, host some of the GAP students at Emanuel House this weekend, and take the 5 little girls to church with me earlier today.

Please pray:

• that the Lord will continue to teach me patience, endurance, confidence in Him, discipline, and love that only He can provide.

• for the right words when comforting close friends who are dealing with abusive situations.

• for my students, their behavior, and home life.

• for the five little girls -- attendance each day, self discipline, and that we would love them well.

• for reminders that I am not of this world, and to be okay with it.

Hebrews 12:28

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe.  

Hebrews 13:15-16

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance in his name.  And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need.  These are the sacrifices that please God.

May we continue to know that on this Earth we are only nomads.  May we thank God for all things eternal that we see while here and be confident in the things we cannot see. May our faith grow more and more each day, never forgetting what lies ahead.

Fighting Lies, Remembering Truth, Depending on Him

Since my last post, my life has been filled with Bible Studies, Women's Missions Week, and a great visit from two pastors from my church.  I traveled to the zoo with kids, went to the northern part of the island for a trip to Lake Dudu, and have had some time of rest.  The little girls that I love are rising to the challenge to attend Emanuel House and school 7 days in a row to get a beach reward.  I am teaching and still praying hard every day over my patience and over each child, their behavior and growth. 

I have days when I am spiritually full…  

and I have days that I feel empty.

Many days it hits me how so many people around me are still jobless, unable to read, and unsaved.  The girls that I love return every day to a home that is unsuitable for anyone to live in without their mom, and often without the presence of their dad.  Emanuel House is still over-crowded and in need of classrooms.  The kids that I teach have broken families and need regular counseling and their parents need guidance from other parents.  I teach and work with kids who are underweight due to being malnourished…

And, then it hits.  

I get into my head.   

I go around and around thinking about how to "fix it." 

And then the lies come...

I'm not good enough.

"They" are not good enough.

God made a mistake.

I don't fit.

I have to be better.

I can do this...

I won't make it.

God can't.

I can't do this.

Work. Work. Work.

I can't mess up.

This should be easier.

I have to get this right.

Jesus said that the following people are blessed: those who realize their need for God, mourn, are humble, are hungry for justice, are merciful, have pure hearts, work for peace, and are persecuted (Matthew 5:3-10). 

FIGHT LIES.

READ HIS WORD.  

REMEMBER TRUTH.

So God created human beings in his own image.

In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

You can enter God's kingdom through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

In John 10:9, Jesus says, 

I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.

Jesus teaches that His followers give to the needy (and we do so in secret) and that we should go away and pray (in private). He teaches that his followers don't yield to temptation, nor love money, nor worry about tomorrow. He expresses that His followers seek His kingdom, don't judge others, recognize our own faults, and treat others as we would like to be treated (Matthew 6 and 7).

The Lord directs the steps of the godly, 

He delights in every detail of their lives. 

Though they stumble, they will never fall, 

for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Psalm 37:23-24

Jesus said, 

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.

John 10:27-28

...you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Once you had no identity as a people;

now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy;

now you have received God’s mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, 

so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:9-10

He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.

Everything he does is just and fair.

He is a faithful God who does no wrong;

how just and upright he is!

Deuteronomy 32:4

And he who sits on the throne

will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty;

they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne

will be their Shepherd.

He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.

And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 7:15-17

This is the Word of God!

Pastors Kris and Brad and Kris' daughter Mady visited for 4 days last week.  They were such an encouragement to me and the ministry that God is using me to do here.  So thankful for my church home!

7 Emanuel House kids went to the zoo as a treat from their sponsors for their birthdays.

I ended up jumping off of 2 cliffs in Lago Dudu.  It was scary but worth it!

The Lord continues to remind me that He is good, He is in control, and that He is worth it.  Even as I write this I am convicted that this life is not about me, but about Him and that I must trust Him.

Please continue to pray for community, discernment, rest, and self-discipline.  Please pray for the struggles mentioned above and that God would be glorified in all that I do.  Please pray for a quick trip that I have in a few days to the States for a wedding.