Si Dios Quiere

Well I’m home now. It’s been a crazy whirlwind. I didn’t have much time to blog those last few weeks in the DR. We had back to back groups and then it was time to travel back to the land of ‘Merica, find a place to live, and move there. So here’s what you missed…..

I milked a cow. It was pretty epic. It had been on my bucket-list for a while, so I was glad to actually do it. What I didn’t realize, however, was that it was cause me to have extra anxiety when trying to re-enter the USA when my form got denied due to “being in close proximity with livestock.” Thanks be to God, I made it home anyway (after talking with an officer) and have a great milking memory to look back on!

I also had some time after church one day to go to the beach with a group. Silvia (my 12 yr old manita who is like a little sister to me) came along too and seemed to have the best day of her life. We built cheerleader pyramids in the ocean, I took her out on a sailboat, played a racing game on the beach, and I gave her a swimming lesson after realizing she didn’t know how to swim. It was great….which explains my confusion when I found out that night that she attempted to end her life by jumping off a three story building. Thanks be to God, she didn’t actually jump, but she definitely needs a lot of prayer. My heart has been all over the place because of that girl. I bonded with her so well and truly care for her as a little sister. She has a hard life for sure….HIV, an older sister who verbally abuses her, and her parents both died before she was a day old. I’m so glad she has Makarios and the church to care for her and make sure her needs get met. Please pray that she learns the true love of God and is able to be connected with a good counselor.

Silvia :)

                Kelly and I had the unique and special opportunity of cooking dinner for Lucia (our housekeeper) and her family of six. We made fish (her favorite) with rice, zucchini, and pineapple/mango smoothies. It was a memory I will cherish dearly. Even with the communication barrier, we had great and hilarious dinner conversation in Spanish. And when Lucia’s husband prays (who is a pastor in the neighboring community of Los Algodones), I feel revived. I’m also really interested by family dynamics, and being in the DR I am even more so because of the compounded cultural differences. Lucia’s family is one of my favorites I have ever encountered. They are a beautiful, hilarious, God-seeking unit – all unique yet complimenting each other in a way that can only be explained by divine intervention. We ate the meal on the roof to get the sunset view, and by the time we were done eating, the sky was lit by the stars.

Lucia :)

                Speaking of stars, I finally got a chance to work on my solar power investigation for Makarios. I collected information and devised plans for solar power at the Mak house as well as the school. Based on solar data of the region, projected project costs, and energy usage by Makarios, I found that using solar panels should be very beneficial long term, especially if the panels could be donated or provided by a grant. I collected contact information of local suppliers that sell and install solar systems. And I took a look at the school and talked with Benjamin about what plans should work. For the school, it would be wise to wait a couple more years until the new addition is built on to include the solar panels. The new part of the building will be an extra story high, which will make the shade of the trees not an issue. Hopefully the Makarios staff follow up about this and use the information I compiled for them because it could be very helpful in the future to not only offset electrical cost but also to help keep the batteries charged so there is less time without power.

A couple times during the summer, Doug and Margaret usually get away for a few days to have time alone and recharge. The first time they went away, they missed us interns the whole time. So, on their second get-away, they invited us to join them in Cabarete for a couple days! We got to go to the beach and stay in air conditioning (I had forgotten what that was like). It was a great time of fellowship and rejuvenation before the final two weeks of the summer – which really flew by with record-sized groups back to back then we flew home. During the trip, we got to go snorkeling with Benjamin and Vierka (his wife), which was such a special treat. We got on a boat far from civilization. The nearest restroom in ten miles was a local woman’s outhouse...or the ocean. It was beautiful. And we got to eat fresh coconut. Be jealous. Also, it was great quality time with Benjamin and Vierka, who are dear friends of mine now. They just got married a year ago and are a great example of a godly marriage.

Snorkeling crew

Ladies out breakfast with Margaret and Kelly before chaos ensued.

That same day, three of my friends had babies. Weird, right? It seems I’m at that stage in life where my friends are having babies and getting married and such. I’m traveling the world. Well, now I’m back, but my adventure never ends. I just got a dog. He’s the sweetest, constantly stealing my heart. His name is Rocko. You should come visit me and meet him.

Benjamin and Vierka and I got to go on another adventure the next day: a four hour trip down to the Dominican capitol city: Santo Domingo. But it wasn’t just a for-fun trip (though it was definitely fun). I’d been looking forward to that day for several months. It was the day I got to meet my Compassion child Angelica. I could write an entire blog about that one day. It was full of anticipation, emotion, fear, laughter, chicken, and love. Angelica is five years old. She just started school. She lives with her parents and little brother. She is super shy when you first meet her – to the point that I wasn’t sure she had the ability to speak. But she is so much fun when she opens up. And she’s adorable too. I’m so glad I got to meet her and that I have the privilege of partnering with Compassion to make her life better and provide godly influences in her life. I look forward to seeing what God does in her life over the years, as she will be in the program until she’s 19. It was super encouraging to meet her Compassion supervisor too, who was also a Compassion child when she was younger. And so was Benjamin, which made the trip extra special. It was sad to leave. Angelica ran inside without hugging me and wouldn’t say a word because she was so upset that we were leaving. Her mom brought her back out and I got a hug before we left. Bittersweet. But definitely sweet to look back on. Priceless.

With Angelica and her family in their house in Santo Domingo

            The next week, Kelly kept me sane as we shared our room with three other women and shared our bathroom with 12 people total. Thanks to the Lord, it went as smoothly as it could have possibly gone, with a sick child and all. And Kelly brilliantly put a homemade poster on the bathroom wall that said, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.” Whenever I would see that, I would check myself. There is definitely power in Scripture, and that verse helped me a lot that week to maintain a servant focus.

                I also got to drive Margaret’s car briefly! AKA I drove a car on the crazy streets of the DR! CHECK ME OUT, YO!!! Margaret had to walk to the store from a restaurant because we were in a hurry to get Kelly home because she was feeling horribly. So Margaret left, and I stayed to pay the tab then drove to pick Margaret up after she checked out. I felt accomplished, so I wanted to let you know hehe.

                The final week of my time in the DR was definitely my favorite. I saw God at work the most. It was also the craziest, busiest, and most stressful week of all. But it was full of love. On the first night, the team got several hours late (around 3AM) due to flight delays. The second night, Nicole, a 16yr old girl on one of the teams got her appendix out (nbd) and was in the hospital for four days, which means that Margaret was also MIA for four days, which means that the rest of us were scrambling to fill her shoes (not to mention Jacob’s shoes too because he went back to Texas early for a wedding). Did I mention it was one of the biggest groups of the summer? Then Nelda and Mike, a sweet older couple, found out midweek that their son back in the states was having liver issues. He had had a stroke at the beginning of the trip. The liver issues ended up being severe, so they flew home a day early. But guess what also happened in the midst of the chaos?? LOVE. Miguel (one of our watchees) accepted Christ!!!!!!!!! Women who didn’t even know Nicole gave up their time and sleep to care for her in the hospital. There was LOTS of praying going on. And all of us interns were working like crazy – yet enjoying it abundantly….practicing the presence of God. Even just remembering that week as I type makes me feel such purpose and peace and love. MMMMMMM yes good stuff. One thing that Margaret said that week that really stuck with me is “people over project.” As in, we need to prioritize people over our tasks. As an instinctual Martha (vs. Mary), that really hit home with me. I want to make my life more that way, focusing on relationships and encouraging others rather than simply getting my to-do list met. To-do lists are great, and getting stuff done is great, but I need to remember to prioritize the eternal beings around me. People over project.

Final community visit of the summer. I miss holding those sweet hands.

                Leaving was great but awful. It hurts me to write about it. There were so many tears. We caused a scene at the airport with several people crying, praying, waving, hugging, taking pictures, and saying final goodbyes. The morning before we left, Lucia and Abram and Belizeur (her sons) came over for breakfast and gave us parting gifts. Lucia made homemade purses for Kelly and me. Mine is purple because she knew that is my favorite color. She is a busy woman with four kids and works full time cooking and cleaning at the Mak house. I don’t know how she had time to make those. But that made it even more special. Hugging Silvia and praying over her with the other interns was super special as well. Though I wanted to take her with me in my luggage, it wasn’t possible. So I just have to trust that God will take care of her.

The airport goodbye crowd

Being back and processing has been great. It wasn’t as hard of a transition back as I thought it might be. But I’m definitely forever changed. I’m determined to become fluent in Spanish. I hope to reenter the international mission field (si Dios quiere – if God desires) in the future. I am grateful for AC but still feel at peace sweating in 100 degrees. I was also blessed to process a lot of the trip with my friend Callie from Cedarville. She had spent fall semester in the DR so we could relate to each other a lot, even though she had stayed in a different part of the country. From processing with her about the cultural differences, trying to take the good from the Dominican and American cultures and apply them to our lives, we realize we need to have a balance. We need to be relational and hospitable, focusing on others; but we also need to get stuff done to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives. Ultimately, in the day-by-day, we need to look to the Lord for guidance in decisions and interactions with others and remember to be fueled by His love in everything.

Now for my next adventure: life in Columbus, IN. That's me in the driver seat of a moving truck, next to dad.

                Since I’ve been back, I have been blessed by my support here. Coming back and staying with my Dad and Rhonda for a week was such shalom. I also purged my belongings in a yard sale to support my sister Laurel’s trip to Belgium! (She’s studying abroad there right now.) I also found an apartment here in Columbus, IN and moved in. It was a blessing that really just fell into my lap. Long story, but it’s a brand new and affordable apartment with great neighbors and a great landlord, and it wasn’t ever posted online. I also went to my friend Sarah’s wedding. And I found a church here that I think I want to stick with and help with the youth. And I’m scheduled for four Zumba classes per week already. And I still have a week off of work to get organized! P.S. I have a guest room – come visit me! Oh and I have a cutie pie I’m taking care of now…….not the roommate I was expecting, but he’s a treasure for sure.

Mommy and me after loading the moving truck

Taking home my buddy Rocko!

                I know I’m forgetting a lot. But I think we both can agree that this blog post is long enough haha. Peace and blessings. Paz y bendiciones. Siglos y siglos. Amen.

Oh and I visited MK in Wildcat Country!

And I visited Tori at Thomas More!