A Reflection - Woodstock Fruit Festival 2018

My heart is so full, thinking back to the two weeks I spent this August at Camp Walden (Diamond Point, NY) for the 2018 Woodstock Fruit Festival!

The food was amazing and made me feel so energized and next-level healthy... so much so that I've committed to going fully raw vegan for the next year. I am in withdrawal of the mouthwatering durian, mamay sapote, papaya, and mango. But one thing I hope to make a part of my daily diet is Sriracha-smothered bananas - try it, I dare you! It's tastes exactly like scrambled eggs with hot sauce.

The various activities were so fun and enlivening that I want to do them with all of my friends here in Kentucky (bring on the ecstatic dance, acro-yoga, and connecting sessions)! I've been practicing my inversions too... I've got a ways to go before I stop looking like a buffoon, but I'm determined.

But what truly made it the most incredible experience, above everything else, was the people. I was blessed to be part of the volunteer squad, which allowed me to get to know the other volunteers on a more intimate level because we had more time together. God was surely on the move among us because the best word to describe the environment was LOVE, and God is Love (1 John 4:8).

I think I got more hugs those two weeks than my whole life combined... okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but still. Many hugs! Much love! :)

Being on the cleanup / dishes crew was such an uplifting environment. Everyone stepped up and worked great together as a team. And we had life-giving kitchen conversations, which made the hours fly by... the singing and dancing helped too.

My worldview was greatly expanded by all of the conversations... especially learning more about New Age beliefs. I still don't fully understand praying with crystals, significance of the year 2012, howling at the moon (or was that just a WFF thing?), or karma, but I feel 2000% more enlightened about it than I was before, and I definitely value the focus on Christ-consciousness and the concept of allowing God to manifest within us.

And people were generally great listeners and very open to hearing my perspective also, and I was blessed to connect with people about the Gospel, God's intentions for sexual expression, and stewarding the Earth and our bodies.

I hope to keep in touch with many people from the festival, and Lord-willing I will see many of them again next year.

One such special woman I hope to see again is Alyse from Raw Alignment. She is such a bright light and a powerful influencer in our world. God's hand is definitely upon her life, and it was an honor to get to know her better in person and pray a blessing over her after one of her presentations.

Another new friend I hope to stay in contact with is "Barefoot Josh," my new brotherly friend! He truly made the experience a joy for me. He is an authentic, truth-seeking, peace-flowing, love-abiding man of light. And now he's my mentor in this raw vegan lifestyle, and I'm living vicariously through his recent discovery of wild persimmon trees in Virginia.

There are many more beautiful souls I connected with at the WFF that made the experience one to cherish forever. Special shoutout to the Banana Bus crew that I carpooled with to and from NYC - and the beloved Kitchen Team! And huge thanks to Jaclyn for hosting me in the big apple.

I'm excited about what God will do with all of us as we continue to seek, listen, and love.

"Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." - Matthew 7:7

Seminary, Say What??

You guys!!! It’s been nearly 6 months since I moved out here to Kentucky for school, so it’s definitely time for an update. I hope this update finds you well and is an encouragement to you wherever you are on your journey! This is a lofty update, spanning the past 6 months, so bear with me, but I hope it leaves your heart warmed and your eyes opened wider to see God at work in your own lives – God is on the move! Though this is a longish update, I have left a LOT out. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you want to discuss more – and I would love to hear more about your life happenings as well!

Representing Asbury in the Grand Canyon

I began my seminary classes at Asbury Theological seminary in February, and words cannot describe how blessed I feel. It has been such an enriching experience, diving into Truth with amazingly gifted professors alongside other spiritually hungry students. Taking a class on Inductive Bible Study (the best kind of IBS) of the book of Matthew was life-changing and has opened my eyes to Scripture in a new way; plus, it has given me helpful background information for the Bible study group I’ve been leading this summer over the book of Matthew. Biblical Narrative was a great course as well – I learned a lot about how the whole Bible fits together, I got practice in articulating the whole Bible summarized as an 8-ish-minute story, and I discovered the gift of Lectio Divina for meditating on Scripture (highly recommend!!! Google it). I utilized Lectio Divina to lead Scripture meditation with the Loucon High School Leadership Camp in the mornings (my first time as a dean – more details to follow!), and it was so cool to see how God gave me that blessing this semester to bless the campers this summer. I also took a class about the theology of John Wesley, which was really enlightening to me. Even though I grew up in the United Methodist Church (Methodism originated from John Wesley), I surprisingly knew very little about the life and theology of John Welsey, so it was great to learn about it. Learning more about sanctification and how we can enter into entire sanctification during this life blew my mind and I was really encouraged by that concept. I also enjoyed learning about how John Wesley’s Methodists died in such a profoundly impactful manner, sometimes shouting for victory, often with people singing hymns by their bedside. Strangers would come to watch these Christians die, and many committed their lives to the Lord after encountering the reality that we don’t need to fear death. I think death is often not talked about in our culture. Though death is an ugly result of the Fall, God can use it for good if we cooperate with His grace and allowed His beautiful reality to shine through our suffering. I also took Missional Formation this semester, which was indeed formational. It was valuable to gain more insights about the World Christian Movement and how we can enter into God’s work. Our role as believers is to be part of God’s restorative work in the world to bring victory over death in all its forms, which brings purpose and meaning to every aspect of our lives and relationships, including our relationship with the Earth that we are entrusted to steward. I also made a great friend in that class named Laurel, who continues to be an incredible blessing to me. She’s a counseling student with listening ears, a discerning Spirit, and a huge heart.

Missional Formation celebration at Dr.Okesson's house

I feel God definitely at work in my life, calling me to use this as a period of intense preparation. This preparation includes (amazing) academics but also includes profound spiritual cultivation and discernment for the road ahead. And Asbury Seminary is fertile soil for this journey! I am so grateful for the Eucharist services, prayer groups, chapel, and mentorship. I got to connect with one of our chapel speakers this semester, Keith Wasserman (founder of Good Works in Athens, OH), who is a prophetic, faithful follower of God. One thing that really stood out to me from my interactions with him and learning about Good Works is their ethic of inefficiency. It struck me as odd and countercultural, but the more I think about it, the more I’m drawn to the concept. We often focus more on productivity than persons, on finances than on faith, on schedules than on the Spirit. If we do EVERYTHING with God’s love flowing through us, it might seem to take longer and not make sense in our world, but it will be in God’s perfect timing and all the more meaningful. Another person who has greatly impacted me here is Peg Hutchins, who is one of my main human sources of spiritual direction. I am one of the reasons she needs tissues in her office, because she has a way of drawing out the depths of my heart in the form of tears. She has challenged me to listen more to the Spirit as I pray, and I’ve been becoming a real-deal prayer warrior. (Please hit me up with your prayer requests – I would LOVE to have the honor to pray for you!) My new friend / prayer partner / mentor Robin Ferraro has been amazing too. I’m learning a lot about vulnerability from her and what it means to be a committed wife and mother while 100% on fire for the Lord. She takes great care of her body too, so we often work out together then pray and chat afterwards.

My time in Wilmore hasn’t all been roses… there have been some thorns also. The main thorns have been loneliness and anxiety. After living alone for my last few months in Indiana, I was hoping to come to seminary and have a roommate. However, I was unable to get a roommate until May, so I had four months of just me and my Pomeranian, Rocko. With the transition here, not knowing people, living alone, being very busy with classes, and not yet feeling part of a church community, my loneliness and anxiety levels were quite high my first couple months. However, God has been my sustainer through it all. And I now have a roommate (well two, but one is moving out because I was unaware of a seminary policy about pet housing…long messy story). So praise God for that roommate provision, which is a help financially and emotionally. 

This depiction of Jesus was on the wall all semester in Inductive Bible Study, 

encouraging me and pacifying my anxious heart.

God communicates and provides in unexpected ways. One of the blessings God has used in my life here is soccer. I’m definitely not a World Cup athlete, but I have loved soccer most of my life. Playing intramural soccer this semester was such a God thing. Not only did it allow me to develop more of a community here on campus, but it also taught me some great life lessons that I’m still unpacking. For instance, how you do anything is how you do everything. I was confronted with pieces of my heart that needed mending, fears that needed to be demolished by love, and an opportunity to dive into my identity. Yes, all of that can happen when you approach a soccer game with open eyes, realizing that you are often afraid of the ball, don’t put forth your best effort, and are overly concerned with what others think of you. So, thank you, Team Sharks (and God), for that learning opportunity. I look forward to getting back in the game soon, practicing life on the field. In the meantime, I’m still learning about life in many other arenas.

I have felt called to missions for the past 6 years, ever since my first international mission trip to the Dominican Republic, looking out over the mission house balcony and feeling the Lord churning my heart for the impoverished people who haven’t heard his name. In the past few months, that calling has not only grown stronger but has also become morphed alongside another new calling: a call to Christian unity.

I started exploring Catholicism at the tail end of 2017, after briefly dating an incredibly devout Catholic man, a man much like how I imagine Jesus to have been like. He had eyes of immense compassion towards everyone he encountered, and his reverence for the Lord literally brought me to tears. That said, my prideful walls that I had built up since my days at an all-girl Catholic high school began to crumble. I found myself researching the Roman Catholic faith and concluding that “maybe they aren’t crazy after all.” Though we decided to just be friends for various reasons, I was profoundly impacted by this man, and by this new way of experiencing Jesus – the way of the Catholic faith. Since moving to Kentucky, I have been attending Catholic mass as well as an inquiry group to learn more and ask my questions as I prayerfully discern if God is calling me to join the Catholic Church. One thing is for certain: God wants me to be an instrument of peace and unification – bringing the world to Him, and particularly focusing on unifying his Body. Jesus prayed that we may be perfectly one, as He is One with the Father. So, I figure, anything I do towards that end will be in accord with God’s will. During this journey with Catholicism, the divisions in the Body of Christ – particularly between Catholics and Protestants, has deeply grieved me… and I think it grieves God too. Regardless of what camp I end up resting in, I definitely feel called to bring about unity across the dividing lines. I’m excited to see what God does with my willing heart in this area, and I sometimes get glimpses of how these callings can work together – that of missions and church unification – as we can unite on bringing hope to the world as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20)

This summer, I have been given several opportunities to minister in unexpected ways, and I’m embracing it all.

I got to lead a discussion group at a TND retreat in May. TND = Thursday Night Dinner à it’s a group for post-college-age, non-married Christians in the Lexington area. The retreat was right after finals week, and it was a great way to decompress from the semester.

I’ve also been leading a Tuesday night Bible study out of my apartment, going through the book of Matthew (previously alluded to). There are about six of us women who have been coming, a good mix of Protestants and Catholics. Words cannot express my gratitude for these ladies – they always leave me feeling so encouraged after our insightful, honest, tea-laden discussions.

Camp Loucon has also resurfaced in my life this summer – thanks be to God!! I used to go to their junior high soccer camp back in the day, then I was on staff a couple summers in college, but I hadn’t been back in a few years. I was able to counsel the 5^th-6^th Grade Adventure Camp as well as dean the High School Leadership Camp in June. I have been so blessed and stretched by Loucon over the years, and this summer has been no exception. PRAISE GOD I was blessed to pray with a high school camper to accept God’s love and surrender her life to Him for the first time (hopefully she continues to do so every day, which is my prayer for all of us as well). And I was encouraged to reconnect with a few of the girls I counseled as junior highers and high schoolers who are now flourishing on staff (shoutout to Sophia, Sylvia, and Caroline)! Sylvia is an Asbury University student, so we plan to get together in Wilmore when she returns for fall classes – God is so cool! 

Jr. High Soccer Camp (2004?)

These 3 men committed their lives to Christ @ Leadership Camp!

I’ve picked up a waitress job at Los Dos Amigos in Nicholasville this summer. It’s the best Mexican restaurant of my life, and I tend to rate Mexican restaurants based on their chips and salsa, but there are many reasons I have come to love Los Dos Amigos. These reasons have names. Rosa has taught me about having peace and patience when multitasking under pressure. Yilda has taught me about enduring hardship and having a humble attitude of a learner. Lorenzo has taught me about joy and connection. Salvador has taught me about friendship and putting love in action. Melvin has taught me to have the attitude of a helper. Javier has taught me the artfulness of excellence. Rafael has taught me about accountability and leadership. Jessica has taught me about authenticity and openness. Carlos has taught me about the value of work. Anna has taught me the importance of seeing and being seen, knowing and being known. Daniel has taught me about teamwork. They’ve all taught me more Spanish too, and I love them all.

My mom also blessed me with the opportunity to go out west with her and Mike earlier this summer. That trip was so beautiful and continues to be etched into my brain…the vastness and splendor of the Grand Canyon, the giant crucifix overlooking the red earth formations of Sedona, discussing God’s love on a mountain in Zion National Park, contemplating art in Phoenix, and learning about life from my grandparents. I’m so grateful to add that sliver of life to my repertoire thanks to God’s provision through generosity of my mom and Mike.

I’ve also been blessed to do a bit of gardening this summer. The seminary has a community garden, which has become a sanctuary for me. I thought I loved plants before. But when you have your own 3’x10’ plot springing up sunflowers and corn and zucchini and peas and kale… I LOVE PLANTS, YALL. It has been good bonding for my neighbor Rachel and I too, since we share the plot and celebrate the sprouts and harvests together. But a lot of days, after tending to the garden, I stay up there and chill, just me and God and the plants. God always reveals new things to me there. It’s a beautiful place to listen – I recommend it. And sometimes other people are there. One time I met a beautiful African woman there, walking between the plots with a baby tied to her back, singing “thank you God” and I felt like we were Spirit sisters immediately because that’s what my heart often sings up there too.

I was also blessed to be able to go to North Carolina for a weekend to celebrate my sweet niece Chloe turning the big ONE YEAR OLD. I love her so much and my heart is so full, so here's this:

It's a beautiful thing, how babies can bring people together. I feel closer as a family because of our little sprout Chloe!

I have a few upcoming events and prayer requests to share too:

The last weekend of July, I will be attending the Defending the Faith conference in Steubenville, OH. It is a Catholic apologetics conference, and I’m hoping it provides more fuel for my discernment journey with Catholicism. I will be attending with a friend who recently converted to Catholicism from being atheist. Please pray for God to clarify Truth to me and that my friend LeeAnn and I will be encouragements to each other.

For a couple weeks in August, I will be going to New York, volunteering at the Woodstock Fruit Festival (vegan mecca) and visiting a missionary friend in NYC. As a vegan, I feel like I have a unique opportunity to connect to people at the fruit festival. The vegan culture has a lot of people who are intentionally seeking spiritual depth, and I know that God wants to use me there to reveal his love to them. Please be in prayer for me that God will flow through me as I serve in the kitchen, attend sessions, and interact with people.

Be on the lookout for me in your area! Lord willing, I will to be in Columbus, IN to run the half marathon in September. And I plan to be in Cedarville, OH for homecoming in October.

Thank you for your support on this journey with me – in prayers, finances, and just sharing life together. It’s a beautiful thing. If you would like to make a donation towards my seminary fund, you can use my link: https://www.givesendgo.com/JonnahOnAMission

OTHER PRAYER REQUESTS:

-        My mentoring relationship with Sylvia this fall

-        I’m trying to start a Students for Life group at Asbury, but don’t have momentum yet

-        That my fall classes bring additional discernment (especially since I will be taking Church History from an ex-Catholic, which is an interesting perspective) 

-        Being the hands and feed of Jesus @ Los Dos Amigos

-        Figuring out short-term trip details to serve overseas – potentially this coming winter in India (if you know of any opportunities, let me know – I’m hoping to do a trip focused on clean water)

-        My friend Salem (amazingly spiritually gifted man who is doing great things for the Lord… he prayed over a man and healed his stab wound the other day) needs $3000 for a car for his upcoming ministry in Florida -- https://www.gofundme.com/bssm3rdyeard

This is my friend Salem - he loves America.

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!

Love Without Language

Last week, the young adult group was a breath of fresh air. One super athletic girl pushed me to run even more and harder than usual and had great conversations and prayers with me. They were a super encouraging group in general. There were two married couples, and the rest were single 20-somethings. Both of the married couples have two years of marriage under their belts but had been dating for over ten years each, which I think is very rare and beautiful. It was super encouraging to see everyone’s love for each other and how they served each other and each other. They found joy in daily tasks in a very refreshing way and were super relational. Most of them didn’t know each other before the trip because their church in Austin is very large and has several campuses. I really enjoyed getting to know several of the gals. Jessica, the curly-haired African American girl of the group (who the Dominicans frequently thought was native to the island) had a hair product conversation with me, and ended up giving me her leave-in-conditioner as a little blessing to me at the end of the trip. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever smelled in my 23 years of life. 

New favorite hair product, special thanks to Jessica from the Austin Stone

She has a very unique and special way about her. She was one of the photographers of their group, and I could tell the first day I met her that she viewed the world and other people in a very neat and inspiring way, finding beauty in little things and focusing on connecting deeply. There were only a couple decent Spanish speakers from the group, but it was really cool to see the rest of them interact with the kids and Spanish-speaking staff here through the language barrier. On their last night here, I shared with their group something God had put on my heart, especially since some of them had expressed frustration and feeling like their interactions lacked value here without Spanish skills….The universal language is love. In 1 Cor. 13, the attributes listed to describe love, such as being patient and kind and rejoicing in what is right, do not require speech. Sometimes when speaking isn’t an option, love is often even more obvious. I encouraged them that love is what connects us as human beings and as they go back and readjust their lives to what they have learned from the trip that they continue to focus on loving as they have loved here, in their actions as well as their words. People notice.

VBS with Austin Stone Church

This week: we had the largest group yet, a high school group of 37 people! Kelly and I had to share our bathroom (one shower, one toilet, one sink) with five other girls. I knew going into the week, the bathroom could potentially be a challenge. I was right. (My razor got borrowed without permission and I had to throw it out. Kelly got half of her conditioner used. The place was a mess. There was almost always someone in the bathroom. One night, before anyone could shower, we had to fix the curtain rod which had somehow ended up on the floor. And it smelled worse than the polluted river in town that had a rotting pig in it. To say the least, our patience was tested.) It’s never boring here.

Sylvia's "Jesus is the vine, we are the branches" peacock-looking interpretation. It's never boring here

One of the first mornings, though, I went running with Jacob and Meagan (one of the high school girls), and she was a huge encouragement. She said she’s a cheerleader and shared her motto with me: no challenge, no change. I was super glad she shared that with me. Instead of viewing challenges as roadblocks or annoyances of life, I was reminded to view challenges as opportunities to embrace as a means to change. As we ran up the giant hill, I reflected on the bathroom situation and started to see it as a way to allow God to work in me and bring change to my heart and my way of living. If everyone was easy to love, I would never learn the joy of making an extra effort to love.

The group just left this morning. After being exceptionally loud past 2am the past couple nights, I was relieved by the solace of the peaceful house after the buses left. Before they got in the buses, Scott, one of the leaders, had all the guys do an extra cleaning of their room and asked them as a group, “How does a man serve?” They shouted back, “WITH REJOICING!” Wow, I love that. I’m stealing that idea….don’t just serve, but serve with REJOICING. Yes. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. Scott was one of the best leaders I have ever met in my life. Early on in the trip, it was the second day of leading VBS for the kids, and he led all of us in prayer before we started. He acknowledged that as we do our tasks and form habits, we can start thinking we can do things on our own power. He reminded us that nobody can save souls except God, and we need to have a constant attitude of prayer and reliance on God in all of our tasks. Amen!

Still loving encouraging the Makarios staff through Zumba! This was Imani's last day in the DR after 4 years of service. Next adventure for her: life in New Jersey!

I also recently got to share my testimony in Spanish with Lucia, our housekeeper. It was a really special bonding time of sharing, and it was very mutually encouraging. She shared with me that none of her family growing up were believers. Then, after she became a Christian, slowly her family all became believers as well. I can definitely see how she would have that effect on people – she lives what she believes! She definitely has the spirit in her. The host wife who lived here a few years ago before Margaret also worked with Lucia. Last week, Lucia had a really bad feeling about the previous host wife and had Imani (one of the staff) get in touch with her and find out what had happened. The week before, her daughter had been in the ICU and still has continuing health issues. I didn’t get all of the details, but it’s evident that the holy spirit is working through Lucia in a very unique way.

Last week, I found myself with some free time one day and decided to teach Sylvia, one of the neighborhood girls, how to make friendship bracelets. A couple other neighborhood kids joined in, and it was a really fun time and great way to connect with them. Those same kids later tried to steal money through a window of the house when we weren’t home, but we found out, and they got a “boche” (stern talking to) from Margaret and I don’t think they will ever do that again, at least in the near future. Theft isn’t as much of a problem here as it used to be, from my understanding. A few years ago, there was a dictator here who cut off the hands of anyone who stole anything. Though that rule would (hopefully) never fly in the US, it seemed to work well to deter thievery here. Dominicans are very honest people in general. For example, we were just at the beach yesterday with this last group, and one of the vendors on the beach found a pair of shoes that belonged to a group member and returned them to us. And I really wanted to buy a Dominican newspaper but didn’t have change for my $500 peso bill. The guy selling the papers said he would get change for me and walked away with my large bill (equivalent to $12 US). Cole (one of the interns) joked with me after a few minutes of the guy not returning that I just got ripped off. But the guy returned with my change soon after J

It’s hard to believe there’s only 3 more weeks before we return to the US! This week, we get some time off. Then, we have two more weeks of groups (including our first group of middle schoolers of the summer)!

Here’s some things you can look forward to hearing about:

-          Worship event tonight with Nicole (Dominican teacher who lives across the street) in Puerto Plata

-          Running and milking cows with my Peace Corps friend Michelle

-          Kelly and I cooking for Lucia and her family on Monday

-          Community Zumba night Tuesday

-          Snorkeling trip with the interns

-          Meeting Angelica (!!!) my Compassion child in Santo Domingo!!!

-          Two more groups filled with awesomeness and God-sightings!

In the meantime, please continue to be in prayer for us and the ministry of Makarios. The longer I’m down here, the more I want to call this place my home. And I keep thinking of ways my family and friends could serve down here too, so I think you all will end up moving with me – prepare yourselves J Please also pray for (unrelated to the DR) my living situation for when I start work in Indiana. I was so looking forward to living with my friend Sarah and having automatic Christian community and accountability with her as roommates. However, I recently found out that she will be getting married the week before I start work. Entonces (translation: “that said”), I need to be on the lookout for a new roommate ASAP, for financial and spiritual reasons.

Hasta luego, si Dios quiere, (Until next time, Lord-willing)

Juanita (my Spanish name)

A New Red, White, and Blue

If you are looking for something to pray for, please pray for a sweet 6-yr-old in Pancho Mateo. I’m blanking on her name right now, but she has a serious health condition and lives with her very unloving dad. Her left arm has swollen up to the size of a football player’s arm, and she is going to have it amputated in the near future. She used to be a student at Makarios, but for complicated reasons related to her uncle that I still don’t fully understand, she is no longer a student. She is full of grace and has a super sweet spirit, and she needs a lot of prayer.

I am continuing to love life here in the DR. Kelly and I have decided we will probably both move here in a few years, si Dios quiere (Lord willing). It’s interesting to spend the 4^th of July here in the DR. Although, the DR colors are red, white, and blue too. It’s just a different red, white, and blue that doesn’t seem to bat an eye at July 4^th….but I’ve heard their February 27^th is quite jamming here, as that is their independence day. We are going to have a little BBQ just for fun today for those of us that care about the 4^th of July. I’m bringing mangos.

I’m trying to think about what has happened since my post last week. We have a new group in now. They are a young adult group from Texas. Makarios has most of their PR in Texas, I’m realizing. When we introduce ourselves to new groups, I’m always the “non-Texas person.” I’m proud to represent the north, but I never really thought of Kentucky as the north before.

Shout out to the group last week who left all of us super encouraged by uplifting notes!!!

I like this group. This is their third day here, and they are already wearing me out. This really athletic girl is here, and she convinced me to run with her this morning after yesterday’s difficult run and my “hot Zumba” class. So I’m pretty beat now, but it’s good to be exhausted, especially when I have this morning off and can just sit and blog. The team is currently in Pancho Mateo, one of our main communities we serve. They are cleaning the church there and playing with the kiddos. Last week, we had a jamming volleyball game in Pancho Mateo for the girls. Most of the sports here are taken over by guys, so we wanted to allow a sports outlet for girls. 10 or so girls came out and played with the team we had last week. It was a good game, but I didn’t watch most of it, to be honest. I was busy babysitting the little ones on the sidelines, trying to break up fights, calm tears, and keep the toddlers from crawling into the broken glass haven under the concrete bleachers. There are so many kids here who are responsible for taking care of their younger siblings. There was a 5-yr-old toting around her naked baby brother. And one of the 12-ish-yr-old girls playing volleyball kept coming over to the sidelines to calm her 2-yr-old sister. On the up-side, they are learning parenting skills very early on…but they are also experiencing a very different childhood from the North American norm. I have yet to figure out what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s just different?

I had a really good conversation with my mentor Tuesday, while I treated her to a Coca-Cola with an ocean view. She talked some about what she learned during missionary training before her move to the DR. She said some things are good, some things are bad, but some things that we view positively or negatively are really just different from our cultural norm and we view them in a tainted way based on that. That got me thinking about things on bigger and smaller scales. I think growing up, I had viewed some of my sisters’ qualities negatively just because they were different from mine. But in reality, differences can be huge blessings. People can reach others for the kingdom of God because of their differences. The same is true for culture. Yes, they drive like hooligans here. But at least that keeps them from texting and driving because they feel more of a desperate need to pay attention to the road. There’s good and bad in the differences.

This is my beautiful mentor Gabrielle with one of her students in the Chichigua community.

We also talked about how, as a missionary, we aren’t just bringing “The Gospel.” In reality, we are bringing ourselves. So focusing on being filled with as much of Jesus as possible is vital to missionary life (and the Christian life period). Even though people are getting “you” rather than Jesus, the more filled we are, the more the Truth can be spread through us. That was a huge encouragement to me to hear and just to be reminded of how essential preparation through growth in the Lord is.

We (the interns) also got to do a super cool thing the other day before the group got here. Margaret and Doug were taking a chill pill together at the beach, and we were in Los Ciruelos with Sharla (the founder of Makarios – and CU grad – who was here with her two boys she adopted from here). We were given a task to do random acts of kindness for all of the Dominican and Haitian Makarios staff. It was SUCH a cool experience!! We baked several batches of cookies and brownies to give out. (Many of the staff don’t have ovens, so it was a special treat for them.) We hired Aldo, who drives some of the students to and from school, to drive us around for several hours. The first stop was Los Algodones, where we met up with Monica and Odilsia. They cook lunches at the Makarios school. We gave them cookies and talked with them. They were so surprised and overwhelmed with joy at our visit. Monica shared with us about how she came to know the Lord through meeting her husband. She said she wanted a husband very badly, so she went up the mountain and prayed to God for a husband. When she met her husband, she knew it was an answer to prayer and that she could trust in the Lord. Before leaving, we prayed for them and exchanged reluctant goodbyes. Then we went to Chichigua, where Ronal lives. He works at the school and has the one of the cutest baby girls I have ever seen. He and his wife became believers a couple years ago and got married shortly after. Ronal, like many Haitians living in the DR, are in the process of trying to get their residency papers so that they won’t be deported and forced to live away from their families and established lives here. Then we visited about 10 houses in Montellano, bringing heartwarming tears to the eyes of a couple of them. Back to Los Circuelos, our final stop was for Lucia and Belizeur. “Beli” is a teacher at the school. He teaches religion, math, and English. He runs with Jacob and a I a few mornings each week and is the daughter of Lucia, our cleaning lady and cook at the Mak house. They have a beautiful, loving family, and Lucia’s husband is actually a pastor at a church in Los Algodones. After we prayed for them, Lucia’s husband prayed for us too and encouraged us to be in prayer for the United States, especially because of the recent Supreme Court ruling about gay marriage.

You see that wall in the background? The community of million-dollar homes on the other side put it up to block out the view of the poverty. (Otherwise Chichigua would still have their beautiful view of the ocean.) Isn't that what we do to God, telling him we don't want to see the areas of need in our own lives?

Thinking about some cultural differences once again, I reflected on how, in the United States, people would be more likely to be upset by a spontaneous visitor than to be overjoyed to the point of tears. Their hospitality, relational focus, warm greetings, and openness about struggles to pray for really touched me and challenged me to live more like that.

On Sunday, Kelly and I had the unique opportunity to go to church in Los Algodones with Lucia. It was the most treacherous moto ride of my life. This time, it was not because of the traffic but because of the terrain. Evidently, many moto chofers refuse to take people to Los Algodones because the roads are just THAT bad. Beli and his uncle (Monica’s husband) drove us. Sylvia came with us too and did my hair for me before we left for church. She is a sweet blessing and honestly feels like a little sister to me. I didn’t understand very much of the service because it was mainly in Creole, but the pastor (not Lucia’s husband, but a substitute pastor) was surprisingly fluent in English and translated for himself so we could understand. There were a couple little girls who were super intrigued by us the whole time, holding our hands and touching our hair. When it was time for the offering, I gave them some pesos to put in the plate, and it made their day! Like my sister Laurel always says, it’s the little things.

Kelly and I had some free time before the group got here Wednesday, so we snagged a few hours with Cleuyi at the beach. Cleuyi is our moto driver who is very open to the Gospel but hasn’t committed yet. I wrote my testimony and a gospel summary in Spanish and shared it with Cleuyi. He said it was beautiful, and we had a really good discussion. And we all enjoyed our Mango Verde Gatorade, not available in the US to our knowledge.

Yep, there's 4 of us on Cleuyi's moto. Livin' the dream, going to Montellano to get peppers and tomatoes.

I went over to Nicole’s yesterday. Nicole is a sweetheart. She’s a counselor for the kids at the Mak school and is studying psychology at the university. Her English is better than my Spanish, so we went on a walk and had a lovely Spanglish conversation. I met her friend and neighbor Danielle. We went to the colmado so I could get change and buy a bag of hamburger Cheetos to share. Turns out they don’t like hamburger Cheetos though, but at least I tried to share them. Nicole and I had a really good conversation about determining God’s will and about this book called Love Does that I just read (p.s. I highly recommend that book)!

I had the privilege of cooking dinner with Lucia and Odilsia yesterday. And by cooking dinner, I mean slaving in the 90 degree kitchen for 4 hours, loving every minute of it, as I made great conversation and jokes in the best Spanish I know how, according to Jonnah standards. I’m learning that “good food” here is classified as food with a LOT of salt and oil. It’s scary (for my health) how much I like it. I always tease Lucia that it needs to be spicier (mas picante es siempre mejor).

In other news, I’m hoping to meet my Compassion child Angelica in a couple weeks! I told Cleuyi I have a girl in Santiago, and he got a little freaked out, thinking I have a daughter. I debated not clarifying, just for the humor of it, but then I did.

P.S. Mom I get tons of compliments on your pants, though I typically roll them up into shorts because despite the thin material, it’s just so Dominican hot here. I love it though. I’m used to the constant sweating and enjoy it as long as I stay hydrated.  

A guy just passed the house on a horse with a pig following behind.

Peace, love, and happy 4^th of July!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Col. 3:23