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| Flashback to May 25 - Mandy and Jake's wedding day(!) AKA Loucon Ladies Reunion! |
Hey y'all. It's been a while, I know. Lots has happened. I'm no longer out in Indiana! And newsflash, if you didn't know I was out of the country but now I'm back. Here's what's been going on in my life since my last post.......
At the end of my co-op term, I was dealing with some rough times emotionally. My first instinct to escape by eating a lot and distracting myself. I realized though that I need to rely on God instead and channel my feelings into helping others. My pain helps me to empathize with others that are struggling. I came home the weekend before my co-op term ended, and on my way back to Indiana, I called Kaelin and had a much needed catch-up time with her. She encouraged me so much, and I realized that I need other people more in my life instead of trying to do things so much on my own. She also gave me some really good advice to keep me strong.
That weekend, we also found out that Pastor Kelly's back went out and he couldn't go on the mission trip with us anymore. So Holly joined the team to take his place, which worked out really well because she had just taught high school Spanish for two years, and, seeing how the trip has affected her, it was definitely a God thing for her to be able to go. But hopefully Pastor Kelly's back will heal soon.
Then I returned to Indiana for my final week of working at TMMI. It was a whirlwind. I could hardly believe that my time was already up there. I put in some long hours, particularly with working on my final A3 presentation, and definitely finished strong. On my second-to-last day, I gave my presentation in the morning. I was surprised at how many people came to my presentation. Some of them were legitimately interested in what I was talking about, but most of them were really just there to show their support for me, which really meant a lot. About 20 people showed up in person and a few managers and other people called into the meeting. I went way overtime because it was supposed to only last for 30 minutes and ended up going for 55. But it was fine. At the end, it was hard to get out the words to thank everyone for their support for me during my term because I was choking back tears. I didn't think I would cry. It kind of reminded me of high school graduation......I was happy to leave but it was a meaningful experience and I ended up crying anyway. The next day, my last day, I cleaned out my desk. Then John said he had a going-away present for me, that I get to use a drill to move a light curtain. I was pretty stoked. So we all got our PPE (personal protective equipment) on and went down to the floor. John said we needed to stop in the pilot office to talk to Patrick and get the drill from him. But when we walked in there, they brought me into a room with all of the pilot guys and a big cake for me. It was a surprise going-away party for me. I hugged all of them and we sat and talked for a while. They had a card for me, which was really sweet. I read it out loud, and it was from Dr. Seuss about "the places you'll go." They had all signed it and written little notes of encouragement to me. And they had a desk ornament for me too - a little flower pot with a purple electronic flower with a center that changes color and a butterfly. And it just so happens that purple is my favorite color and butterflies are special to me and remind me of Chrysalis! Nancy told me to put it on my desk at my next job, so I will be taking it up to Michigan with me in the fall. They are so sweet. CJ is on his third co-op term now, and he says he has never seen anyone get all this going-away stuff that I did. They must really love me or something. I'm going to miss them. They told me that I was like glue for the TMMI / TEMA groups and held everyone together. And Nathan said, "I know that you've done skydiving already, so what's next on the list?" which was a great segue for me to talk about the mission trip to the DR! Nathan said that it was really honorable and that I was doing what most people feel in their hearts they should do yet don't.
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| Surprise going-away party for me - they are so sweet! |
That afternoon, the underbody team and Terrance and I went out for my final lunch in Princeton, IN at my favorite place, the Farmer's Daughter. So good, as usual.
I moved home that night. It took me forever to pack up my car. I think one of the hardest engineering tasks I've done is fitting everything from my apartment into my car. But I eventually made it home. And the next day, we had our final mission trip meeting / potluck before the trip.
That Sunday at church, they prayed over all of us going on the mission trip. And suddenly I was even more excited about the trip than I already had been! So ready to do God's work!
That evening I went on a motorcycle ride with a dude I had never met named Derek. It was exhilarating but I'm not sure if I ever need to do that again.
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| On Hawkins' bike, which is now smashed. My bucket list is shrinking... |
Monday I mostly spent the day packing. Then Tuesday, it was off to the DR! Our group was hosted by a missionary family: Tim, Samira, Tony, Zoey, and Lilly. We only got to be with them for a week, but I already love all of them and hope to see them again.
Here are some journal excerpts from the trip.....
Day 1: [Jeremiah 29:11]
God, here we are on the plane to Miami! I'm cold and tired and have a stomach ache, but I'm hopefully awaiting what you will do on this trip. You are the reason I am on this plane right now, and I am so grateful! You have a perfect plan for my life. And because I trust in that, I can live with confidence in the present with full surrender to You. You know exactly what I need all the time. Thank You for this opportunity to be a part of Your work in the world. Amen.
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| We made it! |
Day 2: [2 Cor. 2:14-17]
God, You are so good! You are the reason we made it here safely last night, the reason these people are so awesome and full of love, and the reason I'm so excited to sweat all day as we build a medical clinic. I pray that Your name be praised today and that You bring people to a saving knowledge of you this week. Teach us to serve...like you.Thank you for this beautiful place, that you have brought us here for a reason, and that you are going to use us in big ways. Fill us with your love so that we can pour it out to others. Amen.
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| I'm holding a baby lizard....be jealous. |
June 12. Day 1 of actual mission work today! Yesterday was just travel...well not JUST travel...travel at 6AM. I woke up wide awake at 3AM, ate breakfast, got ready, packed up the car, and headed over with Mom to pick up Chad (fellow mission team member) at 4AM, then met up with our group at the airport at 5AM. The plane left at 6:10AM. It was my first time using my passport (which does NOT have a glamorous or even decent picture because I was not aware they would be taking my picture that day.) We got to the Miami airport at 8:45-ish then spent the next 8 hours there for our super layover. We got out of the airport for a while and went to a nearby outdoor mall to go on a walk, enjoy the weather, and find some lunch. For lunch, I ended up going to "Hamberguesa" with Elley (the youth pastor of Immanuel and leader of our trip) and we split a chicken burger and a bison burger. The bison burger was really interesting because it is such lean meat that it had no fat and was only 114 calories. It cost 16 bucks but it was an interesting experience. When we left though, I noticed a sign that said the steak burgers were on sale for 4 bucks and I wished I had done that instead but it was too late. We went back to the airport around 3PM via taxi-van. Then we spent a few hours there, napping and playing banana-grams. Then we went to the DR! We got here at 8PM at the airport, went through customs, and met up with the G.O. Ministries staff. They have been incredible! They are so well-organized, welcoming, loving, and sacrificial. We are basically living in their house. They are sharing their space, their time, and their family with us. And they host people just like this year-round. It amazes me - this lifestyle. I'm really drawn to it...which both scares me and thrills me. This summer alone, the DR GO Ministries Team is hosting 49 groups (with three different locations).
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| Yep that's the house we stayed in! |
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| Tim's car |
By the way, the food is GREAT! This is my kind of food...rice, beans, chicken, fruit, bread, peanut butter.
And the weather has been very conducive to our work here. It just started sprinkling, and we are about to have dinner and worship and are done with our work for the day. For our mission work today, we did construction for a new medical clinic a block from the team house we are staying at. Personally, I pulled nails out of planks of wood, lifted the planks out of the basement pit, helped unload the wood at the storage shed, and also shoveled a trench around the outside of the basement for piping. I drenched my clothes in sweat. I think it's okay for me to not do my INSANITY workouts this week. When we got back from our day of work, we showered (in cold, refreshing water), talked to Zoey (amazing, social butterfly, 5-yr-old who is the daughter of Tim and Samira - the missionaries hosting us). It is impossible to talk to her without a smile on your face because hers is just so contagious. She is missing an arm because she was born without it. She is so cool about it though and fully embraces her nub. In fact, when she had gone to a restaurant with her mom, she prayed for the dinner...well, she asked if her nub could pray and then used a high-pitched voice for her prayer as if the nub was talking. SO ADORABLE! She told me this morning, with a smile on her face, that a lot of kids are mean to her and make fun of her - but she chooses to focus on the fact that she has one good friend who invited her over to her birthday party. That's the perspective I need to have - not the pity party that I often throw myself. Then, today after we got back from working, Zoey was there to greet us, shaking each of our hands and welcoming us with emphatic, smiley "hello"s.
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| Sweet little Zoey - and Paige :) |
Day 3: [Phil. 4:13]
God, through You, nothing is impossible for me. Because of You, Paul was able to say that he could honestly be content in any situation. Make me new. Make me more like You, full of Your love. From this trip, bring blessings to the Dominicans - and Lisa, Liz, Elley, Abby, Adam, Deb, Jim, Chris, Bob, Mary Beth, Nate, Frank, Holly, Chad, and Karleigh. Give me Your strength which makes all things possible. Amen.
June 13. It's a beautiful morning. I just woke up an hour ago at 6:15AM - wide awake and well-rested, ready for another great day. I am grateful that we never have had to change time-zones on this trip. It looks overcast this morning but hopefully the weather will be conducive to our activities.
My hair looks great this morning, thanks to that fantastic shower yesterday. Minus the spider on the curtain and the water never getting warm, it was great. In fact, I don't think I've ever been so grateful for a shower in my life - except maybe after that pick-a-date with Micah when we had the cupcake fight...such a mess.
Yesterday for dinner, we had spaghetti, fried bananas (which taste pretty much like french fries), and fruit salad. The fruit salad has been consistent at every meal, and it's delicious with the papaya, pineapple, and cantelope.
Wade is one of the interns working with us. Yesterday was his 23 birthday. There was a big cake. He was pretty chill about it all. He is from Lexington and just graduated form WKU in December. He has been here since January. He is pretty-looking, but I was glad to find out he has a girlfriend. Though, that's got to be hard for them...being away this long. It's a beautiful thing though if their relationship can be maintained during such a trial. He didn't think it was that bad though when Liz mentioned that it would be hard. Good for him if he doesn't find it hard. But then again, if I was dating someone and had to be away for 7 months, I would hope he would miss me so much that it would be painfully difficult for him.
Bug bite total so far: 8. I'm going to need to borrow that cortizone cream from Lisa again.
Last night, we went to La Sirena ("the mermaid") which is basically the DR equivalent of Walmart. It was a cool, cultural experience. Most American things are available here, just usually the packaging is in Spanish. So I was very grateful for my years of Spanish - and have been grateful for that several times per day. At La Sirena, I bought coffee for mom (supposedly very good DR coffee), habenero hot sauce for dad (manufactured in Santo Domingo - the capital), Laurel leaves for Laurel, some weird spice for Leah's growing spice inventory, and some DR raisins and crackers for me to snack on for the plane trip back...if I hold out that long.
Driving down here is crazy. Everyone drives like a madman, going over the double yellow like it's not there, pulling out into traffic like it's normal - because it is...I'm pretty sure I would crash every day if I drove here. One girl who works for G.O. said she tried driving once and almost hit a motorcycle and said never again. So now her fiance (who also works here) just drives. There are a lot of motorcycles here...it reminds me of my crazy escapade with Sarah, Hawkins, and that dude Derek on Sunday...I probably should not make that a habit....riding a motorcycle that fast with a stranger. But it was fun.
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| Crazy traffic, everyone cutting each other off |
When we got back from La Sirena, we had worship time. Too bad Pastor Kelly is not here to do the worship he had been practicing with Nate. But Nate did a good job. Then Deb gave her testimony about how God called her to be a teacher and how so many people have helped push her to the next steps in her faith journey. (Afterwards, I went up to talk to her and to tell her that she has been one of those people for my mom, but, before I could open my mouth, she told me that my mom was also one of those people for her. I told her it went the other way as well.) We also had a time to share and reflect on the experience so far. About half of the people shared. I talked about how fulfilling it has been for me to work the construction because I know it is for God's glory and I am working unto Him. That is something I need to work harder at implementing in my life...no matter if I'm working at Toyota or doing dishes at home, it should be this fulfilling because I should be working unto God.
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| "Taking dumps" over the side of the basement |
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| The church in the upstairs of the nutrition center. Such a cool story! We got to talk with the pastor. The building used to be where everyone went to drink, gambol, and get prostitutes. And now it's the house of God and the place that children get free food every day! |
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| Some of the children we gave food to at the nutrition center |
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| All the kids lined the streets to say "hola" to us as we came home from construction work |
Yesterday before dinner, I had a great heart-to-heart with Mary Beth. I love that woman. She is one of the sweetest, most sincere people I have ever met. We talked about a lot of things. She comforted me and told me she has always wanted a daughter. She will be the best mother-in-law the world has ever seen. After that heart-to-heart, I felt more like loving everyone around me - answer to prayer. Should be a good day. Breakfast is calling!
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Dinner is on its way but I found a few minutes to myself to write. It's been a GREAT day. The construction work is a lot of fun. Our trench is almost finished being dug. And after our afternoon construction session, we got to go check out the baseball ministry and the church, which had a bunch of kids around playing and teenage boys shooting hoops. Holly and Karleigh and I did piggy-back races with kids on our backs. The kids loved hanging all over us and getting pictures with us. One girl, Edith, talked with me for a while. She barely knew any English, making me wish I had studied harder in AP Spanish but super grateful for the Spanish I do know. When she would say words I didn't know, I would tell her I didn't understand, and she would explain it in a different way to me. She is such a sweetheart, and I hope to get to know her better in heaven someday.
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| The baseball ministry - over 200 Dominicans are involved with the sports ministry! |
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| I let Edith take this picture |
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| Me with Edith - we became friends despite the language barrier...with a little bit of Spanish and a lot of love. |
Day 4: [Luke 12:35-48]
God, You are so good. You have done great things with us here so far. I see how You have brought me here for a purpose. I feel like this might be where I belong. Show me Your will for my life. I don't want to make up something I plan for my life because it sounds cool. I only want to do something if it's Your plan and You are driving the whole thing. But I don't know if I've ever felt this alive before. God, bless our team today with the courage and enthusiasm to be good stewards and watchmen here. Not everyone knows You here, but everyone needs You. Thank You for this incredible journey so far. To You be the glory! Amen.
June 14. We went to get empanadas yesterday! (Basically, fried pockets of meat/cheese). I got a chicken empanada just for the cultural experience. It was only 40 pesos (about a dollar). Yum!
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It's now time for siesta (every day after lunch from 1-2...then we go back to work). I never take siesta though. I always talk or journal instead.
For breakfast this morning, we had a cornmeal mixture that was the texture of pudding. I want to see a recipe for that. It was really good. Today at lunch, we had rice, beans, beef, a yellow yummy mixture, potato strips, and the papaya/pineapple fruit salad. I'm feeling like I'm in a food coma right now. They also gave us this drink for restoring electrolytes that was basically like salty lemonade.
This morning, before we went to the construction work-site for the medical clinic we are helping build, we stopped at the G.O. Ministries school and the current medical clinic. In a couple years, when the clinic is finished being constructed, perhaps they can expand the school from K-8 to K-12.
Just this morning, I was crying and praying about coming back as a missionary. Then, when Dolores was talking to us at the clinic, she said that they are so in need of more missionaries, here and all around the world and that we should all really consider it, especially those of us who are young and wondering what to do with our lives. Did God mean for her to say that to me? Or is it just a coincidence that I was praying about that this morning? I'm glad I have time to figure this out though...I'm definitely really looking forward to missions conference next January though.
When we were at the school this morning, a lady told us all about the school, and we got to meet the current principal, who was a member of the first graduating class. It used to be K-12, but now it's just K-8. It is mainly funded by G.O. Ministries, but there are a lot of private sponsors for student tuition. And now they are doing a partnership with the parents and having the parents who can afford it pay for a small portion of the tuition. She said that electricity is more expensive in the DR than anywhere else in the world.
Since sitting here, I have seen two people walking with umbrellas, to protect them from the sun I guess.
I really want to learn more Spanish. I want to be able to really get to know the locals, but language is a barrier with many.
Our trench is almost complete! We have made so much progress, and it is really fulfilling. I definitely have more compassion for construction workers now. I'm really glad I was doing those INSANITY push-ups before this trip.
I took a picture of a sign that I saw at the clinic. It was covered in pictures of trash, sewage, and a person pooping. Dolores said they use those boards to go to the outskirts to teach them to dig a hole to poop in so that it's not in the road and such. What a life.
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| Posters used to inform about disease |
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| Abby, Mary Beth, and Dolores as Dolores explains the medical ministry in the DR |
I'm pumped for VBS tomorrow because I get to crawl around and act like a sheep like a crazy person for a skit, and I enjoy doing things like that.
Eventually, we are supposed to go to "the hole," which Dolores says is a big dump that used to be used as a garbage dump, but now about 600 families life there. I'm in a place in life where I feel I will never have to worry about being homeless or in extreme poverty...but I feel really compelled to support and help people that do struggle in that way. It is not because of anything about me that makes me worthy of money. I could have been born with extreme mental diabilities. But praise God that's not the case! So I should do all I can to help those in those situations. It could be me.
It's crazy to think that we have been here since Tuesday and it's already Friday. I definitely feel exhausted, though that might just be form the food coma. One more session of construction to crank out for a few hours after this "siesta" then hopfully hang out with some kids, shower, definitely shave, and eat a glorious dinner.
There's still so much I want to learn about this culture. Last night, we went to "the Monument," which is a huge, marble structure that used to be the home of Sanchez, the evil dictator. There were a bunch of vendors there selling water and beer and horse-drawn carriage rides. But Matt told us to just tell them "no, gracias" and that it was "not the place to make friends." Onto more construction!
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| Being a rebel child at "The Monument" - good thing the security guard was around the corner or I would have gotten in trouble. |
Day 5: [2 Cor. 9:7,12]
God, all I can say is wow. God, You amaze me. This trip has been absolutely incredible. You are so good! I do not deserve any of these experiences, but they are total blessings from You. You have definitely called me here on purpose. You are a pleasure to serve. Thank You for allowing me to share about Your overwhelming actions in my life which hopefully encouraged others. I pray that You bless all of our efforts today. Use us to reach these kids. Help us to stay focused on You and Your purposes for us. Amen.
June 15. I gave my testimony last night. It was a blessing to be able to talk about God's work in my life. It reminded me of being at camp. I left out a lot of what I had planned to say and also expanded on certain things, like my friendship with Tou at work.
It's almost time for breakfast. I realize that at home/Indiana/school, I would wake up then eat breakfast then read my Bible. But here, we are go-go-go after breakfast, so I get up early for my devos. And I sit here feeling hungry until breakfast. And I like it more and feel it's more of what I should do on a regular basis. I shouldn't feed my body until I first feed my soul.
Yesterday was the day to get prayer partner letters. Mary Beth hadn't collected on from my mom, so she wrote me one herself. She is seriously one of the sweetest women I have ever met. She has been like a mother to me on this trip.
Last night, we went out to a different La Sirena for ice cream. I got frozen yogurt, which was healthy with no sugar added and SO delicious! I got a 12 oz vanilla with strawberries, bananas, and pineapple mixed in, and it was only $100 pesos, so about $2.50 dollars.
It feels so weird that it's already Saturday. It kind of makes me sad becaause I wish this trip could go on forever...kind of how I feel when camp ends for the summer. But we did what we set out to do here, which feels good; we finished digging out the trench to put piping in. And we got all of the wood out of the pit. Such an accomplishment!
Yesterday, I met another cute little kid: Landon, Mike's son. He was so sweet. They know how to raise kids around here. I was talking to him, and Zoey came up and started talking to him, and he told her, "Excuse me, I'm in a conversation." Adorable.
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Today has been incredible, such a blessing. For breakfast, I had eggs, bacon, fruit salad, and bread with hot sauce. Then we went to the outskirts for VBS. In their village, most people make their living by rummaging the nearby garbage dump for trash to sell. The VBS was totally chaotic. But the kids were super cute. Most of them did not know how to spell their names for the name tags. One kid peed on the floor. I'm so glad I know Spanish! I'm so glad I came here! I got to hold four different kids while I was at the VBS. A lot of the boys got in fights with each other. The puppet-making craft was chaotic, and the little girl next to me wanted to cry. When I was blowing bubbles with the kids, they were all up in my grill and I had to keep moving around.
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| Those kids love bubbles! |
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| They were so anxious for VBS to start! |
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| I found a dog that looks like my dog Pokey! |
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| The chaos of VBS - so much fun though |
The skit went well of the sheep and the shepherd. We also served them lunch of "arroz con leche" (rice with milk). It looked like oatmeal though. But the kids liked it. But when we came back here for lunch, I felt like we should be eating the arroz con leche like they did. But instead, we got chicken, rice and beans, fried plantains, and pineapple/papaya fruit salad.
Then we had a siesta, as every day. Today, though, I actually slept during the siesta because I really needed it. Karleigh, Holly, and Elley are my roommates, and we stayed up late talking last night about really good stuff like prayer, fasting, and how to determine God's will for your life.
Then we went and played a game of softball with the nationals. It was so much fun! We split up into 2 teams, both with a mixture of Americans and Dominicans. Jimmy, a 19-yr-old Dominican, is in the process of probably joining the Santiago team, which often gets recruited from for AAA and the Big Leagues in the states. So that's exciting!
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| Warming up for the softball game |
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| irunforlove.blogspot.com - I might be joining them soon! |
Day 6: [James 1:27]
God, this trip has been a whirlwind. We are already done with the "mission" part of the trip, but we still need to keep that focus, here and for the rest of our lives. You have called us to be more than what the world pushes on us. You have called us to love unconditionally, putting others' needs ahead of our own. You have called us to visit and care for orphans and widows.....personally, I have never done that, but I have a strong desire to. Show me Your will for my life - where You want me to serve. Thank You for this day! Thank You that we get to worship You with the Dominicans this morning. Teach us to love, and show us what You want us to learn from this trip. I love you! Amen.
June 16. I pray that these last couple days of the trip are a great ending.
Last night, we had taco salad and fruit salad for dinner. In the tortilla chips, there were a bunch of ants crawling around that we had to avoid. But it was good stuff.
Then we went over to the church and got to hang out with the youth group for some bilingual charades, which was a lot of fun. Then after we played, we got to chat with them - so grateful for my Spanish! I talked to 3 guys, and the one guy said my Spanish was good. A couple of them spoke English really well and translated for me when I couldn't understand, which was really appreciated.
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| Explaining bilingual charades |
I wonder if I will see Edith at church...she said she would be there Saturday playing piano, but I wonder if she will be there today too.
I bought IG's Christo Urbano CD and am super excited about it. We have been listening to it in the car rides, and it's great. Plus, it's in Spanish, so it will help me get better with my Spanish.
Breakfast is in about 20 minutes. IG's fiance Lanae is coming over this morning before church to talk to us about her life and her missionary calling. I'm looking forward to talking with her because I think I could come back here or some other country someday, and it will be interesting to hear about her call to this kind of ministry. Before I would come back here full time, though, I would definitely want to be fluent in Spanish.
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We are at the resort now, and the only thing currently reminding me that we are on a mission trip are the itchy bug bites all over my legs. I'm going to count them now...61 was what I counted, but there's probably been even more than that.
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| Yep, 61 bug bites. I even put bug spray on twice per day! |
I feel so weird being here. I prefer mission work to vacation time, but I suppose this is a good way for us to get acclimated to our homes better before we get back to the US. One thing that I do enjoy about the resort is personal space and being able to take my time getting ready and stuff. I could do the missionary life though. I'm fine with cold showers, throwing away my toilet paper, and not being able to drive. As long as I could have time with God and time to exercise and opportunities to communicate with people in the States, I would be fine.
But, like I told Lanae, I only want to do international missions if I am certain that is what God wants me to do. And I have at least a couple years to pray about it before having to make that kind of decision. Things I would want to do before coming back as a full-time missionary: become fluent in Spanish, study my Bible a LOT more, pay off school loans, become an experienced engineer, and maybe learn guitar.
Church this morning was awesome. Again, I'm so glad I know what little Spanish I know. Edith was there! She brought me in the church to sit by her during the service. The service was fantastic. One of the youth group boys led worship with a contemporary band. IG gave the sermon about forgiveness, which I really needed to hear. He focused on the scripture that said, "You must forgive others their sins against you if you want God to forgive you of your sins against him." When we took communion, Edith didn't get up to take it, which means she has not accepted Christ / been baptized yet. She wrote her name out for me in my little pink Bible, and I told her I would remember her and pray for her. I should get Tim and Samira's contact information though because it just occurred to me that I could keep in touch with them through emails, and they could forward messages to Edith for me!
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I'm about to go to bed, but I'm just chillin in my room for now. Elley is my roommate at the resort, but she went out walking on the beach with Karleigh and Holly. Elley understand that I'm an introvert and would rather be in the room at 11:30 at night rather than walking the beach because we had a discussion earlier. But I hope Karleigh doesn't take it personally that I didn't go.
I will be honest about dinner. I had two plates of a wide variety of foods. None of it was exceptional. In fact, there wasn't a single dish I liked more than the Dominican food we had at the house. I ate way too much and felt gross after, and I didn't really enjoy any of the food. The "Mexican burrito" was much more like an egg roll than anything else.
After dinner, we had a debriefing time to process the trip with IG (Isias) and Mike. I cried once again, talking about how I am trying to determine God's will for my life and how blessed I have been from this trip and about my interaction with Edith and how God has been calling me to love better regardless of what country I'm in.
After the debriefing, I had a really good chat with Mike about my experiences this week and how I'm not sure what God's will is. He gave me really good advice that I should go through doors until God closes them instead of sitting and waiting for a lightning bolt to strike.
Then we went to Karaoke. Us girls did "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Old Time Rock and Roll." It was a lot of fun. It's already past midnight now though so I'm going to sleep and hopfully tomorrow Nate will feel better, the weather will be nice and sunny, and we will go sailing and snorkeling. It's been a great day.
Day 7: [Micah 6:6-8]
You are so good! You healed Nathan from his sickness! And You still used Pastor Kelly on this trip through his devotional even though he couldn't be here. You continue to surprise me and work in amazing ways we don't deserve. I feel like I need to go sacrifice a calf or something in return for these huge blessings. But what do You require? "To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with [You]." Basically, pass it on. Thank You for the beauty of Your creation and this time of Sabbath. Thank You for Your presence here on this island. And thank You that we got the AC to work again. I pray that You bless this final day of the trip and grant us safe travels tomorrow. Teach us what You want to teach us. And give us joy to embrace each moment of each day. And provide reminders of what we have seen this week. Thank You for being my perfect Heavenly Father. Amen.
Day 8: [Isaiah 25:1]
God, You have done great things. Everything You do is good. You deserve all of the praise for this trip. Like Wade said last night, You are very moving and active, restoring Your creation. And it's a blessing for us to be a part of it. I want the things I do to have an eternal impact! I don''t want to just selfishly live for today. I want to go with You. God, show me Your will for my life. Thank You for the surreal, amazing experience this trip has been and everything You have taught me. Thank You that this trip is opening up so many doors to share about You and how You are moving. Thank You for showing up in big and small ways. Show all of us what You want us to do as a result of this trip. Thank You for healing my stomach. Bless G.O. and use their new projects for Your glory. Amen.
June 18. We are on the plane back to Miami now. This has been such an amazing, surreal experience. It's hard to believe it's over.
Yesterday, we got great weather at the beach. A bunch of us went kayaking in the beautiful, blue ocean. And I didn't have my sunscreen very smooth, so now I have some patchy sunburn. There were a lot of vendors at the beach. I got a good deal on a bunch of jewelry. And i had a couple non-alcoholic, fruity drinks. When when we were hanging out at the pool, Gabrielle, Breanna, and Paige showed up and surprised us! We chatted, swam, and ate lunch together. Name missed a lot of the happenings at the resort though because he got really sick with a high fever. He's much better now. But he never ate any food at the resort. I told him he wasn't missing out though because the food wasn't that great.
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| The beach at the resort |
Before coming all the way back right away after leaving the resort, we stopped and went shopping for a bit at a nearby strip mall. I bought some coffee, a shirt for Dad's bday, a deck of cards, and a photo album for me to document the trip.
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| There was this cool face-in-a-hole thing there, so I got Jim to take my picture. |
We are flying over another island now, but I don't know what it is.
After shopping, we got back to the house, took a nap, and ate our last Dominican meal: potatoes, beef/veggie mixture, tortilla chips, and fruit salad.
I think the salt water helped my bug bites heal some, but I still look diseased.
After dinner, we came inside, and Tim showed us our group video, which was a really cool way to remember bits and pieces of the week.
Then we had our final worship time. Wade led us in worship, then we all took time sharing about what we've learned from the trip and what we are going to tell people back home.
I'm really looking forward to seeing my mom again. I hope she feels the same way. And I hope everyone likes the souvenirs.
When I woke up this morning, I went to the bathroom first thing. Then I came out and got my toothbrush and clothes to change into and went back in. I suddenly was overcome by a sick feeling in my stomach. I sat on the pot for a good ten minutes with diarrhea and gagging. I thought it was going to be like when I was at Cheryl's and threw up on the rug because it was coming out both ends. But then I was feeling okay, still a little queasy though and sweating a lot.
The night before, Lisa had given everyone pills for in case we picked up a parasite. Then after my morning issues, she gave me an antibiotic and a smooth muscle relaxer. I still felt queasy at the airport though. It was torture to stand in line for 30 minutes to check our bags. It took so long because there were issues with our tickets. We were all fine to get to Miami, but the tickets from there to Cincinnati weren't there for everyone. So a bunch of people are flying through Dallas on the way back.
When we got to the gate, some people got food. For me, the thought of food made me nauseated.
I asked how much longer we had until we would board the plane, and it was still over an hour, so I curled up in a couple chairs with my pillow and blanket and took a really good nap. When I got up, about 10 minutes before boarding the plane, I felt so refreshed, and my stomach didn't feel funky anymore. So I ate the last four crackers from my cracker package (from La Sirena) and drank some water. We got on the plane and geared up for the flight. That's where I am now, sitting next to a woman who was also on a G.O. mission trip this week with the group from Vegas.
It's amazing thinking about all that was accomplished this week.
Last night after dinner, I got to talk to the 2 newest missionaries on the team. Sunday was their first day here. The husband is an engineer. He was an executive for a big company in America. His wife is in design, very skilled with AutoCAD. They are working with the project to build the LDC (Learning Development Center - complete with a huge sports complex). They said I should keep in touch. They have a couple kids and were living a life of luxury in the States, but it was not fulfilling for them because God was calling them to the DR. So they sold everything and came down. Sounds like an amazing act of obedience. And it's encouraging to me that I could use my engineering skills to help people in that way. But for now, I just keep praying, "God, show me Your will for my life."
Gabrielle and Breanna and Paige are going to come visit from Louisville in a few weeks and stay at my house!
It was honestly great to be away from my phone and computer for a week. I feel so free. I should do media fasts more often.
*About to land in Miami! Oh.....America.
BACK HOME! My mom was my prayer partner for the trip, and she wrote prayers and updates for me every day. They were sitting on my bed for me to read when I got home. It really means a lot, and I love her dearly. I'm still processing everything from the trip, and it still feels like a surreal experience. I definitely want to go back though, whether for another trip like this one or perhaps the rest of my life.
Tomorrow, I'm heading down to Camp Loucon after church to counsel for the week for Senior High Assembly 1. SO STOKED! Then heading north to Michigan with family! And I will get to see Mike on his way down from the UP! So blessed with great friends and family and opportunities in my life - to God be the glory!
