Jewels in La Joya

     Today, on a seemingly normal Monday, as the world spun around me as normal, as people walked to work, and as cars honked their horns, God blessed me.  I feel like I am a cup that is overflowing with sweet Dominican fruit juice... God really really blessed me today.

     After waking an hour past my alarm went off I finally went up to the second floor to catch a breeze and read my Bible.  I went through the same routine that I do every morning here: I feel like I really don't want to be stretched again and pulled out of my comfort zone but I prayerfully place my body and will into God's hands (*cough* hesitantly).  As I left the house I shared with Rosy, the pastor's daughter, that I wanted to do something different today.. "Today while we are in the guagua (bus) we are going to pray without stopping until we arrive."  So during the 40 minute ride we prayed silently over the things that God placed on our heart.  At different points in the ride I couldn't even hear the prayers in my own head because the sound of traffic was so loud!

     We arrived in La Joya, a part of the city known for selling cheap drugs and women.  I catch myself gripping my purse a bit tighter while walking through the dirty streets with men who whistle and promiscuous women sitting in the sidewalk.  Omar's door to his house is open so Rosy and I peak in to see who is home.  Omar, an 18 year old who was baptized last summer, has no example in his home or support to follow through with his faith in God.  We quickly found him inside and began a silly conversation that slowly become serious.  I felt God keep saying "go deeper, tell Him more about what I want for Him."  God told me to share a verse with Omar and with faith I opened my Bible and on the page in front of me God gave me the verse that Omar needed to hear (Phil 2:13 in case you are wondering).  We asked Omar if we could pray with him and he looked me in the eyes and told me yes.  He was very receptive and as I saw a tear fall from His eye I knew that God had blessed us both.

     We left Omar's house with lots of hugs and smiles.  Later that day after recovering our energy with a mountain of rice, we gathered a few teens that we know to go and pray for some of the elderly women in the church who are very sick.  Rosy, Nicole (one of the teens) and I entered the house of Doña Elena, which is hot and lacks windows to allow a breeze in.  She was lying in a bed and in a lot of pain, and we quickly realized that this sweet soul is dying.  Before my eyes, Rosy and Nicole began to soothe Doña Elena and speak kindly with her.  I watched them as they placed hands on her, prayed for her with big faith, and read the Bible with her.  Doña Elena, though bedridden and in pain, kept her hands raised to Heaven receiving the outpouring of love that these 13-year-old girls lavished onto her freely.  

     I could continue.  I have more stories.  But I want to close with this.. God is close and intimate and real.  You can see Him I promise you.  He doesn't stand off and watch the world self-run itself or self-destruct itself. When invited, he comes close and gets all up in your business and performs miracles and changes everything.  Some might look at La Joya and look down on this place or even be afraid to enter, but when I look at La Joya through God's eyes I see jewels and I see Heaven touching earth. God wants to come near.. may you experience the blessings of his closeness this week and begin to notice the jewels around you.

Xoxo,
Emily

"Se fue la luz"

     

     "Se fue la luz," a phrase that you will hear quite often which basically means that the electricity cut off.  Last night as I was snuggled up under my blanket with the fan on turbo speed awaiting a call from my best friend/fiancé Eddie, what happened?... "Se fue la luz...."  Immediately I found myself in pitch black darkness, heat quickly seeping into my once comfortable blanket, and a quick realization that with the electricity goes the wifi and that special call was not going to happen.

     So here I am beginning to now sweat in my bed, which is something I absolutely cannot stand for, and I feel like being really frustrated.  God interupted me before I could even start thinking of reasons why this was so inconvenient and began to speak to me in the darkness.  I couldn't lie, I had began feeling tired that day and just wanted to feel a sense of home.

     "I am home," God said to me.  I sat up in my bed, searched for the flashlight on my phone and opened my bible.  "Okay God, what is it? I'm here, I won't run this time, I won't busy myself this time, I can't go anywhere.  Please, speak into me," I prayed.

     God is a gentleman.  He doesn't push in on our privacy and he doesn't force us into relationship with Him.  But like what happened to me last night, he shut off the lights and canceled my plans because He knew I needed a divine intervention for Him to reveal himself to me afresh.  Last night when the electricity went out, God and I had a heart to heart conversation. He revealed to me some things that I needed to hear and graciously anointed me with the love that I was yearning to feel.

     I am thankful that I have a God who does that.. Who loves me enough to pursue me.  Be encouraged that God doesn't forsake or abandon, but pursues; and as you respond to Him, He will begin to clean and heal and bandage and lavish love into every cavern and crevice that exists inside of you.

May God bless you fully,
Xoxo,
Emily

Journey to Freedom and Fulfillment

     I was honored to be able to preach at Wordserve UMC about the freedom that is offered to us through Jesus Christ.  I am still amazed and blown away by the powerful way that God chooses to use us when we say "yes" to him!  I dare you to watch my sermon, and I dare you to let it impact you.

Xoxo,

Celebrating Freedom

     Want to hear more about how God granted me freedom through my trips to the Dominican Republic and what that has to do with you?  Join me this August 2nd at WordServe Church as we celebrate together the freedom there is in a life with Christ!  WordServe Church meets on Sunday mornings at 9:45 AM at Shafer Elementary in Katy.

See you there!

Xoxo,

This is Freedom at its Finest

     Going into this journey I wasn’t sure what would happen.  I didn’t know if the teens would still be excited to work with me, if the plans would work like I had planned, or if I would gain anything from this trip.  Every moment of my wandering and nervous feelings never changed what God’s plans were for this trip though.  God had a vision, and though I am not consistent, he is.  This trip, in its month long duration, was one of the most intense and testing times in my walk with God.  To wake up everyday and talk to people about God and the sacrifice Jesus made was such an incredible experience.  Though working with teens doesn’t look much different there than it does anywhere else, I was thrilled that God called me to spend some time with these great people. 

     So what did my job consist of..?  Well let me take a shot at it: wake up to rooster crow, greet hungry mosquitos and head out on foot, catch a minivan that already has 17 people in it and squeeze onto a strangers lap, after 35 minutes get out and catch a car that has 6 people in it and squeeze in once more, arrive at base of mountain and take a 25 minute hike up, hunch over as if dying and catch air, greet all of the children with big hugs and act like I didn’t just die, eat a sumo wrester’s portion of rice and beans, sing and dance like I just drank a 5-hour energy for Jesus, preach a sermon in butchered Spanish to teens, take teens out into community to share their faith in God, return to the church to find water bottle empty, allow body to be a human jungle gym to all the children, take 30 minutes to say bye to everyone in the community (at least two times each), pack 4 people onto a sketchy motorcycle to head home, get home to eat another heaping of rice and beans, find a cockroach and watch your 12 year old roommate unsuccessfully try and kill it, sleep with the fear of where the cockroach is, turn fan on until it looks as if it could fly on its own, sleep, repeat.

     I have been blessed beyond measure to have been given the opportunity to share the life of Jesus with many teens.  These teens are all so so special to me and I miss them dearly!  Though working with teens is tough, it was so fun and rewarding to be used by God.  He has taught me to go the extra mile and be intentional by just doing life with people.  He has taught me that he provides the strength needed to complete his missions.  He has taught me that he loves to meet with me every single day, and I learned that I loved these times too.  And most importantly he has taught me that he is real and that he is alive around us!

     Listen clearly to my message.  Jesus died on the cross so that you and I might experience the freedom there is when we live in obedience to him.  Seems strange to say, I know.  Quit living like a prisoner of war when the war has already been won!   He is offering us freedom!  We might have to give up some comforts and things we think are important now, but there is beauty in obedience to Our Savior and more life than we could ever find anywhere else.  The road that God has for us is anything but ordinary.  It is beautiful and filled with laughter and love and life.  We just have to learn to choose it.  Don't wait to accept the invitation he is offering.  Take it and don't turn back.  "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me"- Revelation 3:20.  As I will forever say with joy, look at the beauty that comes from the obedience.  It has been a joy to share this with you all once again!  Until the next time :)

Life is an adventure, or nothing at all.

Xoxo,

A God-Breathed Week

   This week has been transformational and God-breathed.  I got to spend my first 3 weeks here doing life with the teens, sitting with their families, having one on one time, eating meals with them, and being intentional.  That was what I felt that God had called me to do during my time here and  I enjoyed it so much.  I felt like I was really beginning to learn about them, and more than anything I knew that I was really learning who God created Emily to be.

     On Monday a team of 3 hardworking missionaries showed up and literally set up camp in the pastor's home (the home I live in).  Slowly teens from the communities I had gotten the chance to work in started showing up with their bags and jugs of water for the week.  Before we knew it there were 34 teens ready to sleep over at our house and learn how to be followers of Christ!  I knew a lot of the teens that showed up from my Bible study classes and I was looking forward to spending my last week completely at their side.

     With a lack of sleep and an overflow of joy, we ended the camp yesterday.  The teens were able to learn about the basic need for salvation and 13 teens made the desicion to hand their life over into the all-knowing hands of Our Lord!  While some decided to make the decision to begin their journey with God, others made the decision to officially make a public announcement of their new life in Christ by getting baptized.  Ten were baptized in the river with their families and neighbors present!  Like I said this week was God-breathed and full of new life to say the least.

    God has a plan for all of us.  His plan is that we would love Him with our being and follow Him where He takes us.   I have learned that following God were He takes me has given me the best things I have in my life- a good relationship with my family, a wonderful ministry to work with back home, and so many wonderful dominican brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am so thankful that God is interested in His created humans.  As I give thanks to God today for all He has given me, and throw a fiesta in His honor in La Otra Banda, I will carry the smile that God has given me through my obedience to Him in this journey.  "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"- 1 Corinthians 15:57.

Xoxo,

Somos Vencedores//We Are Conquerors

     Oh how I wish I could write paragraphs and paragraphs of my days here and the ways I feel like God is using me.  I want to spend a whole day writing about what I have seen and where my work here is going.  For some reason though, I sit staring at the blank entry in front of me not able to write words for all that is happening before my eyes.  I can now translate english to spanish better than I can translate my life here into words!

     God has placed hills in front of me every day this week telling me "climb on."  It is scary and thrilling at the same time.  I said before my trip, "okay God I want to do your will but let's not make me preach in Spanish."  Those prayers were usually said with a slight chuckle knowing that God works best where we lack skill.  Four spanish sermons later I can say to you that the hardest moments of my trip have been preparing for these sermons, but the moments I know I will share most when I get home will be these exact moments.  I saw God where I couldn't measure up to the task placed before me.

     So over the past week I have learned whether I have the skills necessary or not, I have the victory.  Romans 8:37 says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.". In fact, it just so happens that when we don't have the skills, it comes out looking even more graceful than if we did.  So if having skills or not having skills doesn't matter, what are we waiting for?  God says that with Him we can be conquerors.  I had to take the risk to preach in Spanish to be able to see what God would do through me.  As I start my final week here I will remember that I have the victory in any situation, I hope you will join me.

Xoxo,

Deep Realities and Morning Choices

     "How am I?"... A question that stumbles me and differs depending on the time of day you ask me. Whether I am good or bad, homesick or not, pretty or a mess, clean or dirty I see with wide eyes why I am here.  I am here because I am choosing daily to be obedient to God.  I am here because teens need opportunities to act on faith.  I am here because I want God to use me for His plans.  I have seen 13 year olds preach and 11 year olds memorize countless bible verses to be able to talk with others about God!  They are hungry for where God is leading them, and I get to provide them opportunities to practice being bold, how cool is that.  I count it a blessing to do this and keeping my feelings and emotions in check is important so that I can allow God to work through me.

     As I was sitting in my bed this morning wanting to lay there forever because I just didn't want to feel strong today, God said "let nothing separate me from you today."  I laid my sadness, my fears, my weakness, and everything that was not enough on the table before Him.  I tugged on to them trying to keep them and have an excuse to feel weak, but God was asking me for an undivided heart.  I knew if I was going to give this day to Him, I needed to have a pure heart only desiring the things that God had for me.

     To be honest, this is what every morning has looked like over the past week.  I have to make the conscious decision each morning to put my life in His hands for His purposes.  I consciously give the selfish Emily away so that others will see Our Maker and not me.  By doing this I got to see 13 year old Elian preach for the first time, I got to have a conversation with 17 year old Valeri about choosing faith for herself, I get to see 14 year old James from Haiti sing his heart out to God, I got to lead two people in the salvation prayer in Spanish, I got to hear 6 year old Wood tell me that God knows everything, and countless other moments that I am storing up in my heart!

     So just know that when you ask me how I am doing, I am homesick, dirt-covered, and my hair is just awful, but I see why God is asking all or nothing.  God continues to remind me that there is beauty beyond measure in obedience to Him.  And tomorrow when I wake up, without a doubt, I will choose it all over again.

 

Xoxo,

A Word from Eddie

Howdy!

         As many of you know Emily invited me to assist in her youth bible study here in Santiago, Dominican Republic.  What I have seen here is truly amazing and I want to give you my perspective on what we have been doing.

     To start, the relationships that Emily has established here are strong.  I was blown away at the sheer excitement and welcoming attitude that La Otra Banda had when she arrived.   The people in the community treat Emily not as a missionary, but as they would with a family member.  The youth here just overflowed with joy, parents excited to see their “daughter” come back to see them, and myself blown away by the relationships she created the summer before.

     Moving on to the actual work we’ve been doing, it has been something that I would have never imagined.  We have had the chance to have individual time with each of the youth, conduct a bible study, interact with their families, and also join them in regular church service. The individual time spent with each of the youth was fascinating.  Hearing their stories and sharing our own with them was simply amazing.  Although we are not that much older, we have gone through this stage we call the “teenage years” and can offer our own insight, and how to avoid the mistakes that we made.   Although I am really new here, I feel that the kids are as real and true with me as they are with Emily.  The transparency the kids show is crazy! Through this transparency they are able to do extraordinary things like share their favorite bible verses, go door-to-door and share our lessons with the community, and also sing every song with all their heart.   The youth here are fearless and God-loving.

​It's a different culture, a different lifestyle, a different climate, but the same God, the same view on Jesus our Savior, and the same need for His love and mercy.   I have seen many examples of his love through the love and affection that people show one another.  Family is regarded very, very highly in this nation and I love it. I have also seen perseverance of God’s word in the communities that we are working in.  For example, Unlike the rural mountain community in La Otra Banda, when we are in La Joya its… well lets just say it’s not the safest place in the world.  Fortunately, among the prostitutes, alcoholics, and various crack cocaine drug deals, God is working.  After talking with Pastor Ortiz I’ve found out that this community has come A LONG way from where it used to be.  This I found extremely interesting because from the outside looking in you only see what I described above (prostitutes, alcoholics, and various crack cocaine drug deals) and not the growing church.  Amongst all of this evil, God is calling and He has found some of his lost children men, women, and plenty of joyful children. 

​Now how will I be different from this? I can honestly say that I will definitely invest more time in community.  It’s watching Pastor Ortiz who can have a 30 minute to 2 hour conversation with people about pretty much anything, or it’s being a kid again and playing with a bunch of kids, and maybe it's the experience Emily and I had just chatting with families that shows me how amazing community can be.   In addition, I know that I want to have a household that is rooted in the Word.  The families that I have come to know have an amazing knowledge of God’s Word.  Coming from a family that never really sat down and read the bible, I am always fascinated that people actually practice this.  God’s Word is so deep and having 10-14 year olds tell me about their favorite bible verses and quoting scripture blows me away.

​I think we can all learn to spend more time in community and never doubt God’s presence.  I really loved spending my time with such great followers of Christ. I've found new experiences, new food, but most of all Dominican brothers and sisters in Christ.

Adios,
Eddie

Serve God by Committing to Others

     As some of you know, I became extremely close to a family last summer.  The mom worked selling newspaper during the day and selling herself in the night.  She has 6 beautiful children who were very close but didn't get bathed or fed enough most of the time.  I began to be a mom/friend/tia/mentor to those kids after I met them, and what I found was that the more I gave of myself to them in time and laughter,  God would grant me more joy in return     In December I heard the sorry news that the mom had put the boys and girls in seperate orphanages.  You can ask anyone close to me, I told them "You watch because I'm going to find those kids!"  Well after 2 hours of driving in circles today, we found the girl's orphanage, and might I add that it is only 10 minutes from my house!  We walked up to the front door, I with butterflies deep in my stomach, and there I saw those beautiful sisters.  The rest is history- we played, we laughed, we held hands, and of course they found a tree to climb.

     What I am most thankful for is the opportunity to grow a relationship that I had before with these girls.  What I want most is to be committed by sticking to my relationships from last summer.  Sure I have made new friends, but it is important for kids and teens to know that I came back because I wanted to make an investment in them.  This is true for these young girls, but we also were able to see relationships grow with our teens this week.

     This week Eddie and I were able to conduct two large bible studies in two different communities, teach the kids how to tell their neighbors about their faith, lead two people to a new life with Christ as their Lord, conduct a teen prayer meeting for their neighborhood, empower a 12 year old to preach to his peers, have 10 one-on-one conversations with teens and still make time to sleep in-between!.. Well kind of.

     What a week!  The importance of being relational with people has never been so clear to me.  I have adopted a slogan for when I begin to get tired of talking with others, or when I get annoyed or confused by a relationship, and that is "People>Comfort."  To be honest, it gets messy when you really get to know someone, and we sometimes would rather keep relationships surface-level.  But God calls me and you deeper because that is where He can redeem.  I am lucky to be a servant of God because though the work is tiring and deep, it is seriously rewarding.  What a joy it is the serve the Lord in such a unique way.

Xoxo,

The Two Places You Can Find Me

The Two Communities

La Joya

     This community is very inner-city.  While sitting on the side of the street by the church, within 30 minutes, we saw more than enough drug deals and quite a few prostitutes.  Those things have become normal here and it is sad to see how dangerous it is while children and teens are running around the streets in the midst of it all.  Despite the darkness, the teen class at the church has grown to 20 and there are some who are starting to form deep relationships with God.  The kids and teens that I have started to get closer with are starting to steal my heart!  Right now the church is trying to raise funds because the rented space might be taken from them if they don't purchase the building soon.

La Otra Banda

     This community is in the mountains on the outskirts of town.  Spending time here reminds one of the simplicity of life.  One might see what they have as little, but when looking at their faith, they are rich in God's eyes.  The church members used to be like the rest of their community but now with God's presence they are changed people and their children are learning to live for Christ.  Once you get a good walking distance away from the church, the type of people begin to change.  As you walk down the mountain a little you start to see a lot of alcohol and the usage of drugs.  The teens here are growing very strong in their faith and my hope is to teach them to branch out and speak of their faith among non-believers.

Day 3: The Fiesta

Today's devotional and game with some of the kids.

     A reunion with friends that are like family cannot be explained in words or in pictures.  My heart was racing as we climbed the mountain to reunite with my special dominican friends.  I felt as if I could jump out of my seat and run to them faster than the car was taking us (the car actually turned off as we were on a steep slope and we began going backwards)!  When we reached the top of the mountain and began the straight away to the church, I saw them- all of my wonderful wonderful dominican friends.  I jumped out of the car as fast as I could and began the moment I had imagined for so many months.

     Kissing, hugging, laughing, loving, confetti eggs, posters, balloons!  What a moment it was.. One I will treasure forever.  If you will dig deep into your memory you will remember that I almost couldn't come last summer because of all the fears I had.  What if I would have allowed my fears and insecurities to control my decisions?  Look at the joy I would have missed out on!  You see, when you see the mountain you have to climb to follow God's will, God sees the fiesta you will experience when you get there.  

     I was reminded of that important lesson during my reunion with my amazing friends.  I know that God is always placing opportunities in front of us that look to us like mountains.  We have to make the choice to look at these situations through God's eyes as an opportunity to have a fiesta!  I know that I will be living this out daily here, I'm wondering if you will be joining me?

Xoxo,

Suitcase Bibles

     I am so thankful to have such a wonderful crowd of people surrounding me in prayer and encouragement as I begin this new but old journey once again.  I am thankful to those of you who laid your hands on these teens' Bibles and prayed that God will show up while they read it.  One of the most powerful things that someone has ever told me was that the Bible is very different from other novels because while reading the Bible, the author is present.  I pray that the teens experience just that and even that the young 5 year old who will be receiving a Bible will experience the love and power of the author.  This book has the power to change a person's life and to lead them to an eternal life.
     Psalm 119:105 says that God's word is a lamp to guide our feet and a light to guide our path.  I continue to find in my journey with God that if I want the most out of my relationship with Him, I have to learn His character through the words written centuries ago.  The words in the Bible have changed my life and I can't wait to see how it impacts the lives of those in the community of La Otra Banda.  As you pray for the use of the Bibles I will be packing into my suitcase today, I ask that you pray for the use of your own Bible as well.  

Here is a list that might be helpful in guiding your prayer for this:
__Pray that the reader feels the author's (God) presence.
__Pray that God reveals His will through the pages of His word.
__Pray that the reader will not stumble on difficult to understand passages but continue to faithfully read God's word.

Now pray these things over your Bible as well and see how God moves in your life!


Xoxo,

Let me get my facts straight, weaknesses = blessings?

    When God spoke this verse to me upon finding out that I would be going to the Dominican Republic last summer, I didn't realize how much it would mean to me.  Since this verse was given to me I have placed it deep into my pocket never to forget what God continually wants to do in my life.  

     I try to remember that God calls us to boast about our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).  It is an upside down Kingdom we are called to live by.  Now, I don't know about you but we don't usually hear people walking around saying, "You wish you were as awkward as me," or "I'm so cool because I never stray from my comfort zone..."  I don't really hear those things either, but God says that we can boast in our weaknesses because it allows Him more room to change our lives.

     So here's mine:  Hi, my name is Emily.  I am fearful of traveling.  And I am incredibly afraid I won't have the confidence to teach a Bible study in Spanish this summer.  I hear a whisper though.  It says, "My grace is enough for Emily; my power is made known in her weaknesses."

     God knows that if he uses a natural speaker to preach a sermon, people will think that the sermon was done in the man's power.  But if God uses a man with a stuttering problem (Moses) to speak God's word fluently, then people will see God's power because the man had no power to do that himself.  God uses the unequipped to do mighty things.  Wow, that is a blessing in disguise.  So let's try this verse out together in our lives-- What would it look like if we saw our weaknesses as blessings?  I hope that gives you something to chew on a little bit for the week to come.

Xoxo,

     I'm really thankful to those of you who are so interested in these teenagers and God's purpose for their lives.  God really provided the support needed for this trip and all of the eleven teens have been partnered with a family!  That is such a blessing from God because there was no way I could've done this on my own.  There are still other ways to be a part of my trip, so if that is something you would want to contact me about, please do so. 

The ELEVEN teens!

I'm Not a Dreamer, I'm a Doer

     So, how do I say this.  Um, I am going back...!  *I imagined myself saying that with a fist pump in the air in the last scene of The Breakfast Club haha!*  I really don't know how to explain the excitement, the nerves, the utter joy it is to be saying that right now.  Nine months ago when I returned from my trip to Santiago, I knew I had been changed and I knew I had to go back.  Over those past nine months I have been able to remain in contact with some of my close friends that taught me the depth there is to life and the joy there is in friendship.

The images I received of my friends Jordy and Rosy being baptized.

     With the help of many people guiding me in my walk with God this year, and with the help of these awesome teenagers in the Dominican Republic, I have come up with the 2015 plan for Freedom Five One!  This is a big project for me to take on, but I know God will provide the strength and the help I am going to need.   I'm so excited to share this experience with you again and I hope you stay tuned for all God is going to do :)
Xoxo,

La Republica Dominicana, Te Quiero

Too much love in one picture!  Griseli and I.

     Friday, July 11th, was my last day in the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic.  I don't think words do justice to how hard saying goodbye actually was, but I'm going to try.

     I arrived in La Otra Banda to spend a few hours there playing with the kids and to say goodbye in the afternoon.  I spent time walking with the ones I had become particularly close with.  We sat on the mountain overlooking the city just making small talk while watching Griseli and her siblings climb trees and eat Chinola right off the branch.  It was so ordinary and resembled my everyday life during my time there.  No phones, no watches, and nothing to do but spend time talking.

     I went to Griseli's house to say bye to her mom, and what happened in the next few minutes was not what I was expecting.  Her mother Ingrid, 24 years old trying to provide for 6 children, made hard by the world and it's difficulties, began to weep.  She told me how much she appreciated my care for her and her family.  She said that she loved me and that I meant a lot to her.  I, holding onto every bit of strength I could summon, unclasped the "Te Amo" (I Love You) necklace from around my neck and placed it around hers.  I told her that I love her so so much and her family as well.  But more than I love her, Jesus loves her and that it is so important that she knows that.  We hugged and cried together knowing that we had found each other for a reason.  I let go of her and before I could recover my strength Griseli threw her arms around me, burying her face in my shirt, and began to sob.  This is an image that I will never forget.  I can still look down and picture her there with her arms wrapped tightly around me, my hands lightly brushing her hair from her face, and trying tell her it's okay through my shaking sobs.  What an image of how much God worked in all of us.  The beauty of his presence was there in the midst of our tears and I realized all he had given me.

     Isn't it interesting that the place that was such a struggle to leave home for, is a place that was so incredibly hard to leave.  God will change hearts.   Everyday since returning home Saturday I have  felt incredible homesickness towards the Dominican Republic.  It was such a struggle to make myself write this post to tell of the end of this trip because I didn't want to have to put into words how sad I actually was.  But I have to tell you, because you need to see the beauty of this.  God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.  He has truly changed my life and writing all the ways I am changed would be very hard.  I hope that those of you who have followed me in this journey will see the change in me and even be kind enough to hear my story in person because writing doesn't do it justice.  I pray that you let my story of God's sufficient love change you.  I give all the glory to Him, the writer of my story and the provider of my strength; I am just a mere messenger who was put here so that you would experience Him.  This isn't the end, it's only a small mark in what I will do with these kids, after all, I will be returning to the Dominican Republic as soon as God allows.  Thanks for the support and prayers through this.. What an amazing journey..

Ingrid, her family, and I saying goodbye.

Day 37: Hope for Ingrid

Griseli and I might be getting a little attached to each other!

     Yesterday, I got the chance to speak with Ingrid, Griseli's mom, about Jesus.  I got to tell her that before I accepted Christ in my heart, I was dead.  I wasn't living for anything and I was living this life in the circles it brought me to.  I didn't know who I belonged to and didn't know where I was headed. 

     But Jesus.. who is so mighty to save, who didn't have to leave his comfy chair in heaven, who chose to love me even when I denied his existence.. He came and redeemed me.  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8.

     When I accepted Christ, the only thing I knew about him was that he did good things for people.  I figured if he really was my creator like he said he was, then he probably knew how to run my life better than I did.  The reason this life is so hard for most of us is because we are trying to carry the weight of it all on our shoulders.  Why do you think there are so many self help books out there?  Our world cannot take on everything life brings us on our own.  But that's the thing we don't realize before knowing Christ.  It was never meant to be that way.  When I accepted Christ, He came in beside me and took all the weight and said "Look at what I have done for you on the cross, stop living like I didn't give my life for you, I have redeemed you from the things of this world.  Go now and let others experience my love as you have."

     I don't know why someone would do that for me.  He knows me, he knows my inner thoughts, and all my sinful habits, but he choses to love me.  Why?  I will never understand, but I will forever be grateful.  Life is hard, that is that.  But why not look to the face who has open arms and is waiting for you to embrace him and just say "I really can't do this by myself anymore."

    Ingrid eventually stopped cleaning the pot she was working on and was fully in tune to what we were saying.  She seemed very emotional about what we told her, and I could tell that she is struggling with this.  We hugged her and prayed for her afterwards and left with a hopeful heart.  I know some seeds were planted and that all I can do is pray.  What a wonderful way to start out my last week here.

One of Ingrid's sons, Reimy, who calls me Tia Emely

Day 31: Fun with the Crazies

Charly, Reimy, and Griseli happy as can be!

     I woke up today knowing that I needed to go see them.  Today isn't my usual day to go to La Otra Banda, but I woke up with a heavy heart knowing that I wanted every chance I could get with them.  You know how you will do crazy things for the people you love?  Well that happened...

     I am going to give you a little cultural fun fact real quick: Let me explain to you what a concho is.  It is a form of public transportation in the Dominican Republic where you cram 7 or more random people into a 5 person car.  4 in the back, 3 in the front and yes there is a center consol.  Each concho has a route it drives and you wave one down, squeeze into the car with sweaty random people, and pay your 20 pesos.  If you're wondering why that's not illegal, we are on the same page.  Oh and did I mention there's motoconchos (motorcycle versions) as well?  Mom don't hate me.

     Anyways, each day I usually take around 3 conchos to get to the community I'm working with.  Let's just say I took 9 conchos in all and was determined to see my sweet/insane/giggly children.  When I got there, without a moment to spare the laughing and loving began.  Climbing trees, climbing hills, climbing piles of trash, and having a good ole time.  Luckily I had a few Dominican friends from the community with me, and they were able to cook for the kids who wouldn't have eaten until dinner.  I was able to tell Griseli why I do things like this and why I came here.  I kept it simple and short just saying that whenever I accepted Christ in my heart I was filled with so much joy and love and I want so bad for others to know that as well.

     I realize that God might have put my entire life back home on hold and called me to this trip and made it possible solely for this family.  I am doing good things with the others but this is where my heart pulls me.  They are the only thing I think about all day and I want so bad for them to know that they are loved.  How am I going to leave them?  I don't know yet, but until then I want to plan something special for these kids.  I don't know what that looks like yet, but I ask for prayers on how to go about it and that God will just use me to bring his light into these children.  T-minus 10 days until home, lots of work to do, so little time!

Day 30: Our God Isn't A God of Good Deeds Alone, He Sets Out to Redeem

     Through my past weeks working with La Otra Banda, it has given me such a wonderful opportunity to be one with the culture.  Every Sunday, I join them to eat lunch, play with the kids, and then attend Pastor Ortiz's service.  I want to make clear that my purpose when I go to La Otra Banda is not just to bring goodness to the people.  Unfortunately just spreading goodness and helping others make better decisions with their lives is not going to satisfy the world.  There will always be hurt and there will always be sin among us.  When I visit La Otra Banda, I try to go farther than just bringing goodness.  I try to bring the living water that will satisfy their hearts and help them to understand that this life that is hard for them is just a temporary home.

     This past Thursday while inviting girls to bible study, we came across 6 young children in their house with no one watching them.  They were very hungry and didn't have food to eat.  We were able to provide them with a little food and play with them for the rest of the day to get them out of their house and to love on them.  In this situation, it isn't enough just to buy them food.  It isn't even enough that I'm going to spend time with them and love on them because there will come a time when I have to leave them too.  These children desperately need to know that they were created with love and that there is a God who loves them more than they can even fathom.  He is real and if they look to Him, they will find him I'm sure of it.  It is so hard here for children who come from such darkness to find God in the midst of it.  But that's the crazy thing about how God works.  Just like he sent Jesus to redeem us out of sin so long ago, he is waiting for Gríselí and her siblings to find him so he can redeem them.  He sent me to find them!  He is waiting for them to accept him so that he can take them in under his wings of refuge and comfort and say "I have come for you, don't worry sweet children, you are mine now and I will protect you."  The God who would send 100 to reach 1.  That is who our God is and that kind of redemption doesn't happen by spreading goodness alone.

Charly-6, Celina-4, Reimy-9, Carly-2, Gríselí-10, Cristal-3

     This is only one example of what I get to do here.  It's a blessing to be able to bring love to these kids and teenagers everyday.  This community, this city, it is teaching me to be a more faithful servant of Jesus.  Their hearts are open and ready for Him.  It's difficult for me to always know what to say and how to say things, but if my actions are a reflection of my heart they will see Jesus and all his love has done for me and believe that it is possible for them too.  Gríselí is the first person here that I said "I love you" to.  I was able to tell her that more than I love her, there is a God who has been in love with her since she was born.  It was a sweet moment sitting on the mountain looking over the entire city with her and all the while knowing that we were both exactly in the midst of our Father.