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.