And yet, here I am, in the Dominican Republic, filled with gratitude.
Who knew life could change so much in a week? Not that I wasn’t thankful at this time last weekend. Quite the opposite, actually. Last weekend held time spent with the majority of my best friends and family. There were tears. There were laughs. There were even marshmallows and a chocolate fondue fountain.
I was showered with words of life and encouragement as my supportive band of friends gave me hugs, pictures, notes, and more hugs (hence the aforementioned tears). Talk about gratitude. I am so blessed. So thankful.
My sweet friends and niece, Lily, a few days before departure.
The fam at Christmas. Miss you guys!
Fast forward from the sugar high of my going away party: I headed to Ft. Lauderdale, FL on January 10 to begin this journey. Launch held reunions, solid teachings, and lots of nervous murmurs about just what we all had gotten ourselves into. After launch, we had our first official travel day! After hiking with our packs, we caught a bus, then a train, then a shuttle, then a plane, and then another bus. Add in super long group lines and cash for tickets and voila! You have a World Race travel day.
One of my squadmates, Marie, as we waited for the train in Ft. Lauderdale. She helps me figure things out like headbands and pack weight.
To be honest, the days of launch and travel proved to be a really tough period for me. Like my experience at training camp, I kept thinking about my family and friends back home. They are what I cherish most. . . how I am going to portray any resemblance of stability on this trip without their presence?
Thankfully, God provides. Month one for our team includes living in a house with two other teams (community!). We have beds and running water (comfort!). There is a supermarket as well as a fresh market in walking distance (homemade guacamole!). While leaving home was extremely difficult, I have been blessed with a comfortable transition into World Race living.
Our fabulous house for the month. A new friend ran in front of me and was so excited to be in "Photos!"
If that’s not enough to show that the Lord is gracious in taking care of me, he gave me another beautiful gift on day one of ministry. Yesterday, we traveled with our contact, Emmanuel, to the church he pastors. Nestled in the small, rural community of Las Charcas is the House of Jesus Christ Church. It has been transformed from a bar into a church, and our ministry yesterday included playing with the local children and visiting homes in the community. While the boys were playing baseball (very fitting in the DR), I found myself surrounded by energetic girls, around the ages of 5-12, who were excited for our attention.
The Dominican Republic is a culture that is extremely relational. Our plan for ministry is to build relationships with the locals through multiple interactions. As I was praying for a way to connect with the girls despite our communication barrier, one of them grabbed my hands to play a clapping game. It turned out to be a hand game that I knew as a kid. As we clapped and giggled, other started playing as well. Soon, the girls were teaching me group hand games that included switching partners and clapping around one another. I had the idea to teach them my nieces’ favorite hand game, Double This, Double That. They loved it. They started practicing with each other, “Double double! Thees thees! Double double! That that!” Smiles and giggles were passed around like candy, and I was loving it.
What struck me was that the Lord used a game that I have played daily for the past few months with Lily and Ava to connect with the children of this community. My heart was affirmed in the truth that I was called to this Race and that He has made the necessary preparations for me. In contrast to the complacency I can be tempted to live in at home, I am learning more about the nature of my heavenly Father and His daily presence in all aspects of my life.
To top it all off, we had empanadas and Coke for dinner. A true southern meal: fried food and my favorite Atlanta-based beverage. I told you, it’s not Thanksgiving . . . but it could be.
