This is the twenty-third full day of my World Race (not including our travel day). The month isn’t over yet, but it’s starting to wind to a close. With that said, instead of sending monthly updates like I have been via MailChimp, I’m just going to post them on my blog in a similar format with the addition of some stories & things I’ve learned this month.
Still Trending Upwards
Because of your generous support through prayer and financial contribution, earlier this month I was able to attend World Race Launch in Atlanta, GA and then to fly out to our first country and month of full-time ministry in the Dominican Republic. The only reason I was able to do both of these things was because I had met the funding goal of $10,000 by July 15. And, as it stands right now, I have met and exceeded the next funding goal ($13,000 by September 30)! However, we are not done yet; I am not fully funded and have until November 30 to be so ($18,100). Once I am fully funded, I will let all of you know in an appropriately titled blog post (something along the lines of “I’M FULLY FUNDED!!!”).
Stories from the Field
Coming on the Race, there were a few things that I expected: being in countries where I didn’t know much or any of the lingua franca, eating foods I don’t normally eat at home, and experiencing a more relation-oriented way of life (contrasted to the goal-oriented way of life that I am accustomed to). Little did I know that all of these things were going to happen, and more!
Once arriving at our ministry site H.O.P.E. Mountain, we had our first meal (hot chocolate and bread), were given some rules for being on the property & in the community, and were told that our hosts were taking their three daughters to the hospital. Little did we know that they would spend a week in and out of the hospital and our first week of ministry was mostly comprised of intercessory prayer and preparing the property for the daughters’ return home. I am glad to say that all three of the daughters have been sleeping at home for the past two-and-a-half weeks, and with one exception, they have not returned to the hospital.
Prayer Request: Please pray for the continued healing of the daughters as they are battling both serious and minor illnesses, ranging from food poisoning to epilepsy.
Praise Report: During this month, we were informed that the DR is in the middle of a draught, so we prayed for rain. After the girls returned to the hospital for a check up and didn’t all return home that night, I started praying that God would send healing rain for three, consecutive days if the girls would receive healing from their current illnesses OR eight, consecutive days of rain if the girls would receive permanent healing from their illnesses.
After the girls returned home and we started to do ministry in ways that we were preparing for, my team was assigned to Community Outreach (Community). Community typically consisted of playing with children, talking to families that lived nearby, and leading brief discussions at the weekly Women’s Club meetings. On our first day of ministry outside of H.O.P.E.’s gates, we played with four boys, Alexa led a brief discussion about the worth of women, and we spent time with one of the women who attended (Maria). Maria gave us tea, fruit, and shared some about her life here in the DR, and because we stayed so long we met on of her sons (Bernabé).
Prayer Request: After spending a lot of time with Maria, it was pressed upon the heart of one of my teammates to share the Gospel with her. Please pray that someone, if not my team, is able to share the Gospel with her and that she comes to know the Lord, the source of our joy and love that Maria has hopefully been able to experience.
Praise Report: A core lie of mine is that I am unseen and unknown, and therefore unloved. As a result, I do my best to see, know, and love others, and so does the rest of my team. In the seemingly small amount of time that my team has known Maria, we have been able to see, know, and love her, and she us. Unfortunately, earlier this week, one of my teammates received bad news from home, and as some of my team was going out into the community, Maria was coming to H.O.P.E. to comfort my teammate.
This current week was full to the brim: a surprise birthday party for one of our hosts, planning English lessons to teach at the school, seeing the daughters being taken back to the hospital for check-ups and further tests, Kasey’s birthday, and teaching at the local school. And, to top it off, we are probably going to be doing manual labor on a construction site (we are providing extra labor in the building of a house) today.
Prayer Request: Please pray that all of the different people in this community come to know and have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and leave their religious/ritualistic practice behind.
Praise Report: Of all the things that we have done as ministry, my favorite thing to do, consistently, is manual labor. Who would have thought that this city girl would enjoy digging trenches and helping pour cement.
Looking Forward
The month isn’t over yet. So, please don’t read this blog as me checking out from the work that I still am allowed to do. Please read this blog as a way for me to tell you a ~brief~ overview of a lot of the things that have happened this month.
As many of you may know, this time a month ago, my squad had recently received news that we would not be going to Haiti as our first month of ministry, but instead the Dominican Republic and that it was going to be an all-squad month. A few weeks ago, with the arrival of our squad mentor, we received news that we would be going to Haiti next month. And, within the last week, we received news that next month in Haiti that my team would be paired with another team (1010 Fierce: Claire, Gisele, Cimone, Charity, Laiken, and Amy) at our original ministry assignment (Supply and Multiply).
Prayer Request: Please pray that we are able to serve the community well in our last days here.
Praise Report: I recently asked the Lord for an opportunity to be in and/or lead a Bible study (which is quite achievable because my team has a Bible study as one of our weekly team times). But, Gisele and I have been regularly attending the Mark Bible study that has been happening here and we have both expressed interest approximately a million times (not accurate in the slightest) to continue learning more about the Bible together AND WE CAN!
Quick Take-Aways
- Launched earlier this month & met the $10,000 funding goal,
- Recently met the next funding goal ($13,000), but not fully funded yet,
- Still need more help to be fully funded (~$4,500),
- We met and served some truly amazing people here in the DR, including children and a lady named Maria;
- The host family has three daughters that have been in and out of the hospital because of various illnesses, and
- Next month we are going to Haiti and serving alongside another team.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Angie
Blogs from the Month
- Meet the Storytellers
- To, During, and From Launch
- Serving since Launch
- A Day without Talking
- My Revelation Song
- Letters to Loved Ones
Videos from the Month
