We made it! We have been in the Dominican Republic for almost a week now. So wild. Our hosts and their family are incredible, they seriously spoil us so much its ridiculous. The campus we are on is wild: so much land and greenery and scenery and you just look out the windows and see God. We have real beds and a waterfall to shower in and incredible food cooked for every meal and puppies to play with and goats to shoo away and coffee every morning. We are on a rotation of ministry work, and so far my team has done hospitality, administration and community outreach, where we did a prayer walk throughout the community. Nothing too challenging yet (keyword yet), but it’s been super great externally.
Alright now let’t get past the surface stuff. I struggle with the decision of choosing the race sometimes. I’ve been wrestling with being at peace that I have made the right choice of choosing World Race over college, and these past couple days I have just been thinking about how I could be in college, making good Christian community, still showing my peers who Jesus is, and helping out the community around me (or even abroad, shorter term) but also be with my friends and my family, my home-team.
But instead here I am. In the Dominican Republic. Currently getting eaten up by bugs. With people who I have spent, in summation, a little over 2 weeks with. Saying it like that, having that mindset, makes me think I am mentally unstable for choosing this.
But the view. The people. The food! They all truly point me back to the Creator of Heaven, the Author of Love. As I bask more and more in the present and in the Lord’s presence, I get that baffling undeniable peace that only is harvested through the Holy Spirit. I feel God wrapping his arms around me tight, holding onto me and calling me His child, safe and secure, but calling me into risk and adventure. I feel Him near, he is wanting me to get closer. And I am! I find myself fighting for a front row seat, being in on the action, and he is throwing me a jersey to be on His team. He pats me on the back and tells me that I’ve done a job well done, and there are people cheering me on as I fight the good fight.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Our hosts’ daughter, Selena, talked to us in morning devotions the other day about this verse, something her and I have both heard a million and four times, but she said something really cool about it: that God promises to make our paths straight, they aren’t already straight. As long as He is in those paths, He will promise to make them straight, we can’t make the wrong choice with that. He promises peaceful hearts, straight paths and pure joy as we follow him in all that we do. So whatever mountain I choose to climb next, as long as I stay focused on the Lord, I will not fail, I will be held close, and have the Prince of Peace cheering me on. That’s some serious comfort if you ask me.
