hola, hello, hi. all is so well here in this beautiful D.R. the past two weeks have been filled with Jesus and joy unimaginable. last week my team was with 4 other teams doing a teen camp in lajas and experiencing so much grace and laughter. i was a camp counselor for some of the cutest kids in the world (no lie…), and i found myself asking over and over…”is this real? do i really get to do this for the next year of my life?” it’s been magical. here are some of my fave things thus far:
- domincan coffee…yes
- playing in the rain
- seeing that the love of Christ has no language barriers
- eating rice all the time
- watching young kids go from disinterest and self-focus to freedom and joy
- witnessing how big our God is and how His heart is for all people of all nations
- bathing in a creek and coming out dirtier than when I went in
- getting to know my team even more and being so grateful to go on this journey with this power-house of 5 Godly women
- finding out that “the dougie” is universal
- laughing laughing laughing even though we can’t communicate with words
- hearing a girl call my tennis shoes “oogly” (they’re not ugly, they’re unique)
- listening to the heart of believers here whose passion for Jesus is so beautiful
- playing dominoes
- letting 2 year olds take pics with my camera (those will be uploaded soon)
those are just some top moments. I love this place, and the people here are so fabulous and welcoming and giving and patient and the list goes on. on Sunday, my team came to Los Cerritos to do an English camp for the kids in the community here. that first night I couldn’t fall asleep and wrote this in my phone…..
“cant sleep. laying on the ground looking at ‘Jesus ama todos personas’ (Jesus loves all people) on the wall and listening to ‘no place I would rather be than here in Your love’…God’s presence is just as real right now when I’m annoyed and frustrated that I can’t sleep as it is when I was in worship this morning. He’s always there. His love is always accessible. His presence is always there because I carry Him. my existence and the fact that I am alive is sheer proof of Jesus. who is that guy that said ‘I think, therefore I am’? according to him, me having thoughts is proof that I exist. and me existing is proof of a creator. and someone who would bother to create me is worthy of my praise I think. because I have Jesus, I carry His resurrection life all the time. He is available to me all the time. it’s just whether I choose to pay attention or not. it’s like when paul says whether I have plenty or am suffering want I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I have ‘learned’…it isn’t natural. I am learning right now. I am learning to see Jesus. I am learning to hear from Him. I am learning to choose joy. It’s always there, but do I see it? I can focus on how desperately I am itching from these mosquito bites and how sticky and hot my skin feels or I can sit and ponder on the majesty of Jesus and how it makes no sense to me that He would love me. that He would love anyone of us forsaken creatures, let alone ‘todos personas.’ He loves all of us. He died for all of us. He chose all of us. He likes all of us. He fathers all of us. now will I awaken and rise or will I keep my head downcast? will I stand and choose Him back or will I feed my flesh? Jesus, I choose You. I am in no hurry to rush past things You have for me. thank You for meeting me here in the quiet. in the still. when everyone else is asleep. thank You for reminding me that Your agenda is bigger than mine. is better than mine. so I trust You with tomorrow. I trust You with this new ministry. I trust You with our English camp that we’re not ‘prepared’ for. You’ve already prepared the way. I believe that. I trust You with the people we will face. if I care about them just a little bit, then I know that Your heart for them is unimaginable. praise You, Jesus. I pray that everywhere we go would turn into a place of adoption. that people would cry out ‘Abba, Father’ and take a seat at Your table. That they would taste and see Your goodness. we don’t settle for just a taste. we want to feast with You, Jesus.”
so even though things aren’t perfect all the time, God is so good. and He is constantly teaching and constantly loving. missing my people back home but loving every second here.
Jesus te ama.
