It’s hard coming up with a blog post to follow the last one posted. Just over two weeks after it was posted, I received information from home that my grandpa had passed away in the night.
I had no idea what the grieving process would look like on the race.
I’m still not really sure what that looks like for me.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind who ever knew my grandpa that he has gone home to be with Jesus. With this in mind, I have more joy than pain. Yet, I don’t think I will fully process this earthly loss until I am home and cannot go see him anymore.
The last month in the Dominican Republic was such a great month. Except, I haven’t felt like writing anything. I haven’t felt like I’ve had anything to say.
My entire squad was reunited in the middle of the night at the airport in Puerto Rico, and we all were excited to be together again. We spent a few days in Santiago at our first “debrief” – a resting checkpoint to meet with our squad mentor and coaches. This was also our “All-Squad” launch – getting us pumped for the month of ministry and life together as one squad.
All-Squad month was almost like training camp all over again. Sleeping in tents. Forty-five [plus] people running around constantly, never a dull moment, and smiles and hugs everywhere.
We were partnered with H.O.P.E. for Dominican Republic (Helping Others Pursue Eternity) and our list of ministries were:
* Work duty (cooking meals, laundry, cleaning the ranch)
* Grounds (accumulation of pretty much anything on the grounds – food gathering; cement breaking, mixing, pouring; hole digging; rock moving, etc.)
* English teaching (at the ranch and at the Children’s Center near the city dumps in Cienfuegos)
* Prayer walks (in the town we were living in, Lajas, and also where one of their churches was in the Los Cerritos neighborhood of Santiago)
I loved being with the entire squad and creating friendships with people on other teams that I haven’t had a chance to get to know until then.
The prayer walks were one of my favorite things. I loved having an excuse to pray with my sisters – to pray for God’s Kingdom to come in Los Cerritos and in Lajas. To pray for victory for the people. To hear that what God was telling me to pray for, was also what he was telling my sisters to pray for.
Through the beautiful sunrises on the mountaintops, and through the pain of losing my grandpa, I know that I know that I know that I know that here is where I’m meant to be.
