(above: painting the church)
after leaving swaziland
our squad touched down in new york for a layover
before heading to the dominican republic.
that. was. hard.
harder than i had expected it to be.
as soon as we landed in new york,
i just felt at home.
there was a dreary winter rain outside,
which i’m sure any american would have loathed,
but i surprisingly had missed it.
i kept reminding myself
“only 3 months left. it will fly.”
don’t get me wrong.
this journey has been life changing.
it’s been full of growth, beauty, pain, and struggle.
but it’s been perfect.
but i am tired.
believe me when i say that the lord is my strength right now.
by the time this journey is over
i will have 11 full months
of 11 different countries
and 11 different cultural and spiritual experiences.
i haven’t had the time to process what happened in month 1 of india,
let alone the last 8 months since then.
but god is always good.
he always picks me back up
and readies me for whatever is next.
even though i was struggling
and simply desired to be in the comfort
of my own bed, in my own home, with my own family,
i received countless prayers and encouragement from people.
i am always blown away at the amount of people that are keeping me covered in prayer.
don’t ever feel like i’ve forgotten the part you are playing in this journey.
there is no way i could forget.
you are keeping me on this journey
and i cannot wait to bring this journey home to you and
share with you about what the lord is doing around the world.
i hope i do it justice.
since being in the dominican republic,
i have felt energized.
definitely not my own energy,
but a supernatural energy that i know is from the lord.
when i am weak, he is strong and glorified all the more.
(above: one of the boys from the community)
this country is lively and friendly and i’m enjoying it.
i have been helping kids with homework after school,
assisting in english classes,
visiting a public school and sharing bible stories,
cleaning and preparing an office space for the pastor here,
giving testimonies and helping with worship,
and inviting people in the community to a new church plant.
(above: the public school we shared bible stories with)
it’s funny to think about how when i was younger,
i came here to a resort on a family vacation
and now, years later, i am here again..
but on the other side of the resort..
in the real communities of the dominican republic.
(above: a woman from the church who invited me over for a meal)
life is a funny thing.
time in the dominican republic is coming to a close
and soon i will be off to haiti.
after that, a couple weeks in jamaica
then home.
i will see you soon family.
i love you.
