Hey Look! I’m in a Nutshell!

 

 

What I learned:

 

Joy, love, and intimacy with the Lord are CHOICES. 

Sharing the gospel starts at home.

I place a lot of my worth in the approval and affirmation of others.

I DO hear the voice of the Lord, so I must obey when I do.

I tend to beat around the bush rather than say things directly.

Beauty is within.

The power of intercession.

I´m intimidated by authority.

Ask the Lord FIRST, in everything, before acting.

I really need to grow in the area of decision-making.

I have a huge fear of failure and rejection.

I can trust God for health and protection.

To let go of fear…Psalm 91.

That we have the authority to call things into existence.  (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

I´m a people-pleaser.

I struggle with comparison. 

The encouragement that comes from the gift of prophecy.

The power of consistent love and pursuit.

There´s still a lot of pride left in me. 

I tend to overcommit, therefore I don´t always follow through.

God will use my voice in battle.

I´m afraid of pain, so I avoid it by keeping my distance.

How much God has already changed in me…this lifestyle hasn´t been much of an adjustment!

I want to bring CHANGE…not just THINGS.

NOTHING is my own…everything is a gift from God and belongs to Him…my body, my talents, my things, my relationships.

 

 

Ministry:

 

Deep sexual strongholds were over Arroyo Cano, where we ministered.

Taught English classes…using scripture, our testimonies and chocolate.  🙂

Handed out toys to some of Compassion International´s 285 kids.

Prayer walks.

Prayed for healing…and it happened!

Singing, preaching, dramas and testimonies at church.

Faithfully prayed over Brandon, a precious mute 11-year old, every day for God to give him his voice.

Peter drew and we all painted the outside of the church.

Acted out bible stories for the Compassion kids.

Screened Compassion sponsor letters.

Taught basketball fundamentals.

Hiked to a remote village to intercede for the people and prepare the way for others to come after us.

 

 

Milestones and random moments:

 

-Had my third intense dream involving deep water and trying to save someone that´s drowning…

-A night of deliverance for one of our teammates…felt like we were on the front lines of battle.
-Did Hip Hop abs one morning with an audience of two…Jesus and the old lady next door…slightly awkward but VERY funny.  🙂
-Renee hates beans and ate three, while Peter ate his first orange!
-Hike interrupted by a cattle drive on the trail. 🙂
-Seesawing with girls on the playground while they yelled, “ARRIBA!!!” and “ABAJO!!!” over and over again.
-Deiber (my favorite child) falling asleep in my arms, reminding me to rest in the Father’s.  (Ps.91, Ps. 37, Ps. 46:10)
-Bathing in the river, followed by a rock-skipping competition with a local girl, ending with a fried chicken neck. 
-Learned to make coffee the Dominican way, while leaving behind my straw legacy.  🙂
-Had a VERY drunk old man guide us home from a remote village.
-Got piggybacked across a river by a complete stranger.
-Sunrise worship as a team at the town overlook (Ps. 1, John 15 and Ps. 127:1…key scriptures).
-Got our hair ‘did’ the Dominican way…afro grease, giant rollers, and MUCH too long under a blazing hot dryer. 🙂
-Housefire across the street…our squad guys saved the kids inside and put out the fire.
-Renee & I got lost in the city, at night, with a ton of groceries…made it back by bribing a kid with cookies. 🙂
-Danced in the city park.
-Covered Peter with eggs & flour for his 27th Bday…so glad we learned of this custom AFTER the 7th 🙂
-Earned the nicknames of Dairy Queen, Creeper and Super Pooper….poor plumbing..don’t ask.  haha
-Attended a Dominican funeral…complete with all-you-can-eat grits and coffee shots.
-Mountaintop Declarations. 
-Ezekiel 37:1-10…Valley of dry bones…Pastor Gregorio mentioned it on a prayer walk one morning and it has set the tone for our race…

Things that became normal…plus a little DR lingo:

-Disoriented roosters crowing at all hours of the night.
-Only using spoons…good luck finding forks and knives anywhere.  🙂
-un chin=a little bit
-ahora=right now, ahorita=later…which is the exact opposite of what I had learned…made for fun miscommunications in the beginning.  🙂
-Healthy diet of salami, peanut butter, rice and oatmeal since we were accidentally living off of a two-person budget instead of a seven-person budget…haha..
-concon=burn rice scraped off the bottom of the pan…they LOOOOVE it.
-“Huh?”=nose twitch and/or eyebrow raise (this rubbed off on me, so get ready for when I get home!  lol)
-Being FORCED to eat a gluttonous amount of rice, beans and boiled bananas 37 times a day in order to be polite and not refuse, since they pride themselves on their ability to feed you.
-rubia=american girl
-Being hissed at by every single Dominican male.
-Oatmeal, chocolate, milk and cinnamon concoction for breakfast…my FAAAAVE!
-Waiting.  A long time.  For everything.  🙂 
-China=sweet orange, Naranja=looks just like a china but tastes like acid…that’ll preach!
-Point with your lips. (I learned this lesson the hard/awkward way in Costa Rica..haha)
-No fridge. 
-Having old women rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub all over our hairy, mosquito-bitten legs.
-Goats.  Everywhere. 
-Being called Danessa since it’s a more common name there.
-Empanadas of all forms….egg….chocolate :)…veggie….
-Guineo=banana
-Dominoes
-injibre=spicy ginger tea they drink all the time…and by ‘spicy’ I mean ‘fire from your lips to your toes…singeing your intestines’
-Ice cold bucket showers…until the end…when I jumped on the ‘put your water on the stove first’ bandwagon.  haha
-Crowded GuaGua rides…almost always ending up with someone on my lap.
-Moto rides…and riding in packed out truck beds.
-Handwashing laundry, using a dish sponge to scrub the frousy parts. 🙂
-Que lo que=I’m still not really sure what it means, but they said it all the time.  haha
-Loud (like 654865423132 decibils) bar music next door 24/7…literally…24/7.
-Random strangers calling my name as I walk down the street.
-Kids playing the drums in the church at 8 a.m…where we sleep.  🙂
-Tarantulas and pajama-eating rodents in our sleep space.
-Kitchens in a seperate building from the rest of the house.