I remembered a good feeling this week. It’s the feeling of awe as I realized that I get to be a part of giving a HOME to a family in NEED! I remembered this feeling as I helped build a home for Gustavo, Venesia, and their grown boys: Isaias, Joel, Jesus, and Samuel. During the 3 days we built the house, I caught as many glimpses as I could of Vanesia. She sometimes just sat quietly beside her blind husband, listening with him to the sounds of the tools, the talk, the laughter. At the end of the first day, she said, “Adriana,” as she took my hand, “Encantada.” She was enchanted to meet me. She was overwhelmed that at the end of just one day, the walls of her house were up! She happily let her husband know when I was around and ready to talk. He told me of his old job, of his prayers to God to have a house for his wife, and of his gratefulness to his Savior for providing it through a team of 15 youth and youth leaders from Canada. Vanesia smiled for every picture I took. She gasped and teared-up when she saw a truck arrive with a new bed, stove and kitchen table for her house. She proudly introduced me to her mom, who came on the last day, to be there for the dedication of the house. She waved to us as we left, about ready to make her new home a HOME!
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It’s a life. A life with others. A life of service. A life of learning. A life of balance. Life here at YWAM San Pedro, Dominican Republic is going, going, going! Missionaries from the USA, England, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic do life with me daily. Since Joe and I arrived here almost a month ago, 6 houses have been built, over 100 people on teams from the USA and Canada have come to work with us, and over $60,000 has been donated for local ministry needs! Day to day life changes with every week. The first few weeks I worked with Aubrey Faith, shopping for and preparing food for all the hungry mouths that came home after a long day of construction. Then, Joe and I switched to preparing for 10 days straight of a mission/discipleship/ work project program…and just now finished it! Daily ministries vary. Some days it’s all behind the scenes work, and other days it’s dancing in front of little kids while singing about God being the creator of crocodiles, orangutans and snakes! Some days it’s contacting teams preparing to come here, and other days it’s hosting the teams that ARE here. Some days it’s painting little Haitian girls’ nails, and other days it’s passing out pancakes to little Dominican kids that surround the area where we are building. Day to day weather changes! Some days, clothes that were hung up to dry in the morning end up wetter at the end of the day because of torrential downpours! Some nights I lay awake dripping sweat, and other nights I wake up wondering where my second sheet is to cover up with! One thing that never changes is God’s faithfulness to meet me where I am. Not everyday has been easy. I’ve shed tears, I’ve snapped in frustration, I’ve sighed in what feels like defeat. BUT more than all this, I have stopped to learn and re-learn the lessons that God has been teaching me. I have been filled with love for the people around me when I watch them worship, pray, share and work! I am thankful everyday that Joe is here with me. I get to smile everyday, speak Spanish everyday, and share depth with other Christians everyday. This is a life. I pray for more abundance in, around and through me; that my life may fill up others’ lives with the abundance that only Jesus’ life gives! We are HERE!
One week ago, Joe and I boarded the plane in Baltimore, MD, and made our way through Miami, to our final destination: the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC! Aubrey and Nick greeted us at the airport...Nick and Joe already friends from a few skype dates, and Aubrey and I crying as we reunited after 14 months. Now, a week later...I'd say we're pretty much settled in! Joe is out at his second day building a house through Homes of Hope, and I'm at the base, scrubbing the kitchen floor and burning rice galore (hey--that rhymes!) I'm filling a bunch of different roles: Aubrey's kitchen sidekick, Malcolm's team contact and admin help, planning scheduling, outreaches and powerful talks on the Kingdom of God for a team coming next week. With only 12 of us working together at the base, we ALL have a lot of hats to fill. Current conditions? We certainly are in a tropical climate! It's sunny and hot, then cloudly with a breeze. There are palm trees, coconut trees and banana trees all around, mosquitoes everywhere (but only itch terribly for 15 mins), rats, ants, smells of trash burning, people in trucks selling fruit that pass by and announce it over their loud speaker. We're a 6 minute walk away from a Haitian community where we hope to build relationships and serve them where their need is. Because they are squatting the land, we can't build houses for them through our Homes of Hope program. The needs are high all around us. Needs for healing, needs for education, needs for justice. One of the first verses I felt led to read and believe since getting here was Matthew 25:40. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Whatever we do, whether it seems like it is making a huge difference or not, is UNTO God. It is to bless HIM. That makes every small thing a big deal! A GOD deal! |