Moment #3

The rains came Down and the floods came Up...

I will never forget during the second hurricane that I experienced in La Romana, getting a call and hearing that the church was flooding pretty badly. When Victor and I were able to get out to go to the church the rain was already up to our knees and beyond, people were wading through the streets as the mighty rush of water went flowing in all directions. Children could be seen playing in the water and store owners could be seen standing on the stoop where the water had flooded up too. This storm was particularly bad, people lost their homes, my friend Jordany and his family lost almost everything they had, there was no school, no church, no classes of any kind for a week and when the rain finally subsided we were all left standing in wonder at the destruction the waters left behind. 

I will never forget going to the church with Victor and his young son Nestor, seeing the sadness come across Victor's face as we realized that all the sound equipment had ended up under water, and that most of that equipment was ruined. Then in the midst of it all, standing there in the water, Victor turned around, grinned and threw up his hands saying, "what's a little water?"

He told me, "this is life, life happens, now we pick up the pieces, we clean what we can and we move on, thanking God that we have our health and our families and our homes."

Personally, seeing all the sadness around me made me feel sad, but for Victor the sadness only lasted for a moment as he was immediately reminded of how many blessings God had given to him, his family and his community. I stood there after taking the picture of Victor and I praised God for this wise man that He had made my host.

I have truly learned So much from Victor in such a short amount of time, no pictures or words could ever express my gratitude to him and to God for allowing me to stay with his family and to learn from them. 

SO, now, every time it rains? I give even more thanks to God because I will gladly run through the rain clutching an umbrella because I'm reminded of how lucky we are; we do not have hurricanes in Southwest Virginia but God is still protecting us as much as He protects those who Do live through hurricane season year after year. 

Next time it rains, and others are complaining, you know where to find me... I'll be the crazy chick jumping in puddles saying... "what's a little water?" God Bless and Take care of those you love.

Meeting with the Elders and Deacons

Have you ever felt really really small? I can honestly tell you that I felt a wee bit small standing in front of the elders and the deacons of my church. I must say that it was a little intimidating staring at each of them as they stared back at me, but as soon as we prayed together, the burdens of worry and anxiousness disappeared. I felt so blessed to be able to share my heart and my passion for the DR with these men whom I have so much respect for. It was exciting to see the looks on their faces as I spoke to them in Spanish a bit, answered different questions they may have and then to share with them the video presentation I had spent so many hours stressing over. I can say with full confidence that God was with me that night and I am so thankful for the opportunities He has blessed me with recently to share this excitement for the work that is being done in the Dominican!

I was told that my church supports my efforts and will gladly bless me with monetary support when I begin classes at bible college and from there, only God knows. I am very hopeful and excited to begin preparing and sharing my presentation with the congregation and with other churches. Thanks to all of you who have lifted me up in prayer, I truly appreciate it!