Favorite Moment #1

I've decided now that I'm home to update the blog every few weeks with a picture and "favorite moment" from La Romana. There are so many things I simply cannot share in a 5 minute presentation so I thought this would be a fun way to share with all of you.

Moment #1: Playing Baseball with our neighbor and missionary friend Carlos, Nestor (Victor's son), and Marleena and her brother Benjamin. That day was so much fun, playing baseball in the street and occasionally having to dodge the motor-bikes that would come whizzing by. This was the day that I learned how competitive siblings can be, especially when there's a baseball involved! hehehe. It didn't matter who spoke one language as laughter and sports can always bring people together! Its the smaller events and moments that get overlooked but I'm happy to have stumbled upon these pictures today. 

Where's Waldo or Where's Tiff?

Well I know some are wonderin' where I am as I just keep bouncin' back and forth!

I came down to Blacksburg again for a few days to visit family and get caught up with some friends from church which has been great!

One thing I noticed though is that each time I travel down the mountain my ear has started hurting a lot worse. Yesterday both ears were hurting pretty badly so my dad took me to the doctor and I'm happy to report that I'm not in danger of losing my hearing anymore but I am stuck with this vacuum effect behind my eardrum which is causing the pain. The doc said because my ear was in such bad shape while in the D.R. that it will take at least 4-6 weeks before I'm pain free and my hearing returns to normal but God is good and I know that the power of prayer is so much more effective than any medicine ever could be!

I will admit that I am very anxious to have this clear up, its been a lonnnng process of trying to get my hearing back and I am fed up with the ever constant migraine that has visited me for almost a week now! I appreciate your prayers and the concerns that have been sent my way. 

God is truly great with the way he encourages us through one another. 

On a different and much happier note... Tiff has a job! It happened very quickly and I am very thankful. I found a call center job off Plantation Road in Roanoke and it pays well and has many perks like 8-5 shifts and weekends off, which I've never had before so that is exciting. I'm looking forward to being able to attend more bible studies and do more things with the youth at church now as well as spend more time with family and prepare for the next trip. 

I'm surprised at how many have already asked me, "so when ya going back?"... and I'm even more surprised that I already have an answer to that one! 

This job I took is perfect in many ways but the biggest thing that drew me to it was the fact that it was a 6 month contracted job which ends at the end of April. I've been asked by the church in La Romana to try to come earlier and stay all summer so that I could try to avoid all the hurricanes as well as be able to do more classes throughout my stay there. The 6 month contract seemed to be an answer to prayer as I know no other job would allow me to return so soon to the Dominican. I will be starting different fundraisers soon as to be prepared long before May. My current hope (unless God guides in a different direction)... is to return to La Romana between May 5th and 8th and stay until August 5th as I promised my little sister that I would Definitely be stateside for her birthday in August next year. 

I would truly appreciate your continued prayers for God's wisdom and guidance in my life as I make a lot of decisions and as I am searching for a place to live. Finding a job came easier than I thought it would be but unfortunately finding the right apartment has been a lot tougher than I though it would be. I know that God is with me every step of the way so I am excited to see where I will end up and how the coming months and year will shape me and prepare me for the life of missions I know God has called me too! God is truly teaching me to rely Fully on Him so that is what I'm striving to do!

God Bless each of you as you listen to His voice and I would love to hear from you... 

What is God teaching You today or this week?? 

 

Oh the Joy of Email

I'm trying my best to transition back into life here in VA. 

God has showered many blessings on my family and friends and I'm looking forward to the upcoming weddings and times of catching up with those I love. 

So far I've attended my cousin's baby shower, had lunch and caught up with friends and celebrated an engagement of two of my good friends and now I'm looking forward to going to a wedding this weekend. 

I can't believe how much has changed in two months, God truly works in mysterious ways and I am so glad to be a part of His plan in this world! 

I'm currently sending out my resume and Praise be to God I already have four interviews lined up for this week! I know that I have a lot of decisions to make but at this moment I am at peace knowing that no matter what path I take God is right beside me guiding me along the way and that I still have a bright future to look forward too. 

I truly thank God for technology, for this blog, and for the gift of emails and text messages as they have come in very handy as my friends from the DR keep in touch. It is truly wonderful to know that I have brothers and sisters all over the world and that just because I leave one location doesn't mean that relationships have to end. It brings a smile to my face each time I see an email or a text from a friend from down there or from right down the street... I know its hard but I'm determined now more than ever to try to be a better friend when it comes to keeping in touch! :-)

God bless each of you as you go about your day and I hope that your inboxes are filled with messages to bring smiles on Your face too!

Home Sweet Home...?

I've been asked close to a hundred times in the past few days, "SO, how does it feel to be home?!"

I have several responses to that one...

After the ordeal of trying to come home, it's a Huge relief to be back in Va with family. I must admit that the huge hugs from my sisters and parents has been great the past four days. At first I answered the question with "It's great to be back and I love catching up with everyone..." Today I realized that the time with family has shielded me from the reality that is my life at the moment... I'm in a place where I have to make a lot of tough decisions.

Once I was at my house trying to focus on the finances, returning phone calls and sending out my resume, reality began to sink in. I know this sounds silly but Reality really struck when I was grocery shopping. As I'm walking around looking for long grain rice I had become so used to buying in La Romana I'm getting more and more overwhelmed at all the huge signs in English and everything being in dollars. My brain is a little confused and I rush to a deserted aisle where I say out-loud... "I am NOT in the Dominican Republic! Now what do I do?!"

In this moment answering that first question, "How does it feel to be home?" would've been answered with "I'm Not home."

I guess during the past 4 days I knew I was back in Va but part of my brain had been hoping and waiting for the time I'd wake up and still be in Victor's house. It's hard to try to take care of things when I can't run into the other room and say, "Victor, Help me!" ... I can no longer run to the church and be greeted and comforted by my dominican friends ... right now everything is just_ different. 

Don't get me wrong, I truly am happy to see my friends and family here in the States, each person is very special to me and I've missed everyone like crazy... I'm just having to realize that it may take time for me to figure out how I fit into a life in Va once again. 

Right now if you ask me how I feel about the phrase "home sweet home" I would tell you that I'm struggling as each time I hear someone say "welcome home!" parts of me are screaming "HOLD UP, wait a second, I am Not home." Home to me is where my heart is and in this moment my heart is still back in the Dominican Republic praising God with my brothers and sisters and singing in Spanish at the church. 

Some of you may remember that it was difficult for me to leave the dominican last year as well, because I felt like I had found my home and yet I was having to leave. 

This time I am sad and I am missing my life in the DR, but I return to Va with a totally different thought process. I come back a different Tiffany, as I am now more determined to live a life of Hope as I work towards the future I know God has prepared for me. While living in the DR I caught several glimpses of the live God is preparing for me there and although I'm very anxious to live that life, I'm trying to accept this waiting period as God prepares me in my own country before sending me to another. Those who truly know me will tell you, "Tiff is not a patient waiter"... I never have been, but at this moment, I'm truly trying. 

I come back this trip with hope in my heart for the future as I am confident that God is using this time to help me mature and to prepare me for a great work serving others. Every day here is a chance to Thank God for his many blessings, this week has been spent thanking God for cooler temperatures and the hot water and many blankets it's taken to warm me up, not to mention my home, my car and all the many people I've missed the past few months. 

I do miss the dominican way, more importantly I miss the people and I hope one day all those who I love in the Dominican will be able to meet my awesome friends here in the States. 

As I find myself in tough situations I no longer am stressed and worried as I was a year ago wondering, where will I live, how will I eat, where will I work, ... those questions still linger but my Hope and Faith is in Christ, and I know I'll be taken care of. 

Whatever each of you are facing in this moment, I want to encourage you, because this world is not our home! As that old hymn says "we're just passin' through"... we have the hope of Heaven so nothing we face here on earth should be allowed to drag us down. We are SO blessed in this country... and in Va I am So very thankful that Hurricanes do not threaten our every move. ...

As I'm keeping each of you in my prayers today I am also thinking of my friends in the DR and praying for them as well... 

these people mean so much to me and I hope that I can share these relationships with those of you who are willing to listen...

Please keep in your prayers: 

Victor and his family, Yamile and her family, Mariel, Omar, Euri, Carlos, Ricardo, Francisco, Jeffrey, Melkis, Kenny, Rhode, Pascual, dear Margarita, Paula, Nairobi, and so many others...

God is good and I praise Him for what He's taught me and is continuing to teach me. 

Many blessings for each of you and thanks for reading!

The Airline was Not my friend

I guess I need to fill everyone in on the reason I made it home a day late. My twelve hours of travel time turned into almost three days... what an adventure that was!

here is a run-down of my trip home...

I purchased my tickets in May so over the summer I continued to receive email confirmations of my flights for August 1st and October 4th... 

found out that I was supposed to leave Friday night not Saturday night so...

6:00 pm Friday Night October 3rd ... Victor and I head for Santo Domingo

8:00 pm We enter the airport and are told to wait for an hour

9:00 pm Victor said goodbye & I tried checking the bags, but was told wait for two more hours

11:00 pm I get anxious & want to know Why they won't let me check my bags. I'm informed at this point that there are No Jetblue flights that night or the next day.No one could tell me Why.

11:30 pm after calling Victor he comes to my rescue, drives back to the airport and we go together to get some answers... we are told they still don't know why. At this point Victor demands to see someone from Jetblue or he's calling a lawyer... that made attitudes change Really quick as we were immediately shown to the Jetblue office. 

12:00 am I'm learning that Jetblue cancelled all midnight and early morning flights in JULY

I explain that I purchased the tickets in MAY and that it was in JULY that I got a 2nd confirmation email, No notice of cancellations

Jetblue ignored the fact that my primary contact was email and instead called AUGUST 

22nd to tell me of the cancellation... (at this point I'd been in the country for a month with a suspended cell phone as it doesn't work in La Romana). 

5 people begin working on another flight for me, I'm handed the phone where I'm   apologized to by a supervisor who said it was their mistake, I was overlooked and no email was ever sent. 

1:00 am I'm calling my parents telling them I'm stuck in the Dominican Republic for at least another night, possibly for the entire weekend...

I speak to yet another supervisor and I explain that my dad was waiting for me and that I Had to be on the earliest flight possible. They put me on a flight from Santo Domingo to NY at 12:30 pm Saturday, problem was... No connecting flight to NC

2:00 am I'm calling my parents again and we're discussing the fact that I don't feel comfortable staying in NY for a day and night by myself. Jetblue promises that a Jetblue Rep will meet me just outside of Customs to take me to a driver who would then take me to the hotel... this sounds good to me so I agree.

Saturday Oct 4th 08 

4:30 pm I land in NY

5:45 pm I'm still walking around looking for the Jetblue rep ... after being sent to Information and Hotel reservations I'm told there is no reservation for me, take two air-trains to Terminal 6 where Jetblue reps are. 

6:00 pm I'm Lost... big surprise... a flight attendant meets me in the elevator and asked me if I was okay and after hearing my pathetic story she takes me to the jetblue people in terminal 6 where she had to interrupt the guy who was upsetting me telling me he had no notes about anything I was saying and that I should've had a phone on as they tried to call me back in August. At this point I yell to keep from crying and I start From the beginning and tell this man and his manager the whole story and what I was promised by the Jetblue Supervisor... after listening, they send me to an office to speak with someone higher up.

6:30 pm I enter the office and the flight attendant explains what's going on, I'm directed to a chair where a nice lady named Phyllis asks me "honey what's wrong, are you okay?" to which I replied by bursting into tears. After 48 hours without sleep and 24 hours without food I was exhausted, and my patience was completely worn down. I said through all the tears, "I just wanna see my dad! I want to be in Virginia NOW"

These nice women had to call 5 different hotels but finally they found a room for me and by 7:00 pm I was finally in a hotel room and what a relief it was to finally lay down!

By 9:30 am Sunday Oct 5th I was being tackled by my little sister Leah in Charlotte's airport and I had never been so happy to see my family in all my life.

God is so good, keeping me safe and allowing people like the flight attendant and Phyllis to cross my path as without either of them I would probably still be in NY upset and ready to come home. My amazing trip to the DR had ended with a very stressful couple of days, but through it all I've learned many lessons. No matter how much I plan or think things are under control, I Have to trust God every single step of the way, I am never in control of anything and the devil likes to throw the unexpected at me just to see if I'll trip and fall. I have a Wonderful God who loves me and will catch me if I do happen to fall and He has blessed me with a great family who have learned as much as I have during this experience. I praise God that I can now share openly with my family the desires God has placed on my heart, and although some don't understand why I want to go live in a 3rd-world country, I am very blessed by the guidance and advice everyone has given me. 

I look forward to the next trip and the next adventure... and as I've promised Victor and my dad... it will NOT be on a Jetblue flight, lol.