Life in the DR: Part 5 | March Madness

Whew! It's been a packed few months over here, and my time here is coming to a close much faster than I would like. But as I get closer to coming home, I find myself feeling more and more thankful for the time I've had in this beautiful place. It has been such a rich season of growth, and I am endlessly grateful for all that the Lord has done this year. Here's a little update on what the last couple of months have looked like!

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Ministry Update

March Madness: We just finished up 4 straight weeks of short-term teams, a season that we affectionately refer to as"March Madness." It has been so fun to serve alongside these high school and college-aged girls, as well as their leaders, this month! Something that I have loved about SI from the beginning is the way they incorporate short-term teams so well into the long-term ministry: giving students a real look into day-to-day life here and allowing them to participate in what the Lord is doing in our communities. I have so enjoyed watching students begin to start making the connection that "missions" is real life, not just a specific trip or experience, and that God can use their specific passions to serve the people around them!

The Quinceañera: One of the highlights of our month was a quinceañera we threw for four of our girls! In traditional Latin American culture, a girl's 15th birthday is a really big deal as it symbolizes her transition from a little girl into a young lady. Well, four of the girls in our Bible study are turning 15 this year, so we had to throw a fiesta to celebrate! We prepared for weeks: making decorations, finding dresses, planning activities, inviting family and friends... and it all paid off when the day finally came. The girls looked so beautiful and were beaming all day. Daisy took the opportunity to encourage them in front of their family and friends that they are dearly loved and can walk in confidence in all that the Lord has created them to be. It was such a special day for the girls and for the community. I was so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it!

Easter Community Outreach: This past Thursday, we had community outreach events in two local communities El Callejón (where my everyday ministry site is) and Buenos Aires. I got to work with the Nexus team (yay!) to put on the event in El Callejón and let me tell you, what a party! I'm not even sure how many kids showed up, but our site was packed to the walls! We did face painting and carnival-style games, and wrapped up the time with some fun songs and a gospel presentation with Joel, one of the leaders of another ministry site in our community. It was an incredible day!

A Changing Life: I want to share a story with you about one of the girls here in the community. LuzMaria is in our teen girls Bible study group and when I arrived here in September, she was incredibly shy and quiet. Even when she was directly asked a question, she would have her sister answer for her. She had dreams of going to college, but didn't know how she would afford it and didn't have the confidence to believe she was capable of succeeding. So Daisy enlisted her to help teach me Spanish, while encouraging her through the process of applying to the local college.

Over the following few months, she began to come out of her shell, and in January, Lala (as we call her) started her first college classes! You guys, SHE IS LIKE A NEW PERSON. I would hardly recognize her now compared to September. She walks with confidence, speaks with conviction, and has a whole new joy in the way she smiles. She is free from the lies that she can't do it, that it's silly to have dreams, that she'll never amount to anything because society tells her she can't be more than what she was born into. She has been freed and empowered by the gospel, choosing to believe that she is who Christ claims her to be. It's a beautiful thing!

Please join me in continuing to pray for Lala, as she most likely still has many challenges ahead of her in completing college. Some struggles may be: finding transportation to get to and from classes (she will mostly rely on hitchhiking to get into town), continued funding to meet ongoing financial deadlines, perseverance as she continues to face the lies that it's not worth trying, and the distraction of troubles at home.

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Personal Update

Bridge Team: This past week, a group of my past students was here, and it was THE PERFECT way to tie up March Madness! Oh mylanta, you guys. I wish I could sit over coffee with every one of you reading this and tell you how good it was for my heart to have them here. First of all, just to get time with them again was amazing. And to get to spend it serving Jesus together made it that much better! There were so many encouraging words, life-giving conversations, and healing moments. Plus a boatload of ridiculous moments and SO MUCH laughter (ask me sometime about Mennonite Madness). Nexus, I am unbelievably proud of you (those who came and those who didn't, too). I will always be one of your biggest fans. Love you all more than you know.

OT Observation: Back in February, I had the unbelievable opportunity to observe an occupational therapist here in Jarabacoa! She was here from the States, doing classroom assessments and recommendations at a school located down the street from where I live. Some of you know that part of why I chose to pursue OT is because it is such a tangible way to serve, and it is such a huge need on the mission field. So many places in the world don't have the resources, and my dream is to take it to those places. Whether that's being overseas full-time or practicing in the States and taking short-term trips to train therapists/educators/caregivers/parents is yet to be determined, but Lord willing, this will be a major part of what I do. So you can imagine how exciting it was to get to learn from a lady who is doing it! I learned so much and was so thankful that she was willing to let me tag along.

Coming Home: It's official. My flights have been purchased and I'm on my way. On May 9th (5 weeks from yesterday!... but who's counting?), I'll be hugging my mom and dad and snuggling my sweet puppy. I have so many bittersweet feelings about this, but that's for another post, another time.

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Prayer Requests

Transition: I would be so thankful for your prayers as I begin the process of transitioning home! I still have 5 weeks, but I know they'll fly by. Please be praying that I remain present and soak up every last moment of the gift that has been this year. Please pray that I finish strong, love intentionally, and remain faithful at my ministry site with every day I have left.

Communication: I guess this goes with transition, but something that's been on my mind a lot over the past few days has been how I will communicate what has happened here. I fully believe that the way we communicate what God has done on the mission field can be as much of a ministry as the ministry itself. Please pray that the Lord gives me the words to tell people what He's done in a way that highlights His goodness, and gives Him every bit of the glory.

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Here's to making my last month here the best one yet!

PS I found out recently that several people have sent me messages and texts that never reached me. If you have tried to reach me in the past 7ish months and I never answered, I promise I'm not ignoring you! The most reliable ways to contact me are iMessage, email, Facebook, and Instagram- you can find the latter 3 on the "Contact" tab at the top of your screen. Normal text messages won't reach me, and snail mail is extraordinarily unreliable (I received a birthday card last week, sent on November 13th). So if you need to get ahold of me- or just want to say hey!- please do! I'd love to hear from you!