Cosas van y tiempo pasa....

Another quick update. Unfortunately, I think my lack of access to a desktop computer has hindered my ability to update my blog as in-depth as I would like. I have been typing everything on my iPod and connecting to Wifi when I am in town. Also because of this, please excuse any silly AutoCorrect typos.   But, as I am learning, I am thankful for God's provision in all ways. I may not have electricity all the time, but I am sure am grateful when we do. I may be sick of rice and beans, but the LORD has seen it fit to provide food, so I am thankful. And though we had lizards in our house the first week, we are still living at a level of comfort above many of our neighbors. Perspective is where it is at.  This trip has stripped down some of my presuppositions about full-time ministry. It is about a lifestyle. Over the years, I have seen God transform my view of missions as something that only people who grew up with that sense of calling and read their Bibles for hours on end every day were supposed to do, to seeing it is basically the Christian lifestyle. If you are a professing Christian, shouldn't your life always be ministry? We are all called to serve the LORD with our lives and that looks as different as the Body of Christ looks. I have learned that missionaries still go on Facebook. They enjoy listening to music or sermons on their iPods sometimes. They enjoy a good day on the beach complete with some Dominican cliff-jumping as much as the next person. Don't get me wrong, I think that it is important to be in tune to what God may be calling you to give up for Him as far as creature comforts and self-sacrifice go. But my vision for full-time ministry is truly a holistic thing now, as opposed to a living-in-a-hut kind of thing. (Although some missionaries may live in huts).  God has been teaching me to serve Him in all that I do. No task is too menial for the Kingdom of God. As I found myself struggling with the importance of cutting out a craft for my second-grade class for the zillionth time, I was reminded that first off, my attitude needed a check. I am NEVER too good to do small work. And second, God is glorified even when I work for Him in the small things. Things like telling my second graders to "Siéntate" (sit down) for the millionth time, or resharpening all the colored pencils, or picking up paper scraps. I pray the kids would see even a glimpse of Christ's humility in me, and that in our interactions they would know that it is His love that compels me. That has been my prayer.  A crazy thing happens when you find that communication is difficult, as it often is being the only English-speaker in a classroom of sweet yet squirrely second-graders for two hours every morning. You begin to realize where your own ability ends and begin to seek God's so much more. Even in my first language, kids don't always enjoy listening. It is during moments of frustration, or noticing the child who always seems to agitate the others, or the girl who seems hard-hearted, stubborn, and closed off. That is when I have learned to pray without ceasing. To lift up these kids whose story I may not specifically know, but knowing that the Only One who can fully restore the hurting parts of their lives is Jesus.  I am thankful for God's hand of safety as we have been using public transportation often. I am thankful for the rain this past week that cooled off the heat of Caraballo and let us use our sheets at night. I am grateful for my Dominican and Haitian co-workers, whose heart for the LORD is both an encouragement and something that spurns me on to love Jesus more. I am grateful for the body the LORD has gave me to love on these children, to kiss their sweet heads and give running hugs and high-fives as they run into the comedor (cafeteria) to eat. I am grateful for the kindness of our landlord and next-door neighbor, who has helped us feel both safe and comfortable in a new living space. And who has killed a rather large spider for us. I am also grateful for so many of you. I know that I would not have been able to go on this trip without the financial provision of God through many of you, and equally as unable to be here without your faithful prayers. My heart has been warmed many times thinking of my community back home, and I feel so blessed. I wish I could reach through the computer screen right now and give all of you a warm Dominican hug. Three more weeks here, and though I already know it will be hard to leave, I have a sense of God's sovereignty as He leads me wherever He would have me. And I am excited to see so many of your beautiful faces again. Especially those of you who I have not had the privilege of seeing much this summer!  Go with God, my friends.