A Little Break

Last Friday morning I boarded a plane for the States, ready for a 6-week vacation visiting family and friends.  The first stop on my trip is Milwaukee, WI.  I'm here visiting all of my family and lifelong friends.  I've already been able to see most of my extended family through dinners and picnics and am so blessed to have such a loving family!  

As tough as it was saying goodbye to those I spent the last 5 months with, I'm excited to say that I'll be heading back to the Dominican Republic mid-July!  Never did I think this 5 month internship would turn into an indefinite stay, but it has.  I'm just not ready to leave the 95 degree heat!

When I return I will still be involved at New Hope Girls Academy, but I will also be teaching English at the University (Ponticifica Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra) in Santiago.  I'm excited to see how the Lord can use me there in the lives of college students!

So there you have it. The 'big announcement:' I'm heading back!

As excited as I am to return, I'm still enjoying a relaxing break here in the comfortable lifestyle of First World Living.  It's a blessing to have loving friends and family so supportive of the choice I've made to return, and an even bigger blessing to be able to live in such comfortable conditions. 

If you're in Racine/Milwaukee during the next few weeks, send me a message and we'll get together!

Next stop: Raleigh, North Carolina!

"And my God will meet all your needs..."

 Last week the girls and I went through all of the photos I've taken since January when I arrived on the island.  Without realizing, I was actually taking what seems to be 'before and after' pictures.... God has provided in the craziest of ways for New Hope! Prayer is powerful and everything seemed to come just at the perfect time. In His time, not our own....Check it out:

Before: Check out the shelves in the background

After: Look at all of the books & supplies that have been donated!

Before: This was the stove we used when I arrived

After: Thanks be to God for the donation of this one!

Before: This room was used only for eating (and exercising?) when I came.

After: Now it's a classroom with a built-in desk area & cabinets!

Before: Check out the kitchen in the back left corner

After: Cabinets, stove, pots & pans



And our most recent addition the house:

Before: We had no storage/closet space for the girls

After 1: God moved the hearts of those who came to visit and helped with the funding for  built-in closet/drawer space.

After 2: Now that we're more organized, there's more room for God to bring us His daughters!
(And He's filling our house quickly!)

Through prayer and petition, God has provided for our house & school more than we could ever imagine.  Thank you to all of those whose hearts were moved by the Lord to donate and/or help make it possible!

And my God will meet all your needs, 

according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus

Philippians 4:19 

Nothing Sweeter

Many people know about my nightly routine of tucking each girl into bed and telling them that they're special, important and that I love them.  It's no surprise to the girls either.  They climb into bed, but don't quite tuck themselves under the covers until I'm there to do it.  It's a sweet routine that makes me forget my frustrations of the day.  At the end of the day, they know I will always love them, and they couldn't do anything to change it.

But I'm not the only one with a routine now.  Each morning my alarm goes off at 7:00, and I lay in bed and say, "Good morning, girls." I usually get a couple of groans, or sometimes silence if I haven't spoken loud enough. By the third or fourth, "Good morning, girls," two of my girls are already on their feet making their beds.  After their beds are neatly made, they come over to my bed --where I'm still trying to open my eyes-- and leaning over the bed, they wrap their little arms around me, give me a warm hug and say, "Good morning,  Katie." 

This happens every morning .... and there couldn't be a sweeter way to wake up than this.

I Won't Forget the Time When...

Next week will be the beginning of my 5th month here in the Dominican.  Time is absolutely flying by!  While I was out for my morning run I took time to reflect over the last 4 months and wanted to share some of my most vivid memories...

Like the countless nights of devotionals with the girls, where every questioned asked had an answer of “prayer.”

Like the time I held our little one as I took her to see her mom in the hospital.

Or my first time on a motorcycle…and then my first time on a motorcycle with 3 other people at the same time.

The day I learned how to cook lunch…

…and then when I started a fire and had a lady on our team hold me and comfort me while I cried. And cried.

The laughs, silent moments and coffee I’ve shared with the women at the workshop in the hot afternoons.

The countless hours of shared prayer, praise and tears during my daily afternoon walk in the mountain with a neighbor woman.

Or the time I woke up at 2:48AM and found complete silence and peace in our neighborhood for the first time, ever.

Or the day my best friend came to visit me and was moved to tears by the prayer of one of my girls.

Like the night one of my girls quoted scripture in her prayers.

Or the first night I cried myself to sleep saying, “why did you chose to use me here God?  Why not someone else?”

Or the countless days where there just wasn’t enough water for all of us to shower.

Or my nightly bedtime routine of gently tucking each girl into bed, looking her in the eyes, and telling her that I love her, and that she’s important and special.   

...He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, 

for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these..."

Mark 10:14

Big Day Out!

It's Semana Santa here in the Dominican Republic, which means no school!

This week our team decided to send the girls and I to the city for the week to allow our house mom, Yaritza, to rest and have time with her family.  I am staying the week at Joy's house with my three girls, while her family is enjoying much needed family-time at the beach.  It's been a sweet time for me to spend with my girls here!

Today a friend of ours, Maria Eugenia, asked to take me and the girls to lunch.  I made sure the girls were clean and ready to go at noon.  When the time came, the girls could hardly wait.  We piled into the car and Maria Eugenia asked them, "what would you like to eat?" The girls hardly knew how to answer, as just heading out of the house in this city is an adventure for them.  They decided they wanted pizza and fried chicken, and Maria Eugenia knew just the place.

We headed to a club that she is a part of and the girls squealed when they saw the jungle-gym, bikes and animals (turtles, birds and even a crocodile!).  They ran and played, played and ran.

She loves bikes these days!

Maria Eugenia joined the fun!

I just love seeing them so happy, without a worry in the world!

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25

So sweet.

How did that happen??

After their play-time, we headed in for lunch. The girls were very well behaved, and even tried using their knives as I have been trying to teach them at the school.  They used their 'please' and 'thank you' in English and were excited to drink soda with their chicken and french fries.

Maria Eugenia and I with the '3 princesses,' as she calls them!

The day wouldn't have been complete without loading up on sugar, of course.  So after we headed to find some treats!

Where is she??

And now the three girls are all cuddled up together sleeping after a hard day at play.  Thanks Maria Eugenia for making this day so special for the girls and I!! 

Fire!

Last Tuesday my boss took two of our three girls to Santiago for the night so they could visit the eye doctor.  I was left with our little one for the night, and we had a great time straightening hair, eating macaroni and cheese, watching cartoons and cuddling together at bedtime.

Thursday night came, and we thought it was a good idea for me to have some one-on-one time with our ‘middle child.’  (She’s 9…our others are 11 and 5) We spent the afternoon at our neighbor Rosa’s house and planned to buy empandas from a lady down the street who is always trying to sell them. I asked Rosa to order them for me and told her I’d be back at 5 to pick them up.

Five o’clock rolled around, and Rosa found out that she wasn’t selling them that day. It doesn’t sound like such a big deal, unless you’re out of American food to cook for a hungry 9 year old.  I looked at Rosa and our other friend Morena and came up with a brilliant idea to make the empenadas myself.  I had learned that week how to cook the meat, and had watched my friend Delia make them many times!  I just wasn’t sure how to make the dough, but Rosa and Morena quickly wrote down the ingredients. 

My girl and I headed home and started cooking! 

No rolling pin? No problem!

Hard at work!

She made them look beautiful!

About 20 minutes into the cooking process, with music blaring and laughter filling the room, I looked over my shoulder only to find that the oil I was heating to cook them in was on fire.

When I think fire, I immediately think water. And apparently so did my little 9 year old as she started yelling, “put water on it!” in Spanish.  I quickly grabbed a cup of water and threw it into the flame. Mistake.  This is what happens when you put water in burning oil:

We immediately turned to run away, but remembering a dream I had just two days earlier, I knew if we ran upstairs we’d be trapped and have to jump from the window. 

When the explosion subsided, we ran past the stove and out the door, yelling for our neighbor, Tony.  He ran into the house, and immediately threw more water on it.  Yet again, more fire.  At this point another man came running in who had seen the large flash of light from my first explosion. 

They were able to move the pan from the stove, onto the floor and out the door, where the flames finally subsided. 

When Tony left, I immediately called Delia (a woman who works with us) and asked her to come over, not giving her a reason other than, “my heart is running right now!” 

The minute she stepped into the house, I crumbled into a ball of tears. I was so distressed that I literally could have burned down our school.  She reminded me that it was an accident, and thanked God that only the cabinets and walls had damage, not myself or our girl.

 She proceeded to help me clean up and actually finished cooking my empanadas.

This was definitely a bonding experience that neither of us will forget!

After the tears were gone, Delia got a smile out of me.

Since then, I've been referred to as 'bombera' (firewoman), or 'concinera' (cook). The neighbors are still getting a good laugh out of the situation, but I've already gone back into the kitchen to cook!

Peace

Our God is God of peace, not a God of chaos.  Over the last week I have been reminded of the simplicity of the Gospel and its truth.  John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." 

But what does peace look like? Is it reading the Word in a quiet place? Is it having the house clean? Is it knowing there are no storms in your life at this moment? Is it knowing where God wants you in the next chapter of life? 

I've been constantly reminded that our God is a God of peace. "Only worry about ME today," He continually tells me. "Don't worry about when you'll have water, when you'll have time to wash your clothes, when you'll have power to charge your phone. Think about ME. Pursue ME. Live in every moment, or it will pass you by, Katie." 

 "...I do not give to you as the world gives..."

 "Serve ME today, not your selfish desires. Seek MY face for strength, long for ME for clarity. And I, only I, will give you peace."

Visitor!

Last week Amy came to visit! Amy is my roommate, discipler, friend, challenger, prayer warrior and all around soul sister as others have referred.  It was such a blessing to have someone come to visit my life for just one week. There are not too many words to describe our time together, so I will let the pictures do most of the talking. 

First day visiting the school!

Amy got to join me and a friend on our daily 3pm walk in the mountain.

Amy got to use her Spanish and have some good conversations with our house mom, Yartiza.

She bought sandals from our Women's Workshop that employs women in our barrio (neighborhood).

We went to the Monument!

Amy got to be a part of our nightly devotions.  Our little girl's prayers brought her to tears!

Then we headed to the beach! Such a relaxing time to soak it all in.

As usual, all things must come to an end. She left at 3am Sunday morning.

Thanks for coming Amy! Each day is a memory I'll never forget!

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:12-15

Our Little One

I sat down and took a deep breath as the large rocking chair moved back and forth. It’s my favorite place to sit at Carolina’s house.  I was ready to relax after a long day-trip to the capital when Delia came over looking a bit distraught.  She explained that the mother of our youngest girl was dying.  We knew the mother was sick, but we had gotten news that there was a good chance she would not make it through the night, and she had been moved to the hospital.

She looked at me and said, “what should we do? Should we go to the hospital?” Immediately my heart sank.  I had gone from a great day full of laughter with my co-workers, to a mother taking her last breaths. 

I told her I didn’t know what to do. We had no transportation, as Delia’s son had taken her motorcycle to a friend’s house.  Delia said it would take 45 minutes on foot to walk there, and our little one is only five.  Not to mention that our city of La Vega has the biggest Carnival celebration in the country.  Walking in the dark at 8pm through the streets did not sound like a great idea. But her mom was dying. What other choice did we have?

            Delia and I left her house almost immediately and walked to our safe house/school, Nueva Esperanza, where our little girl was spending the night.  As we walked up I asked Delia, “Does she know her mother is dying? What does she understand?”  Delia replied, “She knows she’s sick, but she doesn’t know quite how bad.”

            We walked up to the house and met up with our house mom, Yaritza. She told us that her sister’s fiancé was at the church down the block and he had a van we could take.  When we walked up to the church he came out jumped in the van and drove us to the hospital.  I sat staring out the window with my hand on our little one’s leg.  It was the only thing I could think to do to comfort her at that moment.  In reality I think it comforted me more than her, as she still wasn’t understanding the severity of the situation. 

            As we pulled up to the hospital, people were lying on the sidewalk in agony, and others were having a drink. Some were laughing and talking, while others were silent.  We walked in the front door only to be stopped at a gate with a man standing watch.  I had our little one in my arms as Delia and Yaritza tried to talk our way passed him.   They started explaining the situation to him, but I didn’t want the little one to hear so I turned around and walked back towards the door.  I started whispering little words into her ear as I held her to make sure she didn’t hear any details that she did not have to hear. Over my own voice, though, I could still hear Delia saying, “Look! This is her daughter! She needs to see her mom!” Less than five minutes later we were told to move quickly and quietly down the hall.

            Up one flight of stairs and around a few corners, we arrived in the intensive care unit: four large room of people wailing in agony, curled up in a ball, less than 5 feet from the next person.  I stood outside as Delia and Yaritza searched and searched for her mother. I didn’t know what to do, so still holding our little one, I started to sing. The only song I know in Spanish that she knows is, “Si tienes fe como un granito de mostaza…” (If you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.) So I sang it. Over and over, rocking her back and forth, wondering what she was thinking.

            A nurse noticed our panicked looks and asked who we were looking for. Not one minute later she picked up a notebook and saw that she had been moved to a different part of the hospital, but no one was allowed to see her.  Delia continued to explain that this little one needed to see her mama just one last time. And as she continued to talk, I continued to sing. I remembered that I had taught her the lyrics to a song by Jesus Culture that is simple enough to remember. “Fill me up, God,” the song repeats over and over. She started singing with me, and my heart started racing. God, fill her up! Be with this little one. Comfort her.

            Not another five minutes and we were jogging down the hall into another part of the hospital to find her mama.  As I stood in the hallway once again while Delia had to talk our way into the area, I ran out of songs that we both knew. The only song that came to mind was, “Saviour, He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save. Let your light shine, and let the whole world see! We’re singing for the glory of the risen King!” So I sang it. Over and over.

            Minutes later Delia came down the hall and warned us, “They don’t want to let the little one in. They're saying it dangerous for her, but they will let us in for just a minute. We cannot touch anything.  She can’t leave your arms, her feet can’t touch the floor.”  In the midst of trying to figure out why it was so dangerous, I noticed her arms tighten around me. Choosing to leave my questioning until later, we headed in.

            Her mom was curled into a ball wrapped up in a stark white blanket. No one else was in this larger room except her sister who was sitting in another bed keeping her company.  Her mom smiled when we entered, and the little one got excited and grabbed me tighter. Her face always lights up when her mama is near.  She waved to her and her mom greeted her. Not 30 seconds later we were told we had to leave.  They said good-bye, and as we turned to leave I told her, “tell her you love her.” She turned said, “te quiero mama.” Her mom smiled and told her she loved her as well.  And with that, we left.

            As we headed outside, I handed the little one off to Yaritza and walked off to the side. Delia was talking to Joy on the phone and Yaritza gave a wave to the man who drove us to bring the van up.  I walked off a few steps into the darkness and took a few deep breaths. I was choking back tears when I saw a man who was unconscious being carried into the hospital by his two friends. It was then that I lost my composure and let the tears roll down my face.

What if that was my mother? What if that was the last time she will ever see her? But what bothered me the most was, What did her mother think as she saw her daughter leave in the arms of an American girl? No one can ever replace your mama; did she think I was trying to replace her? Did she feel shameful? Guilty? Or was she comforted that her baby was safe?  These questions I knew I would never know the answer to.

            We loaded into the van and headed for home. I felt numb. I had barely enough time to process anything and we had already left the hospital.  As I looked out of the window all I could hear were the loud voice and music from the chaos of Carnival in the streets of our city. I continued to hum the lyrics to Saviour, He can move the mountains…

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Since Saturday, her mama has actually improved. Joy went to visit her again and said she looked better than last week, although she is also on medicine to mask the pain now.  Her mama has been eating more regularly now which is also a good sign.  Please keep our team in your prayers as we try to support the mother and our little one through this time.

A Crown of Beauty Instead of Ashes

When Marie didn't show up for class for almost an entire week, Joy decided to go check in with her and her mother.  Friday afternoon Marie's mother told Joy that if she came back the next day, Marie could go with her and live in the house.


Saturday came and I headed to the house with Joy, her daughter, and another girl that lives with us.  As we approached the house I prayed and prayed. I can't even remember my words, but I know it was more of a time of pleading to God rather than simply asking for this to happen.  In that moment I wanted nothing more than for her to live with us. Little Marie has been coming to school for a few months, and even lived at the school awhile back.  Her mother has many children, though, and needed help around the house because she is once again pregnant.  Marie is little Cinderella: working all day around the house, rarely eating, and treated poorly by the men in her life.


When we arrived at the house, Marie's mother asked to talk to Joy alone.  I stood outside with the girls and had a feeling that she wasn't going to let her come with us.  Joy had said she has done this before, but in the end always takes her back.


About ten minutes later, out walked Joy and Marie.


I remember just staring at Marie and thanking God for just one more night that Marie would be safe with us.  As we started walking, Joy whispered: "another family member thought he had the right to use her as his little toy last night— the mom finally decided to act on behalf of Marie, choosing the safety of her daughter over the household help she was able to provide."


To God be the glory for this rescue.  All things work together for our good.

Isaiah 61:1-3

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. 

A Changed Perspective

Psalm 86:9 says “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.”  I attended a women’s retreat this weekend that was such a sweet, tangible representation of the nations coming together and praising His name.

In Romans 1:11-12 Paul writes, “I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”  The women I hung-out with this weekend have a much different ministry than I do.  Most of them are teachers at a school where some of the wealthiest families in the country send their children.  I saw chauffeurs picking children up, and other parents drove up in Jaguars.  I was hesitant to see this as a ministry, these people don’t need help, they have everything they could ever want, I thought.  We have girls who have no food, day after day. After my first night with these women, I was thanking God for the encouragement their ministry had become to me.  

Matthew 10:25 says, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  Money doesn’t define a person’s spiritual life.  Materials possessions are temporal, but salvation is eternal.  One of the women said, “If you can reach the rich, you can reach a nation.” Families at this school have lots of leverage in the community, government, medical field, etc.  This community has the ability to impact thousands for Christ.  The ministry at this school is just as trying and rewarding as mine in the barrio.

My perspective on ministry as a whole changed drastically this weekend.  Ministry is everywhere. Not just in my barrio, not just in the city, not just in Africa, Chicago, Los Angeles, India or Hong Kong. Ministry is in every country, city, state, town and village, and the love of Christ must be shared in each of these places.  It's honestly easier to say this than to truly believe it.  So today, where ever you are reading this from, look at the person next to you: that’s your ministry. Make the most of every opportunity, always giving a reason for the hope you have in Christ.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17

Sweet Reminders

The night before I boarded the plane to come to the Dominican, my friends threw me a huge going away party.  There were lots of tears, tons of smiles and lots of reminiscing.  Last semester I asked my friends to write me letters to take with me.  Anything God was teaching them, I wanted to know about it!  On the night of the party, my friend Ashleigh put out a hand painted box for my friends to fill with the letters.  Some wrote the letters throughout the semester, and others wrote them at the party.  Needless to say, they are all reminders that keep me running the race that is laid out before me.

I haven’t read all of them yet.  In fact, I haven’t read many. I want to have them when I need a little taste of home and some encouragement.  Some of them have specific dates for me to read them, and others are for specific days when I’m discouraged.

This is the first one I read:

I was pleasantly surprised when Michelle came to my party, as she probably had so many things she could have been doing with her husband that night, but she took the time to write me such an encouraging note.  It doesn’t say ‘maybe’ or ‘someday,’ but it says 'YOU WILL be a light.'  This is a reminder that when things get tough, the light is always near.

Next was a note from my friend Seth:

He’s one of the most creative people I know.  Such a fun way to remind me how much God loves me. Every.single.day!

Next was a note I found hidden in my suitcase from my roommate, Amy.

This was our memory verse one week last fall.  The Lord is ALWAYS on my side!

This one is from my worship pastor, Michael:

It is so important to remember to be COURAGEOUS everyday. God always keeps his promises! What I loved most about this note, though, was that he added lyrics to one of my favorite songs.  “He’s been, so good, so so good to me!” God has been good to me and has blessed me in so many different ways and I shall not forget it!  Click here to hear the song.

And lastly, the most recent letter I read was from one of my best friends, Jordin:

Sometimes it’s just easier to throw your hair in a pony-tail, put on a hoodie, a bit of deodorant, and head out the door!  I actually opened this on Monday, which happened to be the first day in 15 days that I was able to take a real shower.  We rarely have water in the tank on the roof, so we have to shower using buckets of water throughout the week.  It’s too comical that after I had taken my first real shower, I read this note.  (And yes, this note is above my bed to remind me daily!)

I can’t wait to read and put up more letters in the coming months!

Until later, my friends, much love to you from the Dominican Republic!