"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