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."