let hope rise

Here is my latest email update:

Let hope rise and darkness tremble in your holy light- that every eye would see Jesus our God, great and mighty to be praised. God of all days, glorious in all of your ways- the majesty, the wonder and grace-in the light of your name.

Our hearts they cry, be glorified, be lifted high above all names. For you our King with everything we will shout forth Your praise!

This is from Hillsong United’s song “With Everything”. Whenever I listen to these lyrics, my heart instantly goes to Caraballo. This is what I am praying- that hope would rise here and that darkness would tremble- that Jesus would be glorified and many would come to know Him.

I am thankful every day for your partnership with the ministry here in Caraballo. I know that many of you sacrifice so I can be here and many of you are praying for me every day- I am deeply humbled and grateful. Please know that God is answering your prayers and strengthening me every day for the work that He has for me.

A lot has happened since my last email update! Sometimes it is hard to know which details I should share and which things to leave out, so I think the best thing will be to tell you a few stories that have deeply impacted me these last few weeks. I hope you will be able to catch a glimpse of God’s kingdom here through these stories.

Neroliza is a sweet fourth grader in our sponsorship program. We were deeply saddened to learn that she fell out of a very high tree while trying to pick fruit. She fell and dislocated her shoulder and broke four vertebrae. I was so worried about her and anxious to go visit her. After some time in the hospital she returned to her home near our care center and I got to visit. She is in a cast covering her entire torso- from right under her arms all the way to her hips. She is not able to sit up, so spends all her time lying in bed in her tiny, hot, humble home. She will have the cast on for three months and then her doctors will evaluate to see if she will need a surgery. Her mom said it is amazing that she even survived the fall because she fell on the dirt when she could have fallen on a big slab of concrete right under the tree. The first time I visited her, I was incredibly overwhelmed by her situation. It is so hard to see a child in that much pain and discomfort, but especially when the living conditions are a far cry from our “normal”. I had been praying for her so much and praying for God to show her somehow that He was near.

Last week we had a work team here serving. They sacrificed their time and gifts to make a difference here. We had some men working on construction, some joyful painters, a baseball coach excited to work with our older boys, and a dental hygienist and her assistant making our kids smiles even brighter. I loved the experience of having this group here. I know they made an impact here and I pray that their time here makes a lifelong impact on them too. My major role here is the Sponsorship Coordinator. So, with this team here, I chose 8 second grade kids who were in need of sponsors to highlight throughout the week. As I was talking about sponsorship, one team member told me that his daughter at home sponsors a little girl in our program. I was excited to help them connect- so he checked with his daughter and then the next day let me know that she sponsors a girl named…..Neroliza!

Can you believe how God orchestrated this? He sent the sponsors of the very girl who most needed a visit! It was a total joy for me to be able to take them to Neroliza’s house. They got to sit with her, get a photo, meet her mom, and pray with her. This made such an impact on me- I saw God answer my prayer for her to know that He was near to her. I think this was a really special moment for both Neroliza and her sponsor family. I love how the Kids Alive sponsorship program really touches lives and provides for an amazing connection with children at risk.

Speaking of sponsorship, let me go back to those 8 kids I was highlighting. Praise God that 3 of them got sponsored this week! It was amazing to me to see God moving in hearts as some first saw a picture of a child, then got to meet that child, and quickly fell in love and were moved to become part of that child’s life! I was taking pictures of these kids a few weeks ago to highlight and explained that I would be looking and praying for sponsors for them. Amarly is one of those second grade sweeties and every day for weeks she was asking me, “Do I have a sponsor yet?” I was thrilled about the day I heard a couple on this team tell me they wanted to be Amarly’s sponsors. It is encouraging how God has gone before me and prepared the way for me and is equipping me to be the Sponsorship Coordinator here- and I am loving it!

Would you please keep praying for me in my school nurse role? Every day, many little ones come to me wanting everything from a hug, to a band aid, to a cure for a rare skin condition. I’m asking for God to steady my heart during the times that I feel overwhelmed or inadequate. I know that HE is my strength- my hope- my joy. Please pray for the little ones who live in pain, physical and otherwise. Pray that God will continue to give me wisdom on how to love and serve. I have begun praying with kids before they leave my desk. This has been a really sweet time and I do ask for God to intervene in big ways in these situations. Coming up I will be working on a big project of updating all the kids charts with their height and weight and doing the biannual deworming, so if you could be remembering us and praying during that time, I would appreciate it!

I can never say it enough- thank you for your partnership. It would not be possible for me to be here without you.  Thank you for investing in God’s kingdom in the Dominican Republic. I love hearing from you! Please feel free to drop me an email or a letter in the mail J