14 days in the USA

Have you ever been to Disneyworld? Being home felt like that to me! Wonderful…exciting…full of memories…fun…time with my favorite characters…lots of yummy food…you get the picture!

My first few days at home I do think I was experiencing some reverse culture shock. I was reminded that I CAN flush toilet paper…all the signs I read were in English…I can use sink water to brush my teeth…I even didn’t realize how much my regular language is more like Spanglish until my sister kept telling me, “stop! I can’t understand you!” I wasn’t even aware that my regular speech is full of Spanish phrases and words.

I made a pretty serious commitment to myself that I would eat as much ice cream as possible and let me tell you I did a great job at that! I also SO enjoyed sleeping under lots of covers (in the DR I usually sleep on top of my sheets because its so hot), I wore jeans and wasn’t dying of heat, I took lots of very long very hot showers, I drank all sorts of specialty coffees, I experienced being cold (and actually had to borrow sweatshirts and long sleeves from my mom and sisters), I got to see my dog Boo, I wasn’t stared at in public, and I had some lovely shopping experiences.

I went to the mall to try to update my wardrobe. My laundry situation ends up being rough on my clothes and the clothes just get bigger and bigger because I line dry everything. Things also get mysterious bleach marks all over them and just generally don’t look so great after several months of wear and tear.

The mall experience was such a treat. I got to go into a store and pick whatever STYLE I wanted, in the SIZE that I wanted, in the COLOR I wanted…and I didn’t have to convert pesos to dollars in my mind! I don’t do any clothes shopping in the DR. Most of the clothes for sale near me I think have come from secondhand stores in the States…or I will see a shirt that is supposed to say AERO but instead says AEPO…so I’m not really sure where that stuff is coming from. Needless to say, I was really grateful to find a lot of clothes that I needed (especially for the warm summer months that are ahead!)

I can already tell that this blog post is going to be really long, but if you want to hang in there, I will try to condense it down to 14 highlights from my 14 days at home. These are not in chronological order or order of importance J

1.      I had several appointments while I was home and I praise God that they all went well! I am healthy (plus I didn’t have any cavities- that’s always something to be happy about!)

2.      I loved having lots of time with my family for some big events but also for the day to day life events. I love family dinner time, late night runs to the store, everybody on the couch for a prayer time before bed, having coffee and eggs with mom and dad for breakfast, sleepovers with my sister, the list goes on!

3.     What a joy to be at my sister Becca’s high school graduation. She has consistently been a hard worker and a friend to everyone. I am so proud of her and it was great to be there to celebrate her accomplishment.

4.    I also was at my sister Megan’s 8^th grade graduation. She finished really well and I’m so proud of the young lady she is growing up to be. I also got to do her hair and help her get ready J

5.     My sister Lydia recently got engaged! It was super fun to try on bridesmaid dresses with all the bridesmaids…and even more fun to be there with her when she ordered her bridal gown! I’m so happy for her and felt so honored to be there with her for some of these big things.

6.     I spent the last 2 years before the DR living and serving at Grace E Free in Huxley, IA. I got to go for a short visit! It was such a treat to catch up with my friend Jocelyn and my Iowa family, the Rietgrafs. The church also hosted an open house for me so that I could see lots of people. I felt so HONORED and ENCOURAGED by this church family.

7.      To honor Becca and Megan’s graduation, my parents hosted an open house for them. Many of my extended family came to celebrate with them, but I also benefited because I got to see cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. I LOVE my family. I also got to see a lot of friends and church family at that party- its so good to connect with people face to face.

8.     My dad has been pastoring at Pontiac Bible Church for the past 14 years and is now transitioning to the Senior Pastor position at Edgewood Baptist Church in the Quad Cities. May 26^th was my dad’s last Sunday preaching at PBC and it was such a joy to be there for that. The church family also honored him with an open house and special program in the afternoon. My family felt very loved on and it was really meaningful for me to be there to support my dad and affirm him for a great 14 years of ministry in Pontiac. Thank you PBC for all the love and encouragement. AND, to honor my parents, individuals from PBC gave to Kids Alive, specifically to the Park Care Center. What a moving act of generosity!

9.      It was a HUGE encouragement to meet with several families and individuals to get caught up. Thank you for pouring into me, investing in the ministry and in my life, and taking time out to get together.

10.      In January, a group called LeaderTreks came to our care center in the DR to lead a group of teenagers for a mission trip with work projects and a VBS. I loved getting to know the leaders, Dan, Grace, and Zach. Since their offices are in Wheaton, I was able to meet up with them for lunch one day. It was so great to reconnect and be able to talk about the ministry in the DR and also the various sites that they minister in, leading teenagers to serve Jesus.

11. My home church and sending church PBC gave me the opportunity to give an update about life and ministry here. Thank you PBC for giving me that time in the service and for your partnership in the Gospel!

12. Since my family is moving to the Quad Cities (Border of Iowa and Illinois) sometime this summer for my dad to start July 1^st, it was important to me to get a lay of the land and be able to picture where they will be! The whole family was able to take a day to look at houses, get a feel for the area, and get a tour of the church. Now I will be able to picture things when I hear about their new life there!

13.      I wont say who because I know they don’t want the attention…but there is an amazing family with four kids who did something huge. The kids, with help from their parents, decided to do something for the care center. The kids used their own money to save up to buy some medical supplies for the kids at the care center. They saved money they got from their grandpa and money they got in their Easter eggs in a jar with a bandaid on it. After saving for weeks, they went to the store and bought a ton of bandaids and first aid supplies for me to take back and use here. I am so moved by their partnership in the ministry and how God is growing in them a heart for the nations at such young ages! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE J

14.     I got a new computer that I was really needing after my current one was on its last leg. I was able to use ministry funds for this since I use my computer a lot for sponsorship work and for my communication, photos, and blogging. Thank you to my supporters! The new computer has already been so helpful!

I honestly could probably keep going, but I tried to condense my time home down to 14 highlights. Mostly I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who made my time at home so wonderful. When I think of someone encouraging me I literally think of YOU putting COURAGE into ME. And that’s just what happened! You filled up my tank and gave me courage and support to keep going. Thank you for listening to my joys and difficulties and for investing in my life.

I started off as a very inconsistent blog writer, but I got so much positive feedback while I was home about it, so I want to continue to write often because I know that so many of you read this. Thank you for that- I appreciate the partnership and knowing that so many of you take an interest in what is happening here and pray for me according to those details. I have also found writing to be really helpful as I process what the Lord is doing here.

And to wrap up, I just want to share how the Lord was so near to me yesterday during my travel day. I had a really hard time saying goodbye to my family after such a wonderful visit. It was 1:30 AM on Wednesday morning and it was pouring down rain. I said my goodbyes and gave all my hugs and finally got in the van with my dad and my suitcase. I sobbed and sobbed for the first 10 miles straight.

But the lord is so near to me. I felt his presence so close to me all day. On my flight from Miami to Puerto Plata I had a window seat (always my favorite) and as soon as I could start to see the island, I sensed the Lord reminding me first of how much HE loves the people here, and second how much I love the people here. He reminded me in such a sweet way that he called me here and he provides everything that I need to live and serve here for this season of my life. It was such a special time with my Savior in row 28 overlooking the North Coast preparing me again to LOVE with ALL THE LOVE THAT HE GIVES.

Well if you made it all the way to the end of this short novel, thanks!

"the only Christian in my family"

Wanted: Graduating 8^th graders entering high school. Strong in academics. Focused and Involved. Well behaved. Good attendance.  Leader. Good example to younger students.

Job Role: Tutoring small groups of students. Supporting teaching staff. Helping in the cafeteria. Assisting in Awana. Crowd control. All around helpers.

In Exchange for: Continued delicious nutritious meals at the care center. Some heathcare. Discipleship and Bible study. Stipend to pay for transportation to and from the local highschool and support family. Great job experience.

Tarina grew up in our Kids Alive care center and was chosen as an 8^th grader to be in our high school scholarship program. She comes to the care center in the morning and goes to her high school classes in the afternoon. She is a huge help! She takes first graders who are falling behind into a small group to tutor them and give them more individualized attention. She is a big help in the cafeteria putting out all the food and water before lunch. She gives support to the staff. She is a junior leader on Fridays during Awana- bringing a lot of excitement to her team. This school year, I have seen her grow in maturity, respect, and responsibility. She always comes with a big smile on her face and seeing her walk in the office always brightens my day J

I was talking to her today and asking her about her relationship with the Lord. Praise God that she is a Christian! I asked her if any of her family members are Christians…she said no. I asked her what that is like for her…she said, “Emily, it’s so hard to be the only Christian in my family.” I tried to encourage her reminding her that she has made the best decision of her life and also that God knows her situation and he is ALWAYS with her-even when she feels alone. I’m really grateful that she is involved in her church and youth group and also that she is going to be involved in the care center during her high school years so that she can stay connected to a Christian community and be encouraged in her faith.

Wow…I was born into a Christian family so it’s hard for me to imagine anything else. I’m going to start praying for her. She told me how hard it is and I’m sure the difficulty covers many aspects of daily life, morality, conversations, big decisions…well, I imagine its all-encompassing…

I’m praying that she will keep her eyes fixed on Jesus-

I’m trusting HIM to protect her and comfort her-

I’m asking that God would use her in a big way to bring her other family members to Jesus-

I’m thinking Tarina is gonna be a world changer for Christ.

 

ice cream, air conditioning, and a movie

This weekend I got out of Montellano!!

The second floor of building number 13 on the street called Maria Agramonte is inhabited by 5 single American missionary ladies in their twenties. It’s pretty fun!

Anyway, four of us decided to get out and go to the big city of Santiago J

We took an air conditioned bus about an hour and a half to a city that feels a little bit more like home. Wanna hear about my day??

We had lunch at T.G.I. Fridays!! I got a burger, fries, and a Diet Coke. I’m not usually a big burger person, but it tasted so good and so “American”. The menu had some English titles and the restaurant was decorated with English signs and lettering. Even the bathrooms had “W” and “M”. American pop music was jamming through the speakers…

Next we got in a taxi (again, air conditioned) to take us to….wait for it….the mall!!!!

In the mall, I felt a little bit like I was having sensory overload…so many stores, so much to look at, price tags on everything, so much variety, people everywhere, air conditioning…We found some cool jewelry stores and I stocked up on fun earrings J

I got on an escalator (don’t think I’ve done that in 6 months) to get to the second floor where we found Baskin Robbins. Let me tell you, that chocolate ice cream tasted so good. I have had ice cream since being here, but the Dominican ice cream is kindof different, and I can’t keep ice cream in the freezer since the power goes out for up to 12 hours at a time. That little scoop of chocolate hit the spot!

Then, we went to the movie theatre! Ironman 3 was playing in English. I really liked the movie (But I probably really would have liked anything- just seeing a movie on a big screen and sitting in a comfy chair!)

We got back on the bus and made our way back to the North Coast. When we take the bus, you can ask for it to stop at the gas station in our town so you can hop out quickly! There is always a group of motorcycle taxis waiting there to take people wherever they need to go. Well, one of our moto taxi friends was there and saw gringas through the windows of the bus…as soon as the door opened, he reached his hand to touch my face and grabbed Karen’s hand- so happy to see us and of course get our business. He whizzed us through the streets of Montellano until we were safely home.

And what a welcome home it was…there was no running water (our cistern must be empty), a cockroach fell on my neighbor so she was furiously looking for it to try to kill before she could fall asleep, and Karen and I suspected that the neighborhood cat went through our garbage…oh Montellano.

Disclaimer: I hope that none of this comes across as complaining about my life…its just that going to Santiago brought out how different this Montellano life really is! I am really excited about going home NEXT WEEK! I wonder what kind of reverse culture shock surprises are waiting for me…. J