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!