This month has been fun, exciting and full of blessings. We’ve been getting to know Hannah and Alejandro and their children more, earlier this month I was even able to make birthday pancakes for Elsie and Isaac on their third birthday. We also had the kids over for a pizza party/movie night, complete with popcorn and an ice cream sundae bar. I think everyone had fun and the parents got to enjoy an evening of quiet. I have also acquired Elsie (and occasionally Isaac and Aiker as well), as a mini helper, with her often following me around and helping me with things, and her help does sometimes make tasks take twice as long but she makes good company and I can’t turn down the giggles I get from it. The kids are always compensated for their help, of course, by taste testing treats for me or the occasional M&M, no free child labor here.
We attended a Fourth of July party in Santo Domingo with some friends of ours, and were able to meet more missionaries who live in DR and celebrate with them. In addition to making new human friends, they also had a litter of puppies who were too irresistible to not hang out with.
We attended several more celebratory events, including a baby shower and a wedding, and both events were so lovely, it’s truly an honor to celebrate with your friends. I especially enjoyed going to the baby shower and painting onesies and sharing food with everyone there.
I also got to celebrate our friend Hilda’s birthday with her and other friends with a trip to the beach for a few days. This was over our only week without teams during our summer VBS/Construction season, so the relaxing days laying by the pool or the sea were welcome.
As always I’ve been experimenting and trying to change up the dessert menu, and so far no one’s told me to stop. A crowd favorite seems to be some brownie bottom cheesecake bites, which are exactly what they sound like, mini cheesecakes with a layer of brownie on the bottom as opposed to a crust. When I had a batch coming out of the oven that was made specifically for Hannah and Alejandro (because what better anniversary gift than a dozen mini cheesecakes?) Several people commented on how they smelled so I was inclined to make 3 dozen more to have that evening. I don’t mind baking though, so I’m happy to do it, though I think I’ll be even happier when it’s a little less hot and a little more bearable to be in the kitchen cooking. So I’ve enjoyed experimenting with both the teams for us personally behind the scenes, I even made horchata (a sweet, creamy drink) one weekend and everyone really enjoyed that.
The teams we’ve had this month have been such blessings, getting to welcome a couple of teams from Ohio, one even from our hometown. It’s always fun to see familiar faces and talk to people who know home so well. One team this month was determined to bless us with something we needed (without me even saying what I needed or asking) and in that raised enough money to bless Christian and I with an Air Conditioner and a hot water heater. I tried to decline but they were tough to argue with and were SO generous, not only with physical gifts but also by pouring into us. The gifts of air conditioning and hot water however will help us deal with this heat immensely and I cannot describe how nice it is to have these luxuries. I continually thank God for blessing us in so many ways and for moving the hearts of people to help take care of us in ways we’d never even ask for ourselves.
We have been so incredibly blessed by people, both friends and strangers, in the midst of a really hard and chaotic season with so much uncertainty going on in our personal lives. You never know what’s going on in someone’s life or how much of an impact you will have by doing something you might even think is small. I’ve been on both sides of this and it’s amazing to see how God works through community.
A passage I’ve been meditating on is Romans 10:14-15. This is the passage that reminds me why I am here, as a missionary but also as a Christian, being obedient to the Lord. These are a few of the verses that made me become interested in cross-cultural ministry, even when that journey started near my hometown, unsure if I’d ever even leave. These verses remind me of why I became a missionary, and that getting the gospel to every person, is what I am working toward, even on the days that are hard and I feel like I’m the least qualified person. I trust that God is using me where I’m at, in ways I may not even realize.
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:14-15
Prayer Requests:
- Finding rest, both physical and spiritual
- Guidance from the Lord in dealing with many heavy, stressful situations.
