Spring Break has come and gone already! I cannot believe it has almost been a week since I have been home! Some of you may know and some may not, that I was able to go to the Dominican Republic with about 50 other people from my church. It was such a blessing and encouragement to be able to serve and labor with such wonderful brothers and sisters.
We headed out on Friday, and we ventured to Chicago where our plan would depart to NYC then to Santo Domingo. The bus ride was great then once at the airport we had a minor glitch with some of the tickets leaving 15 people in Chicago for an extra day. This was quite a test for me due to 3/4 of my group being left in Chicago. But one of them reminded me that this was the Lord's plan all along and little did she know that would become her comfort soon after.
So the other 30 or so of us continued on our way through security and then through two plane rides and finally to safely arriving in Santo Domingo at 530 am! It was beautiful when we got there though! It was probably 70 ish degrees already when we stepped out of the airports to our awaiting taxis. Shaly (Praise the Lord for her!!!), met this women named Evelyn, who little did we all know would become a HUGE blessing to us. She arranged everything she could to make our trip as smooth as possible. I am so thankful for her service to us and for her faith in Jesus Christ.
A typical morning looked like this: Wake up, get ready, shower, QT (quiet time), breakfast (FABULOUS I must add), worship, prayer, sunscreen application, walking, crossing insanely fast and crazy traffic, getting a whiff of very unpleasant odor, amazing conversation with my Fearsome Five group mates :o) among some very other interesting things. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely thankful for this trip and praise the Lord, I grew in many ways, but it just isn't America.
Then once on campus we would generally break down into smaller groups and begin to seek out the divine appointments the Lord had previously set up for us. It was so awesome to see the Lord at work in SOOOOOOO many peoples lives in the Dominican. Generally, people had a knowledge about God and who Jesus was, but they were stuck when it came to works and grace. Many people were all about good works being the ONLY way to heaven.
However, we were able to explain to them the best we could, that ONLY through Jesus is the way we can be made right and be able to see heaven one day. See heaven is perfect and humans are not. It says in Romans 3:23 "For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Every single person on the face of the planet has fallen short of the standard of God, perfection. Thus, there is no way by ourselves that we could be able to work our way to heaven. God loved this world so much that he gave his son, Jesus, to be a sacrifice for every persons' sins. Every single sin on the face of the planet was satisfied in Jesus Christ. By believing in Jesus, that he is the son of God, that he was perfect and died for your sins, and believing that he is alive in heaven today; and understanding your need for a Savior to be able to go to heaven, you can be saved. You can know for certain that you will spend eternity in heaven and not the burning pits of hell.
That truth set me free five and a half years ago, and it began to set people free in the Dominican as well. There were a few people who accepted Christ and who really want to labor in Santo Domingo on campus for the gospel. What an encouragement that was to my soul! There were many who heard the gospel and many seeds planted and watered that I am confident the Lord will carry to completion.
This trip was so humbling to me in so many ways! First, I know pretty much zero Spanish, the native language there. I was very nervous, but decided to needed to trust the Lord with the ability to get by there with people who spoke English. Thankfully, there were quite a few who know English, but not as many as I would have liked. However, God is faithful and he provided exactly what I needed. Secondly, my group members gave me so much grace. As I said, I was definitely the weakest member in terms of language, but they were all willing to teach and help me understand what I needed to say in each situation. Thank you Alejandro, Staban, Yessica, and Ally! Your grace was much appreciated! Also my group members were extremely loving even when I wasn't. I experienced culture shock and homesickness for the first time in my life! I couldn't believe that I was actually feeling that way, but I did! :) It was really freeing to admit it to my group and instantly feel accepted by them. Next, the saints in America, interceding on behalf of us in Santo Domingo, was extremely humbling. There were thousands of people praying for our time there and all I can say, if you were one of them THANK YOU! You will never know how much impact you made there, but it was astounding! I truly learned how much the power of pray can do for one city. I knew pray was powerful, but I had never been a part of it at that magnitude before. That ties in with the last big thing I learned while on this trip. How powerful the Lord truly is. It pretty much sums it up, words cannot due the Lord justice, but the power and beauty in the Lord was astonishing to me. God reigns over this entire earth, and I knew that, but I realized it here. He is so powerful, he is seeking the hearts who will love him back, wherever he can find them. He desires relationships with whomever will have him, his love is unfailing, faithfulness beyond the oceans, strong, mighty, and willing to fight for anyone. I just saw displayed so accurately how much God desires and pursues each individual to be his, beloved and holy.
God is going to keep doing amazing things there! There is a church in San Pedro who are going to be starting a Bible study on campus there in Santo Domingo. In July, there will also be a team of approximately 30 people from Florida going down to be a part of the Bible study. The plans are to prayerfully plant a church in Santo Domingo within the year.
Please pray for: Lasting fruit, disciples to be raised up, leaders to be formed, God would be glorified and honored, the Gospel would be proclaimed on campus, boldness, winsome attitudes and actions, labors for the harvest. You could also pray for grace in follow-up contact. We all met many people there, and there are so many people in need of discipleship and love. It is extremely difficult to do that across an ocean. Please pray for grace and wisdom in that, and that the people from San Pedro and Florida will be able to follow-up with these people as well. God is so faithful and he will continue to be in the lives of those in Santo Domingo.
I just want to thank you all again for the blessing you were in our lives while we were there! Your prayers were coveted! <3
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Now, that we are back in America school is once again in full swing and for me ALMOST OVER!! Hallelujah, Praise God! I am so thankful! Only Jesus has delivered me from these 10 weeks of trial. I am very thankful for the lessons I have learned over the course of this class and nursing school overall.
I have my final test in the class I am in Tuesday, March 29 at 9:00. I could pass or fail this class based upon this test. This is not meant to feel sorry for me in anyway! Only an opportunity for you to pray for Jesus' will to be done in my life! :) I am content with whatever situation the Lord decides to place in my path. Whether that means taking this class over in the fall or passing now, whichever will advanced the gospel more is what I want, "Yet not my will, but yours be done." This is what the Lord has been teaching me over the course of the last few weeks. The only way I can begin to say this is due his grace! I am not strong enough, humble enough, or weak enough to say that 'I will gladly retake an entire semester of class', but only by Jesus can this begin to be possible. I know my future doesn't lie with nursing school or a career it lies in heaven and that is one thing I am sure of! I am thankful that I have a sure salvation in Jesus and a sure hope in heaven above! How I long for the day I can worship my Savior face to face with zero distractions!
I would gladly take your prayers for this class. Whatever is good, not my preference, but His. I will definitely let you all know how it goes!
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
II Corinthians 1:3-4
This is the verse I am claiming through nursing school, and I never knew that it would actually apply to me! :) Funny how the Lord works sometimes! :)
Keep Dancing
