Dominican...wow. I can't even begin to put into words the immense blessing that the Lord bestowed upon me when I got off that plane last Monday in Santo Domingo. At first I was absolutely terrified: I didn't know anybody, I didn't speak the language, and the mere thought of working in that kind of environment scared me. But, as in the past, God starts work in me by shoving me out of my comfort zone to the extreme. The work was physically and sometimes mentally draining, but through it all I could sense God at work. I kept a journal while I was down there, and as I was reading through it all, I could see the change in me. Experiencing it was...oh my gosh. Wonderful. I went to the DR thinking that I was the one who was going to be working for other people. Turns out that God was using them to work in me. Who I was before I left last week isn't even who I am now. There were things in my life that I didn't know how to fix, how to make better...thankfully I have a Father who knows how to turn something dead into something alive and beautiful.

The Haitians I worked with are some of the most WONDERFUL children in the family of God. Their happiness isn't from petty material things like we have in America. That's such a shallow cop out. They are happy because they are full of the joy of the Lord and His AMAZING gift of salvation. They have a spiritual wealth that we in America should be seeking. We need to ditch the materialism and drab attitude every Sunday mornings and rejoice in what Jesus has done on the cross for us. I was moved to tears sitting in the church Sunday night because I could feel God's presence. I knew in that moment that everything was all part of His plan for me, and He was pleased with me. I miss the DR, everybody on the team, and the Haitians SO much. Here's to DR Mission Trip 2011!