Relampago

Happy Sunday!  Yesterday, we got to be a part of the Christian Sports' Association "clean up Sosua" event.  This event was hosted by the Association for all of their coaches and teams.  This is something they try to do 3-4 times a year as a great way to give back to the community and more importantly show God's love through the work.  What was even more exciting was that while we worked in El Batey (one area of Sosua), another team worked in La Cienega, another worked in Cangrejo, and another worked in Maranatha.  It was one of those moments when you feel God smiling as His Kingdom works throughout the city to bring glory to His name.  Here are a few pictures of the boys and the day (we forgot to get pictures after starting off):

Praying before the event starts.

 The boys and their coaches/leaders at El Batey.

During devotional time before the event.

And then as we all know, trials come in so many forms and Satan knows our weaknesses.  After a great day of work, the evening brought with it a storm.  The sky grew very dark and we saw flashes of lightning in the distance.  As the storm grew closer, we closed all the windows and turned off all the electricity.  The lightning began to hit all around when I noticed our outdoor light was still on.  So I quickly opened the door and reached my hand to turn off the switch.  At that moment, lightning struck within 100 yards on our neighboring hill (it was so bright it hurt your eyes).  You could feel the explosion of the thunder frightening us all but especially Aubrey.  This is not our first experience with lightning in the Dominican.  In fact, 2 weeks ago J had gone off with Raphael (one of our AIM staff members) to another community when a similar storm blew through.  In this instance, lightning struck either our roof of the roof of one of our neighbors.  It was then (and again last night) when we were reminded of the warfare being waged around us.  We sought refuge not from our physical home but from the fortress that is our God.  God reminded me this morning in 1 Peter 1:6-9:

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

 

 

p.s.  Thanks for all the continuous prayers.  Bible Study/ESL went great on Wednesday (Saturday was cancelled for the "Clean Up Sosua" event, but we restart this Wednesday hopefully with a book.)  It was actually a lot of fun to help teach (J is the teacher, I'm the teaching assistant, and Aubrey is the student aide.)  :) 

 

p.p.s.  And I had my first Spanish "lesson" with some neighbors on Friday night.  More of a communication partner but very much needed.  I am working on conjugating verbs again in the present, past and future.  I even bought a notebook (and most of you know how much I love getting new school supplies!).  The good news is it's slowly all coming back! (or most of it)  Thanks mom for making me take Spanish in high school. :)

 

Pigtails

Hey prayer warriors!  Things are going really well here.  We continue to play with the neighborhood kids almost everyday and yesterday we had 14 (including Aubrey) in our driveway.  Fun but exhausting.  Sometimes I think J enjoys it more than they do as I watch him running around screaming or bending over making farting noises.  Oh boys!  :)  It has been VERY hot, but I am hoping for some "fall" weather soon.  We start the Bible study/ESL tonight for the coaches and people we know from the community (it will be Wednesday and Saturday nights from 4-7 pm), so please be praying for this.  Also, we will be making a trip to Haiti later this week, so please pray for travel mercies.  So, I just wanted to let you all in on a few recent conversations in our lives.  :)

Allow me to set the scene...
Sunday morning I asked J if we had anything going on today besides church.  J responded, "No, dear, we don't have anything going on unless they surprise me with needing to translate or preach of some kind."  To which we both chuckled knowing it's just like those Dominicans to call you on the spot.

Fast forward six hours later...
J, Aubrey and I are sitting in church worshiping and attempting to listen to basically everything said.  Now you must remember, I hear bits and pieces here and there.  J can understand more, but it is still easy to slightly drift away for a second.  One of the men in the church is speaking in between worship songs when suddenly we both hear, "Mi hermano Jaime..."  Knowing J is the only Jaime in the church, both of us look up unsure of what's to come.  J walks up there as the man finishes his statement and quietly asks:

J:  What do you want me to do?
Man: In Spanish- You have the opportunity.
J:  Blank stare
Man: In Spanish- If you want to sing a song, if you want to say something, whatever you want.
J: I ain't singing...  Candace let me have that Bible.

Luckily, our nephew Cael was learning Bible verses before we left to which we were a part of.  So, J used Joshua 1:9 ("Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid." - with motions).  Big thanks to Cael for saving the day!  :)


Another sweet moment...
Neighborhood kids: In Spanish- How old are you?  21?  (Bless those sweet kids.)
Candace- (big smile) 27.
Kids- (shocked faces) 27.  Wow!!
Candace-  J is 30.  (yes, I totally threw him under the bus.)
Kids- (larger shocked faces- I might as well have told them we were 100.)


Lastly, God again placed another missionary family in our lives (they are originally from Tennessee) and have been here 2 years.  They work with youth in the area, so after exchanging contact information, we are looking forward to meeting up with them to talk about their work, our work and what we can do together.  It is amazing to meet so many people working for God in the Dominican.  As we keep saying, God is moving in the DR and we are blessed to be a part of it!!

And a few pictures...

 These are Aubrey's first pigtails!!  It was basically a pigtail mullet with business in the front and pigtails in the back.  But I thought it was too cute.  :)

 Another picture of the pigtails.  You can see the business side here.

 And I didn't think we had actually posted any pictures of the outside of our house.  Obviously we are living on the ground floor.  They are still working on the second and third story.  It will probably take another year or so to finish all of it.  The house to the right is where the awesome Jose and his family live.  He is our "fix it" man who can do everything.

A little closer up.  We actually have flower beds to keep up with. :)  That's our water storage and our propane tank for the stove/oven.

How much rice do you have?

How much rice do you have in your home right now?  If it's anything like mine, I have enough for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for several days.  And if I wanted, I could go buy more right now. 

We were reminded yet again of how rich and "fat" we are with blessings.  One of our AIM staff members was counting his blessings yesterday.  Among them is the fact that he has "just enough" rice for his daily bread.  He doesn't have a surplus and he is not looking for a surplus.  He counts this as a blessing because on a daily basis he has to come before God and pray for tomorrow's daily bread.  As he stated, if he had more than enough, he would not have the opportunity to kneel before God and ask for His provisions. 

I know I regularly sit back and think "I'll pray for this or that" and either ramble off a quick prayer to God or simply forget.  I have never been in the position where I do not know where my next meal is coming from.  Even now as missionaries, we are blessed beyond measure.  Some months will be tighter than others, but we still have a surplus of "rice".  Yet, there is something so rich and amazing I have not gained that many of our Dominican counterparts have.  They rely on God completely for their livelihood.  They rely on him for food, water, shelter, clothing, and anything they need.  And God always provides for them.  It is very humbling to hear story after story about not having enough food to feed their family and God provides through a generous person, a donation, something dropping off a food truck...  The list goes on and on of God's power and mercy.  I pray that my time here in the Dominican will help me to become more faithful in God's power.  I pray I will come to know what it is like to rely on God for food, water, and shelter rather than my own provisions.  I pray I will gain that deeper connection and love for God as He provides for my needs.

 

One of my favorite verses:

"And why do you worry about your clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin... So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matthew 6:28-34

Keeping it Spicy

Hola gang!  I wanted to give a quick update for you all and post a few pictures.

First, J was asked to translate two nights ago for some Canadian missionaries who are visiting. Although his initial reaction was fear and frustration at again being pushed outside his comfort zone, he did a great job with the help of the Holy Spirit and, I believe, would be happy to do it again.  I am so proud of all the work he is doing and his acceptance of the stretching by God. It is not easy as you all know.

J's meeting with the association last week went well and it looks like we will begin the ESL classes by the end of September with an hour Bible study twice a week.  This is part of my being pushed outside my comfort zone as I may be leading the ESL portion of the classes.  (I am still working on the courage and peace about this.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers!!)

Lastly, God is so good and continues to place people in our lives reinvigorating our hearts and minds for His work!  We had lunch with a group of Canadian missionaries yesterday who reaffirmed our calling and the necessary work of making disciples.  How humbling it is for God to put likeminded people together from different countries.  Sitting and eating with these Canadians, it's easy to forget that we had worked together with them before without ever having met.  Several of them have a heart for Africa, so who knows what doors may open there.  All I know is God is moving and we better be ready for the bridegroom's return!!!

And for a funny moment in our life:  We have been drinking coffee a little more often as Dominican coffee is really good.  This morning I kept thinking mine tasted a little different but maybe just had a bad flavor in my mouth.  Come to find out, J had added a little chili powder to it rather than cinnamon.  We are keeping things spicy here.  :) 

And now for some pictures, I know you all have been waiting.

Aubrey in an outfit from Lisa Lee!

 A morning shot of Aubrey.  I thought she looked adorable.  :)

 Mommy and Aubrey at a birthday party for one of Pastor Rivas' daughters.

 Some neighborhood friends and Aubrey playing with chalk on the driveway.

 

Aubrey and Loralee relaxing outside.  And, yes, that is a tiny ponytail on top of Aubrey's head.  :)

 

 

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return..." 

Matthew 25:13



Genuine Faith

Hey prayer warriors!  I must say, I love having so many faithful people praying for God's work here in the Dominican and specifically in Sosua.  We are blessed to have you on our team supporting us through everything.  Overall, we are doing great.  Some days are harder than others (more on that later), but I am happy to say that those "rough" days (if you could truly call them that) are fading away and being replaced by that feeling of this is our life and God, we are here to do your work so make us busy!

J continues to have meetings every week with the AIM staff, and they have already come so far in the plan to disciple the local coaches and train the coaches in ways to reach these children.  They meet with the director of the Dominican Christian Sports Association tomorrow to get his input on the organizational plan and his thoughts on what work is needed to be done in this place, so please be praying for this.  We have started gathering information about starting an ESL class/Bible study for the coaches and hope to start by the end of September.  We continue to have the neighborhood kids over to "play" and have started a small children's Bible study with them.  (Believe me, although this sounds like the "Norman Rockwell" neighborhood event, it is exhausting and overwhelming some days- this is when I understand the work we are here to do.)  J preached this past Sunday at a church in Cangrejo and according to him "it went much better, in fact I (J) even made a joke."  We attended a prayer gathering last night with a nearby Haitian church which was awesome, inspiring, amazing... (pick a word).  We praised God alongside our Dominican and Haitian brothers and sisters.  I will try to post a short video from it.  You cannot help but move and praise God with the love you feel pouring out from each one of them. 

Aubrey is doing great, growing and starting to get some of that special attitude all 1 1/2-2 year olds get.  At least when she throws a fit in the grocery store it is in a different country.  :)  She is still getting several teeth and had a little fever tonight, so please be praying for her (and patience for us as we reach this special stage in her life- toddler independence versus parental guidance.) 

And how am I?  Well, that's a great question and. I must be honest, depends on the day.  I love being here in the Dominican and the work we are here to do (who doesn't want to live on a tropical island spreading the Word and love of God to children?).  But, I have a bad habit of measuring my self worth in what I accomplish (I am a to-do list kind of girl.  I will add things to my list just to mark them off.)  Therefore, when my day does not involve going to the hospital for my 12+ hours and taking care of 5 patients or going to the church office and completing the needed tasks, I feel as though I have not accomplished anything.  I have been praying (a lot) about this and finding my place here in the Dominican (by this I mean what work I am here to do).  The majority of our work right now is relationship building (with our AIM staff, with the coaches, with the children, with the community, with community leaders, etc), and I have to come to a place where I accept where and in what position God has placed me.  God is stretching me constantly in everything I have ever known and relied on.  I would appreciate your prayers for this growth and change.  Although I know this brings about growth in Christ, it is hard! 

We love you all!  (I will try to post more pictures soon!)

"These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  1 Peter 1:7

Only in the Dominican

Hey gang!  We are definitely settled in now, Praise the Lord!  Overall things have been going very smoothly minus a few inconveniences, but that's to expect with any house and move.  The hardest part has been figuring out things like when the trash comes (according to our neighbor Jose "they come when they want to", us as Americans are still trying to determine the schedule and we have it down to every 6-7 days or so) and how electricity works (aka who do we pay; there is no company you call to set it up, it's just on and you might have to pay a neighbor or someone- according to Pastor Rivas "they will let you know"), how to keep the dogs out of your trash (J currently has the trash can lid tied to the base and the whole thing tied to the fence), and how to keep the chickens out of your yard or better yet how to get them out of your yard (being a city girl, I have no idea how to scare/get chickens to move in the direction you want them to). 

It is quite the adventure and I often say "only in the Dominican."  On that note, J and Checo (part of the AIM team) had practice and VBS with a group of kids today at Cangrejo.  Throughout their practice, I saw 2 pigs, 2 horses and 1 cow grazing/roaming across the field.  That was definitely an "only in the Dominican" moment.

And here is the part you have all been waiting for, more pictures!! 

 Aubrey munching on some cantaloupe.

 You are standing at our front door looking into the living room.

 The kitchen and dining area.

 The kitchen.

 Obviously, the bathroom.

 A picture of Aubrey's dresser.  I thought it was super cute and the knobs are flowers.  :)

 

 We learned a recipe to make banana smoothies; however, the power was out so only a few electrical outlets work.  Therefore, J was using the only one available and blending on his lap.

Aubrey completely enjoying the banana smoothie.  Not sure if you can tell, but she has a moustache and goatee of smoothie. 



And for all you avocado lovers, they hand them out by the dozens down here.  There are several trees right around us and our neighbors keep us well stocked.  Avocado for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack!  (And yes, the avocado truly is the size of Aubrey's head.)

How Great Is Our God

I saw this video tonight and had to post a link.  "How Great is Our God"??!!  Take a few minutes to watch... just amazing. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg5qDljEw7Q

I know I posted this verse 2 days ago, but I think this video gives a perfect picture for Revelation 7:9-10:

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 
And they cried out in a loud voice:

'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'"

Predicando (preaching)

Well, J survived his first preaching in Spanish (thanks in large part to all of your prayers).  And although I could not understand everything, I think he did great!  J, however, felt frustrated because he could not speak with the same passion, humor, or vocabulary as he does in English.  According to him, he felt like he sounded like an 8 year old.  But, one of the true blessings is that God can take even an "8 year olds" words and reach somebody for His glory. 

For me, one of the best parts was J's discussion on an insight into heaven (I read the transcript in English before the preaching).  Sometimes at church, we sing songs that were first written in English (most of these you might be familiar with such as Revelation Song or Stronger).  When they sing these songs in Spanish, J and I are often following along but in English.  As it states in Revelation 7:9-10,

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 
And they cried out in a loud voice:

'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'"

For us, this is one of those rare moments when we get to be a part of that "every nation, tribe, people and language."  And yet we are only singing in 2 languages!  Can you imagine what it will be like to stand before the throne praising God with brothers and sisters from everywhere (and I mean literally everywhere) with all types of languages?!!  You cannot help but smile throughout Worship especially when God gives you visions such as this. 

 

Our Daddy God continues to lay the path for our feet in the Dominican.  Through His working, we have met several other American missionaries, and we are actually meeting up with one of the couples (who have been here 8 years and have a local school) tomorrow.  God is moving so quickly that I feel like we are sprinting to keep up.  I cannot wait to continue to watch His story unfold and see what He has in store for us.  Thanks again for your prayers and love.  Although we are getting settled and feeling more and more comfortable, we still miss home and each of you! 

 

p.s.  Please keep praying as J has been asked by Mercedes (one of our beloved Haitian sisters in Christ) to preach at her church this Sunday.  I know J is honored to be asked but nervous at the same time.