“I’m Not a Christian Anymore Because…”

If I had 10 pesos for every time I heard this, I'd never lack for money to buy my favorite cappuccino. I say that in a joking manner, but in reality, it’s no laughing matter.

The following is just of one of many similar conversations I have had:

Amanda (accusingly): “Sandra’s a Christian?” (knowing that Sandra made a profession of faith a year ago)

Sandra (embarrassed): “No.”

Me: “You’re not a Christian? Why?”

Sandra: “I’m not a Christian anymore because they listen to worldly music in my house.”

Me (confused look on my face): “And….?”

Sandra: “And I like it. I can’t help myself. I dance to it.”

Me: “So you’re not a Christian anymore because you dance to bad music?”

Sandra (sheepishly): “Yes”

In each conversation, the reason why one is no longer a Christian varies, ranging from things like listening to worldly music to saying bad words to wearing immodest clothing. Now, before you jump to conclusions, I am not saying those things are ok for a Christian to do, nor am I in any way trying to condone sin by what I write in this post. I firmly believe that a believer in Jesus will be drastically different from the world in the way they talk, the clothes they wear, the places they go, and the music they listen to (it may not happen all at once, but true faith will change those things). However, what concerns me is the fact that my kids/teens in the batey think they are losing their salvation over these things.

I realize that, as believers, we may have different viewpoints on the eternal security of salvation. However, for me this issue goes much deeper than this one teaching. For me, it reflects a lack of understanding of salvation - of the Gospel. 

Allow me to explain.

The Gospel tells us that we are sinners, separated from God.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23 KJV)

Kids instinctively know this. I have yet to meet a kid who told me they weren’t a sinner (if they understood my question and answered seriously). Every one of these kids/teens who has made a profession of faith has had no problem admitting they are a sinner and that that sin deserves the punishment of hell. They know! (unlike us adults who compare ourselves and think we aren’t so bad or we don’t deserve a punishment quite so severe)

              

The Gospel tells us that Jesus is the Son of God sent to take the punishment for our sins, give us righteousness that we couldn’t manufacture, and bring us to God.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)

…for us also…[righteousness] shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:24-25 KJV)

If the child has been in church for any amount of time, believing on Jesus and what He did is no stretch for them. Obviously, they don’t understand all the ins and outs, but they do trust Him and believe that He died for their sins and rose again.

The Gospel tells us that the way to receive God’s gift to us is by faith –believing what Jesus has done for us and putting our trust in Him. God’s gift of grace to us is that it’s all by faith in Jesus, not by what I do for Him.

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

 “For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any many should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The faith of a child is so simple: from just about the first time I share what Jesus did for them, they believe it. They almost instinctively know that they can’t get closer to God on their own. I have yet to have a child tell me what many adults say – that they want to become a Christian but they need to "get their life in order first" or "draw closer to God first." Kids just know they can’t.

All that remains, then, is for them to choose to receive this grace-gift by faith when the Holy Spirit convicts their heart and shows them their need of Him.

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)

So when one of these who has made a profession of faith in Jesus tells me months or weeks later that they lost their salvation because of what they have DONE, it makes me wonder if they are truly understanding that salvation is by faith and not by works. If I can lose my salvation by works, then that must mean that I have gained it by my works. If I gained salvation through faith (not based on what I do/don’t do) then how could I lose it by what I do/don’t do?

What I am trying to say is that there is some kind of disconnect. Some understanding of the Gospel that is lacking. Either these kids are tender to the Lord but have not truly placed their faith in Christ alone because they haven't understood the Gospel that salvation comes by faith alone, or they have placed their faith in Him for salvation but are now trying to keep it on the basis of their works.

To some degree, all believers have this disconnect (maybe not in our stated theology but in our actions). There is a part of us that thinks that we must work to earn God’s favor. It just makes sense to our human nature: you get what you earn. I receive salvation by faith, but I am constantly trying to make sure I keep God’s love and favor by what I do/don’t do.  That's one reason why we must constantly “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord” and learn to “live by faith.”

So, the question remains, what are these kids trusting in? Do they truly understand that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works? Or are they trying to both trust in Jesus and earn His favor by their good works? What I have been learning is that, as much as I would love to be able to see into their hearts and know exactly what they are thinking, what they are trusting in, it’s not my job to determine whether they are true believers or not. My job is simply to point them in the right direction and leave the work of faith to the Holy Spirit. To point them to God the Father who is so kind, merciful, and loving that He devised this amazing plan called the Gospel. To show them that this God who went to such lengths to rescue them, isn’t sitting around looking for a reason to take away their salvation. And, above all, to point them to Jesus – to the incredible Man and Savior that He is – and to faithfully teach all the incredible benefits we receive because of His death and resurrection.

The only solution is Jesus! Seeing Jesus, savoring Him, understanding what He did for me (that I couldn’t do for myself nor even knew that I needed done). Letting His grace break down this religious idea of a salvation that “converts me to a Christian so that I can be really good” and replacing it with a Biblical salvation that causes me to cling to Jesus and His goodness, to rest in and follow Him. The former is based on my performance and dependent on me, the latter on the work of Jesus. If I only accomplish one thing in the time that God has me here, may it be this: “to preach Christ and Him crucified” – to point to Him in every Bible story, every conversation, every song, every action. The only solution to all this confusion and self-reliance is to see and rest in Jesus.

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I'm sure that many of you have had similar experiences. It is not a “cultural” thing, it is something common to all of our depraved human hearts that seek a formula to get to God rather than clinging to Jesus.

In the next blogpost, I plan to write about some specific aspects of batey culture that compound the situation for these kids. Thanks for reading!

In Sunday School, we started a new project and the kids are super excited! Instead of doing a coloring page or craft each week, we are making books! The book will basically be a timeline of the main events in Scripture from creation to Christ. When we finish, I plan to hold a special ceremony and present each child with the book they have created and send it home with them.

My purpose for this project is four-fold:

11)    Review the stories! It is just one more way to review the stories we have learned. Each week we will add one page (event) to our book and review the details of that event. Each event is a story that I have taught already, but since most of the kids are hearing the stories for the first time review is always helpful…your mind can only absorb so much the first time you hear the story (esp from your teacher who has a funny accent). Also, since understanding Abraham and the nation of Israel is so key to understanding much of the Bible, I don’t think it is possible to review too much.

22)   Reinforce the big picture! Reviewing the stories gives me an opportunity to reinforce the big picture that we have been discussing of how God is working in the Bible (keeping the big picture in mind can be difficult for all of us but even more so when every story is brand new to you). 

33)    Help our transition! I decided to take a leap from the OT to the NT in our stories after we finish with Solomon and the division of Israel. While I was really looking forward to teaching on the kings, I felt that right now, I want them to keep the big picture in mind and I believe the best way for them to do that will be to give a quick overview of the kings and the exile and them jump over to the Gospels. My desire is that this weekly review will help make sense of that transition.

44)    Reiterate key terms! As we review, I hope to reiterate key terms like sin, holiness, prophet, priest, king, etc. Terms that they will need to know to understand how amazing Jesus is and what He has done for us!

Please pray for me as I teach. I can often be tempted to rely on my own strength, wisdom, training and not on the Holy Spirit. I desperately need Him to share His truth through me! And, hey, I need to learn it too! Pray that these truths will take such deep root in me as I prepare my lessons that I will not only teach them better, but my students will understand them better because they see that they are a part of my everyday life!

Pray for the students as we do this project. Pray that their minds will begin to grasp some of these truths and that their hearts will be prepared to behold Jesus as the truly amazing Person that He is and to see their personal need for Him!

*pictures coming soon**

Playing Dead

When I first came to the DR, I was determined that I was not going to experience culture shock. I had planned to be a missionary half of my life and I knew that would mean living life differently in a different place speaking a different language. I was not only ok with that, I was excited to embrace it and learn new things, maybe even better things.

Was I sorely mistaken! In fact, I might have even experienced culture shock worse than some because I was so determined I wasn’t going to experience it. Had I expected and embraced it, I might have worked through it faster.

But, alas, this blogpost isn’t about my process of working through culture shock. It is about the fact that I am still learning and still shocked by many things in this “new” culture in which I live.

Today was one of those days. It actually started a few months ago and hit me like a brick today…

Over the last few months, the idea of family keeps running through my mind. Or lack of family, more precisely. How not one of my kids (or teenagers) in the batey seems to grasp what God’s design for a family is. Not for lack of discussion, of course; but not having SEEN it, they don’t really have a mental file folder to put those conversations into. What they have seen is a whole lot of open immorality, unfaithfulness, families in which almost every kid is from a different father, etc., etc., etc. I want so badly for a couple of these teenagers to get a glimpse of what God’s design for the family is and to live it out for the next generation to have that example.

So today, I was sitting in the school watching the kids play at recess. Yariel called Daihana over and told her to “Come be the mom” of two other girls who were lying on the ground. I was immediately intrigued…I had never seen the kids play house before so I started watching more intently. I wanted to know what their version of “playing house” looked like. It didn’t take me long to realize that they weren’t playing house. Rather the 2 boys were racing each other on their chair “motorcycles” like maniacs. And the 2 girls lying on the ground? They were playing dead. The had apparently either fallen off the bikes or been run over by them. And the “mom” was supposed to come get her dead daughters. And that was perfectly normal to everyone involved. Why? Because it is what they have SEEN. Almost daily, I pass two or more young men racing down the road on their motorcycles at incredibly dangerous speeds. And quite often, those races end up in permanent damage or death for those involved. In fact, it has happened to several in the batey. It’s life they know.

What struck me was not the fact that they were playing a gruesome game that involved death. Unfortunately, I’ve seen that before in many places. What hit me like a brick is the fact that imagination and play give us a tiny glimpse into the mind of a child…What is it that they see every day? What is their “reality”? The fact is, I have never seen any of them play house before (perhaps they do and I haven’t witnessed it). What I have seen them play is fighting and driving recklessly and death. It breaks my heart that this is more their reality than family. I hope that one day, family will be a reality and I will get to witness their kids playing house - pretending to cook dinner, go to work, and discipline their pretend children.

Well, I’ve been back for 2 weeks now and this is my first post…not doing so hot at posting more often, but I’ll get there eventually.

The question I’ve been asked most since returning is “How does it feel to be back?” My answer? "Great!" The sun, the warmth, the ocean, my dog…I'm happy to see all of it, but not nearly as happy as I am to see my kiddos in the batey!

It’s no secret that my favorite part of doing ministry here is working with the kids and teaching Sunday School. In my class of kids aged 6 -14 in the batey, we have slowly but surely been working through the Bible chronologically for a few years and have now made it all the way King Solomon! Almost all the stories have been new to the kids, which has made teaching a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. At the beginning, every story seemed to have no context to them…they had no mental file folder to file it away in. I can’t tell you how many times I went over the story of Abraham. I wanted so badly for them to get it because understanding Abraham is so essential to understanding how God was working in the OT; however, every time I came back to review they were clueless as to who I was talking about and why it was important. Literally clueless. Like to the point that I really began to wonder if it would ever stick. I would move on for a few weeks and then direct it back to the story of Abraham so they could see how God was working. And every time, blank stares. Sooo frustrating.

(Let me just stop there and say that this isn’t all because they were hearing the stories for the first time. It is definitely compounded by poverty. While not all of my students have experienced the developmental delays associated with lack of proper nutrition and age-appropriate brain stimulation, many have. Sunday School might be the first place they’ve ever had someone tell them a story or ask them to respond to what they are hearing. It can take a while to learn how to listen to stories and process them. And top it off with the fact that the teacher speaks with a funny accent, using words they aren’t used to…there is definitely a learning curve for all involved!)

All that to say that my first 2 Sundays back were “review days” in which we reviewed the major OT events from creation to David. I was so happy to see how much they remembered and understood! Almost every kid can tell me the story of Adam and Eve without prompting (Yesss!). They know the names of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Saul, David, and (their favorite) Samson. But what made me the most proud was hearing them answer questions about God’s promises to Abraham. Most were able to tell me that God promised Abraham a son, while a few others knew that He promised to make Abraham’s descendants into a nation and to give him the Promised Land, and one star student could even tell me that the promise included sending Jesus through Abraham’s family. I was soooo excited! Finally, it’s sticking!

I know that just hearing and comprehending these stories or being able to recall God’s promises to Abraham isn’t going to save these precious souls, but “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.“ I know that God’s Word is living and powerful and a “simple story” from His Word can, through the work of the Holy Spirit, pierce their hearts and help them to understand and fear and love Him.  For some that will happen soon and for others, that may not happen till years down the road, but I teach in faith that His Word will not return void but will take root in their lives and, in the meantime, I celebrate the little victories He lets me see!

So my New Year's resolution is to write more...we shall see how this goes, but here is a start!

"Lessons from the Ice"

Friday morning I went ice skating with my friend Janelle and her 3 girls. They live in Florida so it was their first time on ice. I had to stifle my laughter as I watched the girls cling to the wall with a death grip as though falling on the ice would be the absolute worst thing they could experience. At first, we tried holding hands while they also held onto the wall, but it just wasn’t working. We couldn’t seem to get going at the same speed. Sometimes I was pulling them back almost causing them to fall. Other times I tried to take the lead so they could lean into the skating (and not fall backward), but that caused them to feel pressure to go faster. In the end, Haleigh, the oldest, decided to let go of the wall and give it a shot. Within minutes her skill had improved drastically and she could stay up on her own. It was amazing! She began to really enjoy it. There was freedom in not holding on to the walls any longer. She was free to really skate and enjoy herself. What had once looked terrifying, was now exhilarating, The walls that had once seemed so safe now seemed stifling and awkward. Once you let get, all you have to do is take one look back at those clinging to the walls to see they aren’t really skating and they aren’t really enjoying themselves.

Isn’t it the same with us? As we begin our walk with Jesus, we step onto the ice rink not having a clue what to expect or how to do this new "Christian" life. Some people just let go and follow Him fully from the beginning. They fall a bit more than the others and their failures are a lot more obvious; but maybe, just maybe they experience a whole lot more of Him. As they learn to follow Him, He takes them by the hand to show them how to do it and to get them going at His pace. 

Then there are those who step on the rink, but being terrified of what full-out obedience might have in store for them, they cling to the walls of tradition or half-way obedience. Oh, they tell themselves that it’s just for a time. Just till they get their footing and learn how to do this on their own. For some, maybe; but for most, days turn into months and years and they just grow comfortable on that wall. They sometimes look longingly at those doing fancy spins in the center, but they convince themselves that could never be them. Sometimes they even fool themselves into thinking they are really skating and that is as good as it gets. Mostly, I think, they are afraid. Afraid of pain. (What if they fall?) Afraid of the unknown. (What if God asks them to do something uncomfortable, difficult, against the grain?) 

There’s no denying that it’s difficult. There is pain, there is failure, there is fear, there is much unknown in following God. He is God, after all...we can’t put Him in a box and predict how He is going to work. But risks bring rewards. Pain brings gain. Letting go of the wall sets you free to grasp His hand and isn’t that the real reward, walking with Him?

Perhaps the issue is not learning “not to fear” but rather, learning to have courage. Choosing to obey even when we are afraid. As Katie Majors said, “I think that maybe courage is not all about the absence of fear but the obedience even when we are afraid. Maybe courage is trusting when we don't know what's next, leaning into the hard and knowing that it will be hard, but more, God will be near. He is the God Who Will Provide...Maybe bravery is just looking fear in the face and telling it it does not win because we have known the Lord here. We have known the Lord in the long dark night." So then learning to have courage doesn’t come from just saying, “I’m going to be courageous. I’m going to do what’s right.” It comes from knowing (really knowing) the One we claim to trust. Courage is rooted in the character of God. The very reason that I CAN trust courageously and that I CAN choose to obey bravely, even when I am terrified, is because I know God...I know that whatever He asks me to do is not just for His glory but also for my good. So how can I come to know Him in this way so that I CAN have courage and overcome fear. The Scriptures, of course! But it doesn't stop there. I must come to know Him by experience. Firsthand. Each time I hear His command and choose to obey, I experience the heart of the God as He takes my hand and leads me.

Summer Camp

The last 2 weeks of June we hosted junior and senior camps at a local campground in Quisqueya.  We had 18 kids the first week and 20 teens the second. The campers came from 3 groups: our church in the batey, another local Baptist church (Iglesia Bautista Evangelica en Ramon Santana - IBERS), & Josiah’s House. 

One of my favorite parts of both weeks was our “quiet time” each morning. For a while now, these kids have heard us talk about having a quiet time reading the Bible and talking with God but didn’t really know what that looks like, never having seen a real-life example. What a privilege it was to take a few minutes to explain in more detail what a quiet time is and to see them sitting on their beds reading the Word!

Another highlight was, of course, the teaching of God’s Word. This year's theme was “Fishing with Jesus,” and the name of Jesus was truly exalted as our co-laborers from IBERS, Rachel and Ruth, taught 6 excellent lessons on His majesty and uniqueness. Every evening, Michael preached on the idea of following and obeying Jesus using the story of Jesus calling of Peter from Luke 5.

I think my favorite time, however, was the lesson response time during teen camp. After each lesson, we divided into 3 groups to discuss what we just learned. The first day, the concept of discussion seemed a bit foreign to most - few campers responded and those that did gave superficial “churchy” answers; but by the third and fourth days, I saw my group begin to open up and become more transparent, allowing us to discuss some of the challenges and struggles that keep us from following Jesus with our whole hearts. I was so encouraged to hear several of the believers share things that they want to change in their walks with God and areas in which they want to grow.

The two weeks of camp were definitely great and there were so many blessings for which to thank the Lord, but I wouldn't be giving you a true picture if I didn't share the fact that there were a lot of hard things too. From the "little" struggles like dealing with discipline issues to the larger distractions like losing power every night just when chapel was supposed to start or (once the power was working again) being attacked by a bazillion mosquitoes during the preaching, the enemy did his best to keep our focus off of the Main Thing. The hardest thing of all, however, was watching several teenagers admit that they do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, hear the Gospel very clearly presented multiple times, and still say at the end of the week "not yet." Please join us in prayer that God will continue to be gracious to these teens and once again mercifully speak to them and draw them to Himself.

    It’s been one month since I arrived back in the Dominican Republic.  As I begin my 2nd year of “full-time ministry” here, I find myself looking backward and forward at the same time - reflecting on God’s working last year and planning for the current year.

   Last year was a year of many struggles through which I learned a lot about myself, the ministry, and God.  It was also a year full of great blessing, not the least of which was seeing several people come to Christ in the last few months!

    I’ve been trying to think of how to sum the year up.  I guess I would say that I was reminded in a million ways (little and big) that “God is God.”  Really profound, right?  But if you stop and think about it, is there a better way to describe Him and the way He works?  I could spend hours talking about His different character qualities and the way they were manifested in things He did.  The phrase "God is God" seems to sum it all up: He is God and I am not.  His ways are different than mine…much higher.  Just when I think I start to understand Him and the way He works, He surprises me both by what I read in the Scriptures and how I see Him working in life.  Sometimes the best way to describe His working is just simply by saying that God was being God.

    As I plan for 2017, I want to strive to be more conscious of this fact (that “God is God”).  What does that look like? Well, for me that means focusing on 4 main areas.

      1) Prayer: Leaving my own wisdom and methods behind and more fervently
          seeking God’s wisdom through prayer - living the reality that I can
          neither live nor minister without Him.  

      2) Time in the Word: Being reminded daily of how unfathomable God is
          through His revelation of Himself in the Bible - not by spending more
          time reading it but by spending my time reading it more wisely,
          purposing in my heart to seek His.

      3) Fasting: Setting aside days for fasting to intentionally combat my own
          pride and to keep me from forgetting my sinfulness, my frailty, my need
          for God.   

      4) Gratitude: Being more observant of God's working in everyday life and
          being more intentional about thanking Him for it.

    Why am I sharing all this?   Well, for starters I want to be transparent.  God made us to be relational and to learn from each other.  I believe transparency really aids that.  I hope that my thoughts here will encourage you to seek Him more this year also.  But also, I share this because I want you to see where I need prayer.  It’s been said that when you sit down to pray for a fellow servant of Christ, you should pray for the things you need that day.  I think if we are honest, most of us could stand to work on these areas.  These are the areas I will be praying for many of my friends and family for this year.  Please pray for me and, if you share your comments, I'd love to pray for you too.

A High View of God
(as taught to me by a teenager)

Don’t you love how God uses people from all stages of life to teach us things?  I mean I love sitting down with my friends and chatting about life, but it’s just as interesting (if not more) to sit down with older people and hear how God has worked in their life.  And kids!  Who doesn’t getting a refreshing view on life when you sit down with a 5 year old?

A couple of weeks ago, God used the teenage girls that I disciple to give me that fresh perspective. 

After we had finished the introduction to our study on prayer, we talked for a few minutes about our personal prayer lives.  Seemingly out of nowhere, Eva piped in and began to very animatedly describe how when she is praying, she often gets sidetracked thinking about things she can’t understand like how God is eternal and how nobody created Him and how He is everywhere.  You know, those kind of things you used to think when you were younger but don’t really anymore?  The kind of thoughts that made your stomach hurt or made you feel a little dizzy because you just couldn’t understand them?  

I’m pretty sure Eva thought I was going to rebuke her for not being more focused when she sits down to pray, but, of course, I didn’t.  I was so excited to see her contemplating these things and thinking outside the box of “religion.” 

And in my own life God used Eva to bring me back to a higher view of Him.  He used her to remind me that sometimes it’s good to be like a child and contemplate those things we have come to just “accept that we will never understand.”  It’s good to see stop and see just how big and transcendent God really is.  You see, in my own life, just a couple days before this study, the Lord had been gently showing me how small and “predictable” my view of Him had become and how I needed to spend time contemplating His greatness.

So instead of rebuking Eva, I told her how wonderful it was that she was thinking those thoughts.  I told her that is a form of worship and that she should take those seemingly random thoughts back to the Lord and talk with Him about them....that she should praise Him for how big He must be that we can never understand Him.  I told her that we “old people” tend to get bogged down with “life” and have a view of God that is much too small and that we need to think about these things more often (at which point, she laughed and told me I wasn’t old…that’s always nice to hear, lol!).  I told her I hope she never stops thinking thoughts like this and having a big view of our very big God.  And I told myself the same thing.

Thank you, Lord, for using people like Eva to teach me more about You!

Well, I’ve been back for 2 weeks now and it seems like we’ve done a lot in that time: found a house to rent, signed a contract, bought a dog, attempted to train him (that’s still a work in progress!), and began looking for furniture and a car.  God has been so good in guiding me along through this process making the decisions clear and fairly simple.  Thank you to all who have prayed with me about those things!

Of course, the reason I am here is ministry, so let me update you on that…I’ve spent the first couple weeks just kind of observing, getting back into the language, culture, etc.  It has been great to reconnect with some of the ladies in the batey and the girls that I was discipling.  Here is a quick update on different facets of the ministry.  Note also there is a special prayer request at the bottom of the page.

Relationship Building

I had the chance to sit down and talk with my friend Leidy a little bit this week.  Continue to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with her and Miguelina.  Also, Annie started a jewelry making project with a couple of the ladies to sell to the tourists who have been coming by the batey.  They are excited about the opportunity to make a little money and have been working really hard.  This has also been a great time for us to sit down and chat about life, get to know them a little better, and share a little about our walk with God. 

Niños para Cristo

Our Saturday morning kid’s club, Niños para Cristo, is going well.  There are still about 30-40 kids coming each Saturday to hear and memorize God’s Word.  My first Saturday back, the kids had a lot of fun playing with the parachute that my college volleyball coach, Dr. Vickie Denny, gave me to use with them. 

Sunday School

This week, I will begin teaching Sunday School again.  I’m really looking forward to continuing to walk through the Bible with the kids (and any teens/adults who decide to stay around after the service)!  This week we’ll review what we already learned about the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness, and then next week we will pick up in Numbers with the Israelites entering the Promised Land.

Reading Wednesdays

This past Wednesday, we went out to the elementary school to work with the kids on reading.  Typically what we do is pull the kids out one by one to work with them on whatever level of reading they are at (some of the younger ones are still working on learning the letters A,B,C  while most of the older ones are able to write sentences and read short books).  I was very excited to see the progress each one has made since I was last in the school with them.  Between Mike and Annie going out each Wednesday and finally having a consistent teacher in the school every day, the kids have really begun to improve a lot.

Special Request

Please pray for a woman in the batey named Tati.  Tati is a dear, sweet elderly lady who made a profession of faith in Christ a few years back; however, because she is very ill and weak, she has been unable to attend services for some time now.  It is obvious that the Lord will be calling her home soon as she has lost a lot of weight and is in a great deal of pain.  By far, this is probably the most difficult thing that I have seen yet in ministry.  It is hard to even visit her and see the condition in which she is living.  She is literally just skin and bones.  I’ve never seen anyone so tiny.  She is too weak to even get up and use the bathroom, so we are trying to provide her with Depends or bed protectors so that she won’t have to lay in her own urine.  Yet in all of this, she still hugs Annie and I each time we visit her and asks how our families are doing and how things are going.  Please pray for her comfort and encouragement in these last days.  If anyone would like to help sponsor Tati, let me know.  We'll be spending about $50 a month to provide her with Depends, bed protectors, blankets, etc. to keep her as comfortable as possible.  

   I finally made it!  After finding out that I had strep throat on Monday, I had to postpone my flight a couple days, so instead of flying out on Tuesday (Jan. 5) I left on Thursday (Jan. 7).  Southwest Airlines was great about changing my ticket and I didn’t have to pay anything.  I have to say, after a really busy weekend, it was nice to have the extra 2 days with my family.

   During my send-off service on Sunday (and in my last prayer letter), I shared several prayer requests regarding my trip.  Thank you to all of you who texted, e-mailed, or told me in person that you were praying.  That meant so much.  I was really able to see the Lord’s hand in so many of the details of my trip.  Here are just a few blessings:

1.)  Timing - His timing was good for me to leave Thursday.  As I said above, it was so nice to have those extra 2 days with my family after a really crazy week/weekend.  Also, I had really wanted to go to basketball game of one of the girls from my church (whom I used to babysit a long, long time ago J) because it is her senior year of high school.  However, I had not been able to up to that point, so the extra 2 days allowed me to see her play.

2.)  Flight - The flight I ended up taking was better.  It went through Atlanta instead of Chicago, so a lot less air time. Also, because I was going through Atlanta, I had just enough time to go through security to say goodbye to my best friend and former roommate from when I taught in Georgia.   That was a special blessing.

3.)  Luggage - When I got to the airport, they almost didn’t let me take all 7 of my bags.  They thought there was an embargo on how many/what type of bags you could fly into Punta Cana (i.e. I wouldn’t be able to take my 5 tote boxes, so only my suitcase and guitar would be going). I knew that I had already okayed it with the airlines, I just wasn’t sure I was going to be able to convince the people at the counter of that so I started planning what I could take out of my totes and stick into my suitcase.  Eventually they realized that the embargo did not apply to the Dominican Republic.

4.)  Customs - I was really nervous about how I was going to pick up all 7 pieces of luggage by myself in Punta Cana and get them through customs.  I knew I was going to have to find someone to help me, and I was not excited about it.  Probably one of the hardest things for me to adjust to culturally is being “pushy” when you need something.  I really prayed on the plane that the Lord would bring along someone who would help me, that I wouldn’t have to learn to be “pushy” right off the bat, and that I would make it through customs without having to answer 50 million questions about why I was bringing so much stuff since I was flying into a tourist airport.  (You might be laughing right now and wondering how I have the courage to move halfway across the world on my own but am afraid to go through customs and ask for help.  I know…it’s ridiculous!  But it’s my personality.  This was a serious stress for me!  Yes, I did lose a little sleep over it on the plane.)  After the plane landed, I went through immigration and headed over to collect my luggage.  I saw a few cleaning ladies sitting on a bench and asked them if they knew of someone who could help me.  They found someone right away.  I think he must have been the nicest, most helpful person I’ve ever met (ok, that might be an exaggeration but he seemed like it at the moment because I was so relieved to have found someone to help willingly).  He and another guy retrieved all my bags, loaded them on to a cart for me, took me through customs (where the officials didn’t ask ANY questions…they didn’t even collect my customs paper, they just opened my totes and looked in them before sending me on my way), and brought me all the way to meet Mike and Annie (and my friend Kristin) who were all waiting for me.  I just could not get over how God had answered that prayer.  He didn’t have to do that!  He didn’t have to give me any of these wonderful blessings that I listed.  But that’s who my God is…One who delights in answering the prayers of His children…because He loves them!  He doesn’t always answer in that manner, but this particular time it served as a great reminder to me of how much He loves me and is taking caring of even the little things.

Thanks again for all your prayers.  I will update you on the ministry after the weekend.

We serve an all-knowing, sovereign, loving God

At the last few churches, I specifically asked for prayer for wisdom about a situation.  There is a deaf woman named Miguelina who has been coming to church in the batey.  Miguelina has “no language:” she neither knows how to speak or to sign.   I have a desire to reach her, but I'm not sure what that looks like...I mean, how do you reach someone with no language?  There were so many questions unanswered in my mind.

• Do I begin learning American Sign Language (ASL)? 
• Is ASL used in the Dominican?
• If I can learn sign language, how do I go about teaching someone who knows no language?

God, however, reminded me that He is never surprised by anything that I encounter.  Over the last few months, He has brought 2 different people into my life who have experience sign language in the Dominican Republic…turns out it’s about 70% ASL (apparently that’s pretty common).  That’s great news!  Now I have a starting point: learn ASL so I can teach it to Miguelina.  But that still leaves a problem.  How on earth do I teach it to her???

Just this past Sunday, a sweet woman from Calvary Baptist Church in Byesville, OH shared with me her experiences in sign-language interpreting and teaching sign language to those with “no language.”  She pointed me to a resource called Silent Word Ministries, which not only has some valuable tools to share the Gospel but also contains a few articles on how to teach sign language to someone with “no language.” 

I guess God had all these things figured out before I did…but then, that’s no surprise, is it? J

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.

The end is in sight!  This week my support level reached 90%!!

Just $170 more monthly support needed before applying for a visa & looking for plane tickets!

____________________________________________________

Praise God with me for His amazing and gracious provision!

Pray for the last 10% to come in that I might be able to return to the DR by January.

The end is in sight!  This week my support level reached 90%!!

Just $170 of monthly support needed before I apply for a visa & start looking for plane tickets!

Praise God with me for His amazing and gracious provision!

Pray that the rest of the support will come in in time for me to return to the DR by January.

My monthly support level has just reached 81% this past week.

Praise God with me for His amazing and gracious provision!

Pray that the rest of the support will come in in time for me to return to the DR by January.

Ministry Update

This week, Mike and Annie (along with missionary Gary Byrd and Pastor Felix Mota and his wife Mari) are running a junior camp for 35 kids from batey Concho Primo, la iglesia bautista de Ramon Santana, and Josiah’s house.

You can get involved by praying!

Please pray:

·         that hearts will be tender and ready to hear God's Word

·         that the activities planned will run smoothly and there will be no injuries or accidents

·         that Mike, Annie, Felix, Mari, and Gary will have strength and energy for each day and that they will be sensitive to   the work that God is doing in each camper’s life

·         that God will be glorified in all that is done

Many people have asked me, "Where are you going this week?" and I realized that I didn't have a schedule posted, so here it is...

Upcoming Summer Schedule

July 9-11

Number One Volleyball Camp (Gainesville, GA)

July 12-16

VBS @ First Baptist Church (Brunswick, OH)

July 19 

am - Grace Baptist Church (Westlake, OH)

pm - Faith Baptist Church (Amherst, OH)

July 20-24

Clearwater Christian College Volleyball Camp 

(Clearwater, FL)

August 5-8

VBS @ Journey Church (Dublin, OH)

August 30

Perry Baptist Church (Canton, OH)