The first draft of this post was... well it wasn't me. Or at least not who I want to be. It detailed the past week, with it's heartaches and tears, and contained more complaints than I would like to admit. As I was re-reading it for grammatical mistakes I found myself bored. So please take it as a personal compliment that I'm rewritting it! :-)
Although this week was a hard one, I'm purposefully going to concentrate on the good things that have occured...
First, our work at La Duqueza (aka the garbage dump) was the highlight of the week. It was so nice to sweat and participate in hard, meaningful work. Unfortunetly, our return trip that was planned for Thursday was cancelled because both of Jackie's cars are broken. PLEASE be praying that they get fixed because we can't work without them!! There is a lot of supplies that need to go to the dump and to another community that Jackie works with, but we have no way of getting there!
In other news, the apartment is a sure thing!! We signed the papers yesterday and paid two deposits (the first and last month's rent). There's still a bit more paperwork to be completed this week and another payment that must be made before the apartment is officially mine, but the move-in date has been set for October 3rd!! PRAISE THE LORD!!
Starting tomorrow I hope to have a more regular schedule for my work at Jackie's House. The plan is that I will be picked up by 8 a.m. and will spend the rest of the morning bathing the children who are confined to wheelchairs. After lunch I hope to start some classes and find other activites to keep the kids and myseslf occupied. Sounds easy enough on paper (or in this case, on screen) but PLEASE pray for this as well. The organization of this entire country works in a choatic, spur of the moment sort of way, so the easy things are easiest are usually the most complicated.
But as always, I'll keep you posted!!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Full Throttle Ahead
I've been here for exactly two weeks, and have been doing some kind of work each day, but still felt dissatisfied. I wasn't working hard and I wasn't sweating nearly enough. At least not for my tastes.
Well that changed today and I am very satisfied with what was accomplished. For the first time since my arrival I feel like I did what I came to do. Serve.
As hoped, I was able to go to the garbage dump and spent about five hours working with an international organization called SCORE. They had brought a team of roughly 40 people from Indiana to provide medical treatment (among other things) to the Dominican people and this morning we had the privilege of serving the Haitians as well.
Before leaving the house, Beth provided me with a quick list of vocabulary words that I was bound to hear throughout the day. They included phrases such as, "I have pain in my ___", "Are you pregnant?", and "what are your complaints?" What a blessing it was to have a quick debriefing before being let loose because I ended up translating!! Me of all people! The girl who has to think twice about everything she says before letting an "hola" escape her lips!
But Jackie said I made her very proud and although I still struggle, I'm learning!!
Besides fighting the heat, the hardest part of the day was witnessing the dental operations. SCORE had three dentists who pulled countless teeth over the course of five hours but one girl imparticular stole me heart. She was only 17 and had to have two teeth extracted. Th
ey were VERY difficult and she had tears in her eyes and was shaking the whole time. I held her hand and tried to calm her in my poorly articulated Spanish, but my heart broke for her. The dentist did the best he could with limited tools and space, but had to literally YANK on her teeth and even then they wouldn't come loose! It was so bad that all we could do was pray for her and finally, by the grace of God, they came free!
Besides teeth pulling, most of the other patients were being treated for skin rashes, parasites, headaches, itchiness, stomach pain, and vision problems. SCORE did a great job at organizing their projects and supplies and we utilized every inch of the small community building where we worked. If I had to guess, I think we saw at least 300 patients today.
Tomorrow, Jackie, Hernando and myself are supposed to go back and hand out clothes. What a feet that's going to be! With only three of us and hundreds of them, things could very easily get out of control. Not in a dangerous way, but I won't be surprised if complete chaos ensues at least half a dozen times. :-)
I'll keep ya posted!
Well that changed today and I am very satisfied with what was accomplished. For the first time since my arrival I feel like I did what I came to do. Serve.
As hoped, I was able to go to the garbage dump and spent about five hours working with an international organization called SCORE. They had brought a team of roughly 40 people from Indiana to provide medical treatment (among other things) to the Dominican people and this morning we had the privilege of serving the Haitians as well.
Before leaving the house, Beth provided me with a quick list of vocabulary words that I was bound to hear throughout the day. They included phrases such as, "I have pain in my ___", "Are you pregnant?", and "what are your complaints?" What a blessing it was to have a quick debriefing before being let loose because I ended up translating!! Me of all people! The girl who has to think twice about everything she says before letting an "hola" escape her lips!
But Jackie said I made her very proud and although I still struggle, I'm learning!!
Besides fighting the heat, the hardest part of the day was witnessing the dental operations. SCORE had three dentists who pulled countless teeth over the course of five hours but one girl imparticular stole me heart. She was only 17 and had to have two teeth extracted. Th
ey were VERY difficult and she had tears in her eyes and was shaking the whole time. I held her hand and tried to calm her in my poorly articulated Spanish, but my heart broke for her. The dentist did the best he could with limited tools and space, but had to literally YANK on her teeth and even then they wouldn't come loose! It was so bad that all we could do was pray for her and finally, by the grace of God, they came free!Besides teeth pulling, most of the other patients were being treated for skin rashes, parasites, headaches, itchiness, stomach pain, and vision problems. SCORE did a great job at organizing their projects and supplies and we utilized every inch of the small community building where we worked. If I had to guess, I think we saw at least 300 patients today.
Tomorrow, Jackie, Hernando and myself are supposed to go back and hand out clothes. What a feet that's going to be! With only three of us and hundreds of them, things could very easily get out of control. Not in a dangerous way, but I won't be surprised if complete chaos ensues at least half a dozen times. :-)
I'll keep ya posted!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Still Waiting...
It looks like the apartment I spoke about last time may be my new home. :-) We received confirmation from the church (thank you for all the prayers and support!!) and were faxed the necessary paperwork yesterday.
However, I'm waiting to say it's "mine" until I have the keys in hand. If all goes as planned, I should be able to move in on the first of October. Please keep the details in your prayers!
In other news, I haven't been able to do much work this week because of the all the rain and some complications on Jackie's end. She wanted to take clean water to the garbage dump community but the truck is broken. It was supposed to be fixed by yesterday, but like everything else in this country, "supposed to" is loosely associated with "maybe, perhaps" and "if you're lucky." So the water has been put on hold until further notice.
BUT! Supposedly I'm going with her in the morning to meet with some doctors who are going to perform physicals on all the kids at the dump. I'm apprehensive as to whether or not we'll actually get to do this, but excited at the possibility to get out of the house! If everything goes as planned, we'll be there all day because over 400 children live at the garbage dump!
I hope to be able to post pictures soon so those of you who are new to the site and the Dominican Republic can see what's going on down here. To give you a bit of history, the city garbage dump has become a refugee camp of-sorts for Haitians that are fleeing their country because of the civil war and hurricane damage. They come here, to Santo Domingo, and live amongst the trash - constructing their homes and diets out of anything they can find. The children are uneducated and malnourished, the mothers are desperate, and the fathers...well usually they aren't in the picture at all.
Jackie brings food, water, medicine, and anything she can to these people. I've been trying to figure out a way to end the cycle of poverty and give the people (more specifically, the children), some sort of skill that could earn them an income and add value to their lives. Some possibilities include raising chickens or making paper bead necklaces. I ask that each of you take a moment to ask God to bless me with wisdom, discernment, and guidance during this process.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for sincerely taking an interest in what God is doing here. Your support and encouragement mean more than you'll ever know. I promise to keep you posted.
In Christ,
Tasha
However, I'm waiting to say it's "mine" until I have the keys in hand. If all goes as planned, I should be able to move in on the first of October. Please keep the details in your prayers!
In other news, I haven't been able to do much work this week because of the all the rain and some complications on Jackie's end. She wanted to take clean water to the garbage dump community but the truck is broken. It was supposed to be fixed by yesterday, but like everything else in this country, "supposed to" is loosely associated with "maybe, perhaps" and "if you're lucky." So the water has been put on hold until further notice.
BUT! Supposedly I'm going with her in the morning to meet with some doctors who are going to perform physicals on all the kids at the dump. I'm apprehensive as to whether or not we'll actually get to do this, but excited at the possibility to get out of the house! If everything goes as planned, we'll be there all day because over 400 children live at the garbage dump!
I hope to be able to post pictures soon so those of you who are new to the site and the Dominican Republic can see what's going on down here. To give you a bit of history, the city garbage dump has become a refugee camp of-sorts for Haitians that are fleeing their country because of the civil war and hurricane damage. They come here, to Santo Domingo, and live amongst the trash - constructing their homes and diets out of anything they can find. The children are uneducated and malnourished, the mothers are desperate, and the fathers...well usually they aren't in the picture at all.
Jackie brings food, water, medicine, and anything she can to these people. I've been trying to figure out a way to end the cycle of poverty and give the people (more specifically, the children), some sort of skill that could earn them an income and add value to their lives. Some possibilities include raising chickens or making paper bead necklaces. I ask that each of you take a moment to ask God to bless me with wisdom, discernment, and guidance during this process.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for sincerely taking an interest in what God is doing here. Your support and encouragement mean more than you'll ever know. I promise to keep you posted.
In Christ,
Tasha
Friday, September 19, 2008
Una casa por favor
Hola chicas y chicos!
I hope this little note finds all of you doing well. First, I want to thank you so much for all of your prayers and letters of support. It really means a lot to know that I am supported back home and to know that Daniel and I are surrounded by all of your prayers.
I'm going to attempt to keep this short, but I'm a writer by nature, so please excuse any rambling....
I know that most of you know that about my house situation (in case you don't or have forgotten: for the last three months Jackie has been looking for me a place to stay and the house hunt has been going on full-time the last week and a half since I've been here but with little luck.) I've been continuously disappointed by high prices, false advertising, or other sudden changes.
Although it's been frustrating, I've learned a lot about the Dominican culture over the last week and the woman I'm staying with has been an incredible hostess.
BUT I dare to say that the house hunt MAY be over. (I'm trying not to get my hopes up until I have the keys in hand because you never know anything with this country!) I looked at the apartment this morning and we're going to call tomorrow to say that we want it so PLEASE BE PRAYING!! Pray that it's still available, that the land lord is willing to wait until the first of the month for me to fully pay and move in (I have to wait and receive my allowance from the church at the first of the month), and that all the details of moving go smoothly.
The apartment itself is in a very good area (as far as safety is concerned), is on the first floor (to help move in all those heavy and over packed suitcases missionaries always seem to bring), and has 3 bedrooms, and 2 baths. However, the really high selling points are the fact that it comes fully furnished (with the exception of a washer/dryer), has a/c in EVERY bedroom and comes with a full inverter. Those last two things may seem odd or easy to come by, but believe me when I say that they are NOT! A/C is a luxury and although I was prepared to go without it, what a blessing for those hot and humid nights! Also, it will make everyone else's stay a lot more comfortable when I have teams down. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, it comes with an inverter which is kinda like a generator for when the power goes out. Which happens frequently, just ask anyone who's been here. Try cooking, bathing, or doing piratically anything else with not electricity!!
This house would be a HUGE blessing for me, for Jackie, for Beth (the woman I'm staying with), and for any of you who plan on visiting. So PLEASE pray that if it's God's will, that everything works out in a timely manner and if it's not, that I will continue to be patient with this crazy life I've started.
I love you all and can't wait to give more updates!
Tasha
I hope this little note finds all of you doing well. First, I want to thank you so much for all of your prayers and letters of support. It really means a lot to know that I am supported back home and to know that Daniel and I are surrounded by all of your prayers.
I'm going to attempt to keep this short, but I'm a writer by nature, so please excuse any rambling....
I know that most of you know that about my house situation (in case you don't or have forgotten: for the last three months Jackie has been looking for me a place to stay and the house hunt has been going on full-time the last week and a half since I've been here but with little luck.) I've been continuously disappointed by high prices, false advertising, or other sudden changes.
Although it's been frustrating, I've learned a lot about the Dominican culture over the last week and the woman I'm staying with has been an incredible hostess.
BUT I dare to say that the house hunt MAY be over. (I'm trying not to get my hopes up until I have the keys in hand because you never know anything with this country!) I looked at the apartment this morning and we're going to call tomorrow to say that we want it so PLEASE BE PRAYING!! Pray that it's still available, that the land lord is willing to wait until the first of the month for me to fully pay and move in (I have to wait and receive my allowance from the church at the first of the month), and that all the details of moving go smoothly.
The apartment itself is in a very good area (as far as safety is concerned), is on the first floor (to help move in all those heavy and over packed suitcases missionaries always seem to bring), and has 3 bedrooms, and 2 baths. However, the really high selling points are the fact that it comes fully furnished (with the exception of a washer/dryer), has a/c in EVERY bedroom and comes with a full inverter. Those last two things may seem odd or easy to come by, but believe me when I say that they are NOT! A/C is a luxury and although I was prepared to go without it, what a blessing for those hot and humid nights! Also, it will make everyone else's stay a lot more comfortable when I have teams down. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, it comes with an inverter which is kinda like a generator for when the power goes out. Which happens frequently, just ask anyone who's been here. Try cooking, bathing, or doing piratically anything else with not electricity!!
This house would be a HUGE blessing for me, for Jackie, for Beth (the woman I'm staying with), and for any of you who plan on visiting. So PLEASE pray that if it's God's will, that everything works out in a timely manner and if it's not, that I will continue to be patient with this crazy life I've started.
I love you all and can't wait to give more updates!
Tasha
Sunday, September 14, 2008
I'm here!!
I've been here for five days and so far, so good. (But I'm tried, so please excuse the briefness of this update)
I still haven't found permanent housing, but the place I'm staying is great. It's the home of an American woman named Beth Sanchez and she has been such a blessing! Her home is beautiful and I feel like I'm staying at more of a resort than a home. At first I felt guilty for such amazing accommodations (I'm in the "guest room" which is equipped with a view of the pool and hot tub, tropical plants, and a great big 'ol bed), but over the past few days I've realized what a blessing it is to be here. I've learned so much already from Beth and her husband, Ernesto, about the Dominican culture, Jackie's House, and all the ins and outs of what to expect here...Not to mention the fact that Beth is an incredible hostess.
But it's obvious that God has brought me here for a reason (here meaning the Sanchez's home). And I think the delay in housing is because I need to learn from these people. Beth has so many wonderful ideas on things I can do for and with Jackie's kids - things that otherwise may never have been accomplished. For instance, I want to teach English to the kids but have no formal teacher training. But Beth has agreed to show me some tricks to get me started and is going to help me find any tools that I may need...I know one of the biggest challenges is going to be my Spanish which needs a lot of work. I can pick up bits and pieces of conversations, but the Dominican people speak REALLY fast, super quite, and they cut off bits of their words!
Before signing off, I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me. I can definitely feel God's presence and His peace. Although I'm thousands of miles from home, and missing the relationships I have there, my emotions are under control and I feel good. So please continue to pray and I'll continue to keep you updated as much as possible. :-) Adios amigos!
I still haven't found permanent housing, but the place I'm staying is great. It's the home of an American woman named Beth Sanchez and she has been such a blessing! Her home is beautiful and I feel like I'm staying at more of a resort than a home. At first I felt guilty for such amazing accommodations (I'm in the "guest room" which is equipped with a view of the pool and hot tub, tropical plants, and a great big 'ol bed), but over the past few days I've realized what a blessing it is to be here. I've learned so much already from Beth and her husband, Ernesto, about the Dominican culture, Jackie's House, and all the ins and outs of what to expect here...Not to mention the fact that Beth is an incredible hostess.
But it's obvious that God has brought me here for a reason (here meaning the Sanchez's home). And I think the delay in housing is because I need to learn from these people. Beth has so many wonderful ideas on things I can do for and with Jackie's kids - things that otherwise may never have been accomplished. For instance, I want to teach English to the kids but have no formal teacher training. But Beth has agreed to show me some tricks to get me started and is going to help me find any tools that I may need...I know one of the biggest challenges is going to be my Spanish which needs a lot of work. I can pick up bits and pieces of conversations, but the Dominican people speak REALLY fast, super quite, and they cut off bits of their words!
Before signing off, I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me. I can definitely feel God's presence and His peace. Although I'm thousands of miles from home, and missing the relationships I have there, my emotions are under control and I feel good. So please continue to pray and I'll continue to keep you updated as much as possible. :-) Adios amigos!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
7 Days 'Til Transplant
"Are you excited?"
This is either the question on everyone's mind or part of a memo that was received by everyone but me. Either way, these three little words are raised at every event, greeting, or encounter I’m part of. However, although the question is exhausting to hear, my answer has changed several times over the past few weeks.
For those of you who asked three weeks ago, you probably heard something along the line of, "Yes. But I'm a little nervous too."
At the two week mark my answer sounded more like, "Yes and no. I'm excited to go but I'm not ready to leave Daniel."
And now, with exactly one week left in the States, my answer is whole-heartedly "Yes."
The last 14 days or so spent in Myrtle Beach have been filled with blessings with the biggest being the times I've heard from God and received comfort from his Holy Spirit.
Spending the summer in Michigan was full of trials. Health issues, family stress, and a complete lack of spiritual nourishment left me feeling drained and anxious. For three months I didn't have the luxuries of hearing heartfelt worship, meeting with my Refuge and ETL people, or having someone to encourage my walk with Christ. Without realizing it, I had begun to feel numb and had grown distant from the one source that means the most.
Since returning to the beach, I've once again found myself submersed in church and campus ministries and it's been VERY refreshing! Slowly my heart has been softened and for the first time in months, I can sense my connection to Christ. The time "spent away" (not from the faith, but from complete submersion) reminded me of several things:
1) I can NOT exist outside of God's presence
2) If I become unplugged from the source, my spirit suffers greatly
3) God is always present, always faithful, and always loving - it is I who am rebellious, complacent, and stubborn
I've been thinking of this post and what I should write for quite awhile and yet, I'm still finding it difficult to express my heart. I suppose it's because my relationship with Christ and his presence in my life exist outside of words or clichés. It (meaning the Holy Spirit) isn't something that can be explained or identified, it's something that IS.
A final thoughts about my life and my future:
A good friend recently told me that ministry, in all of its forms, is a calling - not a job. He said that if it were a job, he would have quit long ago. I say that to those who still don't understand or approve of my decision to set aside my college education, leave my home country and native language, and move to a third world country may understand that I'm not doing this for you, for me, or even for them - I'm doing it for Him. When God knit me together in my mother's womb he decided that I would be a missionary. It's as simple as that. I did not choose this life, it was chosen for me. And I don’t get to ask why, only how.
I'm reading a great book called Soul Cravings by Erwin McManus and he puts it like this:
"That door [meaning the door that leads to the fulfillment of our dreams] once passed through changes our lives forever; not because life is now better than it has ever been, but because we know we are on the path we were created to walk. It is our glory road, our glorious adventure. We have been called out of the mundane into a life beyond out wildest imagination. We have a mission, a purpose, a destiny. Finding [this] unique path does not bring us to a happy ending of [the] story - only a new beginning."
And that, my friend, is a beginning I’m ready to start!
This is either the question on everyone's mind or part of a memo that was received by everyone but me. Either way, these three little words are raised at every event, greeting, or encounter I’m part of. However, although the question is exhausting to hear, my answer has changed several times over the past few weeks.
For those of you who asked three weeks ago, you probably heard something along the line of, "Yes. But I'm a little nervous too."
At the two week mark my answer sounded more like, "Yes and no. I'm excited to go but I'm not ready to leave Daniel."
And now, with exactly one week left in the States, my answer is whole-heartedly "Yes."
The last 14 days or so spent in Myrtle Beach have been filled with blessings with the biggest being the times I've heard from God and received comfort from his Holy Spirit.
Spending the summer in Michigan was full of trials. Health issues, family stress, and a complete lack of spiritual nourishment left me feeling drained and anxious. For three months I didn't have the luxuries of hearing heartfelt worship, meeting with my Refuge and ETL people, or having someone to encourage my walk with Christ. Without realizing it, I had begun to feel numb and had grown distant from the one source that means the most.
Since returning to the beach, I've once again found myself submersed in church and campus ministries and it's been VERY refreshing! Slowly my heart has been softened and for the first time in months, I can sense my connection to Christ. The time "spent away" (not from the faith, but from complete submersion) reminded me of several things:
1) I can NOT exist outside of God's presence
2) If I become unplugged from the source, my spirit suffers greatly
3) God is always present, always faithful, and always loving - it is I who am rebellious, complacent, and stubborn
I've been thinking of this post and what I should write for quite awhile and yet, I'm still finding it difficult to express my heart. I suppose it's because my relationship with Christ and his presence in my life exist outside of words or clichés. It (meaning the Holy Spirit) isn't something that can be explained or identified, it's something that IS.
A final thoughts about my life and my future:
A good friend recently told me that ministry, in all of its forms, is a calling - not a job. He said that if it were a job, he would have quit long ago. I say that to those who still don't understand or approve of my decision to set aside my college education, leave my home country and native language, and move to a third world country may understand that I'm not doing this for you, for me, or even for them - I'm doing it for Him. When God knit me together in my mother's womb he decided that I would be a missionary. It's as simple as that. I did not choose this life, it was chosen for me. And I don’t get to ask why, only how.
I'm reading a great book called Soul Cravings by Erwin McManus and he puts it like this:
"That door [meaning the door that leads to the fulfillment of our dreams] once passed through changes our lives forever; not because life is now better than it has ever been, but because we know we are on the path we were created to walk. It is our glory road, our glorious adventure. We have been called out of the mundane into a life beyond out wildest imagination. We have a mission, a purpose, a destiny. Finding [this] unique path does not bring us to a happy ending of [the] story - only a new beginning."
And that, my friend, is a beginning I’m ready to start!
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