mother's day.

Days like today are ones when I wish I didn’t live an ocean away from my family. I wish I could wake up in their house and spend the day celebrating with them and reminiscing on years gone by. I want to go to church with them and stuff my belly full with them, drink endless amounts of coffee and curl up on the couch. I want to tell stories that only make sense to us and go to my Grandma’s big red house that holds a lifetime's worth of memories. Mostly I just wish I could be with them. 

But because I can’t jump in my car and drive across the ocean, today I celebrate my mom from here, thankful as always for who she is and the fact that I am so blessed to have her as my mom.

So, mom, I hope you know how much you inspire me, teach me, and bless me. You show me glimpses of the unconditional love of the Lord and I’m encouraged to love others more because of you. You’ve passed on your love of chocolate, making things with your hands, tea, pretty details, and your desire to make others feel special. I love the way you find joy in the little things, your love of adventure, and your desire to know God more. Thanks for all you’ve done to invest in me. You make me feel special, loved, and known every day.

Happy Mother's Day!

So incredibly thankful for you and love you more than you know!

full.

Today was the best kind of full.

Full of long bus rides and laughter and cake cookies with sprinkles.  Full of walking down dusty roads and seeing a beautiful face I hadn't seen in a year and too many quite a few cups of coffee.  Full of family and mangos and hearing a beautiful story laced with redemption.  Full of pizza and more than enough talk about motorcycles and full of the comfort of sitting around the table with people I've known for years.

Before walking out the door this morning, I threw Cold Tangerines (an incredible book by: Shauna Niequist) in my bag so I could re-read a little on the bus.  Only a couple pages into the book and my heart already felt more alive than when I got out of bed this morning.  My soul just needed the reminder that life is so full and that beauty and things worth celebrating are always surrounding me...

I just have to open my eyes to truly see.

...

{Pedro :: making sure no one even attempted to take food off his plate}

...If you have never read Cold Tangerines or Bittersweet, I highly recommend them both!

jaibon.

Jaibon will always hold this special part of my heart that I know I'm never getting back.  I fell in love in Jaibon.  I fell in love with the people and the kids and the genuine smiles on wrinkled faces.  I fell in love with women's stories around a beat up picnic table and la bandera and coffee from a greca and some special boys who taught me how to do things like hunt for tarantulas.  Mostly, I just fell in love with some incredible hearts and souls.

It's kind of funny actually... because in 2009 when I first found out I was moving to Jaibon (instead of Monte Cristi) I cried.  And I'm not just talking about a few tears.  I'm talking about the kind of crying that leaves you curled up on a couch, surrounded by your friends, convinced that everything you knew about life would soon be changing.

So it's funny to look back on that moment because now I can't imagine life without Jaibon and without knowing all of the amazing people who live(d) there.  Jaibon changed me.  It stretched me, humbled me, and taught me what it meant to truly depend on the Lord.  It was there where I found that I loved leadership and pouring into the lives of young adults... especially when they are outside of their comfort zones and experiencing something for the first time.  It was sitting around that old beat up picnic table where my heart was broken for Dominican women who are oppressed.  It was when I was living there that my eyes were opened to trafficking and prostitution around the world... and where a fire was lit on the inside of me that yearns for restoration and wholeness for those who are enslaved.  It was in Jaibon that I caught a glimpse of the unconditional love of God and it was there that I learned the significance of it being worth it for one.

My life looks quite different now than it did four years ago, but I still enjoy every second that I get to spend in Jaibon.  The people have captured my heart and I'll never forget what the Lord taught me there.  

And so while boys have come and gone and are now scattered around the country, a piece of my heart still remains at the end of that long dusty road...

...

Yesterday...