a quinceañera.

Yessica celebrated her quinceañera (15th birthday) a few weeks ago and it was such a special night full of so many people coming together to celebrate her 15 years of life.  She has this natural ability at making people feel comfortable and welcome.  She is gifted with a sort of wisdom and leadership that is rare and flows out of her humility.  She loves the Lord and singing and her friends among many other things and I can't wait to continue to watch her grow up.

me, Yessica, and Christine

Requested by Paola :)

...

Also, you should read this.  It is incredible.

Happy weekend :)

bittersweet.

The past month has been crazy, partially because I MOVED ACROSS THE COUNTRY.  Six hours away from the two towns that I call home in the Dominican Republic sits a much larger city called San Pedro de Macoris.  After a couple of weeks of packing up all my belongings into boxes and suitcases, I now reside in the city.  It's been a whirlwind of emotions that I can only explain using the word bittersweet.  I'm hoping to blog a little more about the happenings of the past month or so, but until then, here's the story of what brought me to move to the other side of the island...

Way back in the spring of 2010, Christine and I came across a ministry called DR Vision while attempting to find ministries who were working with women who were in oppressive situations or deciding to leave prostitution.  DR Vision is a ministry that includes The Palms Christian School, a local church, a baseball ministry, a girls home, and a ministry for women at risk.  We wanted to visit, but weren't able to with our work schedules.  Other opportunities arose, I went on The World Race, and then I moved back down to Monte Cristi to teach and be involved in the lives of the kids who grew up in the orphanages.

November 2012 :: Over two years later, Christine and I found ourselves in San Pedro de Macoris, meeting with some people about the possibility of joining their ministry and visiting Terrill.  While there we ended up passing Las Palmas, the Christian school that is a part of DR Vision's ministry.  We recognized the school from the website, immediately emailed them, and ended up at their church that night.  It was absolutely incredible to be at the church and I went home extremely humbled by the way they all welcomed us in with open arms, asked us our stories, and invited us over to join them for dinner.

I left San Pedro the next day feeling so filled up and so grateful for meeting people who share my heart for the Lord and the Dominican.  Over the next couple of months, I occasionally entertained thoughts of what it would be like to work alongside them, but it wasn't until I received an email from the director of the school that it seemed like that might actually become a reality.

Long story way short, I headed down to San Pedro in January to see the school and talk with the director.  After a lot of prayer, I ended up accepting a position to teach middle school math and science next school year.  

Though leaving Monte Cristi just about broke my heart in two pieces, I'm thrilled about the opportunity to work alongside people with such incredible hearts.  I'm excited about being a part of a life-giving community, an amazing church, and a school whose vision is to invest in kids' lives and see them grow into leaders who love the Lord.  I'm excited about unending opportunities to serve, about being closer to a lot of the kids who grew up in Monte Cristi/Jaibon but now live closer to San Pedro, and about spending time with the amazing people who I am blessed to share a house with.

So while the transition has been bitter, it has also been sweet.  And I'm committed to remembering the Lord's goodness and His promises in the midst of it all.  

His grace never ceases to amaze me.

At some point during many of my major life transitions as an adult, the Lord has reminded me of His promises and His faithfulness through rainbows.  This picture was taken one of my last days in Monte Cristi before moving.

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...

on writing more y mi hermanita.

"One of the arguments we often use for not writing is this: 'I have nothing original to say. Whatever I might say, someone else has already said it, and better than I will ever be able to.' This, however, is not a good argument for not writing. Each human person is unique and original, and nobody has lived what we have lived...

We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told."

-Henri Nouwen

Those words are an excerpt from some goodness that arrived in my email yesterday morning (I'm so thankful for daily wisdom from Mr. Nouwen!).  I've been thinking a lot about this little blog lately and how I want to write more.  I love capturing life in words and pictures and documenting all the joy and grace that God has woven into my story.  Sometimes I don't even know where to begin, but because of the joy I find in remembering and recording all of the celebrations and special moments in life, I'm choosing to update this a little more often.

So here's to our stories and what God is doing to transform the mess into beauty and to writing more about the grace and gifts that God has given.

...

Today, I'm also celebrating this loca even though I'm not with her in person...

{celebrating her birthday a day early}

Happy Birthday, Carolina!  So thankful for you and proud of the woman you have become!  You have such a heart to serve others well and you have this crazy ability to make others laugh and feel comfortable.  I'm impressed by your wisdom and your drivenness to accomplish what you have put your mind to and your consistent joyful spirit no matter what the circumstance.  Thankful for your 21 years of life!  

tqmmmm manita.

felicidades.

Celebrating this special guy today...

{2007}

{2013}

Happy Birthday Jochi!  So incredibly thankful and proud of him!  His thoughtfulness, his ability to bring laughter, and his drop-everything-to-help/fix-something-for-you-attitude inspire me.