{weekend glimpses}

{decorations in my classroom done by my sweet friend}

{leftover cake for breakfast}

{Rachel :: so so thankful for her!}

{REAL mexican food!}

{trigo de oro :: the cutest little bakery in a nearby city}

{cafe con leche.  siempre.}

{spanish clue :: bringing back childhood memories}

{weekend glimpses}

{Baby boo... such a reminder of God's faithfulness and to believe in impossible things}

{jaibon}

{chispita}

{blankito}

{our sweet sister came to visit and brought us a POPCORN MACHINE}

{palomitas}

{aloe :: healing an awful sunburn with the real deal}

...

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

{Zephaniah 3:17}

{weekend glimpses}

This past weekend was full of picking up a dear sister at the airport and thoughts about the preciousness of life and lots of coffee on the balcony.  It was full of a quiet morning with the Lord before anyone awoke and a beautiful picture of redemption at church and a whole lot of papers to grade.  It was full of special gifts that show just how much we are known and loved and an hour long wait for a hamburger with my sweet roommate and going through several boxes of peanut butter sandwich girl scout cookies.  It was full of a simple email of encouraging words that filled my soul and finally drinking greca coffee with one of my favorite Americanas and glimpses of hope as the Lord draws His people to Him.  

{el cafe sabe mejor en tazas lindas}

Sometimes it does this forgetful mind some good to write it all down and remember.  God is so good.

...

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him.  As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

{Hosea 6:3}

{weekend glimpses}

This past weekend was full of surprises and celebrations and things happening that I had only dreamed about.  Saturday was my birthday and some of my dearest friends from the other side of the island showed up Friday night... and I had no idea :)  It was such an incredible weekend, full of laughter and stories and coffee and precious time with some very special people.  Needless to say, my heart was full and I felt so deeply known and loved and grateful. 

{right after Jacqueline and Manano walked in my house}

{worlds colliding}

{birthday flowers}

{brunch}

{surprise #2}

{gracia}

{these two women are incredible and inspire me to live life with my heart wide open}

{bringing some Jaibon to San Pedro}

{the malecon}

{love these two with my whole heart}

{hermanos}

{blessed}

{cena mexicana}

{las quiero muchoooo.}

{weekend glimpses}

{cafe con leche in one of my favorite spots}

{one of my favorite Jaiboneras}

{guandules}

{favorites in esperanza :: so grown up}

{jaibon}

{LOVE his smile}

{birthday cranium in spanish!}

{weekend glimpses}

{an hour and a half bus ride to visit these precious, growing ladies}

{they took us to see the river and I gasped at the view.  I grabbed my camera to attempt to capture it, while they all laughed at me for thinking it was pretty... Nena :: pointing out the beauty :)}

{bakery donut holes for breakfast}

{Sunday-after-church-lunch :: yaroa :: mashed plantains, chicken, ketchup, mayonnaise, & cheese.  it's good, I promise.}

{greca coffee, always.}

{cafe con cremola after worshipping in our first language}

{thoughts & prayers}

It's been months since I have posted on here and I hate that for so many reasons... but mostly because I love this little space so much and I truly enjoy filling it with words and pictures and beauty.  But life right now feels like a constant juggle, hoping that I don't come up short on time and let it all fall.  People sometimes ask me if I have gotten everything done for the day (in regards to school) and I often laugh.  Because really, the list is never ending and I'm pretty confident I will never get it all done.  I'm not saying this to complain, because I will also say that I absolutely LOVE every single thing that I am a part of here in San Pedro and I wouldn't give up any of it.  Which is exactly why I often find myself running around from place to place and waking up at 3 in the morning to finish planning and grading papers... and practically never blogging.  But those things that I am saying yes to are good, beautiful things and I wouldn't trade them for a less hectic lifestyle.

All that to say, I'm sitting here in McDonald's, freezing cold and drinking steaming hot coffee, thinking I should be grading papers, but knowing that my soul just needs to write.  So I sit here, staring out the glass windows at the rain, eyes full of tears that don't fall.  I'm not sure what's going to come out here, but I know I must write.  And so I do.  My heart is aching right now.  Aching for the people who stole my heart in Monte Cristi and Jaibon.  I'll never be able to explain it, but sometimes I think God just locks a people into those deep places in our hearts and we will never be the same again.  I spent last weekend up north and coming back here just about shattered my heart into pieces.  I can't stop thinking about them and I can't shake this deep longing to be closer.  

Don't get me wrong, I also truly love it here and feel like I'm living out something I have only dreamed about for so long.  Being a part of the women's lives often leaves me speechless at all that God is doing.  And my students.  Oh my students.  I love them more every day even with their crazy middle school attitudes.  But this Jaibon/Monte Crist love.  It's just... deep.  I can't explain it and I doubt I'll ever be able to.  But I know it.  

So I don't have any pretty way to wrap this all up, but I do ask that you would just pray.  That seems like the only and best thing I can do for now.  To wrap them up in prayers.  That their hearts would be full and that they would feel fully loved and known by the Lord.  That there would be restoration in their homes and in their hearts.  That they would experience grace and know God more because of it.  That the forgotten and lonely would know that their Father deeply loves them.  That the hurting hearts would become whole in the presence of Jesus.  That Kingdom would invade that place and that they would understand that religion and rules are not the heart of God.  That they would know that they are loved, fully and unconditionally, by the One who formed them into existence.  Oh please pray...

That's all I've got and that's my heart.  So from this crazy little city in the Dominican Republic to wherever you are reading these words, all my love and hopes that you are resting in the love and astounding grace of the One who calls you His beloved.

{Jochi}

de lo mio.

{Jacqueline}

The woman who has taught me what it means to have an open home and an open heart.  Always.

**written from a booth in McDonald's a few days ago :)