The Republica Dominicana

So many people are asking about my trip and I have decided to break down the week into a series of blogs.

So let's rock this! Everything written here is what I wrote in the Dominican Republic.

Day 1

I was finally able to get into the Dominican Republic around midnight last night, after travelling since 5 that morning I was so ready to crawl into a bed and just sleep. Well that was not even close to happening last night. The church we are staying at in Santo Domingo is fairly close to what I would risk to call the Dominicans equal to 6th street......so there was no sleep for me last night. This morning we were able to go to church with the people in the area, thank goodness for translators because I would be lost. But something amazing has happened, I know I already started on this journey but I have learned two things already. One, I am totally called to be a peds nurse, a mother, and a mentor to children. I have barely met these children and they have already won my heart more then anyone could imagine. For instance one of the men from the area has a one year old that I love to watch and chase after, and his 3 and 5 year old are the same. Two, I have a special place in my heart for mission work. I enjoy the time with God, and I crave it. I love serving Christ and helping others. To all my Cursillo friends reading this....I crave my call to action that God has set before me. In fact as I sit here writing this I am already thinking about how to keep this drive going. I love helping others. For example...

I currently smell like childrens multivitamins, but I love it. Why? Because that means I just spent hours counting vitamins for men, women, and children that they only get because of this ministry and the aid that we are giving. You know they say that God gives you opportunities to help you find your calling....well it has only been 24 hours but he is currently yelling at me.

After church this morning, we were out playing with the kids in the little church play area. We were playing basketball when something happened. One of the younger kids wanted to make a slam dunk in the hoop....well is was maybe 3 feet tall. So one of the guys from the Plano Mission Group, picked the boy up and help him high so he could make the "dunk." And it got me thinking, are we not the little boy and is God not the tall guy that comes and picks us up? Think about it. We have dreams and hopes, we want to make the slam dunk that we see others do. This dreams are then lifted up by God and his glory so that it is much easier and actually possible for us to make the point and the goal that we set before ourselves in life. God makes all things possible in life, we as his children just have to be patient.

Later in the day was even better. I wasn't able to go off of the site and work with the kids today (but I did learn that while they were prepared for 75 children to go to the Christmas program....about 200 showed up, they had to keep some outside). I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with the family that runs South Texas Childrens Home Ministries (STCHM) here as well as another missionary. I was able to listen to their stories and I really got to see the amazing works that God performs in people's lives. Tomorrow is the first day of actual clinical work and I am so excited to start. Tomorrow is the start to why I am here, but hopefully I receive more then I am expecting.

God Bless!

Just a side note from me now....If I knew that day what I know now I would barely believe. This trip, these people, this opportunity has completely changed who I am and what I believe. As you will see in later blogs there will be a huge learning while on this trip.