New Years Eve....Day Two in the DR

Nothing like having the opportunity to spend the last day of 2012 in another country.

What an amazing last day it has been....kinda wish it didn't have to end. Today started with the first medical clinic on this trip. My professor and I saw about 31 people today, and is was simply amazing. Many of the people here are looking for basic medication that we take for granted in the states. For example....many of the mothers came in saying their entire family had the flu. Well upon looking at the family, it was obvious that no one had the flu. When I asked my professor about it, she said that many of them say they have the flu in order to receive cold and flu medication from us for when they do have the flu. Most of those that we saw were women and their children, and we saw anything from the flu, to ringworm, to parasites. I can say it made for an interesting day. Many of these families even waited in front of the church since around 8 in the morning.....the clinic didn't start til 9. But for many of these people, this is the only time they can receive the medications and help they need. Even vitamins are too expensive for most families to obtain.

The clinic truly helped me see that, yes, The US has an complicated health system but at least we have to means to get simple vitamins, or flu medication when we need it. We don't have to wait for a group of people to come and help us. In fact, I know for me HEB is my go to place, and I have always taken that for granted. Now not so much.

Also while at the end of the clinic, I was able to learn about the relationship between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I learned that when you come to the Dominican you step back in time by about 20 years, you go to Haiti and you step back about 50 years. I also learned that Haiti and the Dominican is kinda like Mexico and Texas, many people come across the border and there is really no stopping them. In fact many come from Haiti for the sake of their children, or for the better living, or just because they can. (Side note: As the week continued, I saw many Haitians in the clinics trying to get help and heard many stories about orphans brought from Haiti because they would have a better life in the Dominican). I also learned about the schools in the Dominican.....and I will no longer complain about college in the US. College in the Dominican is completely based on the fact you pass if you pay the professor enough and you fail if you don't, not based on the grades you get or how you perform in the class. I also learned that alcohol is a sport in terms of drinking. Children are taught to drink at an early age, and alcoholism and fetal alcohol syndrome are everywhere in the country.

But anyway back to the day.

So later in the afternoon, I was able to work with a group from Plano and help with a Christmas Vacation Bible School. I was helping out in the arts and crafts where we made little mangers with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in them. It was awesome listening to the children talk about what they know about the Christmas story....and watching them work on their crafts made my art melt. 57 kids were there that day, and listening to the sing and do crafts and be full of energy was an amazing experience for me.

(an altered story of the birth of Jesus)

So later that night we got to celebrate New Year's Eve. In the Dominican, this night was spent in the church from 9 til midnight. And it was full of singing, testimonies, dancing, skits, and so much more. At midnight the streets were full of dancing, singing, gun shots, firecrackers, and just full of partying. In fact, the ones that run the mission pushed breakfast back because they knew there would be no sleeping for us tonight. And they were right, parties were still going on at 5 in the morning. But it was awesome to see how these people celebrate the new year. The excitement they get is intoxicating and I am grateful that we got to celebrate with them.

Day two has shown me how lucky I am to be living where I am. And how lucky I am to be able to work and serve the lord in this amazing way. Mission work has changed my outlook on life and it is only day 2. For instance, if any american got a parasite, chances are they would freak out, but in the Dominican it is everyday life for them. In the Dominican there is a better understanding of hospitality. For example, in the church services, some of those that understood both Spanish and English would try to help us Americans understand what was going on in the service. The would step out of their comfort soon to help us. And really we are stepping out of our box to help them.....

I makes me think of a story.....

What makes us qualified to do what we are doing in the Dominican? Why was I called to do this? I am just a simple person, not one that was going to became a world leader or anything. But I am a Christian and God has amazing plans for me. Listen to this song that keeps coming to my mind while writing this....

This is one of my new favorites. This whole album is multiple artists that have written songs from the view points of people from the Bible.....This one is Moses. Why did I think about this one today? 

Well simple, Moses questioned why he was called to do what he did. Just like Moses, I am unsure of what I am to do, But God knows and God is sending me on a path that he has laid out for me. God is in charge of what is going on. "Why am I qualified to speak for you?" Why am I the one sent to send your message and your love to foreign nations? Don't argue with fire, don't look backwards. "Tomorrow is holding our dreams" We just have to trust in him. "If my words should falter, will you speak instead?" The answer is he will. He gives us strength to walk whatever journey he has set before us......we just got to get up and start walking. 

So get up and start walking and see where God leads you! 

God Bless! 

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.

Just real Quick

I wanted to post before I left for my trip. I am going on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and ask for prayers, not only for safe travel but also for the actions that will take place on this trip.

I also wanted to say I am sorry for not posting in the last few weeks......holidays made life a little crazy. I do have plans to post a few blogs about the trip when I get back in the new year so we will start the ball rolling then.

Thank you for all the support this year and may all of yall have a great New Years Eve!

God Bless!

Sandy Hook

Okay so this blog has taken me a few days for a reason. I have continued thinking about it and wondering if I should post this. It has been written for a couple days now but I never had the courage to hit publish.

The tragedy at Sandy Hook shocked me like it did the rest of the country but not for entirely the same reasons. Yes I was hurt that someone would kill 20 innocent kids but there were other things that rocked me to the core. One of these things was seeing the first responders at the scene. As someone who has worked with the fire department and EMS, seeing 10 ambulances with their doors closed and no sirens running completely stunned me. That meant that there was no one that could be saved, that meant that there was no hope, and in a situation where all anyone needs or wants is hope, that scene saddened me. The second thing that impacted me was the aftermath and that is what this blog is about.

You see as Christians we go around preaching about loving all and not judging others, but isn't that what we all did as soon as we were able to have the name of the shooter. I am not saying the man is innocent, what I am saying is that we shouldn't be the ones doing the judging. Adam Lanza was a sick man, you have to be in order to perform an act like that at Sandy Hook. So instead of judging him, shouldn't we as Christians be praying for him. Praying for his lost soul.  A soul lost sight of right and wrong. Pray that his soul finds peace and that Jesus, the only one that can judge, judges justly and fairly.

"May he without sin, cast the first stone." Isn't this one of the biggest thing that Jesus preaches.

None of us can say we have never done anything wrong in God's eyes. Now we can say we haven't done anything this horrific but who says one sin is bigger then the other. I know we as human beings don't. All sin is created equal in God's eyes.

One song popped in my head after this whole situation. Well two actually, one for the kids and one for the shooter. Take a listen to the song below.

Isn't that last verse appropriate for this situation. I think so. It proves that if asked for forgiveness and love God would even give it to a murderer and liar. "Who will love me for me, NOT for what I have done or what I will become. Who will love me for me, because nobody has shown me what love really means." God will love us for us, because after all he created us to be in his image, yes that image can stray and falter but it is still the image that God created. He loves each and everyone one of us because we are his children. 

I mean think about this. A mother, who's son was a convicted murder, will still cry for her son even though she knows what he did. Why? Because she loves him no matter what. A mother, like God, has the gift of unconditional love that no one can alter or take away. A son or daughter that makes a mistake, even one has big as killing another, will always be loved by their mother and ultimately their Father in heaven. 

So why are we as Christians are taking away from this man the love that ultimately we can't take away. The only one that can do that is God, not us. We are just the siblings that are sitting around wondering what punishment our Brother in Christ will receive. We are sitting around hoping that he gets the worse that the Father can do, but shouldn't it be the opposite. Shouldn't we be that caring brother or sister that sits quietly in the other room hoping that the Father still loves our brother and has some mercy on him. 

Yes, children and teachers died that tragic day. Yes, continue praying for them and their families as well as the entire community. Yes, this country will heal, we always do. But also, pray for Adam Lanza. Pray for his soul and his hurt. Because you know that that had to be a man that was deeply wounded and ill. It takes a lot to push someone that far, but we will never know the full story and honestly it shouldn't matter what the story it. 

I know some people may look at me differently after this blog, and I am okay with that. I am okay if you think that what I am saying is wrong but I guess that is the whole point of a blog. Writing what you think without the fear of others judging you. 

Finally because of the subject, here is a wonderful song and dedication to those that did lose their lives on that tragic day. They are lost but never forgotten. 

God Bless!

Superheroes!!!!

Okay so I wanted to start off by saying, Wow! I can't believe how many people are reading this blog now. It amazes me how many people are enjoying what I am writing. I am so glad I started this and I thank God for being able to reach to so many people.

So onward to today's study.

I want to start with a question, What do the following things have in common?

  

If you said Superheroes, good job but not the answer I was looking for. Here what if I added this picture. 

Have you figured it out? You could still say Superhero because well Jesus is my superhero but I am looking a little deeper. What if I said the answer was Sacrifice? 

Superheroes are something that we all grow up with. I am almost positive that everyone reading this can name multiple superheroes and have at least one of them that they love and adore. For me that is Iron Man, Thor, Caption America (or Action thanks to my mom), and Batman. But look at all the superheroes out there, they all have something in common. They all had to sacrifice in order to help humanity. 

Batman- sacrificed love, family, friends, and his life. 

Thor- a brother and a love 

They all give up time and their lives to protect the lives of others. They never question what they do or why they do it. They just get out there and risk it all in order to maintain that life on earth is safe and those they care about are okay. 

In today's world we are totally engaged in the world of superheroes. Every year at least one superhero movie is realized and it got me thinking. Who is the best superhero of all time? Jesus 

You see Jesus is everything that we love about superheroes. He gave it all, he gave his life, in order to protect all of those that needed it. He sacrificed himself to save all. Jesus is the ultimate superhero. Okay yeah he didn't have a cool cape or a hidden identity but superheroes are more then that. They are more then the smoke and mirrors, more then the fighting, more then the mask. Superheroes are hope for humanity, the are a gift to mankind, they are sacrifice, they are good beliefs and morals (okay ignore iron man on this one). Superheroes are everything and more and that is Jesus. Jesus is hope a gift, sacrifice, good beliefs and morals. In fact Jesus was the first superhero ever. How cool is that! 

Jesus saved us all. He saved Batman, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk. Jesus saved those that save us. 

And just like the other superheroes, Jesus has to fight the bad guys, it is just that these bad guys are sometimes created by us. They are sin and evil, corruption and the devil. They are bad guys are are bigger then Loki, the Joker, Riddler, the Sandman. These bad guys also never end or die. They keep going but because of the sacrifice that Jesus gave, they can't win. The Sacrifice of the Life of the Son of God made it so that no evil could win. All we had to do was believe and ask for forgiveness and the evil is gone. 

Jesus is the ultimate superhero. He always has been and always will be and I believe that with my whole heart. But there is another part of this we have to discuss. 

When a superhero wins a battle what do the people do. For example in the last Batman movie the Dark Night Rises, what did Robin do after it looked like Batman had sacrificed his life to save Gotham? He picked up where Batman left off. He started to fight crime the way that Bruce Wayne did. 

So what does that have to do with the whole Jesus superhero thing? Well simple. We have to pick up where he left off. No I am not saying we all have to sacrifice our lives. Well I kinda am, but let me explain. We have to sacrifice our lives to live the life of Jesus. We have to be the ultimate sacrifice to others. It is our turns to pick up where he left off. We have to become the new heroes in this story. 

So pick up where he left off. Be Robin and take over the role. Help out others like a superhero would. It is time to stand up and be what we are meant to be, the Light of Christ in a world of Darkness. The hope and sacrifice in this world. I dare you too! 

God Bless! 

The Climb

Actually thought I wasn't going to post today but I think now is the best time for me to post.

If you aren't friends with me on facebook then chances are you haven't seen all the drama I have been through today but let's just say today I have experienced one of my biggest potholes in my road in life. I was ready to graduate in May. Making plans and conquering the world and then I failed a final and possibly a class. So I no longer know if May graduation is possible.

So what does this have to do with my world of study. Well other then the fact that I have to reevaluate how I study in school. Well simple. Listen to this song.

"But I, I gotta keep trying. I gotta keep my head held high. There's always gonna be another mountain, I am always gonna wanna make it move. There's always gonna be an uphill battle, and sometimes I am gonna have to lose. It ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what is waiting on the other side. It's the climb."

Wow, now that I have listened more carefully this is totally my song for the day. 

God puts this obstacles in your life to help you figure out things. For example, maybe this is his way of testing to see if this is what I really want in life. Maybe it is his way of proving that I am not the one with a plan he his, and maybe this is his way of telling me to stop thinking that I am perfect, because let's face I am not. 

These struggles make us enjoy what we get even more. The climb helps us to see and enjoy what really matters it is a way for God to prove that we can handle anything that he gives us. God never gives us more then we can handle. We just have to change how we handle things sometimes. God places mountains in front of us all the time, we just have to know what to do when they come upon us. 

"This is only a mountain" This is only one stop in a journey that can mean so much more. Two more months for me, who know how long the stop will be for others. And don't think you only have one to deal with. Life is full of mountains and valleys. Life is full of ups and downs, it helps shape us into who we became and how we act in this life. 

So anytime you have a point in the road just remember you can make it move with God's help. And also remember something that I have learned today. You aren't alone. You have a support system, not only in Christ and God, but also in family and friends they will help up any mountain that you will face. They will support you in your journey. 

I know this isn't a really long blog but I just don't know what to write. And I needed to get this off of my chest. But I hope you can take something out of it. I know I did. 

God Bless! 

Starbucks

So I am going to write this before I get in my own world and start studying for my final tomorrow.

Today is Christmas in my apartment (we celebrate the day before finals start so we can have fun before we either die from finals or leave for the Christmas break). And it made me think of what kindness is and really what random acts of kindness is. You see so many people expect people to be kind on Christmas but isn't the random acts of kindness even better.

Take for example Starbucks....

Recently at a Starbucks drive through a person decided to perform a random act of kindness. The driver at the window was getting ready to pay for his coffee when he decided that he would also pay for the coffee of the person behind him. Now this was in the middle of the morning Starbucks rush, and it kinda threw the barista off but in the end the driver paid for his coffee and the ladies coffee behind him. But this isn't the end to this story. When the lady pulled up and was told that someone had bought her coffee, instead of just driving off with her's, she turned around and paid for the coffee of the person behind her. This pattern continued on for 3 hours at this starbucks, 3 hours of people buying coffee for strangers. What one man started set off a chain reaction that really no one had seen before.

So what are some other acts of kindness, well just read for yourself.

Granted some are a little bit less kind then others but it shows something. This is what humanity is about, Helping out fellow man not fighting with them are arguing with them. Helping each other out and passing it forward.

A great example of this is the movie Pay it Forward. If you haven't seen it please do. In this clip the teacher explains the Extra Credit assignment and the little boy explains his pay it forward idea. The whole movie revolves around this idea that if one person receives some help or a random act of kindness and then helps three others what amazing things can happen. Seriously watch this movie it is amazing. But just a warning you will need tissues to watch it. Trust me!

So what if we acted this way in real life, what if everytime some one helped us we helped three others. I think it is the ultimate way to show Christs love and actions through our own. And don't just help three friends, help out a complete stranger. Show your love for God's creation. God wants us to love each other with all we have. "Love your neighbor as yourself." I don't think that involves fighting with each other all the time. Because I dunno about you but I don't want to fight with myself.

Throughout the Bible, kindness is brought up and discussed. I think that as much as it is talked about chances are we should follow this principle of kindness. I mean even insurance companies are showing this pay it forward concept.....just look.

Proverbs 19:22 - What is desirable in a person is kindness, and it is better to be poor than a liar

Acts 20:35b - It is more blessed to give than to receive.

So I dare you. Pay it forward. Show kindness to someone every chance you get. That is what we as Christians are supposed to do. We are made to go out and shine with Christ's love and kindness not hide it for ourselves. Kindness is one of the best principles to live your life with. It allows you to become closer to Christ and Closer to the world around you. 

So go out and spread the kindness. Help three people and ask them to spread the kindness to three more. Let's see what we can do in this world that will make it just a little bit more loving and caring.

God Bless!

Oh and real quick, there may or may not be a blog tomorrow as I have a final that I am stressing over and depending on my mood I may not be wanting to right a blog.