"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfullness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
Isaiah 42:1-4
This weekend, we had plans to go visit a friend and offer her a way out of a risky situation. We were pumped, packed, and ready to go when BOOM...the plans were derailed. We were sent back to square one and left looking up asking, "Okay...what now?" What happens when we're trying to faithfully do our job to bring forth justice and we are halted in our tracks?
We stop.
We pray.
We listen.
We wait.
We keep our hands open so as to not grasp too tightly onto our own plans.
We give thanks for peace.
We accept that He doesn't need us.
We remain available.
We remain faithful.
We remain.
Sometimes we get the blessing of being down in the nitty-gritty, dirt under our nails, clothes soaked in sweat, hearts and minds raw with emotion.
Other times, we do the workouts, buy the gear, and get all suited up for the game...only to be benched before the first inning even begins.
The Lord isn't expecting us to fix every problem that we encounter; He just requires that we be ready. If that means taking two steps forward, then two steps forward it is. If He commands us to back-track and re-route, then back-track and re-route we must. And, if we're told to just put it in neutral and keep asking Him what we're to do, then we'll ask in faith knowing that in His perfect timing, He will reveal whatever direction He wants us to take. He's proved Himself to us over and over and over again, so we have no reason to doubt that He will do it once more.
Yesterday was one incredible day of God-woven moments and I need to share them with you all.
First of all, I got to spend the afternoon with one of my old college buddies, Miss Katelyn Hiett.
Katelyn's been doing mission work in Sudan, Africa for just about as long as I've been in the DR. It's been almost 2 years since we've seen eachother because we're never in America at the same time, so spending a few hours together in the Dominican was a special gift!
Katelyn was here visiting one of her friends, Katie, from seminary. (Side note: Katie is from Omaha, Nebraska, which happens to be where my wonderful sister, Stephanie, lives! She worked as a nanny before moving down to the DR, which is also what Steph does! Crazy...) Katie is doing her internship in Santiago, which is about 2 hours away from Monte Cristi. Part of her internship involves volunteering at an orphanage for children with special needs.
Pause. I think I've shared with most of you that over the past few years, many of the kids who lived at the orphanage here in Monte Cristi have been moved to other places. The most recent one to have left is this sweet bundle of joy, Mery Risa.
She's my gurrlll, so figuring out where she'd gotten off to, just like we have with some of the others who have gone before her, was never in question. The thing is, locating these kids is an adventure in and of itself. Straight, direct answers about addresses, phone numbers, city names, etc. can be tricky to acquire and the process often involves many twists and turns.
At first, when the kids started leaving, it was kinda scary. We wondered if we'd ever cross paths again and were concerned for their well-being. However, as the Lord teaches me about His calling on my life (and every Christian's life) to defend and care for the fatherless, I've come to realize that the immense love that I feel for each and every single one of them doesn't even hold a candle to His love, affection, and jealousy for/towards them. Now, instead of worrying, we simply say, "Welp, time to travel some more and figure out how to stay involved!"
So, after Katie told us that she volunteers at this orphanage, we began to explain a little bit about Mery. She then asked what she looks like and I whipped out my phone to show her the picture above. Katie's response?
"Oh yeah, I know her."
"What? You do?"
"Yeah, I mean, I've only seen her a few times, but I know her."
"WHAAAATTTT?!?!"
"Yep. Do you want to go see her?"
She didn't even need to ask twice.
Within a matter of minutes, we were in a car and on our way. Honestly, I had my doubts during the whole ride. What if Katie just thought she recognized Mery? How could she possibly be sure it was really her in the picture?
As we pulled up to the orphanage, all of the doubts snapped away because there, hanging out on the front porch just watching the world go by, was OUR GIRL! It took a moment for her to realize it was us, but as soon as she did, no one could contain her excitement! She grabbed Heather and me by the hands and marched us all around her new 'home.' We found out that visiting hours are from 8am-6pm daily, and because we'd arrived so late in the day, we only had about an hour together. However, since the visitation time is so accommodating, we can basically go and visit WHENEVER WE WANT!
The whole bus ride back to Monte Cristi, I was practically dumbfounded with awe as I thought about the crazy-yet-so-Divinely-purposed events of the day. Here in the Dominican, I got to spend time with an old friend who is usually in Africa; she brought her friend who is originally from Nebraska but is doing mission work here in the DR; this friend volunteers at a special-needs orphanage and recognized Mery from a picture; she took us to said orphanage and we got to spend time with our girl! If that's not the Lord showing His favor on His children, then I'm not sure what is!
I want to leave you all with this song that's been rocking our world since it's release last December. It's called "Take Back" by United Pursuit Band, and the part when he says:
"I know God has not forgotten all that's lost and broken. So come and see the turning of the times, come and see His sons and daughters rise. For how could He who did not spare His own Son, not freely give us victory against the darkest of nights?"
gives me goosebumps and makes my heart swell every.single.time. He has not forgotten the ones who society has deemed as outcasts, and, as His sons and daughters, we are an extension of Him and are therefore called to remember them as well. He will give us victory over that which seems impossible because it's all for His Glory. He works all things together for the good of them who love Him and are called according to His purpose!
One question I am most frequently asked is, "How do your parents feel about you living overseas?," and I am so blessed to be able to respond that they support me 100%. Being physically distant definitely has its challenges and comes with much sacrifice, but Mama often says, "I'd rather have you overseas right in the middle of God's will than in the same county but not following the Lord!"
After almost 6 months of separation, she and I were fortunate to get to spend some much needed time together this past week. She came to visit February 9th-19th, and there aren't enough words in English or Spanish to describe how special it was to give her a little glimpse of my life here.
The majority of the pictures from her trip are on her camera and, regretfully, I forgot to transfer them to my computer before she left. I did, however, manage to snap a few with my phone, so I thought I could give you all a little look into our time together. Enjoy!
Motorcycle ride to the beach
With Jochi after his baseball game
Leading our students in a game of BINGO on Valentine's Day
At the pier with El Morro National Park in the background
The fancy windchime she made with items she found on the beach
And just like *that,* her trip was over and is now just a wonderful memory. If you see her, I'm sure she'll tell you lots of stories and show you even more pictures. BUT! Be careful...she just might convince you to come down and visit too :)
