You Make Everything Glorious

I am writing you to tell you that I have one week left in the Dominican.

Yesterday our Metro-Maryland Youth for Christ Missions team (from Maryland) joined us. It is so wonderful to be reunited with some of my friends from back home. It is good to have Mark Miller, Rob Benson, Mercy Price, and Mandy Evans be some of names and faces that met us in the Dominican to help finish out the last week of our time here. It is so strange to me that they are already here. I am so happy though because my transition to leaving the Dominican and going back to America is a little more smooth (as we will be returning with them on August 7).

This morning was full of dance practices, devotionals, singing, and eating. This morning I awoke at 5:15 to pray in the church with many of the other members. Rain was pounding so loud on the tin roof it was hard to hear – the power was out so the church was lit by one small lamp in the front of the room. Dozens of people poured in the church to pray for the next hour. Pastor told us to be on guard. Big things are going to be happening in the Lord’s Name this week and we are fighting a war to bring this city to Christ. Please, Please, Please be praying. This morning during prayer, I had an overwhelming sadness wash over me to the point of tears. I am not sure what this means yet, but it lasted for a few hours. Pray for protection. Pray for health. Please pray that Gods Glory would shine brightly. Pray that the people here experience God and see God differently. Pray that I am humbled and changed even within the next few days. Pray that God gives me wisdom and strength.

I have this strong feeling that something GREAT is brewing. Tomorrow the games begin here. Everything that Lindsey, Cierra, and I have been helping prepare for for the past seven weeks will finally unfold. The big event here (when everyone is declaring that Jesus Christ is Lord over Pimentel) is happening Saturday. Pray over this Saturday.

I can’t wait to see all of you.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. ~1 Corinthians 16:13-14~

<3

Theresa

Tengo La Fe

“Savor every drop. Every drop of shampoo. Every drop of toothpaste. Every drop of soup. Every drop of water. There are no extra’s here. There are no, please sir may I have some more. Be thankful always. Thankful for the sun. Even more thankful for the shade. Thankful for the starry nights. Thankful for being able to dance and sing. Thankful for the moments when you feel like you are alone. Thankful for the moments when you’re not alone. Thankful for the moments when you can communicate with a child. Thankful for the moments when you can make them smile. Thankful for the days that are breezy. Thankful for being able to praise God… freely.”

~A Journal Entry from July 18^th~

Blessings, 

Every week is a little different here. I can hardly believe that we have been here five weeks already! It feels as if it was just yesterday that I was writing you the last update letter. I am in disbelief how quickly time is flying. The Maryland team will finally be joining us in only seven days!

This past week, for our girls Bible Study we did a discussion on Mark 12:28-34 à how to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and how to love your neighbor as yourself. We were also able to have an amazing discussion on similarities and differences between our churches in America and MIVA.  After the girls Bible Study, the girls showed me their classroom – it was very small and the wooden desks were all broken up. It was so interesting to be in one of the rooms, especially after student teaching within a school that has many resources available. I kept imagining myself teaching within a classroom like this one and thinking “how would I do this?” What if I was not able to make as many copies as I needed or had fewer books than I had students? And yet, MIVA continually receives top testing scores from schools within Pimentel. What an incredible experience that would be… to be able to teach at their school! (I guess I better start learning more Spanish!)

Wednesday afternoon Cierra and I went with one of MIVA’s dance groups to a City Prayer Meeting about an hour away. What an amazing time of worship, dance, and prayer! I felt like I was at a Youth for Christ Conference, with hundreds of people from all over the Dominican filling the arena. I was brought to tears when they began playing “God of this City” in Spanish. My desire to have God be known in my local home of Baltimore City and my desire to have God be known in my international home of the city of Pimentel are one in the same. Where God has allowed me to feel what the people feel and want to make a change to further His Kingdom. His Kingdom Come His Will Be Done in Baltimore and Pimentel as it is in Heaven. I have attached a few pictures of me with the dance group from the conference. (For more pictures and some videos, check out my blog at www.theresainthedr.blogspot.com)

Saturday night, a Christian Dance group (from America) of 45 people came to MIVA performing dramas and dancing jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. Afterwards they did an alter call and several people came to Christ! We spent about another hour in prayer and worship! The testimony of how the Dance Group even ended up at MIVA is pretty remarkable. (Just another story I can tell when I return home).    

Every day this week, the three of us have concentrated on finalizing the pre-field Bible Studies that we will be sending to the National Youth for Christ office. We are working on topics that are very specific to the Dominican Republic mission’s trip. We have also been able to get pictures of several students that will be on the Child Sponsorship Website. Today, our focus is finishing gathering information that is needed for the website.

I wish I was able to write about all of the many things that filled this past week in full detail (such as dance practices, yard sales to make money for the anniversary, The March, cows on the basketball court, ant/ frog invasions, and making gigantic Oreo milkshakes in a blender as big as an eight year old child) The rest of our time here is packed to the brim with work and activities. We thank and praise God for the ability to work and play!

           

Thanks again to those of you who have sent in another financial gift. Currently I have $3,511.49 raised of $5,350.00 (Meaning I still need to raise $1,838.39 – completely possible!)  Please prayerfully consider sending in another financial gift to help make this goal a possibility. I also want to thank you for keeping me in your prayers (they are definitely being heard).

Prayer Requests:

1.      Direction and discernment in terms of a job, housing, and finances in preparation to returning home.

2.      Health: I have had multiple nose bleeds accompanied by a sore throat especially within this past week.

3.      Maryland team / missionaries coming within the next week! (safety in traveling)

4.      Continued focus within the next week to complete our work! J

Praises:

1.      The transformation I have seen in the three of us (Lindsey, Cierra, and me)

2.      Continued financial support for me.

3.      That the American Dance Group was able to come and those who were brought to Christ

4.      Money that was raised for the anniversary.

5.      Safety! J We have not had any issues or problems since our stay here.

Te Amo,

            Theresa

(If you are able to give financially please send a check with my name in the memo line to: Youth for Christ 8900 Belair Rd Baltimore MD 21236)

“Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of stars and calls them by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” ~Psalm 147:1-5~

 Pastors praying at the City Prayer Meeting

 Cierra and I with the dance group from MIVA after the City Prayer Meeting.

Me, Cierra, Diana, and Nicole after the City Prayer Meeting.

 My boyfriend Louy Vaun eating some ice cream!

Sun setting <3

One of the most exciting encouragement letters from my friend Jenni. 

I thought the envelope was empty, but the Power of the Resurrection was inside. 

Thanks Jenni, you are amazing!! <3

Thank You

Again I want to thank everyone who is sending in money to support my trip here. I also want to thank all of my friends that wrote me letters to read while I am here!! They are so encouraging and definitely brighten my day.

I also want to thank everyone who is sending me facebook messages and emails. I love reading them!!

Keep them coming!
<3

American Cravings

This week the three of us (Lindsey, Cierra, and I) have been able to laugh about what American cravings stick out the most. Number one on our list is... dun dun dun dun.... Chick-fil-a! We joke that we must live near the Campus Life office (since Chick-fil-a is right across the street). Craving number two... pizza. Surprise! We must be from America.

Today was very busy. We had dance practice in the morning, took pictures and worked on the child sponsorship website, met in the church for a prayer meeting (for the 15th anniversary), had our girls Bible study meeting, and played volleyball with the younger children. This morning the three of us cut up a huge mango (that was given to us as a gift) and enjoyed its sweet and refreshing taste.

There is a lot of excitement beginning to boil for the 15th anniversary!! I am very excited that I am here to be a part of all of the great things that God is doing here in Pimentel.

The March

This was the video that was created this past week to advertise The March that we did today. Today we marched around the city of Pimentel with over 700 adults and children. The police shut down streets and we marched along the busy "highways" of Pimentel. Children were holding signs that read things such as "Protect my innocence," "value my education," and "don't drink or do drugs."

I was marching with the kindergarten children and one little boy became so tired that I had to carry him. He eventually fell asleep on my shoulder.

Saturday Activities!

Yesterday was Lindsey's 18th Birthday!! (which in the Dominican is the equivalent of the American 21st birthday) -- So they cooked burgers and hot dogs and we also had cake! It was like a little taste of home.

The girls from the girls Bible study also threw Lindsey a "surprise" party around 4pm yesterday. It began raining -- so it turned into a water battle and candy fiesta!

Today we are going to work on some of the signs that are going to be used in a march tomorrow, to promote the 15th anniversary. Today is our first day off from dance practice in the morning.

Lots of things to still accomplish!

Pray for focus today. That we are able to get a lot of things accomplished. Many of our tasks right now require the computer and internet (such as the Bible studies, handbook, and child sponsorship website) -- and it is hard to stay on task when the power keeps going out and we keep losing internet.

Right now I am sitting on Pastor's porch. It is an overcast day -- but still HOT. I look out onto the field in front of me and see about 30 kids having soccer practice. Today is going to be a good day.

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us
    but to your name be the glory, 
    because of your love and faithfulness." 

~Psalm 115:1~

Girls Bible Study Pictures!

Walk Humbly With Your God

Buenos Dias!

       I pray this update is meeting you well! I miss all of you and can’t wait until I can share my stories with you in person. This past week has been extremely busy and hectic. It has also been difficult to send out reports or updates with the inconsistent power and Internet. This email to you marks my official four weeks being in the Dominican! It is hard for me to believe how fast time is flying. There are a lot of great things happening in order to prepare for the 15^th anniversary, and even more things that need to be accomplished.

I spent two days of this past week feeling sick. During any down time that I could catch I would try to sleep. Pushing through the exhaustion, I attempted to complete work on the pre-field Bible Studies. As I was sitting at Pastor’s house, I had a wave wash over me, and I felt better...I don’t even know how to explain it. This “healing” came in the form of hunger. How symbolic of our relationship with Christ. How when we have Him in our lives, we should hunger for more of Him. Never in my life have I had an experience like this one.

The buzz within Pimentel is growing about the upcoming 15^th anniversary. God is moving here in some unexpected ways. MIVA is making connections and partnerships with many local businesses and organizations. There is even rumor that the President of the Dominican might even be making an appearance! We won’t find out for a little while (but the Pastor went to Santo Domingo on an overnight trip filled with scheduled meetings). The support and funding for the ministry and anniversary is growing. I found myself initially asking, “Why spend so much money on an anniversary party?” However, this is more than an anniversary we are preparing for. We are not only celebrating what God has done and is doing, but there is an underlying stir of excitement and anticipation that is already bringing more people to Christ. This week Pastor told the three of us (Lindsey, Cierra, and I) that we are no longer allowed to walk back and forth at night from Mary’s house (where we are staying) to MIVA (about a five minute walk) unless we have a family member walking us. He is just being extremely cautious, which is appreciated by all three of us.

Lindsey, Cierra, and I have also been asked to be a part of a choreographed dance with 50 other children who range in ages from 7 to 25. We have certainly enjoyed being able to not only dance with these children, but ultimately to build stronger relationships with them. Many of the girls from our Bible study stand next to or in front of us during the dance. I love being able to catch a moment or two to goof off and dance around the stage with all of them. This past week for our Girls Bible study, we did our first topic meeting on gossip. We based our lesson off of Proverbs 11:13 (A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret) and we did a craft with it as well (please see attached pictures). I am humbled during every Bible Study meeting with them because for once I am not able to fully communicate by talking. It still amazes me how God truly gives you the words and will speak through you (even when you don’t know the language). We talked about being sisters in Christ and how we need to lift one another up in order to glorify the Lord.  

       ALSO praise!! Our barrels that we shipped from America (with more supplies) arrived Friday July 6, two weeks earlier than we were expecting!! Lindsey, Cierra, and I were excited to receive some ice tea mix (that is already almost gone). We have been getting a daily helping of rice and beans and the three of us have been eating spoonfuls of peanut butter (our daily ritual as Pastor calls it) in between meals. We have already gone through four jars of peanut butter. 

I want to thank all of you who continue praying for me and those of you who have given financially since the last update! What a blessing that I am able to be here all summer. I have had some unbelievable conversations with multiple people that have been helping me make more sense of my life. I still have a strong sense that something great is brewing, and I am so thankful that I get to experience it firsthand.

                                                                      Love,

                                                                          Theresa

Current American craving: Chick-fil-a and A GIANT CHEWY COOKIE!! J yummm!

Current Song/ lyrics on my Heart: “And I’ll Stand with Arms High and Heart Abandoned, In Awe of the One who Made it All. And I’ll Stand, my Soul Lord to You Surrendered, All I am is Yours.

Prayer Requests:

1.      .  Health
2.       . Safety
3.       . Wisdom in every and all situations
4.       . To be able to get more work completed on the Child Sponsorship Website
5.      .  Language Barrier

Praises:

      1. Continued Financial Support for me
2. The barrel came in!
3. Building strong relationships with the girls and kids at MIVA
4. An amazing Girls Bible Study
5. That I feel better!! 

(If you are able to give financially please send a check with my name in the memo line to: Youth for Christ 8900 Belair Rd Baltimore MD 21236)

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." ~Exodus 14:14

DR Blog: http://www.theresainthedr.blogspot.com/

DR Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/263124547122514/

They have more pictures and more updates!

He Knows Me By Name

I love how looking through Pastor’s pictures of kids at MIVA, I am no longer looking at a group of hundreds of kids, but I am looking at a group of my friends whom I know by name.  

Seek Justice, Love Mercy

Hola Americanos! 


I don’t even have words that begin to describe my experiences here in the Dominican. I still feel as if I am completely at home and I am loving every minute of it.

It just began raining here. All of the children (and yes… even some of the adults) will gather in the streets to enjoy the coolness of the rain. Last time it rained here, Cierra, Lindsey and I ran through the streets with several children and we saw some people taking showers outside! I even had the opportunity to pet a wild horse in the rain! When it rains here, it becomes more like a flood – but when it is over, everything seems to dry within minutes after the sun comes out.

We have begun meeting with our girls Bible study. There are 15 girls in their early teens that we will be working with throughout our time here. Yesterday we all got together and played soccer at 4pm. (It still amazes me how they are able to wear long pants and no shoes as they run around on the rocks.) Soccer soon turned into volleyball and Frisbee and football (Americano). Many other neighborhood kids joined in on the games and we played until the sun went down. We ended the day by joining one of the Dominican Bible Studies and by prayer walking on our way home (under the most beautiful clear full moon).


This morning Lindsey and I got up at 6 AM and walked around the main strip of town. This strip is where many of the locals walk and run in the morning to work out before it gets too hot. Last Thursday Cierra and I went running along the same strip – today I saw many familiar faces that waved and said “Good Morning” to me in English.

Something that continually amazes me is how the children love unconditionally. Since I know very little Spanish, we have to find other ways to communicate with one another. The children just want to be with you. They want to be accepted into the game(s) you are playing. The joy on their faces with a simple high five or a hug, a sign of love and acceptance – no words needed. I am continually amazed how sports, card games, and hand games are a universal language. I am currently reading a book called The Hopeful Skepticby Nick Fiedler and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when he wrote: “People are the same anywhere you go. You probably have some compelling stories about your travels when you realized that children from [the Dominican] act exactly like children from your home country. Or, maybe, as a female, your trips to Italy, Spain, Ireland and so on have led you to conclude that young men are the same everywhere – or that construction workers in any country will whistle at you. We are all similar. These experiences are part of the traveling life, and if you haven’t traveled or experienced the commonalities in humanity, then you’ve missed out on something big.” My heart is being changed and humbled everyday by these children who wear the same clothes day in and day out. The kids here are like some of the kids I know back at home. They are bored. They need a friend. God’s unfailing love shines through so brightly in the ninos’ smiles.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support of this journey that I am on. I currently have a little more than half of my funding in ($3,200). I would like to ask that you continue praying that the rest of the funding would come in and that if you are able to give financially that you would. God is working together great things here at MIVA through this ministry that I am blessed to be a part of because of you.


Yesterday I was able to watch a five minute commercial advertisement on television with the Pastor and about ten children from the church. They were advertising the upcoming 15 year celebration for MIVA! I have talked to many many different people here who are all saying the same thing that I feel… something AMAZING is about to happen here. God is taking back HIS City of Pimentel.


I love and miss all of you. I am adding on praises and prayer requests below:

<3
Theresa



Praises:
1. Zoila (Pastor’s wife) just gave me a fresh mango!
2. The building of relationships with the children and specifically the girls in my Bible Study.
3. Good health and safety
4. We are getting many things together for the child sponsorship website
5. Rain!

Prayer Requests:
1. For continued financial support
2. Language Barrier – that I will be able to pick up the language while I am here
3. For the girls Bible Study group in general
4. For continued movement for the 15 year celebration!
5. Wisdom, strength, and leadership


(If you are able to give financially please send a check with my name in the memo line to: Youth for Christ 8900 Belair Rd Baltimore MD 21236)

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ~Jeremiah 29:7~