Thursday August 27, 2009 11:45am

Early this morning Trav and I spent some time in prayer together. We were praying for both of our families and it made me think about how richly blessed we are with the families that stand behind us, encourage us, and support us. From Gary and Val helping us in so many ways, to my family housing us and taking care of us this summer we can’t even believe how blessed we are to be showered in so much love! We hope that one day we will be able to pay them back for their enormous acts of kindness. We without a doubt would not be able to take this risk and chase this adventure if it weren’t for them.

After we prayed we got ready to start our day…

I’m sure you can see a common theme throughout my blog that things are ever so slow here in this paradise. This morning (9:30) we were on our way to our friends’ pool to cool off and use their WIFI to settle shipping details. On our way we passed our landlord and she said the guy was on his way to fix our cable. So I came back to our place and Trav headed to the beach to talk business with the guy we are working for. It’s now noon and still no cable guy… haha.

With no pool in our backyard, Internet or cable it is easy to find time to have devotionals. This is actually a huge blessing living in an environment with fewer distractions leading us away from our priorities. This morning I’ve been able to catch up on lots of reading in the Word. It was so refreshing and comforting, especially in our current struggles/situations. I’ll share a couple of the verses that spoke to me the most…

Psalm 7:10 “My shield is God Most High who saves the upright in heart”


Psalm 9:9-10 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you”

Along with drawing nearer to the Lord, another beauty of our new move is the intense ways in which my husband and I are drawing closer to each other. We don’t have the modern technologies and distractions to be able to distance ourselves from each other (not that we want to… but sometimes it unintentionally happens). We can barely even communicate with other people here. Therefore, truly all we have is the Lord and each other. We were best friends before we even started dating, but this solidifies that we aren’t just spouses and lovers, but we still envelope the best friend element which is vital in marriage! We love to have fun and enjoy being in each other’s presences all day long. Even if we aren’t successful building a business here, we have learned so much and brought our relationship to a new and beautiful depth. Despite all the chaos and the fear of the unknown, it is totally worth the new fruits that are blossoming. I adore Travis and can’t imagine doing this crazy adventure with out him; in fact I wouldn’t even want to!

That’s all for now—
Love & miss y’all!
D&T

Thursday August 27, 2009 11:45am

Early this morning Trav and I spent some time in prayer together. We were praying for both of our families and it made me think about how richly blessed we are with the families that stand behind us, encourage us, and support us. From Gary and Val helping us in so many ways, to my family housing us and taking care of us this summer we can’t even believe how blessed we are to be showered in so much love! We hope that one day we will be able to pay them back for their enormous acts of kindness. We without a doubt would not be able to take this risk and chase this adventure if it weren’t for them.

After we prayed we got ready to start our day…

I’m sure you can see a common theme throughout my blog that things are ever so slow here in this paradise. This morning (9:30) we were on our way to our friends’ pool to cool off and use their WIFI to settle shipping details. On our way we passed our landlord and she said the guy was on his way to fix our cable. So I came back to our place and Trav headed to the beach to talk business with the guy we are working for. It’s now noon and still no cable guy… haha.

With no pool in our backyard, Internet or cable it is easy to find time to have devotionals. This is actually a huge blessing living in an environment with fewer distractions leading us away from our priorities. This morning I’ve been able to catch up on lots of reading in the Word. It was so refreshing and comforting, especially in our current struggles/situations. I’ll share a couple of the verses that spoke to me the most…

Psalm 7:10 “My shield is God Most High who saves the upright in heart”


Psalm 9:9-10 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you”

Along with drawing nearer to the Lord, another beauty of our new move is the intense ways in which my husband and I are drawing closer to each other. We don’t have the modern technologies and distractions to be able to distance ourselves from each other (not that we want to… but sometimes it unintentionally happens). We can barely even communicate with other people here. Therefore, truly all we have is the Lord and each other. We were best friends before we even started dating, but this solidifies that we aren’t just spouses and lovers, but we still envelope the best friend element which is vital in marriage! We love to have fun and enjoy being in each other’s presences all day long. Even if we aren’t successful building a business here, we have learned so much and brought our relationship to a new and beautiful depth. Despite all the chaos and the fear of the unknown, it is totally worth the new fruits that are blossoming. I adore Travis and can’t imagine doing this crazy adventure with out him; in fact I wouldn’t even want to!

That’s all for now—
Love & miss y’all!
D&T

Wednesday August 26, 2009 7:30pm

Things are still realllllllly slowwwww. Coming from New York to the DR is quite the adjustment. I’m used to being busy busy busy and getting things done ASAP. Here, it is whenever it gets done it gets done (IF it gets done…).

Our boat/plane is supposed to be shipped Friday and its’ anticipated arrival is September 2nd. The guy we are working for is requiring that Trav have at least 150 more hours of practice before he is allowed to take tourists for rides. Which means we won’t be having an income for quite some time. It’s an unsettling feeling not knowing when the next dollar will be made as we watch our bank account drain from our necessities alone. I am learning so much about the sovereignty and favor of our God. Truly NONE of our situation is in our hands. We have absolutely zero control over this business and we are learning that all we can do is pray and draw near to the Lord. To outsiders we look crazy, (and perhaps we are) but this is the time when we wait and anticipate the Lord to work mightily in our lives. We believe he will prove himself faithful and we claim that His hand is not too short to give! And if this is not the Lords will then He will direct our paths to the next adventure.

Being that we don’t have our plane yet we don’t have much to do during the day. This afternoon we had a missionary couple over. We heard about them through a nurse that gave us our shots to come to the DR. The Lord works in crazy ways! We were able to chat with them for a while and learn about the types of ministry they are doing. They anticipate moving here in mid-September. We are excited because that would give us an outlet of ministry as well!

That’s all for now… nothing too exciting we are just waiting, waiting, waiting! Please pray for patience for us and for the Lord to provide. The sooner the guy we are working for lets us fly, the better!

Love and miss y’all! ☺

D&T

Day four living in the DR.

August 24, 2009-- 10:10pm

Day four in the Dominican Republic. Check.

Apartment. Check.

Power & lights. Check, check.

Pest control. Check.

So here I lay in bed in our bedroom, which might I add is the only room in our apartment that has a/c, and I listen to the neighbors’ blast some array of reggae and Spanish ensemble. Life is definitely different here and it is going to take quite the adjustment for us to begin to feel like this is home.

Yesterday was sort of dramatic concerning our condo. First, we found out that we had no hot water and then the electricity/lights went out. We naively thought that it was our entire street doing without, however the Power Company came to our apartment during the night and took our meter! Haha! Not only did they just turn off our power but they took our meter! Hilarious ☺ The sweet man we are working with down here called us in the middle of the night and we told him we were without power. His wife and him rushed over to try and help us. When in doubt with the power, go straight to the power plant! And that’s what we did… we drove out in the middle of nowhere to the electric power plant to inquire! Everything seemed so surreal and like we were on some reality TV show.

We accidentally ended up signing a year contract in the wrong apartment complex. Dump international mistake number one, haha. But, after a minor hassle we were able to weasel our way out of it, kinda. As long as the cockroaches and frogs stay away this place won’t be bad at all! I just can’t wait to move into the apartments that we were shown today, they were beautiful!

Today we drove with Doreen to Higuey, a town about 45 minutes away. We filled up with gas for $4.44 and made our way through the country. As you approach the town you see beautiful mountains in the distance and then mass chaos of local Dominicans throughout the town. We passed numerous people on mopeds, bicycles, or merely hanging out of the street (mostly the latter). There were little ‘mercados’ that had hanging meats on the outside. I think I might become a vegetarian, haha! We finally made our way to the grocery store and it looked like a Spanish wal-mart. If it weren’t for Doreen we would have been in big trouble. EVERYTHING is in Spanish and not many people speak English. She’s like our own personal translator and the biggest blessing! We bought the necessities and headed home. We had to stop at the dentist because Doreen had an appointmet. While I was waiting for her a middle aged and young Dominican man/boy were asking me while I was there. I vaguely explained and they seemed blown away that we would willingly move to the DR. The young man even said “It’s so weird seeing you here!”. So there it was, my first experience as an absolutely minority. For Higuey is a city of locals only. Tourists never venture off to this area, hence the oddness of them seeing a blonde hair, blue eyed, white girl!

Haha. So the adventure begins! We still have LOTS to figure out and at times we seem overwhelmed with anxiety about how the Lord will provide. But, all we can do it sit and wait. We could use your prayers!

Love y’all!

The Latest...

As of now my precious husband has been in Florida for flight school for a week, and it will be one more week until he comes back! I miss him more than ever. It's a bitter sweet phenomenon being separated by distance. You long for your best friend more than anything, while at the same time you realize all the intricate things you absolutely adore about them. That is exactly what I'm experiencing. I am without a doubt the most lucky girl alive and I am blessed beyong belief to have had the opportunity to marry Travis and spen our lives together.

While he is away I'm tackling the book Every Womans Marriage. I always get motivated to do better and grow deeper when he's gone. Perhaps because I have much more free time. I have been learning so much and I pray that I will continue to gain wisdom especially in my ministry to my precious husband.

I am four days away from graduating, five days away from being unemployed, 7 days from being sweetly reunited, and 12 days away from moving Internationally. My life is the craziest adventure and I would not have changed a thing! I am so excited to see what doors the Lord open in the DR and for the time for Travis and I to solely rely on each other. I miss having my wifely duties so I am excited to partake in that again as well!

Yesturday I was reading in Isaiah 40, verses 10-11 I found to be incredible!

"See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young."

I think it is vital to remember that the Lord is not only powerful and ruler of all, but He is also gentle with us and truly loves us. These verses are going to be a crutch for me as I travel to the DR and only have my wonderful husband. My heavenly father is always there in every season to love me and show me the way. I am forever grateful for His love!

8 hrs. in ER, 3 hrs of sleep later...

Last night my precious husband had to go to the ER because of the medical conditions last night. 8 hours, 2 doctors, and 6 nurses later we still don't have an answer or solution... is it frustrating? Absolutely.

The comforting thing to be is that my God is bigger than all of this. He already knows the outcome and the timeline for everything. What a breath of fresh air that all I must do is trust His timing and love Travis through everything.

It's so wonderful when the Lord sends his comforting veil down on us. Theres so many different perspectives you can take on our situation. However, I choose to be optimistic! The Lord has entirely shown his favor on us. You see if he got sick back in January, when he worked in sales and we had medical insurance, yes we would have been insured but there is no way he could have worked. It would have been weeks that he would have to take off and chances are I'm not sure they would keep him around with that amount of absences. Lets say he got sick while we were still in Texas and Trav was working in the plants (80+ hours a week). Well he DEFINITELY would not have been able to work and we didn't have health insurance. Now were in NY for the summer and I'm the only one working. He has plenty of time to rest and get rejuvinated AND the Lord blessed us mightily with charity care insurance. All of his procedures and doctors visits are 100% covered, it makes me want to ball just thinking about how blessed we are.

The verse the Lord has been comforting me with is: Psalm 84:11-12... it is amazing!

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

12 O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you

And so the plans of us moving to the DR are postponed a little... just until we get trav back to perfect health again.

Please pray for my baby :)

Divine Orchestration

Sometimes I can't help but be utterly amazed at how absolutely perfect the Lord's plans are. I can't tell you how many times events have happened in a way that is so unique I would have never been able to plan myself. There's no doubt that the Lord's ways and timing are perfect and profoundly unique!

For life's latest example...

Let me set the stage for you. My precious husband and I are in the planning process of moving to the Dominican Republic. It's is a HUGE adventure and risk. There are moments when it would seem so much easier and secure if we just quit and settled for the "normal life". Well with every discouraging thought the Lord so graciously sends a bout of encouragement our way.

This past weekend we had the privilege of attending a wedding in Oxford, Maryland. Well, on Friday night before the wedding on saturday, my husband and I were slightly exhausted from the drive that day so we decided to lay low and hang out in the room. We just read the Word and I wrote in my prayer journal. That night I specifically lifted all the details of our move up to the Lord. I begged Him to lead us to His will. I asked that He might bring people across our paths that would help us in some way...

Now its Saturday, the day of the wedding, and Travis and I are so excited to be there. After the ceremony we make our way to the reception tent and randomly chose a table (there were no table assignments). A young couple sat down next to us. We struck up a light conversation with them and found out that they are moving to Haiti in September! If this was not a relationship sent straight from the Lord I don't know what is! How wonderful that they are moving to Haiti to do missions and we will be in the DR soon! I'm excited to see how we can get together and team up with them. Trav's and my dream is to start a business that could fund missions and an orphanage!

The Lord is so good to us.

He is our provider and I trust Him with our lives.