November 19, 2009
“God prepares great men for great tasks by great trials” –Charles Spurgeon
Oh how that has encouraged me the past two days!
Yesterday morning Travis went with a mechanic to get some spark plugs for our plane. I stayed home to clean up the house and such. Well when all was spotless I decided I wanted to go swimming for exercise. I got all ready and went to get my goggles and they were missing. I was searching all over the house for where I put them last and while I was looking I got this funny thought, “what if the Lord is slowing down my steps for a certain reason… maybe he doesn’t want me to leave yet…”. I know that sounds like “super-spiritual”, and I don’t always think like that. But, in this particular moment I did. I felt a prompting to wait. And so I did. Literally, within five minutes Trav rushed in the door and ran straight to the bathroom. He was very upset and about to have a panic attack. I was so happy that I listened to that small voice that told me to wait, instead of hurrying along and ignoring it. My husband needed me, and I was there to help him simply because I allowed the Lord to interrupt my life for a more important reason.
When life gets crazy and things don’t pan out like you want them to… you know, something blocks the road… I encourage you to pause and think that there just might be a bigger reason for why that is happening. Perhaps it is an inconvenience but maybe it’s the Lord divinely orchestrating the timeline for a bigger purpose.
Today is already a million times better than yesterday. Clearly yesterday was a rough day for Trav and I. Sometimes it gets overwhelming here. The whole process of establishing a business in a foreign country alone is enough to drive someone insane. Not to mention being from American almost puts us at a disadvantage. With that I mean we’re used to working with fairly educated people who understand what getting things done in a “timely fashion” means. Truly the only way to get things moving here is to pay people in hopes of motivating them to do with their work. And well, when you and your husband are recent college graduates, with school loans staring you in the face, and an allotted savings to get you through the anticipated waiting period, its not that easy to just leisurely pay everyone double to do their duties. We are also learned that the Dominicans also run by a system of connections. It’s not what you know, but whom you know. If you want something done you must have a connection… and well not being from here our connections are minimal. But, I believe my God is bigger than all of that. So despite all those roadblocks, I believe in the Lord who can move mountains!
Matthew 17:20
“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
So, a funny story from yesterday…
Upon Travs frustration with the slow process of the business he decided to go and scout out a different attorney, one who, as Trav puts it, “we don’t have to baby-sit”. So we got referred to this Dominican attorney. We were sitting there in a meeting presenting him all that we have as well as the areas we need his assistance. One area we are looking for more information is regarding Dominican residency. Well, in order for him to quote us a price he had to ask us a variety of health related questions. As previously mentioned Trav wasn’t having a good day and was out of sorts. Well the attorney proceeds to ask us about our health background. He says, “do you smoke and do drugs?” and 100% serious Trav shakes his head YES! The attorney then says, “when is the last time?” And Trav shakes his head yes again! At this point I pipe up and say “Hold on!! Did you just ask him if he does drugs?” And he said, “Yes, of course…” and I looked at Trav and said WHY did you tell him you do drugs!? Haha he had no idea that’s what the guy said. I’m not sure if he wasn’t paying attention or if the Dominican accent made him unsure of what he said… so I’m pretty sure he thinks we do drugs and I was trying to cover it up. Haha…
Just wait… it gets better.
So then he goes on to ask us if we have STD’s, and various diseases. And this man is trying to say Hepatitis, but instead it sounded like “Hypo-titties”. So Travis goes, “What? Do I have heavy titties?!” Haha, oh man I’m almost confident this guy thinks were on drugs now. It did make for a good laugh though ☺
Anyways, today is a good day. The Lord has restored our joy, our vision, and our tenacity. We also found out that Trav’s dad and step mom are coming to visit us in a little over a week! We are so excited to have some family down here. It’s just what we need.
Hope ya’ll can come visit soon!
Love & Miss you!
D&T
November 19, 2009
November 15, 2009
The power of networking :)
November 15, 2009
Here’s an update on our business status:
Kingdom Flyers, S.R.L. will be able to take their first tourist on a flying boat ride when:
-We nail down a lease agreement for beach space
-The inspector looks at our aircraft and issues the boat registration
-We get insurance
With the way things look and only these few tasks left to accomplish, we believe we should be up and running within 2 weeks (at most!). If you only saw the mile-long list we were first presented, you would understand why looking at this one is so refreshing.
At times this process is frustrating. Meeting with the attorneys, meeting with different land owners, going here, going there, not understanding Spanish and of course waiting, waiting, waiting… But, at the end of the day we are ALWAYS in awe of how perfectly everything fits together.
You see we have been blessed with so many people helping us. It is mind boggling at how the 1-2 year process of beginning our tourism business is actually taking us roughly 3 months! It’s so remarkable to us how we meet someone, who then leads us to another person, who introduces us to someone else who is able to help. I mean the unintentional marketing that has gone on here is incredible! Nonetheless, we all know its not mere coincidence ☺. There is undoubtedly something bigger going on here… Ironically enough, I just read in my devotions yesterday, “we can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.” (My Utmost for His Highest, Nov. 14)
Here are two examples:
1. We were asking a worker at the local fruit stand if they knew a welder who could build us a water trailer and our popped a Haitian named Rodney. He said to meet him there tomorrow at 5:30pm. He took us around to some welders and we began sharing with him our business ideas. He works for a Tour Operator called Scuba Caribe and thought this company might want to do business with us. Well he introduced us to a manager of one of the stores named Damian. Damian also liked our business idea, and thus referred us to Nicholas, the manager of the land where his shop was, on Bibijagua beach. We met with Nicholas and presented our business plans to him. He was a very stoic man, we couldn’t really tell if he was thrilled or not. But, he told us he would call us back either way. But you see, we ended up getting hooked up with Nicholas all because of the guy at a fruit stand. It’s kind of comical!
2. So, the other day we went to this local mailbox/print store to get our business cards printed up. We were aware that the manager/owner of this particular store is very good friends with the fellow who we were originally going to work underneath.
((As previously mentioned, things were not working out with him and getting help from him was like trying to nail jell-o to a tree. As of right now we have no idea what he is thinking. In other words, we’ve been back almost three weeks now. We’ve contacted him a few times and even stopped by his beach hut. In spite of that, he’s never there and hasn’t returned our calls. In my mind, that is our easy way out. We’re here, ready to go, and he isn’t giving us the time of day. Therefore, we needed to become independent. Bills don’t pay themselves, you know? ☺ Travis and I just can’t figure out why he is acting like this. I guess we figure, we could have potentially made him a lot of money and he would be required to do nothing. Wouldn’t you want to help get someone get set up quickly so your return investment could begin? Anyways, we don’t know if he thinks we gave up or are independent, or what...))
Sorry for the rabbit trail, but I felt like that was a good place to update the situation with that guy ☺ So we’re at this print shop and scoping the store to see if the owner is there. At this point, we were still being very careful about what we would say to people. We were slightly paranoid that the information would get back to the guy we were first planning to do business with. As were sitting there anticipating for the business cards to finish being cut so we could exit unnoticed, in walks the owner. We both could have died! We were literally about 2 minutes away from getting away undetected. Luckily we both happened to be wearing hats that day. We tried every way possible of being disguised. And it worked… until we had to go to the cash register to pay out.
As we were being handed our change back the owner walks right over to us and greets us in the friendliest manner imaginable! He was asking us all sorts of questions about if we’re flying yet, what needs to be done, this that and the other thing. This guy used to be a helicopter pilot so he knows the logistics about how it all works here. Travis and I were both being so careful talking to him. Of course were immediately going to assume that he is going to relay this information. So of course the only answers we were giving were very vague. However, as we talked a little bit longer Travis and I both had a peace about him. We didn’t have any sort of intuition that he had malicious motives. Trav says, “It’s a pilot thing, he wants to help another pilot out!”. After some more business talk he told us that he really wants to help us with whatever is left in the process. He had compassion because we are young, trying to do everything by the books, and of course it’s a flying business. He gave us his business card and said to call tomorrow at 4pm.
We can’t help but laugh. The one person we were trying so hard to not talk to, is the one who sincerely wants to assist us, with entirely pure motives. Some people who offer their help are very quick to include that they want a percentage of our income, but then there are others who just want to do good for someone else out of the kindness of their hearts. So after us both agreeing that we didn’t think he was up to anything, we met up with him again the very next day. The poor guy was a little scatter brained because he had been running around all day with work, and came directly to meet us and had not even eaten that day. Maybe I’m naïve, but why would someone go out of his or her way that much just to snitch on us? Anyways, be was very helpful! Apparently he used to be the head manager at an insurance company so he was going to contact them and get some quotes. He also knows the owner of the land, Bibijagua, which is the exact land we’ve been trying to get in with. We will see what all comes about with this guy and his help, but I’m sure it can’t hurt.
As far as the land goes… Nicholas, the manager of Bibijagua and finally called us back yesterday. He told Travis he wants to do business with us, but that he wants to see him do a demonstration flight. After Nicholas sees that then the negotiation process will begin. But, if we get in with the owner as well, perhaps they won’t try to take THAT much money from us. ☺ But, first we must wait for the boat registration.
Sorry if I was rambling, sometimes I try so hard to not make this thing 10 pages long yet inform ya’ll of what’s going on.
Please pray that these last few items come about in a timely manner so we can begin flying soon!
Love & miss you all!
D&T
Here’s an update on our business status:
Kingdom Flyers, S.R.L. will be able to take their first tourist on a flying boat ride when:
-We nail down a lease agreement for beach space
-The inspector looks at our aircraft and issues the boat registration
-We get insurance
With the way things look and only these few tasks left to accomplish, we believe we should be up and running within 2 weeks (at most!). If you only saw the mile-long list we were first presented, you would understand why looking at this one is so refreshing.
At times this process is frustrating. Meeting with the attorneys, meeting with different land owners, going here, going there, not understanding Spanish and of course waiting, waiting, waiting… But, at the end of the day we are ALWAYS in awe of how perfectly everything fits together.
You see we have been blessed with so many people helping us. It is mind boggling at how the 1-2 year process of beginning our tourism business is actually taking us roughly 3 months! It’s so remarkable to us how we meet someone, who then leads us to another person, who introduces us to someone else who is able to help. I mean the unintentional marketing that has gone on here is incredible! Nonetheless, we all know its not mere coincidence ☺. There is undoubtedly something bigger going on here… Ironically enough, I just read in my devotions yesterday, “we can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.” (My Utmost for His Highest, Nov. 14)
Here are two examples:
1. We were asking a worker at the local fruit stand if they knew a welder who could build us a water trailer and our popped a Haitian named Rodney. He said to meet him there tomorrow at 5:30pm. He took us around to some welders and we began sharing with him our business ideas. He works for a Tour Operator called Scuba Caribe and thought this company might want to do business with us. Well he introduced us to a manager of one of the stores named Damian. Damian also liked our business idea, and thus referred us to Nicholas, the manager of the land where his shop was, on Bibijagua beach. We met with Nicholas and presented our business plans to him. He was a very stoic man, we couldn’t really tell if he was thrilled or not. But, he told us he would call us back either way. But you see, we ended up getting hooked up with Nicholas all because of the guy at a fruit stand. It’s kind of comical!
2. So, the other day we went to this local mailbox/print store to get our business cards printed up. We were aware that the manager/owner of this particular store is very good friends with the fellow who we were originally going to work underneath.
((As previously mentioned, things were not working out with him and getting help from him was like trying to nail jell-o to a tree. As of right now we have no idea what he is thinking. In other words, we’ve been back almost three weeks now. We’ve contacted him a few times and even stopped by his beach hut. In spite of that, he’s never there and hasn’t returned our calls. In my mind, that is our easy way out. We’re here, ready to go, and he isn’t giving us the time of day. Therefore, we needed to become independent. Bills don’t pay themselves, you know? ☺ Travis and I just can’t figure out why he is acting like this. I guess we figure, we could have potentially made him a lot of money and he would be required to do nothing. Wouldn’t you want to help get someone get set up quickly so your return investment could begin? Anyways, we don’t know if he thinks we gave up or are independent, or what...))
Sorry for the rabbit trail, but I felt like that was a good place to update the situation with that guy ☺ So we’re at this print shop and scoping the store to see if the owner is there. At this point, we were still being very careful about what we would say to people. We were slightly paranoid that the information would get back to the guy we were first planning to do business with. As were sitting there anticipating for the business cards to finish being cut so we could exit unnoticed, in walks the owner. We both could have died! We were literally about 2 minutes away from getting away undetected. Luckily we both happened to be wearing hats that day. We tried every way possible of being disguised. And it worked… until we had to go to the cash register to pay out.
As we were being handed our change back the owner walks right over to us and greets us in the friendliest manner imaginable! He was asking us all sorts of questions about if we’re flying yet, what needs to be done, this that and the other thing. This guy used to be a helicopter pilot so he knows the logistics about how it all works here. Travis and I were both being so careful talking to him. Of course were immediately going to assume that he is going to relay this information. So of course the only answers we were giving were very vague. However, as we talked a little bit longer Travis and I both had a peace about him. We didn’t have any sort of intuition that he had malicious motives. Trav says, “It’s a pilot thing, he wants to help another pilot out!”. After some more business talk he told us that he really wants to help us with whatever is left in the process. He had compassion because we are young, trying to do everything by the books, and of course it’s a flying business. He gave us his business card and said to call tomorrow at 4pm.
We can’t help but laugh. The one person we were trying so hard to not talk to, is the one who sincerely wants to assist us, with entirely pure motives. Some people who offer their help are very quick to include that they want a percentage of our income, but then there are others who just want to do good for someone else out of the kindness of their hearts. So after us both agreeing that we didn’t think he was up to anything, we met up with him again the very next day. The poor guy was a little scatter brained because he had been running around all day with work, and came directly to meet us and had not even eaten that day. Maybe I’m naïve, but why would someone go out of his or her way that much just to snitch on us? Anyways, be was very helpful! Apparently he used to be the head manager at an insurance company so he was going to contact them and get some quotes. He also knows the owner of the land, Bibijagua, which is the exact land we’ve been trying to get in with. We will see what all comes about with this guy and his help, but I’m sure it can’t hurt.
As far as the land goes… Nicholas, the manager of Bibijagua and finally called us back yesterday. He told Travis he wants to do business with us, but that he wants to see him do a demonstration flight. After Nicholas sees that then the negotiation process will begin. But, if we get in with the owner as well, perhaps they won’t try to take THAT much money from us. ☺ But, first we must wait for the boat registration.
Sorry if I was rambling, sometimes I try so hard to not make this thing 10 pages long yet inform ya’ll of what’s going on.
Please pray that these last few items come about in a timely manner so we can begin flying soon!
Love & miss you all!
D&T
November 8, 2009
Heavy Hearts...
November 8, 2009
Well Trav just about summed up our time in Santo Domingo. We got so much accomplished and we received good news after good news with our business. The head honcho at the ‘Civil Aeronauticas Department’ gave us the okay to fly; now we just have to find a company to insure us and nail down the location. Many of our headaches are no longer an issue and all the puzzle pieces are slowly beginning to connect. Needless to say, the light at the end of the tunnel is slowing becoming more luminescent and promising. We are undoubtedly seeing Gods favor on our lives.
Despite all the wonderful news, my heart is very heavy and I’ll explain why.
This evening we were blessed to spend some time with some American friends who live here. They are always so sweet and hospitable to us. We enjoy quality time and conversation with them. After a fantastic dinner we sat around and talked about various topics. One topic, in which my husband joyfully participated, was the current state of the U.S. and how much turmoil we are all in. If anyone knows me well, they’ll know that I don’t talk much about politics and how the world coming to an end. The stock market crashing, the spending deficit being unsustainable, and health reform don’t send me into any sort of frenzy. I have no absolutely no interest in it. Yes, Travis says I’m burying my head in the sand, but to me I find no importance in dwelling on the negativity and being consumed with worry and fear, for I have absolutely no control over it anyway. Maybe I’m naïve, but I believe the Lord is in control regardless, I trust He will take care of us. So anyways I heard all about how the US is quickly coming to ruin, and of course get uneasy. Its not exactly comforting news ☺.
On from there we talked about prostitution, brothels, human trafficking, and child sex slaves. We didn’t just talk about it in a broad spectrum, but we were talking about the problem it is here in the Dominican Republic. Our friends informed us that all the little places around that look like small motels, but are labeled “cabanas” are actually brothels. We were already aware of all the prostitutes that linger around the car washes, trying to lure customers in. But, I wasn’t aware of the amount of brothels.
Our friends showed us a book they are reading regarding sex and prostitution in the Dominican Republic. Apparently, it is a massive business run by Dominicans but made possible by sexually hungry tourists. For most of these men and woman it’s been a way of life ever since they were small. Perhaps it’s not enjoyable to them, but in their eyes it is their job. It’s merely their means to an end; it’s the only feasible way for them to survive. To give themselves to paying customers as they so please.
And then my heart breaks a little more.
You see it’s one thing living in a nice home in the States with luxuries, security, and safety at hand. Yes Americans have heard about sex slavery and prostitution, perhaps some have witnessed it. But, my guess is that most haven’t. The majority of it is foreign issues that only exist in poverty stricken lands and/or third world countries. Well here I am, in the middle of it. Surrounded by poor locals who give of themselves to survive. The problem is that it’s almost impossible to set them free from this torture. We are in a third world country with only a handful of jobs, if you take them out of their “job” how are they going to make enough to survive. Realistically they make more in one night than they do in two months. How then is there a remedy for them?
I still don’t know, and my heart hurts even more.
You see, the DR is on a tier three-watch list for child sex slave and human trafficking. Which means it is a huge problem here, but the government is choosing to not do anything about it. They turn their cheeks and ignore it. It’s one thing to hear about it occurring in other continents, but it’s another to witness it from a close distance…
The other day (In the middle of the day) I saw a young Dominican girl, probably about 11 years old, dressed in a very small mini skirt with an open back tube top on. She was holding a small bag and was waiting outside an apartment. She was looking down timidly while waiting for a middle-aged non-Dominican man that was digging through his car for something. The man made his way up to his apartment and the two entered his house. I lingered around for a little while, playing with the puppy and about fifteen minutes later the little girl came out of the apartment and made her way through the parking lot. She turned around twice and just stared at me. Since then, I can’t get her precious face out of my head. She looked broken and hopeless. She should be running around playing like every other 11 year old in the US, worrying about what Barbie she should play with, but instead the cards she was dealt left her here. (Yes, I admit I am assuming what was going on, but with what I observed it’s hard not to.) All I keep thinking about is “Why Lord?”. Why was I so blessed to be born into my amazing family in the States and presented this chance at life and success when these poor children here have nothing and are nearly forced to sell themselves just to still be in poverty?
Now you see why my heart hurts?
It’s like I’m now living amidst this terrible and astronomical problem. Yet I’m utterly helpless and don’t even know where I can begin to revolutionize this. Everything inside of me desires to give the children, sex-slaves and prostitutes freedom. But, how can I do that when there are no other jobs available to sustain them?
I’ll let you know when I figure it out.
But, until then... I believe the Lord with present me with opportunities to show them the love of Christ, even if it’s one person at a time.
Love and Miss you all.
D&T
Well Trav just about summed up our time in Santo Domingo. We got so much accomplished and we received good news after good news with our business. The head honcho at the ‘Civil Aeronauticas Department’ gave us the okay to fly; now we just have to find a company to insure us and nail down the location. Many of our headaches are no longer an issue and all the puzzle pieces are slowly beginning to connect. Needless to say, the light at the end of the tunnel is slowing becoming more luminescent and promising. We are undoubtedly seeing Gods favor on our lives.
Despite all the wonderful news, my heart is very heavy and I’ll explain why.
This evening we were blessed to spend some time with some American friends who live here. They are always so sweet and hospitable to us. We enjoy quality time and conversation with them. After a fantastic dinner we sat around and talked about various topics. One topic, in which my husband joyfully participated, was the current state of the U.S. and how much turmoil we are all in. If anyone knows me well, they’ll know that I don’t talk much about politics and how the world coming to an end. The stock market crashing, the spending deficit being unsustainable, and health reform don’t send me into any sort of frenzy. I have no absolutely no interest in it. Yes, Travis says I’m burying my head in the sand, but to me I find no importance in dwelling on the negativity and being consumed with worry and fear, for I have absolutely no control over it anyway. Maybe I’m naïve, but I believe the Lord is in control regardless, I trust He will take care of us. So anyways I heard all about how the US is quickly coming to ruin, and of course get uneasy. Its not exactly comforting news ☺.
On from there we talked about prostitution, brothels, human trafficking, and child sex slaves. We didn’t just talk about it in a broad spectrum, but we were talking about the problem it is here in the Dominican Republic. Our friends informed us that all the little places around that look like small motels, but are labeled “cabanas” are actually brothels. We were already aware of all the prostitutes that linger around the car washes, trying to lure customers in. But, I wasn’t aware of the amount of brothels.
Our friends showed us a book they are reading regarding sex and prostitution in the Dominican Republic. Apparently, it is a massive business run by Dominicans but made possible by sexually hungry tourists. For most of these men and woman it’s been a way of life ever since they were small. Perhaps it’s not enjoyable to them, but in their eyes it is their job. It’s merely their means to an end; it’s the only feasible way for them to survive. To give themselves to paying customers as they so please.
And then my heart breaks a little more.
You see it’s one thing living in a nice home in the States with luxuries, security, and safety at hand. Yes Americans have heard about sex slavery and prostitution, perhaps some have witnessed it. But, my guess is that most haven’t. The majority of it is foreign issues that only exist in poverty stricken lands and/or third world countries. Well here I am, in the middle of it. Surrounded by poor locals who give of themselves to survive. The problem is that it’s almost impossible to set them free from this torture. We are in a third world country with only a handful of jobs, if you take them out of their “job” how are they going to make enough to survive. Realistically they make more in one night than they do in two months. How then is there a remedy for them?
I still don’t know, and my heart hurts even more.
You see, the DR is on a tier three-watch list for child sex slave and human trafficking. Which means it is a huge problem here, but the government is choosing to not do anything about it. They turn their cheeks and ignore it. It’s one thing to hear about it occurring in other continents, but it’s another to witness it from a close distance…
The other day (In the middle of the day) I saw a young Dominican girl, probably about 11 years old, dressed in a very small mini skirt with an open back tube top on. She was holding a small bag and was waiting outside an apartment. She was looking down timidly while waiting for a middle-aged non-Dominican man that was digging through his car for something. The man made his way up to his apartment and the two entered his house. I lingered around for a little while, playing with the puppy and about fifteen minutes later the little girl came out of the apartment and made her way through the parking lot. She turned around twice and just stared at me. Since then, I can’t get her precious face out of my head. She looked broken and hopeless. She should be running around playing like every other 11 year old in the US, worrying about what Barbie she should play with, but instead the cards she was dealt left her here. (Yes, I admit I am assuming what was going on, but with what I observed it’s hard not to.) All I keep thinking about is “Why Lord?”. Why was I so blessed to be born into my amazing family in the States and presented this chance at life and success when these poor children here have nothing and are nearly forced to sell themselves just to still be in poverty?
Now you see why my heart hurts?
It’s like I’m now living amidst this terrible and astronomical problem. Yet I’m utterly helpless and don’t even know where I can begin to revolutionize this. Everything inside of me desires to give the children, sex-slaves and prostitutes freedom. But, how can I do that when there are no other jobs available to sustain them?
I’ll let you know when I figure it out.
But, until then... I believe the Lord with present me with opportunities to show them the love of Christ, even if it’s one person at a time.
Love and Miss you all.
D&T
November 6, 2009
From Travis :)
November 5, 2009
This is Travis writing… I felt like so many monumental things happened today that I just had to write it down, lest I forget what God has brought us through and to. When D and I sat down to write I grabbed the computer and then just stared at the screen. After a few seconds I looked over and said, “How do you start these things?”…haha. I have never blogged before so excuse me if I don’t write the stereotypical message.
Up to this point in our Dominican journey we have been under a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety. Living in a third world country alone is enough to give someone from the US an ulcer, but for us starting a business it’s even worse. I doubt Danielle has left any stone unturned, so I wont rehash what’s already been discussed.
After our hiatus in the States we came back with plenty of supercharged enthusiasm. We had several days to discuss the highs and lows of our first trip over. That break also gave us a chance to clear our heads and think with a clear conscience about what our strategy would be going back into the country. If anyone knows me very well they know how excited, crazy, and passionate I can get about some things. Well, business is one of those things. There is just something about business that sends me into a frenzy when I let my creativity run wild with scenarios and possibilities. I guess that’s part of being ADHD. By the way, D gets so frustrated when I get in my “zone” and somehow totally ignore everything going on around me.
So here we are….were back in the country and ready to grab the bull by the horns! We met with some friends and sent out some emails hoping to generate interest in our services. I honestly thought that our offer was so genius anyone who turned it down had to be down right brainless. It’s no mystery that we have one of the most sought after excursions on the island, yet we received absolutely ZERO feedback from our efforts. We created a proposal letter that we thought was sure to be a homerun with our prospective tour operators, but nothing was replied to. Imagine being in the last game of the World Series, all tied up, last inning, bases loaded and your up to bat. There’s a seemingly perfect opportunity to be a major producer for the team, yet you whiff every single ball. That’s pretty close to how I felt.
At this point in the game were almost do or die. I feel like any second God is gonna pull us through and then….BOOM, another dashed hope. I’m sure you’ve read up to this point and you can imagine the rollercoaster ride that it has been so far. It seems like were climbing a colossal mountain, fighting every inch to the top. When we get close enough to see over to the other side we begin to smile and prematurely celebrate, thinking that were done struggling and gasping for air. Yet every time we get close to the top, there seems to be a giant of a man that always shows up right in time to kick us back down to the bottom. This has happened so many times here that I have honestly had to psych myself out to keep my head in the game. I knew quitting wasn’t an option so I literally had to trick myself into believing that we could achieve this goal. A goal that deep down I told myself was far beyond our reach, yet somehow mustered the strength to continue pursuing. I know that sounds really weird, but we faced so many giants that I thought were impossible to conquer. In my heart of hearts there have been times where I thought that this dream of ours is nothing but a mirage. A mirage that looked so promising and foolproof, yet every time I thought we were making progress on it we only found our selves equally as far as when we had started out. The hurdles have seemed so big and unachievable that I know we couldn’t do this on our own. God has put so many random people in our paths it’s almost comical to us. To think that two 20-somethings could get this far on our own is absurd. God Almighty has been so incredibly good to us!
Today, we teamed up with our friend in the capitol, Richard. He has been a tremendous help to us throughout this whole process. We left the house with a plan to hit up the aviation department and see where we stood on our pilot license paperwork and aircraft registration. First, we went on wild goose chase for some medical certificate that the paperwork said we needed. After about and hour or two I got really frustrated and suggested that we just go to the aviation dept. and present what we had filled out. My plan was simply to inquire if we had all our ducks in a row with the exception of the medical certificate.
Richard is awesome and he knows our situation very well, so most of the time he talks to the people without us knowing what’s going on. We went through several people and finally got to the head of the licensing division. Everything we have been told up to this point is that I needed to convert my US pilot license to a Dominican one. However, after talking with this gentleman I found out that having a DR license was sort of a luxury rather than a necessity. That relieved a load of stress, lots of money, and stacks of paperwork out of the equation. Our last stop was to figure out how to get the boat registered. We went round and round with the guy on what the requirements were. He told us that they were in transition from an old law to a new one so we needed to submit a letter asking which law we must abide by. Seemed silly to us, considering we could ask someone verbally much easier and quicker. We were so confused by this point. After debating with the guy for several minutes I said, “Cant we just pull the file on the guy who is flying near us now and do exactly what he did?” You would think I just invented the wheel when I made that statement! They proceeded to pull the file and the rest is history. Now we have all our ducks in a row and tomorrow we go to submit all of our final documents. This should land us all the permits we need for operating.
Were not totally in the clear yet, but this is definitely a monumental moment for us. Consider the fact that the man we originally came to work under said it might take years to get the proper permits. That man has made me so mad throughout this whole process. I really have such a hard time trusting anyone now.
We have come such a long way in our journey! The end seems near, but there’s still lots of work to be done. At least now I can get the boat in the air and practice more. The Lord has been ever so faithful to us throughout all of our trials here. Were so thankful for all of our friends and family that remember to pray for us as we continue to fight.
I don’t know if any of this makes sense. I just figured I would throw my 2 cents in to give a little different perspective to what is going on.
Much love!
Travis Baggett
This is Travis writing… I felt like so many monumental things happened today that I just had to write it down, lest I forget what God has brought us through and to. When D and I sat down to write I grabbed the computer and then just stared at the screen. After a few seconds I looked over and said, “How do you start these things?”…haha. I have never blogged before so excuse me if I don’t write the stereotypical message.
Up to this point in our Dominican journey we have been under a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety. Living in a third world country alone is enough to give someone from the US an ulcer, but for us starting a business it’s even worse. I doubt Danielle has left any stone unturned, so I wont rehash what’s already been discussed.
After our hiatus in the States we came back with plenty of supercharged enthusiasm. We had several days to discuss the highs and lows of our first trip over. That break also gave us a chance to clear our heads and think with a clear conscience about what our strategy would be going back into the country. If anyone knows me very well they know how excited, crazy, and passionate I can get about some things. Well, business is one of those things. There is just something about business that sends me into a frenzy when I let my creativity run wild with scenarios and possibilities. I guess that’s part of being ADHD. By the way, D gets so frustrated when I get in my “zone” and somehow totally ignore everything going on around me.
So here we are….were back in the country and ready to grab the bull by the horns! We met with some friends and sent out some emails hoping to generate interest in our services. I honestly thought that our offer was so genius anyone who turned it down had to be down right brainless. It’s no mystery that we have one of the most sought after excursions on the island, yet we received absolutely ZERO feedback from our efforts. We created a proposal letter that we thought was sure to be a homerun with our prospective tour operators, but nothing was replied to. Imagine being in the last game of the World Series, all tied up, last inning, bases loaded and your up to bat. There’s a seemingly perfect opportunity to be a major producer for the team, yet you whiff every single ball. That’s pretty close to how I felt.
At this point in the game were almost do or die. I feel like any second God is gonna pull us through and then….BOOM, another dashed hope. I’m sure you’ve read up to this point and you can imagine the rollercoaster ride that it has been so far. It seems like were climbing a colossal mountain, fighting every inch to the top. When we get close enough to see over to the other side we begin to smile and prematurely celebrate, thinking that were done struggling and gasping for air. Yet every time we get close to the top, there seems to be a giant of a man that always shows up right in time to kick us back down to the bottom. This has happened so many times here that I have honestly had to psych myself out to keep my head in the game. I knew quitting wasn’t an option so I literally had to trick myself into believing that we could achieve this goal. A goal that deep down I told myself was far beyond our reach, yet somehow mustered the strength to continue pursuing. I know that sounds really weird, but we faced so many giants that I thought were impossible to conquer. In my heart of hearts there have been times where I thought that this dream of ours is nothing but a mirage. A mirage that looked so promising and foolproof, yet every time I thought we were making progress on it we only found our selves equally as far as when we had started out. The hurdles have seemed so big and unachievable that I know we couldn’t do this on our own. God has put so many random people in our paths it’s almost comical to us. To think that two 20-somethings could get this far on our own is absurd. God Almighty has been so incredibly good to us!
Today, we teamed up with our friend in the capitol, Richard. He has been a tremendous help to us throughout this whole process. We left the house with a plan to hit up the aviation department and see where we stood on our pilot license paperwork and aircraft registration. First, we went on wild goose chase for some medical certificate that the paperwork said we needed. After about and hour or two I got really frustrated and suggested that we just go to the aviation dept. and present what we had filled out. My plan was simply to inquire if we had all our ducks in a row with the exception of the medical certificate.
Richard is awesome and he knows our situation very well, so most of the time he talks to the people without us knowing what’s going on. We went through several people and finally got to the head of the licensing division. Everything we have been told up to this point is that I needed to convert my US pilot license to a Dominican one. However, after talking with this gentleman I found out that having a DR license was sort of a luxury rather than a necessity. That relieved a load of stress, lots of money, and stacks of paperwork out of the equation. Our last stop was to figure out how to get the boat registered. We went round and round with the guy on what the requirements were. He told us that they were in transition from an old law to a new one so we needed to submit a letter asking which law we must abide by. Seemed silly to us, considering we could ask someone verbally much easier and quicker. We were so confused by this point. After debating with the guy for several minutes I said, “Cant we just pull the file on the guy who is flying near us now and do exactly what he did?” You would think I just invented the wheel when I made that statement! They proceeded to pull the file and the rest is history. Now we have all our ducks in a row and tomorrow we go to submit all of our final documents. This should land us all the permits we need for operating.
Were not totally in the clear yet, but this is definitely a monumental moment for us. Consider the fact that the man we originally came to work under said it might take years to get the proper permits. That man has made me so mad throughout this whole process. I really have such a hard time trusting anyone now.
We have come such a long way in our journey! The end seems near, but there’s still lots of work to be done. At least now I can get the boat in the air and practice more. The Lord has been ever so faithful to us throughout all of our trials here. Were so thankful for all of our friends and family that remember to pray for us as we continue to fight.
I don’t know if any of this makes sense. I just figured I would throw my 2 cents in to give a little different perspective to what is going on.
Much love!
Travis Baggett
November 4, 2009
Valleys & Mountaintops
November 4, 2009
It’s the middle of the week and Trav and I got to a point of utter frustration this afternoon. Instead of sulking in our annoyance we decided to jump out in faith again and make our way to the Capitol in an attempt to meet with the officials who are able to present us the proper permits. So within 15 minutes our bag was packed and we made our way to the bus stop. So, here I am, writing away and processing all of my thoughts on the wonderful “gua gua”. These buses are actually very comfortable with their cushiony seats and fully functioning air conditioning. They even play movies the whole time, in Spanish of course! Trust me, by this point I’m dying to learn the language. I’m not too prideful to admit that I underestimated the necessity of being fluent in Spanish. I do try speaking it though, and I think the locals appreciate that tremedously.
So anyways, I guess we are trying to discern the difference between waiting on the Lord, and acting because we believe the Lord will move. I still haven’t figured out when to do which, but I believe He will honor our tenacity to see His will done. We believe He has called us here so we are choosing to boldly take action to make sure we can survive. Once all of the details are smoothed out if appears that it will be easier to direct our energy and time into other avenues, like ministry and such. But at this point (and perhaps this sounds selfish) it all must go to the foundations of the business.
You see this is the beauty of life. I have spent so many days, months, and years begging the Lord to work on me as a woman. To make me a strong woman who fears Him, yet is ingrained with an innate passion for Him. The kind of person whose whole life exhibits undeniable obedience to the calling He has for me. To live daily with the goal of loving others extravagantly and offering encouragement to all who cross my path. I desire for people to be drawn to Christ when they see how I live my life. For my life is not my own, it is His. So during this time of frustration and emotional chaos, I need to embrace it and recognize that it is for my best, it is in fact an answer to those prayers. That He is refining me and teaching me lessons that will dramatically revolutionize my life. Yes it is easier said than done, but I’ve seen Him do this in past situations in my life, and I anticipate that He is doing it again for His greater purpose.
Isn’t it wonderful when the Lord sends an encouraging loved one at the most perfect time? Earlier today my dad and I were facebooking and He was offering me sweet bouts of motivation. My dad was assuring me that he was proud of me and that meant the world to me. Furthermore, Trav’s dad (whom he absolutely adores and respects) called him around lunchtime. At first he was unaware at how distraught we were, but without hesitation he was able to encourage Travis and help him redirect his thinking about our whole situation. You see sometimes we flirt with the idea of quitting, of taking the easy road out. But, it’s at those moments when people who love us cheer us on and reassure us that they believe in us; what a blessing those people are to Travis and I.
I also got to talk with my father-in-law for a little while. He also offered me the same inspiring words about keeping focused and staying positive. He also was telling me how life was in the states. Yes, life is undoubtedly easier in the States… you have everything at hand and we know the language. But, in terms of the current shape of the US, it is “no bueno”. He was telling me how difficult it is becoming to live there and how the negativity and chaos just eats at him. You can’t turn on the TV without being inundated with how much of a mess the US is in. In fact, he agrees that living here on an island is much better because of solely that! So I decided, yes we have troubles here…. But there will always be troubles everywhere. It’s what you do with them and how you plan to conquer them that matters.
My father-in-law also talked about the mountain and the valley experiences, which is such a God thing because I was just reading about this the other day in my devotions. Yes, the mountaintop is stunningly gorgeous, it’s easy, and it’s seemingly perfect. However, it wouldn’t be so beautiful if we didn’t experience the rough terrain and unexpected obstacles while trudging through the valleys. It’s there that we are shaped and molded. It’s there that we then appreciate the beauty and momentary satisfaction on the mountaintop. But, as I’ve learned the mountaintop doesn’t sustain life. It is impossible to live there forever. In fact, if that were my hearts desire, to remain on the mountaintop, then I would no longer have my eyes on Christ, it would be for selfish ambition only.
And so in this valley I embrace the change, I embrace the unpleasant obstacles that surround us, and I embrace the opportunity to live in this new Country. My new “goal” is to be a light to the children and families around us. My heart breaks for them. Most of these precious kids raise themselves either because their parents don’t care, aren’t alive, or the maids raise them. They don’t know what it is like to have an adult interested in their lives and upbringing. Please pray that Travis and I will be able to influence these kids in a huge way and for the Lord to open doors regarding which direction we need to move the business.
Thank you all for being so good to us, we appreciate you more than we could ever express! ☺
Love & Miss you,
D&T
It’s the middle of the week and Trav and I got to a point of utter frustration this afternoon. Instead of sulking in our annoyance we decided to jump out in faith again and make our way to the Capitol in an attempt to meet with the officials who are able to present us the proper permits. So within 15 minutes our bag was packed and we made our way to the bus stop. So, here I am, writing away and processing all of my thoughts on the wonderful “gua gua”. These buses are actually very comfortable with their cushiony seats and fully functioning air conditioning. They even play movies the whole time, in Spanish of course! Trust me, by this point I’m dying to learn the language. I’m not too prideful to admit that I underestimated the necessity of being fluent in Spanish. I do try speaking it though, and I think the locals appreciate that tremedously.
So anyways, I guess we are trying to discern the difference between waiting on the Lord, and acting because we believe the Lord will move. I still haven’t figured out when to do which, but I believe He will honor our tenacity to see His will done. We believe He has called us here so we are choosing to boldly take action to make sure we can survive. Once all of the details are smoothed out if appears that it will be easier to direct our energy and time into other avenues, like ministry and such. But at this point (and perhaps this sounds selfish) it all must go to the foundations of the business.
You see this is the beauty of life. I have spent so many days, months, and years begging the Lord to work on me as a woman. To make me a strong woman who fears Him, yet is ingrained with an innate passion for Him. The kind of person whose whole life exhibits undeniable obedience to the calling He has for me. To live daily with the goal of loving others extravagantly and offering encouragement to all who cross my path. I desire for people to be drawn to Christ when they see how I live my life. For my life is not my own, it is His. So during this time of frustration and emotional chaos, I need to embrace it and recognize that it is for my best, it is in fact an answer to those prayers. That He is refining me and teaching me lessons that will dramatically revolutionize my life. Yes it is easier said than done, but I’ve seen Him do this in past situations in my life, and I anticipate that He is doing it again for His greater purpose.
Isn’t it wonderful when the Lord sends an encouraging loved one at the most perfect time? Earlier today my dad and I were facebooking and He was offering me sweet bouts of motivation. My dad was assuring me that he was proud of me and that meant the world to me. Furthermore, Trav’s dad (whom he absolutely adores and respects) called him around lunchtime. At first he was unaware at how distraught we were, but without hesitation he was able to encourage Travis and help him redirect his thinking about our whole situation. You see sometimes we flirt with the idea of quitting, of taking the easy road out. But, it’s at those moments when people who love us cheer us on and reassure us that they believe in us; what a blessing those people are to Travis and I.
I also got to talk with my father-in-law for a little while. He also offered me the same inspiring words about keeping focused and staying positive. He also was telling me how life was in the states. Yes, life is undoubtedly easier in the States… you have everything at hand and we know the language. But, in terms of the current shape of the US, it is “no bueno”. He was telling me how difficult it is becoming to live there and how the negativity and chaos just eats at him. You can’t turn on the TV without being inundated with how much of a mess the US is in. In fact, he agrees that living here on an island is much better because of solely that! So I decided, yes we have troubles here…. But there will always be troubles everywhere. It’s what you do with them and how you plan to conquer them that matters.
My father-in-law also talked about the mountain and the valley experiences, which is such a God thing because I was just reading about this the other day in my devotions. Yes, the mountaintop is stunningly gorgeous, it’s easy, and it’s seemingly perfect. However, it wouldn’t be so beautiful if we didn’t experience the rough terrain and unexpected obstacles while trudging through the valleys. It’s there that we are shaped and molded. It’s there that we then appreciate the beauty and momentary satisfaction on the mountaintop. But, as I’ve learned the mountaintop doesn’t sustain life. It is impossible to live there forever. In fact, if that were my hearts desire, to remain on the mountaintop, then I would no longer have my eyes on Christ, it would be for selfish ambition only.
And so in this valley I embrace the change, I embrace the unpleasant obstacles that surround us, and I embrace the opportunity to live in this new Country. My new “goal” is to be a light to the children and families around us. My heart breaks for them. Most of these precious kids raise themselves either because their parents don’t care, aren’t alive, or the maids raise them. They don’t know what it is like to have an adult interested in their lives and upbringing. Please pray that Travis and I will be able to influence these kids in a huge way and for the Lord to open doors regarding which direction we need to move the business.
Thank you all for being so good to us, we appreciate you more than we could ever express! ☺
Love & Miss you,
D&T
November 3, 2009
November 3, 2009
We have officially been back for one week. We still love love love our new apartment, we have had barely any problems with it, which is a great relief! You never know how well things will be constructed here.
I would be lying though if I said it’s been easy coming back. You know when I was younger I tried figuring out where exactly it was that Satan tried to get a stronghold on me. I never struggled with drinking or drugs or promiscuity, but the Lord revealed to me that it was my joy that was being tried. Ever since I was little people called me “smiley” and wondered why I always walked around so happy. Well as I got older and life became a little more complex, it became equally as difficult maintaining that beaming smile. From that point on I knew that my life would encompass a continual battle over my joy. With that being said, this past week has been a difficult one.
It’s not even for one particular reason, but merely a combination of numerous little things. It’s me missing my dads birthday last weekend, family and friends Halloween parties we couldn’t attend, my nephews first birthday party, thanksgiving quickly approaching and being without any family. And then the devil quickly reminds me of all the things I’m giving up that I love… like working out because I can’t go anywhere alone and Trav doesn’t like to run, cooking because well there’s not much to cook with ☺, being plugged into a local church, speaking English with friends, seasons changing, etc. Those are all “State” missings, but then we come here and have to wait so long to get our business going. That dang new-yorker in me likes to get things done, and get it done quickly. But here everything is “muy tranquillo” or “slow down/relaxed” ☺. So until we get flying we are restricted to what we can do, because we can’t spend money unless it’s absolutely necessary. Okay, I’m done. I’ll get off my soapbox now… but that’s just the reality of the thoughts Satan is feeding me to get me unfocused and discouraged. And for a few days I let him win, but he’s no longer going to have any victories in my life. I will hold fast to the vision and calling the Lord has given us, and I will do it boldly with a genuine smile on my face.
Yesterday we had a little “scare”. One of our neighbors said while we were gone a person pulled into our apartment complex and went over directly to our boat/plane. Apparently he was just looking around and being nosey. Well our neighbor, knowing that it was our boat, went over to see what this man was doing. This mystery man started asking our neighbor all sorts of questions about us and telling him that we had to have permits and such to fly, this that and the other thing. Our neighbor also said that this man talked to our apartment manager/owner, and as soon as he was done he left, almost as if his whole reasoning for being there was to find out information. We had a friend of ours ask the owner what this man asked him, and he said he didn’t talk to anyone that morning. So, we are left with two different stories, equally as odd and confusing. I don’t know what to believe, but this reinforces that we must be alert and aware of our surroundings!
We have emailed some tour operators and we are anxiously awaiting a response. We hope very much that the Lord will open one of these doors for us. But, if he doesn’t, I believe it is because He has a different plan for us. His ways are ALWAYS higher and greater than our own.
We would greatly appreciate your prayers during this difficult time of “unknowns” and waiting periods.
Love you and miss you all!
D&T
I would be lying though if I said it’s been easy coming back. You know when I was younger I tried figuring out where exactly it was that Satan tried to get a stronghold on me. I never struggled with drinking or drugs or promiscuity, but the Lord revealed to me that it was my joy that was being tried. Ever since I was little people called me “smiley” and wondered why I always walked around so happy. Well as I got older and life became a little more complex, it became equally as difficult maintaining that beaming smile. From that point on I knew that my life would encompass a continual battle over my joy. With that being said, this past week has been a difficult one.
It’s not even for one particular reason, but merely a combination of numerous little things. It’s me missing my dads birthday last weekend, family and friends Halloween parties we couldn’t attend, my nephews first birthday party, thanksgiving quickly approaching and being without any family. And then the devil quickly reminds me of all the things I’m giving up that I love… like working out because I can’t go anywhere alone and Trav doesn’t like to run, cooking because well there’s not much to cook with ☺, being plugged into a local church, speaking English with friends, seasons changing, etc. Those are all “State” missings, but then we come here and have to wait so long to get our business going. That dang new-yorker in me likes to get things done, and get it done quickly. But here everything is “muy tranquillo” or “slow down/relaxed” ☺. So until we get flying we are restricted to what we can do, because we can’t spend money unless it’s absolutely necessary. Okay, I’m done. I’ll get off my soapbox now… but that’s just the reality of the thoughts Satan is feeding me to get me unfocused and discouraged. And for a few days I let him win, but he’s no longer going to have any victories in my life. I will hold fast to the vision and calling the Lord has given us, and I will do it boldly with a genuine smile on my face.
Yesterday we had a little “scare”. One of our neighbors said while we were gone a person pulled into our apartment complex and went over directly to our boat/plane. Apparently he was just looking around and being nosey. Well our neighbor, knowing that it was our boat, went over to see what this man was doing. This mystery man started asking our neighbor all sorts of questions about us and telling him that we had to have permits and such to fly, this that and the other thing. Our neighbor also said that this man talked to our apartment manager/owner, and as soon as he was done he left, almost as if his whole reasoning for being there was to find out information. We had a friend of ours ask the owner what this man asked him, and he said he didn’t talk to anyone that morning. So, we are left with two different stories, equally as odd and confusing. I don’t know what to believe, but this reinforces that we must be alert and aware of our surroundings!
We have emailed some tour operators and we are anxiously awaiting a response. We hope very much that the Lord will open one of these doors for us. But, if he doesn’t, I believe it is because He has a different plan for us. His ways are ALWAYS higher and greater than our own.
We would greatly appreciate your prayers during this difficult time of “unknowns” and waiting periods.
Love you and miss you all!
D&T
October 28, 2009
October 28, 2009
Let me really quick summarize our traveling yesterday…
We made it to bed by midnight for our flight that left at 6am. Which means it was mandatory to be at the airport by 4am. We made it there no problem, however troubles arose when we were checking in with the woman at the ticket counter. The good news was our luggage was free (versus over 300 dollars the first time we moved here!), the bad news was they were giving us a hard time about bringing our dog. First the woman told us that our carrier was too big to bring on as a carry on. Fine, we can check her we thought. She was okay with that except she insisted that Sugars’ crate be tall enough so she can stand up and turn around with no problem (Something about animal cruelty or such). She was not cramped in it, but she had to hunch over a tiny bit when she stood. The woman would not budge and told us unless we were able to show her a different crate it would not be possible to bring her. So Travis’ mom turned around and drove all the way back to the airport to pick up our dog. Travis told her she could keep her or sell her but we were not allowed to bring her. Of course you can assume that we were VERY irritated at this point. It’s hard when times like these make you frustrated and you try so hard to not be rude. So as Travis was coming back from giving his mom our puppy I told the counter woman that we aren’t just vacationing to Punta Cana, but we live there. And by her not allowing us to bring her we have to give her up. Well when she heard that her whole attitude changed. She told us to bring her back and as long as we don’t mind the “cruelty” to her, that they would do it. So in the end it all worked out, but boy was it unnerving, ESPECIALLY since we were on 3 hours of sleep and it was 4am. ☺
Our flight went well… no problems. Our missionary friend picked us up from the airport and as soon as we got on the road to head home we witnessed a minor car collision. The scary part was what proceeded to follow. The two drivers had the road blocked so we couldn’t pass and one of them was clearly furious. He got out of his truck with a steel pipe in hand, and another man following him, also holding onto a pipe. They rushed over to the other car and began beating it and trying to drag the driver out. The driver managed to speed away, and we were able to creep around the chaos. It wasn’t a very comforting situation, no was it the kind of welcome home scenario I was thinking of… ☺
So besides that…
We are here! We slept in our new apartment last night for the first time and it is wonderful! What a difference a nicer home makes in your attitude and perspective of a place. I know it sounds like I’m spoiled, but being 1000’s of miles away from my family AND living in a third world country it more difficult that you might imagine. So, it is nice to have a clean living environment, somewhere that you can feel safe in.
Travis and I finished unpacking our entire assortment of luggage to make our apartment look and feel better. Travis already began putting together a 2000 piece puzzle, he LOVES puzzles! Now it’s just all the little things that will take time to make it “home-ier”.
This morning Trav and I had much needed time in the Word together. We read many encouraging verses in Psalm 50-55 (Pslam 55:22 in particular is awesome!). I was pleading to the Lord to help us with the rest of the steps for our business to come to fruition and to obtain the proper permits. (There’s nothing that will wear out your knees from praying more than being completely broke and knowing that bills are just a few days away from needed payment.) We are focused and driven to continue this process, with the Lord directing our steps. We believe that He will meet our needs and light our paths of where to go.
Sometimes the Lord is slow to answer prayers, and sometimes He works speedily! Today I got to witness his favor on our lives and aid in this journey first hand. Let me explain… Today we also hung out with a Dominican friend of ours. Him and his wife have been such a huge blessing to us. They have played key roles in introducing us to others who have aided our process of business. We were explaining to them our plight regarding suffering for a few more months and forking out even more money to be completely independent, or whether we should work underneath that Dominican whom we were originally going to work with (who is also requiring us to give him 50% of our earnings). His wife was thinking for a while and thought that we should meet with Club Caribe’ and be a sub-contractor for them. In this case they would market our flying boat to all 50 hotels in Punta Cana AND provide transportation for the tourists to our location. We would negotiate a price with them, they would mark it up for them to make a profit and we would be set. We could work under all of their permits (while still continuing to get ours) and keep more of our earnings AND have tons of advertising. She is currently setting up a meeting with us and Club Caribe. Please pray that we are able to land a contract with them, it would be a HUGE blessing!
Skype us or facebook us! We love you all and miss you tons!
-D&T0
We made it to bed by midnight for our flight that left at 6am. Which means it was mandatory to be at the airport by 4am. We made it there no problem, however troubles arose when we were checking in with the woman at the ticket counter. The good news was our luggage was free (versus over 300 dollars the first time we moved here!), the bad news was they were giving us a hard time about bringing our dog. First the woman told us that our carrier was too big to bring on as a carry on. Fine, we can check her we thought. She was okay with that except she insisted that Sugars’ crate be tall enough so she can stand up and turn around with no problem (Something about animal cruelty or such). She was not cramped in it, but she had to hunch over a tiny bit when she stood. The woman would not budge and told us unless we were able to show her a different crate it would not be possible to bring her. So Travis’ mom turned around and drove all the way back to the airport to pick up our dog. Travis told her she could keep her or sell her but we were not allowed to bring her. Of course you can assume that we were VERY irritated at this point. It’s hard when times like these make you frustrated and you try so hard to not be rude. So as Travis was coming back from giving his mom our puppy I told the counter woman that we aren’t just vacationing to Punta Cana, but we live there. And by her not allowing us to bring her we have to give her up. Well when she heard that her whole attitude changed. She told us to bring her back and as long as we don’t mind the “cruelty” to her, that they would do it. So in the end it all worked out, but boy was it unnerving, ESPECIALLY since we were on 3 hours of sleep and it was 4am. ☺
Our flight went well… no problems. Our missionary friend picked us up from the airport and as soon as we got on the road to head home we witnessed a minor car collision. The scary part was what proceeded to follow. The two drivers had the road blocked so we couldn’t pass and one of them was clearly furious. He got out of his truck with a steel pipe in hand, and another man following him, also holding onto a pipe. They rushed over to the other car and began beating it and trying to drag the driver out. The driver managed to speed away, and we were able to creep around the chaos. It wasn’t a very comforting situation, no was it the kind of welcome home scenario I was thinking of… ☺
So besides that…
We are here! We slept in our new apartment last night for the first time and it is wonderful! What a difference a nicer home makes in your attitude and perspective of a place. I know it sounds like I’m spoiled, but being 1000’s of miles away from my family AND living in a third world country it more difficult that you might imagine. So, it is nice to have a clean living environment, somewhere that you can feel safe in.
Travis and I finished unpacking our entire assortment of luggage to make our apartment look and feel better. Travis already began putting together a 2000 piece puzzle, he LOVES puzzles! Now it’s just all the little things that will take time to make it “home-ier”.
This morning Trav and I had much needed time in the Word together. We read many encouraging verses in Psalm 50-55 (Pslam 55:22 in particular is awesome!). I was pleading to the Lord to help us with the rest of the steps for our business to come to fruition and to obtain the proper permits. (There’s nothing that will wear out your knees from praying more than being completely broke and knowing that bills are just a few days away from needed payment.) We are focused and driven to continue this process, with the Lord directing our steps. We believe that He will meet our needs and light our paths of where to go.
Sometimes the Lord is slow to answer prayers, and sometimes He works speedily! Today I got to witness his favor on our lives and aid in this journey first hand. Let me explain… Today we also hung out with a Dominican friend of ours. Him and his wife have been such a huge blessing to us. They have played key roles in introducing us to others who have aided our process of business. We were explaining to them our plight regarding suffering for a few more months and forking out even more money to be completely independent, or whether we should work underneath that Dominican whom we were originally going to work with (who is also requiring us to give him 50% of our earnings). His wife was thinking for a while and thought that we should meet with Club Caribe’ and be a sub-contractor for them. In this case they would market our flying boat to all 50 hotels in Punta Cana AND provide transportation for the tourists to our location. We would negotiate a price with them, they would mark it up for them to make a profit and we would be set. We could work under all of their permits (while still continuing to get ours) and keep more of our earnings AND have tons of advertising. She is currently setting up a meeting with us and Club Caribe. Please pray that we are able to land a contract with them, it would be a HUGE blessing!
Skype us or facebook us! We love you all and miss you tons!
-D&T0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
