(This posting is me putting my thoughts down and searching for encouragement in Scripture. I'm not writing because I think you all need help with marriage/relationships, I'm just writing because I'm in some need of encouragement and strong Bible verse myself :) )
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Sometimes I get frustrated when I feel like I'm failing as a wife.
Perhaps because I've only been married 9 months I feel like I'm still trying to learn the clear difference between raising issues that concern me and nagging or just complaining.
Now, let me set the record straight. I absolutely ADORE my husband, he's wonderful in every way. I firmly believe that I have the most amazing husband in the world, sorry ladies ;) He's a firm believer, handsome, fun, crazy, exciting, a dreamer, he loves deeply, encourages me, perseverant, supportive, etc. etc. But, what I LOVE the most about him is that he is my best friend. We never get tired of spending time together and even more importantly, we shoot straight with each other. We offer advice where we think each other can improve. Merely because we believe in each others' potential!
But, I guess I just get paranoid that I'm not bringing issues into the light in the right tone or time.
And then the Lord ever so gently reminds me...
Ephesians 4:15 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."
And who better to assist me in continually trying to speak the truth in love? My Savior!
....
But still... sometimes I feel so guilty when I open my mouth to voice something that I'm sure will cause tension. I hate fighting and I try to avoid it at all costs. However, in all my marriage counseling books I've read it is totally normal and HEALTHY to have appropriate conflict and disagreements... for it grows your marriage.
Romans 12: 17-18 "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone"
Clearly, we are called to live at peace with everyone. However, we all know that burying our unsolved issues brews bitterness which leads to resentment. That is why I believe it is important to have healthy conflict so then you are able to live at peace with each other.
But, what do I think is most vital in this whole issue?
Focusing on changing me.
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-- unless, of course, you fail the test?"
Matthew 7:15 "Do not judge lest you be judged... You hypocrite, FIRST take the log out of your OWN eye, and THEN you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
I'm to love and serve my husband, to pray for him, support him and encourage him. But, as far as continually working out salvation and producing an abundance of fruits of the Spirit, that is my duty and my calling for my life. So, for now, my remedy is to continue letting the Lord sweetly break me and grow me into who I'm called to be... and I BELIEVE the rest (marriage, life, etc.) will fall into place because my God is a Huge God!
And so it remains, I'm desperately learning how to live a life of extravagantly love.
-Danielle
October 6, 2009
October 5, 2009
October 5, 2009
Update on our DR stuff:
Trav was having a few complications finishing his requirements for his Sports Pilots License, but the Lord has opened all the doors for him to finish! This is very exciting because we had all of the pieces put together for our operations internationally but this one little necessity was holding us back.
Our business is still in the process of being created as we speak! This is also very exciting. And now we are just waiting on our tourism & flying permits before we can finally begin flying passengers!
So for now we just wait and anticipate the Lords provision in our lives. It can be very unnerving not having a steady income, yet continually needing to pay bills/fees/unexpected expenses, etc. It's at those moments when I feel completely helpless & at times hopeless. I feel like most people would have given up by this point. I do not say that boastfully but just that this process is very very difficult and stressful. Sometimes the easier road drenched in security looks a million times more enticing than this deep pit. But we must stay focused and hold fast to this vision. For I once read, "The dip creates scarcity and scarcity creates value". We must keep walking ahead in obedience to the calling that the Lord has put on our lives. I believe He will meet our needs and pave the way even when reality says absolutely not possible!
So, we are still in Houston, Texas. We ventured out to the Hill Country (by Austin, TX) for Travis' birthday. I have never been out that way and I must say it is stunningly beautiful! We had a wonderful weekend at the deer lease. Its a gorgeous piece of property consisting of 300 acres of hills, trees, cows, cactus, etc. Our little puppy LOVES the country! Being that it was Travs 25th birthday... all he wanted was to shoot a pig, and lets just say he got his wish! He shot a 75 lb. hog in the middle of the night using a flashlight. At least its comforting being married to a hunter because I know we will never starve :) haha We had lots of quality time together playing scrabble and laughing. It was just what we needed to de-stress a little!
Being back in the US reminds me of how easy it is to stray from the Lord. To be complete transparent with you, I have not had a quiet time since we've been back here; I have only been listening to worship music. I could easily list off a million reasons why, but there really is no excuse. It should consistently be a priority whether I have nothing to do, like in the DR, or whether I'm in the states having an array of distractions beckoning at me. I refuse to let Satan get a foot hold on me, and I'm not being wise by not protecting myself with the proper armor. So I'm digging back into it... and I'll let you know what I learn :)
love and miss you all!
T&D
Trav was having a few complications finishing his requirements for his Sports Pilots License, but the Lord has opened all the doors for him to finish! This is very exciting because we had all of the pieces put together for our operations internationally but this one little necessity was holding us back.
Our business is still in the process of being created as we speak! This is also very exciting. And now we are just waiting on our tourism & flying permits before we can finally begin flying passengers!
So for now we just wait and anticipate the Lords provision in our lives. It can be very unnerving not having a steady income, yet continually needing to pay bills/fees/unexpected expenses, etc. It's at those moments when I feel completely helpless & at times hopeless. I feel like most people would have given up by this point. I do not say that boastfully but just that this process is very very difficult and stressful. Sometimes the easier road drenched in security looks a million times more enticing than this deep pit. But we must stay focused and hold fast to this vision. For I once read, "The dip creates scarcity and scarcity creates value". We must keep walking ahead in obedience to the calling that the Lord has put on our lives. I believe He will meet our needs and pave the way even when reality says absolutely not possible!
So, we are still in Houston, Texas. We ventured out to the Hill Country (by Austin, TX) for Travis' birthday. I have never been out that way and I must say it is stunningly beautiful! We had a wonderful weekend at the deer lease. Its a gorgeous piece of property consisting of 300 acres of hills, trees, cows, cactus, etc. Our little puppy LOVES the country! Being that it was Travs 25th birthday... all he wanted was to shoot a pig, and lets just say he got his wish! He shot a 75 lb. hog in the middle of the night using a flashlight. At least its comforting being married to a hunter because I know we will never starve :) haha We had lots of quality time together playing scrabble and laughing. It was just what we needed to de-stress a little!
Being back in the US reminds me of how easy it is to stray from the Lord. To be complete transparent with you, I have not had a quiet time since we've been back here; I have only been listening to worship music. I could easily list off a million reasons why, but there really is no excuse. It should consistently be a priority whether I have nothing to do, like in the DR, or whether I'm in the states having an array of distractions beckoning at me. I refuse to let Satan get a foot hold on me, and I'm not being wise by not protecting myself with the proper armor. So I'm digging back into it... and I'll let you know what I learn :)
love and miss you all!
T&D
September 28, 2009
September 28th, 2009
Oh man! Where to begin. I’ve been computer-less for 3 weeks! I feel like so much has happened but it would take hourssss to type. So I will try and touch on the important stuff only ☺
Here we go.
If you read my last blog on the 7th you may remember me anticipating driving to Santo Domingo the following day to pick up our boat that was shipped from Miami. Well, the person who we were supposed to ride with ended up going to the states for a “quick trip”. We were told that he would be back on Wednesday and we would get the boat then. So in our minds we had NO problem waiting a day longer, after all he had a cousin who has worked in customs for 22 years who would help us get it clear with no problem. He was doing us a huge favor so we could handle a day delay. Well Wednesday goes by, no word from him. Thursday goes by, still no call. Friday and Saturday pass… still M.I.A. By this point we are calling his wife and trying to figure out where he is and when he is coming back! She hadn’t heard a word, so obviously we start getting worried. Not to mention the shipping company called and informed us that if we kept our boat at their warehouse for a day longer that we would be fined and taxed “more than we would ever be able to pay”. This is when we decide that we can’t wait around on this guy and we have to just do it ourselves!
So we called a friend in Punta Cana and asked him if he knew ANYONE in the Capitol who would be able to help us and translate for us for a day. He hooked us up with a friend and next thing we knew we were on a gua-gua (a bus) headed to the Capitol. This was an adventure! We had no clue where we were going, whom we were meeting up with, where we were sleeping, and how to get the boat home. We just knew we had no choice but to go!
We didn’t arrive in the capitol until 8:30 that night. This city was surprisingly big, 3 million people! Our friends, friend picked us up at the station and we treated him to dinner at OUTBACK (finally, some AMERICAN food!) and revealed our sticky situation and unveiled our desperation for some aide! We told him how the guy we had planned to work under (until we were able to get our own permits and licensing to be independent…) was starting to be shady with us. He was giving us the “run around”, increasing the percentage that he would take from our flights, and not revealing how to begin the paperwork to get our own permits. This guy apparently had a heart for our situation and was determined to help us. At the end of our dinner he took us around the old historic town and then he dropped us off at a hotel that he made reservations for us at. He told us to be ready early because we were going to figure all this out tomorrow.
By this point we were floored that someone, who wasn’t even a Christian, would be so willing to help us, people he didn’t even know! It made me wonder if I would be so willing to help and serve someone that I didn’t even know! I hope so!
(Quick side note: Some of you may think we are crazy at how trusting we are with strangers, but I must tell you that when trav and I both got to the hotel that night that we were admitted that we were being super alert. We took note of every building we passed, every feature of his face, etc. I guess after watching the movie “Taken”, we don’t want to be naïve.)
So anyways, the next morning this guy picked us up, and let me just tell you… this day was the most productive day we have had since we had been there! We went to the Secretary of Tourism office, got all the paperwork to get our tourists license. We went to the Aviation Department to get the paperwork for our flying permits. We also went to the Business registration office and registered our business name as Kingdom Flyers. We were amazed at all the connections this guy had and how much information we were able to obtain. Forever our situation all seemed so blurry to us. Like we couldn’t find the puzzle pieces to put together. Now, we have all the knowledge and we know which direction to walk in!
As soon as we got back to Punta Cana we met with an attorney to start an L.L.C., and our business will be completely legal within a month! Hallelujah!
So once again, just when I get worried and wonder what in the world is going on, the Lord reigns supreme in my life. I thought it was tragic that the guy went MIA and showed up late, but at the end of the day it was the biggest blessing. Now we can be independent in roughly 2 months, where as before he was saying it would take two years.
Oh I love it! ☺
(sorry for how scattered this post was, I'm trying to not make it bulky but theres so much to tell!)
Love yall!
D&T
Oh man! Where to begin. I’ve been computer-less for 3 weeks! I feel like so much has happened but it would take hourssss to type. So I will try and touch on the important stuff only ☺
Here we go.
If you read my last blog on the 7th you may remember me anticipating driving to Santo Domingo the following day to pick up our boat that was shipped from Miami. Well, the person who we were supposed to ride with ended up going to the states for a “quick trip”. We were told that he would be back on Wednesday and we would get the boat then. So in our minds we had NO problem waiting a day longer, after all he had a cousin who has worked in customs for 22 years who would help us get it clear with no problem. He was doing us a huge favor so we could handle a day delay. Well Wednesday goes by, no word from him. Thursday goes by, still no call. Friday and Saturday pass… still M.I.A. By this point we are calling his wife and trying to figure out where he is and when he is coming back! She hadn’t heard a word, so obviously we start getting worried. Not to mention the shipping company called and informed us that if we kept our boat at their warehouse for a day longer that we would be fined and taxed “more than we would ever be able to pay”. This is when we decide that we can’t wait around on this guy and we have to just do it ourselves!
So we called a friend in Punta Cana and asked him if he knew ANYONE in the Capitol who would be able to help us and translate for us for a day. He hooked us up with a friend and next thing we knew we were on a gua-gua (a bus) headed to the Capitol. This was an adventure! We had no clue where we were going, whom we were meeting up with, where we were sleeping, and how to get the boat home. We just knew we had no choice but to go!
We didn’t arrive in the capitol until 8:30 that night. This city was surprisingly big, 3 million people! Our friends, friend picked us up at the station and we treated him to dinner at OUTBACK (finally, some AMERICAN food!) and revealed our sticky situation and unveiled our desperation for some aide! We told him how the guy we had planned to work under (until we were able to get our own permits and licensing to be independent…) was starting to be shady with us. He was giving us the “run around”, increasing the percentage that he would take from our flights, and not revealing how to begin the paperwork to get our own permits. This guy apparently had a heart for our situation and was determined to help us. At the end of our dinner he took us around the old historic town and then he dropped us off at a hotel that he made reservations for us at. He told us to be ready early because we were going to figure all this out tomorrow.
By this point we were floored that someone, who wasn’t even a Christian, would be so willing to help us, people he didn’t even know! It made me wonder if I would be so willing to help and serve someone that I didn’t even know! I hope so!
(Quick side note: Some of you may think we are crazy at how trusting we are with strangers, but I must tell you that when trav and I both got to the hotel that night that we were admitted that we were being super alert. We took note of every building we passed, every feature of his face, etc. I guess after watching the movie “Taken”, we don’t want to be naïve.)
So anyways, the next morning this guy picked us up, and let me just tell you… this day was the most productive day we have had since we had been there! We went to the Secretary of Tourism office, got all the paperwork to get our tourists license. We went to the Aviation Department to get the paperwork for our flying permits. We also went to the Business registration office and registered our business name as Kingdom Flyers. We were amazed at all the connections this guy had and how much information we were able to obtain. Forever our situation all seemed so blurry to us. Like we couldn’t find the puzzle pieces to put together. Now, we have all the knowledge and we know which direction to walk in!
As soon as we got back to Punta Cana we met with an attorney to start an L.L.C., and our business will be completely legal within a month! Hallelujah!
So once again, just when I get worried and wonder what in the world is going on, the Lord reigns supreme in my life. I thought it was tragic that the guy went MIA and showed up late, but at the end of the day it was the biggest blessing. Now we can be independent in roughly 2 months, where as before he was saying it would take two years.
Oh I love it! ☺
(sorry for how scattered this post was, I'm trying to not make it bulky but theres so much to tell!)
Love yall!
D&T
Monday September 7, 2009- 8:30pm
**I know this is old, but I never got to post it because my computer problems :)**
Happy Labor Day everyone! The funny thing about living in another country is you can become oblivious to American holidays. I didn’t even know what date it was this weekend, so I obviously had no clue it was Labor Day! I had a hunch that holidays would make me miss home… and yes that assumption was true. I secretly missed having cookouts and camping out on Labor Day… you know the things you take for granted when you can have them. Nonetheless, I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! ☺
To be honest, I’ve been stalling on updating my blog. I’m the kind of person who, for lack of better words, can’t stand negativity. But, with the recent events that have unfolded it is kind of hard not to be. It’s not that I have a bad attitude, but more so that we are just facing situations that keep teaching us and refining us, and yes sometimes they are painful.
Yesterday my hubby and I went on a long walk. We got to a place on the beach where it was absolutely stunning and deserted. We were taking pictures and he decided to climb up a coconut tree to get pictures from different angles. He was pretty high up and ready to come down. Contemplating on whether I should pull the “mother” card on him or not, I opened my mouth and said, “Baby, I don’t think you should jump…. The sand in the water isn’t quite as soft on the beach…” He muttered something like “I’ll be fine, I’ve been jumping our of trees since I could walk..” *Jump* Not to brag or anything, but I was right. My poor husband totally killed his feet and ended up limping and/or walking on his tippy toes the whole way home. I think he will be fine though ;)
Today, a great Christian friend of ours who knew our need for transportation informed us that he knew of a vehicle for sale that was very inexpensive. We of course got excited and wanted to inquire more. We checked it out and everything looked okay. It was obviously nothing fabulous but when you just need wheels to get you to a gas station to fill up your boat and to get to a grocery store it was perfect. Long story short, the whole deal seemed really shady. It also (accidentally) came out that our “friend” was making money off of us if we were to buy the car. We were shocked and speechless. The entire ride home from the inquiry my husband and I could feel the Holy Spirit telling us not to buy it.
There are so many emotions that you feel when betrayal comes into your life. Especially, when you’re a foreigner and you offer your trust to people because you desperately want someone, anyone to have your back and show you the ropes of their culture. Any means of easing adjustments and aiding our new adventure are blessings to us, so perhaps that’s why we so easily trust others. Anyways, our initial response was being stunned and slightly upset.
Okay, that’s a lie; it was a little more than slightly. Lets just say my wonderful Texan husband sometimes spats out “I’m gonna have to break some knee caps” if people mess with us ☺ Good ole’ southern boys! Haha Anyways, as minutes passed by I totally felt the Lord reshape the way I was feeling and He offered me a new perspective. What if this man, our “friend”, doesn’t know any better? Perhaps being “tigers and snakes” is the normal way of Dominican life and he was raised that way? Maybe he truly just finds ways to make a little money and support his family? I’ll never know his true intentions, but I want to offer him the benefit of the doubt. For I yearn to receive mercy from my heavenly father, so it’s only right if I offer it to fellow people here, right? Well, that’s my heartbeat now… but Travis is still planning on having a little chat with him. Just to inform him that this is no way to treat a friend ☺
So, our boat finally arrives in Boca Chica tomorrow! We should be making the four-hour drive there to pick it up either tomorrow or Wednesday. Please pray that all goes okay and we don’t have any issues in customs. The sooner it gets here the sooner Trav can log his flying hours and we can finally have an income! That aspect of our life is weighing hard on my sweet husband right now. It’s the “provider gene” that all (or most) men have… the urge to meet the needs of his family. He’s really burdened that we haven’t been making money for a little while now, so please pray that he might be encouraged again! It’s not too far off!
Speaking of encouragement, this morning we were in the Word together reading out of 1 Samuel 17… the story of David and Goliath. (It’s one of Travis’ favorites ☺) You know, the amazing thing about the Word of God is that you can read a story multiple times and each time it means something new to you. This story was particularly encouraging to us because we literally feel like we’ve been facing a huge giant since we got here. The battle isn’t even over yet. What we loved the most was David’s confidence right before he fought Goliath. He says something to the effect of, “I’ve been delivered from the mouth of bears and lions, and surely the Lord will deliver me from you!” What confidence! He didn’t say, maybe the Lord will… or I will try, but he WILL be delivered from his giant! Now with Travis and I, we’ve been delivered time and time again from various trials, surely he will deliver us from our current one. How much more glorified will the Lord be if my attitude is shaped just like Davids? Entirely confident and eager to fight our giants!
The Lord is so so so good.
Love you and miss ya’ll!
D&T
Ps-we will be in Texas on Sept. 24th!
Happy Labor Day everyone! The funny thing about living in another country is you can become oblivious to American holidays. I didn’t even know what date it was this weekend, so I obviously had no clue it was Labor Day! I had a hunch that holidays would make me miss home… and yes that assumption was true. I secretly missed having cookouts and camping out on Labor Day… you know the things you take for granted when you can have them. Nonetheless, I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! ☺
To be honest, I’ve been stalling on updating my blog. I’m the kind of person who, for lack of better words, can’t stand negativity. But, with the recent events that have unfolded it is kind of hard not to be. It’s not that I have a bad attitude, but more so that we are just facing situations that keep teaching us and refining us, and yes sometimes they are painful.
Yesterday my hubby and I went on a long walk. We got to a place on the beach where it was absolutely stunning and deserted. We were taking pictures and he decided to climb up a coconut tree to get pictures from different angles. He was pretty high up and ready to come down. Contemplating on whether I should pull the “mother” card on him or not, I opened my mouth and said, “Baby, I don’t think you should jump…. The sand in the water isn’t quite as soft on the beach…” He muttered something like “I’ll be fine, I’ve been jumping our of trees since I could walk..” *Jump* Not to brag or anything, but I was right. My poor husband totally killed his feet and ended up limping and/or walking on his tippy toes the whole way home. I think he will be fine though ;)
Today, a great Christian friend of ours who knew our need for transportation informed us that he knew of a vehicle for sale that was very inexpensive. We of course got excited and wanted to inquire more. We checked it out and everything looked okay. It was obviously nothing fabulous but when you just need wheels to get you to a gas station to fill up your boat and to get to a grocery store it was perfect. Long story short, the whole deal seemed really shady. It also (accidentally) came out that our “friend” was making money off of us if we were to buy the car. We were shocked and speechless. The entire ride home from the inquiry my husband and I could feel the Holy Spirit telling us not to buy it.
There are so many emotions that you feel when betrayal comes into your life. Especially, when you’re a foreigner and you offer your trust to people because you desperately want someone, anyone to have your back and show you the ropes of their culture. Any means of easing adjustments and aiding our new adventure are blessings to us, so perhaps that’s why we so easily trust others. Anyways, our initial response was being stunned and slightly upset.
Okay, that’s a lie; it was a little more than slightly. Lets just say my wonderful Texan husband sometimes spats out “I’m gonna have to break some knee caps” if people mess with us ☺ Good ole’ southern boys! Haha Anyways, as minutes passed by I totally felt the Lord reshape the way I was feeling and He offered me a new perspective. What if this man, our “friend”, doesn’t know any better? Perhaps being “tigers and snakes” is the normal way of Dominican life and he was raised that way? Maybe he truly just finds ways to make a little money and support his family? I’ll never know his true intentions, but I want to offer him the benefit of the doubt. For I yearn to receive mercy from my heavenly father, so it’s only right if I offer it to fellow people here, right? Well, that’s my heartbeat now… but Travis is still planning on having a little chat with him. Just to inform him that this is no way to treat a friend ☺
So, our boat finally arrives in Boca Chica tomorrow! We should be making the four-hour drive there to pick it up either tomorrow or Wednesday. Please pray that all goes okay and we don’t have any issues in customs. The sooner it gets here the sooner Trav can log his flying hours and we can finally have an income! That aspect of our life is weighing hard on my sweet husband right now. It’s the “provider gene” that all (or most) men have… the urge to meet the needs of his family. He’s really burdened that we haven’t been making money for a little while now, so please pray that he might be encouraged again! It’s not too far off!
Speaking of encouragement, this morning we were in the Word together reading out of 1 Samuel 17… the story of David and Goliath. (It’s one of Travis’ favorites ☺) You know, the amazing thing about the Word of God is that you can read a story multiple times and each time it means something new to you. This story was particularly encouraging to us because we literally feel like we’ve been facing a huge giant since we got here. The battle isn’t even over yet. What we loved the most was David’s confidence right before he fought Goliath. He says something to the effect of, “I’ve been delivered from the mouth of bears and lions, and surely the Lord will deliver me from you!” What confidence! He didn’t say, maybe the Lord will… or I will try, but he WILL be delivered from his giant! Now with Travis and I, we’ve been delivered time and time again from various trials, surely he will deliver us from our current one. How much more glorified will the Lord be if my attitude is shaped just like Davids? Entirely confident and eager to fight our giants!
The Lord is so so so good.
Love you and miss ya’ll!
D&T
Ps-we will be in Texas on Sept. 24th!
September 27, 2009
real quick
I FINALLY have a computer charger again... therefore I can update this blog! I'll be working on it today... so keep posted!
love ya'll!
love ya'll!
September 4, 2009
Friday—September 4th 2009—9:00am
**Just a reminder: we absolutely love and adore our families and friends… please don’t take offense if we haven’t been able to call or email lately… we still don’t have internet and we are trying to get connected every chance we get!**
Day FIFTEEN! We have officially been here more than two weeks. Honestly, it has flown by already, (which is surprising since we still aren’t working)… It is so humbling to examine these past 14 days and give an account for all the ways the Lord has miraculously provided for us. From the finances, to the newly birthed relationships with fellow believers (we met yet ANOTHER Christian couple who are pastors yesterday!), to finding a cheaper shipping company for our plane/boat, to people graciously offering us rides to get groceries… the Lord ALWAYS proves himself faithful. I believe that His hand is not too short to give and that He would never lead us to somewhere and then abandon us.
Isaiah 54: 10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord who has compassion on you”.
Even though every sense of security could be stripped from my life (and perhaps is right now ☺) he will ceaselessly love me and shower peace on me. And at the end of the day, that is all that matters!
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal”.
Wow!
There’s something so soothing about reminiscing on the Lords’ past faithfulness. In fact, I think its one of the greatest remedies to not only endure, but triumph over current trials. To remember that He demonstrated favor for us before, even when we absolutely are unworthy of His love and provision.
As far as current events…
Nothing too exciting has been going on the past few days. We are just making phone calls, sending emails, continuing the process of starting our business, walking the beach, and sitting in our sauna of an apartment ☺. However, and not be negative, but we have faced some struggles the past two days.
First, we are learning that indeed some natives are “wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing” (or snakes, or “tigres”, etc.). We are trying to develop proper discernment on whom we can trust and whom we can’t. Honestly, we are struggling with not becoming jaded by the people’s devious schemes. Traditionally, we offer the idea that upon every new relationship that person is given full trust until it is clear we can’t offer it anymore. However, now we are struggling with offering trust to anyone we just meet. I do not think that is right though… this is where I am searching the Scriptures to see how I am supposed approach this. I want to aim to do all in a manner that glorifies Him! Instead of becoming frustrated with them and wanting to fire back, I am trying to be sympathetic to the fact that they desperately need Jesus, and I should be praying for them. I am called to love my enemies and that is my new mindset ☺.
Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”.
Secondly, Trav and I had our first tiff while living here yesterday. Let me tell you there’s nothing more humbling than being in a Country where truly all you have is your spouse, and then being at odds with them. He’s all I have and when we’re not good it affects you a lot more than if you were in the states and could vent and heal normally. Now I believe in the sanctity and exclusiveness of marriage so I will not go on any further into details, because it’s irrelevant and solely between him and I. (I just have to mention this to enhance why this mornings’ blessing was even more wonderful!) Anyways, after a tough day and the weight of current circumstances wearing us down, blurring our vision and focus, and making us irritable with each other we decided to humble ourselves of our prideful attitudes and reconcile. We authentically made amends and everything was wonderful again.
So after reconciling last night, and getting refreshed from healthy conversation I woke up this morning to a slight rain shower that displayed a gorgeous double rainbow. To me it was a physical display of rejuvenation and a gift from the Lord to remind me of all the promises He has made to His children. We don’t need to be uptight, we must be steadfast in pursuing our relationship with Him and with pursuing the vision He has called us to.
Genesis 9:12-15 “And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”
Yes we are in a pit, a very big, deep, dark, and seemingly endless pit, but I know the Lord has called us here to refine us, teach us, and change us so that while we walk in His will, we will also be transformed into His image. Isn’t that what life is about anyhow? Being transformed into a different person… becoming so in love with Christ that it effortlessly beckons others to love him as well? If that is all I get out of this crazy experience then it makes it all worth it. I desire to use every event in my life, good or bad, to be an illustration to others about the Lords faithfulness and unfathomable love.
2 Corinthians 7: 4 “… I am greatly encouraged: in all our troubles my JOY KNOWS NO BOUNDS”
We love you all more than you will ever know!
D&T
September 1, 2009
Tuesday September 1, 2009 11:06am
Sunday was a very eventful day. We ended up going to a very small Baptist church (in which we were pre-informed that there would be an English translator) that was located in a tiny square building. By tiny I mean like maybe holds 30 people, packed in there tightly. The a/c was broke so there was just a fan running… you can use your imagination to determine how hot it was! The first thing they did was sang lots of hymns (in Spanish), then they gave announcements (in Spanish), and then the preacher gave a message (In Spanish). Unfortunately the woman who they thought would translate for us was not confident enough in her Spanish to do so for us. So we sat through a two-hour service and understood perhaps 10 of the words they used. After two hours of Church we thought that it was over, however it was a surprise to find that Sunday school was to follow, which was another hour of solely Spanish preaching. A lovely missionary couple from Chicago sought us out of the little crowd (not that we don’t stick out like a sore thumb or anything) and asked us if we wanted to leave go out to lunch with them and enjoy some English conversation. Needless to say we jumped on the invitation!
We drove first to Macao Beach (which is where we went horseback riding on our honeymoon) then we drove to the Palma Real, which is a gorgeous shopping center in front of the Melia Caribe. They took us to Pizarelli for some pizza and conversation. It turned out to be a 4 hour lunch date but it was absolutely wonderful! They are a solid Christian couple probably in their early 50’s. They are from Chicago (in fact they went to Willow Creek Community Church!) and are not living here full time, owning a business as their gateway to missions. They sailed for a year and a half on their sailboat to get here, which is amazing! The more amazing part is that the Lord called them here and provided the way. You see they didn’t pay a dime to do their sailing as means of transportation; they had random donations come from all over to support their venture! Speaking of the Lords miraculous provision for them, the SUV we drove in was also a donation to them. I once read in one of Jim Cymbalas’ books that the Lord doesn’t do “crazy and extravagant miracles” anymore because people don’t anticipated for him to, or even ask for it. I’m learning to do that, I feel as if the Lord desires to do miraculous things but we first have to believe that in His sovereignty He can (not that He has to, but that He can…). Anyways, they were very encouraging and straightforward with us. They prompted us to think about necessities that we do not have yet, informed us about the obstacles we might face, but then assured us that the Lord will protect us if He has called us here. I am truly astonished at the amount of people we have met here already! I mean truly we have only been here now 12 days and the handfuls of Christians, and even non-Christians but helpful people the Lord has brought into our paths is amazing!
This couple started a Christian bookstore about 10 minutes away from our apartment. It is also a language school, offering Russian, Spanish, English, Italian, French, etc. This is their way into the community, for the more languages the poor Dominicans learn, the greater their chance at getting a job in a resort. Their business also offers Bible and Theology classes, in which they said they wanted to talk to me more about maybe teaching there! That would be an amazing experience!
Yesterday we were blessed to go on a 6 hour Catamaran Cruise on the Tropical Storm boat for free! The guy we are working with hooked us up. What a blessing that was! We got to snorkel, have lunch, dance a little ☺ , and just enjoy the ocean. We met a lovely couple on the boat from Canada and ended up spending a lot of the time with them too. As I watched the boat workers I began thinking… You know there’s something about the Dominicans that is unlike Americans… for the mass majority of them, they are SO happy! They are absolutely crazy about their country and are grateful for so much. They always walk around with a smile on their face, yes I’m sure some of it has to do with the fact that they have to make the tourists happy or their job is on the line, but I really feel like it’s an authentic happiness they have. Why is it so hard for Americans, who live in the greatest country with all their necessities at hand to find joy? Most of the Dominicans and Haitians here make $10 US dollars a day, roughly $200 dollars a month. They work at these exquisite and lavish resorts, serving wealthy tourists, and then go home to a dirt floor apartment shared with 5 or 6 other men, typically without electricity and water, and wake up to do it all over again the next day. Yet, they are still happy! I’m learning so much… and I choose to not take what I have for granted anymore. I am truly and richly blessed beyond belief.
You can learn a lot living in a third world country, and I’m trying to soak in every opportunity to do so.
Please pray for us, we were unaware at the necessity of a transportation vehicle. We thought we could get by with a little motorcycle, but we quickly found that it is absolutely too risky to drive that here. The driving is so so so dangerous and we would be asked to get severely hurt or killed. Please pray that the Lord would provide us with something to keep us safer!
We love you all so much!
D&T
We drove first to Macao Beach (which is where we went horseback riding on our honeymoon) then we drove to the Palma Real, which is a gorgeous shopping center in front of the Melia Caribe. They took us to Pizarelli for some pizza and conversation. It turned out to be a 4 hour lunch date but it was absolutely wonderful! They are a solid Christian couple probably in their early 50’s. They are from Chicago (in fact they went to Willow Creek Community Church!) and are not living here full time, owning a business as their gateway to missions. They sailed for a year and a half on their sailboat to get here, which is amazing! The more amazing part is that the Lord called them here and provided the way. You see they didn’t pay a dime to do their sailing as means of transportation; they had random donations come from all over to support their venture! Speaking of the Lords miraculous provision for them, the SUV we drove in was also a donation to them. I once read in one of Jim Cymbalas’ books that the Lord doesn’t do “crazy and extravagant miracles” anymore because people don’t anticipated for him to, or even ask for it. I’m learning to do that, I feel as if the Lord desires to do miraculous things but we first have to believe that in His sovereignty He can (not that He has to, but that He can…). Anyways, they were very encouraging and straightforward with us. They prompted us to think about necessities that we do not have yet, informed us about the obstacles we might face, but then assured us that the Lord will protect us if He has called us here. I am truly astonished at the amount of people we have met here already! I mean truly we have only been here now 12 days and the handfuls of Christians, and even non-Christians but helpful people the Lord has brought into our paths is amazing!
This couple started a Christian bookstore about 10 minutes away from our apartment. It is also a language school, offering Russian, Spanish, English, Italian, French, etc. This is their way into the community, for the more languages the poor Dominicans learn, the greater their chance at getting a job in a resort. Their business also offers Bible and Theology classes, in which they said they wanted to talk to me more about maybe teaching there! That would be an amazing experience!
Yesterday we were blessed to go on a 6 hour Catamaran Cruise on the Tropical Storm boat for free! The guy we are working with hooked us up. What a blessing that was! We got to snorkel, have lunch, dance a little ☺ , and just enjoy the ocean. We met a lovely couple on the boat from Canada and ended up spending a lot of the time with them too. As I watched the boat workers I began thinking… You know there’s something about the Dominicans that is unlike Americans… for the mass majority of them, they are SO happy! They are absolutely crazy about their country and are grateful for so much. They always walk around with a smile on their face, yes I’m sure some of it has to do with the fact that they have to make the tourists happy or their job is on the line, but I really feel like it’s an authentic happiness they have. Why is it so hard for Americans, who live in the greatest country with all their necessities at hand to find joy? Most of the Dominicans and Haitians here make $10 US dollars a day, roughly $200 dollars a month. They work at these exquisite and lavish resorts, serving wealthy tourists, and then go home to a dirt floor apartment shared with 5 or 6 other men, typically without electricity and water, and wake up to do it all over again the next day. Yet, they are still happy! I’m learning so much… and I choose to not take what I have for granted anymore. I am truly and richly blessed beyond belief.
You can learn a lot living in a third world country, and I’m trying to soak in every opportunity to do so.
Please pray for us, we were unaware at the necessity of a transportation vehicle. We thought we could get by with a little motorcycle, but we quickly found that it is absolutely too risky to drive that here. The driving is so so so dangerous and we would be asked to get severely hurt or killed. Please pray that the Lord would provide us with something to keep us safer!
We love you all so much!
D&T
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