It's hard to see your friends posting pictures and sharing with
you what they’re doing in the DR while you’re not there. It’s hard living in
one place, but having your heart be in another. It’s easy for me to think that
I’ve missed too much in the DR for me to be able to go back, that people have
already forgotten about me. It’s hard when you’re asking God why He wants you
to miss out serving and learning in the place you seem to love the most.
Because of medical reasons, I’ve been in the States for the past
month. Let me tell you how hard it is for an extrovert to be home-bound for
three or so weeks! My biggest adventures included going to church (which I
probably shouldn’t have done, medically-speaking) and to doctor’s appointments
in Philly. It was definitely a hard time for me. Something my very wise
roommate reminded me of, is that wherever I am, I should be all there. That
became my theme for this month. Knowing that I could not do much, all I really
could do was recover and just grow. Here are some things that I learned during
this time.
1.
Spanish soap operas are super addictive: I know how easy it is to forget what
you’ve learned, and because of that, I wanted to make sure to keep up on my
Spanish. The longer I’m away from the language, the more I miss it. I tell my
family that I have to have at least an hour and a half of Spanish TV a day as a
part of my studiesJ. A huge praise is that I don’t need the subtitles anymore to
know what the people are saying! In addition to that, I’ve also been messaging
multiple Spanish friends and have been doing some homework online with one of
my Spanish teachers to keep up.
2.
I’ve learned how to appreciate the
little things in life:
Because of medical reasons, I was prohibited from doing things like driving,
bending over, and sitting. I did not realize how much we take sitting for
granted! And who knew that such a thing as being able to tie your own shoes at
eighteen years old could be a reason to celebrate? I definitely have gained a
lot in that regard, and it’s just another reason to be grateful for all that I
have.
3.
I have fantastic friends: The support I’ve gotten, whether it
be online, Skype calls, surprise gifts, and visits have been overwhelming. The
excitement I’ve seen from my friends, either wondering why I’m still in the
States, or excited that I’m coming back to the DR has been fantastic as well.
Everyone who has randomly checked up on me and asked how they can pray for me…
thank you. You have no idea how much you mean to me.
4.
God can use you wherever you are: I always knew that intellectually,
but not by heart. Through being at home, I’ve been able to do things and be
there for people that I wouldn’t have originally been able to be there for. I’ve
been able to pray for people without a time limit and restore some
relationships. Being able to help my
family and get to know them better has been hard, yet fulfilling. Thank God for
all that He has done in my life, and all that He lets me do for His kingdom!
Wherever you are, be
all there. That’s
definitely a new favorite phrase.
Praises:
- - I
will be able to return to the Dominican this Monday, February 1st!
Praise God!
- - I
just finished my Bible reading challenge. I challenged myself to read the Bible
all the way through by the end of the GAP year. I started September 9th
and finished January 20th. I had a couple of weeks where I was
struggling, so I am thankful to God that He gave me the strength to endure! I definitely
learned a lot!
- -I
can now drive, sit, bend, and exercise!
Prayer Requests:
- -Please
pray for safety for me as I fly out to the DR on Monday and that I won’t miss
my layover!
- - Pray
for my transition back to the DR. During my recovery, things like filing papers
for an hour or so got me exhausted for the rest of the day. Now I’ll have to
get used to 6 hours of classes a day, ministry time, and being on the go both
mentally and physically. I’ll definitely need to rely on Him for strength, so
prayers would be much appreciated.
- - Please
pray for the rest of the GAP family and all of their individual journeys!
