There is so much on my mind right now, but most importantly, I want to share the work team's arrival!
Covenant Christian School is probably on its way right now, and I am picking the group of middle schoolers up at the airport tonight with our director, Krista. Thankfully, prayers were answered, and details were filled in for me today!
I wanted to let y'all know of the latest news, since I'll probably be blog-less for awhile. I'm staying with the kids and their leaders down the street in those Miami-like villas called "Villas Anacaonas" while they're here tonight through next Wednesday. (Well, a lot of that time will be spent at the beach for their learning trip.)
Backtracking to...Yesterday, Monday --
Our new roommie is here!! Jessica arrived Sunday night from Michigan. She goes to school at Hope in Holland, where she is also from. While she's here, she'll be finishing her student teaching and working with Special Ed, her degree -- she's graduating in May, like Kymberlee.
She's got a background in and passion for YoungLife, loves the outdoors, and doesn't stop smiling. Yesterday afternoon, we went on a run with Amanda down to the river. Thank you, Jesus, for another runner and outdoor enthusiast! For these reasons and more, I couldn't have asked for a better third roommate!
Sunday-
I have been wanting to share this for what seems like eternity! Church on Sunday was fantastic. Pastor Luis started out by saying, "God will either reveal something to you this morning or confirm something in your heart." Please give me grace as I try and transfer and remember the bulk of his message.
1 Peter 1:16 says ..."it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy'." What is the significance of this? How can we possibly be holy?
Life in Christ is not about fulfilling rules. We become sanctified because God is sanctified. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 5:21..."God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Galatians 3:5 says "Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?"
Because of His love for us, our Father wants us to be holy. We don't know to fulfill laws but instead to be distinct, different in the way we go about life -- and He has made us that way when we abide in Him!
Not a single one of us can be made holy in our own strength, but in Christ we have been covered. God did not only forgive us our sins by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us and fulfilling His promises through that, but He also justified us; we are truly made holy.
We cannot possibly do anything to please God. However, we are made perfect in Him. The one who fears is not made perfect in love because [we] are not owning to our divine perfection, created in His image. 1 John 4:8 -- Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
He forgave us our sins and completely regenerated us...2 Corinthians 5:17 -- Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (HALLELUJAH!)
Ezekiel 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
Backtracking to...Yesterday, Monday --
Our new roommie is here!! Jessica arrived Sunday night from Michigan. She goes to school at Hope in Holland, where she is also from. While she's here, she'll be finishing her student teaching and working with Special Ed, her degree -- she's graduating in May, like Kymberlee.
She's got a background in and passion for YoungLife, loves the outdoors, and doesn't stop smiling. Yesterday afternoon, we went on a run with Amanda down to the river. Thank you, Jesus, for another runner and outdoor enthusiast! For these reasons and more, I couldn't have asked for a better third roommate!
Sunday-
I have been wanting to share this for what seems like eternity! Church on Sunday was fantastic. Pastor Luis started out by saying, "God will either reveal something to you this morning or confirm something in your heart." Please give me grace as I try and transfer and remember the bulk of his message.
1 Peter 1:16 says ..."it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy'." What is the significance of this? How can we possibly be holy?
Life in Christ is not about fulfilling rules. We become sanctified because God is sanctified. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 5:21..."God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Galatians 3:5 says "Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?"
Because of His love for us, our Father wants us to be holy. We don't know to fulfill laws but instead to be distinct, different in the way we go about life -- and He has made us that way when we abide in Him!
Not a single one of us can be made holy in our own strength, but in Christ we have been covered. God did not only forgive us our sins by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us and fulfilling His promises through that, but He also justified us; we are truly made holy.
We cannot possibly do anything to please God. However, we are made perfect in Him. The one who fears is not made perfect in love because [we] are not owning to our divine perfection, created in His image. 1 John 4:8 -- Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
He forgave us our sins and completely regenerated us...2 Corinthians 5:17 -- Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (HALLELUJAH!)
Ezekiel 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
The Lord put a completely new spirit and heart of flesh in us, so that we can discern sin from the right paths; we can walk in a clean, new way. He did this not because we are deserving, but because He loves us so! When we have hearts of stone, without the Holy Spirit present in us, we are truly living in our humanness, our brokenness.
Christ has done so many things for us; His love for us is so immense, how can we not do anything but love Him and obey His commands in return?
So, God's been teaching me a lot about His strength in our weakness and our righteousness in Him, without any works of our own.
Saturday --
What an adventure. Who knew looking for stationary would be such an ordeal? I wanted to write all of my sponsors and tell them a loud "THANK YOU!" for sending me here and giving me the opportunity to serve God. Turns out, there is no stationary in Jarabacoa, but there were Valentine's cards.
I went with the solid white sheets of paper and solid white business envelopes to complete the ensemble.
Kymberlee and I went up to school -- as our Saturday morning tradition goes -- and then we headed to lunch at one of our usual spots, La Tanaja. I love getting cheeseburgers there because the meat is extremely lean, unlike the states. Chinola juice is my fav -- tart, sweet, and citrus-y all in one.
Then we wandered around town and went to the grocery store to prepare for the fiesta con nuestra amigas that night. We headed over to our friends' house afterward to help make fiesta platos, and dancing made the preparation that much more fun!
After returning home and showering from a hot, sticky day of walking in Jarabacoa, we headed back to the girls' house (where Meredith, Jyll, Rachel, and Jess live). What a blast! There were Dominicans and Americans, hysterical games, and lots of yummy treats.
My favorite part of the evening was when the crowd died down, and the music got louder. I can be shy about dancing sometimes, and social anxiety can get the best of me; however, I prayed beforehand that God would be my confidence. Boy, was He! We all let loose and danced to every type of music under the sun, except the shag, unfortunately.
Dominicans helped me learn and perfect my beginner attempts at bachata and salsa. My crazy friend Micky said she's going to take me out to the Dominican clubs to try out our dance moves. (Don't worry, she's married to a Dominican, and she knows the culture well.)
We went home late, exhausted with big smiles plastered on wide.
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