Tres Días en la República Dominicana

1 - August - 2010

Day Three- Puerto Plata (Villa Montellano), DR
¡Jesús es mío! Vivo en él. Jesus in mine! I live in Him.
Today we were invited to visit the church Chris and Erika go to - Iglesia Templo Biblico. Of course I didn't understand most of what was said, but I could follow along and get the jist of it. The pastor talked about Hebreos 7:1-28

"If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood...why was there still a need for another priest to come..?" (verse 11) That's just it - perfection can NOT be found in the law (verse 19), because the law makes nothing perfect; it's flawed; it is unfulfilling; ONLY Christ can make us a better offer. Only Christ can reign forever. So just any priest was not good enough because it didn't bring a Savior. Only God can satisfy our need - and He accomplished that through His covenant to send an eternal priest (Christ) to intercede on our behalf (verse 28).

...what a powerful morning worshiping the same God in different languages. It's incredible to see how to Lord works. He is so big....alone we can do nothing, but with Christ we can move mountains.

After church we went to La Tienda...the moment I stepped out of the gua gua, a little girl ran up to me and grabbed my hand. No words were exchanged. For some reason, nothing I could or wanted to say seemed appropriate. So instead, we walked silently to La Tienda, where she held her grasp as I walked through the shop. When it was time to go, she gave me a little squeeze and walked away. This might sound silly, but I feel like just holding her hand was enough for both of us at that moment. My heart aches thinking about her sweet little face and the feel of her dirty, calloused fingers. She was beautiful. Lord, how did you travel from poor village to poor village - touching, healing, loving on the sick, the children, the sinners? One little girl comes along and my heart adores her in less than a minute. Lord, I pray she would be surrounded by those who love You and know You. Watch over Your little ones...

Porque mejor es un día en tus atrios que mil fuera de ellas. Salmo 84:10
"Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere." Psalm 84:10

They're up!

There were a lot of pictures and videos to sort through and upload - but they're finally up!

Click here to check out the pictures at my shutterfly site.

Click here to check out the videos at my YouTube channel.

En la República Dominicana

What a blessing to be in my early twenties and to have already traveled to a handful of places around the world. Naturally, it's safe to say each new place has shaped my perceptions of different cultures, but it's also safe to say each new place has helped define who I am. It is easy to get caught up in the rhythm of our own lives; but once you experience different people groups, and once you've seen their beautiful environments, things for you are never quite the same.

One thing I am glad to have from each trip is a journal. When I read back through each journal, I remember the beautiful sights, the joys, the struggles, the questions, the people, the excitement, and of course the growth.

Here's the first excerpt of thoughts and prayers from while I was in the D.R:


31 - July - 2010

Day Two - Puerto Plata (Los Ciruelos y Tamarindo), DR
...It was a hot and exhausting way to spend several hours (moving dirt and cement blocks) - but a joy to serve Mak and the community. The more help they receive, the faster classrooms get built. The more classrooms they have, the more kids that get to go to school. The more money they save on labor, the more money they have to spend on the children at the school.

When we finished for the day, Juan drove us back to the Mak house to shower and prep for dinner.

(side note: cold showers are awesome. it's a new experience though, having a cold shower and still feel dirty and sticky. Welcome to summer in the DR - hot, humid, dusty)

I love the community around here. The Mak staff has served us, while not treating us like guests. What I mean is, they love us like brothers and sisters; we became part of the Mak family the moment we stepped in the door. It's such a beautiful picture of love to see our group and the Mak staff (strangers up until today) working and living together. There were tons of hands helping out today - construction, paint chipping, prepping dinner, cooking, cleaning, etc. We are not here to just visit this beautiful island, we're here to serve and love on the people here.

I can't help but think THIS is the perfect picture of what Christ calls us to do and be - living in unity and community, and forsaking our comforts for HIS glory.

It's not about us, it's about Him and it's about them.

...Lord, I pray you open my eyes to the things unseen; not just the beautiful landscape; not just the tragically impoverished villages. Transform my eyes to see what You see. Transform my heart to break and cry out for what Yours does. Help me to resist the selfish temptation to think I can help or save them - it is only through You...

Bienvenidos a Austin

Our high school team just got back from the Dominican Republic last night. As there's a high probability that I've mono for about 10 days now, I'm still not moving at the quickest pace so I need some time to process everything and gain some energy back. I'll post pictures, videos and updates soon - in the meanwhile click here to see some of the videos that are up.

Things I appreciate HERE:
air conditioning,
electricity,
clean water,
flushing toilet paper in the toilet,
clean water bottle that doesn't smell bad,
feeling dry,
my pillow,
clean clothes,
not living out of a suitcase,
less mosquitos


Things I already miss in the DR:
Miguelina, Silvia y Anaisa,
the Mak staff,
our family of 17,
having three home-cooked meals everyday,
hearing Yulena's laugh,
gazing in awe at the night sky and the stars that brighten it up,
Juan (THE gua gua man) and Fidelio (not Castro),
standing in a lagoon on the beach in Caberete,
crazy driving (every man for himself),
girl talk,
holding little kids hands,
hearing Dominicanas singing: "Savior, He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save"

I am no fool...

Two posts in one week? On a roll..While my sister is graciously putting together some new blog designs for me - I decided to create a "favorite photos" page on my blog. You can check them out using the tab at the top.

Also the main reason for this post is to share one of my new favorite quotes:

"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." -Jim Elliot

Austin Stone invited J.D. Greear-pastor from the Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina-to speak last Sunday. The Summit Church has a mission to plant churches all over the world and J.D. spoke about having a love for the world, like Christ does. His sermon encouraged me to evaluate where my focus is as I prepare for the Dominican Republic. Where would I be without Jesus? I would be one of the ~1.6 BILLION unreached lost people (my heart aches when I read that reality). I did nothing to deserve His love and grace, but by the grace of God, "He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23). My focus is so easily turned inward; selfishly fixating on how my own story will be told. I am not the main character - God is. His story is the one to be told. What a joy to be able to share it. Praise the Lord that He CHOSE to use me; that He CHOSE to cast me in His story at all.

So what does this quote mean to me? It means Jesus is so valuable that I would give anything to follow Him. It means I forfeit my story, for the sake of His. And what do I gain? I gain Him. I gain a heart that breaks when His breaks over a broken people. I gain love only because He loves me and shows me How to love others. I gain the freedom to laugh when He gives me joy. I gain the freedom to strengthen my faith when He allows me to experience struggles.
I gain life; meaningful, everlasting life.

Renovation in progress

Time for a major update to this blog. I'm leaving for the Dominican Republic in about 9 days and I'd like to use this blog to jot down some thoughts, prayers, and moments to remember. Maybe I can con my sister into using her eye for cute blog-designs to update mine...expect some changes. :)

A life worth living.

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness,
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people,
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry,
For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day,
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, more than things, have to be restored,
renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,
you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands,
one for helping yourself and the other for helping others." -Audrey Hepburn

Do You Think I'm Beautiful?

[1] Grab the nearest book.
[2] Open to page 56.
[3] Find the 5th sentence.
[4] Post the text of the next 2-5 sentences and these rules.
[5] Tag 5 peeps!


"Stuff is for necessity and stuff can be a gift to be enjoyed, but the love that makes us whole comes from God. My, how we've gotten things confused. The need for love can never be filled by the pursuit of stuff, and the God of love has promised to provide all the stuff that we need."
-Do You Think I'm Beautiful by Angela Thomas


*While I'm not going to tag 5 people in this, because I don't know 5 people with blogs, I still enjoy spontaneous things like this...it reminds me to stop, even if for just a few brief minutes. To stop thinking about everything I have to get done that day and everything I have going on, and just be in that moment. I guess this "stuff" Angela Thomas is referring to is easily entangling and easy to get caught up with.

Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All

I absolutely love Christmas, and just about everything that comes with it. As November rolls by, and Thanksgiving comes and passes, I get excited about listening to Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas festivities, Christmas presents, Christmas lights...just about everything Christmas-related. However, all of this often distracts me from the TRUE meaning of the season.

Jennifer Frazier (one of my old bible study leaders from high school) recently sent out an email containing the link to a website called, "Advent Conspiracy." http://www.adventconspiracy.org/hope

The website/Advent Conspiracy was created in 2006 by 5 pastors throughout the country. One of the pastors, Chris Seay, is at Ecclesia from Houston, TX. The purpose? To encourage their churches and communities to, " Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All."
Although it began in response to the Christmas season, I think the concept can apply to our daily lives. On the link I gave above, you can click on each concept for a brief explaination of what they mean. This website does a great job of recapturing what the TRUE Christmas spirit should be all about; the true Christmas Spirit being the Holy Spirit, the glory of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. (Matthew 1:20)

This Christmas should be a season to give "PRESENCE," not just presents. If we are to give glory to God in everything we do, then loving is included in that. Being joyful in giving is included in that. Celebrating and SHARING the birth of Christ Jesus is included in that. Being good and faithful stewards like in Matthew 25:14-30 is included. (especially by not being greedy with our money, but also not being careless with how much we spend).

I pray for this Christmas season, that I wouldn't be caught up with the worldly meaning of Christmas, but rather, the JOY of what the season truly means to us all.

'Tis the season!

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace...He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-12 ♥ you B.

all that comes with Halloween

I decided I'd make another post for Halloween with a few pictures. Julie and I get overly excited about holidays (or just about life in general), so we've been preparing for Halloween for quite some time. Technically, Julie's mom is to blame for that because she sent us a Halloween Care Package with lots of decorations and fun stuff...so of course that spurred on our excitement.

When we came to Austin for Matts lacrosse scrimmage, Julie and I picked some baby pumpkins from moms pumpkin "patch."

Then the weekend before Halloween we made the mistake of carving our pumpkins. Unfortunately we forgot how fast pumpkins go bad down here in this Texas heat so they were pretty "wilty" by Halloween...but at least we had fun carving them. (Oh and did I forget to mention, they were awesome!?)












Julie's was a willow tree, mine was a mummy, and Jesse's was a....cyclops?...we think? haha He's a pretty simple guy so I guess the pumpkin did a good job of reflecting that. (or maybe he's just smarter than us because by only carving two small triangles...his pumpkin lasted longer than ours).











And finally, here is a picture from working the Haunted House at the dance studio. Julie, Matt, Matt's roomates (Mark and Shane), and Troutt helped me out at the studio. (I discovered I have AMAZINGly reliable friends....and the night all worked out, thanks to them!)













In case the picture isn't clear enough:
I'm Elastigirl from The Incredibles,
Shane, Matt, and Mark are professional athletes (go figure)...but when they put the pillow cases over their heads, they're characters from The Strangers. (I think?)
and Julie was Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray!!

As October turns to November...

So some updates on things going on in my life. Sorry I'm not good at being a "regular blogger."

First off, since the last post was like 2 weeks ago...my graduating/class status has changed. I have since met with the departmental advisor (a very last minute meeting), changed my major to general mass communication, been given permission to substitute some classes that are NOT normally allowed, AND I am happy to say I am now graduating in May again!! In other words, even when I doubted....God was faithful. After lots of frustration and praying, I finally let God take control of the situation and trusted that He had a different plan for me. Once I had peace with it all, I couldn't believe how easily God worked everything out for the best. Wow, let me just say...God is good.

Next, I found myself planning, setting up, working, and cleaning up the "Haunted House" that our dance studio put on. It was a pretty long day of running on little sleep and a lot of running around trying to get stuff done in time for the kids to show up. It ended up working out pretty well (all thanks to my WONDERFUL reliable friends who helped out a ton!) There weren't as many kids as I hoped for, but it was a fun time. I was "Elastigirl" from The Incredibles and Julie (my roommate) was Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray. I mean it IS the one day a year that you can go all out in getting dressed up, so we took advantage of the fun night. :)

Finally, this past weekend I got to go home and see the family--and britt and matt came into town so we got to watch the Texas v. Texas Tech game....yes......unfortunately it was an upsetting night for football. Except for my sister, who happened to be the only one wearing red at The Tavern, where we went to watch the game. All well--a well-deserved Tech win.

Let's see, on top of this all I haven't really had a voice, so I've sounded like a man for about a week now unfortunately, and on top of that--the cough is back. Yep, for those few of you reading that truly know me...you know what I'm talking about. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that as my voice comes back, the cough will go away, but we all know how that has worked out over the years haha...

Oh and I told all my (dance) classes that they could either wear part of their costume or something orange and black to class the week of Halloween. A few of them came all dressed up so I took some pictures because I couldn't stop cracking up at how adorable they looked!

Now that Halloween has passed though, I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving because that means only about a week of classes after that and then it's CHRISTMAS BREAK! Oh I loooove this time of year (I think I said that on one of my last posts, but just wanted to reinforce that opinion of mine).

Fall is officially here!

It has been a busy busy week and weekend. I talked to my advisor recently about my last classes for next semester (oh and I teach her daughter, Avery, so it's neat to get to know her and her family more), but anyways, apparently I didn't know that one class I have to take is a pre-requisite for another class that I need. Basically, she was saying I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like you're not going to be able to graduate in May. haha gotta love those reminders that God is in control and NOT us...but it's just a minor bump in the road in the scheme of things I suppose. Anyways, I have to go talk to the department about my options and hopefully find a way to work everything out.

So that added a little stress to my week, BUT at least having this "cooler" weather seems to make life so much more enjoyable, and puts me in a better mood. Especially for times like this weekend; we had an awesome football-filled Saturday with Texas States' homecoming and the Texas v Mizzou game! Weekends like that are always good stress-relieving weekends.

Oh how I love love love this time of the year! :)

And of course I finally took some pictures of my dance classes. It's funny how much the pictures reflect most of their personalities, some of them have tons of personality (and it shows), and then there are still a few girls who are a little difficult in class.--but that's alright.

This is my Wednesday Combo A class (meaning 6 & 7 year olds). This is the class I talked about last time--one of my favorite classes I teach! From left to right there is:

Devyn--the girl who fractured her collarbone, but is back!! ;

Laisha--the girl who runs up to me everytime yelling "Hi Miss Tatie"and gives me a huge hug ;

Avery--the very mature for her age advisors' daughter ;

and Katie--one of the prettiest and quietest girls out of the entire studio! (Oh and the girls still get a big kick out of the fact that Katie and I have the same name.)

These are two of the girls in my Saturday Preschool B class (4 year olds). From left to right:

Krystal--the girl that (at age 4) already loves a challenge. She needs a little competition to keep her listening and participating.

and Sofia--perhaps the CUTEST and most contagious laugh ever, and she starts every sentence off with "Miss Katie did you know..."

Ah my oh so crazy Kindergarten class on Saturdays. This is one of my most difficult classes because they're all "best friends" so they feed off of each other. There is a LOT of talking in this class, so I have to be really creative in coming up with new ways to help them pay attention. Don't get me wrong, I still love 'em and they're still cute little kiddos.

and finally, 3 of my oldest girls that I teach, my Saturday Combo A class (6 & 7 yr olds):

La'Maisha, Estella, and Anouk--these are 3 girls just bursting with personality; especially Anouk (at the bottom). She is fluent in French and English so whenever I am teaching a new "term" in ballet, she understands a little better than most girls because she can understand that "plie" means "to bend" and tendu means "to stretch," etc.

Lamers and Grasshoppers

So I have a feeling most of these posts are going to be about work and the funny things kids say...because it's not like I'm traveling Europe (like Kim) or buying new houses (sister and brother)....but anyways kids should provide enough entertainment to keep this going. We've been talking about Halloween lately in classes and I've been asking the girls what they're going to be for Halloween. My favorites so far were 2 girls from one of my classes: one is going to be a grasshopper, and the other, Cecily, is going to be a "LAMER." When I asked what a "Lamer" was, I could hear here mom cracking up in the hallway and she said, "It's an animal like a monkey." I soon realized that Cecily was meaning to say "Lemur" haha. I guess the days are over where little girls want to be princesses and disney characters, now it's insects and lemurs. W're having a Halloween Haunted House at the studio, and needless to say I am very excited to get to see all the girls dressed up in their costumes!

Oh and I did talk to a physical therapist and it's going to be like $100 just for them to help me work out my knee and give me a few excercises to do...so it's not really worth it. Good ol heat, ice, and compression is going to have to be good enough.

Oh and one more quick thing.....HOOK 'EM. :)

The Busiest semester yet.

Alright sister...since you insist on this, I will try to keep you updated on things as my last year of college speeds by.

This week seemed to take forever, but it could have been because I got about 2-4 hours of sleep every night, since I was studying for midterms, tests, and writing papers (I thought this semester was supposed to be EASIER than others since I'm only taking 12 hours, but I guess I was mislead).

So, I'm in Austin today and tomorrow for a little break. I just got back from the doctor--who told me nothing that I didn't already know--that I need to go to physical therapy. So, I told her I'd make an appointment in San Marcos; I don't know how often I would actually go, but I might as well go talk to them and see if they can help me out a little so my knees stop aching.

One last thing to make a comment on: the kiddos at work. Lately, the girls have been in the habit of talking a lot, so we've had to practice a lot of "good listening" and with only 45 minutes to do stretching, ballet, AND tap....I'm constantly trying to figure out new ways to help keep their attention! I do have one class, however, that is the exception to the rule. It's my smallest and yet oldest class, made up of 3 incredibly behaving beautiful little girls (and I guess it also happens to be my favorite class, though I'm trying to not play favorites). Last Wednesday I told them that we couldn't start unless they each told me what they did that day. haha In every other class I'm constantly asking the girls to stop talking and listen more, but in this class I find myself doing everything I can just to get the girls to talk!

I'm finding myself to love this job more and more. It's tough to be prepared every time I go to class because it means I can't really have an off day--but on the other hand, every time I have a bad day, their goofy little selves just make me smile!

It's pretty self explanatory

I've never been a big fan of "bloggers" but since I'm left to reading Kims blog from London and I'm discovering vital pieces of information through Britt and Matts new blog--I suppose I can support another new addiction on the computer.