Going Back.

I fell in love with the Dominican Republic the first day I spent there. (And that day was just a little over two years ago now - one week after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.) I think it might often be shrugged off as just a tourist spot, a cruise ship stop; I know I was guilty of thinking that once. It is truly an amazing place - banana trees, ocean, a rugged mountain back drop, and a fascinating eclectic mix of Spanish and African culture, in the food, music, and even the distinctive look of the people. I felt so blessed to be there once, and hoped, but hardly expected to go back. But I did.

My Grandpa, little brother, and I just returned this past weekend from 10 days there.

Our mission was to finish up construction on a local church building.

In a funny twist of providence that only the Lord could

have planned -

it turned out to be an enlargement project on a church my

Grandpa had helped build 35 years earlier. 

He hadn't expected to ever find that church again,

let alone return to work on it once more with 

two of his grandchildren. 

It was amazing to be able to work alongside

the pastor, and even his own small grandchildren,

as we improved and repaired their home and church.

l-r: Missionary, my little buddy- Aylin, and I.

I knew absolutely nothing about tile and grout;

but after three days of non-stop tile work,

I feel pretty proficient. ;)

Despite the fact it's a country hidden in the Caribbean mirage,

it's still a hurting place. 

As much as I struggled with the Creole accent last time,

I truly didn't expect to understand much of anything -

(I certainly haven't studied any Spanish in the past two years.)

So it really struck me as a blessing from the Lord

that my comprehension, and even ability to have basic

conversations was so much greater this time.

I love it when the Lord makes it so obvious that it's Him.

Not me. 

My brother and I found photographer backdrop heaven...

And we found the propane guy again...

And we still complain about gas prices?...   ;)
(That may or may not be in Pesos...)

The increased ability to communicate, along

with lots of insight from a local missionary couple

helped to expand my understanding of this beautiful place. 

In the area we were working,

the clinic down the road receives several

cholera cases a week.

Sanitation, especially unclean water, contributes to this. 

"Dengue Fever" and other mosquito borne illnesses are also

a somewhat common issue.

The Haitian communities especially, are struggling.

Extreme poverty continues to hide in the shadows

of nearby resorts. 

And yet...

The Church is alive and well there.

What a blessing it is to worship alongside Dominican Christians.

Their joy is vibrant.

It doesn't matter how little they have,

or what struggles they are up against.

They testify that their God is greater -

and He continues to show Himself faithful.

A little friend at a local Haitian Church.

And as I've said before -

it becomes more and more evident,

it's when you have nothing else -

that you discover that He is truly all you need.

A 3rd trip seems unlikely, but my Grandpa's been back

8 times...

So we'll see what the Lord does in the future.

On the tearful morning we all parted,

the message exchanged was:

"No Adios, Hasta Luego!"

(Not Goodbye, See you later!")

 

10 year old Aylin, (pronounced Ilene) and I.
Work buddies. :)

Meanwhile,

We're back home;
 at the moment. :)

Why Sheep need Shepherds...

A sheep will be a sheep;

that's all there is to it.

So while it might be a little disappointing to find the patriarch

of our flock in this predicament, it's not all that surprising...

Well, hey - Woolly smelled some yummy chicken feed,

and there was nothing else to be done.

As you can see, it backfired for the poor guy.

The rest of the herd ran from him like he was some

terrible monster. Pretty funny.

The best part had to be his "amplified" bleating for help...

Good thing we noticed though...

he would've been mighty thirsty after awhile.

And we are like Sheep...

Where would we be without our Shepherd?

Hello There!

I'll admit, it can be a little fun to go faraway, 

and not really tell anyone that you're gone.

Faraway.

That's where we've been.

Harbors. Boats.

Fireworks. Family.

Silly Seagulls.

Family Feet.

Photographs; just waiting to be taken.

Amazing Nephews. Angry Skies.

Bait stealing Birds...

Reminders of our Creative God. Everywhere.

Islands. Benign Pirates...

Sunsets. Together.

Memories. Old ones; and new ones too.

Piers. Fishing Poles. Baby Sharks...

Reminders of God's detailed attention to the littlest of things.

We're home now.

More blogging soon to follow...

21 years...

It's so hard to believe.

I'm not 20 anymore;

and I won't ever be 20 again.

Time just never stops, does it?

Every long once in awhile I find myself wishing that there was

a pause button, or even just a slow motion button,

somewhere.

Actually, I'll be truthful;

I find myself wishing that more and more.

I was thinking about those silly dandelions again,

and how the breezes of life and time come and scatter

the delicate little parachutes of my days, months, and years.

They aren't wasted, they have their purposes,

but they won't be back again.

A vapor, a flower that fades,

this life goes oh so quick.

21 years were just a blink.

I don't even want to consider how quickly the next 21 years

could come and go, if the Lord grants them to me.

I so badly want to make them count.

It's only by God's grace that we can find any meaning in life,

that anything about this short journey can be truly worthwhile.

Truly Eternal.

My prayer in this season continues to be:

that when my moments here are gone -

that I will have held back nothing.

That there will be

nothing left,

that I wished I'd done, or given up, 

in pursuit of the Lord's perfect will for my life. 

That it will all be poured out -

for the glory of Christ.

Thanking Him for 21 years.

Cheeez :D

You know those once in a lifetime shots that just happen?

My nephews and I were out visiting the sheep dog "Barclay"

yesterday morning; and I got one. 

Wes was smiling for the camera,

and I was trying to get the big silly puppy's attention,

when all of the sudden he looked right at the camera

and flashed the cheesiest grin.

Of course I immediately toppled over, laughing,

and it wasn't long before two little boys took a look and joined me.

What's especially hilarious 

is that this dog is almost harder to photograph than Spencer;

he just won't sit still.

So to have him suddenly pose so perfectly

was incredibly funny.

It looks so fake.

I think I have a new favorite photo. :)

a dairy, a bottle calf.

My niece and nephews will be headed home soon.

(Does it bug anyone else that their isn't a plural word for niece

and nephew such as "siblings," etc. ? 

"Nieces and Nephews" can be a mouthful.)

((And there aren't gender distinctive words for "cousins";

that bugs me too...))

Moving on.

One day last week, we were able to take the kids to a dairy

run by a farmer friend of ours.

He has a new batch of baby cows.

And most wonderful of all,

they are bottle calves.

One in particular is so very tame.

Having had lots of bottle babies of different species

in seasons past, I wouldn't ask for such a responsibility -

but the kids were absolutely delighted to have a short visit.

You should have seen this girl eat.

She chugged her breakfast down almost faster

than I could get pictures.

And for the remainder of our visit,

she drooled sticky, milky, calf slobber all over us. :) 

It dried pretty fast though...

When I got back to the van,

and pulled out the hand sanitizer...

Advice:

if you ever find your hands coated in dried calf drool,

and you are far from running water and soap -

skip the hand sanitizer. :)

It brings the icky-stickiness right back to life,

and that's about all...

Just view the trip to Wal*Mart afterwards 

(smelling like a herd of cows)

as a memorable moment in history;

in a good and humorous way of course.

The other highlight of our trip...

Visiting "Spot" -

known to us as "Buster Jr.".

He really is Buster Jr. too.

His momma was a Great Pyrenees that lived about a mile from us.

I'll never forget the day we drove by and saw all of those

black and white pups rolling around the yard...  

When we met Spot a few years later,

we thought we knew where he was from;

and we were right. :)

It's so sweet to see Buster's brown eyes again.

Yay for dairies, and cows, and unplanned pups.

and Niechews. ;)

The latest...

The garden decided to grow all of the sudden.

It has gone from this:

To this: 

We added the gravel paths too.

Boy, don't want to do that job again... 

And I guess you know by now that every post must be

interspersed with the faces of adorable dogs...

So here you go.

The potatoes looked good like this:

 But they've pretty much taken over at this point...

We've been picking peas too.

I always end up wondering if they're worth it...

Oh. Another dog.

Weeding goes so much quicker with all these little

helpers around! 

(And Spencer doesn't count...)

Want a glimpse of my next daunting project?

We have to convert this:

into a potting shed of sorts.

For 12 years, it was the goat shed,

and it has seen a lot of wear.

That's it for now!