This trip has been a new experience for me. Being in a leadership position while in-country has certainly taken more out of me than any of my prior trips. There’s a certain amount of fun that has to be withheld in the name of responsibility, and I am learning that constantly. That being said, this trip has been wildly successful and wildly encouraging for me.
There will be much processing to be done in my personal time with the Lord after this trip is over; that is what I keep coming back to. This is a time in my life where spiritual warfare is very real and ever-present within me. Keeping my eyes on the Lord and allowing him to light my path is the eternal source of my strength. This trip, if nothing else, has reinforced within me a reliance on God for everything: energy, positive attitude, sustenance, my future, my successes, etc. That list can continue on forever.
I’m blessed by my team here. It is such an amazing mixture of ages, backgrounds, talents, and personalities that any time we are all together, good times are to be had. This sounds cliché, but I say it very earnestly.
I’m loving it here and do not look forward to returning to the States and to schoolwork. :(
With love,
Griffin
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect out of this week in the Dominican Republic. I’ve been on many missions trips before, but I’ve never done one that included such an abundance of time with children. I have to be honest, I don’t tend to think I’m particularly “good with kids” and so I was quite nervous. I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough energy or excitement or grace for all the silliness and curiosity and, let’s be frank: chaos that accompanies large groups of kids. Once I found out we’d have 6 hours of teaching the kids at Ebenezer school plus an extra couple hours with kids at the churches we visited Sunday each evening, I was even more unsure that I would be able to maintain an ability to teach and stay positive all week.
All that said, it has been a truly wonderful time so far. Not only has God answered my prayers and provided the energy to sustain me, but I have been encouraged in a way that has totally surpassed my expectations. There are too many specific moments to recount here, but the most exciting one so far was to hear reports from fellow team members today that the kids really, truly are absorbing everything we’re teaching. Whether it’s the 5th graders practicing the English greetings we taught them Monday or the 2nd graders saying they want to be civil engineers after they built marshmallow-tooth pick towers, it’s exciting to know they’re getting it, even within our short time with them! I’ve even been tempted to think that I could see myself teaching elementary-age kids full time…but then I come to my senses and realize that’s not for me (here’s a shout out to those full-time teachers out there. I don’t know how you do it).
Please pray with me for all these kids. They have wonderful teachers and pastors here with them and I am earnestly praying for God’s protection over them all. Pray that God would protect their hearts and minds and that our time with them this week would be nothing but an encouragement: that we would leave them only with more faith in God and knowledge that they are cared for.
~Lauren
