Dominican Republic

I know it has been almost two months since my last post, but I am going to try to do better in this area! My life has been pretty stressful as far as school goes these past few months, and blogging was the last thing I wanted to do at the end of a mentally and emotionally draining day. But, after much encouragement from my mom and both of my sisters, I am back! It would be a huge and daunting task for me to give a recap of my life since January, so I think I will focus more on what is going on in my life right now. My biggest news at the moment is that I am going to the Dominican Republic in 4 days! As you can probably tell, I can hardly contain my excitement! Not only am I excited to travel to a different country, meet new people, and utilize my Spanish skills, I am also eager to see why God has called me to take part in this mission trip. You see, a few months ago I wasn't even planning on going to the DR. I didn't think that I could afford the trip and I told myself that the timing just wasn't right. Well, God certainly had other plans for me than I did for myself! The night before my team from the INN (which is the college group I am going with) purchased the airline tickets, God stirred my heart and told me that I needed to go. I didn't know why, but I knew that I needed to obey. So, here I am, two months later and only a few days away from partaking in an amazing experience! Already I have seen God's faithfulness as I learned to trust in Him with my financial situation. I had to fundraise $1450 in order to participate in this mission trip, and the Lord provided me with every single penny (plus an extra $55!). Thank you so much to all of my friends and family who contributed financially and who continue to keep me in their prayers! I am just overwhelmed by God's amazing love and the many blessings He pours on me. What an awesome God we have! Here are a few things that we will be doing while in the Dominican Republic:

~Working in the coffee fields outside of Santiago
~Learning about the importance of free trade and fair trade in the coffee industry
~Doing service projects in the community (building houses, playing with children, etc.)
~Interacting with the local people as we live in their homes
~Visiting a Haitian refugee camp
~Being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ

I know that this is going to be a powerful experience and I am ready to hop on the plane this very minute! I am currently doing all of the necessary last minute preparations (taking malaria pills, buying supplies, packing, spending time in prayer, etc.), and everything is coming together! I can't wait to provide you all with more fun information soon!