My First Mission Trip

Tomorrow,  FIGHT's first mission team is flying into Santiago.  We have been preparing for months and it is finally here.  It is a little shocking to me that the time has come.  In preparation yesterday, I opened my journal from 2010 to find my first mission trip's date.   We have been discussing orientation points and I wanted to see what my emotions were like that week to remind myself what it felt like.  I actually started it off with this...
5PM August 1st 2010
If you are reading this, then I know our trip ended in a way we hoped it wouldn't.  As I write this, I am so excited to go.  No fear at all!! <3  There are several reasons I wanted to write this.  1st be JEALOUS! I am in Heaven with Jesus!! (It is okay to smile and laugh at that)  I know where I am going when I die~ I'm not afraid~

Then the entry just ended.  So, I thought the plane might go down or I would die, but it didn't seem to phase me, so I wrote a blog entry to whomever found my journal first.   I don't know why, but I am a little shocked I didn't write much else!

The next day I wrote about getting up at Luke's at 330AM to be at the church by 415AM, then spending time in Miami to write in my journal and ended it with, "WHY DO MEN HOG THE ARM RESTS!"  I mean, really?  Why do they always take the arm rest like I don't want any of it??  But, really, I was in good spirits about it all. 

The next blog entry got very crazy about things I saw in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  "I actually hate it here.  Not like I am dying to go home, but I do not want to see this anymore.  This place is dismal." I remember writing that with the heaviest of hearts.  I remember that day so clearly.  I wrote my BFF through Facebook and telling her not to worry, but to please let me be honest with my emotions and tell her that I want to go home.  Now.  My heart was breaking.  God was breaking me down.

I had been out of the country before to Europe, Greece, and Spain.  It was beautiful and fun!  I had no idea that things like this existed in the world.  Poverty I just couldn't understand.  Corrupt police, men with guns, men with dirty stares, a dead body not covered with a sheet, a women being battered by her husband in broad daylight and no one interfered...WHERE am I??  On this bus ride home, I cried, I wrote.  "Later, as we drove to dinner, I thought about how blessed I am~  I cried almost the whole way there...talking to God alone in my seat.   This is not what He intended for His children :( "

I was exposed to something I had no idea about.  A way of life that I could never really grasp when I heard about it, and went on about my daily life.

Not being able to drink the water drove me insane.  Not having reliable water at the hotel.  Being so sweaty from working so hard all day to come back to the hotel and the shower would drip.  I thought thank goodness this ends in 7 days! 

The end of that entry says, "I could never live there."

I thought yesterday, oh my.  It's hilarious that I live in a Third World country now.  People tell me all the time when I visit the USA, "See, you can do that.  You can live there, but I could never live there."  Yup, I said the same. 

There is way more to the journal I hope I share the rest of this week, but I wanted to end with this:

All of FIGHT Ministries' Founders were on that mission trip in 2010 to Honduras.  We are all living in the Dominican Republic now.  Each of us could say that that first mission trip forever changed us.  It was the catalyst for what God was getting ready to do in our lives.

I AM SO EXCITED for what this week could mean to our team coming tomorrow.  Be in prayer. 

Vacation Bible School

We have spent months going into a certain barrio (Spanish term for community), that is at high-risk  for trafficking, drugs, prostitution, sexual and physical abuse, etc., and just playing in an open field with kids every Sunday.   Since January, we have grown in number.  Every single week we brought a bunch of balls and love.  That is all.  We weren't giving any sort of hand-outs.

Just looking to gain trust in these little ones and show some Jesus lovin.

At times, we would have to walk around to houses and rally some up.   Most of the time, they would just come running out the door as our vehicles drove by letting them know we were coming to play.  First they yelled AMERICANOS!!  Now, they yell our first names.

A lot of these kids don't attend church or attend a Catholic church.  Some go to school, some do not.

On Sundays at 2PM, everyone is welcome to play.  Young and old.

We believe our first step in the prevention of trafficking is gaining influence and respect in communities.  Today, we tasted it.   Our pastor met us out at the barrio to NOW go around for the first time to the parents of these kids and request that their kid(s) come to Vacation Bible School in 2 weeks at our church.  On the last night of VBS we are having a dinner where all the family members are welcome to come and hang out with our church. Step two in our process is a relationship with Christ, our Savior.  This is where life change happens. 

Along this journey we have carefully listened as we prayed and sought His direction. We have always known that God would have to direct this in order for us to see change in this country.

As we went from home to home talking to the parents this morning, we would introduce ourselves and say, "We play with your kid(s) on Sundays out in the field..."  And, the moms would say, "oh, yes, yes, I know.  I know who you are."  I don't know why but that really shocked me.  I thought they would all need an explanation of who we were and what we are doing.  Nope.  So, out of all the kids' homes we went to, they all agreed to let their kid get on the bus for VBS  in 2 weeks, and to come to dinner on Friday night with the family, unless they weren't in town then. 

I must admit, I was so touched.  This is what I heard:   Yeah, we know who you guys are.  We know each of your faces in this community and your kids' faces.  We know about you.  We may not understand what you are doing, but we talk about you.  We know you are dedicated to our kids every single week out in that field to just play with them.  We know they are safe with you. 

The plan He set in place worked.  Even when we couldn't really see two steps in front of us some days.  Even when we aren't too sure about what we are doing AT ALL.  Even when we think it isn't happening fast enough.


It's looking like a full house for VBS!

Prayers

So my trip to America is coming to an end.  I came here for a week for a wedding and to visit family and friends.  Trevor was speaking at RPC the following weekend for FIGHT, so I stayed an extra few days.  I was desperately in need of a trip home to rejuvenate me!!

My friend Fenley brought me to Orlando International Airport.  We were running a little behind because I wanted to create a quick FIGHT Ministries document requesting that Spirit Air not require that I purchase a return flight to America.  I had a feeling I needed it this time.  AA let's me fly one way without documentation, but other airlines require it.  This is just one of the reasons I am working on residency in the DR.  If you fly out of America, you have to have a return flight booked before they let you out.

We got to check-in and the terminal lady asked if I lived in the Dominican.  I said yes and she asked if I had a residency card.  I told her that I do live there, but I don't have a card.  She told me I needed to purchase a flight home.   ::yikes:: I took out my ministry document that told her what I do in the Dominican.  She had to wait for approval from her supervisor after she read the document.  The supervisor was on the phone with a difficult customer and it was evident she was getting livid every second she dealt with him.  I was thinking, "yea, this isn't good."  She got off the phone, read it, and said "This isnt a card.  This isn't a legal document.  This doesn't mean you can fly there without a return.  No, you cant use this.  What is this!?"  I thought OH MY GOODNESS.  Honestly, I dont even have enough money in my account to BUY A FLIGHT.  I felt a bit embarrassed as I was standing there with my friend.  She began to read it again, I felt God telling me to pray.  Pray for her to soften her heart to me and my plight. I said God you call me to fly back there, this is your problem, not mine.  If you want me to fly back, then I need you to figure this out, I have no idea.  It's your will, You say You will provide.

She told me to purchase the cheapest flight home and then get a refund for it tomorrow.  Sorry, that's the policy.  I'm thinking...Once again, I cannot afford a flight.  There isn't enough in my bank account.  I said, "I volunteer with this non-profit Christian organization called FIGHT.  I do live in the Dominican; I come and go between the two countries, and do not know when I will come back here.  Can you advise me what to do for future trips?  My organization is only of 5 adults right now and we are working on residency to by pass these issues, but we aren't residents yet.  I AM NOT asking you to go against your policies and procedures and do anything that will get anyone in trouble.  I want to do it the way I am supposed to, I'm just trying to get help."  She popped over the weight counter and got close to me and said, "listen,  you can do this procedure to get around the need for a flight."  I thought she meant I could go do it myself by the way she was speaking, so I said we will go eat and login to the website at dinner with my friend and come back.  She said, "your terminal lady will do it this time, for you."  My eyes welled up with tears, OF COURSE.  And I thanked her for helping me out. 

The girl said the internet was slow and it would be a minute... the supervisor took my passport to the back and did it herself and brought me this print out to get through customs control.  She told me what to do in the future so my organization wont have any issues flying one way to Santiago.  Seriously???

I walked away absolutely shocked at what she just did for me. Personally just did for me.

He grows my faith more and more.. teaching me that He is in control.