Estoy Aqui!

I am here!!! Just a quick update to let you know that I have arrived! Good, safe flight that came in on time. It is a nice cool 90 some degrees in the Dominican and it feels fabulous. :)

Tomorrow I will spend the day in Cielo helping with a project at the women's cooperative (http://www.missionemanuel.org/women/index.php). Check out the website. The 15 women involved in this project are amazing!

More tomorrow along with some pictures! Praise God for safe travels, no lost luggage and a great opportunity to give back to the community of believers who has given so much to me.
Blessings,
Anna


P.S. If you know of any international health grants or foundations, let me know. Thanks!

T minus 7

I can't believe it, only one more week left! This time next week I will be sitting in the Miami airport waiting for my plane to Santo Domingo. I am hoping to send you all an update that day to let you know that I've arrived. And my goal is to try for weekly or biweekly updates after that to share the good news of all that is going on in Cielo and Nazaret. We'll see what happens with the availability of internet, but definitely check back from time to time to see what God is doing in the DR.

I wanted to thank my friend Emily for making these skirts for the girls in the Dominican. She even hand stenciled the design on one of them! They are so beautiful and fun! Thanks, Emily. :)

Thank all of you for your support as well! I now have pledges for 92% of my support. God is so good! I have been overwhelmed and humbled by His generosity. I know that this next year is going to be an amazing chapter in my life and I am looking forward to sharing it with all of you. Thank you for believing in me and God's plan for my life.

Blessings,

Anna

2 Weeks Notice

2 weeks to go...
I'm starting to get a little nervous, which I guess is normal, right? I know it will all be fine and work out amazingly well. But I am a planner, an organizer and I like to know what is ahead of me. I think we all do. And at this point, a lot of things are really vague. Its all going to be an adventure and I guess oddly enough that is what I am looking forward to the most -- the unpredictability of it.

I had the pleasure of sharing with my parents' home church about my trip. It was nice to be able to tell more people about this next phase in my life and what God is doing in the Dominican Republic. It also got me thinking a lot about my life these past few years and the journey that has lead me to this move.

For any of you who did not know me as a child, I was a lot different than I am now (at least I think so). I was at times a very angry, frustrated and lonely child who had a hard time dealing with the world around me. We moved a lot and I often felt as though I was in survival mode 24/7. I have grown a lot in the last 10 or 15 years and have become more confident in myself, in God and His love and of His plans for my future. This has helped to take away the anger and fear and focus me on the path in front of me.

I think a major turning point was our move to South Korea where I was able to see first hand poverty in Korea and China and different lifestyles around the world there and in Australia and Guam. I thought that in college I would pursue pre-law and go to law school. But within my second year, I had a passion for non-profit work and a desire to help people. I began looking for jobs with the UN, Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, Habitat for Humanity, etc. but could not find a job suitable for someone coming right out of college. So, I decided in February of my senior year of undergrad to take the GRE and apply to grad school.

In graduate school I was involved in a campus ministry where I was presented with the opportunity to go on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. A truly life changing trip, I was able to spend time alone with God and draw close to Him. Also, on this trip I fell in love with the people of the Dominican. It was such a great trip that I decided to lead the following Spring Break trip to the DR for my church.

If you had asked me as a child or a teenager what I would be doing after college, I never would have said or guessed that I would be a missionary. I might have said doctor, lawyer, veterinarian, but not missionary or even international aid worker. And yet now as I look back, I can see how the Lord was preparing me to make that transition. How He was setting out the bricks of the path and leading me to this field and to the Dominican Republic. For one thing, I didn't want to go to college, let alone graduate school. I got out of there as quickly as I could. And after the first quarter of grad school, I hated it so much that I wanted to give up my scholarship and quit. But the Lord had me there for a reason. Maybe to join the church I am in now was part of it, but mostly I believe it was to go on that first trip to the DR. And even then, I still would not have guessed that I would be moving to Cielo. Not even on the trip this past year. But God was slowly preparing my heart for what He had for me. And now I am so excited to see what He has in store for Cielo, the Dominican Republic and my life!

2 more weeks and I will be in Cielo, living with the people that I have come to consider a part of my family. I cannot wait!

Also, a fundraising update: 73% of support raised. :)
Blessings,
Anna

Greater Things

The Lord's goodness amazes me everyday! He has steadily provided me with a group of kind, caring supporters cheering me along every step of the way. I am so thankful for His goodness and for each and every one of you! :)

To date, I have raised 65% of my support and counting. I cannot believe that in 5 weeks, I have raised a little over $13,000 for my year long trip to the DR. I know that if it were me alone, I'd be getting nowhere fast, but that the Lord has provided all of this.

I am also encouraged by all that is happening in the Dominican Republic. The youth group, Vida Joven, just returned from an amazing retreat of worship and fellowship with God. The church community is strong and growing and I was encouraged in June to see a larger congregation than when I first visited in March of 2008.

I now have 24 days left before I leave and in the flurry of fundraising and packing, purchasing last minute supplies and visiting friends and family, I am really enjoying soaking up those quiet moments with God at night as we talk about the future. I know that not everything will be easy, but that the Lord has something amazing in store. Greater things have yet to come, I truly believe that. Greater things for Cielo, greater things for me, greater things for God's work.

I met with a friend the other day to talk about her search for a job. Its been a frustrating road for her, as I well understand. But as I listened to her talk, I was reminded of the fact that when we are in a situation is when it seems like there is no way out, like nothing we do is getting us anywhere. And then, out of nowhere, God opens a door and we are given an opportunity that is 10 times better than what we were begging to take before. God hands us a gift, a new perspective and we look back at those trials and think, "What was I so worried about?" God is there, He hears our every uplifted cry and He answers those prayers in His time. He has something better than we could even imagine for ourselves and He generously lavishes it on all of us. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done...

Blessings,
Anna