In Sickness and In Health

Bralio's family (daughter Brenda in red and black)



Mari Rosa's family

Buenas dias todo!
So, it is now week 4 of my year in the Dominican Republic (wow, time flies) and its time for another update. This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting two families in the community that are in need of prayer. The first was Bralio's family. Bralio is a very hard working builder who has six children. He and his wife Reina and four of the children (Brownie, Brandy, Brenda and Stephanie) are pictured above. When I met Bralio on Saturday, he was hard at work on an addition to his house. Covered in concrete dust, Bralio met me with a big beaming smile and introduced me to his beautiful family. His daughter Brenda has major heart problems and is need of a very intensive surgery. I asked how she was feeling and was told that she is very strong. She too has a gorgeous smile like her father! Please pray for Brenda's heart and for the funds and doctors for a surgery.

The second family is the family of Mari Rosa. Mari Rosa works for the women's cooperative on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She is currently battling stage 3 or 4 breast cancer and the prognosis is not very good. Mari Rosa is mostly worried about her family and what will happen to them if she does not make it through the next year. Mari Rosa has already had cancer once and it is now back. She is badly in need of chemotherapy, but the expenses are overwhelming for her family. Please pray for Mari Rosa and her family, for healing, strength and funds for treatment.

Sometimes life can be overwhelming. For those living on just over $5 a day it can be a struggle to survive each and every day. To care for your children, to feed them, clothe them and give them basic necessities. When sickness hits, it knocks the breath out of you. You are already fighting so hard to keep above the flood, it seems impossible to keep going. These families will incur mounting debts that they may never pay off if they try to get treatment for their loved ones. But what is the alternative?

Every day I am reminded of something for which to be thankful. Even if life doesn't go as planned, even if not everything is rosy, I have my health. There is always something to be thankful for, something to live for, something to give you joy. Look for the joy in your life and remember God is there through the sickness and the pain.

Blessings,
Anna

Tu Eres Santo

So, its almost the end of my 3rd week here and time for another update. In all honesty, this week wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. There were a few things that were frustrating, but we worked through them and God has definitely carried me through the small and the big things.

A lot of adjustments and changes have been made and it takes a little getting used to. Its definitely different living in a place where at any moment you could lose all your power, which means all the lights, fans to keep you cool at night, refridgerator, etc. don't work. Most people have an invertor that stores power when you have it, so that when the power is out you can pull from the battery power to have a continuous supply of electricity. Well, if you need your fridge on the invertor (most people don't put it on there because it uses a lot of power) then you may end up having your power completely out as happened last night. In order to run an invertor you can have batteries in multiples (i.e. 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16). We currently have 4, so today I need to go out and buy 4 more batteries in order to have a continuous supply of power for the fridge and lights. That is just one example of the difference in lifestyle here. Though I must say they manage very well consider they only have power from the government maybe 10 to 14 hours a day (if they are lucky).

Well, enough about that... last night I went to the Wednesday night church service and had an amazing time in worship with God. My Spanish is getting a lot better, so I could actually understand most of the message and all that was going on during the service. During worship, I didn't know the Spanish words to the songs, so instead I listened. It was amazing to hear all of the people packed in the small sanctuary pouring out their hearts to God. There is one song where the chorus goes, "Tu eres santo, tu eres santo, santo, santo, santo." Which means, "You are holy, You are holy, holy, holy, holy." and another song that I knew the chorus in English, which was "I called, You answered and You came to my rescue and I want to be where You are." We sang these words over and over again, "You are holy" and it reminded me that God alone is sovereign. He is holy and He has all things in His hands. When we call, He does answer. He is there. We need to be where He is. We need to listen and hear His voice, be still and KNOW that He is there. A teenager in the church, Samuel, got up and sang a song. I had no idea what song he was singing, but as he worhipped God with all of his heart, I knew God was present in that place. Its wonderful to be where God is.

Here are some pictures of the house that we worked on in March, which is now all finished!

Que lo que?

Hello all!
It’s been over a week now since I arrived in La Republica Dominicana, so there are a lot of things that I need to fill you in on. As you already know, last week there was a woman here from the states helping the Women’s Cooperative to make beautiful jewelry to sell in the United States and here in the Dominican. The project is going very well and the women are learning the new skills very quickly. As some of you may have seen in my Facebook album, the women have already made quite a few necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. The hope is to have some jewelry parties in the states to sell the women’s jewelry and also to sell them in some boutiques as well. All of the jewelry is handmade. The Women’s Coop meets Tuesdays and Thursdays for three hours and the ladies also take their jewelry home to work on at night and on the other days of the week. I will be working with the women on Tuesdays to help them with the jewelry, to keep an inventory of the merchandise and to assist Caroline with the project.

This weekend, a friend of mine from the states who has been working for the mission for over ten years was here to help with some electrical work. He installed the internet in one of the buildings at the mission while he was here, so now during the day I am able to check emails, write my blog and get a few other things done.

On Monday, I started my Spanish classes. Carlos, a college student that is fluent in Spanish and English is teaching me for 3 hours a day in the morning. In the afternoons, I am working on different projects. For example, on Tuesday afternoons I help with the Women’s Cooperative. On Thursday evenings, I am assisting my friends Emmanuel and Vanessa with Young Life (Vida Joven). During the week I will also be working with the administrative office here, working in the clinic and helping the American missionaries that live here.

Tonight there is a church service, which I love to attend because the music is so amazing! You have to experience it for yourself to understand what I mean.
Blessings,
Anna

First Day

Bienvenido a mi vida aqui en la Republica Dominicana!

Today was my first day in the community, after arriving yesterday. One of the women here from Georgia, Caroline, came down on Sunday to teach the women of Cielo and Nazaret how to make necklaces, bracelets and earrings that can be sold in the United States. This provides a valuable income for the women, so that they can help support their families. Caroline spent today and yesterday teaching the women one-on-one to make specific pieces of jewelry. The ladies have taken to it quickly and are making beautiful jewelry that would be perfect for Christmas or Valentine's Day gifts. I am hoping to post some pictures this week of the finished products, but in the meantime here are some pictures of the ladies working. And don't forget to check out the women's cooperative page online http://www.missionemanuel.org/women/.

Isa working on a project. Read her story here: http://www.missionemanuel.org/women/stories.php#Isa.

Ney working on a necklace. Read her story here: http://www.missionemanuel.org/women/stories.php#Ney.

Caroline demonstrating how to make a four string necklace. Everyone here is so thankful to Caroline for her hard work and creativity!

Alright one more interesting picture from the day. Apparently, another project that some people have been working on is making framed sayings with butterflies in them. But next to the beautiful butterflies, I found something else pinned up... I hope I never meet any of these alive in my room.

I hope none of you ever find this lovely creature in your room either!

Blessings,
Anna