It has been a full start to the new year! Since the beginning of January we have hosted 7 awesome teams at the guest house, so I’m definitely all kinds of exhausted, but am so grateful for each connection I have made with these teams! It has also been really sweet to start seeing some familiar faces returning to the GH! 

Sweet must be my word for this season that I’m in. I’ve used that word to describe so many things these past several months because I have truly tasted and been relishing in the sweetness of God’s grace and faithfulness! Although I’ve been here for almost 6 months and have established my life and routines here, living in a foreign country away from loved ones hasn’t been easy, but the Lord has never left my side and has shown up in big ways in the smallest of moments. 

One of the group members a few weeks ago asked me a question that I really loved. He asked me what the Lord has been teaching me since I moved here. The answer is: He has been teaching me dependency on Him. The Lord has used this time away from my closest friends and family to minimize distractions and draw me into a deeper relationship with Him. He’s been teaching me to go to Him first with the thoughts and feelings I experience and to pour out all of my heart to Him because He cares for me. I’ve noticed that the more I’ve gone to the Lord in prayer, the more I’ve relied on the Lord for my strength and the more peace I’ve experienced. So I am very thankful for what the Lord has been teaching me. 

Lots of exciting things have been happening since the beginning of February! My sister and some very close family friends came to Puerto Plata on a cruise. I traveled about 14 hours round trip on a bus to only spend 3 hours with them, but it was so worth it! We had a beach day planned, but it turned out to be a rainy day. So instead, we toured a chocolate factory, a mock Larimar and Amber mine, went out to lunch, and walked down the rainbow umbrella street and the pink street. We also held some parrots, which was cool! It was my sister’s first time outside of the US and it was sweet to get to experience a small part of it with her! Now we just have to convince her to get on a plane so she can come visit San Juan! 

Kelsi moved into the Guesthouse a few weeks ago and it has been so fun getting to know her! We’ve done lots of things like going home decor shopping, trying out some new recipes (because there aren’t any Chinese restaurants in San Juan), and going out for ice cream. I have really cherished the sweet fellowship we’ve had over the past few weeks! She has been a great addition to our team!

Sharmin and I hosted a Galentines party and it was a blast! It turned out so cute! We each brought a dish to share and just had such a good time together. We also did a little paint project where we passed around canvases and each person got to paint something on each one which led to lots of laughs! Getting to know our ministry assistants more and more outside of work is something that I have been really soaking up lately! All of them are just so awesome and add so much to our ministry here. 

Last week we hosted the team that I came on my first trip to San Juan with 4 years ago. I loved getting to see them and catch up! I feel like I didn’t get to spend much time with them because they stayed so busy, but I am thankful for the sweet moments we had.

My grandpa, John, is still about the same, but has made some improvements. They’ve been able to get him up in his chair pretty regularly which helps with his alertness. The speech therapist is able to work with him again. So hearing all of the positive things is definitely a relief for me to hear. The other night when I FaceTimed with him and my mom, he said, “I love you,” and it was so sweet to hear!

So with all that being said, lots of sweet things have been happening around here and I am so so grateful. I am also extremely grateful for all of your prayers and for those who have reached out to tell me that they were praying for me. Your prayers mean so much to me! Know that I’m praying for all of you, too! I love to pray Philippians 1:3-11 and Ephesians 3:14-19 over all of my family, friends, and partners in the gospel! 

Prayer requests: 

• Physical and spiritual health & strength for my family 
• Intentionality in spending time with the Lord even though it’s been very busy & continued spiritual growth
• That the Lord would continue to grow my Christ-centered community here in San Juan and strengthen relationships
• Physical and spiritual rest & endurance for our SRI team 
• Softened and receptive hearts of the people we’re serving in this community