There are many cool things I get to experience working with Solid Rock International. So many God stories, so many wonderful opportunities, getting to know the student you sponsor or hearing from team members about their day. A few weeks ago, one of the mission teams hosted Vacation Bible School at a church close to our sponsor school CCED. I did not think much of this; however, on Monday of VBS I went inside the church to watch the end of VBS. As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted by Erick, who I have sponsored since 2015. Oftentimes I see him at school when I accompany groups or I will see him when we update the student sponsorship profiles annually. I have now been able to stay in contact with him since that week of VBS. Our staff was encouraged by Erick because he was able to recite both days of the Bible verse, as well as the story, told on both days. It has been so cool to get to know Erick.
Last week we wrapped up our final week of VBS for the summer. VBS time is always a hectic high, energy time of year. It is time I enjoy, but I have to say, those days are long. We are able to do great ministry on these days, and I am so thankful for that. We went to many different churches, focusing on two different stories, the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.
This week we are hosting two teams working together, from both Minnesota and Missouri, providing barrio clinics and working construction on the land. I am always encouraged to hear stories from team members at the end of their work day to see what God taught the team that day. It is cool to hear how God has our teams in certain areas for certain reasons. One story stood out this week about a patient who was being seen for pain in the abdomen. For starters, this patient has had 16 kids, so she explained to the providers she knows what pain is. This pain was so severe that the doctor in the group would have had a surgeon assess the situation immediately. The patient was told that her condition was too severe to be seen in our mobile clinic and that she needed to get to a hospital immediately. She was not willing to go the day she was seen, but said she would go the next day. She said, “God has got me this far in life, I trust that He will get me through to tomorrow, and if He doesn’t, then it’s my time.” Healthcare is seen in two drastic ways between the US and the DR. In the US, we rush in, which is a great privilege. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case in the DR, you have to put your full trust in God, and that is just what this patient was going to do. We pray this woman will be able to make it to the hospital as soon as possible.
At the end of last month, we hosted Northwoods Community Church’s summer youth team. The team was led by Bruce Neilson, who happened to be my fifth and sixth-grade Bible teacher. I enjoyed catching up with him and getting to know some of the youth from Northwoods.
The first week in July was an off week. I spent the week with friends exploring different parts of San Juan. We tried to go to two waterfalls, but unfortunately, it started to rain 5 minutes before we made it to the waterfall one of the days, and it was not safe to continue on the hike. A few days later, on the Fourth of July, we decided to try again, hoping actually to make it to a waterfall, and we did! It was a beautiful hike, and the water was crystal clear. I was also able to take Osa, and it was a blast. After the hike, we went to the store and made a few things that you would eat at a Fourth of July picnic, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, beans, Cole slaw, and a cookie cake. It was a great day with friends!
I am looking forward to this weekend as my mom, and two brothers are coming down to visit for one week. This will be my brother’s first trip and the second for my mom, but she has not been in 10 years! We plan on spending a few days in San Juan and a few days on the north coast. I will talk more about our adventures in next month’s blog.
This week is the final week of the current class I am taking, Pentateuch. I have enjoyed learning more about the first five books of the Bible. There is so much to learn! After this class, I will have two more classes to go!
Prayer Requests:
- Family time in the DR
- Travel time to the US (August 20th)
- Health
- Spanish
