“I’m glad I didn’t have plans, because God had plans for me.” – Kamanda

Following the dedication of the new clinic, we had a scheduled three-week break from teams after a busy winter schedule. I planned to take this time off to relax and reflect on the past three months. Though I was able to rest, it was a very busy time.

During the break the guesthouse experienced both fire and flood! One day, as I was leaving the guesthouse, I noticed the creek, on the other side of the parking lot, was on fire. The country had put out an advisory days before, talking about the possibility of how fast fires were spreading. The country had not had any rain since November. I quickly had the guard call the fire department, and they came shortly after. They got the fire out, or so they thought! The next morning, as I was sitting in church, I got a call from our landscaper, Carlos, to tell me the fire had started back up and was even closer to one of our vehicles. I got back and got the vehicle moved. It was a crazy time, but I’m thankful no damage was done.

Following the crazy fires, the American Missionaries traveled for a small retreat where we were able to get away and relax. I always enjoy getting to spend time like this with our staff, outside of work. This trip did not go as planned, but it was fun to be together. One evening we were at the mall for dinner and I ran into my vet friends!

Following the getaway, just a few days after, the guesthouse experienced extreme flooding. On this day, my friends and I were hanging out at the guesthouse, we had the kiddie pool out and planned on grilling out for dinner. Around 2:30 pm it began to rain, which we thought was great news. As you
have already read, we had not had rain since November, so the rain was exciting! However, the rain did not stop for hours, and the drainage system was not prepared to take on so much water. In some parts of the Guesthouse we had over two feet of water. It happened so fast, the rooms were flooded, trash cans had fallen over, and so much more. I am thankful for our staff who came together, the day after the flood, to help clean up the mess. When we began the day of cleaning, Kamanda said, “I’m glad I didn’t have plans because God had plans for me.” I could not have said it better myself. This mess took a few weeks to clean up. I am especially thankful for Margo, Gregoria, and Neyse who worked so hard to get the guesthouse ready for the team we have on the ground this week.

Trash and mud spread throughout the guesthouse. It was a mess. I can still see where the water hit at different parts throughout the guesthouse. I pray we never experience a flood like this again. We are working on ways to prevent this from happening again.

As I said before, I had some travel planned for this break. Following the fires and the flood, I was able to get away and relax.

The full Solid Rock staff had a retreat to another guesthouse in Santo Domingo. This retreat is one I looked forward to after our retreat last year. This trip allows me to get to know our staff in a deeper way. The retreat focused on encouragement. We learned about how much words mean to us. We had the opportunity to write little notes of encouragement to each other.

After the full staff retreat a few friends and I traveled to Las Terrenas for a few days. This time away gave me the opportunity to truly relax and reset. We spent almost all of our time in the ocean and relaxing in the sun! I am so thankful for these friends and that the Dominican Republic has places like Las Terrenas to get away. When we weren’t in the sun, we were eating good food, watching carpool karaoke, and testing out a new coffee shop in Las Terrenas.

Yesterday we began our spring schedule. This week we are hosting a barrio team from Louisville, Kentucky. This is actually my first time hosting this team, as they canceled before I hosted them because of Covid.

In my last blog, I asked for prayer specifically for my residency process. I am no further now than I was then. Please continue to pray for this process as it has to be completed by October. I will also be traveling back to the US, for one week, at the beginning of May for both of my brother’s graduations. Please be praying for safe travels.