I actually just got back to my Dominican home today from a little trip to visit the capital of the Dominican Republic (which is Santo Domingo, for those who don't know...don't worry, I didn't know before either!) Anyway, it was nice to get away for a little while with the APU group and go exploring because Santo Domingo is a bit of a busier, more centralized city than Santiago. I also just loved having full days!!
When drove down on Thursday morning at 6am, fitting the total 14 people into two mid-sized cars...we have definitely gotten close (and by that I mean physically close!!) on this trip!! (luckily, the ride was only 3 hours long ;) ) Anyway, we got into Santo Domingo and we went straight to a church where a nursing mission team from APU had set up a mini clinic where people from the city could come and tell the nursing students about their ailments, then get medication that the mission team had brought with them. I actually got to work at the table where they were giving out medicine, translating for the people, telling them the directions for when and how to take the medication!! It was the coolest feeling to actually be able to do something helpful with my language acquisition! I also got to play with and talk with a ton of the BEAUTIFUL children that were there, and that obviously put such a huge smile on my face :)
That night we stayed at a cheap hotel near to the beach, and I have never been so thrilled with my accommodations before!! I got to take a shower with RUNNING, HOT water...ahhhh!! AND the room had a wall unit air conditioner!! Oh, the simple pleasures in life :)
The next day, we went to a beach called Boca Chica that had the gorgeous, white sand and bright blue, crystal clear water...the fun part about this beach too is that there was quite an adventure to be had! About a quarter-mile from the beach (in the ocean) was a grove of trees/mini island that you could swim out to...I was feeling adventurous, so that is exactly what I did with a small group of people. We got out there, and I wish I could explain to you what it was like! There was shallow water we could stand in and fish would just come up an nibble at my toes, and on the forest/island there were parts of the ground that looked like they were moving, and when you looked more closely, you realized that there were actually a bunch of little crabs running across the ground (one of which I actually got the courage to let run around on my hand!) There were also lizards...and a rat, which was maybe not the most pleasant thing to see :/ (how it even got there beats me!) Along with the adventure of being out the island, we ended up meeting a 22 year-old guy named Peety who actually is from Port Au Prince, Haiti and came to the Dominican to finish studying after the earthquake...Not only are there no schools for him to study in right now, but his house was also flattened...while his father was inside. So this boy lost any current prospect for a job there, his home, and his father...yet he was smiling and laughing and showing us around this island! I was blown away not only by God's hand in nature but also at the resiliency he can create in the human spirit (We found out that Peety is a Christian and he kept saying "Gracias a Dios" for the fact that he was in the Dominican and able to study...it was incredible!)
That night, our group went to this boardwalk area by the beach with food places and some live music...and although going to the discotecas here is against the rules because of school policy, we just decided to create our own in the middle of the sidewalk!! We had so much fun dancing with one another...laughing hysterically an drawing far too much attention to ourselves :) It started to downpour (because that's what it does here...randomly and out of the blue!) and I just stood in the rain, loving where I was at in that very moment!
This morning we went to a museum that I think is just dedicated to artifacts from different countries all throughout the Americas (sometimes it is quite difficult to decipher these museum tours when they are conducted in Spanish!!) Afterward, we went to this national park called Tres Ojos (The Three Eyes), and I was again blown away by God's handiwork!! It was this collection of three partially underground lakes that were surrounded by trees and vines and cave walls/ stalagmites...I again wish I could explain it better, but no words could describe the beauty of this place!
Then we started back on our 3 hour ride back home in our overstuffed cars...When I got back, mi mama was sitting on the front porch with mi tia and some family friends...She jumped up when I walked up and started telling me how much she missed me (for the 3 days that I was gone!) I walked in my room, and she had put a brand new, beautiful comforter and pillow on my bed...I went out and told her how much I loved it and she just told me that it had been done "con mucho amor" and that she was hoping I would like it. Then she heated up a dinner she had made for me...It was nice to come home :) (Mommy at home, don't worry!! 502 Oak Knoll will always be my home, but it is so nice to actually be settling into this second home of mine in the Dominican!)
While I have been having such a nice weekend, God is still hard at work in me!! It's funny because he is having to work so hard to get this mentality of "working" out of me! When I was surrounded by the beauty of what he had created, I started getting discouraged about the fact that there is no way I could possibly say the right words to him or approach these works of his hand with enough reverence... But I think that is what he is trying to teach me... "Just being" and appreciating his creation for what it is and him for he is is enough. I will never in this lifetime be able to fully comprehend the greatness and majesty of God, nor will I be able to ever "do" enough to express the proper amount of awe or gratefulness... But that is okay! I need to look around, be grateful, thank my God, and then...JUST BE! While I would like to have all of these lessons he is trying to teach me "down pat" by now, I have to realize that I must be patient with this learning process...and it has only been two weeks!! I think I have a bit more time to let God work in me what he so desires to...
Well, I think I will stop now that I have given you all a novel to read!! Again, I so appreciate the comments of encouragement I get from you, and the prayers you all have been sending up are more appreciated than you know...God is doing a mighty work, and I have all of you to thank for helping me through this process!
Mucho amor to you all...xoxoxoxo
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