Sometimes mission work is subtle

         

              It is no secret that my husband is a minister and we are missionaries here in the Dominican Republic. It is easy to forget that sometimes though in the chaos of finding employment, fixing our house and now pregnancy. Life can be and has been overwhelming the last few months. It is easy (for me at least) to focus on getting our life in order, rather than doing mission work. I mean, how can we have people over when we don’t even have a couch or a table for them to sit at? All we have is a breakfast bar at our island with two wood stools and an almost complete couch. No cushions though, which does not make for pleasant sitting.

            But one thing I was reminded of this week, that rang true in the States as well. “Mission work is often times subtle”. What I mean by that is just what we view as “mission work”. For some that means handing out tracks, others it means standing on a street corner (or here it is standing in the subway train) and preaching, for others it’s going to the furthest reaches of the globe to spread the gospel to an unreached people. Now, I am not saying that these are invalid or wrong (bless those that can go to the furthest reaches), but I am saying that sometimes ministry is a bit more hidden.

            One example I can think of is something my husband did (yes, I am going to brag about my hubby). One of my pregnancy cravings lead us to an ice cream joint about 2-3 blocks from our house. We have frequented this place so I am sure the workers know us. Anyway, there are boys (cannot be more than 12 years old) working outside the place parking cars or selling pirated CD/DVDs to make money for school. Of course we don’t want to support piracy and we have no car to park so we are not of much use to the boys. However, my husband started talking to them (in Spanish of course so I had no idea what he was saying other than our house address) and they were listening intently. Come to find out, my husband was offering to have them come to our house so he could teach them the trade of electrical work so they could make better money. They seemed genuinely interested and when school is out for the summer, might take him up on his offer.

            We have seen the boys since then and they remember Jonathan who renews the offer each time he does see them. Yes, we did give them some money (and an ice cream to share), but Jonathan’s connection and willingness to teach them a useful trade for free, stuck with the boys more than the free ice cream and money.

            Likewise, Jonathan has tagged along with me to work a few times for various reasons. A couple of the teachers have really connected with him and seek him out when he does come to talk more with him. No, it isn’t religious topics discussed, but they know he is a minister and one of the men in particular is an atheist. Just the fact that he feels comfortable talking to Jonathan is a huge open door that Jonathan is careful not to close. His ministry in this sense is not preaching but rather listening and building up a friendship. There is a difference in the overall feel and attitudes of the teachers when Jonathan is around which I think speaks volumes of Adonai’s ability to be sensed, even when you are not necessarily aware of it.  

            I say all of this to say that yes, my house is a mess and uninviting, yes we are still struggling with getting our lives pulled together and ready for long-term ministry and yes, I have frequent pity parties about various things, but we are still doing mission work, sometimes when we are not even aware of it. Sometimes mission work is subtle…and sometimes that’s the best for the person Adoani is trying to reach. Just always be ready to be kind and to listen. You never know who might just need a good listener to start the process of hearing Him.

            Until next week; blessings to you all and your families.  

Respect for the Unborn

           Sorry for not posting last week, morning sickness and work just kept me down all week.

            I have a friend and fellow teacher who is also expecting. She is 8 months along but it has been nice to ask her about her experiences with her first pregnancies and get advice from here about pre-natal care down here. Although she is an American as well, she has been here longer than me and is obviously further along in her pregnancy so learning what her doctor told her until I could get in with mine was a huge help. However, one thing she told me that I had not thought about was that here, there is a huge respect for the unborn.

            I had not thought about it but it is very true. I am now 10 weeks along but I look pregnant as I have a belly already. For the first few weeks Jonathan had to tell people I was pregnant as there is a policy for public transportation that the elderly, disabled, pregnant women and children gets seats first. So, as soon as one of those people stepped on a bus or train they were expected to get a seat and someone usually very fast and willingly stood up to allow them to have a seat. There are of course times when no one wants to do this which infuriates my husband so he refuses to take that bus or whatever and will wait until he can find one with a seat for me.

            However, sometimes I have to do some transportation solo. Although Jonathan and I take the same route to work, mine is a little further so I end up going alone for some of it. The other day I stepped on the train on the way to meet Jonathan at our rendezvous point and a man immediately jumped up and let me have his seat because he saw my belly. I have never once seen this happen in the States for a pregnant woman, other than my brothers doing it because they were taught to respect those with child by my Mother and Father.

            Another thing I have noticed is the complete understanding and lack of judgement of pregnant women. I have had morning sickness and I was concerned it would strike at work because it is really an all-day sickness rather than just morning. I hated this because I am a private person and feel judged easily and I just did not want that to happen in public. However, here it is not scorned. Everyone knows it happens and that just means the baby is growing and the pregnancy is healthy. So the fear of public morning sickness has slowly subsided but the Lord has been good and I have been able to find something that works and have been able to get through the day without being sick. Yay!

            In addition, pregnant women here are treated gently I have noticed. They are not expected to carry heavy things and workers or strangers alike will jump in to help a pregnant woman if needed.

            On a side note: went to the doctor and everything looks good! One healthy baby so far! Until next week, bye all y’all!  

Leaving home to go home

It is a bit of an oxymoron if you think about it; but it perfectly describes where I am emotionally. I have two homes; one here in the States and one in the Dominican Republic. Sadly, I cannot be in both places or even split my time between the two. It makes my trip bittersweet on both sides (arriving and departing), as part of me is in both places. I have spent 12 wonderful days here just resting and visiting but 2 days traveling making a total absence of 2 weeks away from my husband.

I miss Jonathan a lot, and I miss my family a lot. I need my Mom as I experience my first pregnancy and all the stages of it (all day morning sickness, sonograms, listening to the heartbeat, etc.) but I also need to be with my husband, he doesn’t want to miss these milestones either. I want to be by his side as his ministry is getting underway, but at the same time, I miss certain parts of the American lifestyle that I don’t have down there.

I was amazed how easily I slipped back into my way of life. I enjoyed having independence and being able to drive to the store on my own, when I wanted too. I enjoyed being able to understand 95% of what people were saying, and to be able to get the weird American food that I crave spontaneously during this pregnancy. But at the same time, I did not want to get completely comfortable with the lifestyle again. Here in Tennessee, there is a lot of driving. It seems like things are stretched out a lot and you spend more time just trying to get to place to place. There is nothing other than a car lot and an Autozone within walking distance of the apartment. Whereas in the DR; I have a lot of stores within several blocks of my house.

I am torn about my departure tomorrow morning. I want to see Jonathan, but I want to stay here too. I am not looking forward to flying and I know that it may be a good portion of time before I can return to the States, which is difficult for me. It’s hard to say good-bye, especially when you don’t know when or if you will see some of these people again.

But I must leave my American home and return to my Dominican home, where I have a loving, God-fearing, hardworking, and cute husband, eagerly awaiting my return….oh yeah, and two cats.

So, I would appreciate your prayers for me this week. It will be difficult emotionally for me. I think even harder than my official move in December. Thank you all. Blessings