Family Ties

Hello!

       I just wanted to talk about the refreshing visit I had with my brother and sister-in-law. It was so nice of them to come visit and meet Amos. They were only here for a week but it was fabulous to see them! So, this post will have pictures and details of their visit.

Meeting Uncle Matt and Aunt Colleen at the airport

He loves Uncle Matt's beard!

   On Sunday we went to the aquarium which is only a few blocks from our house. We walked there and then got caught by rain, but it all worked out. This was Amos' first time there and he loved the fish! He even had a conversation with a few of them!

Looking at the starfish

Uncle Matt helping him see

Amos was excited about this tank! Good thing Matt has experience 

and had no problems holding onto Amos!

    

    On Monday, we took Matt and Colleen to the Colonial Zone (the old city as I call it) for them to see. I forgot to take pictures but I did get one on the way and one when we stopped for coffee.

Heading to the Old City

Rain means time for a coffee break! Yes, that is iced coffee in a martini glass!

       Tuesday was valentines day so we went to the zoo! Colleen and Matt have a tradition of visiting zoos whenever they go somewhere because Colleen loves animals. Amos had never been so it seemed like a good thing to do. Off to the zoo we went!

On the zoo train

Amos trying his first ice cream

Colleen showing Amos some lizards

   I had to work Wednesday and Thursday so Matt and Colleen went up to Samana to whale watch and such. They returned Friday and we had dinner and walked to the cliffs by our house.

    Matt and Colleen had to fly back Saturday afternoon so we spent the morning at the caves "Tres Ojos" (the three eyes), again, not far from the house. We spent a couple hours there, came home, had lunch and then they had to leave for the airport. :-( It was a great visit and I miss them, I hope they come back soon!

Jonathan, Grecia (my mother-in-law), Colleen and Matt (holding Amos) 

looking at one of the "eyes"

Inside the caves looking out

The 4th lake but not an eye because it is not covered. 

Matt,Colleen and Amos getting their picture taken by Jonathan

who is getting a picture taken by Grecia

and I am taking a picture of all of them!

Missionary Mom

When I was asking about what kind of a post people would want to see; I was asked to write about being a missionary mom. My first reaction was: “no way!” but as I thought about it, I realized it might be useful to go ahead and give my perspective on this.

I am a new, first-time mother but I am not inexperienced. I have been around kids my whole life so, yes, it’s new in the sense that I am now responsible 24/7 for the baby, but changing diapers and making bottles and such is old hat for me. That being said, raising a baby in a different culture is a whole different ballgame than what I was expecting.

The hardest part for me is being told constantly (both subtly and directly) that I am not good enough. People voice their opinions in the States too, but here it’s harder for me to let roll off my back, particularly when it comes from people who shouldn’t be judging me. The culture has a lot to do with this, but even so, people are very slow to admit that the baby is in good health and growing steadily so therefore, I must be doing something right. Instead, they just thing he is a super strong baby and is overcoming everything. Some of that may be true, but I also know that some of the advice they give is really not good.

But it’s not just with the care of the baby that I am being judged and told I am not good enough. It’s also with housework and ministry work. Everyone has their own views as too what I should and should not be doing and although some people are more polite in how they say it, everyone feels the need to voice their opinions.

This gets hard to deal with after a while (although it’s never easy) and some days I just want to curl up on the bed with the baby and do nothing productive. Not a mature response I know, and the thought only crosses my mind. I just say a prayer, get up and do what I can. I have had to come to the realization that I am doing the best I can. If that’s not good enough, I will just have to take the hits, I literally cannot do anything else or any better than I am.

Another hard thing about being a missionary/pastor’s wife/mom is finding the balance between these roles. Throw in being a teacher and I have a very interesting concoction to try to figure out. Family always comes first but even then, there must be sacrifices made for ministry; where, how and what to sacrifice, and/or what to prioritize is the daily question and never has the same answer. The days that Amos has shots and is feeling under the weather, he comes first and nothing else matters, but on the “regular days” trying to find a balance is exhausting. There are days when Jonathan is working all day, has an hour or two at home then has a meeting that evening. Those days I have to prioritize my husband and home. Sometimes the meetings are in my home, other times they are in the church, and other times at a completely different location. I have to have the house clean, work clothes ready for my husband for the next day, dinner made, dog pottied and crated, preferably baked goods ready for the meeting and a thousand other little things, all while shuffling a baby that may or may not take a nap, and doing laundry and teaching prep. And if I feel not so great? Too bad!! Gulp down some vitamins, drink tea and keep pushing through the day!

However, there are some extremely fulfilling moments as well. Watching children in the neighborhood respond to Jonathan, seek him out in fact is one such moment. Having people feel comfortable enough to come by even though I am an American, that is another moment. When my husband can flow in his calling because I have his home in order (both physically and spiritually) is another moment.

Yes, being a missionary Mom is hard work, there is no denying it. And there are days that I feel like throwing in the towel. But, once I remember who my God is, why I serve him, and remember that I willingly accepted this calling, it gives me the strength to continue, even on the rough days. But when I begin to see the fruits of my husband’s labor in the fields (spiritually speaking), I get a huge second wind. I can put my head down and keep going. “For everything there is a season…” Life will never be easy or comfortable, but it is rewarding and fulfilling. Just remember that on the difficult days and you will get through.

Until next time, may Adonai bless you and your homes.     

The Eggs-periment muffins

       

       I decided to share a recipe this week! Jonathan is not a picky eater but there are a few foods he just doesn't care for. However, I am trying to get him to eat more protien and he can tell a difference when he starts the day with protien versus when he doesn't. That being said, I don't generally have time to cook protien every morning but I do try to have something like muffins for him. However, I tried some scrambled eggs on Sunday that he loved so I turned them into muffins (using an idea I found on pinterest). It's perfect! I can make them the night before and he can warm them up at school and have them with coffee before beginning his day. So, I thought I would share the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper
1/2 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. or 4 leaves of fresh cilantro
1-2 slices of sandwich meat turkey
7 eggs
Cheddar or mozzarella cheese (shredded works best but you can break of pieces of cheese slices instead)
1-2 TBSP butter
Salt to taste

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 375 and grease muffin tin

2) Dice pepper, onion and garlic and set aside

3) Cut cilantro and tear turkey into pieces, set aside

4) Break eggs into a separate bowl. Wisk in spices (if using dry cilantro wisk into eggs).

5) In frying pan melt butter the saute garlic, onion and peppers in the butter until almost done. Then add fresh cilantro and turkey.

6) Add to egg mixture and add cheese. Stir until everything is combined,

7) Fill muffin tins to top (they rise some but not much) and  bake for 15-20 minutes (I did 4 eggs and this is how many muffins it made)

8) remove from tin and serve immediately or allow to cool and store in airtight container in fridge until the next day,

        You can tweek the seasonings and things to taste. Jonathan and I love garlic so I actually use a lot more garlic than I have listed and I eyeball a lot of the seasonings, These are just approximate measurements based on how we like ours to taste. Jonathan is not a big fan of black pepper but likes salt so I use no pepper and some salt and such. Just have fun! This is just a scaffolding for you to build on, there are a bunch of things you can do with this recipe!


         I hope you all enjoy this recipe! Let me know if you want me to post more recipes of successful experiments that I have done. Until next time, may Adonai bless and keep you.

Make each day count

       This week we had another experience with death as the father of some students passed away unexpectedly and at an early age. We went to the viewing to show support and it stuck home with how death can happen so suddenly. Here is a man that was young and successful with 3 beautiful and intelligent daughters that was just suddenly gone. As a mother, I can now better understand what some of the thoughts his widow might be having are.

Without warning she knows finds herself a widowed, single parent with three children to finish raising. He was the main source of income so now she has to figure out how to keep her family stable financially, how to keep the children in private school, how to afford a car, house, food, etc. Not only does she need to make ends meet, but she has to be available for the children emotionally too as they all grieve and try to heal. It makes me wonder what I would do if I was thrust into her shoes?

Lord willing that will never happen; but the unexpectedness of this man’s death drives home how finite our time really is. We never know when our time will be complete so we need to use our time wisely. For each of us that means something different, whether it’s spending more time with loved ones, finishing a project (like a quilt or a book) that you want to leave behind, accomplishing more ministry, raising a family, etc.

One thing that I think about is the amount of time I have spent in disagreement with my husband. I am not saying to never have disagreements (that would be ideal but impossible), but maybe not everything is worth having a spat over. I wonder if this lady had an argument with her husband that she is now regretting, or did she not give him a hug, or get up to say good-bye that morning or whatever. Maybe or maybe not, I will never know. However, it makes me realize more and more that each day, each hour, each moment here on earth is precious. I don’t want my last act to be a fight or an action that does not show love. I never want my husband or son to question my love for them if something were to happen to me. Nor do I want to live thinking about an action I did if for some reason Jonathan is taken from me.

But just as important is what is accomplished for the Father on a daily basis. Can I lay my head on my pillow at night knowing that I have done something to further the Kingdom of God? Or at the very least, not damaged it. Maybe there are dishes in the sink or clothes in the hamper but did the community or the kids at school see Christ’s love that day? Did my husband and sin feel nurtured and loved? Did I conduct myself in a manner pleasing to Adonai even on days filled with adversity? What have I done today that I can stand before the throne of Adonai and be proud of? Some days it may be nothing more than just caring for the baby and other days it may be something bigger. Each day is fresh and a treasure chest. What you put in it is up to you, but if you were to look back and open it, would you be pleased with its contents?

I want to encourage each and every one of you. Our time here is limited and we never know how much we have. Do something every day that matters. Make each day count. Show Christ’s love even when it’s hard; especially when it’s hard. Never lay down at night regretting something because tomorrow is not promised.

Until next time, may Adonai bless and keep you.

Friendly Fire

            When one goes to the mission field, you expect resistance and spiritual warfare. However, one does not expect it from people who claim to have the same calling/draw/desire as yourself. But, this has proven true for many people, not just me….

            Humans are petty….and territorial. There. I said it. Ever since I began a relationship with my husband, I have gotten flack, as has he. Obviously we both ignored it and moved forward as we are now married and have a baby. However, more than relationship nay-sayers, there is another form of pettiness that bothers me, particularly on the mission field.

            Here in the Dominican there are multiple missions and missionaries working (I know other countries have multiples as well, but I am just speaking from my personal experience). I think that is great! The more people working to save souls the better! However, there is a lot of turf wars and disunity among these missions and missionaries. I just want to know one thing…WHY????? Aren’t we all working towards the same goal and for the same boss??? Apparently not.

            I do not remember anywhere in Scripture where we are referred to as “men” or “adults” of God, but I distinctly remember being called the “children” of God numerous times. I am sure there are many reasons for this, but sometimes I just chuckle to myself because even “adult” and “mature” believers act like children; myself included! Adonai’s command to us is pretty simple…

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 NASB

Nowhere in this scripture does it say be petty and territorial over the souls you are trying to reach….but I am no Greek or Hebrew expert. Maybe in the original language it’s there; but in the English translation, it most certainly is not. So why are people so “Mine!” “My area. My church, my lost souls, my souls needing encouragement, back off!” when obviously, there are others trying to accomplish the same thing as you? Honestly, I don’t know. But, I have a few theories from personal observation both overseas and in the States.

            Theory 1: Denomination/movement/belief differences.

            Now to some people (my own movement included), this is a biggy. “I have to teach the TRUTH! My movement/denomination/beliefs are the truth, the one true way!” If I have heard that once, I have heard it a hundred times. But is there any truth (pun intended!) in that? Yes and no. Every belief, denomination, movement (whatever you call yourself) has some truth and some falsehood, Judaism included. And it’s these differences in beliefs that cause disunity, the birth of yet another movement or denomination that again, is the one true way and we can’t have these OTHER believers in Messiah contaminating our sheaves. After all: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.” Gal. 5:9 NASB

Really? Really fellow believers and MISSIONARIES??  Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines missionaries as “One sent to propagate religion” as in create more believers/missionaries. The very definition of missionary does not leave room for other missionaries to be excluded/shunned/turned away. There is no difference of beliefs mentioned in scripture or the dictionary. If we are going to stick to the whole “TRUTH” argument, none of us should be missionaries. The disciples were the only ones trained with all of the truth, and even they had disagreements! They had Christ himself teaching them, for Pete's sake!

            Theory 2: Funding

            Seems like a pretty basic and off the wall reason to have pettiness and discord, but I honestly think it is a root cause. So many missions and missionaries are being supported by churches (as they should be) and are being held accountable (as they should be). However, how the churches go about this is not always conducive to effective missions. Not every report from the field will be (or needs to be) positive. It’s a sign of growth and success to come upon hard times. If every report is “we are growing!” I would begin to question the legitimacy of the report. There will be seasons of growth for sure, but also seasons of rebuilding and even decrease. Our jobs as missionaries is not to always have a good report, it’s too win souls for Christ and prepare them to be missionaries. We are to work ourselves out of a job. But, in order to keep the funding coming reports must be positive and encouraging or people will stop giving. I have to ask, “so what?” what if the funding stops coming? Does that make you any less of a missionary? No. It just means you have to be a tentmaker and get a job and work among the people you are trying to witness too. Believe me, funding makes full-time missions SO MUCH EASIER, but it is not a necessity to be effective. On the country, it actually might be more of a hindrance, depending on your particular niche of missions work,

            So here is what I am trying to say: we all say we have the same goal/purpose and all serve the same God. However, if we cannot get along as fellow believers and missionaries, how can we have effective ministry work on the mission field or otherwise? We need to stop this whole “don’t talk to them because_______” “don’t associate with their mission/work because one time they ____________” “those people teach false doctrine so don’t work with them” “they work for another mission so you can’t help/work with them (or you’re a traitor)” etc. crap. As long as we are all teaching the true salvation message and the fundamentals of how to study scripture for themselves, what else matters? Why do we all want to build our own fortresses and face spiritual warfare alone? Why not live together even with our differences, in unity, in one place (metaphorically speaking) to walk the walk and talk the talk? How can we teach the love of Christ if we can’t even show it to the others that are trying to achieve the same goal?

            So fellow missionaries and believers both on and off the mission field, I implore you. Let go of the hair-splitting differences and stand in unity with others. We will be more effective for the kingdom both on and off the mission field. And let’s be real for a minute. Just being a believer makes you a missionary wither or not you are in a foreign country. The love of Christ should be seen through you at all times, and that alone is ministry to the unbeliever.

Rant over. Have a wonderful and blessed week, Until next time, May Adonai bless and keep you. 

Kindness

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post. Amos is adjusting his schedule so my normal writing time is no more. However, Jonathan is on break for a couple of weeks so hopefully I can be more consistent in writing.

There are a lot of things I want to talk about. But they are not related and would make for a very lengthy post, so I will just address them one at a time for now. But first!

Amos is now 3 months old and doing great! He has a doctor’s appointment today and I am anxious to see how much he has grown! His personality is showing now and we really enjoy seeing it.

Now, unto the actual post.

This time of year really seems to bring out the ugly in people. The few days leading up to, and including Christmas, my facebook newsfeed was full of “Merry Christmas!”, Happy Hanukkah!”, “Happy Holidays!” and ugly responses to these greetings. Now, don’t get me wrong; Jonathan and I do not celebrate Christmas, (I celebrate Hanukkah), but we/I am in no way offended if you celebrate Christmas and wish me a Merry Christmas. I will wish you a Happy Hanukkah in return. In fact, Christmas is such a big deal here, that I have said “Feliz Navidad” several times. I think it’s more offensive to refuse to acknowledge an important holiday than to just wish them a good one. Let me explain….

If you don’t celebrate Hanukkah for _____ reasons, that’s fine! It’s your religious right/freedom to do so. However, if you go to someone’s house for dinner and they are celebrating it, and they wish you a happy Hanukkah or a merry Christmas, would it not be rude to not exchange the wish? Ultimately, isn’t it the main point of Scripture to live in unity and love your neighbor as yourself? If you want someone to respect your holiday, shouldn’t you respect theirs? You don’t have to agree with it, but you can still be respectful and loving. There is no need to get all up in arms over this that and the other, just smile and return a greeting. If you feel like X person needs to be told about _____ reason to not (or to) celebrate ____ holiday, trust that the opportunity to share that information will arise. No need to be holier-than-thou and refute/attack a friendly greeting. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

All I am trying to say is, it’s an important time of year for many people, and also stressful for many. Instead of giving them something else to be stressed about or offended by, be the calm face that gives a few moments of peace. No need to be ugly.

That is all I have time for now. Gotta go back to being a Mom. Until next time, may Adonai bless and keep you.  

What does 2017 hold?

“But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” –Luke 18:16 NASB

It’s hard to believe that 2016 is already drawing to a close. It seems to have just flown by. There has been so much change this past year and there is more to come. I want to spend this post talking about what it looks like the Lord wants us to do in regards to ministry in 2017. We have great hopes for the church in coming years, and 2017 is a kick start towards those goals, as well as a time to gather information so we can truly meet the needs of the community.

All of the ministry that we will be doing in 2017 will be free. We do not live in an affluent area, and even if we did, ministry should not cost the people. We provide it from our hearts and do not expect anything in return, financially or otherwise.

The first thing that will be taking place is a weekly training/class for Pastors. Jonathan has been doing a bi-monthly class but starting in January, this will become a weekly, more in depth class for the pastors. Jonathan is currently teaching on spiritual disciplines and formation and will go more in depth with those subjects now that the foundation has been laid.

The next 2 things actually go hand in hand. As you probably know, Jonathan and I teach in English at a bilingual school on the north side of the city. There is a great desire among Dominicans to learn English so we are going to be utilizing our abilities and skills in that area. It has been decided that a community outreach provided by our church, will be started in our area. Sunday mornings there will be a 45 minute bible class for children that will be taught by various teachers. The hope is to teach either bilingually or in English only. This class will be used as a way to teach English to the children of our neighborhood as well as spread the Gospel.

In addition, I will be teaching an hour long worship dance class. The hour will include a short devotional to discuss the importance of worship and/or discuss the song and dance and how it relates to a scriptural concept. Again, this will be taught in English and the songs will be a mix of English and Spanish.

Now, let me take a minute and address a few things about the dance ministry. This can be a point of discord so I want to be completely open and honest about what I will be doing. I teach Davidic dance with a ballet influence (can’t help it, it is who I am). However, every dance I choreograph and teach for the means of worship is prayed about and studied thoroughly. The dance is a visual interpretation of the lyrics of the song. So the lyrics are carefully considered and studied as well. A common learning strategy is to set things to music like the ABCs for example. Since the children will hear the song over and over again, I do not want any unkosher things stuck in their heads, and because of the language difference I need to be doubly careful.

In addition, all dance movements are kept appropriate and modest, as is the attire. My hope is to have a co-ed dance class and we will certainly have a co-ed audience so the pastor and elder are my authority and they will check and make sure everything is kosher.

However, it’s not just dance that will be taught. Worship comes in many forms. Flags, tambourines and such will most likely also be used in the dances. The point of the dance class and presentations are to help bring others into a state of worship. For some people it’s a visual thing and an interpretation of the lyrics, through clean and pure dance, may help them.

The dance ministry will present twice a year (that’s the plan right now anyway) and will learn dances based on the church’s theme for the year. For 2017 the theme is “Worship”. This includes “what is worship”, “how do we worship”, etc.

             

            These 3 things are just the start of things to come. I am excited and anxious to see where the Lord takes this. Prayers for us in as we plunge headlong into this would be greatly appreciated.

            Until next time, may Adonai bless and keep you.