A special Lord's Day

I am sure that today God and his angels were looking down on the Dominican Republic and smiling.

Porfi and Carla were talking just last night about ways to more more intensely talk to the children in the Children's Home of a serious commitment with God. We are doing a lot of things with them which include studying the Bible, trying to speak the Word not only with our words but by our actions in everything that we do, just spending a lot of time with them. But, last night Porfi and Carla were talking about ways to go even deeper with them.

This morning after church we got a surprise that, with so much joy, changed our plans for the day. Wilson came to us and asked when he could be baptized.

Porfi, Wilson and I started talking, and he was ready. We talked about the story of the Ethiopian who Philip studied with. We talked about what baptism means for him and his life. After a few hours of talking and studying about it, we asked the same question that the Ethiopian asked himself “What is stopping you?”. He said nothing. We took him to the river after lunch and Wilson became a part of the body of Jesus Christ.

It was so exciting and I say it again: I know for sure God was looking down on Wilson today and smiling brightly. For a while now we have all noticed something different in Wilson. Since he became the oldest boy in the Children’s Home he has taken on that responsibility and done amazing. He helps around the Children’s Home and sets a great example for the rest of the young boys around him.

After we got back from the river, we all got together and celebrated. We had cake, cokes, we watched a movie, played games, and just had a great time all together. It was truly a day to celebrate what God is doing in the life of Wilson and in the Children’s Home.

We are all so proud and could not have been more excited to spend the day celebrating with Wison.

God,

Thank you for being our Lord and Savior. We are so excited that Wilson has now taken you on as his Savior and Lord.

Bless him. Be with him. Give him strength as he sets out on his journey and walk with you. Help us to be there for him and help him as he is starting a new life.

I love you everyday!

fun with the boys

I love the boys in the Children’s Home and I love getting to spend a lot of time with them. This past SaturdayI got to do just that. We played, we ate, and got hair cuts (not me but them) and just had a lot of fun.

I took the computer over there so that they could take some pictures. They went crazy. They love getting their picture taken. So I have put a few on here.

God,

Thank you for Wilson, Randy, Ariel, Adolfo, Lisandro, and Cristo Daniel. I am just so privileged to be able to spend time with them and be with them. I pray that we are doing exa

ctly what you want for us having these kids here. I pray that Marta, their house mother continues to love on them and give them they

home that they need. Give us strength in raising these boys.

I Love you everyday.

Lisandro

We have a new boy in the Children's Home. His name is Lisandro. Like a lot of Dominicans he also has a nickname that he goes by too, which is Hedwin, but he likes to be called Lisandro. He comes from Gasper Hernandez. He is a precious five year old boy who arrived at the Children's Home on Wednesday. He has no father and no one to properly take care of him so he was brought to the Children's Home for us to take care of him.

Lord,

What an amazing opportunity for us to take in a child and care for him and give him a home. I pray that we are exactly what Lisandro needs right now and I pray that we take care of him with love and wisdom. I pray for Lisando. When I got home Wednesday night I could not help but think how traumatic of a day he was having. He is going through something I can not even imagine. Thank you for this opportunity and give us the strength to take advantage of it.

tomas.

Hello everyone.

I just wanted to post something very short and ask for your prayers. Tomas is headed toward the Hispaniola island, specifically towards Haiti. I honestly do not know why Haiti gets the worst of things when the Dominican Republic sits right here beside Haiti and gets just a few outside symptoms of what happens to Haiti. We are expected to get a lot of rain here on the east side of the island. Pray for us here but please pray that God keep those Haitian people safe.

Lord,

Protect the Haitians from this storm. I selfishly just wish you would turn that storm around and let it disappear into the sea, but I have to believe that you will let you will be done. Keep us safe.

I Love you everyday!

you are special.

Another Saturday and another invite to a Dominican’s home.

This summer I met a lady who is a super special person. Her name is Ana and we had two groups go to visit her for community day this summer. She owner of our secretary, Nubia’s house. But she is more than just her land-lord, she is like a mother to her. She has just recently moved out into the countryside with one of her daughters.

Nubia told me that Ana had invited me to come over at some point, so we went on Saturday.

Saturday before we left I observed a very special encounter between Nubia, our secretary, and one of the street boys from Rio San Juan. His name is Jordan and he has been a part of our ministry for a while. He comes and goes. He has had a tough life and Nubia has been a big encouragement to him. She helps him with his homework, she makes sure that is coming the the events that he can. She is always trying to get him more involved. As she was talking to him she said to him “Eres especial” or “You are special”. I do not know what that meant to that boy right then in that moment, but I know that he needs someone to tell him that he is special. The special thing about it is that this occasion is not the first time I have heard Nubia say these exact words.

There are phrases that stick out in my mind for people that have been inspirational to me, and I know that this one I will not soon forget.

I remember my senior year of high school my English teacher, Laura Lynn Roland would always say as we left class “Have a blessed day”.

After every Spring Sing practice our director, Dottie Frye, would always say “Know that you are loved”

Nubia is a special lady and the special thing about her is that she can see just how special we all are, and she reminds us of that.

Lord,

Thank you Nubia and the reminder that we are all made special, made by you and in your own image. Help me and all of us to remember how special we are. Thank you for the Holy Spirit and the speciality that it brings to us as Christians. Thank you for the special responsibility you have given to us and how special it is that we do not have to be perfect because you fill in where we mess up.

Give us the confidence to know that we are special and the strength to keep fighting for you.

I love you everyday!

dinner with Freddy

While I was in the United States I got an email from Norm telling me that we had been invited to a dinner with some of our Dominican friends.

Yesterday Norm, Kevin, and I went to Freddy’s house. Freddy is a well known man in Rio San Juan who owns a restaurant that we go to a lot. He has been very close to a lot of people in our ministry starting mostly with Holly and TJ McCloud. I got very close to his son, Nobel, the summer that I lived in Rio San Juan. Nobel has since gone to college in Santiago, but I still get to talk with him every once in a while.
Nubia, our secretary, is very good friends with Freddy and family and she was also there last night at our dinner.

There is not a whole lot to say about it. Nothing extremely exciting happened but I do love that family. We got to go out to their house in the country with an amazing view of the ocean. The food, of course was delicious. Who would expect anything different from the owner of a restaurant?

Freddy has an exceptional family. The biggest encouragement I get out of the family is that they do not care what is going on around them, they stick to their believes midst being surrounded by a very worldly city.

God,

Thank you so much for Freddy and his family. Thank you for Nubia and her friendship to us. I am so encouraged to see people in this country who are diligently trying to seek you and and do your divine will, no matter what is going on around them.

Bless them and keep them safe.

I love you everyday.

the states.

Going to the United States is different every time that I go. This time I was not considered to be on “vacation”, I was “working”. The main purpose of our trip was World Mission Workshop, but we used that as an excuse as an opportunity to do other things also.

When I arrived back in the States I spent a few days just winding down and spending time with people that I love.

Some of the people I miss most in the world were right there in Chattanooga waiting for me. I was so anxious to see them and got to on the first night I was there. Greg Moore and Brittney Davidson were two of my best friends while we were at Harding. Now Greg and Brittney Moore are still two of my best friends, and two people whom I appreciate so much for their constant prayers for me. I loved my time that I got to spend with them and, yes it did make me miss them more and made it harder to say good bye but it also made me realize just how thankful I am to both of them.

To Greg and Brittney: I miss you and love you guys so much. You have no idea. I am so excited for your marriage and so encouraged to see you both doing so well. You are in my prayers. Greg, I wish I could have gotten to see you my last night there but I understand that you two are now an old married couple who go to sleep at 9:00 PM. Brittney, thank you for just being who you are to me. I am so encouraged by you. Don’t change.

Sunday rolled around and it was time for our first presentation. It went so well and I am thankful for all that helped get everything ready for that presentation at Red Bank.

Going into this trip I had no idea was my schedule was going to be like. I did not have a car, nor a cell phone so I was pretty much at the mercy of anyone with any type of modern technology. Even after Evan and Rachel got to Chattanooga and we did our presentation we did not know what was going on, nor what our schedule was going to look like. I had to be at the Boyd Buchanan High School chapel on Tuesday and we had to be in Searcy sometime on Thursday but were not sure what time.

Finally we just had to make plans and so that we could know where and when we were going to be.

Monday we stayed in town and had dinner with Jake and Shelley Hendrix at the Reese’s house.

To Jake and Shelley: You are such wise people with so much to teach us. I am thankful and grateful for the time I got to listen to you guys help us out in so many areas.

Tuesday morning I spoke at Boyd Buchanan. Tuesday evening we attended the missions committee meeting at Red Bank then immediately headed to Cookeville, on our way to Searcy. Our travels took us thru Cookville because we had a intern, and new member of our team, Jill Rhodes with us. We stayed the night in Cookeville before heading west. Cookeville is not the most exciting city in itself but has some awesome people. The first thing we did after arriving in Cookville was to go to the Dixie House. The Dixie House is a house of college guys that attend Tennessee Tech and most of them went to Red Bank. I was so thankful to see them all.

After watching Glee and fighting off a migraine we slept and the next day headed toward beautiful Henderson, Tennessee. We spent the day there, and the night in Jackson before heading to Arkansas.

I spent a lot of time in Arkansas in the past five years and it was nice but a little weird to be going back there.

World Mission Workshop was great. We did not do very much with the actual workshop but we got our booth put together and were able to meet some people with amazing hearts for missions.

Thursday night I was finally able to go on Harding’s campus. I was so excited and so ready to see some of my friends from Harding.

To Amanda, ATown, Elizabeth and Joey: It was SO good to see you that day. I know it was fast and I wish I could have spent so much more time with you, but you were all and encouragement to say the least.

Saturday was our big roll out for Manna Global Ministries and specifically the Dominican Republic at the house of Chris and Angela Lowe. Chris and A-Lowe are awesome people who have been coming and visiting us in the Dominican Republic for a long time with the Cloverdale church.

To be honest, we (meaning Evan, Rachel, and I) were a little worried about filling in the time we had allotted ourselves but if you ask any one there, I believe it overflowed. When you start talking about something you believe in so much, you can not help but get excited and probably be able to talk about it all day long.

It was a Spirit filled meeting and it was so good to see all those who were there.

To Chris and Angela: Thank you for opening your house to us. We are excited and look forward to the possibilities we have to work with you guys. You are such wise people in so many ways and I love what you are doing.

Saturday night we were welcomed into the house of the parents of one of our other interns from the summer, Jordan Crow. It was a fun night just being able to hand out with the people we spent the summer with.

To the Crows: Thank you also for opening your house to us. You are amazing people and I am privileged to get to know you.

Sunday Morning church at the Downtown church in Searcy was a throw back to my time spent in Searcy. Downtown was where I spent most Sunday mornings. For brunch we went to Tom and Deann Martin’s house. Tom has worked with Manna for a while doing an excellent job coordinating our group program.

To Tom and Deann: To you two also, thank you for having us over. I love you guys and am thankful for what you do for us. Your work is having a huge impact on the work in the Dominican.

Heading back to Chattanooga had a few stops on the way after a great weekend in Searcy.

I got to Jackson with Jeff Reese and Jill Rhodes, which was such a joy. I love both of those people so much.

Mom and I finally got to spend some time together getting to Nashville, where we met up with my wonderful family. And on Monday I was able to speak at Goodpasture High Schools daily devotional.

To the Perry’s of Nasvhille: I love you guys. It was so good to spend some time with Uncle Bob & Aunt Vickie and Uncle Jack & Aunt Kim at the Cheesecake Factory. I am so encouraged by you guys every time I get to spend a little time with you. Uncle Rick, thank you for letting us stay in your house but I think the biggest encouragement of my entire trip back to the states came from you. I have always thought of you as my uncle and never thought twice because you have been that to me since the day I was born. To hear you introduce my mom as your sister to so many people was the biggest encouragement of all. She is not your adopted or any other type of sister to you but just your sister. I love you for that. I love all the Perrys for that. Those things do not go unnoticed. You are all amazing.

Back to Chattanooga, and a few days just to be with my family.

To my mom and dad: I love you guys and appreciate you more than I can explain. I wish we could have had more time together but am grateful for the little time we had. Dad, I really wish I had more time with you and really wish that your work did not have you tied up so much. I am thankful for your amazing support in so many ways. Just like how Uncle Rick called you his sister, the things you do for me do not go unnoticed. I am excited to see how God is going to use our whole family even more than he already has. I am thankful for your ministries in the United States and praying that our ministries can somehow overlap a little bit more.

Dear God,

I do not even know how to begin to express how thankful I am to all these people. This trip to the States was different than all of the rest, but I am so thankful for all the people that encouraged me while I was gone from home.

I am glad to be back home. Now, we have so much to do and it seems to be creeping up on us very quickly.
Give us your Spirit as guidance and help us to open our eyes to do exactly what the Spirit is guiding us to.

I love you every day.