God is SO Good

I have always known that God works in amazing ways and provides exactly what we need and I have been constantly reminded of that since I've been here. Everytime I start to feel frustrated with things here or get a little homesick, God does something in my life to make it all okay. I worked at the front desk in the hospital all day Monday which wasn't too bad. There was a woman that came in that morning who tried to ask me something and I had to tell her that I only speak a little Spanish. I expected her to just move to the other receptionist like everyone else does but she was so excited that I speak English. She went on and on about how she wants to learn the language and that she has needed a friend to teach her. She stood at the desk for a good half hour just talking to me and calling me her sister in Christ. It was refreshing to actually talk to someone for awhile at work unlike most days where I can't really say anything because people don't like dealing with the language barrier. Tuesday morning I woke up and got ready to work listening to the rain pour outside. I had been so exhausted from a long weekend and wasn't really looking forward to another long day. However, because it was raining so hard I actually got to go back to sleep for awhile and just relax. You see, rain here is like snow in the States; people don't really go out, school gets cancelled, etc. because Dominicans hate the rain, and the roads flood. That afternoon I went to the office and Alex, Allison, and I planned out how our weeks should look. Wednesday morning was a slow one at the hospital which was fine because I wasn't feeling all that well. As the day went on my stomach started to hurt worse and I began feeling homesick. I got home early that afternoon and took a nap but I was really missing my family and wanted so badly to "see" them. Luckily, that night they were online so I got to talk to them on Skpye, which like I said, I really needed. It's hard being sick away from home but it was so nice to be comforted by them via Skype. Thursday morning I attended my first Youth for Christ board meeting. Apparently it was the best meeting they have had in a long time; one, because it was a short one (only 2 hours instead of 5), two, because the board has agreed to become more involved with what YFC is trying to do here. Thursday night we (YFC staff/volunteers) took a tour of Luperon. This involved walking through one of the most dangerous neighborhoods around here to go visit people and pray with them. At one of the houses, the dad came out and was so cheery and told us that he loves when people like us take the time to come visit his family because he feels so blessed. He told us we should come more often, in fact, everyday if we want. Friday morning at the hospital was pretty busy but fun because I'm still getting to know the girls I work with. That afternoon we spent time talking to the kids at Nuevo Liceo (one of the schools in Luperon). That night, we fixed some things up at Alex and Allison's house and then just hung out together. I had started getting a little frustrated because I haven't been myself here because of the language barrier and I felt like no one really knew me. But that night everyone sat around and asked me questions about my family, my friends, what I like to do, things I miss about home, what I like about this country, and so much more. I generally don't like being put on the spot but this time it was just cool that they were really trying to get to know me. All those frustrations went right out the window. Thank you God. Today I slept in and had a pretty relaxing day. I went to youth group tonight which was a lot of fun and a lot like youth group at home which I miss. Afterward we went to this hamburger place which is absolutely amazing! It's a little street vendor that sells hotdogs and hamburgers and if you ever come to this country you must try it. They are delicious!!! Though I was frustrated at times during this past week, I never forgot how good God is. He has done some amazing work in me here and I can't wait for my next 11 months here (my one month anniversary as a Dominican is on Tuesday!). God bless you all.