Hello family and friends!
It is already a whole week since Thanksgiving! I just can't believe it is December already and Christmas and a brand new year is right around the corner.
Last month I had written that we were waiting on test results for Seth's ACT test and we received the news shortly after that he got great scores! He was hoping to start an early admissions program fall of 2020, but we had a change of plans. We felt the Lord was leading in a different direction and Seth and I are in the states now. He took his GED test earlier this week and is now a high school graduate! He will be starting college at Pensacola Christian College January 21! He is very excited and ready to start. We will miss him so very much but we know this is the right thing for him.
I have just 6 days left here in the states before I travel back home to Dominican Republic. I am trying to soak in as much time as I can with my family here, and especially my son. But I sure can't wait to get back home!
Please pray for our family during this time of transition...this momma's heart is feeling unprepared and sad. And please, please pray for Seth as he begins his college life.
PREACH~TEACH~REACH
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Too early to decorate for Christmas?
There is debate going on social media about when the "correct" time is to put away all of the fall decor and decorate for Christmas. Without going into everyone's opinions on either side....I tried to wait. I usually put our Christmas things out the day of or the day after Thanksgiving. And this year, I was going to try to wait another couple of weeks. But, the boys and I helped put up decorations at church on Saturday. And all of the stores here have decorations out and Christmas music is playing. And, I just couldn't wait. Haha! Last night, the boys and I put away all our fall things and brought out the Christmas stuff.
This doesn't mean that we have become ungrateful and are skipping over Thanksgiving! I am thankful and grateful all year long, and so look forward to being extra thankful on a special day with friends in a couple of weeks.
In October, our church here celebrated 22 years! We had 3 Sundays of special services. It was a busy time, but many new visitors came and many were saved and baptized!
Praise the Lord!
Our three youngest boys participated in the drama and had a lot of fun! I was able to be down there to watch and record it. Such a blessing!
Thank you to all who prayed for Joshua and Seth as they took a quick trip to the states for Seth to take his ACT. Everything went smoothly. Now we wait to get the results.
Friday, October 11, 2019
An answered prayer and mail in the DR!
Ps 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose help is in the LORD his God:
"Thank you for praying with us specifically for the added delay expense. We are so glad that the God of Jacob sent help our way through his people. Today, we officially report that we have received $16,800 from God's people. Halellujah." ~Joshua
We are praising the Lord for answering our prayer and He gets ALL the glory! We have to stand back amazed at how He works. Thank you, Lord!
I want to address our mailing situation. Many people have been asking about our mailing address and how to get mail to us. So I thought I would share how we do mail...or really, hope to do mail soon.
DR does not have mail services. We cannot receive or send mail with any postal service. We have an address (my parents' home)in the states that we have some things go to, and some people send mail to our mission ministry in Georgia. Our mission ministry takes photos of cards and letters and sends those to us, in addition to taking care of support that is sent in. Likewise, my mom sends photos of our mail as well. So far, that is all that we've been able to get.
We are working on getting an account with a courier service so that we can receive packages. And we have started the process to apply for an account with Agape Flights, a ministry that helps missionaries. Any way that we will eventually get mail or packages here in the country, we will be paying customs fees along with all the shipping costs. Customs fees are anywhere from $2-$4 a pound. The same goes for sending mail from here to the states...we don't have anything set up yet, and it will cost money to do that.
If/when we get an account set up with Agape, I will post a link with the information for sending mail to us. And if anyone wants our address in the states, so that we can at least get photos of the mail, please email us, or private message us on FB, and we can get you that address.
All of the cards and letters that we have gotten over the last few years have been a huge blessing and encouragement to us! We read each one on the photos that are sent to us and it always brings a smile to our faces. Thank you for your ministry of love to us!
"Thank you for praying with us specifically for the added delay expense. We are so glad that the God of Jacob sent help our way through his people. Today, we officially report that we have received $16,800 from God's people. Halellujah." ~Joshua
We are praising the Lord for answering our prayer and He gets ALL the glory! We have to stand back amazed at how He works. Thank you, Lord!
I want to address our mailing situation. Many people have been asking about our mailing address and how to get mail to us. So I thought I would share how we do mail...or really, hope to do mail soon.
DR does not have mail services. We cannot receive or send mail with any postal service. We have an address (my parents' home)in the states that we have some things go to, and some people send mail to our mission ministry in Georgia. Our mission ministry takes photos of cards and letters and sends those to us, in addition to taking care of support that is sent in. Likewise, my mom sends photos of our mail as well. So far, that is all that we've been able to get.
We are working on getting an account with a courier service so that we can receive packages. And we have started the process to apply for an account with Agape Flights, a ministry that helps missionaries. Any way that we will eventually get mail or packages here in the country, we will be paying customs fees along with all the shipping costs. Customs fees are anywhere from $2-$4 a pound. The same goes for sending mail from here to the states...we don't have anything set up yet, and it will cost money to do that.
If/when we get an account set up with Agape, I will post a link with the information for sending mail to us. And if anyone wants our address in the states, so that we can at least get photos of the mail, please email us, or private message us on FB, and we can get you that address.
All of the cards and letters that we have gotten over the last few years have been a huge blessing and encouragement to us! We read each one on the photos that are sent to us and it always brings a smile to our faces. Thank you for your ministry of love to us!
Monday, September 30, 2019
July-August 2019 Newsletter
Ps 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
The latest newsletter is below. Thank you for praying, giving, and sharing.
Thanks,
Joshua  |
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Birthday, Storms, and Zoo Visit!
We had the privilege of celebrating Joshua's 45th birthday (yes, those candles say '85' 😂) this past week! I am so thankful for the husband God has given me and all that he does for me and for our boys. I couldn't ask for a husband that desires to love and serve God more.
The night we celebrated with our friends was the night of our midweek service on Thursday. There was a storm right to the south of us that brought in a lot of rain, flooding, and wonderful cooler air. We had to make some detours to get around the deep water and crazy traffic, but we made it to church. There have been so many storms already this hurricane season! I've been dealing with some storms in my personal life as well...but...God is so faithful! He has reminded me through His Word, as well as through sweet friends and even the Scriptures that others have been posting on Facebook lately, that He will never leave nor forsake us. He is using these storms to change me and make me stronger for His glory and for His purpose!
Our weekends are usually full and we enjoy every minute! Saturday, we were able to have some youth from our church over to our home for fellowship after visitation, and before a Christian film at the church that night. We ate lunch and they played some games, but the highlight for me was them playing the piano and guitar, and singing to the Lord! What a blessing!
Joshua and I were able to begin our Spanish classes online. I think we've both had 3 classes with our instructor so far. We are really enjoying the classes and learning in a way that we feel is much better than what we've done here so far. And we are excited to have more time at home, and also more time to homeschool and get other things done.
Yesterday, we were invited to go to the zoo here in Santo Domingo. It was our family's first time there and it was so much fun! The day was perfect for it too, with sunshine and a great breeze!
Please pray for us as we continue to learn Spanish. Pray for us as we reach people with the gospel. Also, please pray for Seth with his test coming up, as well as he and Joshua as they travel.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Bendiciones! Blessings!
Hola from the Corner family!
The boys are still learning sign language at church, and are also now in the youth choir.
Joshua had the opportunity to teach a soul winning class for a month at one of the churches, and it was awesome to see people excited about wanting to tell others about Jesus!
We are so thankful to be in DR, and so humbled that God would use us in this place. This country is beautiful! I'm always thrilled to see the blue-green water and the palm trees and bright flowers. But even more special are the people. The believers here have welcomed us in and want to be a help and a blessing. The lost here are in need of a Saviour, and we are so privileged to be able to point them to Jesus!
Joshua had the opportunity to teach a soul winning class for a month at one of the churches, and it was awesome to see people excited about wanting to tell others about Jesus!
We are so thankful to be in DR, and so humbled that God would use us in this place. This country is beautiful! I'm always thrilled to see the blue-green water and the palm trees and bright flowers. But even more special are the people. The believers here have welcomed us in and want to be a help and a blessing. The lost here are in need of a Saviour, and we are so privileged to be able to point them to Jesus!
Our family had a day after our midterms in Spanish classes, where we got to leave early after we finished our exams. We decided to celebrate a little and spend some time as a family. We went to lunch and finally got to walk by the water near the colonial zone in Santo Domingo. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed getting out in the sunshine and relaxing a little.
Just this week, Joshua, Seth, Nathan, and I finished 3 months of Spanish classes at the university.! Elijah and Jared's tutor will be coming to the house one day a week, for the next month or so, to finish their class. At least Joshua and I, hope to start online classes from home now. We have learned so much, but still have so much more to go. It is a relief to not have to leave the house and fight traffic to get to the university 3 days a week, but we don't want to stop learning Spanish.
Thank you to those who pray for us, support us, and encourage us with notes! You are a blessing to us! To those that have sent love gifts to help us with the extra costs in our move, thank you!!! It is so very much appreciated!
We love ya'll!
Friday, August 2, 2019
2 Months!
Hola family and friends! This past month has flown by so fast.
At the beginning of July, we had the privilege to go to camp and get to know the people in our church better, as well as many other churches that joined us for the week. It was an amazing time of good preaching and teaching, singing, games, and much other fun! God saved many that week, as well as worked in many hearts about surrendering their everything to Him. All glory to God! 
We also enjoyed meeting and spending time with 2 different groups from the US this past month! What a joy they were, and we and the boys were able to join in many activities with them and others from our church all month long. It was very hectic, but all had a great time! One group was able to be a part of camp with us, and the next helped us with Vacation Bible School. 
We have great news as of yesterday...we have our van!!! It took us 2 months to get it out of port, with much time and effort (on Joshua's part), and more costs than what we were planning. But we are praising God that we have it now, nothing is wrong with the vehicle, and God provided our transportation the entire time we were waiting!Spanish classes are going well, and we are learning much! But oh how I fall short when trying to communicate. Like I keep getting told...little by little. I am really enjoying the language!
God is doing so much for our boys. We just praise Him for how He is working! They are loving living here, have found many friends, and are learning Spanish as well. We all go to the university together for now. The Lord has also allowed them to learn sign language, and they are so excited! There is a wonderful deaf ministry here, and they have jumped in with both feet. I am just in awe of these things, and many more, that only God could orchestrate!
Please continue to pray that we get our container with our household goods soon! There are many essentials, including my youngest two sons' schoolwork, that we are needing. We are so thankful to have been blessed with many borrowed things while we wait! And please pray that we can get our container with a discounted cost. Every day that it has sat in the port storage
(nothing we could do to get it out), it has accrued fees. These are all extra costs that we had not planned, but God knew this already and we are trusting that He will provide.
We love you all and we're so thankful for you! Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, and your support! God is using you mightily in our lives!
We love you all and we're so thankful for you! Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, and your support! God is using you mightily in our lives!
Monday, July 29, 2019
Monday, June 24, 2019
Our first month is coming to an end already!
Hello everyone! It's another beautiful day here in Santo Domingo. In only a few days, we will finish a whole month here. So hard to believe! We are learning much and have much more to learn. Again, we are so very thankful for our friends here who continue to be such a help and a blessing to us!
Today, we are again working on the house, and today we have a young man from church helping us. He's a blessing and a big help to Joshua in the hardware stores, since he speaks a little English, as well as helping us learn more Spanish. We've been trying to get screens put in windows so that we can leave the windows open to the breeze. Without that breeze it gets really hot in the house, and without screens I get eaten alive. The mosquitoes love me too much unfortunately. We have also been putting up curtain rods and curtains to block the sun from shining in and heating things up, putting in ceiling fans, fixing plumbing leaks, and many other things.
As far as our immigration stuff goes, we are in another waiting period. Last Wednesday we got our paperwork submitted, got our immigration insurance done, got to the immigration office, and were told it would be 12-15 more days before we can get an interview. Which means at least that long, probably longer, before we can get our van and household goods from our container. So...we wait. Please pray that things go smoothly and quickly!
God has blessed our boys with lots of neighborhood kids to play with and get to know. The boys have talked to them about church and none of them go. What an opportunity! Pray that the Lord gives them open doors to share Jesus with them. Also, we're so thankful for the youth at church! Our boys have had many chances to spend time with them and are enjoying getting to know them...this is a blessing to them and to us!
Our family has been invited to attend camp this next week and we are all excited to go! There are several churches from here that will be there, as well as a couple groups from the states as I understand. We'll have preaching, singing, games, and fellowship both in English and Spanish. Please pray for this camp and that God will prepare all of our hearts.
I will end this post with the Scripture I've been trying to memorize in Spanish.
Juan 3:16
Porque de tal manera amo Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigenito, para que todo aquel que en el cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna.
Today, we are again working on the house, and today we have a young man from church helping us. He's a blessing and a big help to Joshua in the hardware stores, since he speaks a little English, as well as helping us learn more Spanish. We've been trying to get screens put in windows so that we can leave the windows open to the breeze. Without that breeze it gets really hot in the house, and without screens I get eaten alive. The mosquitoes love me too much unfortunately. We have also been putting up curtain rods and curtains to block the sun from shining in and heating things up, putting in ceiling fans, fixing plumbing leaks, and many other things.
As far as our immigration stuff goes, we are in another waiting period. Last Wednesday we got our paperwork submitted, got our immigration insurance done, got to the immigration office, and were told it would be 12-15 more days before we can get an interview. Which means at least that long, probably longer, before we can get our van and household goods from our container. So...we wait. Please pray that things go smoothly and quickly!
God has blessed our boys with lots of neighborhood kids to play with and get to know. The boys have talked to them about church and none of them go. What an opportunity! Pray that the Lord gives them open doors to share Jesus with them. Also, we're so thankful for the youth at church! Our boys have had many chances to spend time with them and are enjoying getting to know them...this is a blessing to them and to us!
Our family has been invited to attend camp this next week and we are all excited to go! There are several churches from here that will be there, as well as a couple groups from the states as I understand. We'll have preaching, singing, games, and fellowship both in English and Spanish. Please pray for this camp and that God will prepare all of our hearts.
I will end this post with the Scripture I've been trying to memorize in Spanish.
Juan 3:16
Porque de tal manera amo Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigenito, para que todo aquel que en el cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
First week in the DR!
We are here! We arrived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Thursday, May 30th. We are so happy to be here! As I type, I am sitting at our borrowed table looking into our backyard. The doors and windows are all open so that a small breeze can come in and I'm drenched. I'm just getting used to living in that state. Haha! It is sooooo beautiful here! And I'm getting very spoiled with all of this sunshine that I love so much.
We have been running (and sweating) since we have been here, and have many more things to do to get settled in. Everything moves a good bit slower here, and since neither Joshua nor I speak much Spanish yet, we have to have help with everything.
First, we want to praise the Lord for all of the people that have partnered with us in so many ways! We are so thankful for all of our supporters that have made it possible to move and live here! Our friends and family who are faithful to pray for us, contact us often, and encourage us are much appreciated! Our last few weeks we spent in Miami, FL, and we met many people in a couple different churches who were a huge blessing to us! They gave us a mission home to stay in, provided meals for us, let us do laundry in their home, and many things I am forgetting. But just the fellowship and friendship were amazing! We also have missionary friends, Dominican friends, and new friends here in this country who have been such a help! They've provided much needed information to know how to live here, how to drive here, what to bring with us and what to buy here...all of the things that we need to know.
When we arrived here, we were picked up from the airport by a missionary friend and another friend from his church in a big van. We had 12 big pieces of luggage as well as 12 more smaller pieces, so that was a real blessing. They took us to our house, where they had dinner ready for us (we hadn't had anything much to eat all day due to much running around to get to our flight), some food supplies, and a beautiful welcome sign and balloons. They also loaned us mattresses, linens, a small fridge and cooler, a table and chairs, some fans (Wonderful!), and a coffee maker.
Our house has been very much empty besides borrowed things, as Joshua has been busy with things being fixed up in and out of the house and needing to be here for that. And I do not drive here yet. Our friends have been so sweet to drive me around to different stores, and then to spend an entire day with us yesterday as we got to purchase furniture and appliances for our home. All that we bought will be delivered tomorrow! It will be an exciting day! I have also had the awesome opportunity to buy some things used from an American family moving back to the states. It is a great blessing to be able to purchase things for a fraction of the cost that they are new here...and it's very rare to find used things to buy. These people are Christians and were here for several years due to business. We had a good time talking with them the other night and this morning I was able to go with a friend to pick up some of the things we are buying from them. We will pick up the rest over the next few weeks.
Our shipping container with our van and some household goods shipped from Miami, FL yesterday! We should hear from them on Saturday or Monday. Joshua will have to then schedule an interview at the port and then we'll see how long it will be before they let us have our things. Those things vary, and there are many things up in the air that we've been working on for weeks now. Both with the officials, as well as our shipping company. Our neighbor across the street from us works at the port with containers that come in, and he wants to go with Joshua when he goes to the port. God is providing every step of the way!
We have been so blessed to have wonderful neighbors! We've met 2 families, so far, in a neighborhood of 12 homes. The couple across the street from us have brought over a couple of meals for us, and coffee and hot chocolate several times! They have also had us over to their home. They do not speak or understand English, other than a very few words, and as we do not speak Spanish, yet, we do a lot of hand motions and our Google Translate is getting a workout. We laugh a lot! But we are so happy to have their friendship and help.
I have many other things to write about, but I will end this here and post more soon. Thank you again for your prayers and support! We love you all!
We have been running (and sweating) since we have been here, and have many more things to do to get settled in. Everything moves a good bit slower here, and since neither Joshua nor I speak much Spanish yet, we have to have help with everything.
First, we want to praise the Lord for all of the people that have partnered with us in so many ways! We are so thankful for all of our supporters that have made it possible to move and live here! Our friends and family who are faithful to pray for us, contact us often, and encourage us are much appreciated! Our last few weeks we spent in Miami, FL, and we met many people in a couple different churches who were a huge blessing to us! They gave us a mission home to stay in, provided meals for us, let us do laundry in their home, and many things I am forgetting. But just the fellowship and friendship were amazing! We also have missionary friends, Dominican friends, and new friends here in this country who have been such a help! They've provided much needed information to know how to live here, how to drive here, what to bring with us and what to buy here...all of the things that we need to know.
When we arrived here, we were picked up from the airport by a missionary friend and another friend from his church in a big van. We had 12 big pieces of luggage as well as 12 more smaller pieces, so that was a real blessing. They took us to our house, where they had dinner ready for us (we hadn't had anything much to eat all day due to much running around to get to our flight), some food supplies, and a beautiful welcome sign and balloons. They also loaned us mattresses, linens, a small fridge and cooler, a table and chairs, some fans (Wonderful!), and a coffee maker.
Our house has been very much empty besides borrowed things, as Joshua has been busy with things being fixed up in and out of the house and needing to be here for that. And I do not drive here yet. Our friends have been so sweet to drive me around to different stores, and then to spend an entire day with us yesterday as we got to purchase furniture and appliances for our home. All that we bought will be delivered tomorrow! It will be an exciting day! I have also had the awesome opportunity to buy some things used from an American family moving back to the states. It is a great blessing to be able to purchase things for a fraction of the cost that they are new here...and it's very rare to find used things to buy. These people are Christians and were here for several years due to business. We had a good time talking with them the other night and this morning I was able to go with a friend to pick up some of the things we are buying from them. We will pick up the rest over the next few weeks.
Our shipping container with our van and some household goods shipped from Miami, FL yesterday! We should hear from them on Saturday or Monday. Joshua will have to then schedule an interview at the port and then we'll see how long it will be before they let us have our things. Those things vary, and there are many things up in the air that we've been working on for weeks now. Both with the officials, as well as our shipping company. Our neighbor across the street from us works at the port with containers that come in, and he wants to go with Joshua when he goes to the port. God is providing every step of the way!
We have been so blessed to have wonderful neighbors! We've met 2 families, so far, in a neighborhood of 12 homes. The couple across the street from us have brought over a couple of meals for us, and coffee and hot chocolate several times! They have also had us over to their home. They do not speak or understand English, other than a very few words, and as we do not speak Spanish, yet, we do a lot of hand motions and our Google Translate is getting a workout. We laugh a lot! But we are so happy to have their friendship and help.
I have many other things to write about, but I will end this here and post more soon. Thank you again for your prayers and support! We love you all!
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Friday, March 22, 2019
Thursday, March 7, 2019
We're getting close!
Hello family and friends!
Like the title says, we are getting very close to our move to Dominican Republic! I just wanted to post a quick update to let you know what's going on with our family.
We have been busy, busy since the last blog post I wrote. I tried to write something every month or two, but again, that got overtaken with travels, meetings, and homeschool. And it's now been 6 months!😲God has blessed each and every meeting and we have seen Him work greatly. Since my last post in August, we have been to many of the states we've visited before and have added a couple new ones. God has increased our financial support to well over 90% with all of the churches that have committed, and we're hoping to have an update in our upcoming newsletter. God has added many to our prayer and encouragement support as well and what a blessing that is! We are so very thankful for our new partners in the ministry!
Just 2 days ago, Joshua was able to purchase his tickets to travel to DR! He will be in Santo Domingo for a week in April and his main objective will be to secure a rental house for us. Our good friend, that went with him last June, will accompany him again this trip. He speaks fluent Spanish and is able to help in all of the details. We are so thankful for this friend, as well as Pastor Gabriel Vera, who are a great help to us! Please pray that God will provide the right home for us to move into, and that Joshua and our friend will be safe while traveling!
We're so excited about what God is doing! We are looking forward to moving very soon and beginning our life in the DR. We have meetings throughout March and a couple in April, and then we will be full steam ahead in packing and moving preparations.
We were able to go to Louisiana for a meeting last week, (my birthplace, and a new state for us on deputation) and spend time with my grandmother and aunts while there. It was wonderful to be back in Mama's house and drive alongside the bayou! This week we are enjoying a few days with my family and our sending church in FL! We head off on Saturday for a month fully packed with meetings. All the way up to Virginia and Maryland, and then back down to Georgia and Florida.
We can't say thank you enough to all of our family and friends who support us financially, with prayers, and with notes of encouragement! We love ya'll!
Like the title says, we are getting very close to our move to Dominican Republic! I just wanted to post a quick update to let you know what's going on with our family.
We have been busy, busy since the last blog post I wrote. I tried to write something every month or two, but again, that got overtaken with travels, meetings, and homeschool. And it's now been 6 months!😲God has blessed each and every meeting and we have seen Him work greatly. Since my last post in August, we have been to many of the states we've visited before and have added a couple new ones. God has increased our financial support to well over 90% with all of the churches that have committed, and we're hoping to have an update in our upcoming newsletter. God has added many to our prayer and encouragement support as well and what a blessing that is! We are so very thankful for our new partners in the ministry!
Just 2 days ago, Joshua was able to purchase his tickets to travel to DR! He will be in Santo Domingo for a week in April and his main objective will be to secure a rental house for us. Our good friend, that went with him last June, will accompany him again this trip. He speaks fluent Spanish and is able to help in all of the details. We are so thankful for this friend, as well as Pastor Gabriel Vera, who are a great help to us! Please pray that God will provide the right home for us to move into, and that Joshua and our friend will be safe while traveling!
We're so excited about what God is doing! We are looking forward to moving very soon and beginning our life in the DR. We have meetings throughout March and a couple in April, and then we will be full steam ahead in packing and moving preparations.
We were able to go to Louisiana for a meeting last week, (my birthplace, and a new state for us on deputation) and spend time with my grandmother and aunts while there. It was wonderful to be back in Mama's house and drive alongside the bayou! This week we are enjoying a few days with my family and our sending church in FL! We head off on Saturday for a month fully packed with meetings. All the way up to Virginia and Maryland, and then back down to Georgia and Florida.
We can't say thank you enough to all of our family and friends who support us financially, with prayers, and with notes of encouragement! We love ya'll!
Sunday, January 20, 2019
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