PREACH~TEACH~REACH
Friday, May 15, 2020
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Thursday, March 5, 2020
March 2020
I want to start off by saying how thankful I am for each and every one of you who pray for us, encourage us, and support us! God is using you in our lives. We have truly needed and felt your prayers and God has been faithful!
I want to share this picture of Joshua and I with Alberto at our Banquet at church. Alberto is the man that we shared about and asked prayer for in our end of the year report. We pick him up for church almost every service, and he has actually come on his own twice now. We're thankful for his faithfulness!
A few months have gone by since the last time I wrote. I am having a hard time keeping up with how fast time seems to be moving! It is March already and the end of this month marks 10 months of our living here in the Dominican Republic. Wow!
Joshua was able to use our van to transport about 35 young people back home from church recently. It was exciting that he and the van God gave us was able to be used in such a way!
We have been continuing on with our Spanish learning. We began to study with a wonderful tutor through skype mid-September of last year. Before that, we tried to learn in a local university, and where it helped us in some ways, it was more of a conversational Spanish and we need to learn much more than that.
We've had almost 6 months of language learning at this point. I wish I could say that we are fluent and ready to preach and teach in Spanish. When we moved here, I knew practically nothing in Spanish. Some basic words, and even those were just memorized with no understanding of what or why I was saying them. Now, I am somewhat following sermons at church, depending on who is preaching and the topic. I can understand more when reading than what I'm able to hear or speak. But I am struggling when it comes to conversing with people. I try to think of something to say, change it to Spanish in my head, and then actually get up the courage to let it out of my mouth. By then, the moment has passed and I've just stood there smiling in silence. Haha! So...I'm working on it. I just need to get brave enough to speak and mess up.
I have started to write down certain passages in Psalms, both in English and in Spanish. It is a good way to learn as well as spend time in the Word and get a blessing.
We are in a busy season as spring begins and leads us into summer. We have just finished up special services at church for 2 weeks, with 2 different groups from the states. We really enjoyed getting to know these preachers, pastors, and their wives! It also gave me a chance to try and interpret a little bit, which is so helpful. We have a family coming to stay with us, as well as another large group coming to DR this coming week. So plenty of activities and special things are planned.
God is so good!
I want to share this picture of Joshua and I with Alberto at our Banquet at church. Alberto is the man that we shared about and asked prayer for in our end of the year report. We pick him up for church almost every service, and he has actually come on his own twice now. We're thankful for his faithfulness!
A few months have gone by since the last time I wrote. I am having a hard time keeping up with how fast time seems to be moving! It is March already and the end of this month marks 10 months of our living here in the Dominican Republic. Wow!
Joshua was able to use our van to transport about 35 young people back home from church recently. It was exciting that he and the van God gave us was able to be used in such a way!
We have been continuing on with our Spanish learning. We began to study with a wonderful tutor through skype mid-September of last year. Before that, we tried to learn in a local university, and where it helped us in some ways, it was more of a conversational Spanish and we need to learn much more than that.
We've had almost 6 months of language learning at this point. I wish I could say that we are fluent and ready to preach and teach in Spanish. When we moved here, I knew practically nothing in Spanish. Some basic words, and even those were just memorized with no understanding of what or why I was saying them. Now, I am somewhat following sermons at church, depending on who is preaching and the topic. I can understand more when reading than what I'm able to hear or speak. But I am struggling when it comes to conversing with people. I try to think of something to say, change it to Spanish in my head, and then actually get up the courage to let it out of my mouth. By then, the moment has passed and I've just stood there smiling in silence. Haha! So...I'm working on it. I just need to get brave enough to speak and mess up.
I have started to write down certain passages in Psalms, both in English and in Spanish. It is a good way to learn as well as spend time in the Word and get a blessing.
We are in a busy season as spring begins and leads us into summer. We have just finished up special services at church for 2 weeks, with 2 different groups from the states. We really enjoyed getting to know these preachers, pastors, and their wives! It also gave me a chance to try and interpret a little bit, which is so helpful. We have a family coming to stay with us, as well as another large group coming to DR this coming week. So plenty of activities and special things are planned.
God is so good!
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
A new year and new opportunities!
Happy New Year!
Reflecting back on this past year, there were ups and downs like always. So many challenges, hardships, and failures. On the flip side, so many answered prayers, blessings and victories! It was a big year for our family. We finished deputation and said goodbye to family and friends. God blessed us new friendships! We moved to a different country. God provided a comfortable home and an amazing church family! We began to struggle to learn a new language. God gave us an amazing tutor, is helping us through each lesson, and each day we grasp more and more. A big change for our family, this past year, is that we brought our oldest son, Seth, to the states so that he can begin the next chapter of his life in college. God did more than we could ask or think and gave Seth a place to stay, a job, and Godly friends pouring into him daily.
The thing that has been constant throughout is that my God is faithful! His mercies are new every morning! I am praising the Lord! Looking ahead toward this new year stretched before me, I am excited to see what God has for me and my family!
We started school back this week and are so glad to be catching back up. It will be quite different this year with only 3 to homeschool! Nathan is a Junior in high school this year, Elijah is a Freshman, and Jared is in 8th grade.
Joshua and I will continue on with our Spanish studies. I started taking 4 hours of class a week back in September, and will continue that schedule this year. Joshua started with the same amount of hours when I did, but now that we have settled in a little more, he has increased his hours of classes this year.
We also may have our first visitors from the states coming to our home this year, and we are looking forward to a couple groups (that we know of) from the states visiting our church.
It's a fresh, brand new year, full of new opportunities to serve the Lord, to be faithful in our prayer life and reading the Word, to tell someone about Jesus, to forgive, and to love. I want to be about my Father's business, and I pray that you do too!
Reflecting back on this past year, there were ups and downs like always. So many challenges, hardships, and failures. On the flip side, so many answered prayers, blessings and victories! It was a big year for our family. We finished deputation and said goodbye to family and friends. God blessed us new friendships! We moved to a different country. God provided a comfortable home and an amazing church family! We began to struggle to learn a new language. God gave us an amazing tutor, is helping us through each lesson, and each day we grasp more and more. A big change for our family, this past year, is that we brought our oldest son, Seth, to the states so that he can begin the next chapter of his life in college. God did more than we could ask or think and gave Seth a place to stay, a job, and Godly friends pouring into him daily.
The thing that has been constant throughout is that my God is faithful! His mercies are new every morning! I am praising the Lord! Looking ahead toward this new year stretched before me, I am excited to see what God has for me and my family!
We started school back this week and are so glad to be catching back up. It will be quite different this year with only 3 to homeschool! Nathan is a Junior in high school this year, Elijah is a Freshman, and Jared is in 8th grade.
Joshua and I will continue on with our Spanish studies. I started taking 4 hours of class a week back in September, and will continue that schedule this year. Joshua started with the same amount of hours when I did, but now that we have settled in a little more, he has increased his hours of classes this year.
We also may have our first visitors from the states coming to our home this year, and we are looking forward to a couple groups (that we know of) from the states visiting our church.
It's a fresh, brand new year, full of new opportunities to serve the Lord, to be faithful in our prayer life and reading the Word, to tell someone about Jesus, to forgive, and to love. I want to be about my Father's business, and I pray that you do too!
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Tests and Travel
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.
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.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
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