Dominican Republic

I just decided to go on a mission trip to the Dominican this summer!!!
It's June 7th-14th. We'll be working with kids (VBS, probably) and doing house construction.
I need to raise $2,000 for this trip, which seems like SO much. But, I know God can do it :) Please pray that I let God take control.

Waiting for the Open Door

I've been waiting and waiting, for what seems like forever, to go on another mission trip. There are SO many that I would LOVE to go on! But things keep getting in the way of me going on most of them, whether it being, my financial state or timing. I keep praying God will open a door and then go further, and just take OFF the door, so it can't be closed again lol. But, patience is one of those things I'm going to have to get used to if I want to be a missionary.

I'm not going to waste time though! With my time here, still at home, I've been babysitting a lot and I just started taking a Perspectives class, which I'm really excited about. I love hearing from missionaries! (maybe this is one of the reasons God hasn't sent me somewhere yet - so I can learn more, by going through this class). I'm also trying to really reach out to the many people in my own community. After all, you've gotta start at home before you can branch out, right? :)

My parent's are going through the adoption process again, which I'm SO excited about! I can't wait to have another brother or sister! And hopefully I can go back to China when they go to get the kid(s)! (that's one of the "mission trips" I want to go on). But, patience and prayer is what I'm doing for the time being :)

November 2nd, 2010 - journal entry day 7

Bill, the bus driver, and his wife

Me and Sierra at the airport...it's been awesome traveling with her! ♥

I woke up at 5:30 this morning, finished packing and had breakfast at 6am. Charlie was so kind as to make breakfast earlier than usual :-)  It took about 2hrs to get to the airport. Right now I'm in a plane descending into Detroit, Michigan...
   Something I forgot about yesterday was that Bill's (the bus driver) dad isn't doing well. He's about to pass away. He lives in Nevada and Bill and his wife doesn't really have the funds to go... So, our team decided to send them!  We all pitched in and paid their way (i hope it was enough.) I need to remember to pray for Bill and his family...

Now, I'm waiting to depart from Detroit to Louisville! I just talked to my parents and remembered we're going to the Creation Museum in the morning....It's gonna be a long, tiring day for me! I'll get a good night of sleep tomorrow night, that's for sure! haha.
I land at 8:45 tonight, get home about 9:30 hopefully, then I'm gonna eat! haha. It still feels like 4pm to me -_-

I can't believe the trip is over so soon, and yet, it feels like I've been there for a month! Even Diana said it felt that way. We did SO much! I think we're all exhausted. Diana told us about the National Missionary Convention every year, and this years' is in Lexington, KY, in just a few weeks! I really hope I can go.

I'm beginning to get sad about leaving. I already miss the people at ARM, the mountains, the work, the weather, the beautiful kids and the feeling of doing God's work where it's highly needed.
I'm hoping/planning/praying to go back (soon?). They need staff and I need them. I feel like I've left a part of my heart there. Maybe I can take Andrew with me next time. He'd be good with the work and kids.

Ahhhh.....I'm home! My mom picked me and Sierra up around 9:30 from the airport. We took her home. It was sad to say goodbye to our team. We've all become attached and feel like family...along with the ARM staff and Apache people. Though, don't get me wrong, it's awesome and exciting to be back with MY family! I got home and it softened my heart so much to find out Andrew and Jeffrey stayed up just to see me! :)  I did miss them even though I really wanted to stay in Arizona...but I guess I'll just have to go back!!
All the way home I couldn't quit talking. Telling my mom all about the Natives and the staff and the whole trip in general. God worked in (and hopefully through) me so much this past week. I feel the call to be a missionary even more now...

It's 11:00pm now, and yes, it feels like 8pm. lol. But, hopefully I adjust easier than usual, this time...

November 1st - journal entry, day 6

Finished house. The Tapia family moved in just this week (11/24/10)

Me and Rae-Rae ♥

Our flower

We got up early again, went to breakfast, which was omelets. Charlie told us a new way to cook them... put all the ingredients (eggs, bacon, cheese, etc) in a plastic bag and then put the bag(s) in a pot of boiling water....boil them til they're done. It's a good way to cook for a large group. Pretty neat, if you ask me, I'll have to try it sometime :-)

At the worksite today we saw a jackrabbit, which was pretty cool. I had never seen one before. Also, while Sierra, Katelyn, and I were cleaning up the yard in front of the house I stepped on a thorn (the thorns there are like 2 inches long! More like sticks if you ask me.) it went through my shoe and everything! Then, only about 10 minutes later we saw a scorpion...then another one. We all had work gloves on so we weren't really worried, but of course, as soon as I said that I went to pick something up and it stung me!! It hurt a lot like a bee sting and then my finger went numb all day...and then just hurt again. lol. Diana said it'll probably hurt for 24hrs or so...and yes, it still does -_-
We barely got the house finished in time! We started the house blessings at noon (had lunch with the 2 familes plus their friends and family, turned the keys over to the families, etc). Charlie brought lunch out to the houses and we ate in the front field.  At 2pm we packed all the chairs, tables, food, etc, up and headed back to help unload.  We got about a 10min break and then headed to do Bus in a different neighborhood.
There were a TON of kids this time, it was awesome!  A little 4yr old girl named Rae Rae attached to me instantly, and I to her. She is sooo adorable! I wish I could stay forever just to play with her!
After we said bye to the kids and dropped them back to their houses, we went back to the church.

We all got showers and then sat around until dinner time..... I fell asleep. haha. I could have very easily slept through dinner!  During dinner everyone was making fun of each other (in a nice way) and just having a good time. Sierra hadn't finished her cake and so Charlie picked her plate up and shoved the cake in her face! Then Sierra threw it back at him....It was hilarious! They both got iced. haha.
Our team drew a flower on Charile's kitchen wall to add to his "garden" (each team that comes in draws a flower.)

It's our last night here and everyone else is already asleep. It's about 10pm, I think. We stayed in the kitchen forever it seems and then had to pack. We have to leave for the airport by 6:30 in the morning, so I'm going to sleep now!  I'm so exhausted, It's so hard to stay awake throughout the days.

October 31st - journal entry, day 5

Painting...probably the 3rd coat by this time. lol.

Sierra got a hold of my camera during one of my 10min naps throughout the week lol. The back of a van can be quite comfy if you're tired enough :-)

Kadance and her three cousins...it was so much fun playing with them :)

Me and Mr. Kitty  ♥

Instead of going to church, we went to finish up the two houses, since tomorrow we're handing the keys over and we're not anywhere close to being finished!  We painted the baseboards and touched up the walls, we cleaned out the refrigerators, installed toilets, bathtubs, etc. We have done so many coats of paint between the two houses that even I'm beginning to get burned out (i love painting)!ILL have stuff to do!  Every chance I get, I fall asleep. lol. I've taken so many 10 minute naps throughout the week that I'm afraid it'll become a habit for when I'm back home. lol.  We played with the Tapia's(the fam getting 1 of the houses) daughter and nieces again today. Mrs. Tapia even made our team lunch! First time having Fry-bread...very good :-)  I also played with Mr. Kitty again today...I really wish I could take him home =( 
When we finished and came back, the other group was already gone. We can finally shower...and sleep! haha. One thing that the Yuma(where that group was from..) group taught me though, was how most of the Natives feel living with so many people in a confined space...makes me want to help even more!

October 30th - journal entry, day 4

Playing with Kadence :)

sitting in the attack holding stuff on the ceiling....not sure how I ended up doing that job lol but it was warm up there nonetheless ;)

Sierra and Mr. Kitty. By the end of the week Mr Kitty had a white tail...

Me and my new friend, Frances :) We both look completely exhausted! haha

So I ended up falling asleep and then woken up by the girls last night lol. Three, 16yr old girls got put in our room and, Oh. My. Goodness! They are so loud and hyper! And it's insane trying to get in the shower...or even go to the bathroom! lol. After breakfast we all went off to the worksite. The other group went to the house that we had been working on the previous days, and we went to two different house, that are next door to each other. They're almost finished. We have to have them finished by Monday, so the families can move in...we'll get to participate in the 'house blessing' for two families. (we'll dedicate the houses to the families and give them the keys and then have lunch together).
While working today, we got to meet the family moving into one of the houses! I played with the couple's little 14 month old girl, Kadence. She is SO adorable!! I also played with the family's 3 nieces. It was a lot fun and really cool to meet and get to know the family we're helping. (apparently, 99% of the work teams that come in, never even know who the house is for).  I didn't get put in a closet in this house, at least! Instead, they put me in the attack.... haha. (think they were trying to get me outta the way? ;) )  There was this cat that constantly came into whichever house we were in at the time and would climb all over us, just wanting to be pet! We named him Mr. Kitty (original, I know) lol. I wanna bring him home with me sooo badly! He's so sweet!
We got finished about 5:30pm and went 'home' to get cleaned up in time for dinner. Amazingly, we beat the other group back, with just enough time for the 5 of us girls to get showers! haha. I met a girl named Frances at dinner, she's really nice...hope to get better acquainted with her through facebook, hopefully, since she's leaving tomorrow.  After dinner I basically crashed. The other group had a church service and we just went back to our rooms and talked, which was really cool. Katelyn, Sierra, Judy, and I talked for a long time about mission trips, college, home schooling (which was more a debate). But nonetheless, was a great conversation!

October 29th - journal entry, day 3

Today we worked in the house ALL day! I did a 2nd coat of mudding in the closet, that I had started yesterday. Sierra and I helped Macaiah finish building a window-sill and then had us do one just the two of us, and then one by myself...that was fun...and interesting lol. I'm SO sore now! :) haha.

I called my mom after work and apparently she got Jadyn to talk about her life as an orphan. She (Jadyn) said she slept in a crib, was hit with a hangar if she did something wrong, watched someone get hit/killed by a car....I mean, I'm here in AZ, hearing all sorts of sad stories about kids/adults, and my own sister has experienced some of the same things. It makes all this so much more realistic when it comes to your own family. My mom videoed most of Jadyn telling the stories of her past - I can't wait to watch them when I get back. 

I'm lying in bed now, (8:30pm), Sierra and Katelyn are already asleep, I think. There's another group coming in, in about an hour, so I figure I'll stay awake since I'll probably be woken up anyway. It's a group of 16, and 11 of them are girls! So there'll be a LOT of girls sharing 3 showers this whole weekend and It'll be a bit cramped probably, but it'll be cool, hopefully...