Hey beloved friends!!! I am in the Dominican Republic!!
Ministry update!
I’ve been in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic for the past two weeks and will be here until February 8th. My squad has been partnering with a ministry called Mission of Hope, that is a wholistic ministry that works with the local church in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It has been so sweet working here with Mission of Hope because we are the first team at this specific base os we have an amazing opportunity to help build the foundation here!! The first week we helped a lot around the base, cutting grass, moving furniture and boxes into storage, organizing closets, and cleaning out the church. The second week we split up into teams, one team went to Santiago to help at a school and do evangelism, while my team continued to help out around the base. I got to teach pre-school to one of the missionaries children, which was so fun!!! And then also got to paint two murals of the Mission of Hope logo! It was so cool to get to use my gifts to help the ministry in a practical way. They were going to hire a muralist but they didn’t have to, which saved them a lot of money that can be used in a different way. This is a beautiful picture of the body of Christ at work!
The people who work at Mission of Hope are so kind and loving and it is a blessing to get to be here with them for such a time as this! Next week my team will be going in to town to help at the local school and also do evangelism! I would love continued prayers over my squad and over the ministry here.
Encouragement!!
The Lord has reminded me that there is beauty to be discovered in the everyday mundane moments, that every moment can be holy and beautiful with the Lord.
Sometimes we can go through our days waiting for the next big thing to happen, our memories are marked with the milestones. Although those are good, there is so much growth that happens in the little things. It’s in the cracks of life that the glory shines through. There are so many beautiful gifts the Lord has given us and sometimes we are in too much of a rush to even see them.
To see the beauty all around us is to look at every situation through the lense of the gospel. It is to simply be still and know that He is God!
We serve a God who delights in the little things. The same God who created the universe also created the ants and the flowers! He is just as much in the details as He is in the big picture.
We read in the gospels and we see all the big moments in Jesus life – the miracles and conversations that marked His ministry. But what we don’t see is the long hours He walked on the road with His disciples or the times they fellowshipped around the fire or simply gazed up at the night sky.
It was in the small moments that relationships were built and true life was experienced. We are eager to see more of the glory of God, yet His glory is all around us, the question is are we looking for it?
Don’t miss the beautiful things all around you! Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see small things today, to have a heart of gratitude and holy wonder. When we stand in awe of Lord our perspective on all areas of our life begins to change.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “but we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” He also writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
The beautiful things that are seen within creation and the word of God are only a reflection or a glimmer of what is to come!!
Take some time today to write down 10 things big or small that you find beautiful or where you see a glimpse of the glory of God!
Here are a few moments these past couple of weeks that I am thankful for and saw a glimpse of the beauty of the Lord!
- Lingering conversations after dinner, the Lord is not in a rush to leave, He is patient!
- The first morning breath!! Every morning when you wake up it is a miracle, and the cool thing is God is right there to meet you!
- Birds chirping in the background, singing their own beautiful song.
- Sun shining on your face.
- Conversations standing in line to make a PB&J (which is what we have for lunch everyday at Mission of Hope!)
- The cool afternoon breeze
- Seeing someone you haven’t seen all day and getting to hear about their day!
- The weather here surprisingly gets pretty cold at night, so blankets and sweatshirts are a must! The Lords love is like a warm blanket 😉
- Hearing the people of God sign His praises in unity at a local church we went to on Sunday!!
- The way the sky looks after the sun goes down and it is a beautiful ombré of yellow, orange, pink, and blue! God is the greatest painter!!!
Now it’s your turn!! Give it a shot and watch your perspective begin to change.
Prayer
Lord I pray that you would continue to reveal yourself to us in the little things. Teach us what is to walk with you everyday and see your goodness and glory all around us. Give us hearts of gratitude and thanksgiving, with you nothing is boring, with you there is joy and freedom and abundant life!
