New Beginnings

Hello from my new home in the Dominican Republic! That's right, I made it all the way here after almost a year and a half since last being in country for my summer internship with Kids Alive! It has surely been a wild ride where I have learned so much, completed many trainings, studied Spanish, read multiple books, and said goodbye to my friends and family back home... all during a pandemic! It's pretty amazing what our Lord can do when it is in His timing.

In case you have not been able to stay up to date with all that has been happening on this journey, I'll provide a little timeline here:

-In March I came home to Arizona before my senior school year had ended. It was abrupt and difficult, but for safety with the unknown of the beginning pandemic, it was the best choice.

-In late April I graduated from my college and celebrated my 22nd birthday on the same day, complete with a morning hike, online church, and fire pit with cake in the driveway at night.

-I started teaching a young boy in his home as "homeschool preschool," and began Spanish classes with my teacher through a school in Guatemala. This was also the mark of some of my first support raising calls!

-In June I headed back to Iowa to collect the last of my things that we were unable to bring with us when I came home in March. This also gave me time to say some much needed goodbyes.

-In July I flew to North Carolina to attend the Center for Intercultural Training for 6 weeks as I prepared for cross-cultural ministry.

-In September I returned home and virtually attended Missionary Orientation through the Kids Alive International office in Valparaiso, Indiana. I picked up where I had left off with Spanish classes and teaching during this month, too.

-In December I finished my Spanish classes and teaching on the same day, which left me with some hard goodbyes to make. We celebrated Christmas as a family, and then I began visiting with some friends to say "see ya later" before starting my self-quarantine in the end of December.

-And on January 16, I left at 1:30am on a long travel day to my new home!

As you have most likely experienced, 2020 was an incredibly strange and difficult year with so many things we have never experienced before and new obstacles to overcome each day. I encourage you to reflect on the things you saw God do during 2020 and to allow those to bring you comfort and peace going into 2021. This last year brought so much change, but I can see how the Lord was working throughout it to get me to where He has called me to be.

At this moment, I have been in the Dominican Republic for 4 full days and it has been a whirlwind. The Lord has blessed me with a beautiful little place right above the missionary family I will work with through Kids Alive. They are kind and generous people, and I am thankful I have them so close by! After getting through some of the technical things, such as setting up a cell phone number, wifi, groceries, and signing the lease on this apartment, I have spent the last couple days moving things around to make it feel more like home and resting to try to fight my jet lag.

Though things with ministry will be different for a while, I am excited to see what it will be like and to get to see the kids. Currently, the students are learning from home through devices that are available and homework packets. Each Friday, parents can come to the school to pick up new homework packets and food bags. Thankfully, the ministry has been able to serve its families this way throughout the pandemic!

I want to thank you for the numerous encouraging messages you have sent my way through this time of preparation and travel, and the prayers you have spoken over my time in ministry here. I would not be here without you and the ways you have generously given to help me get here and to help this ministry provide for the kids of Caraballo. I pray that you feel so blessed being a part of this ministry! I pray that the Lord would continue to place the desire to help on peoples' hearts, and I pray that others would continue to give.

I am praying for you, my friend, as we continue on into this new year. That you would be refreshed, renewed, and refined by the Lord and what He is doing in your heart this year! And I cannot wait to update you on this new adventure we are beginning! Thank you for coming along and doing this work with me!

"Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches." 1 Corinthians 7:17