View from my patio door

What a send-off 2014 is giving me – blizzards, sub-zero temperatures, snow emergencies, power outages. I wonder if God is trying to make it a little easier for me to say good-bye to Goshen for a couple years. J You see, reality hit when the calendar switched from 2013 to 2014. It’s really happening. I am actually leaving all that is loved and familiar for a leap into the great unknown. Even though I have been to Jarabacoa twice, I am well aware that my time there was not “normal” life. We were provided for, chauffeured around and, yes, even pampered – thanks to our wonderful team hosts, Brian and Emily. This time it will be different. It will be time for me to establish my own life there. The wonderful staff of Kids Alive will be there to support me, but it will be my responsibility to carve that niche for myself.



Children at Anija

Do I have cold feet? Yes, I do – and not just because it is -10⁰ outside. Do I think I am crazy? Sometimes. Am I afraid? Most definitely. But on my Good Earth tea bag a few weeks ago was this statement, “May you always do what you are afraid to do.” This has become my mantra as I move forward. Besides, when God puts something in your heart and soul the way He has put the people of the Dominican Republic in mine, how would you ever say, “No?”

I am so blessed by the support I have received from so many of you. Your prayers are carrying me along. The fundraising is going well. I am at 73% of my start-up costs and 45% of my monthly support. I have registered at the Center for Intercultural Training and have my plane tickets. I am sorting through almost 14 years of life here at my home and deciding what to keep and what can go. I have lists and lists of things to accomplish. So I move forward, one step at a time, closer and closer to the future God has for me at this season of my life.

 

What is that saying, something about “Cold hands means a warm heart”? Well, I may have cold feet, but I definitely have a warm heart for the children of the Dominican Republic and great anticipation for what lies ahead.