We’ve been back for a week now from our 21-day trip to the Dominican, and I still haven’t written about our time there – partly because I take so long to process things and partly because I’ve been busy.  Overall, our family had an amazing and fulfilling month.  Scott and I learned a lot about what life will look like when we make the big move.  The trip made us even more eager to get to the field as soon as possible.  We’ve been in this waiting period for what seems like forever, so we loved getting a refreshed sense of our purpose and our roles in the Dominican.

Our biggest adjustment was dealing with Noah.  He was quite the fussy little man because he wanted to crawl, and I made him sit in his stroller all day due to the glass and trash on the ground in the villages.  But the kids loved him and treated him like their own little baby, handing him juice bottles and books and stealing kisses whenever they could.

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Even in the three short weeks we were there, we began building relationships with a few of the kids.   It was really cool to see the growth in some in just one month.  I was quickly reminded that these boys and girls are not unlike ones in the States – they want the love and attention that others can offer them; they’re learning about who they are as people; and they were born with those little sinful natures of theirs. Our time wasn’t all butterflies and roses.  We had to break up fights as kids quarreled and bickered.  Some would lie to us if it would benefit them in some way.  I’m just glad I saw that “other side” of ministry.  It gave me a fuller picture of what life will truly be like when we move to the DR in (hopefully!) the early months of next year.

Now we’re back home playing the waiting game again.  It’s so desperately hard to be patient for the support to come in.  Just clinging to the hope that there is a reason for this period in our lives and trusting that His plan is better than ours.