My very first mission trip to Mexico in 2006

Ecuador Mission Trip

This year I went somewhere new. I had been trying to figure out if God was wanting to go back to the Dominican Republic on mission trip. I really struggled with where God wanted me to go. I had been going to the Dominican Republic ever year since 2007. I really did not think that God was going to lead me to go somewhere else. I just had it in my head the Dominican was where God wanted me. He had there so long. And I had built relationships with the people and felt attached to them and their culture. I had always felt at home when I was in the Dominican. It had become a part of me and who I am. So this past November I had  just decided that I was to go back there. I had prayed. But had no clear answer. So I started to look at flights to go back there with the group I had usually gone with for the the trip in March. But something started to happen as soon as I did that. Things just started not working out with the flights and I could not get the money needed to go. And my husband did not want me to go again. It seemed every door just started to close. So then I decided to go talk with my Priest at my church to get some guidance regarding me and my mission work. As I was talking with him he had suggested that I go to Ecuador with them in June. This was something new. I just did not think God was leading me to go somewhere else. My Priest started to tell me "I think you should come with us" Then he started to tell me all that they had been doing in Ecuador. Then he kept telling me I think you should go with us. He even talked with one of the doctors to make sure that I was on the team to go. I was kinda shocked at what was happening. God was trying to lead me somewhere else? I really could not get it through my head that God was trying to open a door here. So I went home and prayed about it. Normally God had always given me a scripture to go on my missions trips with but not this time. Nope nothing. Just a feeling that I needed to say yes and my Priest insisting that I go. So I did. And so I starting preparing to go to Ecuador. Every door just flew open. It was so easy. God just provided everything I needed to go on this trip.

I was actually excited about this trip now. Something new and different. I really did not know what to expect though. A few weeks had past and I was at church and was talking with one of the doctors that was going. He was telling me about the upcoming meeting for the trip. He told me it was going to be at his house and that they were having Rudy's barbecue. I found that interesting because we had just at at Rudy's barbecue the day before with friends. It is a place we never eat at. So I felt this was my confirmation. I know it may seem a little silly that God would confirm to me to go on a trip using Rudy's barbecue but that is just how God speaks to me. I know His voice. In John 10:27 it says "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Sometimes God has a sense of humor. I was expecting a scripture to go to Ecuador with instead I get Rudy's barbecue!

A few weeks later we had first meeting. And I got to meet some of the people going with us. I had already known one of the doctors that was going because I once worked with him. I also met a very nice lady who was a retired school nurse. Her and I became instant friends. I am also a school nurse. So we had a lot in common. And I requested to room with her on the trip. Every one was so nice and welcomed me. It was great meeting.

Then in June it was time to go. I was excited and nervous. So on the way there we carpooled. But before we left we got a surprise call from the Bishop that he wanted to give us all a blessing before we left.  So we stopped a the Cathedral before we left Corpus Christi. They said this was the first time that had ever happened. So that was quite awesome to receive a blessing from the Bishop. Then we

drove from Corpus Christi to Houston. It was storming on our way there. But the storms were on both sides of us but it did not storm over us. We just drove straight through. It was really unusual the way the storms were. It was almost as if God was telling us something. And looking back at some of the things we did experience there I can kinda see what it was God was telling us. It like He was saying you are going to go through storms there but you won't get hurt by them. You will go straight though the storm.

When we arrived in Houston we stayed the night with our hosts. We all split up and stayed in different houses in their neighborhood. Everyone offered there houses up for us to spend the night. It was awesome to see people do that for us. Then the next morning we headed out. When we arrived at the airport we they started to assign us our luggage. We took tons of medical supplies there.

 While we were doing all of that I was able to meet some more of the people going on the trip. And immediately I felt God start to speak to me at the airport. But those things He spoke I will keep in my heart. Just too personal to share. I just knew I was suppose to be there.

When we arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador we stayed the night in a nice hotel. I was very exhausted when we got there. Just wanted to go to bed. My roommate was so very nice. She was one of the nurse practitioners with us. So I did something that I probably should not have done in the hotel. I brushed my teeth with the water there. I knew better than to do that but I was very tired and just forgot. I had gotten sick in the Dominican Republic before because I did that same thing. And my roommate told not to do that. I didn't the rest of the week but I still got sick towards the end of my trip. I was like really? Again? This can't be happening again. But I was more prepared this time. I had brought antibiotics with me and lots of other meds that I ended up using. Thank God I had them. I survived! 

The next day we had breakfast and headed to San Pablo. We arrived at the resort that we would be staying at and it was very beautiful. Our rooms had hammocks outside and I was so happy because I love hammocks! I was in it every night almost. And I had wonderful roommates. Really enjoyed my time getting to know them. 

When we arrived to the church I was just thinking how beautiful it was. The church is right on the ocean. In the times past when I went to the Dominican Republic I always had this feeling that I was suppose to be there. And the same here. I just had a feeling that this is where God wanted me. I just thought the ocean was beautiful. I stood outside for a while just taking pictures and taking it all in and wondering what God had in store for us. We then went to the church where we would be ministering to the community by giving them medical care. There were several doctors with us. They did eye and OB surgeries. There are operating rooms right in the church complex. The first day I just worked in the pharmacy counting pills. We had lots of drugs to count!

The surgeries had also started along with people being seen for general medicine, dentistry and pediatrics. I spent one day in triage just checking people in then the rest of the days I was able to go to some of the schools. 

This I loved doing. Since I work at an elementary school as a nurse. I love to be with the little children. I went with a couple other people and we took school supplies and some other needed items. We went to four different schools. But the schools were only open for one day while we were there. They were closed the other days due to lack of funding. And that is a sad thing. 
They were all out in remote areas. In the communities where these schools were it was just kinda desolate in a way. Just dirt roads, lots of concrete houses, very few trees and very hot!

On of the days we went on home visits. We went to three different houses. A small group of went with our Priest. We seen some very sick people. One lady had stomach cancer. She was only in her 40's and she was very, very thin and looked very sick. We gathered around her with her family and prayed for her. Her whole family was crying. It was so sad. This is the family in the first picture below.

 And it was the same with the other two houses. Just very sick people. The last house we went to was at the back of a bar. It was very, very hot inside. There seemed to be no ventilation. I did not feel comfortable in this house. And It was so hot in there. So me and another lady stepped outside. It is just mind blogging to me that people have to live this way. 

The second day that we were there we were told by the Minister of health that we could not do any more surgeries there. He did not want us there. So we had to stop all medical care. Then this minister of health set up tents right next to us and starting to give out free medical care. Just to prove his point. This is the first time I had experienced anything like this. In my trips to the Dominican Republic this never happened. So for a day and a half were kinda in limbo. But this delay also let us have a bit of down time. And we had little more time to get all the drugs counted and prepared. And also we got some time to build relationships with people in our group and that was really nice. During this time one morning we were able to go on a prayer walk on the beach. Just a group of us went and the one of the Priests that was with us. I absolutely loved that. We prayed the Rosary walking down the beach. It was just a beautiful morning to do that and just a God moment that I won't forget.

 And after a the day and a half we finally got the approval to do the surgeries. There had been many phone calls and meetings during that day and a half to get this approval. And also a lot prayer. It was very stressful at points. But God was with us and we actually seen more patients this time than last year even with the delay. We seen around 3800 patients. So God made up for the time lost. These are all the people waiting to be seen below.

Every night we would go back to the resort and have dinner and fellowship. I loved this time. Just to sit, eat and get to know people. A couple of the nights at  the resort people from the church gave us a party for their appreciation for us coming. It was so wonderful. Just fellowship, food and dancing! They also have wonderful soups there. They were so good except for the shrimp one. Not much of a shrimp person but the rest were amazing! We had soup everyday I think. But I am still in love with the food in the Dominican Republic and their coffee. But Ecuador has awesome soups. 

 And every morning we had mass outside by the pool. I loved this! I looked forward to every morning! It was so beautiful to have mass outside like that.

On the last day we had mass with all the school children. It was so awesome. I had so many emotions. And I just started to cry it was so beautiful to me. I was just in awe at what the Lord had done that whole week. 

This probably on the best mission trips I have ever been on. God surprised me this time. Really surprised me. There was lots of other experiences that I had on this trip but those are to remain in my heart. They are not to share. God was so faithful to me on this trip. So I plan going back next year God willing. I also got to thinking that all my mission trips have been in cities on the ocean. Santo Domingo and San Pablo both are on the ocean. And for whatever reason I thought to look up the meaning of the Virgin Mary's name. Where I found one of the meanings of her name is  "The Star of the Sea"  I thought that was very interesting. I did not know that was one of the meanings of her name. It blew me away! I feel that Mary has been with me all along. Guiding me and helping me. I remember the very first mission trip I went on. We stayed at a resort the last day. And the name for the resort was "All Roses hotel" and it just hit me on this mission trip that she has always been with me. Mary's presence was just there for me on this trip. And I feel God made this very clear to me. Just amazing to me.

I won't forget all I experienced on this trip. It was a life changing experience for me.

What God spoke to me in the Dominican Republic

What God spoke to me in the Dominican Republic

This was my fifth trip to the Dominican Republic. I have been going there since July 2007 on medical missions. God has always seemed to have some words for me there when I go. I try to listen to see what He was wanting to speak to my spirit. This time was no different. As soon as I got on the plane in Miami to Santo Domingo He started to speak. This time I sat next to a nurse. She was also on her way to Santo Domingo on a medical mission trip as well. She was meeting a group there to minister to the people in prison there. She was an older lady. Old enough to be my Mom. God always seems to put a mom figure in my life some way or another. Since I don't have the best relationship with mine. This lady was very kind and very sweet. As we talked she told me she had just gotten through with her chemo just before this trip. She told me she had stage four bone cancer. That is was just in the bones and not in the lymph nodes yet. I was amazed that she was going on a mission trip to a different country just after having chemo. What a brave women. As I spoke more to her her faith just shown through. That she believed that God was calling her to go. At one point she stopped and said "oh I have to take my medcations. I am so embarssed because there are so many I have to take." I told her I did not mind. That I understood. But you could tell she did not like taking them in front of me. After that I asked her if I could pray for her. She said yes I could. I explained to her that I believed God that could heal. I told her that I was also invloved in a minstry that believed that God can and still does heal. She told me that in the past she had been on mission trip to Haiti and had seen people healed there. She said that she seen someone pray for a women who had been in a coma for quite sometime. And after they prayed she woke up and wanted to eat.
She said I do believe in healing. 
 I went ahead and told her that I was Catholic. She was Baptist. But it did not seem to matter to her. So I went ahead and prayed for God to bring healing to her. We prayed right there on the plane. Just very quietly. Then she just held my hand. After praying for her she got my information and said that she would contact me after she got back from the trip.
So after I got back I received and email from her. She said that the whole week in the Dominican she had enough strength to do her part with out any help from anyone. I believe God gave her the supernatural strength to do what she needed to do there. And I just got word that there has been no activity with her cancer. Her test are showing no activity! Praise God. What an awesome God we have!
I am just amazed that God would sit me next to someone else going on a mission trip to the Dominican when there were so many Dominican's on the plane I could of set next to. I believe it was a divine appointment. I am continuing to pray for her.

One of the other things God did while I was there was to let Me know that His Mother Mary was with me. So how did God let me know this? Well when I opened my suit case with the Vacation bible school stuff in it there was a miraculous medal that I had bought sometime ago sitting right on top of my stuff. Now I know that I had bought this medal. I did not remember where I had put it though. There was also twenty one cents sitting right next to it. I felt like God was reminding me of Psalm 121.
Psalm 121

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. 
He has always given that Psalm to me when I have gone to the Dominican. But these items should had been at the bottom of my suitcase. They were small and the suit case had been tumbled around and gone through customs. They should have been at the bottom. But they weren't. I really believe God was letting me know His Mother was there with me. And this would not be the only time that He would let me know that.

The next morning devotion time was about the beatitudes. God had always given me Matthew 5:8. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." So I feel God was talking to me here again. And I have researched this scripture many times. To figure out what God was trying to tell me. Who are the pure in heart? What does it mean to have a pure heart? These are questions I constantly ask myself. I constantly have this scripture on my mind.

  
 Another way God let me know that Mary was with me was that on our way to one of the Clinic's I saw I huge sign that said MARY all in capital letter's. It was at fruit market I believe. Probably the persons name who owned it or something. But what I felt was God letting me again know that MARY was with me. I just kinda smiled when I seen her name.
The next day on the way to another clinic I was praying the Rosary. I was listening to it on my mp3 player. I was with a Baptist group so I did not want to offend them by me praying this out loud. I really felt I had to respect their beliefs. But I still prayed it silently. Right after I got through praying the Rosary I noticed a car pulled right in front of with a picture of the Rosary on the back of it. Again another reminder that Mary is with me. The small circle on the back of the car was the picture of the Rosary.

On the last night there when went to eat in one of the church member's homes. We divided up into groups and we were assigned which house we would be eating at. My group was the last group to get dropped off. It was a very difficult road to get down with our huge bus. Just a rock road with lots of holes in it. Lots of dips and hills. It was pouring down raining that night. We finally got to as far as we could go down the road. We had to park the bus beacuse it would not fit the rest of the way. So we got out in the rain, mud and the darkness and walked a good ways to the peoples house. I had flip flops on. Not the shoes you want to wear in the rain and mud! And no umbrella either. We were just not prepared at all. And  I could hardly see where we were going. We finally reach the house. And the family was so glad to have us. They had no electricity. So we ate by candle light. The father of the family had gone in the pouring rain to find us cokes to drink. You can not drink the water there. They fixed a very nice meal for us. Dominican spaghetti. It was fixed with corn and olives. And we also had fried plantains. When I got in the house I noticed a picture of a tree on their back wall. One of the girls with us had a necklace on that was an olive tree. I had asked her about this necklace a couple of days prior. She said that it represented her favorite verse Psalm 52:8 "But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God's unfailing love."
So when we both noticed the picture of the tree in their house we both knew we were suppose to be at this home eating with these people. I also have a huge olive tree in my back yard covering my house. I really felt God speaking to us with the olive tree. And the picture in their house really looks like drawing of a olive tree!

Our last devotion night that we had we just did some popcorn sharing. Just about what God had done or spoken to us while we were there. One of the young men shared a scripture that he had read that week. It was Psalm 20. This was interesting that he shared this particular Psalm. For quite sometime now  I have been praying about a certain situation. I had been praying about not having the support that I need with something in my life. And in this Psalm verse 2 speaks about having support from Zion! Amazing. It was the exact words I have been praying to God. Also the day before I left My husband had a dream about taking me to the airport. He dreamed I was riding a horse and the airport people would not let me take my horse. And I said "but I love my horse it is my pet." I was baffled at this dream. I was asking God all week what it meant. Well verse 7 in the Psalm speaks about "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God!" Wow. I now know what God was telling me. To just trust him with all my concerns. All that I have been praying about. What an amazing God we have. He know the details of our lives. I was so overwhelmed at what God had spoke to me here. From a young college student. I told him that God had used him to speak to me. He just had a smile on his face. This was an amazing trip for me. God spoke so much to me. I will never forget it.

             Psalm 20

20 May the Lord (A)answer you in the day of trouble!
    May (B)the name of the God of Jacob (C)protect you!
2 May he send you help from (D)the sanctuary
    and give you support from (E)Zion!
3 May he (F)remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

4 May he (G)grant you your heart's desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over (H)your salvation,
    and in the name of our God set up our (I)banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
    he will answer him from his holy heaven
    with (J)the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in (K)chariots and some in (L)horses,
    (M)but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

9 O Lord, save (N)the king!
    May he answer us when we call.

A Time for Everything

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A Time for Everything

After my second trip to the Dominican Republic I felt God leading me to sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic. I was going to sponsor a little boy but they told me he had just gotten sponsored. So they told me that this little girl named Heidy needed a sponsor. So I sponsored her.
After sponsoring her I found out that she was really sick. She had a bad skin infection on her arm. They thought that she may lose her arm. So with the help of God I was able to get her the medicine that she needed. And had it sent down there with the next mission trip team that was headed there the next week. Her arm healed and she regained use of her arm. It was a miracle in itself. All of the circumstances surrounding the timing that I sponsored her. God knew she needed medicine. 

Every time I have gone to the Dominican I have gotten to spend time with her and her family. I was able to eat with her in her two room  home with her family. And go to church with her. I had grown attached to her. She was a very shy, sweet and very pretty. 
Over the last six months she developed a lung infection. Possibly pneumonia. She had been in out of the hospital. When I was down there in March I was able to see her. I was so glad to see her. When I saw her my heart went out to her and tears welled up inside of me. I had been praying that she would be healed of this lung infection. And she seemed to be doing much better. I gave her a big hug. And her Mom also. I got to spend a little bit of time with her there. And I was so grateful for that time. Because little did I know it would be the last time I got to see her. Soon after I got back from the Dominican she relapsed. They put her in the hospital. A children's charity hospital. With limited medical care. Everyone was praying for her. And she started to do better. She started to respond to the medication they were giving her but it was only for a couple of days. On June 14th I got a knock at my door. It was someone from the children's home where I sponsored her through. I knew before the lady opened her mouth she was there to tell me she did not make it.  I was so sad and my heart sunk. I really thought she would make it. I did not know what to think or say. I felt so sorry for her mother. Her mother was just a sweet person. They both have a sweet spirit about them. 

On the day that Heidy went to be with the Lord I sent an email to one of the people from the children's home who is in the Dominican right now. In that email I spoke about the scipture in Ecclesiastes 3 which says:

A Time for Everything

 1 There is a time for everything, 

   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 2 a time to be born and a time to die, 

   a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, 

   a time to tear down and a time to build, 

 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, 

   a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 

   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 

 6 a time to search and a time to give up, 

   a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, 

   a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

 8 a time to love and a time to hate, 

   a time for war and a time for peace.

Later that day my husband and I were in Mardels. I had told him I was wanting a new desktop calender. They had a whole rack of them. So many it was hard to chose one. But then he picked up the one by Stormie Omartian - The Power of a Praying Wife. He turned to that days reading June 14th and the what it said could of only been from God to me. 

It said:

Remember that even though we pray and have faith, the outcome and timing are God's decisions. He said there is "a time to heal" (Ecclesiastes 3:3). If you pray for healing and nothing happens, don't beat yourself up about it. God sometimes uses a man's physical ailments to get his attention so He can speak to him. Keep praying, but know God's decision is the bottom line.

In this devotional she put the same scripture the one I had put in the email earlier that day. So I know that God was speaking to me here. We don't always understand God's plan or His purposes but I know that He is in control. And God is still God even when we think our prayers are not answed in the way that we want. God knows best. Heidy was only 10 years old. And she was a precious little girl. I know she is in the arms of Jesus now. And I will miss her.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."