Raindrops keep falling on my head!

I love the mornings that you just don’t have to get up!

I’ve always been an early riser. I can wake up super-fast, walk the dogs & go for a run without an ounce of coffee in my system… let’s call it a gift :)

But I still enjoy just lying in bed. Not a care in the world. Thinking, praying, resting.

However on Sunday morning I was not awake… not resting… I was asleep! Fast asleep! Dreaming of the most bizarre things, as I have done for several weeks during my pregnancy; like, REALLY bizarre things. I’ll have to share some one of these days.

UNTIL…

I was suddenly awakened by the freezing cold rain that blew through the window above our window and on to my warm, DRY body. I jumped up like a startled cat and closed the windows, grabbed my warm, fleece blanket and cuddled up to my hubby... who was STILL fast asleep.

But now I was awake. Wide awake. I had just run a marathon around our little apartment and the rain was so cold that my poor heart had to beat a little faster to try and warm me up. LOL.

It was a wake-up call.

At various occasions in my spiritual walk I believe God gives me a wake-up call.

It could be one distinct event that causes me to think, reflect and make a change OR it could be a reoccurring theme that pricks my heart each time it’s mentioned.

This week my wake-up call was the word, “REMEMBER.”

I actually lost count of how many times this topic was mentioned in Bible studies, devotionals and ministry in general, but it kept coming up in different ways throughout the week.

On one day in particular a young lady at the Lily House came to speak with me. She had been thinking about her past. She recounted the abuse, situations and decisions that had led her to the street. But then she smiled. “Then HE rescued me!” In the midst of pain and rejection and desperation there was something worth celebrating. CHRIST had sought her and bought her with HIS life. Sweet memories.

Yesterday at church we heard testimonies of discouragement, thoughts of suicide and hurt… turned VICTORY due to the work of our LORD JESUS!

Then again, last night we sat around the LORD’s table and REMEMBERED. HIS death, HIS blood, HIS resurrection.

Time and time again the Bible speaks of this topic. Altars were built, wells were dug, sacrifices were made… to remember.

Sometimes it hurts to look back and remember. Many times the pain is too much.

But when we stop to think of ALL that CHRIST has done in our lives it is a pleasure to remember. 

How HE had the victory, how HE carried us through, how HE heard our cries.

Don’t be afraid to remember.

REMEMBER.

This week we celebrated another Sunday with women that returned to church with us from Boca Chica and a new girl even came to visit.

Youth group is up and running! Thankful for a visit from the GAP students and the help from several members in the church.

One of the boys on Robersy’s team will potentially sign with a professional baseball academy in 2 months (YAY!).  My hubby has enjoyed not only training them in their baseball skills, but investing in their spiritual lives and knowing that he is sending boys that have given their lives to the LORD. We will wait and see what GOD does.

We are praying for delicate situations passing with women at the Lily House. We need guidance and miracles from GOD ALMIGHTY.

Thank you for your prayers! 

All those nooks and crannies!

I would consider myself a VERY clean person.

In fact… I pride myself in this! My OCD keeps dishes washed, floor swept most days and generally most things in order. I also enjoy putting other people’s homes in order too! Ask my mom… she hates to leave me in the house alone when I’m in Bermuda visiting. She knows things will be tossed in the garbage and things will be moved :)

 On a serious note though, I feel like my house is pretty clean.

HOWEVER, there is one person who makes me feel like the filthiest person alive.

My dear friend from ministry comes over once in a blue moon to help me do a thorough clean and since I’m pregnant, and therefore culturally banned from chemicals and hard work (HA-HA!), she insisted on coming over and cleaning my house.

On our way home from lunch I mentioned, “You know… it probably won’t take long so once you’re done we can watch a movie and relax before you head home.”

2 hours later she is still in the bathroom…

As I sit here feeling lazy (she literally won’t let me help, like I’ve got some life-threatening disease) and slightly embarrassed about how clean I THOUGHT I was I can’t help but ponder over James 1:22-25.

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

I look at my home when I finish cleaning. “Pretty good, Sarah!” But when my friend walks in to my house and begins to clean I think of all the nooks and crannies that I haven’t touched in months. She finds them ALL!!!

It’s the same when I look at my life. “You’re doing alright, Sarah. Staying out of the clubs… not boozing it up… good job me!!!”

Then I open God’s precious Word. And HE convicts me of the areas I need to get working on. My mouth, my heart. Those nooks and crannies that need some work!

Friend’s, stay in the Word! We may think we’re “alright” and not as messed up as “so and so” but as we meditate on His Word, He perfects us and allows us to continue serving for HIS glory!!!

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In other news this week... Thursday night was great! We met some precious young (and VERY young) ladies and were encouraged by many who were just excited we were back. 

God continues to work and on Saturday morning I received a call from one lady (remember L whose mother passed away and she went to Haiti for a little bit) who asked to bring her family with us to church and then another call from a mother who wanted her 2 girls to go to church too. 

We continue to seek direction from the Lord in regards to Thursdays, but we are encouraged to see the fruit that God continued growing in the ministry even when we were away for a bit.

Robersy has been keeping busy as well. We love seeing our "sons" grow and many of them are now leading the devotionals in baseball practice and taking on other responsibility in youth group and other activities.

Thank you for your prayers!
Let us know how we can be praying for you :)

Stormy Studies

Today is Friday.

I’m supposed to be at Lily House to laugh, chat and work with the beautiful women. But everything is closed. Schools. Several business. Most are home… safe and warm (Lord willing!).

We haven’t had electricity since about 10am this morning and I have to admit… I love it! I’ve had time to read and study with very few distractions at all. It makes me appreciate a simpler life.

Recently we returned from our vacation. It was amazing time in Bermuda with our friends and church family… then we flew out to Orlando for a little vacation with my immediate family. It was some well needed rest and we’re thankful to those who invited us for a meal, activity or just to chat. We enjoyed our time thoroughly! 

Here are a few photos of our time in Bermuda and Orlando…

We got to see lots of family :)

Robersy trying out Crossfit - he also "cried" for the 2 days following his session.

At Cupmatch (a 3 day long cricket game)

Meeting our godson Steven! 

Off to Orlando where we compared ourselves with Gaston :)

My brother-in-law Kyle, Dad and Robersy playing around with dinosaurs!

A family shot in Orlando :) We are blessed!

I guess I should add a photo of our sweet bundle too :) 

He should be here near the end of January!

Oh! Back to reality... 

The wind and rain just got a little stronger! We are praying for those with homes and roofs that are not so strong.

As lovely as our vacation time was, we are thankful to get back in to a routine. Robersy has helped the boys register for the school year and I’ve enjoyed catching up with the girls at Lily House.

This morning as I was preparing for a devotional that I plan to give this next week, I was reading about David. The poor girls are probably tired of David… but I have been enjoying studying 1 and 2 Samuel chapter by chapter to see the lessons that we can learn.

This week we’ll be looking at 2 Samuel 9 and how David sought to bless Jonathon’s son, Mephibosheth (I think I’ll save that name as an option for my future son :) ).

David wanted to bless anyone linked to his BFF, Jonny. But then comes the tragic news. Mephibosheth is crippled. Perhaps the servant who delivered the news to David stood back to hear an “Oh, never mind then,” since as this time the physically disabled were rejected and thought to be cursed.

Even as Mephibosheth was brought before King David, he bowed to the floor and referred to himself as a dead dog.

But the King didn’t care. This was his best friend’s son. He was loved and invited in to be treated as David’s own son.

As I picture the stage, I imagine myself as Mephibosheth, completely aware that I am undesirable, unlovable and unworthy before the Holy One. But the King of Kings doesn’t see me. HE sees HIS SON and takes me in as HIS own.

Friend, I hope you take the time to remember.

Maybe it’s a rainy day like we’re having with no distractions except the wind and the rain. Or perhaps the sun is splitting the trees! Either way… take the time to remember that day you came to know the LORD. Understanding your place and exactly what you deserved… but HE chose to call you HIS.

Don’t forget… GIVE THANKS.

Babies, camp and catching a flight!

Passports - check!

Tickets - check!

Suitcases packed  - Almost!

We are anxious and excited to fly to Bermuda tomorrow! It has been a year and a half since I've seen the pink sand beaches, heard the tree-frogs whistling through the night and eaten all of my favorite foods! Of course that means a year and a half since I've seen many of my friends, worshiped in the church where I grew up and gotten together with family.

I am thankful beyond words to have this opportunity to travel with my hubby, but this last month has been a whirlwind as we have been involved in summer ministries, mission teams and camp! Of course doing this all in my first trimester was... um, interesting! LOL. I was exhausted and slept whenever I could and only the Lord Himself got me through the nausea! All while keeping our secret until we felt it was the right time to share.

Here is a photo of our announcement if you're not on our Facebook page.

We are thrilled beyond word and although we were as surprised as everyone else... we are looking forward to the journey ahead.

However, after finding out... life got busy! We got prepared for groups that came to play/minister with Robersy's team and of course details for camp took top priority until the day it began. But it was worth it :)

We thank the Lord for over 200 teenagers who attended camp from all over the Dominican. It was a blast. Wet games, sports games, mud games and a WHOLE lot of Jesus was the focus of our time together. The preaching all stemmed from "How Great is Our God!" and for 4 days we saw how truly awesome HE is. 

Here are a few photos...

   

We had a blast and we thank you for your prayers!

Continue praying for the teens that accepted Christ as their Savior and for those who made other decisions in their spiritual walk.

I'll try to keep you up to date on our journey to Bermuda, but are looking forward to some rest so no promises :)

God bless... and HAPPY SUMMER!!!

Swimming with the dead

I have seen a LOT of crazy things during my time in the Dominican. But the most interesting things that I experience and see are during my morning runs... especially along the beach.

The following are things I see regularly:

Naked people.
Dogs.
Baseball players training.
Naked people (I've seen enough of them to mention it twice).
Tourists.
Drunk people.
Lots of empty alcohol bottles and plenty of trash in general.

But this morning was different. 

I saw a dead body :(

A huge crowd caught my attention and as I continued to jog a little closer to the scene a man asked me to "walk please... out of respect for the deceased." 

A fire truck, a woman passed out close by (apparently from seeing the young man) and the familiar shrieks and cries (common here) as someone called the family of the deceased. 

My stomach turned as I caught a glimpse of the guy. His arms seemed to be paralyzed in front of his body and his clothing soaking wet as he had just been pulled from the ocean.

I asked a woman cleaning the beach nearby, "Do they know what happened?"
"We really shouldn't talk about it while his body is still here (then whispering) but by the blood on his face I think he was attacked."

As I picked up my pace again, running towards the road I turned to see several swimmers heading my direction. Horrified looks on their faces. One woman gripping her stomach.

 Moments before they had been swimming and enjoying that ocean... little had they known they were swimming with the dead.

As I finished my run, several thoughts and life lessons passed through my mind. Here is one quick thought...

While we go through the hustle and bustle of life, let us not get so distracted with our to-do list that we literally swim on by people who need our help, need someone to talk to, need a life-line. People who are drowning in sorrow, depression and pain.

We have been blessed by God Almighty, not to hoard and store away... but to bless others too.

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This coming week Robersy and I (along with many amazing brothers and sisters) will be serving at camp. 

Teens look forward to this all year and we are excited to play crazy games and get muddy and stay up late and share God's incredible Word with over 200 young people!

Please pray for strength and energy for the directors, counselors and all other leaders/helpers. And pray for open hearts for the many that will hear the Gospel this week!

It's aliiiiiiiive!

I remember an old Jello commercial when I was growing up that kind of grossed me out. Little Jello jigglers would dance across the cafeteria table and kids would run down the school hallways until they trapped them in their Jello cups and gobbled them up. The thought of eating a mushy substance that wiggled in my mouth was not my idea of an awesome school snack, but the catch phrase "It's aliiiiive" popped in my head last week during one of my morning devotions.

No... No Jello jigglers in the Bible. But God's Word is INCREDIBLE.

Hits you right where you need it, every time!

I've been listening through the Bible (as I believe I've shared many times) and each podcast usually includes one Old Testament passage, one New Testament passage and one Psalm or Proverbs. It's called Digging Deeper Daily. Although the guy who reads the passages does not have the most sought after voice in the world, he gives some great insight and historical facts whilereading through. Very interesting!

Any who...

Last week we started Galatians. It's a cool book :) Read it before, got some stuff underlined... Next. But I decided to listen closely anyhow. 

Lately I've been struggling with my call to the streets. It's been weeks since any girls have come to church, one girl who did come to church "stole" my Bible (she did ask to borrow it... But I haven't seen her since!), one girl promises to meet me with me almost every week and never shows. 

I'll tell you the truth... Some weeks I don't even WANT to go. 

What the heck am I doing?

But God knows my heart and He decided to speak to me through His Word, which is aliiiiiive :)

Galatians 1:24

"And they glorified God because of me."

What!!! Where did that verse come from?! Ha!

Visions of Jello jigglers danced in my head.

Paul (who wrote this fab book) lived a pretty messed up life. He killed many Christians and rejected God big time. That is until God stopped him dead in his tracks. Well... Blind in his tracks, but you got read his story for yourself. 

But his life was "twisted, turned upside down" and he found Jesus. And Jesus changed him and transformed him... And then he went on to serve Jesus!!!! And guess what... Because he was DIFFERENT and because he LOVED JESUS and because he DIDN'T BLEND IN TO THE CROWD "they glorified God because of me."

What an HONOUR!!!

That someone might come to know Christ because you decided to say NO to a night on the town, or NO to conversations that blaspheme His name, or NO to movies or television shows that glorifies sin.

Oh Sarah. Your just exaggerating.

I don't believe I am.
Can I tell you why?

Because there are girls at the Lily House because a couple years ago a small group of women obeyed God's call and went out to the streets again and again and again with NO results and now some of those same former prostitutes are serving in local churches, discipling other girls and providing for their families in an honorable way.

There is a guy in our church who came to Christ because a family decided to welcome him in to their home to watch sports. No booze, no girls... Just sports. This family loved on him and welcomed him... And it just happen to be God's perfect plan.

There are parents who BEG Robersy to let their kids on his team because they are different. They don't swear and they respect their parents.

And added on to that there are parents who TRUST us (just a reminder that my own dog has fallen off the roof several times... So I'm not fit to be in charge of actual humans)... Because they know their kids won't be watching movies filled with sex and nudity, but we have good clean fun, and we laugh and we eat... And they come just a tad closer to know Jesus for themselves.

This blog is to myself today. If you read it, that's cool... But it should really start off with Dear Sarah, because when things don't seem to be going as I thought that they might, and there isn't revival on the streets of Boca Chica, I will remain faithful. When friends and family I've been sharing Christ with for  years don't cry out to Jesus, I will remain faithful. When I have no idea what I am doing here in foreign land filled with rice and beans when I just want a bacon cheeseburger from Dorothy's or an Art Mel's sandwich (I just got super hungry! Lol)... I will remain faithful.

Because God WILL use my calling and my sacrifices so that one day they might glorify Him because of me.

God... Thanks for being a Jello jiggler Saviour and speaking to my heart today.

Pee on the toilet seat

There is NOTHING more disgusting than sitting on a wet toilet seat. Well, I guess falling IN to the toilet would come in a close second... But it's something I haven't really had to think about throughout my life.

I grew up with 2 sisters and my husband is a germ-a-phobe to the max! So up until this point I haven't thought twice about just popping a squat in my own home. That is until my hubby began coaching over 60 teenage boys.

Although we believe we live quite far from Juan Dolio and Guayacanes (where most of the boys live) I am reminded that we aren't really that far when boys turn up at our door several times a month. 

At present we have 6 boys staying in our tiny 2 room (ONE bathroom) apartment. They have played basketball, dominoes, Wii and even tossed a baseball around our balcony. The fact that the lights went out 4 times last night didn't discourage them from staying up until after midnight and Robersy had oatmeal all ready for them when they decided to get up (also... Boys eat a LOT!).

Our life is crazy. Sometimes too crazy!

(Body slamming a dog falls in to the too crazy category, but we'll save that lesson for another day).

But we love it.

If sitting in pee (which I am determined to check every time now!!!) is part of reaching 6 boys for Christ and urging them to love the Lord with ALL of their heart, then so be it.

Over the last 2 weeks we have been BUSY! Sleepovers, groups, baseball, Lily House, teaching, discipleship, and very little sleep in between lots of power outages and having a cold to just name a few things that we've been up to, but we are excited for July to arrive because that means camp, Bermuda and then Disney World! We may work our butts off... But we look forward to playing our butts off too!

As we see things around the world changing and Christians who once stood firm on God's Word remaining silent or becoming "tolerant," Robersy and I are determined to do all that God has called us to, until He returns or takes us home.

Life is too short.

So we will serve and rest and play and serve again... ALL for the glory of God!!!