Dominican Republic 2013: Part Two

{If you would like part one of this mini-series, feel free to read it here.}
I woke up at 10am. Never done that one before, but it probably has something to do with going to bed at 2am. I understand late sleepers now. 

Anyway, this morning we had a late start of which I took the advantage to settle into the kitchen. My aunt, uncle, and our host pastor had done some preliminary shopping for us, so breakfast awaited the team, it was duly eaten, and then we dug into our first study 1 Peter. I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching and discussion and insight gleaned from eight heads sitting around the Bible and thinking. Yeah, I have a lot to learn on this trip. And, if I blog about it, it will be getting its own set of posts. This is just narrative.

After the study came lunch, which is the main meal around here. My aunt cooked us real Dominican food ~ arroz con habichuelas, bistec encebelloado, pastelón, arepitas de yuca, batata frita, aguacate, y una ensalada verde (rice and beans, steak and onions, a plantain casserole, a special preparation of yuca, fried Dominican sweet potato, avocado, and a green salad). And I was able to eat the steak, which was a nice surprise. 

Then we headed out with our friends from the city to go to Villa Alta-Gracia, the village where we will be working for the rest of the week. What can I say? A rumble-tumble collection of shacks, children and dogs and cats running around, smiles, a few motorcycles, some gems of brightly painted living quarters, lots of tight braids, and an assortment of pigs, chickens, and goats popping up at random intervals. Fruit trees of all sorts, cocoa bean drying out in the sun, and red, red earth. Fathers, mothers, less husbands and wives, and lots of babies on the way. That’s what Villa kind of looks like. We greeted our friend, Santo, who has a few children and a gardening and pig business. He is a man whose business area is located directly across from the church. He smiles a lot, works hard, and you can tell he is happy. His daughter is sweet and walks around the village with us, sometimes holding one of our hands and sometimes climbing on her dad’s back. His son is smaller and a little cute munchkin, either being cradled in his mum’s arms or playing in the yard. We definitely got to see some pretty genius toys out there. Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say. And Santo was joyous, and giving, and content, and that was what struck me the most of this first visit. 

Just as we pulled out of the village in our air-conditioned vehicle, “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman began to play on our driver’s iPod. We have so much and they have comparatively so little, but we all have 10,000 reasons for our heart to find. God has done so much for us and given so much for us, and that is something worth singing about. So we did. We sang at the top of our lungs all the way back, ending with Celtic Woman’s version of “Amazing Grace” (so, yes, our driver and I definitely share music tastes). It. was. perfect. I hope that for the rest of the week, we as Christians can give some of what He gave for us and share some of that grace which He poured on us, knowing full well that all Christians, even in poor places like Villa, have, through those gifts and that grace, the same amazing power to bless others in return. Yes, we do have 10,000 reasons. 

Dominican Republic 2013: Part One

At 4:44pm on Sunday, the 21st of August, Jenn Jenn finished college. But that is not what this post is about. 

Because, you see, at 10:25 the next morning, my family, a few friends, and I set out on a missions/discipleship trip to the Dominican Republic (DR). That’s what this post, and hopefully the next couple of posts, are going to be about. 

The Lord was gracious to us throughout the whole journey over here to the DR, and so I thought it would be good to begin by recounting some of His graciousness that I could see, knowing that there were many hidden kindnesses of which I will probably never know anything at all. 

As oftentimes happens, God’s blessings over the past few hours have been blessings in disguise. First off, we went through security. TSA surprisingly allowed us to enter a line where we did not have to pass through that horrid x-ray stuff, nor take off our belts, nor take out our laptops, nor do a pat-down. We all breathed a sigh of relief. But my food had still not gotten the supervisor’s approval, and without that cooler, I was not flying. It turns out that someone right in front of me was carrying something that was definitely not legal, which caused the over-excited supervisor to grow into a mini-rage, turn on me, and angrily convince me that airport yogurt was just as safe as homemade junk. It was pretty hilarious from a foodie’s perspective, his arguments for not thinking my cooler necessary, but I stood my ground and he finally let me through. I think his eventual “giving in” had a lot to do with the not legal thing that was worrying him elsewhere. Blessing in disguise number one.

Then I forgot my lunch. But that forced me to try some naturally-raised meat that I found at the airport, which ended up being God’s way of nudging me to eat something substantial before taking off. He, after all, knew all about the 24-hour fast that was coming my way, even if it looked rather impromptu from my perspective. Blessing in disguise number two.

The first leg of the trip went by beautifully. A half-hour delay in the departure time found us running like nuts to our connecting flight, but that was fun. Really fun. In fact, just enough fun to see us through the next leg of our trip, something about which we knew nothing but God, of course, knew everything. For a variety of reasons that I cannot or will not explain, we were stranded in that plane at JFK airport for four hours. People got antsy, people got tired, people got hungry, and since the people were mostly Dominican, they were not afraid to yell out their various trials for their bored audience’s entertainment. And, yeah, I was entertained. I was entertained watching a lady dole out an emergency bag of chocolate candies to the ravenous crowd and translating the suggestions of bribing the pilot with said chocolate. I was entertained following the flight attendants divvy up their short supply of water, blue potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies. Okay, so I was not so entertained when the airline finally took my cooler away to the belly of the plane, leaving my belly quite empty forever and ever until the next day, but you know what? That delay allowed technicians to realise there was a glitch in one of the plane’s computers, a glitch that could have caused problems midway through the flight. Yep, blessing in disguise number three.

We ended up leaving JFK at the time we were supposed to have landed in the DR, and ended up landing in the DR at the time we were supposed to be sleeping. But that meant that the weather was not sweltering when we arrived, nor was the traffic overbearing as it would have otherwise been. Blessing in disguise number four.

After a quick stop at some sammich place that has turned into a tradition for our team, consisting of roast pork sandwiches and passion fruit or zapote juices, we headed to the apartment where we will be staying for the first part of our trip. The apartment is beautiful and spacious and has a working fridge, hot water, and lovely pictures on the wall! I spotted a perfect table for our daily studies, so it looks like this first week shall go excellently, especially knowing we have this retreat to which to return and recoup. Blessing number five, no disguise.

On Sickness: A Glass Darkly

Hello, again! My Mumsie prompted me to update my blog, with good reason! Having the first words seen on my page read "I am pregnant," when I most certainly am not, can be a little strange. And besides. I have not posted in a good long while.

So, here goes.

In the long, long silence that has marked this blog over the past months, God has been teaching me so many things. Through school, through friendships, through words (of course), He has placed another and another concept in my "to learn and live" basket of memories. Recently, He has been using health especially. Now, you know from other posts that my health has not always been that great, but that I am working to get better.

Well, I've had a real brainwave.

This world is broken. I know, it took me long enough to apply it to myself, right? This hit me when my doctor asked me, "Before we start, do you believe you can get better? Do you believe you can be perfectly healthy?" I got to thinking about that question, and so much of the emphasis in the natural/holistic/integral circles revolves around your ultimate belief that you can get better. Even Christians start mimicking it: "God made our bodies to work well, and if we just live like we are supposed to, we can trust to see everything work out alright." Sure, there is truth to that in spots, but, like I said, Jenn had got to thinking, and that means I was going to question much.

It dawned on me that there is sin in this world, and that sin mars a whole lot more than my soul. In fact, all of creation groans out of misery, brokenness, just-plain-not-rightness, and my body joins in the chorus. Living for perfect health on this earth is a dream ~ or a nightmare ~ because it is not what we are supposed to be living for! Our bodies right now, they are just going to die, and we will have to get an entirely new outfitting in heaven! They are not fit for eternal glory and never will be, no matter our diet, our exercise habits, the kind of shoes we wear, our healthcare system, or our farming techniques. Nothing short of Christ's salvation and the eucatastrophic End of all earthly things will thrust us into beautiful, whole health. And by that time we won't be concentrating on our beautiful, whole health, but on Him!

So what is the point? To admit defeat in my quest for perfect earthly health may sound depressing, but I am quite the opposite! My health was something that I was holding on to, and anything we hold on to apart from Christ turns into a burden. Now that I see my bodily health is of naught on this earth, that it is a pursuit only leading to a dead end, I can lift my eyes to the Maker. For so long I have been thinking, "Alright, Lord, I will do the best I can to get better so that I in my body will be able to serve you best." But that is not the way it is at all! The right attitude, I have come to realise, is, "Alright, Lord, be glorified in me now and through this sickness now, so I will be able to glorify you in another way at another task later." The purpose of my health is not to heal my body, but to have Christ formed in me so I can receive my heavenly body, have a sanctified self, and know Christ! This life on earth is merely seeing through a glass darkly, looking into a mirror all fouled and muddled and dim. But living for the eternity in which I will see Him clearly, now that is something worth living for.

Am I going to call it quits on doctors and foods and tests? 'Course not! Because taking care of my body for His glory is something important He commands me to do. But I will not be going about it as though it were my body, my health. I have been bought with a price, and He can do whatever He will in this soul that belongs to Him, this body that belongs to Him, this mess of a health case that belong to Him. The point is not for me to be healed to do more things for God, but for God to make me holy through the illness as I glorify Him through the illness. Joy does not have to wait for the better side of health. Joy is here. Glory can be found here. Praise can be given here. 

So. I won't worry my life away. I won't grasp on to the health that is His regardless. Rather, I will know genuine happiness in the battle because the battle is preparing me for something better and because I catch glimpses ~ more than glimpses!~ of grace through it. My life is His life and He is doing everything to perfection to bring me to know Him. That humbles, awes, wonders me. That brings me laughter, joy, peace.

My health is not about getting my body back together, but about surrendering it to God for His glory. And after a few days of trying out this new perspective, I can tell you the surrender is sweet.

A Review of Redeeming Childbirth by Angie Tolpin

"I am a Christian."

"I am pregnant."

Angie Tolpin in Redeeming Childbirth transforms these two seemingly disconnected statements into a stunning picture of what childbearing can be, one of faith, courage, growth, and worship. The point of the book is not to talk about doctors or midwives, meds and hormones, diet and exercise, but to speak about God's purpose in and through birth. With a vision of bringing "every thought captive" to Christ, Angie writes readers through the many fears society has implanted in the concept of birth and communicates the assurance God provides for every expectant mama. Most importantly, she brings together the reality of your faith and the reality of your motherhood. This means that when the world rumors fear, God breathes trust. When others scream pain, God whispers joy. When people recount trauma, God enables praise. 

Her message completely contradicts that which most expectant mothers are going to hear during their pregnancy because her message is one of hope in the Father, the One who designed birth in the first place. She infuses her book with the fact that God did not make birth in vain - nothing about it is pointless - and that He has a unique plan for each Christian mama that will bring her closer to Him. If there were two main words in Redeeming Childbirth, they would be sanctification and worship, for Angie desires to encourage her readers with the truth that God uses the childbearing experience to especially prepare and sanctify mothers into women who can love Him more, serve Him more, and unite with their husbands to train their babies in His way. But this requires surrender and this requires worship. The book takes mamas through areas in which they need to relinquish and trust God for what He will do through them, constantly bringing the reader back to His mercy and love and, above all, purpose.

As a mother of six, Angie has the understanding needed to speak to mums about this. Her understanding is one of wisdom as well as sympathy, for she always has a good word to offer her readers while also knowing the realities of what pregnancy and birth can bring. She is clear about the lies spread by the world and compassionate for the frightened or hurting mom. And her message is full of joy, joy that is found in God and God alone. Therefore, Redeeming Childbirth empowers women to have their babies. Of course, it is not the "empowerment" that most women talk about when it comes to birth, but the real empowerment that the Maker of birth gives to His daughters. Pregnant mumsies are going to leave the book refreshed, encouraged, and prompted to seek their Savior above all.

Topics include the Creator's design of a mamas body for His design in birth, morning sickness, the reason for pain, the importance of community in birth, the blessings and necessity of fatherhood, strengthening marriage during childbearing, sisters and mothers, and much more. There is something for everyone in this book, I promise. Besides sporting a clear and loving tone, Angie washes her writing in Scripture and sprinkles each chapter with sincere prayers for mothers reading it. Supporting this important message is a beautiful layout with sweet pictures that truly makes looking at and pondering on the book an aesthetic delight. Yep. I highly recommend it. Can't you tell?

"But wait, Jenn. Just hold up there. What are you doing reading this? You aren't pregnant - you're not even married!" While this is true (mhm), I can still affirm that reading this book is excellent for young women who do not hear wedding bells ringing in their foreseeable futures. Think about it. If you were going to run a marathon, would you just show up to the race without having gotten physically, not to mention mentally, fit? If you were going to cook a really stupendous dinner, don't think you think you would at least read a Betty Crocker Something? Or say you were going to climb a mountain. You'd definitely get some training in before the ascent. Well, childbearing is like that. Sometime or other, most women are going to have a baby, and it is so important for the Christian to go into it with the confidence in God's will that only He can give. She needs understanding to trust. She needs knowledge to surrender. She needs to comprehend a bit of God's design so she can fulfill this mission with joy in Christ. This book tactfully and honestly brings readers to a better realization of God in pregnancy and labor. It talks about Redeeming Childbirth. Besides, let's be honest, we girls are going to hear a lot about birth before getting married. Or pregnant. And most of it is going to be really negative, coming from a culture of death that does not understand the beauty of birth as part of God's big picture. Why not get a Biblical perspective for a culture of life? Beginning now?

One last thing. Redeeming Childbirth screams Sola Scriptura. Angie has a balanced viewpoint, not balanced in an innocuous way, but balance on Scripture. I just love that about it.

So yeah. Stop reading me and read the book!!! Did I mention it is for sale on Amazon as of today?

Redeeming Childbirth

Hello, my friends! I am breaking the silence to bring you tidings of a marvelous new book on childbirth. Redeeming Childbirth by Angie Tolpin is not about exercise, diets, and breastfeeding. It is about God and you as a mama. It is about the "so much more" of childbearing. The book hits Amazon tomorrow, and I would highly recommend you go and see it for yourself.
Come by here tomorrow for my review of the book!
Here is a bit more information on Redeeming Childbirth to whet your appetite meanwhiles...
...On Pinterest
...On Facebook
...And on the book's beautiful website!

Have a blessed evening (morning), ladies. :)