Life in the Dominican Republic

We've Moved

2011-02-24T08:51:00.000-05:00

We've officially started a new blog! You can now find us at http://joeandshannonzim.blogspot.com/. Start following us to read updates on our transition back to life in the USA, our jobs as directors, my cancer situation, and much more. Thanks as always for following along on our adventures :).

Something Heavenly

2011-02-15T18:19:00.001-05:00

I heard this song for the first time today while preparing lunch for our surgical team. It's on my iPod but somehow I've never heard it before. I really like it.

Here are the lyrics:

Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly) -By Sanctus Real

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house

Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

SRM Child Nutrition Program

2011-02-10T19:13:00.000-05:00

Check out one of the many amazing programs supported by Solid Rock Missions.

Plans Change, God does Not

2011-02-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

Well, dear bloggers, I come to you today more as therapy for myself. But I do of course wish to keep you all updated on the happenings in my and Joe's lives so that you will continue to pray for us.

I received a phone call this afternoon from my thyroid doctor. She told me that she recently attended a conference where she presented my case to the top thyroid doctors from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota (please take note of this enormous blessing before reading on . . . I was personally studied by some of the top thyroid doctors in the world). Wow. She then said that after talking with them and analyzing my situation, she has decided to change course of the next steps in my treatment for thyroid cancer. Up until now we have been planning to get a radioactive iodine scan as my next check up mid March during our first week home in the States. However, our new course of action is to have my bloodwork checked to see if my antibody levels have risen as well as a CT scan to check for growth in the left side of my neck. Since my cancer was seen in my thyroid and lymph nodes in the right side of my neck, there is a chance that it could have spread into the left side of my neck as well. In my last scan after my surgery there was a small amount of thyroid cells that "lit up" on the left side. My doctor said that if there is growth that has taken place since the last scan, I will have to get a left neck dissection to remove infected areas. If that is necessary, the surgery will most likely be later that same week in March.

This is quite the change in plans. She went on to inform me that for my case, the mortality rate is extremely low, but I am at high risk for the cancer to return due to the large amount of infected lymph nodes the first time around. She said it would be very likely for the cancer to return, so that is why we will be very diligent in observing well and taking all necessary precautions. After this check in March I will then have another six months later. That is pretty much everything I know right now.

This is a lot of news given that Joe and I are right in the middle of some extremely large life changes. We have one more week of groups before the new couple Dan and Kari come to train with us for three weeks. We then will fly to Georgia to have my CT scan and see if I need another round of surgery. After that we'll fly to Michigan to get our car and drive to Ohio to train for our new job as SRM directors. After training we'll finally move back into our home in Indianapolis and start basically a new life in the States. Lots of major life changes in a short period of time.

As you may imagine these things can be accompanied by a bit of stress but God has really been helping us out. Of course there are days that are more difficult than others but we honestly feel pretty good given the circumstances. Today was one of the more difficult days as I was reminded by the phone call with my doctor of my health situation, because it can be easy to forget about it all when I'm wrapped up in my work here at the Guesthouse. After processing what she had told me with Joe, I went to my bible for comfort, and as usual, comfort was what I was given.

Psalm 77 reads:
"I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens. I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal. When friends said, "Everything will turn out all right," I didn't believe a word they said. I remember God—and shake my head. I bow my head—then wring my hands. I'm awake all night—not a wink of sleep; I can't even say what's bothering me. I go over the days one by one, I ponder the years gone by. I strum my lute all through the night, wondering how to get my life together. Will the Lord walk off and leave us for good? Will he never smile again? Is his love worn threadbare? Has his salvation promise burned out? Has God forgotten his manners? Has he angrily stalked off and left us? "Just my luck," I said. "The High God goes out of business just the moment I need him." Once again I'll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts. O God! Your way is holy! No god is great like God! You're the God who makes things happen; you showed everyone what you can do— You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble, rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph. . ."

Please continue in praying for us. We know you have been praying and it is by those prayers and our faith in what God can do and has done that we have remained strong through all the challenges we have faced regarding my cancer. We have not chosen to grow weak and weary in these trials. We have chosen to draw near to God and grow stronger. Though there are hard days, we have hope that there are better ones to come. I am thankful for this experience to grow closer to my husband in our love for each other and most importantly that we both can grow closer to our Father as we continue to depend on him for everything.

Photo Presentation

2011-02-09T07:03:00.000-05:00

The following is a beautiful slideshow that was posted today on www.facebook.com/solidrockmissions. It was made for SRM by photographer John Pellett. Enjoy!

Recent Random Funnies

2011-01-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

So life in a foreign country will always keep you laughing if you keep a good attitude. Things happen to us here that would never happen in the States (sorry Dominicans, but if you come to the US you'll laugh at lots of things that WE do!).

Funny #1: We have a hot water toilet. Yes, the bowl will burn you if you touch it, and no, it doesn't feel good to sweat while sitting on it because you're already so hot all the time!

Funny #2: I have a water burn on my stomach from last night. Even though I've drained water successfully from pots of boiling green beans every week for the past two years, it finally got me and it hurt pretty bad! I now have a strange looking bubble/scar right below my belly button that just makes me smile and shake my head when I look at it.

Funny #3: We get laughed at because we both wear helmets on our moped

Funny #4: I saw one of our Dominican workers nearly choke to death this morning when he had his very first taste of black coffee (Dominican coffee is loaded with sugar and cream).

Funny #5: All the neighborhood kids still think we are the children of Rod and Sandy (previous Guesthouse hosts) and will say to each other with reverence, "Look, the son of Bra" (they could never say "Rod" correctly).

Funny #6: We roasted a pig over a fire in our backyard last week and no one gave a second thought about it or had questions as to how you prepare it.

Funny #7: I think I've finally been around enough tarantulas to be cured of my fears. The other morning I actually swept one out of the kitchen with a broom all by myself (sorry, not Dominican enough to smash them with large rocks yet).

Funny #8: Watching Dominican dogs sniff and ignore dog treats brought for them by American dog-lovers.

Funny #9: One of our Dominican workers thought Ranch dressing was milk and poured himself a glass to drink at lunch last week.

Funny #10: Joe stepped in a pile of sludge up to his ankle (while wearing flip flops) in the market yesterday and had to use sewer water to wash it off. Further washing which included soap took place when he got home.

Issues with the Language

2011-01-18T13:31:00.000-05:00

Today, my Dominican builder, Ramon, and his son, Ramoncito, are working on some things in preparation for the work Northwoods will be doing the next couple weeks. The construction teams from Northwoods will be preparing and pouring a large cement roof for Buenas Nuevas II, a church in Cristo Rey. It will be a big job that will consist of carpentry the first week in order to pour the roof the second week.

One major problem in the Dominican Republic and something you are continuely thinking about, is thievery. I am always looking over my shoulder in the market, keeping every door locked at all times, making sure I know everyone that comes near the guesthouse facility, preoccupied with materials at the worksites, etc. When Ramon said that for more security, we would store the $4,000 US of wood I bought for framing the roof of the church at the Guesthouse, rather than the church, I didn't argue a bit.

The next preventative measure we took to make sure the wood didn't walk away was to paint a couple letters on it so if it showed up somewhere else in the future, it could be claimed. Sounds like a great idea, huh? I decided to have "USA" written on every piece of lumber in huge, bright letters.

An hour later, after much of the wood was painted, Shannon realized that "USA", actually reads "Usa" in spanish, which means "Use". I basically had a flashing sign written on every sheet of plywood saying"Feel free to take this wood at any time. I don't need it anymore. You are more than welcome to use it for your own enjoyment."

On a side not, the other day, I was talking to Dr. Canario about the potential building of a new clinic over the next couple years. He has an architecht and engineer, of whom I don't know, doing most of the preliminary drawings and planning. I meant to say "Yo quiero conocer el arquitecto y ingeniero." "I want to know (meet) the architect and engineer." I actually said, "Yo quiero cocinar el arquitecto y ingeniero." "I want to cook the architect and engineer." I will never get this language.

My friend Rony Bautista.

2011-01-11T08:34:00.000-05:00

I was running on the track yesterday, a morning ritual when we don't have teams after lifting weights at hard body gym, and this Dominican came up and ran beside me. This isn't the first time a Dominican attempted to race Shannon or me on the track, so I didn't think too much about it. The only difference between this moment and similar ones in the past was that he was much bigger than me.

He was about 20 years old and looked like he was 6'7", 200 lbs. I am typically the biggest person everywhere I go down here, so when he told me he was under contract with the New York Yankees, I didn't hesitate to believe him. I was confused when he told me he was on vacation and didn't have to head back to the States until May, given that spring training starts next month. Naturally, I had some questions:

Why was he in San Juan right now?
Why didn't he have to report to the team until May?
Why was he so big?

This morning, I googled his name, Rony Bautista, and all my questions were answered:

MLB.com's article was titled: "Yanks' Bautista one of three suspended: Minor Leaguer tests positive for a metabolite, out 50 games".

He had been suspended three days earlier for doping. I should have known.

Some Good Reading

2011-01-09T19:28:00.000-05:00

I heard about this blog through my friend Kate. If you love your blog subscriptions and are looking for something new and interesting to read, I suggest looking at http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. This girl has some amazing stories and lives a very interesting life in Africa.

A Right Time for Everything

2011-01-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

Buenas :). It's Sunday night and Joe and I are in our apartment answering emails, planning our upcoming groups, listening to football games (well, Joe is), and catching up on the LOST tv series. We had a great week with VIMM (Volunteers in Medical Missions) and saw them off yesterday in Santo Domingo. They worked long hours Monday through Thursday providing medical care near the Haitian boarder in El Cercado and around Elias Pina. Check out the Guesthouse blog (which recently had a face-lift!) for more details on their week. This was our missionary nurse, Nicole Eby's first week with our teams and she was a huge help! Nicole will be working with our medical teams through April and is doing some excellent work. She also has a blog with additional stories about her time here in the DR ( http://phillynic.blogspot.com/).

Big news in the Facebook world: Solid Rock Missions now has a fan page! Support SRM by going to www.facebook.com/solidrockmissions and click "like". Not only will you advertise the link to your friends, but you'll get updates in your newsfeed on the most current SRM happenings. It's a great way to stay in touch and be in-the-know with everything SRM.

This week we don't have a team and it's our last week off (all weeks leading up to our March departure are full with teams) before we head back to the States to begin working as SRM directors. It's unbelievable how fast everything is moving but it's all really exciting. Dan and Kari are continuing in their preparations for moving to the Guesthouse and are planning to fly down mid-February. Next week we host the Gainesville, Georgia medical team. Is it strange that I'm nervous? This is the team that basically saved my life by helping us through my cancer situation. We're so excited to see all of them again and I really want them to have a great week here. They have some busy days coming up as they have ENT surgeons, dentists, doctors for the campo clinics, as well as lots of nurses and even a construction team.

I don't have any major health-related news but I have a small update. I mentioned in a previous post that I had some blood work done in Florida before we came back to the DR. I got the results of my TSH and it showed that my hormones levels are perfect and right where they should be. I also got the results that I tested positive for thyroglobulin antibodies. I was explaining that the presence of those makes the thyrogloblin levels hard to interpret. I finally got the thyroglobulin levels this week. They came back as "undetectable". This is great news except my doctor said she can't trust those results due to the antibodies. Please pray that those results are correct because that would mean that my cancer is gone. I have my next body scan scheduled for March as we'll know more then. Until then, please keep praying for me. God is in complete control and I am trying to be prepared for whatever he wants me to endure. For the most part I'm remaining extremely positive and am thankful that I have my work here to keep my mind off things like worry and doubt. However, I have my moments of difficulty. For example, when we stayed at the Hotel Lina in Santo Domingo last weekend I had trouble sleeping that night. That hotel is where we always stay when our teams arrive and I have probably worried and cried and prayed more in that place than anywhere else because it was a time that Joe and I had together without any work to distract us from the reality that something wasn't right with me (and it was usually preceeded by a doctor visit in Santo Domingo).

I'm so thankful that I can give my worries to God and know that he will take care of me. There is nothing left that I can do but pray, so please join me in that.

"There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death. A right time to plant and another to reap. A right time to destroy and another to construct. A right time to cry and another to laugh. A right time to lament and another to cheer. A right time to make love and another to abstain. A right time to embrace and another to part. A right time to search and another to count your losses. A right time to hold on and another to let go. A right time to rip out and another to mend. A right time to shut up and another to speak up. A right time to love and another to hate. A right time to wage war and another to make peace. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time- but he's left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he's coming or going . . . I've also concluded that whatever God does, that's the way it's going to be always. No addition, no subtraction. God's done it and that's it. That's so we'll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That's how it always is with God." ~Selections from Eccl. 3.

Have a great week everyone!

We Made It!

2010-12-31T12:39:00.000-05:00

We are back in San Juan and happy to be here! It feels so wonderful to be working again and it's great to see friends and familiar places in our town. I've been baking up a storm to get my freezer stocked back up again for our groups this winter and Joe has been doing his thing planning the details for the groups this month. We also have with us a nurse named Nicole who will be here assisting our groups until April. We're so excited to have her here as she will be extremely valuable to our teams. Our first group comes this Saturday and we can't wait!

As I had promised, here are some pictures from our recent happenings in the States before we returned to San Juan.

My sister Katie is now married :)

Mr. & Mrs. Niebauer

We spent Christmas in Florida with Joe's family

Florida sunrise

Joe still plays with his hair . . .

Joe with our niece Sophie

Joe's sister, Erin, with our nephew (her son) Caleb

We wish you all a Happy 2011!

Adios and Vaya con Dios

2010-12-27T16:16:00.001-05:00

Name that tune. Can anyone name the song I got my title from? Come on, country fans.

Tomorrow is a big day for us. We're finally going back home to the DR! We are currently in Fort Lauderdale-By-The-Sea so we just have a quick flight to Santo Domingo tomorrow afternoon. We've had a great week in Florida with Joe's family (there are about 20 of us here) and actually had some warm days for the beach. Also, before we came down to Florida we had an awesome time at my little sister's wedding in Detroit. It was a perfect day and she and her husband just returned from their honeymoon on the east side of the DR in Punta Cana (which is also where Joe and I went). I'll be sure to post some wedding and Florida pictures sometime soon.

This morning I spoke with my endocrinologist in Gainesville, Georgia. I had some labs done last week (which will be my last ones for a while, praise the Lord) and she talked with me about the results. I had my TSH levels checked and my levels are finally where they should be! That is a huge answer to prayer. I've been feeling better and better lately and pretty much feel back to normal. This whole week I've been waking up early on my own and feeling more energetic and clear-minded. And to further confirm that I'm ready for the hard work which lies ahead in San Juan, God blessed me with the experience of running 15 miles this morning along the Fort Lauderdale beach with beautiful weather and lots of strength! It was a new distance record for me so today is a special day because of that :).

However, the other test I had done was not able to affirm me in any way regarding the status of my cancer. That was a bit disappointing but we're continuing to trust God's timing. I had a thyroglobulin test run as well as an antibody test. My doctor told me that I tested positive for thyroglobulin antibodies which means I'm in the unlucky 15% because presence of antibodies makes it difficult to properly interpret the thyroglobulin levels. Also, the lab where I had my tests run forgot to do the thyroglobulin levels and had to go back and do them later so those results aren't even available yet. And when they are available, they most likely will not be as accurate as we had hoped due to the antibody presence. The thyroglobulin levels are helpful because they tell how many thyroid cells are in the body (which should be very low after all my surgery and radioactive iodine treatment). If these levels are high, it could indicate that there is still cancer growing. So unfortunately for me, this test will most likely not be accurate and I won't have anything definitive until March when I have my next full body scan. So please keep me in your prayers regarding that. I so badly wish I could say I was "cancer-free" but I have to keep on waiting and trusting in my Lord.

This morning God comforted me before my phone call with my doctor with some verses from Ecclesiates 3:

"I've also concluded that whatever God does, that's the way it's going to be always. No addition, no subtraction. God's done it and that's it. That's so we'll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That's how it always is with God."

Here are a few more that have brought me peace lately:

"God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake . . ." (Psalm 46:1-2)

"God delights in concealing things; scientists delight in discovering things." (Prov. 25:2)

"Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow." (Prov. 27:1)

"Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God- soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God." (Psalm 43:5)

"God looks after us all, makes us robust with life- lucky to be in the land, we're free from enemy worries. Whenever we're sick in bed, God becomes our nurse, nurses us back to health." (Part of Psalm 41)

"Don't dump me, GOD; my God, don't stand me up. Hurry and help me; I want some wide-open space in my life." (Psalm 38:21-22)

"GOD, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together. GOD, you pulled me out of the grave, gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out." (Part of Psalm 30)

I love my story because of how God has so obviously worked in everything Joe and I have experienced this past year. 2010 has been a crazy, unpredictable year but no doubt has been my biggest year of growth. I'm so thankful for everything we've gone through because of how God has come through for us and worked in so many awesome ways. I know this phase of our lives isn't over yet, but we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that with whatever lies ahead, God will continue to be there with us.

Joe and I are so excited to get back to the Guesthouse and see our friends in San Juan. We have a team coming in this Saturday and can't wait to get back to work. We'll keep you updated as we get some normalcy back into our lives and then eventually start a new phase of life back in the States! Thanks for staying in touch. We love you all!

2010-12-05T18:45:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is doing well as we near the holiday season. Joe and I are getting SUPER excited as we're getting closer and closer to our departure date back to the Dominican Republic! We are more than ready to get back to work and are looking forward to seeing old faces, being productive, and serving God in this unique opportunity He has provided for us. There are actually lots of fun things going on these next couple of weeks. We just got back from Harbor Springs, Michigan where we did some skiing while staying with Joe's parents in their condo. On the 17th my little sister is getting married so my parents' house where we are currently staying has been wedding-central. After the wedding we're driving to Fort Lauderdale-By-The-Sea to spend Christmas with Joe's extended family and will then fly to the DR from there on the 28th.

I'm feeling better and better still. My hormone levels are very close to the normal range now so they should be good to go by the end of the month. It is great to be able to do things normally and enjoy some fun stuff like skiing. Here are some pictures from yesterday when we went to Nub's Nob.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-05T14:17:00.001-05:00

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Pray to Fight Cholera

2010-11-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

CNN.com is saying that Cholera has spread across the border into the Dominican Republic (click here for the article and videos). We have no reason to believe that being in San Juan is a danger so please don't take this post in that way. I'm not trying to scare anyone but rather to make you aware of this situation. This is a serious epidemic in Haiti and prayers are needed. Pray that it won't continue to spread and that it will not spread too far into the Dominican Republic.

The New (Old) Joe

2010-11-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to announce that the long hair is no more (this is Shannon writing, by the way). Joe was a little sad to say goodbye but I think we all knew it was time. Joe's hair is now back to the way it's always been. For those of you who have only seen long-haired-Joe, prepared yourselves for a shock. Our niece Sophie helped me chop of four curly ponytails of Joe's hair which will be mailed in to Locks of Love. It's great to have my husband back (although I will miss the curls a little)!

This is the hair we've been living with

Styled just like a Dominican . . . girl

Chopping off the ponies for Locks of Love

One more to go!

It is finished

Our nephew Caleb got a new look

Of course Joe had to play

Two baldies

Joe said his head was cold. I think he looks like Marshall Mathers

A Terrible Day...

2010-11-16T11:27:00.000-05:00

Shannon made me cut my hair. Pictures to follow when I stop crying.

The Straleys' Blog

2010-11-15T20:41:00.000-05:00

Check it out! Start following the Straleys (the next SRM Guesthouse Administrators) via their new blog by clicking here. Let's support them with words of encouragement, prayers, financial gifts, or however you may feel led. We're so excited for them as they begin a great adventure and prepare for what lies ahead.

Transitions

2010-11-15T12:52:00.001-05:00

It's sad to say, but this is my and Joe's last week in Indianapolis. The next time we return to our beloved city we will be moving back into our house! It's crazy to think about but all very exciting. Thank God we have a really fun job to look forward to and some direction for our future. It makes everything easier but we still have a lot of changes and moving around to do which can be quite tiring. We still don't know the exact timing of when our return to the States will take place but we're trusting God through this time of transition.

Speaking of transition, I have yet to introduce you all to the couple who will be taking over our job as Guesthouse Administrators in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. Their names are Dan and Kari Straley and they were featured in the latest Solid Rock Missions newsletter as they just recently accepted the position. Joe and I were first introduced to Dan and Kari through a mutual friend who, after hearing that Solid Rock was searching for a new Guesthouse couple, informed us that she had two friends who were interested in long-term mission work and could start this Spring. The very next week we went to church together, had coffee afterward and talked about what the job entailed, and shortly after they called the Solid Rock office and applied for the position. As many of you know, running the Guesthouse requires quite the mishmash of skills and we strongly believe that Dan and Kari are going to do an excellent job as they have previous experience working at a Guesthouse in Juarez, Mexico as well as many other skills and past experiences that will be useful to their work in San Juan. Click here to read the latest SRM newsletter and find out more.

Also, Dan and Kari have started fundraising so they can move down to the Dominican Republic as soon as possible and begin their time of transition with Joe and me. The sooner they can raise their support, the sooner they can move down and learn the Guesthouse work, and the sooner Joe and I can move back to the States and begin our work as SRM Executive Directors. As many of you know, serving as Guesthouse Administrators is a volunteer missionary position and their ability to live and serve in the DR can only be made possible through the generosity of people like you who love and support Solid Rock Missions. If you are interested in making a one-time donation to the Straley's support or in becoming a monthly or annually support of the Straleys, please click here to be directed to their online donation page. Joe and I have been so blessed by the gifts given to us through our supporters and pray that you all have been blessed for your willingness to serve the Lord by providing for us financially. If any of you would enjoy continuing with your financial gifts, the Straleys would greatly appreciate your support as they are currently preparing to move and trusting in God's provision.

If you haven't checked out the SRM Guesthouse blog recently, be sure to click the link on the top right hand side of this page and see what's been happening in San Juan. Our recent teams have done a great job keeping us updated and informed about what they've been up to and have also listed some useful information for upcoming teams. If you're not following the SRM Guesthouse blog yet make sure you add it to your list today!

In other news, as I mentioned above, this is our last week in Indianapolis. On Monday Joe and I will head North to Michigan to stay at my parents' place for a bit. We'll stop at Taylor University to pick up my brother and bring him home to the Detroit area for his Thanksgiving break. My sister and her fiance will fly in from Brooklyn, New York to be with us for Thanksgiving as well. I'm hosting a shower in Grand Rapids for my sister who is getting married December 17th and Joe and I will probably spend a little bit of time with his parents at their condo up in Harbor Springs, Michigan. We'll return to my parents' house to help prepare for the wedding, then head down to Fort Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida to spend Christmas with some of Joe's family. From Florida we'll fly back to the Dominican Republic and get back to work! Of course all of that is God-willing . . . we're still praying that all my blood test results will be good and that I'll continue feeling better and better.

I have such mixed feeling about these next couple of months. It seems like all of our transitions are both happy and sad at the same time. We're sad to leave Indy but happy to be with people in Detroit. Then we'll be happy to be back working in San Juan but missing people in the States. Then we'll be happy to start a new job in the States but will horribly miss our friends and life in San Juan. Everything is so bittersweet!!! I have to say we are SO looking forward to our new job as Directors of SRM. I just know that God has big plans in store for our organization and we're so excited to be a part of it all. The other day Joe's Grandma Zimmerman sent us some pictures of her late husband, Pastor Gordon Zimmerman, from a newspaper printed just after one of his trips to the Dominican Republic in the early 90s. I had this amazing peace come over me and everything just felt right. It is so awesome to see God working through our family and using the older generation to prepare things for the younger generation. I actually started crying because I just feel like God was saying that we are right where we belong and he has been working everything out for this to happen for a long time.

Oh my word! I almost forgot to mention this- my insurance company said they will be covering my cancer!!! Praise God! We're still a little nervous because we don't have anything on paper showing that bills have been paid . . . so please keep us in your prayers. As you may remember from a previous post, our insurance company was calling my cancer "pre-existing" and was refusing to pay for any of my surgery or treatments. Thank God it looks like things will be taken care of. Please keep praying as this can be a long process to get everything sorted out. God will provide. We're confident of that. He always does.

"Holy, holy, holy is God our Master, Sovereign-Strong, THE WAS, THE IS, THE COMING . . . Worthy, O Master! Yes, our God! Take the glory! The honor! The power! You created it all; it was all created because you wanted it." (Rev. 4, The Message)

Support Solid Rock Missions!

2010-11-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hey all you Solid Rock supporters! Here is a great practical way for you to help our organization. Take our survey by clicking here and give us your suggestions and opinions. We need as much feedback as possible as we strive to improve our organization. Thank you so much for your help!

International Orphan Sunday

2010-11-07T14:43:00.000-05:00

Today is International Orphan Sunday. We all can be involved on different levels and our church today had posted some great ways that every Christian can care for orphaned children of the world. First of all, did you know?:

In the world today, there are 143 million orphans who have lost one or both parents? (I'm told that's about half the people in the United States!)
Every year 12 million children become orphans. Only 127,000 children are adopted each year
There are currently 500,000 children in foster care in the United States. Approximately 129,000 of them are available for adoption
Every year in the United States, over 25,000 children "age out" of the foster care system with no family to belong to and no place to call home

What the Scriptures say about God's heart for orphans:

"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing." Deut. 10:18
"Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans or widows." Deut. 27:18
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling . . ." Psalm 68:5
"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." Isaiah 1:17
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

If you're like me, you then ask yourself, what can I do? How can I make a difference? We have to remember that we are all created differently and can serve in a variety of ways. Here are some ways to get involved:

PRAY for them

tape a child's picture somewhere where you will be reminded to pray

SPEAK UP for them

become a child advocate through nationalcasa.org or childadvocates.net

PROVIDE for their needs

give sacrificially to a reputable organization

SUPPORT those who support them

do practical things to serve foster parents
host a shower for an adopting family

PROTECT them from harm

become a foster parent or a Safe Family. Visit bethany.org or safe-families.org.
raise money to build a children's home to help remove children from the streets. Visit worldorphans.org

VISIT them where they are

go on a mission trip to an orphanage. Visit gainusa.org, helporphans.org, or horizoninternationalinc.com
take dinner to a foster group home on a regular basis

GIVE sacrificially to them

support reputable organizations
contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs

ENCOURAGE them to press on

sponsor a child, support them financially and encourage them through writing letters
become a mentor or tutor to someone in a foster home

ADOPT them into your family

give a child a home through international, domestic or foster care adoption
adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system

MOBILIZE your church for them

be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry. Visit hopefororphans.org

***Information above taken from bulletin at Trinity Church in Indianapolis***

I believe that we as Christians are called to do something. Leave your comfortable world for just a moment and try to imagine life through the eyes of these 143,000,000 children. Put your beliefs into action and take a step. There is a way for everyone to be involved and it varies from person to person, but I think we are not called to just sit around and pretend this doesn't exist. Today, all I can personally do is pray and try to raise awareness. And that's ok. We can all do our part to serve God by caring for his children.

Exciting Changes

2010-11-01T11:57:00.000-04:00

Things were starting to get a little too normal in our lives so I guess God decided to spice things up again. However, I think this piece of news is a bit more positively exciting than my cancer diagnosis. So without further ado . . .

Joe and I have been approved as Executive Directors of Solid Rock Missions.

Let me explain how this came about. First of all, last Spring our Executive Director resigned and Rod and Sandy Nofziger stepped in as Interim Executive Directors until a new Director could be found. For those of you who don't know, Rod and Sandy served right before us as Guesthouse Administrators in the Dominican Republic for five years. They have been wonderful for us to work with and the Solid Rock organization is so thankful for their hard work and willingness to assist now as Interim Directors. However, throughout their term of service, a search committee has been looking for a new Executive Director to permanently take over the job.

In the past, Joe and I have been asked by several individuals on various occasions if we would be interested in the position. Almost always, our immediate reaction was "no way." However, about a month or so ago we received a phone call asking for us to think and pray about interviewing for the position. We agreed, but didn't think too much of it because in the past we had come to the conclusion that we weren't interested. But of course we all know what happens when you pray. Unbelievable, unimaginable opportunities present themselves when you ask the Lord to guide your life. And I've learned that a lot of times, opportunities such as this are things you never would have thought of for yourself, but you quickly realize that you were actually MADE for this particular opportunity and there is nothing more you'd rather do than take this opportunity.

The more Joe and I discussed the Director position, the more interested we became. We learned that we would be able to move the office to our Indianapolis home and work from there. We also learned of other details that just further confirmed that this was something that could work really well for us and we would really enjoy. We are now completely ecstatic and are so excited to get started. The date of when we will begin our work is still being figured out, but we are all confident in the Lord's timing as the details get worked out. We still plan to return to the Dominican Republic in the end of December and will continue our work as Guesthouse Administrators until we are able to transition the position onto the new couple who will take over the job.

We, along with the Solid Rock board, are really sensing that God is about to do some great and amazing things through the Solid Rock Missions organization. There are many exciting plans and ideas in the works and we can't wait to see what God allows us to accomplish according to His will. Please keep our organization in your prayers, especially during this exciting time of new ideas and transitions. We can't wait to see what God is going to do in the future and are so glad you have chosen to be a part of it. Thank you so much for your prayers and stay tuned for more . . . !

Update

2010-10-18T21:08:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update tonight. We're back in Indy and plan to stay here for a while now after doing quite a bit of traveling. Joe is working periodically at the golf course where he used to be Assistant Professional and I'm still taking it easy, sleeping a lot, spending time with friends and going to the gym. I will have some blood work done in about ten days and again in December. We've been told that those tests should tell us when I need to have my next body scan done. We don't know when but it will be sometime in the Spring. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm back on my thyroid replacement medicine and we're working on getting those levels back to normal. It will be a while still, but hopefully sooner than later so I can get feeling back to normal as soon as possible. People have been asking if I'm cancer free now. Unfortunately I can't answer that question yet and won't be able to until I have my next body scan in the Spring. So for now we just wait and pray that the radioactive iodine treatment did/does it's job and kills off the remaining cancer cells.

Thank you as always for your prayers <3

Ellie!

2010-10-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

Sorry to leave you all hanging on that last post. Whenever there's a battle between me and technology I usually lose. What I wanted to mention is that plans were underway to get our dog Ellie to the States to be with us. As of Saturday evening she is officially an American pup again and is currently sitting happily on her dad's lap. Our directors Rod and Sandy were kind enough to have flown her with them after spending a week in San Juan. She seems to have adjusted very well and is enjoying a new collar, a freshly washed bed and blanket, and the cool Michigan weather. Ellie was so funny at the airport. We didn't know where to go to pick her up so I was waiting over by the lost luggage area and looking across the baggage pick-up area to try to wave down Joe because he had the claim papers for the dog. As I was trying to get his attention I heard a frustrated "Woof!" from behind me. As I spun around there was a man pushing a cart with a dog crate on it and as soon as I realized who it was I shouted, "Ellie!" and the crate began to vibrate and shake like crazy. We were both very excited to see each other and I was laughing at the fact that she saw me first and was mad that I hadn't noticed her sneak up from behind. I took her out of the cage praying she wouldn't pee and sent her running across the airport toward Joe. It was more like slipping and sliding, actually, because of the tile. Joe scooped her up and we ran out to the car before the security officer could get to us after such a display. We couldn't be happier to have our family back together again!

Joe and I are still traveling nomads and it's starting to wear on us a bit. After spending two weeks in Georgia for treatment we went back to Indy for two days so Joe could work at the golf club, and now we're in Michigan at my parents' place after picking up Ellie at the Detroit airport on Saturday evening. This afternoon we're going to Grand Rapids to spend some time with friends then we'll be in Wauseon, Ohio by the end of the week. After that, hopefully, we'll be able to settle down in Indy for a little while back at Joe's sister's place with her family. It will be nice to finally hold still for a while.

Health-wise I'm doing well. My neck is still healing and feeling better and better. Very minimal pain but still some stiffness and a bit of numbness. My voice is finally coming back! I think I finally sound pretty normal now so praise God that my little vocal chord is learning to dance again. The big negative right now is my energy and muscle strength. For example, I'm really tired just from typing this blog entry right now. My hands are all floppy. Ever since my time in the hospital my muscles just aren't responding as they normally do and get tired very quickly. I feel just fine but when I try to do something I just get worn out quickly. So I'm trying to be patient and be content with what I can do and take it one day at a time. I've been walking a few miles every morning and I don't feel the need to take naps or anything, I'm just a little more slower paced. Anyways, please keep the prayers coming regarding my healing. I really appreciate it!

Another major issue we need prayers for is our health insurance. I'll spare you the details for now, but we've received mail saying our case is under investigation for a pre-existing condition. Meaning they're looking for ways to say my cancer was pre-existing. Yes, it sounds hilarious and impossible but twice in the past if you remember, our insurance has refused to cover basically everything (see blogs from around and after December 2008 for details). So we unfortunately have that cloud looming over our heads as well. However, we know that God will figure things out according to his plan and he will be there for us like he always is, always has been, and always will be.

Hope everyone is doing well. We're sending a big "HOLA!" to our readers currently staying at the Guesthouse in San Juan. We are missing our work and our friends in the DR and pray for you constantly. To our friends in America, thanks for stopping in and checking on us. More updates to come as always.

I'm Back

2010-10-02T21:40:00.001-04:00

I'm out and a little less radioactive. I went into the hospital Tuesday morning of this past week and was checked in and made radioactive by 12:55pm. I stayed in a room at the end of the hall on the 5th floor with signs all over the door warning not to enter. Joe came up with me and we watched a video about what I should do during my stay and once I am discharged to keep everyone safe. My room looked like a normal hospital room except it had two huge trashcans in front of my bed. One labeled "trash" and another "linens". Next to each can was a large paper mat taped to the floor. I was instructed to leave my trash and linens on the respective mat and whenever the guy who measured my radioactive levels came in, he would take the piles and put them in the corresponding trashcan. My bathroom was basically shrink-wrapped with plastic coverings all over things I would touch, including other items around the room such as the t.v. remote, telephone, chair, etc. It all looked pretty weird. I couldn't bring anything with me that I didn't want to throw away before I was discharged, so I brought three magazines for entertainment.

When it was time, a doctor, nurse, and the radioactive specialist guy (I'm sure that's not his official title) watched me swallow a pill. After that, they all left and so did Joe. I was told to put my clothes in the closet and not open it until it was time to go home. I put on a lovely XXXXXXL hospital gown and . . . got bored really fast. Basically my entertainment consisted of watching looooots of pointless t.v., reading my magazines, showering, waiting for my meals to come, and drinking as many liquids as my body could possibly tolerate. I was told that the sooner the radiation passed out of my body, the sooner I could go home so you best believe I was guzzlin' the H2O. I figured another way to get it out was by sweating so I immediately started bouncing around the room doing jumping jacks, squats, different arm exercises with a stretchy band I brought, etc. However, to my great disappointment, my room was so cold I hardly broke a sweat after exercising for an hour straight. That was frustrating but at least it helped pass the time. It also probably really got the radiation flowing through my body because the rest of the evening I was a little sick to my stomach. Another idea I had to get the radiation out was to take really long, hot showers. Again, to my disappointment, the hospital has the water temperature cautiously set so that there is no chance anyone will burn him or herself thus making it close to impossible to break much of a sweat there, either. My third idea ended up being unsuccessful as well since my room temperature was no where near the 85 degrees to which I had set the thermostat and led me to conclude that it didn't work at all even though the nurses insisted that it did. So in the end, I got the radiation out by drinking lemonade. Thousands and thousands and thousands of calories worth of lemonade. I guess a risk of the radioactive iodine is damage to the salivary glands. That is the reason for the lemonade. It is supposed to stimulate them to keep working. I did have lots of water, too, because there is only so much lemonade a person can drink.

Other highlights of my time included when the nurses would peek in and check on me. They were all really nice and offered to bring me anything I wanted. Usually I just needed more towels, sheets, blankets, gowns, etc. because I had to shower three times a day and after each shower I would change everything out so that I wouldn't reintroduce radiation back into my body once it was washed off. And let me tell you, I've never been more clean in my entire life! I took the longest showers ever and scrubbed like crazy. The times of day that made me most anxious took place at about 9:30am and 4:30pm. That is when the guy with the radiation-reading machine came in and checked my levels. Once they were below two I was told I could go home. The first reading was 11.2 at 4:30pm the first day (Tuesday). Whenever I knew he was going to come, I did everything I could possibly think of to help my reading. I would be freshly showered, I changed the sheets on my bed and folded up my blankets and put them on the complete other side of the room. I closed my bathroom door and put all magazines and things I had been touching far away so that nothing would interfere with the reading. By my 4:30 reading on Thursday I was finally under a two and was told I could leave.

I'm very happy to be out and back in the real world but am still a little radioactive until Tuesday. I'm not supposed to touch anyone and have a few precautions to take. I'm feeling pretty well. I've gone to the gym a couple of times and have been resting and taking it easy. At 2:00pm on Tuesday I have another body scan to see what this large dose of radioactive iodine has done to the remaining cancer. Other good news is that I'm back on my thyroid replacement medicine! I don't feel any different but hopefully I slowly will start feeling back to normal. My endocrinologist said it will probably take at least three months of being back on the medicine before I feel like myself again.

Sooooo

It's a Go

2010-09-25T10:13:00.000-04:00

Second body scan: complete :). I'm now ready to check in to the hospital on Tuesday morning at 9am for my big radioactive iodine treatment. I've been told I get to go home as soon as my radioactivity levels are low enough and I pass it out of my system. That means I plan to drink as much water as possible and make up as many workout routines in my room as possible so I can leave as soon as possible. I've also been told that the side effects aren't bad at all either: swelling and soreness in the neck and difficulty swallowing- what's new, right? I don't need a very big dose of this stuff anyway since there isn't much cancer left hiding anywhere so I should feel just fine during the treatment. Just bored out of my mind as I'll be quarantined and not allowed any visitors. It could be anywhere from 1-4 days. It just depends how quickly it leaves my system.

Last night we went out to eat to celebrate. Roger, Judy, Joe and I ate at 2 Dog restaurant in downtown Gainesville using the gift cards Joe and Roger received for playing in a golf scramble with the Stewarts yesterday. Tonight we'll go to their house for dinner and Joe's brother, Jimmy, will be here tonight to visit for a while.

Yesterday I had a big journal writing session as I just couldn't contain my excitement after receiving such great news after my body scan. Here's a little from that:

"I keep thinking like you're smiling and chuckling at me, shaking your head knowingly saying, "Be careful what you pray for," because I KNOW somewhere, sometime, on some lonely day a few years ago I remember praying at my Indianapolis kitchen table saying I didn't like my boring, unsatisfying, self-fulfilling life and I honestly told you I was completely open for anything. And you were listening. Obviously. Maybe next time I'll just ask you for one small little itsy bitsy exciting event to happen for one day only. Just kidding. I don't regret it and I'm so glad you heard me and took me seriously. I wouldn't trade my life for anything.

I want to be "comfortable with the idea of life as a beautiful mess," (Niequist p.236)."

Since the day before my first scan, for the very first time during my Bible reading, God gave me some verses that really made me feel like this trial was almost over, like I could really see the end and it was looking good. I didn't want to get my hopes up because I still hadn't had my scan, but here is what I read:

"Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. You've already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life . . . Now it's time to be done with it for good . . . take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it." (parts of 1 Peter 4)

"Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner." (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Do you sense the hope in those verses? God knew and always has known what the outcome would be of my scans and I felt him hinting at it through these verses before I had the procedure. Last night I read a little more and continued to sense a hope for a bright future. I feel as if the theme of the verses he has provided for me to read has shifted and I'm encouraged by this. Like the end is almost near for this particular trial.

"Remember every road that GOD led you on . . . He put you through hard times . . . You learned deep in your heart that GOD disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. So it's paramount that you keep the commandments of GOD, your God, walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him. GOD is about to bring you into a good land . . ." (parts of Deut. 8)

"Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up- make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget GOD, your God . . ." (parts of Deut. 8:9-16)

"The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ- eternal and glorious plans they are!- will have you put together and on your feet for good." (part of 1 Peter 5)

I've been thinking a lot lately about this blog. I love that it's an easy, fast way to kind of keep everyone updated, but I also don't like the idea of having too much of my life on the Internet. I think it's a balance. However, when it comes to such crazy events as I have recently been experiencing, I just can't not share. Does that make sense? Then last night, after finally finishing Bittersweet (yes, I'll finally stop quoting it after this) I was really encouraged that I'm doing the right thing by sharing. Here is what I found:

"There are two myths that we tend to believe about our stories: the first is that they're about us, and the second is that they don't matter . . . when we, any of us who have been transformed by Christ, tell our own stories, we're telling the story of who God is." (p. 238)

"The biggest, most beautiful story in the world deserves better than to be told by the same voices over and over again. I think it's time for each of us to do what we can to speak the extraordinary story of God into life in our own ways, whoever we are- not defined by degree, gender, race, format." (p. 238)

"My life is a story about who God is and what he does in a human heart." (p. 240)

" . . . If we allow the gospel to be told only on Sundays, only in sanctuaries, only by approved and educated professionals, that life-changing story will lose its ability to change lives." (p. 240)

With that being said, I will continue to share :).

Guess What?!

2010-09-24T15:41:00.000-04:00

I am literally in the hospital waiting room and just finished my first full body scan. GREAT NEWS!!! I spoke with a doctor afterwards and he told me that there is extremely little cancer remaining in my body. They kept asking me, "Who did your surgery?" Not only does it look amazing on the outside, but apparently it is EXCELLENT on the inside as well. The doctor said that normally they expect to find quite a bit remaining right around the thyroid but I have hardly anything at all. Just a teeny tiny bit where my thyroid was and a little in my salivary glands under my chin. Nothing in the bones, lungs, etc. Can you believe it?! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!

Tomorrow morning I come back to do a second scan at 9am just as a double check. There was a tiny bit that "lit up" as well in my bowel area, but they said that is normal and as long as there is less tomorrow, that means the radioactive iodine is continuing to pass out of my system. Also, it has been confirmed that Tuesday at 9am I will go into the hospital for my large dose. The sooner I can get it out of my system the soon I get to go home. It could only be one to two days total. We'll see.

I am soooooooooo excited right now and hope you are too! Stay tuned for more and remember that nothing is impossible with our Lord Jesus Christ!

On the Inside

2010-09-24T15:22:00.002-04:00

I know two blog entries in one day. I have writing fever and I’m going to go with it. Joe, Roger and Judy are out running errands and I have the whole quiet house to myself. I woke up earlier this morning and God put the idea inside my head to do a bit of reading and journaling, so I made some café con leche in my Dominican greca on the stove and headed back to my room to do just that.

One thing I’ve been forced to think about during these two weeks here is the fact that I have cancer. It was nice to be in Indy and recover from my surgery with family and friends and familiar things to do and places to go. I really enjoyed that time. I was able to reconnect with two good friends and some really good things have and will come out of that. Also, we just love being with Josh and Erin and our niece and nephew, Sophie and Caleb. I’m thankful for the time with them and also that I was able to go to Michigan for my sister’s bridal shower to see other friends I miss terribly. However, the fact is, I do have cancer and it’s not gone yet.

I realize there are several different ways of dealing with this reality and I also believe there is a different way for everyone to handle it. Personally, I do not choose to ignore it, but I do choose not to dwell on it. I choose to focus on how the Lord has provided for me in my life and remember how he always comes through for me in difficult situations. I choose to realize that cancer is just like any other problem in life. What God wills will be done. Of course I pray for complete healing and minimal suffering and for sleep at night when my mind starts to wander into the “what if’s”. I choose not to read books about cancer or living with cancer or Chicken Soup for the Cancer Patient’s Soul or whatever might be out there. It’s not that I want to pretend I don’t have it or anything- trust me, I still have pain in my throat every time I swallow and I see my scar every time I look in the mirror- those are my reminders. It’s just that I’d rather focus on making the most out of this time in my life enjoying all the positives of not having a schedule to follow and being with the ones I love most instead of reading depressing articles and reminding myself daily that my body is currently falling apart. Of course I’ve had my tears and darker moments, they come from time to time, but remembering all the good God has blessed me with is how I sleep at night. It’s what keeps the worry away. It’s what makes me wake up smiling each morning. Praise God!

This morning I read a verse that made me look to the future. It made me think about my life if/when God takes the cancer away from me. The verse is talking about when God had lead his people to a wonderful new land where everything was nice and set-up for them, the livin’ looked easy and it seemed that everything would be right in the world after wandering for so long in the desert. Deuteronomy 6:12 says,

“When you take it all in and settle down, pleased and content, make sure you don’t forget how you got there- GOD brought you out of slavery in Egypt.”

Someday, God willing, I’ll be drinking coffee on a cool spring morning with the windows open, listening to the birds chirping, journaling at my kitchen table in my house in Indy, after two and a half years of living in the Dominican Republic and after a glorious victory over cancer, and I want to remember this verse.

I hope none of you are sick of Shauna Niequist quotes yet, because she perfectly knows how to sum up a lot of things that I think and feel. The following are from her latest book, Bittersweet and were very encouraging to me today:

Anything can happen in a year . . . It won’t be sweet forever. But it won’t be bitter forever either . . . This season will end, and something entirely new will follow it. (pg. 212)

Such is life, right? There is always hope ahead during rough times. However, sometimes it’s hard to remember that when you’re caught up in your problems and can’t clearly see the way out.

But, oh, the middle. I hate the middle. The middle is the fog, the exhaustion, the loneliness, the daily battle against despair and the nagging fear that tomorrow will be just like today, only you’ll be wearier and less able to defend yourself against it. The middle is a lonely place, when you try to connect but you feel like thick glass is separating you from the rest of the world, isolating and deadening everything. (pg. 216)

You don’t know what the story is about when you’re in the middle of it. You think you do, but you don’t. You make up all kinds of possible story lines . . . you can guess all you want, but you don’t know. All you can do is keep walking. (pg. 216)

Keep walking and keep praying and keep hoping. Eventually the end will come.

And the end is beautiful. You are wiser, better, deeper. You know things you didn’t previously know, you’ve shed things you previously clung to. The end is revelation, resolution, a soft place to land. (pg. 216)

In the meantime, before I get to the end of this particular struggle, I will be thankful and enjoy my life and the people around me.

I’m beginning to think that’s all you can ask for, in those seasons, for sweet moments of reprieve in the company of people you love. (pg. 217)

And to all of you who are far away, I so much appreciate the creative ways in which you have been sending me love and encouragement. I feel so loved and blessed by all of your cards, emails, gifts, and messages. I have been especially touched by the encouragement from old high school and college friends I sadly haven’t seen in years and I thank you all so much for going out of your way to send me your kind words and prayers. There is just something special about hearing from an old friend.

Once again, thank you all so much for staying in touch via this blog and for all your prayers and support. I’m signing off for now and promise to update again soon.

Shannon J

Two Weeks of Treatment

2010-09-24T13:59:00.002-04:00

*This entry was written yesterday but I didn't have internet to post until today*

Well, we’re back in Georgia once again, this time for quite awhile as I have my schedule full of doctor appointments and another hospital stay. We’re staying in the Stewart family’s old house which they are trying to sell (it’s beautiful, by the way, if anyone is looking!) and we’re very close to the hospital and doctors’ offices and everything we could need. When I say “we” I’m referring to Joe, myself, along with Joe’s parents, Roger and Judy, who have come to keep us company while we’re here these next two weeks or so. It’s nice to have our own space and we’re having fun “camping” in the empty house which now isn’t as empty as we have air mattresses, patio furniture, and a TV with a DVD player.

To fill you in on what our time here looks like, let me first update you on what’s happened so far. Roger and Judy came to Josh and Erin’s house (Joe’s sister’s family, where we stay when we visit Indianapolis since my and Joe’s house is being rented) and we drove down to Gainesville, Georgia together this past Monday. On Tuesday I had two appointments. The first with Dr. Harris, my endocrinologist (thyroid doctor, or . . . now no-thyroid doctor) who is an amazing woman, I must say! With all her energy and smiling she could tell you your right arm was going to be chopped off and convince you that you’ll be great and not to worry. She helped me get appointments set up for my radioactive iodine body scans and hospital stay (more about those in a minute).

We then went to see my beloved surgeon, Dr. Farmer, so he could admire his work. Just kidding- he seems very humble about it, but I gather that he must be content since everyone who knows or doesn’t know about surgery is just raving about how incredible my scar looks. He then “snaked my nose” as I lovingly call it, by sending a camera on a long tube down my right nostril to check out my vocal chords. For those of you who haven’t had the experience of hearing my voice, it’s still kind of quiet and raspy- and by raspy I mean like a little boy going through puberty, nothing fun or sexy like I was hoping. This time, he brought the TV screen right up to my face so that to my horror, then quickly my interest, I could see the camera pass through my hairy nose, down my throat and stop just above my calamari-shaped vocal chords. At least I think that’s kind of what they look like. He had me count, “one, two, three, four, five” and we watched the larger one of my vocal chords dance around while the other would move a little every once-in-a-while. It’s definitely kickin’ in there but is still healing and hopefully will continue to heal back to normal. I’ll have another check-up with him probably in December.

Yesterday, I became slightly radioactive. Yup. Watch out, I glow in the dark now. Not really. But I went to the hospital, got checked in, and went to nuclear medicine. They took some blood work to make sure I wasn’t pregnant then brought me to a room and brought out a silver jar. Inside the jar was one capsule. I swallowed it with a little water and, voila! Radioactive! The reason for this small dose is for my body scans that I will have tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday. These scans are very important because they will show the doctors what to do next with my cancer treatments. The radioactive iodine that I swallowed in the pill will go around in my body and be “sucked up” by any remaining thyroid cells in my body. My thyroid cancer could be in other areas (remember it was in a lot of surrounding lymph nodes, which were removed in what they call a “neck dissection” during my total thyroidectomy, which took place a month ago tomorrow) and the scan will show us where the cancer remains.

The way this works is related to why thyroid cancer is so treatable. Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body that can absorb iodine. For this reason, the iodine given to me has been made radioactive, so that when it becomes absorbed by the thyroid cells (which can be hiding anywhere in my body- lymph nodes, lungs, bones, etc.) it will actually poison and kill them. This is a great treatment because only the thyroid cells are poisoned (as opposed to destroying “good cells” like other cancer treatments). So tomorrow, when they do the full body scan, the areas of my body that still have thyroid cancer cells will be “lit up” from the radioactive iodine pill I took yesterday, then they’ll do a second scan Saturday morning. Pretty cool, huh?

As for being radioactive, it’s not as cool as it sounds. Believe it or not, I have no superpowers unless you count being “untouchable”. I literally am not supposed to be within a few feet of people and cannot touch anyone. I flush the toilet twice, shower in a separate shower, wash my dirty clothes in a separate load, eat on paper and plastic dishes then throw them away, and sleep alone. It’s not fun and I cried afterward because I forgot to hug Joe before I went in for the treatment. However, it’s only three days then I get to be pretty normal for a few days before I go in for the “big dose” in the hospital.

As for said hospital stay, they’re hoping to get me in Tuesday but it might not be until Wednesday. I’ll then stay until Friday or Saturday. Those days will be the “ultimate seclusion” days as I’ll be super radioactive from the large dose of radioactive iodine I’ll receive. The amount they give me is based off of how much cancer they find once they do my full body scans. Some people say I’ll feel just fine and others have said it will feel like I have the flu. I guess everyone reacts differently. I’ll find out more about what I can bring and not bring to help pass the time in “quarantine” or whatever they call it once I talk to the doctor who will do the body scans on Friday and Saturday.

I think (again, plans change and we’re trying to keep all these appointments straight!) a week from my hospital stay I have one more full body scan. I could be wrong. I’ll let you know later. But I DO know that I will finally FINALLY be able to start back up my most favorite medicine in the world 48 hours after my big radioactive iodine dose. Anyone have a guess as to what that medicine is? Thyroid replacement!!! I cannot wait. I know I won’t instantly feel better but I’ll be on the road out of this crazy hypothyroid state. However, like I said before, I really shouldn’t complain because with all these prayers you all have been sending on my behalf, I am doing much better than expected. I’m sure my TSH is well into the 200s by now and . . . drum roll, please . . . I ran for the first time yesterday since my surgery! Hooray! I did two miles with my pace being about a minute slower than usual, but I did it! It didn’t hurt at all and I think it was good for my throat and lungs because it got me coughing and cleared out a little bit. Funny thing is, my coughs still sound like old man sneezes so the lady on the treadmill next to me kept saying, “bless you!” Another good thing about starting my thyroid replacement medicine is that I get to be almost hyperthyroid for the next five years. My endocrinologist wants to keep my TSH at zero for five years because it’s supposed to keep the cancer away better.

Thyroid cancer IS very treatable, but it does tend to return. I will most likely have another full body scan in December, then another six months later to check the progress. Hopefully, then, after six months I can be declared a thyroid cancer survivor! Then, I’ve been told I’ll have a yearly body scan (I think) to monitor everything for the rest of my life. Let’s just pause and marvel at this modern medicine the Lord has blessed us with!

So there you have it. My two weeks in Georgia. Of course we’re doing fun things too (not that destroying cancer isn’t fun!). We’ve already eaten at some fun restaurants, one being an authentic Mexican place (which is pretty easy to find around here) where our waitress didn’t even know English (which of course was fun for us to speak Spanish and a relief, I’m sure, for her) and the other being a place we had previously visited and had to take Roger and Judy to- Johnny’s Barbeque, to get the lunch special of pulled pork and eat outside on the porch and drink sweet tea.

Joe and I also decided to join a gym using some money that was given to us as a gift. If you’re not at “work out person” then I apologize if this makes no sense to you, but it is so great to have a place here to go do something productive and get out and have a reason to feel good about myself. I’m completely and utterly addicted to endorphins and I need them each day like I need sleep. Yes, even in my extreme hypothyroid state I crave going to the gym. Our lives in the DR prepared me well as our normal time of day for going to the gym was in the afternoon after I had been working in the kitchen for nine hours straight. We were always hot and tired going in, and always more hot but energized coming out. I think that mentality of making myself go even though I was tired disciplined me for now because no matter how badly I feel going, afterward I always feel so fresh and accomplished ready to start the day all over again!

I’m sure we’ll have more adventures in Gainesville to come. Saturday night we’re bringing Johnny’s for dinner to the Stewart family to hang with them and watch football. Also, our resident travel guide (Judy) has already visited the Chamber of Commerce and has a stack of pamphlets on all the apple houses and river sports the area has to offer so I’m sure we’ll keep busy. We’ve had a slumber party on our air mattresses in the living room watching Red Box movies (Julie & Julia then Blindside- both I loved) and have been creative using the cookware Judy brought for us to make meals in the empty kitchen. Life is good! I’ll be sure to update with information from my body scans as soon as we know anything.

Crazy TSH

2010-09-17T14:33:00.000-04:00

Good news! My blood work results came back from yesterday. I needed my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level to be greater than 25 in order to get my treatment next week . . . and it is 191! I feel like a walking medical miracle haha. Mostly because I'm actually walking with a TSH that high. Today was the first day I've been more bothered by some of the effects of having no thyroid hormone. I still ran some errands this morning but my afternoon will include a nap. I came home from the grocery store and told Joe I was feeling "hypo" today (as in feeling hypothyroid symptoms). A few minutes later the phone rang and we got the news that my TSH was 191. Hmmm... makes sense now. Just to give you a reference, a normally functioning thyroid is usually under 5 (I was always happy when mine was as close to 1 as possible).

So, what this all means is, on Monday we drive down to Gainesville, Georgia again and I have a body scan and undergo the radioactive iodine treatment. I'll stay the night in my plastic-covered hospital room and probably eat food given to me through the slot in the wall. Then we'll hang around Gainesville until I'm less radioactive and can ride in a car without overly exposing Joe to my "radioactiveness". Please pray that this treatment does the trick and gets rid of any remaining cancer cells in my body. It is known for being very effective but sometimes you have to do it more than once. Also please pray for me as I'll kind of be in seclusion for a little while and may feel a little sick from the iodine. I don't really know what to expect but it's pretty obvious that God is hearing our prayers because I'm feeling so well with my crazy TSH levels. I'll update again sometime next week to let you all know how it went!

Staying Strong

2010-09-13T14:04:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Indianapolis. Joe and I returned home last night from a weekend adventure in Michigan with a quick stop at Joe's parents' home in Wauseon to see Roger and Judy along with Grandma Z. We arrived at my parents' house in White Lake, Michigan Thursday evening and spent time with them until Sunday afternoon. Thursday was a great day. I had breakfast in Broad Ripple with a good childhood friend, Amanda, then Joe and I stopped at Taylor to take my brother, Steve, out to lunch at a new Mexican restaurant. We had dinner with my parents at their house then went to the airport to pick up my sister, Katie, who flew in from New York for the weekend.

This weekend was supposed to be a double-shower weekend for my sister. I was going to throw one in Grand Rapids on Friday night for her girlfriends, then my aunts planned one at Grace Church for White Lake area people and family the next evening. However, once I had surgery, plans had to change so we just did the church shower on Saturday. Lots of friends came in from Grand Rapids and it was so fun to see ladies from church and of course my family. I had no idea how I was going to be feeling and wasn't initially planning on being able to attend the shower so it was great that I could go. It was fun to see so many friends but sad because it was such a short period of time. The GR girls spent the night but had to leave early the next morning and Joe and I drove Katie to the airport later that afternoon on our way out of town.

I'm starting my third week of zero thyroid hormone. Supposedly I should be feeling just awful right now . . . and I'm not. I don't want to speak too soon or anything, but I'm feeling pretty great! I am so thankful to God that he is allowing me to be feeling so well during this time. Thank you all so much for your prayers- they are definitely being heard so please continue to pray! I have minor symptoms (slightly more tired, feeling "puffy" all over especially in my face, difficulty regulating body temperature) but other than that I am feeling normal and able to carry out normal daily activities. Praise God for this blessing! My neck continues to be healing well, too. It still hurts to swallow and I have a very quiet, raspy voice, but that seems to be improving slowly every day. Yesterday was my first day without Tylenol for pain and I'm not hurting much today either. I'm still taking vitamins to support my parathyroid. My neck and upper chest area is still quite stiff but I'm carefully trying to stretch and work on holding my head up straight and shoulders down (my head keeps wanting to tilt to the right). I can still feel tight areas in my neck and chest where there are probably stitches or something on the inside so I'm being careful with those. My neck up to my right ear is still numb and every once in a while something randomly "jolts" to life kind of painfully then goes away. I keep telling myself the total recovery time is 6-8 weeks and I'm not even halfway there yet! What I'd love most is to have my voice back so please remember to pray for that.

My friend Julie sent me a book called Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist and I've really been soaking it up these past couple of days. I'd like to share a few of my favorite quotes from my reading thus far. I really recommend this book to anyone, especially if you as well are going through some more difficult times. She has another great book called Cold Tangerines which I also loved. She's a young mom from the Midwest who writes in an easy to read voice and is very open and honest about her life experiences.

"I believe God is making all things new . . . I believe that suffering is part of the narrative, and that nothing really good gets built when everything is easy. I believe that loss and emptiness and confusion often give way to new fullness and wisdom."

"I know now that I can make it through more than I thought, with less than I thought. I know better than to believe that the changes are over, and I know better than to believe that the next ones will be easier, but I've learned the hard way that change is one of God's greatest gifts and one of his most useful tools."

". . . In many cases, change is not a function of life's cruelty but instead a function of God's graciousness."

"I'll choose to believe that sometimes the happiest ending isn't the one you keep longing for, but something you absolutely cannot see from where you are."

"I believe deeply that God does his best work in our lives during times of great heartbreak and loss, and I believe that much of that rich work is done by the hands of people who love us, who dive into the wreckage with us and show us who God is, over and over and over."

That final quote is such a great description of how overwhelmingly loved I have felt during this time in my life. You all have been so supportive and wonderful I just can't describe it. I have received countless cards and gifts, messages and emails and feel so truly loved and blessed as a result. Thank you all for turning such a difficult and uncertain time into a season of love and thanksgiving and joy!

I leave you with two pictures. The first is of picture of my beautiful sister, Katie, with her husband-to-be, Steve Niebauer. Steve works for Vimeo (video hosting website) and they are both living in Manhattan, NY. Katie just got a job as an occupational therapy assistant at a nursing home type clinic. They will be married December 17th and we all can't wait!

And here's a picture of us with our mom, Gloria, at Katie's shower on Saturday night. Our aunts and cousins did a great job hosting. There were a lot of guests and it was a cute sunflower theme.

The Scar Debut!

2010-09-04T14:32:00.002-04:00

There you have it! A first look at the scar in it's freshest form.

I got the stitches out yesterday morning. Dr. Farmer did an absolutely amazing job. I can't believe how good it looks and am so thankful for the extra time and care he put into my surgery. It still is kind of scabby and red and the dot below is where the drainage tube was. I can't wait to see how noticeable it is once it heals completely. After getting the stitches out, Dr. Farmer told me that during the surgery he took out around 40 lymph nodes from the front of my neck and from under my breast bone. Of those 40, almost 90% of them were infected with the thyroid cancer. From the right side of my neck he took out a lesser number of lymph nodes (I don't remember the exact number) and the prevalence of cancer was much lower. We are now praying that the radioactive iodine treatment I will have in a few weeks will kill any remaining cancer cells in my body. Papillary Thyroid Cancer is the best kind of cancer to get because it responds very well to the treatment and has an extremely high survival rate. Since I'm so young and it's probably only stage one, maybe two, I'm very confident in positive results.

After getting the stitches out we got in the car and drove to Indianapolis (well, Joe drove). It was a bit of a difficult ride for me as I couldn't lie back because the bumps of the road bothered my neck so I had to sit up and forward the whole nine hours. However, once we got there everything felt much more loose and flexible so I think it was good for me.

Last night was my first good night of sleep. The pain levels are finally low enough to rest well. This morning I signed up for a gym membership here in Indy. I have no idea how I'll be feeling these next couple weeks without my thyroid medicine as I prepare for my radioactive iodine treatment, but I feel like every little bit helps. It was really frustrating to try to do much of anything but it felt good to get out of the house and do something semi-productive. It will give me reason to leave the house and have something to accomplish each day. I tried lifting weights (half the weight of what I normally do) and stretching out my right arm and neck in general. It was pretty disappointing but I will be patient and try not to move too quickly. As I lifted it reminded me that the inside of my chest and neck still have a lot going on inside and I'm still going to have to be really careful. After my lifting attempt, I got on the treadmill. My throat was so swollen from lifting I was quickly out of breath after walking a 1/2 mile (and I'm used to running 4-6)! Haha oh well. One day at a time.

As for now, please pray that I'll do well these next two weeks or so without any thyroid replacement hormone. It could get scary but so far I'm feeling pretty good. Also pray that my parathyroid glands will do well in their new reattached home and process my vitamins well so I don't have to be on vitamin C and D forever, too. Once my TSH (thyroid hormone level) reaches 25, I'll be ready to start the iodine treatment. We're hoping that will happen as quickly as possible so I can get my body back to normal very soon.

Thanks for stopping by :). Anyone in the Indy area~ I'm here! I have an open schedule and so far have a good amount of energy. Let me know if you want to hang out <3

How God Works (Warning- Long Post)

2010-09-01T21:31:00.000-04:00

This entry is going to be a bit of a "reflection" as I skim back on some older journal entries. The first part comes from June 21 as I started getting more frustrated/nervous about my health situation. You all say I'm so strong . . . maybe you'll change your minds once you read my words when I first started processing everything :). This is the most I've ever consecutively journaled and written down my daily thoughts (almost every day between then and now) and God showed me so much during that time. I figure it is intended to be shared since it is share a rarity, so enjoy.

"June 21, 2010
Health issues make me really nervous ever since my stomach issues began (back in Oct-Dec '08). Now my thyroid feels like it's been growing lately and I'm kind of freaked out about it . . . I always kind of prided myself on my general sense of calm and patience in difficult situations. It hasn't been so lately. I realize that is a direct insult and blunt display of disrespect and lack of trust in you, Lord. Please don't leave me as a result of my shortcomings. I can't believe you always choose to continue loving me and doing what's best for me. You are amazing. I love you. Give me a strong and smart mind to do what should be done as far as contacting doctors and scheduling tests. The rest is up to you. I'm going to plant the mango tree seed, you make it grow and turn into something (an analogy from a Dominican church service)."

"June 22, 2010
. . . Trying with all my might and strength to trust you, Lord. I feel so stupid for having difficulties with that . . . what happened? You have the same control over this as you do anything else. You numbered my days before I was born so what's going to change? I want to want you more. I want to fall more and more in love with you. I want to be so close (to you) that if my life does end up being shorter than I would have imagined, I would rejoice at the fact that I get to be with you sooner. 'There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.' ~Phil. 1:29(ish)."

"June 23, 2010
. . . Relying on you will make me grow stronger in you, I know . . . but it's definitely not always the easiest thing to do. However, I ALWAYS feel more comfortable knowing YOU are the leader and author of my life story rather than me. I TRUST YOU. Don't let me fall apart. I TRUST YOU. You've never let me down."

"June 24, 2010
(Day of my first thyroid ultrasound done in my town in the Dominican Republic. I was told to get it checked out soon to get started on the process of what is it.) Of COURSE you'd give me the number one verse in your word about worry today. Nothing is too difficult for you, is it? 'Don't fret of worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." ~Phil. 4:6-8."

"June 24, 2010
'For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels- everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.' ~Col. 1:16-? Every breath I take is a gift from you. You are in control of everything and sustain the earth. The whole earth is created to glorify you. May I do my part today."

"June 30, 2010
. . . I did some more reading yesterday . . . maybe I shouldn't have. I'm hoping it's caused by a virus, parasite, or food intolerance. Not Hodgkin's Disease or something else bad :(. I know you already know what it is, God. You knew when you created me I would go through this. Of COURSE you would give me freaking JOB to read today. Why do I feel mad yet comforted???
Job Into. page notes:
-it is not suffering as such that troubles us. It is undeserved suffering
-adults grow and realize there is no relationship between doing wrong and pain
-we do right and get knocked down sometimes
-you learn if you're good and careful you grow up 'healthy, wealthy, and wise' -that is a lie
-people do not suffer less when they are committed to following God, but more. When these people go through suffering, their lives are often transformed, deepened, marked with beauty and holiness, in remarkable ways that could never have been anticipated before the suffering
-quit feeling sorry for people who suffer and instead look up to them, learn from them
"Job got to his feet, ripped his robe, shaved his head, then fell to the ground and worshipped: Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed. Not once did Job sin; not once did he blame God." ~Job 1:20-22"

"July 6, 2010
. . . Last night was horrible. I cried off and on all afternoon and evening, but Joe finally cried right before bed. He doesn't cry much and I didn't like it. We're trying to hold it together since I haven't been diagnosed with anything. I'm trying to read up on stuff and educate myself so if I get the worst news that it's cancer I will know that there is an 80% plus survival rate (worst case). That's pretty good. Sometimes I feel so strong and tough and other times I run out of the room and break down in tears. We have to make it through these two weeks of groups . . . I'm prepared to fight whatever is wrong with me. I have God on my side keeping me strong and sane. I also have my good body that is in top physical shape. I try my hardest to eat right and sleep enough. God I have no idea what you're doing or why but I do know that I was made for this. When you created me you designed my body to do this so I trust you and your plan. May it all bring me closer to you and to Joe. Please Lord be with him and give him strength and reassurance. We need you in so many ways right now. It's crazy to think that all this could be absolutely nothing. Yet at the same time it really could be something big. Last night when Joe and I went to read you gave us Psalm 139. Thank you for choosing to speak to us in that way. Neither of us had he strength to read it out loud without crying so we just silently read it together. Thank you for comforting us. Give me strength and courage for this day ahead and do not allow our minds to wander towards negative things Satan tries to get us to think about. If you don't come through and help me I won't make it through today. That's just how it is. I'm counting on you with all I've got."

"July 7, 2010
I'm feeling a lot more calm and peaceful now. Yesterday was pretty good and I feel ok so far this morning . . . thank you Lord for hearing our prayers. "Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." ~1 Thes. 5:16. Whatever, wherever, I am safe with my God who watches over me and made me exactly how I am. Psalm 139: "I am wonderfully made". I will "give thanks in all circumstances" and "be cheerful no matter what".
(After reading Rom. 5:3-5) 'Passionate patience' sucks. Being patient is never easy . . . I'm ready to be boring for a little while. I just want to be left alone. I don't want to practice patience. I'm tired of fighting things . . . I keep getting more and more broken. My body sucks. I'm really disappointed, God. I never thought you'd turn me into this. Can't you find a different way to change and grow me? I don't like this. I'm so sick and tired of this health crap. Help me quickly! I'm going crazy and can't take this anymore. I hate this. Save me now! :( God help. Save me and show your strength and mercy. I'm almost at the end of my rope. If you don't come through I'm done for. I'm losing hope. I need something encouraging. I need you now. I can't take this much longer. I've had enough. Make it stop."

"July 8, 2010
'All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. You're suffering now, but justice is on the way.' ~2 Thes 1:5. When, Lord? When will justice arrive? When will you decide I've had enough? Next week? Next year? Never? You know I trust you and won't leave you , but this is making me really mad and sad. Please, Father God, have mercy. I'm begging you. I've had enough. Step in and save me. Be my hero. I feel changed. I've learned. I've grown. Now please just make it stop. 'Where's the strength to keep my hopes up? What future do I have to keep me going? Do you think I have nerves of steel? Do you think I'm made of iron? Do you think I can pull myself up by my bootstraps? Why, I don't even have boots!' ~Job 6:10(ish). God I'm so mad. I literally now EXPECT you will speak to me each time I come to the Bible for comfort. Thank you for coming through with that so far."

"July 9, 2010
'Oh, God, my Lord, step in, work a miracle for me- you can do it! Get me out of here- your love is so great!- I'm at the end of my rope, my life in ruins. I'm fading away to nothing, passing away, my youth gone, old before my time . . . help me, oh help me, God, my God. Save me through your wonderful love; then they'll know that your hand is in this, that you, God, have been at work.' ~Psalm 109:21-29. Today I have my CT scan of my neck and thorax at 1:30pm in Santo Domingo. God I'm still mad but I trust you . . .".

"July 19, 2010
Psalm 116 (Parts of it):
I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him . . . 'Please God!' I cried out. 'Save my life!' God is gracious- it is he who makes things right, our most compassionate God. God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope he saved me. I said to myself, 'Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings.' . . . What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me? . . . Oh, God, here I am, your servant: set me free for your service! I'm ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name God I'll complete what I promised God I'd do.'
'Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble.' ~2 Tim 3:11(is)"

"July 25, 2010
'Even though troubles came down on me hard, your commands always gave me delight. The way you tell me to live is always right; help me understand it so I can live to the fullest.' Psalm 119:140(ish).'"

"July 27, 2010
'I look to you, heaven-dwelling God, look up to you for help. Like servants, alert to their master's commands, like a maiden attending her lady, we're watching and waiting, holding our breath, awaiting your word of mercy. Mercy, God, mercy! We've been kicked around long enough . . .' Psalm 123."

"August 3, 2010
'Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God's son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.' Heb. 5:7-8(ish)."

"August 7, 2010
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhh!!! :(
The biopsy will NOT be done in Santo Domingo! The process is too long and the secretary is a moron. Just found out yesterday. Now our vacation will involve driving to Gainesville, Georgia to see Dr. Scot Stewart, and ENT surgeon from our teams. He is awesome and will take good care of us . . . I trust him far more than the Dominican doctors. But Lord, we're so sad to miss going to the condo (Joe's parents' place in northern Michigan) with everyone and spending our vacation time this way and just having to wait so freaking LONG. I'm really sad. However, I'm very grateful for how you've provided for us."

"August 11, 2010
Lord I'm anxiously waiting for you to finish the story you're writing about my neck. It will be complete in about two weeks, right? Once I spend my time with Dr. Stewart in Georgia? I'm ready to share how you comforted me and strengthened me during this difficult situation. I plan to blog about it because I want others to be able to grow through my experience as well. I seriously have seen you in so many new ways. I've come to you almost every morning and have established a more dedicated love for you. I understand you more and hear you more clearly. Thank you for these difficulties. I have never learned patience like this before. This has been my most difficult test yet. After experiencing your faithfulness through these difficult times, Lord, I know you even more and have an even stronger trust in your plan for me. I truly wake up each day wondering what excellent blessings you will bring my way. You truly love me and want only the best for me. Thank you for your blessings."

"August 12, 2010
'This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training . . . we respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? . . . It's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationships with God.' ~Heb. 12:4-11(parts)."

"August 20, 2010
I have papillary thyroid carcinoma. Cancer. I'm ok with this. Lord, you've prepared me well. I trust you completely. Surgery is Thursday. We won't go back to the DR until January at the earliest. Crazy. "

"August 21, 2010
Everyone has been really nice to me (here in Gainesville and friends online). I'm trying to be tough, brave, positive, strong and joyful. 'Those who fear God get God's attention, they can depend on his strength.' ~Psalm 147:11. . . . After reading James 1: Amen! God I have to laugh whenever you so blatantly speak to me! Once again, of COURSE you would give me this to read in your perfect timing! I am more in love with you than ever. You feel closer than ever. I think I've known deep down you've been preparing me for battle. Thank you for letting this happen in the States. Major problems would have occurred in the DR . . . they just wanted to remove it. No biopsy. Scary hospital and waaaaay less trained doctors. Thank you for Dr. Scot Stewart, his amazing family, their generosity, the mission team from Gainesville . . . all the support from everywhere. It's so unreal I can't believe this is happening and it's my life. Most people don't ever get this much love and attention EVER at one time. I am so happy! So strange . . . but I am. I am blessed more than ever. P.S. The hospitals and offices here are like Spas . . . such a contrast from Santo Domingo even . . . I cried after seeing the waiting room here."

* * *

I warned you in the title this was a long post! And that was just a glimpse of what's been going through my mind these past couple of months. God is so good. I can't say it enough. He equipped me well for battle and I'm doing well fighting. Today was my best day yet since surgery. My pain is going down a lot and I'm not napping all day long. I've been off the strong pain meds and just take 2 Tylenol every 6 hours when my nurse (Joe) brings it to me :). I can't wait to get the stitches out on Friday. After that we'll go to Indy and get blood work shortly after. Once my thyroid hormone levels get crazy enough I'll be ready for my radioactive iodine treatment. Pray for me to hang in there during this time without thyroid replacement hormone. Just look up the symptoms of hypothyroidism and multiply them to the extreme and that is what these next few weeks look like for me. Hopefully they'll never get too extreme. Anyway, I hope God somehow has blessed you through reading this and getting a better idea of what my experience has been like. It's a little tough/weird to post journal entries but I really feel like God wants me to share what's been going on so you can benefit as well through what he's been doing in my life.

A Few More Hospital Pictures

2010-08-30T10:16:00.000-04:00

Today I woke up feeling better than ever. I went downstairs, got some coffee, did some stretches and squats, and am now checking up on email and facebook. I have very little pain but am just very, very stiff. Yesterday I went for a walk with Joe for about 15 minutes . . . very slowly, but I still got out :). I slept well and didn't feel sick at all during the night or this morning. I'm very encouraged by all of this. My voice still sounds like a train whistle and it's not comfortable to talk but it's getting better. I was told it might be like this for quite a few months but should get better. My right side of my neck is still numb and I've been told the numbness should shrink down eventually, but my right ear will most likely always be numb.

Here are a few more pictures from the hospital that were on our camera. Remember, I'm at the Stewarts' home now but I just wanted to post these. They show my scar pretty well and my drainage tube that I had. I'm so happy with the scar. I was told normally it would just be cut straight across in the front, then take almost a right angle straight up. Dr. Farmer was very good to me and really took his time to give me a beautiful curve on the lower part of my neck and he stitched everything instead of stapling. I'm very thankful for his hard and careful work.

Joe said, "pretend you're opening it like a grenade"

With my mom <3

Sitting in my beautiful room

This was from the day before my surgery :)

Lots of Rest

2010-08-29T16:02:00.000-04:00

I'm currently resting and recovering in the Stewart Family's house. I have a beautiful room in the top corner of the house overlooking the lake with lots of trees all around. Half of the room is windows so there is a lot off light coming in and a great view. I'm very comfortable here. We'll be here until at least Friday when I get my stitches out. After that we're hoping to head to Indy to stay at Joe sister's house and spend time with her family and our Indianapolis friends. We'll return to Georgia later for my radioactive iodine treatment.

The coming home day yesterday went well. I rested and went downstairs for dinner. Joe is my personal chef and I have given him very detailed instructions earlier about how I want to be eating during this time. Without my thyroid and thyroid replacement medicine, by metabolism is pretty much shot, so when I do eat, I want to be eating good and healthy things. Last night I was able to eat some chicken breast with green beans and a little bit of cheddar cheese. Yum :). This morning, however, I woke up feeling a bit nauseated. I also have been feeling very swollen (duh) but especially in the back of my throat. I threw up twice (that felt just awful) and Dr. Stewart got me a prescription for some anti-nausea medicine since I didn't have any. I had to take some once at the hospital my second night. Dr. Stewart also used his "antenna" looking machine to go down my nose and look at my voice box this morning. The right side is really swollen so I've been sitting propped up a lot today and have had ice on my neck. Hopefully that will go down soon.

Most of the time I'm in bed sleeping trying to let my body do it's thing and heal. The pain meds are strong and knock me out pretty well. We've been trying to spread them out further so I can get less and less dependent. Joe has been a good nurse. He's been getting me my medicine about every four hours all day and all night long. He's made me yummy food (oat bran with fruit salsa for lunch today) and has been taking good care of me. It's going to be a long road but I'm still feeling positive. Some moments I feel great and am so happy I'm doing so well then all of a sudden a set back comes along (like getting extra swollen and sick this morning) and you just have to keep going. Through it all we continue to feel so blessed and loved by our friends and family and ESPECIALLY our great friends here in Gainesville who have been just amazing. Thank you all so much! I'll leave you with two pictures from yesterday as we were leaving the hospital:

Leaving the Hospital!

2010-08-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

Shannon here, this time. Just got the word from Dr. Farmer that I get to leave the hospital. Here is a picture of us yesterday:

And here is the beautiful hosptial where I've been staying:

I'm about to get my drain taken out of my neck and will be sent home with some pain killers and vitamin C and D since my remaining parathyroid (not to be confused with thyroid, which was removed) is not quite processing those vitamins enough. I'll get my stitches out on Friday and hopefully get to head to Indy after that. I'm thyroid-free now . . . for better or for worse. I've been told it's going to be a rough couple of weeks without my thyroid replacement meds but it's necessary to do to prep for the radioactive iodine treatment I'll get later to kill off any remaining cancer cells that didn't get cut out in surgery. More pictures to come later :).

Update from Joe

2010-08-26T21:47:00.001-04:00

I am writing this blog from the side of Shannon's hospital bed. We have had a great day.

We woke up this morning at 7:00, got dressed, and arrived at the hospital by 8:30. We were able to make it out of the house in record time due to the fact that Shannon wasn't allowed to drink her coffee, eat breakfast, put on makeup, put on lotion, put in contacts, etc. Basically, we saved at least an hour given her circumstances.

Upon arrival, we sat around for fifteen minutes and then Shannon was taken into pre op and got ready to go. We were able to see a few of our friends (Dr.Jack Griffith, Dr. John Burnes, John Steinkraus, Dr. Scot Stewart, Dr. Rod Finlayson) in pre op and before she was wheeled off, were able to pray together with Dr. Farmer (her surgeon).

Shannon's surgery started at 9:58 and we (Shannon's parents, one set of her grandparents, and I) retreated to the waiting room. We enjoyed talking, emailing, reading, and just being together for the next five or so hours while Dr. Farmer did his thing. I would get a phone call every forty-five minutes or so from a nurse in the ER giving an update of Shannon's status. That was reassuring. We also had at least six different friends stop by the waiting room to tell us hi. One of which, Laurie, made sure to tell us that she had put in a special request to take care of Shannon when she hit the post op floor. It has been so nice to have people we know and trust at every step along the way. Around 3:15 or so, the surgery was over and an hour later I was able to go hang with Shannon for a while until she was ready to have everyone else come up for a visit.

We are all in awe of how amazing this hospital/her room/everything is here. I thought it was maybe just a little culture shock until I realized Rick (Shannon's dad) was jealous that I was going to get to sleep here tonight and he had to go back to the hotel. God is really taking care of us.

Shannon is doing great. She is currently on many pain killers including a "magic button" where she can administer her own dose of morphine. She has made great improvements even in the last couple hours. Her color is better and voice is coming back. There isn't very much swelling and her stitches looks good. Her actual sincere words the first time she used a mirror to look at her scar were "It looks pretty!" I am not joking. Her spirits are high. She is having a little hard time swallowing as you might imagine, but still was able to take a couple pills this evening without too much pain.

In closing, I just want to thank everyone so much for their thoughts and prayers. God's hand was obvious today for so many reasons. Dr. Farmer's work was flawless. Shannon's body has reacted well to everything. I had a very calm day without any anxious thoughts. We have truly been blessed during this experience. We still have a long road in front of us, but we really feel like God has equippeded us in ways only He can. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

More to come soon... hopefully from Shannon's hand.

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

2010-08-25T23:09:00.000-04:00

Hello friends :). Joe and I are currently in the lovely home of Dr. Jack and Barbara Griffeth in Gainesville, Georgia. They are also members of our Gainesville Dominican team and were actually the team leaders last year. My parents flew down this evening and are driving here from Atlanta. My grandparents Dick and Nora Wilson will be around tomorrow as well. My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10:30am and should last around three hours so prayers will be appreciated! God has continued to give us an amazing peace about everything. I actually have the easiest job because I just get to go to sleep. We'll try to keep the blog updated (Joe will probably take over for a few days) and will be here in Gainesville for at least a week longer after the surgery. Thank you all SO much for your incredible love and support during this time. We love you all!

Picture Post

2010-08-23T20:33:00.000-04:00

The day I had my biopsy. Three stabs with a needle. My neck was super stiff later that day.

The Stewarts took us out on their boat that evening for some sunset skiing in Georgia

The Stewarts' dog, Nismo

Spent some time hanging out with our niece, Sophie, in Indy (gotta love the slide static!)

Monkeys in a cage

My first LIVESTRONG shirt. I'm pumped and ready to go! The fight begins on Thursday.

Overwhelmed with Love

2010-08-22T09:01:00.000-04:00

Wow. Joe and I are feeling more blessed than ever. Seriously. I am so happy. Not everyone gets to experience such an outpouring of love and support from friends and family in their lifetime like this. It is such an amazing feeling. At the same time it's a bit overwhelming as we continue to receive, receive, receive and have absolutely nothing to give in return but our sincere thanks. We are forever grateful for the selfless help and support from Dr. Scot Stewart, his wife Cathy, and all of our friends in Gainesville who have been encouraging us in so many ways. We have been taken care of including everything from getting our teeth cleaned (Jena Payne and Dr. Cox) to getting our car fixed (Dave Smith). We also had the opportunity to visit the First Presbyterian Church for a Wednesday night dinner. Currently we're in Indianapolis and will be here visiting until Tuesday night. We'll return to Georgia for my pre-op. appointment on Wednesday and then surgery is Thursday.

Through this entire process I have felt very encouraged by those around me as well as by God. I've been writing about this situation daily since June 21st and it's awesome to look back on my journal entries and see all of the perfect verses God has provided me with each morning when I looked to Him for guidance and support. Throughout this time of waiting and wondering what the future holds I have been given such a peace and strength that I can only accredit to the Lord. Once again, last night I went to my Bible for encouragement and the next chapter on schedule for me to read was James 1. I almost have to laugh out loud because God speaks when we read His word even if we've read the same verse before many, many times. He is making Himself SO real to me.

"Consider it sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who 'worry their prayers' are like wind-whipped waves . . . Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life . . . don't get thrown off course." (James 1:1-7, 12, 16)

MAJOR Change of Plans

2010-08-20T21:23:00.000-04:00

"I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Phil. 4:11-14 (ish)

"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." 1 Thes. 5:16

"We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling short-changed. Quite the contrary- we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit." Rom. 5:3-5

"I pray to GOD- my life a prayer- and wait for what he'll say and do. My life's on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning." Psalm 130:5-6

These have been some of the verses I've been focusing on over the past couple of months. The Lord has been close to me and has comforted me well during an extremely difficult time in my life. Today, I finally received an answer to something Joe and I have been praying about for the past five months. I have been diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

We are very at peace with this news as we feel like somehow God has prepared us for it during our long time of waiting. A small bump has been growing on my neck over the past couple of months and we've had plenty of time to think about the possibilities and pray about it and receive comfort. I still have a lot to share with you all about how the Lord has encouraged me and taught me during this time, but that will have to be saved for a future blog entry.

Today has been a long day! I had a biopsy yesterday and received my results this morning. I've had multiple doctors appointments and have surgery scheduled for Thursday. They will remove my entire thyroid as well as some lymph nodes in the front and on the right side, which are also infected with the cancer. I've been told I'm going to have a pretty sweet scar :) and my neck might be a little lopsided. Afterward, I will be completely off my thyroid hormone replacement medicine (what I currently take since I've had Hashimoto's for about three years now and my thyroid doesn't make enough hormone as it is). For about a month I've been told I'll feel pretty bad and crazy because it controls your hormones and metabolism and all that fun stuff. After that I'll take some radioactive iodine pills to kill any leftover cancer cells. Hopefully one treatment will do the trick and I'll be good to go!

What this all means is, Joe and I will be in the States for a little longer than we had originally planned. We will be here, in Gainesville, Georgia, under the wonderful care of our friends who actually give up a week of their time and skills to work at the Guesthouse in the Dominican Republic every year. Once I'm recovered and fit to travel, we'll be mostly in Indianapolis. Our plan is to stay in the States until December. If everything goes as planned we'll be able to return to the Dominican Republic for the end of our term which would be January through May.

I know this is probably a huge shock to read, but please rest assured that Joe and I are doing great and are in high spirits. We have been blessed so much by so many people in Gainesville. It's almost a bit overwhelming because we are receiving so much and have nothing to give in return. Pretty good example of God's love for us, right?

We love you all and really appreciate your prayers. God is in control and we are confident that we are and will be taken care of. Please feel free to contact us via email or facebook. We'll be posting updates so remember to keep checking back.

With Love,

Shannon & Joe

Hooray for Vacation Time!

2010-08-15T15:23:00.000-04:00

Yup. Vacation here we come! As of tomorrow evening around 11pm, we will be in the Detroit airport. It's been another great stretch of teams and we've had a wonderful summer. We'll fly back here to the DR late next month and our fall teams start up in the beginning of October. I usually enjoy the US because it's a lot cooler temperature-wise . . . but from what I hear we should expect even warmer temperatures! Crazy! Anyways, I have a few new pictures for you all . . .

Here's a cute picture of Margot and Gregoria, the two women I work with during the day.

Below is Ellie helping me finish my dinner from the night before. She's been getting pretty spoiled these days. So much that she doesn't seem to have any interest in her previous loves- peanut butter and rice. She only likes things with meat or cheese.

To explain the next series of pictures, you have to understand that Joe and I have been watching "Lost" the t.v. show lately. We're on the beginning of season four for those of you who care :). Anyways, Joe has been talking "Lost" all week as well as telling stories about O'Mally (which I believe only John Pellet understands). Anyways, when Joe took a group member named Claire to the bus station this morning, she gave him a clue, which lead to other clues, which eventually lead to the location of our pasola, which was hidden last night. The hunt was called "Lost, Season Seven, The Lost Pasola". Joe seemed to like the game and was running all around the Guesthouse at 6am this morning. Here are some of his clues:

Mr. Echo's stick had another clue:

North to Canada...

There were several others, including one in our hatch (aka water cistern). Finally he found it in room seven with a strange looking woman on it (it all started when Joe was told pasolas are for girls and he needs a real motorcycle):

In other news, today is our last full day of work before we fly tomorrow. I'm happy to have a little break from the kitchen!

And one last shot of the stairs I come down every morning from our room to the kitchen with my pretty pink flowers on the steps:

We're looking forward to seeing a lot of you very soon! Be sure to email if you want to try to get together as we aren't very accesible by phone. USA here we come!

Current Team Blog

2010-08-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

Check out how the week is going for our current team from Ohio by clicking here to see their blog.

Exciting Upgrades for Solid Rock!

2010-08-14T15:51:00.000-04:00

I am very pleased to present to you two very new upgrades for Solid Rock. First is our amazing, brand new child sponsorship video done by the talented Mr. Travis Smith. And second is Solid Rock's new website ALSO redone by Travis. Please check out his awesome work by following the links below:

Click here to see the Child Sponsorship video, where you can learn more about our education programs and how you can change the life of a student TODAY.

Click here to go to our brand new Solid Rock Missions website (or use the link on the top right side of this site).

Let me know if you have any feedback on either of the two. Feel free to share the link to the child sposorship program via facebook or email so we can better spread the word on how to change lives forever!

Recent Pictures

2010-08-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

We are currently hosting photography student, John Pellett. He is here for two weeks and has been taking some awesome pictures for Solid Rock. Please visit his site by clicking here! It will continue to be updated with more photos so check back frequently!

Two Lessons from Barahona

2010-08-01T22:13:00.000-04:00

Last week we had the opportunity to take our three guests, Tiffany, Brad and Cassidy, along with one of our translators, Olivis, to Barahona for a day at the beach and the Villa Miriam waterfalls. It started out as any normal adventure. Once we arrived, we ate our packed lunches on the San Rafael beach and hoped the sun would come out. It never did. It actually rained on us most of the time. However, it was so humid and hot we all took naps in the rocky sand while the rain misted us. It was quite comfortable. After an hour or so we headed to the Villa Miriam falls to hike. The rocks were much more slippery than previous trips, so the hiking went a little bit more slowly than normal. On the way down, I took a different route more in the wooded area to avoid the wet rocks of the falls. At one point I dropped into a leafy area feet first. Immediately something hurt my leg. I felt like I had been stung or bitten and I couldn't figure out what it was. I looked at my leg and it seemed fine so I kept going. After a few more steps I looked down again and a red patch was beginning to grow around my knee. It definitely felt like I had been stung but there wasn't any specific mark indicating where. I kept walking. The pain kept growing and I looked down again at my leg. To my horror there were tiny white bubbly dots all over the red patch!

This was slightly alarming as I have never had an allergic reaction to anything and I figured that was what was happening. I was also secretly cursing all the people who told me there is nothing poisonous in the Dominican Republic. I told Joe I needed to get to the bottom as quickly as possible and hoped that the rash wouldn't spread any further as I ran. I slipped and slid over rocks, falling several times and finally made it to the bottom where I quickly looked for one of the Dominican gatekeepers. I found a man by the entrance and showed him my leg. "Have you seen this before?" I asked him. "Yes, it's fajdslfjldkasfj (I unfortunately can't remember what he called it)," he replied. After verifying repeatedly that it does NOT spread any further and that it WAS caused by the large leafed green plant I jumped down into, I could finally calm down. I soaked it in the icy cold river pool at the bottom of the falls for the rest of the afternoon, and a few hours later the bubbly bumps had disappeared! Lesson learned: stay away from large leafed plants.

After the falls we went to dinner at Casa Bonita. The food was amazing as always. I had some kind of fish wraped in ripe plantains with a red coconut sauce. Delicious. We headed home and returned on the same road we had come- the NEW road to Barahona from San Juan. It was our first time trying out this road. It supposedly is "so much faster" than the other road to Barahona. Yeah right. Only like 15 minutes faster, if that. It's very nice and smooth, however, the bridges still haven't been finished so you have to go around them on a dirt portion. Funny how it never crossed our minds on the way there as to WHY they were putting in bridges... I mentioned earlier it was raining this particular day... yeah. About about an hour into our two hour long trip, our road suddenly turned into this:

"What's that?" you may ask? A river. A large river completely covering the road ahead of us. Hmmm... THAT'S why they're making bridges. So, you can only imagine our frustration when we had to turn around and head all the way back to Barahona to get on the old road! However, I shouldn't complain too much because poor Olivs and Brad were riding in the back on the truck the entire time! They were good sports and made the most of the situation singing Celine Dion and other music on Brad's phone. We fiiiiiiiinally made it home after about three and a half hours of driving. Lesson learned: don't use the new road again until the bridges are finished.

Guest blogger...Joe's mom

2010-07-17T22:55:00.000-04:00

As I flew to the DR on June 9, I anticipated 3 1/2 weeks of new experiences, both good and bad. I already knew that it is a stunningly beautiful country (good) but that its people are very needy (bad).

I soon realized that I didn't possess the skills that I wished I had (bad). I couldn't speak Spanish so I couldn't translate. I had no medical skills, so all I could do when I went out with the mobile clinic was to take temperatures which any third grader could do. I certainly didn't have the brawn to be shoveling cement at the construction site. So I was delegated jobs around the guesthouse like the time-consuming job of scrubbing and cloroxing individual eggs (150 each time...hey, somebody had to do it).

One of my regular jobs was to take out the garbage.
Typically, any garbage was left in a wheelbarrow by the laundry room door. When it was full, I would wheel it through the guesthouse gate, across a small parking lot, past the lab, and down the full length of the back of the clinic. At the end of that walk was a nasty little empty lot...well not totally empty...there was lots of litter (my main motivation for getting my Hep B shots before I went) and also three mangy sheep tied up under a tree. (They tell me that the sheep are used for some kind of blood tests in the clinic.) So I would pick my way across this gross lot to a corner where I would dump the garbage.

Over the course of the three weeks I actually began to enjoy this task. I started calling the sheep "My Three Amigos" and would talk to them as I tried to get past them to dump the wheelbarrow.

On my last day in San Juan, I started on this now-familiar trip for the last time. I was enjoying the warm sun and butterflies flitting. As I passed the windows of the clinic, I could hear people talking Spanish and smell coffee. Over the wall were the peaceful sounds of chickens, cows, and pigs in the barrio. Up ahead, there was laundry hanging which obscured my view of my three sheep friends.

I maneuvered the wheelbarrow through the fresh sheets hanging on the clotheslines, ready to greet my three amigos....when I suddenly found myself in a horror movie. One of my sheep friends was hanging from the tree with a red noose around his neck, his eyes bulging, and his body completely skinned!!! At his feet were two Dominicans who were in the process of gutting him!!!

"My Three Amigos" suddenly became "My Two Amigos". This was quite a shocking surprise and pretty much ruined my last peaceful trip out with the garbage!! I was told that the workers at the clinic enjoyed eating him the next week! I'm glad I wasn't around to experience that!

Plantain Chips

2010-07-13T20:39:00.000-04:00

I had a request last week to post an entry on how to make the plantain chips that I serve at the Guesthouse. They are very simple and a good alternative to potato chips or french fries when you're looking for something fun and new.

First of all, you'll have to find a grocery store that carries plantains (remember, plantains are not bananas). Look for green ones that are firm and have minimal spots. Ripe ones can also be fried, but will have a much sweeter taste and generally don't taste as good with salt and ketchup like the green ones. The easiest way to open a green plantain is by first cutting off both ends with a knife. Then, slicing longways along the entire plantain, create 3-4 long cuts into the peel from one end to the other. Carefully peel the skin off the plantain by running your thumb under the peel down one of the cuts. Once peeled, use a potato slicer to make fine slices of plantains while you heat up about a 1/2 inch to an inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, fill the pan with a layer of plantain slices. Cook until golden, stirring and turning frequently. Test one for desired "crunchiness" before removing the rest into a paper towel lined serving dish. Serve with salt and ketchup. ***Reheating tip: do not cover or microwave. Best reheated in the oven to maintain crunch and avoid soggyness.

Happy 4th Birthday, Ellie!

2010-07-08T15:11:00.000-04:00

Yup, that's right. Ellie turned four years old yesterday, July 7th. That's 28 in dog years. She is now as old as her dad. Here are a few pictures to show how she spent her birthday.

First of all, as you may know, Ellie is a lazy dog. This chair is one of her favorite sleeping spots in our room and she refused to get up until after breakfast.

Once she did get out of bed, she was very excited to see her most favorite person.

After getting lots of attention for being the "birthday pup", she waited patiently for her mom to get her a special breakfast of moro (rice with corn).

After gobbling down the corn, she rolled over for her usual 583490256340267 pets a day that she gets from our guests

"Ellie, wanna go?!" This is the usual response: (boing! boing! boing!) She went with Joe to go fill the gas tank of one of the trucks

But of course whenever she gets wound up and excited there is the usual chasing of sticks and/or carrying of large rocks in the mouth

Have a good nap, birthday pup.

It was a good day including more eating of rice and even some sloppy joe meat. We love our Ellie and are thankful that God put her in our lives :).

July 3-10

2010-07-08T14:50:00.001-04:00

This week has been fun for us because we had a change of pace in the type of team that we host. We normally host a lot of medical teams but this week was spent with The Ascent high school youth group from Colorado. They worked hard all week putting on a VBS program in the morning at the Emanuel school in town for kids of all ages, then did several work projects in the afternoon including cleaning up a piece of land owned by Solid Rock as well as painting at the Emanuel school and the outside of the clinic next door. Don't forget to read the SRM Updates blog to see some of the group's blog entries.

This next week we are caring for probably the biggest team we've ever had . . . almost 50 people in the Guesthouse eating three meals a day! I will be a very busy hostess but will definitely survive knowing that we have two weeks off afterward :). We have an exciting week of surgeries lined up for the team and will be sure to keep you all posted on the life-changing work that is about to be done!

Random pictures from this week:

My pretty palm tree in the neighbor's yard that I like to look at during sunrise every morning

One of the biggest cucarachas I've ever seen. On my kitchen floor by Ellie's food bowl.

No me gusta. I killed him by smashing him with a trashcan. Take that, scary antennae bug! P.S. That is an extra LARGE size peanut butter jar. That means he is an extra large bug in comparison.

Currently Hosting . . .

2010-07-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

. . . The Ascent from Colorado! Visit the Guesthouse Blog using the link on the top right of this page to read updates on how their week is going so far.

June 26- July 3

2010-07-01T15:29:00.000-04:00

Another good week has just flown by here in San Juan. We've been hosting the EMC Archbold group from Ohio. They've been working hard all week on the two construction projects I mentioned previously involving a new place for the CCED school generator as well as new bathrooms.

We also had two dead trees removed from the entrance to the Guesthouse

Job well done, guys!
Here are a few more pictures from Judy. She did a great job documenting day-to-day things I would never think to take pictures of.

Lebron meat shop where we get our beef

Loading up the truck Dominican-style to head back to the work site

"Ellie, get the liz!!!" (a lizard was on the window and she loves to chase them)

My beautiful orange tree right outside the door to my room <3

Judy with the boys she sponsors at the fiesta last night

Lissette, CCED school principal, with her husband, Ernesto, at the fiesta

Next up we have The Ascent youth group from Colorado. We'll pick them up Saturday afternoon in Santo Domingo. They have a week planned with Bible school at the Emanuel school and work projects in the afternoon. Stay tuned!

Update on Guesthouse Blog

2010-06-30T08:55:00.000-04:00

Click here to read how things are going for our construction team from Archbold, Ohio!

Guesthouse Blog

2010-06-25T22:43:00.000-04:00

Be sure to check out a new blog (and start following it, too!) created for Guesthouse and Clinic updates: http://srmupdates.blogspot.com. It's just getting started and should be helpful with communication between groups, especially medical teams and their packing lists. The Guesthouse computer has an instruction sheet on the wall explaining how each team can post and update at the end of their stay to help better prepare future teams. Let me know if you have any further suggestions regarding this new means of communication.

June 19-26, 2010

2010-06-25T22:25:00.000-04:00

We had a good week here in San Juan. The rain held off for the most part and we've had many nice cloudy days making the temperature quite comfortable for our medical team and the free clinics they provided. The surgical team worked long hard hours every day in the clinic. They had an enormous amount of patients and worked very hard while still managing to have great attitudes and lots of energy. It was an excellent week with the Chris Baker team from Ohio and we'll miss them as they head back to Santo Domingo tomorrow morning. Joe and I, along with Judy and Jimmy, will also head to the capital to get our next team later tomorrow afternoon. They come from the Archbold, Ohio Evangelical Mennonite Church. We have a good week of construction projects at the CCED school planned for them and can't wait to see what they'll be able to accomplish with the strength of the Lord. Pastor Juan Ernesto will be heading up the projects. They plan to finish a new room where the generator will be stored in order to reduce noise in classrooms as well as start building a new set of bathrooms for the students to use. School Director Lissette is very excited! We will do the usual overnight stay at Hotel Lina on Saturday night, church in the morning at Principe de Paz in Santo Domingo, lunch at Parador Cruce de Ocoa, then Guesthouse fun starts later that afternoon!

As we work this week, may we all remember Philippians 2:12-16 (The Message):

"Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure. Do everything readily and cheerfully . . . a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God."

And Philippians 2:1-4:

"Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends . . . put yourself aside and help others get ahead . . . forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand."

Amen!

. . . Aaaaaaaaaaaaand some random pictures from Judy for your viewing enjoyment:

Gregoria with chickens fresh from the market

Joe on the new basketball court

The sign for "Hard Body Gym" where we work out

Joe working on his back & bis

Making Tony Horton proud

Welcome to my pantry. And this is only 1/3 of it!

Baked Stuffed French Toast Casserole

2010-06-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

It's recipe time! I had a lot of requests for this one two days ago so I figured I'd post it on here. I don't really have the recipe written down so all the measurements are approximations . . . feel free to change anything to your personal liking.

Spread a generous amount of cream cheese between two slices of bread and layer in a 9x13 casserole dish. Mix approximately 8 eggs, 1 C milk, 1 C syrup, 2 t vanilla, 2 T ground cinnamon and pour over bread. Let sit in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Pour additional syrup and/or milk over bread if desired before baking. Cook until golden brown. Serve with powdered sugar to sprinkle.

Vacation then Back to Work!

2010-06-21T21:36:00.001-04:00

We are back at the Guesthouse with business as usual now. Today was a typical Monday. Our group, the Chris Baker team, is from mostly the Ohio area and is a medical team with nurses, gynecologists and anesthesiologists working both in our clinic and out in the surrounding areas. They arrived Saturday afternoon, spent the night in the Hotel Lina, went to church in Santo Domingo, and stopped for lunch before arriving to San Juan. Upon arrival, here is what the weather was doing:

I've never seen so much rain. There was a lot of flooding in our town. Even worse closer to the river. The water didn't stay for more than a few hours, but it left a mess in a lot of people's houses. Pastor Juan Ernesto had it up to his waist in his house.

This past week we had a little more vacation time with Judy and Jimmy before getting back to work in San Juan. After picking up Jimmy at the airport in Santo Domingo, we drove to Jarabacoa and stayed at the Gran Jimenoa right on a river. The next day we got up and went hiking at Salto Gran Jimenoa Alto (aka Uno), a beautiful waterfall close by. We then made our way up to Cabarete on the north coast via Santiago and ended up staying once again at the D'Reem hotel where we had stayed before on a previous trip with Julie and Kate. Cabarete is one of the best kite surfing beaches in the world and we just so happened to be there during the kite surfing World Cup! It was amazing to watch competitors from around the world. We had some good beach time and good eating right on the beach.

Now that we're back working in San Juan it's been great having Judy and Jimmy around. Work gets done twice as fast and it's fun to have company. We also now have Gregoria, a friend of Margot's, working with us during the day to help lighten the workload since Rosa (Margot's sister) finished nursing school. We now have eight straight weeks of work and are happy to be back in the swing of things after a long break. Keep checking back for more frequent updates :).

Cleaning up the Guesthouse + Yummy Food

2010-06-12T16:26:00.000-04:00

Today we've been working around the Guesthouse preparing for our upcoming groups. This morning Joe went around and sawed down some tree branches and Judy and I have been weeding and bringing the fallen branches across the street to be burned. We've had a lot of rain lately so everything is overgrown and in need of some major work!

For breakfast I made one of my favorite Dominican dishes- mangu :). It's made from plantains and goes great with eggs and fried salami. This morning we ate it with scrambled eggs and tea from our market trip yesterday. The tea herbs were all in separate bags in the street. We bought a little of each . . . I'm still not sure what everything is but it sure tastes great! I do know that it has licorice and cinnamon. It's great sweetened with cane sugar and I'm hoping it will taste good cold, too, so I can start making it for our groups. Here is a picture of it in the pot and the bag I bought it in:

I also would like to give a short explanation on how to make mangu. This morning I made it with green plantains but you can also make it with ripe plantains. First of all, a plantain is not a banana. It looks like a big banana but it is very different. Plantains, for example, grow upward, while bananas grow downward. Plantains should not be eaten uncooked. Bananas, of course, are delicious uncooked (but also great fried for a dessert!). For your mangu, you can use either green or ripe plantains, but your grocery store may only carry ripe ones. When cooked, green plantains taste more like potatoes, while ripe plantains are softer and sweeter. The first thing you'll do to make mangu is peel the plantains, then cut them into chunks to fit into a pot of boiling water. Boil them until they are nice and soft:

Drain out the majority of the water, saving about a 1/2 inch to an inch at the bottom. With a potato masher (or anything else that will mash well), smash the plantains until mostly smooth along with a spoon of butter and some salt to taste.

Press the mangu into a serving dish. For a delicious topping, cut one red onion into rings and cook on high with a little oil and some vinegar until soft. Cover the mangu with the onions and serve hot with eggs and salami.

Buen Provecho! Enjoy!

Another of my favorite things happens to be in season right now. Mangoes! They are absolutely to die for right now. Super sweet and practically free because they are everywhere. Everywhere you go you see people eating mangoes because they're just falling off the trees. There are many different types of mangoes. I'm still trying to learn all of the names. My favorites have yellow, red, and green on the outside, but I can't remember their name! Anyway, yesterday at the market we bought a dozen big ones and are almost finished eating half of them. So good!

We also bought a pineapple and a papaya and they both taste great, too. Our fridge is stocked with fruit and there's just the three of us here!

We're slowly eating it up. Joe had a papaya and yogurt smoothie for lunch and I used pineapple to make three loaves of pineapple chocolate chip bread. I also made three loaves of banana bread from some bananas I had frozen in the freezer. Now I'll freeze all six loaves and have them ready for our upcoming teams to eat with their breakfast.

Today has been a pretty productive day. Judy worked all day in the garden, I made breakfast bread and helped in the garden as well, and Joe did some gardening then spent the rest of the day on the computer organizing all the schedules for our next groups. This evening we'll do our typical hour at the gym to lift weights, then head to the track to run with Ellie. Have a good day everyone!

We're Home!

2010-06-10T21:07:00.001-04:00

It feels so great to be sitting here at my desk in my room above the kitchen here in San Juan de la Maguana. We finally made it home after a little change in plans . . . in Miami we boarded our plane on time. However, there was a problem with the cooling unit for the cabin so we had to wait at the gate while they tried to repair it. After about an hour of waiting, the captain announced that we would have to deplane and wait back at the gate inside the airport. They told us it would take approximately 30 more minutes to fix. It took two hours. We didn't mind though. We bought some trail mix and Joe's mom Judy told us stories about when she did tornado relief work near her town of Wauseon, Ohio last week after the big storms. It was fun just visiting since we had no rush to get there at any specific time. We finally boarded again and had a smooth flight into Santo Domingo. There was some stormy weather so we had to fly low over the island. It made for a good view out my window and only a little bit of turbulence. I even saw a huge lake I never knew existed:

I'll have to look on Google Earth (or anyone else is welcome to . . !) and play a matching game. It's somewhere North of Santo Domingo and probably fairly central on the island. Anyways, we landed in the Dominican Republic around 7:00pm, got our bags without any problems, took a taxi to our friend's house where we had parked our truck, and drove to a hotel in the Colonial Zone. We decided we'd spend the night in the capital since it was getting dark and it had been a long day of traveling. We first tried the Hotel Atarazana, which is owned by a Swiss-German woman and her husband, but it was full. We stayed there about a year ago with Josh and Erin (Joe's sister) and wanted to show it to Judy. We asked for a recommendation of another place to stay and went to Hotel Europa just up the street. It was excellent. Here are a few pictures from the hotel terrace:

That same night we went out to eat in the Colonial Zone since Judy had never been there. It the oldest city the Americas and looks a lot like Spain. I love it. We ate at a little Italian place right near the plaza containing the very first cathedral built in the Americas. The following pictures are from that meal:

That night we all slept very well. We got up and had breakfast on the terrace before heading out to explore the Colonial Zone. It was a beautiful day:

After walking around and seeing all we wanted to see, we headed to San Juan. It was an uneventful trip and so great to pick up our dog Ellie and be back in our home. Tonight and the next couple of days we'll be getting things ready for our upcoming stretch of groups. It's fun having Judy here and we look forward to Joe's brother, Jimmy, coming on Tuesday!

Back to Reality

2010-06-08T13:56:00.003-04:00

I always hate the day before we travel. So much to pack and prepare. I can't believe tomorrow night we'll be back in our little room above the kitchen in our own bed with Ellie in my arms. It's a long day of travel but I honestly don't mind it. I like people watching at the airport and we usually have enough of a layover to eat at the Chinese place in Miami. We'll arrive at the Santo Domingo airport in the late afternoon, get a taxi to our friend's house to pick up our truck, drive about 3 hours to another friend's house in San Juan to pick up Ellie, then finally arrive home just before dark. It's funny how so many things have to work out perfectly for our travel day to go smoothly, and we usually make it with very few problems. The airlines can always have issues, we could lose one of our bags, there could be bad traffic in Santo Domingo, our truck could have a flat tire or just not start for whatever reason . . . but that's why it's an adventure! This trip will be especially fun because we'll have another traveller with us: Joe's mom, Judy :). She's going to stay with us for a few weeks helping out. Joe's brother, Jimmy, will be coming soon, too.

Here's a few more photos from our time in the States:

Joe let me play with his hair :)

Our house before we painted it

And after :) Thanks for helping, Roger & Judy!

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the Zimmermans' condo in Harbor Springs, MI and watched our friends Kate and Julie run in the Traverse City Marathon. They did an awesome job!

Some of our friends who were also at the condo

My sister is now engaged to Steve! (Don't be confused by this picture haha) We're planning her wedding for this December and she's moving to Brooklyn, NY

We've had a fun time relaxing but now it's time to start thinking about work again. We're both ready to get back to business. As we prepare mentally and spiritually, we remember Ephesians 6:6-8:

"Don't just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God."

Joe's Look-Alike Poll

2010-06-02T21:56:00.003-04:00

Which celebrity does Joe look most like?

I want to thank numerous Woodland Country Club members, Nadine Magee, Cara Magee, Roger Zimmerman, Rick Wilson, and Janet Teat for their suggestions. I believe Aunt Jan wins the award for most far fetched (Tom Cruise), but I'll let you readers decide. Please vote for best AND worst and send us your answers. I will post which celebrity gets the most votes at a later date. By the way, I promise I was actually compared to each of these people some time in the last month.

Pictures to refresh your memory of what I actually look like...

And now, the candidates...

A) Antonio Banderas

B) Charley Hoffman

C) Fabio

D) Jimmy Page

E) Kenny G

F) Michael Bolton

G) Snoop Dogg

H) Tom Cruise

I) Yanni

J) Miguel Angel Jimenez

K) Robert Plant

L) Roger Daltrey

One Year to Go . . . What's Next?

2010-05-13T16:38:00.000-04:00

Joe and I are currently in Indianapolis staying with Joe's sister and her family. We met our new nephew, Caleb Joshua, and love him so much! We've been having a lot of fun with the Corwin family, especially the entertainment that Sophie, our almost three year old niece provides!

Sweet baby Caleb :)

Big sister Sophie!

We also had the opportunity to see a lot of friends from Woodland Country Club (where Joe used to work) and had a great time at a celebration banquet held in honor of Pat, the head golf professional, and his 30 years of work. Everyone loved Joe's crazy long hair, by the way!

Joe and I before the banquet at Woodland

As the title of this blog mentions, we have one year left at the Guesthouse in the Dominican Republic. It's so hard to believe how quickly the time has flown by! As we're here visiting in the States, we've begun thinking about our final return home to Indianpolis and what that will look like for us. As I mentioned in a previous blog, we've been thinking about the idea of the two of us teaching and having a similar job schedule and how fun that sounded. However, lately we've been thinking of other possibilities in regards to our career paths and are trying to be open to other options. It's kind of a scary yet exciting time in our lives as we don't really know what's next. But what we do know is that God has blessed us and been with us throughout our time in the DR and are confident that he will continue to bless and guide us with our future.

Thanks once again for reading and following our blog! I've recently discovered we have many more followers than I'd thought so I'm making it a priority to start updating more often! Thank you to everyone for your support!

It's about time for an update!

2010-05-02T14:46:00.000-04:00

In two days we will have completed our "busy season" for 2010 and let me tell you, it was busy! We had groups all but two weeks since January and now we're just two days away from vacation in the States. Our teams have been mostly medical and a lot of work has been done. Our groups reached the needy in many of the poor towns surrounding San Juan as well as the community of San Juan itself. They diagnosed and treated all kinds of illnesses ranging from the typical parasites, skin conditions, and high blood pressure to more serious referrals which were sent to our clinic for further analysis. Our surgical teams performed countless operations for those who otherwise wouldn't have had any hope for a better future. We've also had several teams sharing God's word with the children in the area both in the schools and neighborhoods. This is always an effective ministry as the children are mesmorized by the Americans and treat them as they would celebrities. It's quite common for the ministry teams to come back not only covered in sweat, but with tiny braids in their hair compliments of the little Dominican girls and countless photos of the kids posing and throwing up whatever peace sign and hand guesture they can think of.

This year has been especially fun for Joe and I as the large majority of our teams were those who had come the previous year. It's great to see so many return year after year and start to build some friendships with the team members. We've managed to stay busy with our daily work but by now we feel like we've developed some fairly efficient ways of getting things done. During the afternoon we've managed to save time to go for a quick run at the track with Ellie, and/or go to the gym we joined to lift weights. Even though it's hot and we're usually pretty tired it's nice to get out of the Guesthouse and have a little bit of time together each day.

About a month ago, during our first week off, two of our friends, Julie and Kate, came to visit us. We had a great time traveling the north coast with them. It was a crazy adventure and we had a lot of long, relaxing days on the beach. One of the most exciting things we did was visit what is called 27 Charcos in Damajagua, just south of Puerto Plata. It's a waterfall tour where you climb to the top of a mountain and jump off cliffs into the waterfalls on the way down. The cliffs were anywhere from 5 to 25 feet and some of them were natural slides that would drop off at the end. It was kind of scary but we survived and Joe wants to do it again. Here's a picture of us right befoe we started our hike:

Our most recent big news is that we have a new nephew who was just born on April 29th to Joe's sister, Erin, and her husband, Josh. They already have a daughter named Sophie who will turn three in August. Joe and I will be visiting the States in just two days and we can't wait to get to Indianapolis and see our newest family member, Caleb Joshua, and of course the rest of our family and friends.

Joe and I now have been living in the DR for a year and seven months and everyone keeps asking us how long we'll stay. "Whatever God wants" is always the ultimate answer, but our initial committment that we so far plan to stick to is until May 2011. That means only a year left. Pretty unbelieveable. It's pretty crazy how He made everything come together and guided us so clearly to come down here in the first place, so we're counting on His direction once again as we will most likely go back and get settled in Indianapolis. We have been renting out our house to a friend and let him use all of our furniture and just put the rest of our stuff in the basement. Joe is still thinking to go back to school for a year. He ultimately is thinking to teach high school business classes. His idea to change from his career as a golf professional is kind of what God used to get us here to the DR. When Joe was preparing for the Transition to Teaching program it was cancelled last minute. He had researched all the programs in the area and this was the only one he found that had the year-long program. The rest were at least two years of school. However, once we had committed to coming to the DR, Joe randomly found another one-year program that has been around for years and has never been cancelled due to lack of students like the other he had tried to enroll into. God definitely had His hand in that. So when we return Joe plans to attend the school with the program that has been established for quite some time. During that year I pray to find a job teaching Spanish. If I can be super picky I'd like to teach high school levels 3 & 4. And if I can be super not-humble, I think people would be crazy not to hire me! What a blessing this time here has been for my teaching career! Once Joe finishes his year of school we're hoping to enjoy the benefits of both having a "teacher schedule". Joe will still be able to enjoy golf and work at a course during the summer and play in amateur tournaments. I plan to start teaching group fitness classes and possibly get certified in personal training and nutrition as well.

Recently I still feel like God has been making me think about my lifestyle. What are the things that I really truly need? How much is just extra stress or a distraction? You can't live in a third world country for this much time and NOT be changed. I can't just pretend I didn't see and experience what I have been exposed to here and live like it never happened. The way that people live here is the way the majority of the people on this earth live. The USA is extremely unique and those who live there are a blessed few. My worldview has expanded tremendously and I really think I'll see and think about everything with a more global mindset. I don't know exactly what this all means, but I do know I have a lot of thinking to do before I return back to American more permanently. More to come on this subject later . . .

As always we send our love and gratitude to all of those praying for us and supporting us. "Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it- because it does." 1 Cor. 14:1

More Terremoto Pictures

2010-01-28T11:50:00.002-05:00

People arriving from Haiti by the truckload

Emergency entrance to the Jimani hospital

Lots of helicopters transporting victims across the border to our hospital

The girl with the punctured lung we were going to operate on then later told we couldn't

How I almost spent the night in a Santo Domingo prison by Joe Zimmerman

2010-01-25T11:38:00.001-05:00

The following story is true. Believe it or not, it is actually toned down. The conversation was much longer and more annoying than I could present in words. This is a little taste of what I deal with on a daily basis.

Went to the truck to go pick up the incoming group at the airport Friday night. 10:00 p.m.
Realized the battery was dead.
Took a taxi to the airport.
Picked up the group and took two taxis back to the hotel with the group.
Tried to jump the truck. Didn't work. 12:30 a.m.
Borrowed some random guy's car battery to get the truck started.
Started the truck.
Paid him $10 for his help.
Put my car battery back in the truck.
Began to drive around to charge battery. 1:00 a.m.
Went the wrong way on a one way street.
Stopped at a red light.
Watched someone go through a red light at 40 mph.
Ran a red light.
Went through a green light.
Noticed two policemen waving me over driving beside me on a motorcycle. They hadn't seen me run the red light. 1:15 a.m.
Stopped the truck to see what they wanted.
They told me they pulled me over (Their first mistake; don't they know who I am, I'm no stinking tourist) for eating an apple (Their second mistake; honestly, couldn't they come up with a better reason than this?). "You could get in an accident if you are eating when driving." (There are NO rules here. You can take shots of rum while driving here and no one would bat an eye.)
I said "Write me a ticket."
They said "You can go to the Police Station or pay on the spot."
I said "I will go to the Police Station."
They asked "Do you know where it is?"
I said "No".
They said "I will show you for $1,000 RD (about $30 US)."
I said "Tell me where it is."
They said "You can't go there and you need to pay here right now."
I said "Write me a ticket."
They said "We can't"
I said "How much?"
They thought for a while and then said "About $2,800 RD (about $85 US) (Their third mistake; I would have paid them $1,000 or so just to leave me alone at this point)."
I said "For eating an apple?"
They said "Yes."
I said "Take me to the police station."
They said "You have to pay right now."
I said "I don't have enough money" and showed them the $100 RD in my wallet (I didn't tell them about the $10,000 RD I had in an envelope in my other pocket).
They said "You have to go to the bank to withdraw money to pay us." and pointed to the bank next door.
I said "I don't have a card that will work there".
They said "You need to figure out a way to pay."
I said "Write me a ticket so I can pay later."
They said "We can't. Don't eat anymore when driving, you could get in an accident."
I said "Fine"
They gave me back my license and insurance card.
I drove away and went back to the hotel. 1:30 a.m.

Earthquake Update

2010-01-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

I know we owe everyone an update, but as I sit here trying to think about what to write I almost don't want to have to think about it all again to tell you about it. But we know you all have been praying so hard for us and our team and for the people of Haiti and you should get to hear about our experience as soon as possible.

Looking back to Wednesday night of this past week, our surgical team from Peoria, Illinois left after dinner for Jimani to work at the hospital there. They were able to get lodging at a vacant guesthouse that was built on top of a clinic. They performed several surgeries in the Jimani hospital but were discouraged by the Dominican doctors from the hospital as they were very picky about exactly how the surgeries were done. The next day our medical team from Wausau, Wisconsin joined the surgeons, along with the rest of the Peoria team. Joe and I followed and arrived later that night. The plan was for us to take recovering patients from the Jimani hospital to the clinic we were staying above to monitor them post surgery. There were several other patients our surgeon had seen and was planning to operate on the next morning. We took in about ten patients that night and our medical team took shifts watching over them. When they were brought to our clinic they arrived by the truck load and were carried in by several people. It was obvious they were in pain and hadn't received proper pain medications.

That same night, Joe and I had the opportunity to go to the Jimani hospital. I have never personally seen anything more horrible and disturbing in my life. Injured people were everywhere. Lying on the floor lining every hallway of the hospital were people with broken bones, cuts, casts, dirt, and tears. They were all waiting and hoping for someone to pay attention to them. As we walked the hallways people cried out to us trying to get our attention because they knew that if they didn't have someone advocating for them they'd never receive any help. There were just too many of them and too few people to help. I saw a little boy with a broken jaw and his whole face swollen up as a result. I saw a little girl with a punctured lung, a young woman who had just given birth the day before, and several people who had literally been scalped by objects that had fallen onto their heads. These people where all there waiting and hoping that it would be their turn and that someone would be able to help them before it would be too late. Not to mention that the hospitals do NOT provide bedding or any food whatsoever to patients. Their homes are destroyed and they had driven across the country to cross the border during daylight hours when they were permitted to cross to seek help. That night I couldn't sleep. I cried for a long time and read my Bible hoping to feel some sort of comfort. I felt so helpless. There was so much need. Yes, our team was helping people but what about all of the rest?

The next morning our situation grew even more frustrating. Joe and I went with one of the surgeons back to the hospital to get the girl with the punctured lung so he could operate. People were still lining the halls, lying in the same spots as the night before, still crying out for help from whoever would pass by. Some from our team went to talk to the Dominican doctors and found them all in a clean room, seated around a table full of breakfast food, chatting about their day. Maybe they really needed that time to relax and discuss their plans but to me I just couldn't believe the contrast. After talking with the doctors for several minutes we loaded up the truck and started heading back to the guesthouse without the girl. The surgeon said they were going to leave. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He said the doctors wouldn't let them do anything. One person would give permission to operate then the next wouldn't. Or when they would operate they were criticized for not doing things certain ways. It was all so utterly unbelieveable.

After we unloaded back at the guesthouse I couldn't help but start to cry. How could we have so many people so close who could help but they weren't allowed to be used?! The hospital was utter chaos and completely unorganized. A lot of things in this country aren't extremely organized to begin with, so when disaster struck, it was magnified all the more. Our hearts were broken and we felt even more helpless. Our teams had helped as best as they could but it was obvious that they weren't going to be allowed to do much more. It was very sad for everyone, but I know that we were all glad we at least tried. If we hadn't gone we would have always wondered what we could have done and felt badly about it. We did everything we could and at least were able to help the few people that we did. Maybe if we would have had more time we could have been able to organize something else, but unfortunately the team had their tickets to fly home shortly afterward and had to get to Santo Domingo.

As of yesterday, we picked up our next medical team from Georgia. They have medical teams that plan to do triage, a surgical team, as well as a dental team. Right now on Thursday they are scheduled to go to another border town called Elias Pina. This town in located west of San Juan. We have been told by our pastor friend Juan Ernesto that this town is starting to receive many Haitians seeking care as well. I also heard this afternoon from Miguel, a fellow American missionary here, that our town may very soon be hosting Haitian refugees that will be camping out nearby. We will see how these opportunities unfold.

For those of you who know pastor Widmy Mervilus, please keep him and his family in your prayers. He is Haitian and so far has not been able to locate or communicate with any of his family members that were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.

It is now Sunday night and I'm hoping to go to bed as soon as possible. We went to the evening service at Central Church tonight and pastor Dionysio had a good message of encouragement regarding all that has happened. He said we all really need to pray hard for the salvation of the people of Haiti as their country is heavily involved in VooDoo. He said we should pray that this devastation will be a wake up call to the people and that they will turn to God to save them and comfort them during these terrible times. This is an opportunity for the Lord to step in and become more present in Haiti as the people are so desperate for hope.

I also heard today that the clinic where we were staying was now holding around 100 recovering patients in the care of another medical team. When our surgeons first arrived the team had to push very hard to get the government to force the owner of the clinic to let them in to use the facility. At least now their work in getting that building open is paying off in a greater way so we are also thankful for that.

Our surgeon and some of his team in the Jimani hospital

People in the hospital waiting for medical attention

More pictures to come later. Please keep praying. The best thing to do is to send money to an organization that you know and trust. Relief efforts are being made and I know things will get better as more and more help arrives. Please don't stop praying.

Jimani

2010-01-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

We're currently preparing to leave for Jimani as soon as possible. Meds are being organized, guests are packing up and I just got a bunch of food and supplies together. We have two buses that we will park outside the hospital where we will be working to use for resting and food breaks. The team is hoping to work a 24 hour shift. We have been told that they need more nurses and more meds desperately. They are asking for strong volunteers to literally hold down the patients as they operate since there are no more pain killers available. We really don't know what to expect and are trying our best to properly prepare for anything and everything. Please pray for strength and safety. Joe and I will be back at the Guesthouse Sunday afternoon with our next team as we'll drive straight from Jimani to go get them at the Santo Domingo airport. Thank you all for your support and prayers. We need them badly today. I'm taking my camera and video camera so stay tuned for some pictures. We love you all!

Heading to the Haititan Border

2010-01-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

Today was a pretty crazy day here at the Guesthouse. After waking up and seeing more and more on the news about just how bad the situation in Haiti is, our two groups decided they wanted to do something to help. As of this evening, our surgical team from Peoria, IL left for Jimeny, a Dominican town on the border about 25 miles from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Our larger medical and construction team from Wausau, WI is still here with us and we're waiting to find out tomorrow morning when they will head to the border and where they will stay. Joe and I plan to go with them. Please pray as we continue preparing for our trip that God will give us strength, clear guidance, and safety. We're hoping to leave either tomorrow afternoon or evening.

Earthquake!

2010-01-12T19:13:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update this time. We wanted to inform everyone that this evening we experienced an earthquake here that was about a 6.8 on the richter scale. It occured in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and was a 7.0 there. Everyone here is fine and there was no damage that we know of but according to what we're reading on the news things aren't looking too good for our neighbors right across the border with the epicenter being just about 60 miles from us. Please be praying for them during this time.

When it happened I was in the kitchen with a couple of guests and Joe was right next to us in the laundry room. It was a little before 6pm here and I was getting ready to serve dinner. I was bending over to get a spatula out of the drawer and felt dizzy and thought I was going to pass out. I stood up and looked around and everyone else had strange looks on their faces as we just kind of stared at each other trying to catch our balance. Finally someone said, "I think we're having an earthquake," and I walked over and stood under the door frame. A few seconds later we decided we should get outside and as we did all the doors of the guest rooms stared opening and everyone came out trying to figure out what had happened. As we were walking out we noticed the water in one of the jugs sloshing around and our banana branch hanging up in the dining room was swaying from side to side. Once outside the laundry on the line was also swaying back and forth. It was different than the smaller earthquake I had experienced before in Indianapolis. There was no shaking or rattling whatsoever. It felt as though we were riding some slow waves going up and down. A lot of us felt a bit sick and dizzy afterward. It was the strangest feeling. Ellie, our dog, immediately ran outside to go to the bathroom because, as one guest put it, it scared the crap out of her! Afterward she just wanted to be held on my lap and was acting a bit scared. Anyways, no damage here that we know of. However please keep Haiti in your prayers.

Five O'Clock in the DR must take place at game point.

2009-11-22T15:59:00.002-05:00

A quick funny story about life here in the DR...

Rewind to earlier this year, when Josh, Erin, and Jimmy were visiting, we went to the Stadium to play/watch basketball. We were invited by a man we know that is a pastor at the Central Mennonite Church in town that we often attend. Surprisingly, the court/arena is really nice. Other than the slipperiness of the floor, I would say that I have played high school basketball games in worse places. We had a great time winning four games in a row before we lost and went home. Even Jimmy made a few baskets. However, we were in awe of how long a single game would take. It wasn't because they were so bad (actually, this was part of it), but more because everytime there was a dead ball, a five minute argument would ensue. At this point, we didn't even know half of it.

Fast forward to today. Shannon, our American friend Diana, and I went to the track late this morning to run. As I was running, I realized that this was the day the group of guys played basketball and decided that after my run, I would see if they needed another. They did and I waited twenty minutes or so until I was able to play. Again, it was really fun to play organized (more or less) basketball again. Toward the end of he second game, things were getting interesting. The score was 19-18 and we were playing to 21 by ones and twos. Basically, both teams were at game point. Surprisingly, given the point during the game, all ten players were actually trying hard. The teams went back and forth a couple of possesions without scoring. Then, without any warning, both teams took a break after a ball out of bounds. This strange break wouldn't be too abnormal here, except for what happened next. Usually, an in-game break was used for arguing a call or yelling at the other team. However, this break took fifteen minutes and was used for both teams to go drink some beer before finishing the game. After about five minutes of standing there at center court baffled, I went over to Shannon and said matter-of-factly "It's game point, and my team is drinking beer." Fifteen minutes later we resumed the game and won.

Nothing will surprise me here.

Disappearing Act

2009-11-18T20:23:00.001-05:00

Saludos! I'll start off by letting some pictures do the talking.

First off, our vicious dog. This picture was sent to us from a group. Every week, on the last morning while the group is loading onto the bus, Ellie thinks it's her time to show off and go nuts. She grabs a stick, large pods from the tree, or the biggest rocks she can fit into her mouth to try to get someone to play with her. I think she thinks everyone is outside to be with her.

Another favorite pasttime of Ellie's is lizard chasing. They're the Dominican version of "squirrelies".

In October I made a quick trip to Wheaton, Illinois to be in my friend Amy's wedding. She was a beautiful bride! I had a great time seeing her and some other friends in the area during my short stay.

Amy and her new husband, Erik. They were having a good time as you can see.

Just another trip to the dam in Sabaneta. Probably Ellie's favorite place.

I promise you this dog loves to sleep in the laundry pile. She crashes there every chance she gets. The funniest part is people usually don't see her and just keep throwing their clothes on top. The other morning she was nowhere to be found and I called her name by the laundry pile. All of a sudden the pile started shaking and a few seconds later, out popped her head from the center of the pile! She must've been asleep at the very bottom!

At the risk of sounding like a parrot, I have to say time just flies by down here! On the 18th of October we completed our first full year of being here in the DR. Hard to believe, isn't it? We've had a great fall season here in San Juan. The weather is cooling down and the humidity is dropping. We've had several groups and are now enjoying a week off before we host our last group of the year. Last weekend we bought a huge frozen turkey in Santo Domingo and are planning to have Thanksgiving dinner here since we will have American guests that day. We've invited a few friends, too, so it should be a good time . . . at least better than last year when we ate at the local Mexican restaurant and were most likely overcharged! In other news, Joe and I joined a gym in town. Hard Body Gym it's called. It's above a car wash if that helps you imagine the quality of it. However, it has all the basics and it's a nice hobby combined with running at the track during our time off. I met another American girl during our first visit who is here doing mission work. It's been fun having the company but she unfortunately leaves next month.

We have some big news. For those of you who don't know, Joe and I have been battling our insurance company hoping to get coverage for my medical tests I had done almost a year ago in December of 2008. We've been going back and forth and have still been denied coverage for unknown reasons. We ended up with a bill of almost $12,000 after our ~~joke of an~~ insurance company helped us out by paying $14.04 (that's fourteen dollars, not hundred!). Anyways, like we had written in a previous update, the Lord has blessed us with an immense amount of financial support from our loving friends and family and we had enough in our savings to pay for it. After one final letter we were ready to give up and just pay it and get it over with.

If you ask me it's crazy enough that God would provide us with enough "overflow money" to cover such an unexpected expense. So you can imagine why I had to sit down at my friend's house today while Joe told me over the phone that he just found out my doctor had decided to write it off COMPLETELY. Gone. $12,000! Disappeared. No longer needed. Goodbye. Adios. No more! That just doesn't happen to people! Come on now. Seriously. How do we suddenly just NOT OWE $12,000?! Wow. We serve a crazy God. I just have to pause and share some verses that help express how we feel.

"Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks." PSALM 36

"God is great- everything works together for the good for his servant." PSALM 35:28

"Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times, he keeps body and soul together. We're depending on God; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you've got- that's what we're depending on." PSALM 33:18-22

"I give you all the credit, God- you got me out of that mess . . . God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together . . . I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough!" PSALM 30

Isn't he amazing? I'll never understand why he chooses to bless me how he does. Even with the littlest things. For example, when I was in Chicago for the weekend in October, I got to go to a super nice gym and gym class for free! I walked in, asked the woman at the desk how much a day pass cost, and she just told me to come right in and don't bother. I thanked her and told her I'm a volunteer and it was such a treat for me to use the gym. As I was leaving I asked her the price for the Zumba class that night. She told me the price but quickly told me to just show up and tell the instructor she said I could do it for free. God knows how much I love that stuff and I guess just wanted to make my day! It blows me away that he would care enough to give me joy in such a trivial silly thing as that. But he does!

But back to the $12,000 . . . Dios mio. The God of the universe cares about my stupid life. He even provided the money for our savings to keep us somewhat comfortable during the back and forth period with our insurance company. Yes, it's been a stress having that in the back of our minds this past year, but it's been less of a stress knowing that we weren't at a complete loss having that money in reserve.

So my friend from the gym that I mentioned earlier is named Diana. I mentioned a few weeks ago how we owed major money to our insurance. She told me that after hearing that she felt very convicted to pray for us and that situation. She even had talked to her parents about trying to find a way to help us out. Just today she told me about all of that after I received the call from Joe that it had all been written off. She said that lately she had felt like her prayers weren't being heard and to see that God had answered her specific prayer for us in such a huge way was awesome news for her! We went for a walk together around her neighborhood and couldn't stop smiling and talking about it only to pause and say "wow" every couple of steps. Conversely, I have been praying that God would show himself to her in a big way that would help her to know and love him more. I LOVE it when God uses crazy situations to touch so many people.

Switching to the present, it's a Wednesday night on a week with no group. Joe is reading a book in bed and here I am updating the blog. We are planning a date night Friday night since we haven't done that in a long time. We're probably going to eat at a restaurant in town called El Espia. We were given some "date money" from a group a while back and unfortunately haven't used much of it yet so it should be a fun night as we don't really go out to eat much at all. Saturday we're heading to Barahona to pick up our other truck and hopefully buy some larimar stones for Joe's dad to make us some jewelry. Supposedly you can only find them on our island. They're a pretty turquoise color. I posted some pictures a while back from the larimar mine we visited with Joe's sister and brother but we only bought the raw, unpolished stones during that trip. We'll see what we can find this time.

Look for us in the midwest starting December 2nd! We'll be home for Christmas and are flying back New Year's Eve in the morning. Can't wait to have some cold weather and warm moments with friends and family!

Vacation Time :)

2009-08-25T10:33:00.002-04:00

I am writing this entry from my sister-in-law's house in Indianapolis, still in my pajamas, and sipping some hot tea. We are on vacation :).

As it's now hurricane season, we don't have any groups scheduled for the rest of this month or September. This is the longest amount of time that we've been in the States so far and it's been really nice to have good visits with all of our family and friends. We flew into Detroit and spent a couple days with my family in White Lake. We went camping with our friends Caleb, Kaelie, Jonathan and Jessica near the Mackinac bridge for an extended weekend and had a fun visit with them. We then returned to White Lake for another day or so before heading to Wauseon, Ohio to be with Joe's parents. They are both retired teachers so we had a lot of time to visit and play Dominoes. Joe golfed a lot with Roger (his dad) and Judy and I relaxed and read and went to the neighbors' pool. We had a very special time with the Crossroads Church that weekend. Crossroads is Joe's family's church and they support us financially. We were privileged to have hosted a team from their middle school youth group this summer, so it was great to see them again at church this past Sunday. They had an outdoor baptismal service under a tent by a pond in a church member's backyard. We gave a brief update during the service then stayed for lunch afterward and had a great time visiting with church members. We drove later that Sunday night to Indianapolis and plan to be here for about two weeks. It's been so fun to spend time with our niece, Sophia, who is about to turn two-years-old. Her parents are Joe's sister, Erin, and her husband Josh.

***

I am so thankful for this time of relaxing and recharging that God has given us. Our jobs at the Guesthouse are pretty "go, go, go!" so it's nice to slow down for a little while. I recently read a book my sister gave me and was deeply moved by it. I want to share a little about it as it's really helped give a different outlook on my life. It came at the perfect time as I have lately been thinking about similar issues. I think I wrote a little bit about what I was feeling a couple blog entries ago, about how I think we need to live lives that break tradition and are focused on following God even when it doesn't make sense to others.

The book is called Crazy Love and it's written by Francis Chan. He is a pastor in California whose goal is to wake up what he calls the "sleeping church" and challenge them to a more Godly life by providing biblical support and practical examples of how this can be achieved. He focuses a lot on things that Jesus spoke of quite frequently- loving others and caring for the poor. Since Jesus mentioned those things so much, he suggests we really need to pay attention and follow what he said to do.

I'm not going to talk about everything in the book, but rather mention different points that stuck out to me. The first is his examination of the American church. He believes that a lot of Christians within the church are stuck in a place of comfortable contentment. He writes,

"I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don't swear, and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered. That for the "radicals" who are "unbalanced" and who go "overboard". Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering."

He then goes on to site various examples of what he calls "lukewarm people" and then provides a verse showing how the Bible says otherwise. For example:

"LUKEWARM PEOPLE love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn't really possible for the average person; it's only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and the greatest commandment" (Matt. 22:37-38)."

In the next chapter, Chan then challenges that if you truly are a Christian, your life and actions and attitude should reflect the state of your heart.

"He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a 'Christian' without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd."

"We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:3-4).

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it" (Matt. 16:24-25).

"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). . . "You'll notice he didn't add, 'But hey, if that's too much to ask, tell them to just become Christians- you know, the people who get to go to heaven without having to commit to anything."

Some of the most intriguing parts of the book deal with the poor. Did you know:

"If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4,000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person on this planet?"

"If we believe that, as Jesus said, the two greatest commands are to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind' and to 'love your neighbor as yourself,' then this passage has a lot to teach us. Basically, Christ is connecting the command to 'love God' with the command to 'love your neighbor.' By loving 'the least of these' we are loving God Himself."

"People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him."

If we have neighbors who are in need, how are we loving them? Do we really take these commands seriously? Do we realize their importance? As Christians, it sure seems like it would be our responsibility to take care of the poor. Why don't most of us live that way? God calls us share our blessings with others.

"Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake," (Deut. 15:10).

"Maybe you have already made sacrifices. If so, you have seen that in some ways it gets easier, doesn't it? You have witnessed the benefits of giving and are blessed because of it. But it gets harder, too. The temptation to level off increases with each passing year. Pride tells you that you've sacrificed more than others. Fear tells you it's time to worry about the future. Friends say you've given enough, that it's someone else's turn now. But Jesus says to keep on and you will see more of God."

Along with loving the poor, we are also called to love our enemies.

"If you love those you love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners', expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:32-36).

I realized that I really do want to live this way and better apply what I have learned to my life.

"When people gladly sacrifice their time or comfort or home, it is obvious that they trust in the promises of God. Why is it that the story of someone who has actually done what Jesus commands resonates deeply within us, but we assume we could never do anything so radical or intense?"

At the end of the book there is a chapter that describes the lives of several ordinary people who set good examples, showing that you don't have to be someone famous in the Bible to truly follow God's commands.

"The world needs Christians who don't tolerate the complacency of their own lives."

The greatest question that Chan uses to end the book is this:

". . . how will you answer the King when He says, 'What did you do with what I gave you?'"

***

Okay, so I know that's a lot. I wasn't intending to write so much but I kept looking through the book and kept finding more and more that I had underlined and liked. I know it's not the best review, but hopefully it challenged you to think more about those issues in your own life as it did me. I definitely have many new thoughts and ideas to reflect on as a result of this book. It really helped me to see the importance of some of Jesus' commands as well as start to think of practical ways that I can better apply them to my life. Right now I almost feel as though it's a bit easier to apply what I've learned as my job is to serve others. Of course there are still many ways I can better serve God! But I want to also take the time to think about how I could apply everything to my life in the States for whenever God would have us return because honestly, I think it is much more difficult to live as a Christian in the States than doing my job in the DR. In America there are so many more things to get caught up in that can make me lose my focus from God. I'm not sure why that is, but that's how it is.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope you were encouraged in some way. Thank you all again for your support. We thank God for you often!!!

BAAAAHHHHH!!!

2009-06-24T11:47:00.005-04:00

It's Joe writing this time. I'm not as good of a writer as Shannon and this is my first post so bear with me. However, I wanted to share a quick, entertaining story about the inconveniences of life here in the Dominican Republic.

First of all, you need to be filled in on a little background information about me. If you were to ask me what I miss most about the States, my answer, without a doubt, would be efficiency. Seemingly the simplest tasks can take endless amounts of time. If I were to tell you what I typically do in a morning, you would ask me what I did with the other two hours. Just two days ago, I spent three hours in a bank trying to exchange money and open up an account. I left the bank with half my money exchanged, three voided checks, no new account, and a bookkeeping nightmare. I even brought Shannon and her fluent tongue with me as a translator to help avoid any trouble or confusion to no avail.

Secondly, a little background on our "other pets" here at the Guest House. Of course, we have our dog, Ellie, here with us but our "other pets" are the two sheep the clinic uses for some types of blood tests. These are the saddest sheep you have ever seen. I promise. The older one has dread locks for wool. These two sheep are fed special food and daily are allowed to go outside the gate to graze.

Here we go. About two weeks ago, we had the Northwoods Youth Group here for almost two weeks. I was having a great morning (I can always judge how good my morning is by how much I can accomplish in a certain period of time. The more accomplished in the less amount of time, the better). I had dropped the group off for their morning VBS (no issues), made multiple stops at and around the market (short lines, found everything at the grocery store, produce looked good), and purchased paint at the local hardware store (always an experience, usually they don't have the color or quantity I need) with no issues. All I had to do now to finish my morning errands was deliver the paint to the paint crew at CCED school.

I had slowed the truck and was ready to turn down the street to the school, when I looked 30 yards ahead and saw what I thought were my sheep running down the center of the road (more or less the main East - West highway in the southern half of the island). I decided to go check it out, and sure enough they were mine, a quarter mile from the clinic, running the wrong direction(I could tell by the ropes around their necks and of course the sad state of their wool). So, I drove closer to them, parked the truck, got out, and started chasing them by foot (never had to do this at the country club), again, down the main East - West highway in the DR. Luckily, shortly after I began my chase, they hung a sharp left into a field surrounded by a cement wall. Two nine-year-old boys helped me catch them and I began walking the sheep back to my truck a couple hundred yards away. They dragged me through some of the biggest mud puddles you have ever seen. My feet were completely brown/black and I even had mud on my shorts and shirt. Finally, after getting them back to the truck, I asked a man standing near if he could hold one sheep while I picked up the other and threw (I definitely threw it) it into the truck. After I got one in, I threw in the second. I was getting ready to leave when the man asked if I was going to tie them up. I reluctantly agreed (how stupid could an animal be to jump out of a moving truck). Why not?

Of course, now I had to drive to the school to make the delivery I was so close to making before. I was furious at those two stupid sheep for running away from the clinic, running down the highway, making me as dirty as I have been since I was a kid, and most importantly, ruining my efficient morning. How dumb could they be to run away from their great situation at the clinic? As I was driving toward the school, I kept glancing back at the sheep to make sure they were still in the truck. Half way to the school, sure enough, the oldest jumped out. It was now hanging by its neck on the side of the moving truck with its legs under the wheel. I can honestly say at this point I was so mad at it I hoped it had broken its neck, or at the very least, its legs. After stopping the truck and getting out to inspect the damage, unfortunately, the sheep was still alive and in tact. Once again, I threw it back in the truck and finished my delivery. My once perfect morning was completely destroyed.

I finally got back to the Guest House with the two idiots in the back of the truck. Once I put the truck in park, the same sheep jumped out again. I guess one hanging wasn't enough for her that day. I didn't even care. I untied the sheep, slapped them both on the butt, and watched them run back to their home behind the clinic.

The more I thought about my morning, the clearer the similarity between the sheep and me and the difference between God and me became. I was so angry at the sheep for leaving the safety of their home and running to the dangers outside the wall. I actually hoped the sheep would die once it, again, tried to do the exact opposite thing that I knew was best. The third time it disregarded my orders, I didn't even care.

When I reflect on this example, I can't even believe how great God's love for us is. The sheep did one thing wrong and I hated it. It disobeyed me a second time and I hoped it would die. After the third time, I didn't care what it did anymore. Just like the sheep, we continuously disobey what God KNOWS is best for us again and again and again. Unlike us, God loves us enough to BEG us to come back over and over and over. Nothing we can do, no matter how many times we do it, can separate us from God's love. Wow.

We truly are idiotic sheep.

Me, with my "other pets" in the back of the truck...

Oops!

2009-06-04T12:26:00.014-04:00

Oh my. It's been too long since I've written an update. I apologize! Prepare yourself for a lengthly one.

Since March quite a bit has happened. To start off, I think I'll let some pictures do the talking. We had visits from my family, including my mom, dad, sister, brother, as well as my grandpa and grandma Wilson. Joe's parents and aunt Joan and uncle Jeff were here as well. The following are pictures from our parents from their time here. They are in no particular order.

This is the catholic church in the center of our town.

Joe's parents arriving at the airport in Santo Domingo.

The market where Joe buys all the groceries for me

Joe and I in front of the Jamie Smith School in El Rosario

We've had a lot of chickens coming into the guesthouse walls lately. Ellie loves chasing them! She chased this one into a room and Margot grabbed it and threw it back over the fence.

Joe and the chicken-chaser herself by our sign for the clinic

Weirdest house in town. They say it will someday be an art museum... you can see it from the track where we go running.

Joe at one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world, Playa Rincon. We traveled there with his parents, Roger and Judy.

We went horseback riding to the waterfall in El Limon with the Zimmermans

It was beautiful!

Later we met up with Jeff and Joan in Puerto Plata for some fun and relaxation. The kayak was really fun in the big waves.

Another picture of us in the kitchen.

With Cora, a nurse practioner who is very involved with Solid Rock and the people here.

Joe filling the tanks for the generator. We go through about ten gallons of gas a day.

In front of Pastor Wilson's church, Fountain of Life, with my mom, sister and brother.

Herman is a tailor who makes lots of clothes for the groups who come.

My family visited our friend Elvis' house. He's bringing out some arroz dulce that his mom had made us. Elvis was best friends with Josue, our translator who passed away shortly after we arrived to San Juan.

Ellie loves swimming. This is at the dam in Sabaneta.

Joe swimming with Ellie.

***Please excuse the formatting of what is written below. For some reason the website is not allowing me to put spaces between paragraphs :(. ***

As you can see we've done a lot and have had a lot of fun with visitors! We're looking forward to having more family and friends here coming up in the next couple of weeks. We'll get to spend time with Erin and Josh (Joe's sister and her husband), Jimmy (Joe's younger brother), and Katie (my sister) along with two of her friends. I'm sure I don't have to write that we're very excited to be with all of them.

My health is continuing to improve greatly. Praise God! So far I have been doing very well on a gluten-free diet. We're still kind of waiting it out to see what kind of lasting results I will get from it, but so far I've gotten a lot better and have stayed healthy. My arthritic finger has been completely healed. I no longer take the strong medicine that was prescribed for it and have been off it for six months. I also stopped my expensive Colitis medicine a few months ago and have been symptom-free ever since. Lastly, my thyroid levels seem to have finally stabilized. Nothing but good news here! Please pray that I will continue to stay healthy and strong.

Recently, Joe and I were able to travel to the States for a friend's wedding. It was so fun to see lots of friends and a lot of our family. Hopefully I can get some pictures from that trip up soon. We're planning to return again in August for a more extended period of time as we will not have any groups then due to hurricane season.

Work here has been going well as always. We're starting to get a different variety of teams, now, as we're heading into summer. We'll have more youth groups and church groups as opposed to surgical and medical groups. Things aren't too busy yet, but we have a stretch of at least four back-to-back groups coming in during the month of July. Luckily for me, I'll have my sister here for a whole month to help out in the kitchen :). Summer is descending upon us and so is the heat and humidity. We're entering into our first Dominican summer and I think it's going to be a hot one.

We're still just as obsessed with our dog, Ellie. She is living it up and loving her typical mornings of getting pet by 30 different people as they come into the dining room for coffee and breakfast. Her newest hobby is chasing lizards. She is quite addicted and loves to jump as high as she can to try to reach them. If she can't get them, she barks at them and chases them as best as she can. However, her most favorite things to chase are the chickens that come within the walls ever so often. Once she corners one she doesn't really know what to do with it, so we just grab it and throw it back over the wall. Yesterday, Joe and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. We were in the butcher shop to buy some meat for dinner and decided to ask them if they had any extra bones for our dog. Ellie ended up with an entire hip bone of a cow that is as big as she is! I cooked it in the oven for a few minutes and she gets to work on it whenever we are downstairs in the kitchen. It's quite the sight to see.

On a more serious note, Joe and I have been thinking and praying a lot lately about being open to God and listening for him to make known his desires for us. It all comes down to us remembering that we were created by God for the purpose of serving him. All of our deepest desires and passions are from him. He made us to each enjoy certain things so we can each honor and glorify him in our own way. For that reason, we can say that God is blessed by us when we enjoy being who he made us to be, using the talents and skills he gave us. If we stay near to him through prayer, reading the Bible, and listening to the advice of the wise, I think that is the best way to be open to hear God. We've been praying that he will make known to us his full plan for us at this point in our lives so we can better serve him. Also, in thinking already about the future, we are asking for him to make clear at the appropriate time how long he wants us to be serving in our current position here in the DR.

One thing that we feel like God was trying to make clear to us is that sometimes you have to break traditional rules to serve him. What I mean is that in the world today, there are certain ways that people are expected to live. Christian or not, there are certain cultural norms that most of us follow. As Christians, it is in no way wrong to follow and live by most of these norms, but I strongly believe that we need to be careful not to fall into a hypnotic way of living and doing things. Yes, Joe and I broke a norm by picking up and moving here, but it's still easy to fall into a certain lifestyle that is comfortable. I think it is a great blessing for those of us who can say that we are living comfortably and I am in no way saying that it is wrong. I just think back to the experiences where I quickly had to draw closer to God, and the majority of those times were not comfortable times.

Joe and I were thinking about our decision-making in general last Saturday night. Usually when we don't have groups, there is a certain church that we attend. However, this past Sunday we decided for no particular reason to go elsewhere. Since it was Mother's Day here in the DR, the pastor did a sermon on women who had faith. One point that really stood out to us was his thoughts on women who broke traditional rules to serve Christ. He said that "maybe you are thinking to do something by faith, but you are too worried about the traditional way of doing things. Don't let life trap you. Break the tradition if God is calling you." Joe and I really felt like that idea was something God was wanting us to think about after hearing that sermon. We've both been praying lately just that God will make his plans for us clear so we can better follow him. While our personal hopes and goals are important, as God himself has given us such desires, we realize that it is so important to let him stay in control and guide our future. He knows best and we know it.

I read this first part of Psalms 119 in the The Message the other day and felt like it described exactly how I wanted to be:

"You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right- you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady; keeping to the course you set; then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me."

Those have been our thoughts lately. I guess I'll wrap things up for today. I promise to write more frequently from now on. Feel free to leave and questions, comments, or ideas regarding anything you'd like me to write about. We hope you are all well.

"May God, who puts all things together, makes all things whole, who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus, the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant, who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd, up and alive from the dead, now put you together, provide you with everything you need to please him, make us into what gives him most pleasure, by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah. All glory to Jesus forever and always. Oh, yes, yes, yes." Hebrews 13:18-21, The Message.

2009-03-26T12:38:00.005-04:00

Saludos a todos.

As always, we hope you are all doing well. We continue to be blessed by so many and are just very content in general. All is well in the Zimmerman household and we have a lot to be thankful for.

We did have an important arrival recently. Our little girl, Ellie, finally came to live with us after waiting many cold months in Michigan. She has definitely made us feel complete here and it's great to have our whole family here now. As you most likely have noted, I guess we're dog people. But not in a weird way. Okay, maybe, but I don't care. It truly is great having her here and she has already gotten quite spoiled. She is a friend to all and a comfort to those who left their puppies at home. A lot of people have said how great it is to have a dog here and that she makes it feel more like home. I knew she would be a good watchdog, but she is also a guarddog! It's pretty hilarious, actually. I don't know how to explain it, exactly, but dogs here are different from dogs in the States. For example, dogs here, even the pets, usually are allowed to roam free and are a little more on the rough and wild side. They don't really get trained much, eat trash on the street, and tend to get hit by cars a lot, thus becoming "tripod dogs" (as I like to call them). So Ellie, when someone unknown or not as familiar approaches any door that she has chosen to be guarding that particular day, begins barking as ferociously as she knows how. As it is a closed door through which she is barking, the average American would mostly likely still go to the door to knock or ring the bell. However, here, grown men will not come within ten feet of the door! It's pretty entertaining to witness. So as you might imagine, I feel very safe and protected by my scrawny, 19 pound "mini-lab".

Nothing else too new around here. A few weeks ago my family came to visit for the first time and it was really fun to spend time with them and show them around.

This is picture is of all of us at a restaurant near Barahona. As you can see even my Dad's parents were able to come down.

These upcoming weeks we're going to be spending a lot more time with friends and family. My friend Amy, from college, will be here this Saturday. Shortly after we'll get to spend time with Joe's cousin Brandon and his wife, our friend Julie, Joe's parents, and Joe's aunt and uncle.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for my health. I'm still doing really well and feeling like myself. Praise God.

I guess that's all for now. Thank you all for your encouragement and support as always!

Another Miracle

2009-02-21T08:31:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know, it's unbelieveable that I'm writing yet another entry so soon. However, we have a story that we'd like to share with you about how God has shown us, once again, that he is taking care of us.

As many of you know, in December I had some testing done in the States and was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I went to my general doctor on Monday, the 8th of December, and explained to him my symptoms. I also told him I only had a week in Indianapolis to figure out what was wrong (I guess that week could have been extended, but we wanted to be able to spend time with both sets of parents). My doctor immediately asked his assistant to call his (the assistant) friend who was a gastroenterologist downtown to see if I could get in with him. Just like that, I had an appointment the next morning.

Tuesday, the 9th of December, I saw the gastro. doctor and informed him of my limited timeframe. He checked with scheduling and they were able to get me in as the first patient each day for my next three days of testing.

Fast-forward to the present, and I'm now starting to receive bills from these appointments. BIG bills. We are still waiting to see how much our insurance is going to cover, but we know it's not going to be much. The total cost of my bills will be around $15,000 before insurance does anything. However, even if they follow through on our coverage, we're still looking at around $10,000 or more to pay out of pocket.

Do not be alarmed. Joe and I sure were when we first heard this news. Ten thousand dollars?! I know. After building up our savings account over the past couple of years, would we really have to take from it so quickly for this? Our heads were spinning. What do we do? "Pray," I kept saying. I'm not sure how long we were sitting in our little apartment in a confused daze.

After some time, we finally thought of our support money. How much extra do we have? Since the beginning of our fund-raising, we have been overwhelmed by the amount of money we received from everyone supporting our work. We have more than our necessary $2500 month committed, and have been sent countless one-time donations. When all the extra money was first coming in we almost felt bad. What are we going to do with all of this? It was definitely exceeding our monthly goal we thought we might struggle to meet. I remember we had mentioned something to each other about how maybe God has a plan . . .

OH. MY. WORD. This is it! It finally struck us. After finding out the total amount from our Solid Rock account, we were in such joyful stupor. This is what it was intended for! We have enough! God, you knew all along. It was never our money to have because God had been preparing for this very day since last summer. How good is he?! Those of you who have been giving your money and those of you giving your prayers- please realize the huge part you personally played in this miracle. He is using all of us to show his power. Don't miss out on seeing what he has done through YOU.

After some tears of happiness, a silly question came up between us. What do we do in the future if anything else should happen to us, medically speaking? How very, very silly of us. After seeing how God worked months in advance to prepare for our current situation involving thousands of dollars- how could we possibly worry?! Ha. May this be a lesson to all of us. God is in control. We can hear that so many times, but do we really, truly believe it?

I cannot thank enough all of you who support us in our work here. Your prayers and financial gifts are so obviously being used for great and amazing things. I hope you can feel very blessed to be a part of God's work in that way. Those who are giving monthly, thank you for the stability with which you provide us. We count on you and thank God for you each month as our living expenses are literally a gift from God through you. Those who are giving and have given various one-time gifts, thank you for providing us with enough for the unexpected. We praise God for his mysterious ways of using you to show his greatness. Those who are in prayer for us, thank you for the many blessing of strength, courage, and wisdom. God is here with us and with you, and we hope you can feel his presence and clearly see his work as a result of your prayers.

Please thank the Lord today for what he has done. He loves to hear it and most definitely deserves it. We were created to glorify God. It is the greatest thing we can ever do.

Joe: "We don't have to worry because we have insurance."
Shannon: "Yeah right, it stinks!"
Joe: "I mean we have God insurance. It's the best kind."

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones (or COLON! haha) will vibrate with life." Proverbs 3:5-12 The Message, parenthesis added by me :)

We love you all!!!

Rainbow Chip Sprinkles

2009-02-16T09:19:00.005-05:00

I write to you this morning with a smile on my face and a feeling of contentment in my heart. I have a cup of Dominican coffee to the left of my laptop and I slept at least nine hours last night :). You could say today is a good day.

This past week we had a team of almost 40 staying with us doing all kinds of work in the area. There were two different groups going out in the campos (countryside) to set up medical clinics, a construction team working in El Rosario, and a surgical group in our clinic next door. There was a lot to organize and coordinate, but luckily they were an experienced group and everything went pretty smoothly.

Unfortunately I was sick for most of the week. I'm still getting used to having Colitis and am in the process of learning what I can and cannot eat. Eventually I'll have it figured out, and luckily the flare ups hardly ever come once I have my diet figured out. I'm so very thankful for everything the Lord has provided me with to keep me healthy. I have a Vonage phone to call my doctors in the States whenever need be, the laboratory is right down the stairs from my apartment, and there are constantly American doctors here each week. I'm definitely being taken care of and feel very comfortable here.

This past weekend Joe and I went with the group to Santo Domingo on their way out. We had an awesome time relaxing at the resort and enjoyed Valentine's Day on the beach :). However, on the way home we had a bit of trouble. As we were driving back to San Juan Saturday afternoon, we heard a clicking noise coming from under the hood of the truck. There seems to always be something going on with one of the trucks lately and we didn't think too much of it. I remember saying, "We just have to make it home, then we can get it checked out if it's still making that noise." Well, as we continued driving, the sound seemed to slowly get louder and louder. Then, just as we were about to enter the town of Bani, there was suddenly a loud banging noise and I could tell that something had broken off and was flying around under the hood! I pulled over immediately and we opened up the hood. Of course neither of us know anything about cars, but I guess it's just what you do when your car breaks! Haha. Anyways, just as soon as we got out of the car, a man crossed the road with his cell phone to his ear and told us he was calling his friend who was a mechanic. Talk about quick service! We were relieved but still in disbelief as we tried to talk through our options of what we were going to do. How much money do we have? Will we have to stay overnight? Can we trust these guys? About 20 minutes later, the mechanic comes and tells us what happened (bear with me, I don't know car terms). Aparently, our mechanic that we had seen two days ago was a little forgetful. He had replaced some belts and by doing so, took off the fan for the radiator. When he put the fan back on, he only remembered to secure it with ONE screw instead of four! So it was only a matter of time before that one screw came loose, causing the fan to fly off and smash into the radiator. So, the mechanic made a few more trips back and forth getting the parts and his tools. I felt a little more confident when I overheard him say to his friend, "they are foreigners, they have to be careful because they don't know about the danger." I told him I knew to be careful and was thankful for his concern. The entire time he was off getting parts he had his friend wait with us. I was thankful for that as it got dark. Joe and I just sat in the truck with the doors locked talking about memories of our dog, Ellie, to keep ourselves occupied. I also prayed that God would put an angel to sit on top of the truck to protect us! Maybe he just used the mechanic's friend because he never left us and made me feel safe as he seemed to be friends with every scary-looking person who walked by. Anyways, we got out of that situation spending only about $100 American ($3500 pesos). Pretty good deal! Now today we have to go have a talk with our mechanic in town . . . ! So that was our Valentine's Day! What a memory.

We now have two weeks without any groups here. People always ask us what we do during this time. I don't really know. The time really does go by quickly, though! It seems like it can take a week just to get caught up from previous groups and prepare for the next one coming in. Then there is always business stuff to deal with regarding insurance and bills and stuff from back home. I like to use this time to get stocked up on food I can freeze like breads, cookies, cereal, tortillas, etc. Joe has repairs to do on the rooms and finances to organize. We also are hoping to be able to spend more time with our friends we are meeting. I love having a good Dominican meal and getting to see peoples' houses.

We always seem to have something really fun to look forward to. This year is really exciting as we have friends and family coming just about every month to visit! The first to arrive will be my parents, sister and brother, and my dad's parents. They arrive in just two weeks! I'm getting really excited and can't wait to show them around. Hopefully my little pup, Ellie, will come, too. Pray for warm weather above 40 degrees so she can fly!!!

This past month we celebrated Joe's 27th birthday. What an old man! Haha. As always, I made him a Rainbow Chip cake with Rainbow Chip frosting. It's been tradition for as long as we've been together. He loves it. I think it's little kid cake. But I love it, too. To celebrate we traveled to the Barahona area looking for fun beaches and enjoying the beautiful drive. There are picture from that day on my previous blog entry.

As always, we hope you are all doing well. Please feel free to email us and let us know how you are doing. You can send it to me, Shannon, at shannonzim@gmail.com.

P.S. We LOVE getting pictures.

"God, the one and only- I'll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? He's solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I'm set for life . . . My help and glory are in God- granite-strength and safe-harbor-God- so trust in him, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be . . . And a windfall, if it comes- don't make too much of it. God said this once and for all; how many times have I heard it repeated? 'Strength comes straight from God'." Psalm 62:1-2, 7-8, 10-11 The Message.

Happy Birthday to Joe!

Loving Life

2009-01-28T18:56:00.005-05:00

Hello all! It's been a while. We're at the end of a busy but fun month. It sure feels good to be in the swing of things and feel confident in the work we are doing. We are liking what we do here and are enjoying meeting the teams who come down.

Things are going ok for me health-wise. I know I wrote about that a little bit in a previous entry. Still not 100% but doing fine and much better.

We're still waiting on our dog . . . Ellie :(. She's been staying with my parents and we're working on getting her down here. All of you dog lovers please keep her in your prayers! We miss her a lot and are trying to get her here as carry-on. If not, we have to wait for the weather to be 45 degrees or warmer in Detroit.

I guess I don't have too much to write right now. All is well here! Here are a few more recent photos:

With Margot & Rosa in the kitchen

Outside in the garden

Joe with Dr. Scot Stewart from Gainsville, Georgia

I watched a thyroid surgery and got to hold the thyroid afterward!

beautiful beach in the Barahona area

San Rafael- a river flowing into the ocean

San Rafael again. Joe & I went exploring to celebrate his birthday :)

God is in Charge

2009-01-01T19:39:00.007-05:00

I'm afraid I have to begin this post with some sad news. First off, as many of you already know, we were grieved with the news of the passing of Raul Rodriguez this past weekend. For those of you who don't know, Raul was greatly involved in the work of Solid Rock Missions and has been visiting and serving here for many, many years, dating back to when Joe's grandpa Gordon was coming down here. Raul was adored by so many people and will be greatly missed by all those he touched here in San Juan and in many surrounding areas. Joe and I unfortunately did not know Raul extremely well, but had the pleasure of hosting him here at the Guesthouse a few weeks ago during his last trip to the Dominican Republic.

More recently, we experienced another tragedy as we learned of the death of Josue (aka Joshua), one of our Guesthouse translators. As a result, the past two days have been difficult for many reasons. I don't think I could properly put into words anything that would rightly and justly describe what kind of person Josue was. He was loved by many and had an incredible amount of American friends from the groups who came (and many who still come) to serve here. His death definitely shocked everyone, and I'm afraid God's intentions may not be known until heaven. Please pray for his family and his siblings as they just lost their mother last year. Also pray for his best friend, Elvis.

Margot and I were trying to process everything on the day we learned of Josue's death as we worked in the kitchen. She made a good point by saying how it's so important that we are all ready for death any day at any time. We need to live remembering that God could be planning to take us home at any moment. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

My friend Julie and I with Josue the first year we met him in January 2007

Feliz Navidad!

2008-12-23T19:35:00.004-05:00

Hello hello~

After a fun vacation to the States, we are back in San Juan. It sure doesn't feel like Christmas Eve tomorrow as we've already celebrated Christmas with our families before returning. We have a group arriving here the 27th, so we'll spend these next couple of days getting ready for them.

Our travels getting back here went smoothly. We left Detroit around 3pm and finally got to bed in San Juan around 4am this morning. We drove straight here from the airport and had a very uneventful trip. We woke up this morning around 9am to see Margot (the woman who works with me) and to fumigate the rooms. Later on in the afternoon we took a super long nap. I still will have no problem sleeping tonight!

Tomorrow we're going to Nochebuena (Christmas Eve, literally meaning "the good night") dinner at Herman's house. He is the tailor who comes in weekly to make and sell clothes to our groups. It should be a fun night :).

Thank you, as always, to all of you who keep us in your prayers. We really appreciate it and think about how blessed we are because of you all the time. My health is not something I usually would wish to write about publicly, but I thought I should write a little update. Many of you know I've been having some stomach issues since arriving here. While in the States I was able to see a gastrointerologist and get a whole week's worth of testing done. The final conclusion is that I have Ulcerative Colitis and have started some medication for it. Please pray that I will do well on the medicine and that my insurance will decide to cover it! It is very expensive, and I'm currently waiting for my claim form to process to see how much they will end up paying.

Also, our poor little Ellie didn't get to come with us this time. The weather was too cold for her to fly, so we're hoping she'll be able to come at the end of February with my parents. We also discovered she might just make the size limits for carry on. Hopefully it will all work out!

Below are some pictures from our time in Michigan at my parents' house

Frying up some platanitos for a Dominican meal I made for my family

Chef at work

Avocato, mango, rice with red beans, beef, platanitos, and a pineapple smoothie to drink

Everyone one except Mom, who is taking the picture

We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Rocky Road

2008-12-07T13:15:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's been a little while. I guess the reason for not writing an update lately is that not too much has changed. We feel ready to go for our 2009 groups as we have had a good amount of time to get comfortable with our new home and get a feel for where everything is. We've also been getting to know some people in the area and are thankful for the friendships we are developing. Currently, we're in the States and are very happy to be able to spend time with family and friends. Of course, it was a bit of an adventure getting here.

Our flight to Detroit was at 7:00am out of Santo Domingo. We decided not to spend money on a hotel room, so we had to leave our apartment in San Juan at 1:00am to make sure we could get to the airport two hours before departure time. The drive went very fast as there were hardly any other cars on the road. However, we did have a few obstacles to overcome. First, the main road in one of the towns we pass through was barricaded. We decided to drive around it and continue on the road so we wouldn't get lost. Further up ahead on that same road, there was a three foot high pile of rocks blocking our way. Nobody was around so we just went to the left, with half of our truck on the sidewalk and the other half driving over the rocks. We never figured out why the road was blocked off, and we didn't fall off a cliff or anything, so who knows! A little while after that, we saw something in the road up ahead and realized it was a herd of cows standing in the opposing lane of traffic. They just kind of stared at us and we stared at them thinking how glad we were that we didn't hit any of them! When we were close to Santo Domingo we took a wrong turn. We quickly found a road that led back to the main highway. After driving a few meters we realized we were going the wrong way. We had entered on the exit ramp (which was completely unmarked) and saw the correct side of the road across a grass median. We crossed easily and were back on our way again. Once in the capital, we saw a semi truck flipped on its side on the main circle. We couldn't figure out how it happened as there was no one on the road. It was so empty that we easily ran every red light downtown (don't worry Mom, we looked both ways!). After that it was pretty uneventful. We made it to the airport waaaaay too early due to the lack of traffic and construction. We were even there before any of the workers. While waiting, we asked several people about the price for leaving our car in the parking lot for two weeks. Nobody could answer so we decided we'd look online once we got to the States. As it turns out, the prices were recently marked up not two times, not three times, or even four times. They quintupled the price per day to leave a car in the parking lot! I guess we are going to be looking at bus options for our next trip.

We arrived in Detroit Thursday afternoon and my dad picked us up from the airport. We spent a few days at my parents' house in White Lake, then headed to Indy on Saturday after lunch. The trip ended up being quite long as the road got very icy. We passed at least eight cars that had slid off. Shortly after, our back right tire blew out and we pulled over at the nearest exit. Luckily, there was a Walmart and the tire was still on warranty. Nevertheless, we made it to Indy and are having a lot of fun at Josh and Erin's house (Joe's sister) playing with our 16 month old niece, Sophie.

These next couple days we're going to continue traveling to see family and celebrate early Christmas. We fly back on the 22nd as we have a group coming on the 26th. We're starting to get excited about all of our groups scheduled for this upcoming year.

I'm trying to keep taking pictures and hope to put some new ones up soon. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!