I woke up the other morning and heard the most beautiful song bird outside my bedroom window. I just lay there for awhile and honestly marveled at how beautiful the music was coming out of such a small animal. Later in the morning I was listening to the joyful laughter of children as they played stick ball in the street outside my house. The parents and older siblings were nearby commenting on each hit and settling any discussions about whether someone was really out or not. It didn't take me long to realize that these very simple things are real blessings in my life. Beautiful music, children's laughter and the peace of knowing that things are going to be ok. That's been happening a lot to me lately. I've been recognizing how incredibly blessed I am by lots of simple joys in life.
For one, I live on this beautiful island where a cold day is a day less than 80 degrees! And I am continually amazed by the color around me...greens in every shade, bright oranges and reds and yellows with the bluest of skies and oceans all around. Who would have thought color could be a blessing? I guess you realize it when it's not there. I imagine all of the folks who have lost their sight or those who have failing vision would give a lot to see those amazing colors once again. And what about the sounds? Those who have lost their hearing and now live in a complete silence must long for the days when they could distinguish the different notes of a song or hear the rolling waves of an ocean.
A few years ago I preached a sermon at the Maranatha Baptist Church here in La Romana. I had just lost my mother (8 years ago this month, actually) and I was trying to hold onto the things I knew to be true so that sadness and grief wouldn't overwhelm me. I remember that I wanted people to cherish the things that they had in life today...family, friends, health, jobs, a home, etc. because no one could predict when those things would disappear. God has blessed each of our lives in amazing and wonderful ways that can become so commonplace that we tend to ignore the blessing until it's gone and then we realize we never thanked Him for it.
What do you need to be thankful for today? A good friend? A spouse? A roof over your head? Your health? Do it now! Tell the people in your life how much you love them. Take a walk outside and marvel at the blessing of nature around you. Call a loved one and enjoy the sound of their voice. There's a saying here in the DR that goes something like, "I'll get to it tomorrow." When someone says that, I always want to reply, "But tomorrow never comes..." We have today. Live it, love it and thank God for what you have!
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Loud awakening
For most of us, who have grown up in the US, the Christmas season (aside from the shopping craziness) tends to be a peaceful, relaxing and usually joyful time. I can remember quiet Christmas mornings where you try to hear Santa's footsteps through the night or try to sneak down a squeaky hallway to look at the tree and presents before your parents woke up. All together, though, it was usually fairly quiet outside...especially if there was a recent snowfall and everyone was indoors.
Now, lets fast forward to the Dominican Republic... If you have lived in the DR, and probably some other Latin American countries, you recognize that Christmas is synonymous with chaos. Chaos in the stores, chaos on the streets (more than normal!) and chaos with the celebrations. Oftentimes in the evenings there will be loud street music until the wee hours of the morning, and for me, a night person, that's not so bad. I enjoy the festivities and watching people celebrate the season. Well, most of the celebrations. My neighborhood has apparently lost track of time and/or disregarded the "normal" festive hours that exist in the DR. Our neighborhood festivities originate around 4am and usually end by 8am. Yep, you heard it right...the party, music, singing and dancing all start outside my house at around 4am. Now, it might be because the local corner store opens around that time for the early morning risers or it may be that all the clocks are broken in my neighborhood but my hypothesis is that they rest through the night to begin their day (night??) with joy.
So, this Christmas 2011, I thought I would share a piece of this "joy" with each of you. As I was awakened for the second time somewhere after 6am (the first was around 4am) I decided to record a video so you could hear. Let me say that I never left my house and all the recording is done from inside with windows and doors closed. Enjoy! Here's the link to the video: http://youtu.be/kKlIChtT_C4
Blessings, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kristy
Now, lets fast forward to the Dominican Republic... If you have lived in the DR, and probably some other Latin American countries, you recognize that Christmas is synonymous with chaos. Chaos in the stores, chaos on the streets (more than normal!) and chaos with the celebrations. Oftentimes in the evenings there will be loud street music until the wee hours of the morning, and for me, a night person, that's not so bad. I enjoy the festivities and watching people celebrate the season. Well, most of the celebrations. My neighborhood has apparently lost track of time and/or disregarded the "normal" festive hours that exist in the DR. Our neighborhood festivities originate around 4am and usually end by 8am. Yep, you heard it right...the party, music, singing and dancing all start outside my house at around 4am. Now, it might be because the local corner store opens around that time for the early morning risers or it may be that all the clocks are broken in my neighborhood but my hypothesis is that they rest through the night to begin their day (night??) with joy.
So, this Christmas 2011, I thought I would share a piece of this "joy" with each of you. As I was awakened for the second time somewhere after 6am (the first was around 4am) I decided to record a video so you could hear. Let me say that I never left my house and all the recording is done from inside with windows and doors closed. Enjoy! Here's the link to the video: http://youtu.be/kKlIChtT_C4
Blessings, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kristy
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Links to the 2012 team letter and important information
Hi everyone!
I wanted to make sure that if you are part of a team coming to the Dominican Republic or if you are considering a trip that you have all of the current information. Below you will find links to important documents, including the costs for 2012 teams.
Blessings!
2012 Team Letter
Maranatha Expectations
Hospital and Mission History
Medical Referral Forms for Medical Teams
Hypertension Treatment Guidelines for Medical Teams
Website for the book, Where There Is No Doctor
Basic Medical Creole
I wanted to make sure that if you are part of a team coming to the Dominican Republic or if you are considering a trip that you have all of the current information. Below you will find links to important documents, including the costs for 2012 teams.
Blessings!
2012 Team Letter
Maranatha Expectations
Hospital and Mission History
Medical Referral Forms for Medical Teams
Hypertension Treatment Guidelines for Medical Teams
Website for the book, Where There Is No Doctor
Basic Medical Creole
Back in La Romana!!
Friends,
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement during the last six months of my time in the US taking a much needed rest. In the last six months I have learned that if I don't take care of myself I won't be around to take care of all of the people I love and serve in the Dominican Republic. It's something that I knew in my head but was obviously not living in my life. I now have a renewed energy and health that I didn't have when I went to the states in May 2011.
I returned to La Romana in the early morning hours of December 1, 2011 and have been taking things very slow, concentrating mostly on getting my house arranged the way I like it and practicing the things I learned in the US to keep me relaxed and refreshed. I went to the hospital a few days ago to meet with friends and reconnect with colleagues and it felt great! So many warm smiles and hugs that it really felt like coming home. I was also able to work with Moises and talk to some potential new medical folks that may begin surgical clinics with us and even a couple considering long-term missions work with us! Praise God for his provision!
For many of you, you may not have known that I moved into a new place just before I left for the States back in May. I know am renting a home in a wonderful neighborhood closer to the hospital that has a really nice yard for the dogs. Both Kobe and Sasha are in heaven with their new space and I'm so happy that I found a place for less rent than I was paying while still offering me a safe neighborhood and room for the dogs. It really has been such a blessing to wake up to the birds singing and have a quiet neighborhood full of families and kids who have already adopted Kobe and Sasha...they watch for them when they get out of the yard and want to give them baths!!
So as we end 2011 and begin a new year, I want to encourage you to take some time with family and friends this season to love on them, care for them and let them know how much they mean to you. We are all so blessed and often forget our blessings when we are stressed or under pressure so lets remember to thank God for all of the good we have in life, even when it's hard at times. Even when we may not have the riches of the world we have the richness of friendship and a hope that never ceases.
Many blessings,
Kristy
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement during the last six months of my time in the US taking a much needed rest. In the last six months I have learned that if I don't take care of myself I won't be around to take care of all of the people I love and serve in the Dominican Republic. It's something that I knew in my head but was obviously not living in my life. I now have a renewed energy and health that I didn't have when I went to the states in May 2011.
I returned to La Romana in the early morning hours of December 1, 2011 and have been taking things very slow, concentrating mostly on getting my house arranged the way I like it and practicing the things I learned in the US to keep me relaxed and refreshed. I went to the hospital a few days ago to meet with friends and reconnect with colleagues and it felt great! So many warm smiles and hugs that it really felt like coming home. I was also able to work with Moises and talk to some potential new medical folks that may begin surgical clinics with us and even a couple considering long-term missions work with us! Praise God for his provision!
For many of you, you may not have known that I moved into a new place just before I left for the States back in May. I know am renting a home in a wonderful neighborhood closer to the hospital that has a really nice yard for the dogs. Both Kobe and Sasha are in heaven with their new space and I'm so happy that I found a place for less rent than I was paying while still offering me a safe neighborhood and room for the dogs. It really has been such a blessing to wake up to the birds singing and have a quiet neighborhood full of families and kids who have already adopted Kobe and Sasha...they watch for them when they get out of the yard and want to give them baths!!
So as we end 2011 and begin a new year, I want to encourage you to take some time with family and friends this season to love on them, care for them and let them know how much they mean to you. We are all so blessed and often forget our blessings when we are stressed or under pressure so lets remember to thank God for all of the good we have in life, even when it's hard at times. Even when we may not have the riches of the world we have the richness of friendship and a hope that never ceases.
Many blessings,
Kristy
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The new season of teams is arriving!
Dear friends,
many of you will soon be arriving to the Dominican Republic to begin another season of service and work in La Romana. I wanted to send a quick note out and ask you what it is that you need to make this next years trip more productive, special or focused for your team. Please write to me or Moises and let us know how we can help you plan or organize your trip. I would also like to let you know that International Ministries has a booklet for teams to use in preparation for their trip and I would encourage each team to meet together and get to know each other before actually arriving to the DR! There are many good resources and it also can make a huge difference for your team so please make the effort to work together, even a little, before you arrive. Here is the link for information on team building from International Ministries: http://www.internationalministries.org/read/5345
This link will also give information for people who would like to be long-term volunteers with applications, fund raising ideas, etc. Please feel free to contact the mission if you have any questions.
Again, I am really excited to see each of you and see how God will use you this next year in La Romana.
Many blessings,
Kristy
many of you will soon be arriving to the Dominican Republic to begin another season of service and work in La Romana. I wanted to send a quick note out and ask you what it is that you need to make this next years trip more productive, special or focused for your team. Please write to me or Moises and let us know how we can help you plan or organize your trip. I would also like to let you know that International Ministries has a booklet for teams to use in preparation for their trip and I would encourage each team to meet together and get to know each other before actually arriving to the DR! There are many good resources and it also can make a huge difference for your team so please make the effort to work together, even a little, before you arrive. Here is the link for information on team building from International Ministries: http://www.internationalministries.org/read/5345
This link will also give information for people who would like to be long-term volunteers with applications, fund raising ideas, etc. Please feel free to contact the mission if you have any questions.
Again, I am really excited to see each of you and see how God will use you this next year in La Romana.
Many blessings,
Kristy
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Finally some updates!
Dear Friends,
I sincerely apologize for the length of time it's taken me to post an update on my blog. I've been in the US on a break to try and get my health back to normal! No, I don't have anything serious but because of some serious exhaustion from working so hard in La Romana, Dominican Republic, both my mission and I decided that it would be important for me to take a break and make sure that I am rested and healthy before going back to the Dominican Republic. The most serious part of my exhaustion was that my cortisol levels had become very high and contributed to many of my problems (migraines, insomnia, chest pain and palpitations) that led me to decide I needed to take a serious break and learn to rest and care for myself as much as I care for those around me. So, I am happy to say that after several months, I am sleeping well, feeling rested, having fewer headaches and my cortisol is finally back into the "normal range." I really appreciate everyone's prayers for my recovery and your patience in waiting to know what's been going on with me!
I'd like to share some things that I've learned on this journey of rest, some of which I've shared in my newsletters and a few other thoughts that you might find interesting.
First, although I've always tried to counsel others on caring for themselves, I really didn't understand what it meant to care for myself. I am sure that many of you may also be in this same place. I used to think that if I took the weekend off or even an entire day where I didn't meet with a medical team or if I didn't go to the hospital, then that meant that I was taking a break. The very next day I would rush right back to my "normal" life and work upwards of 17 hours a day. It had become so normal for me that I didn't see anything wrong with it as long as I took a day off here and there. Writing this now seems so silly and so unrealistic, but at the time, I thought that I couldn't do anything else. These last few months I've learned how to care for myself and how not to feel so guilty about saying no to requests for my time if I know it's not the best thing for me.
Next, I've learned that having a sabbath time in my week (actually on a daily basis!) is very healthy and should be practiced by all of us. One of the ways that I've been able to do this is to spend at least 20-30 minutes a day doing restorative yoga or centering prayer/mindful meditation. Initially, I was timid to tell people about this, especially in the Christian world, because I felt that people might think I was kooky or trying to change religions or something else. The reality is that taking time out every day to understand your body (where it hurts, what's tense, what's tired) is VERY healthy and can be very much centered on Christ. For me, it's a time to make quiet time for God and focus on what He may be wanting me to be aware of. It is also a time for me to see where my body might be getting tense and potentially lead to a headache or a migraine.
I have also discovered the joy of reading again! Yeah!! I have always been an avid reader but over the last several years, when my reading wasn't involved in my studies for my master's degree I just didn't do it. I tended to be too tired to read at night. I also realized that my mind was always running and often wouldn't calm down enough to enjoy a good book. I was always thinking of what I had to do later, the problems related to my work or even all of the repairs or cleaning I needed to do around the house. Now, I've rediscovered how to relax and enjoy books. I've read several great one's this summer. I will probably post the list soon!
Finally, the most important thing that I've learned these last few months is how to patiently wait for God's timing. There are a lot of things that have happened with my health in the last year and I've prayed for healing and help but have always expected that those prayers would be answered quickly! (I know, naive, huh??) What I've come to realize is that if I can make a conscious decision to trust God's methods and His timing, the best will always come for me. I can remember back in July when I'd been in the States for about two months, that I was sure I had rested enough and I was ready to go back to work. It wasn't until a month later (still resting!) that I woke up one day and not only felt rested but REFRESHED for the first time in years! It was at that point that I recognized that I would never have given myself enough time for rest if my mission hadn't made me wait. God knew how much time I needed and set circumstances around me so that I would have that time. In fact, three months after that day in August, I am still calmly waiting to return, now with healthy lab results but other situations keeping me in the US and unable to return to La Romana.
So, again, thank you for your patience and your prayers. I apologize for the length of this post but knew there was a lot to catch up on! I will be better about updates in the future.
Many blessings to all!
Kristy
I sincerely apologize for the length of time it's taken me to post an update on my blog. I've been in the US on a break to try and get my health back to normal! No, I don't have anything serious but because of some serious exhaustion from working so hard in La Romana, Dominican Republic, both my mission and I decided that it would be important for me to take a break and make sure that I am rested and healthy before going back to the Dominican Republic. The most serious part of my exhaustion was that my cortisol levels had become very high and contributed to many of my problems (migraines, insomnia, chest pain and palpitations) that led me to decide I needed to take a serious break and learn to rest and care for myself as much as I care for those around me. So, I am happy to say that after several months, I am sleeping well, feeling rested, having fewer headaches and my cortisol is finally back into the "normal range." I really appreciate everyone's prayers for my recovery and your patience in waiting to know what's been going on with me!
I'd like to share some things that I've learned on this journey of rest, some of which I've shared in my newsletters and a few other thoughts that you might find interesting.
First, although I've always tried to counsel others on caring for themselves, I really didn't understand what it meant to care for myself. I am sure that many of you may also be in this same place. I used to think that if I took the weekend off or even an entire day where I didn't meet with a medical team or if I didn't go to the hospital, then that meant that I was taking a break. The very next day I would rush right back to my "normal" life and work upwards of 17 hours a day. It had become so normal for me that I didn't see anything wrong with it as long as I took a day off here and there. Writing this now seems so silly and so unrealistic, but at the time, I thought that I couldn't do anything else. These last few months I've learned how to care for myself and how not to feel so guilty about saying no to requests for my time if I know it's not the best thing for me.
Next, I've learned that having a sabbath time in my week (actually on a daily basis!) is very healthy and should be practiced by all of us. One of the ways that I've been able to do this is to spend at least 20-30 minutes a day doing restorative yoga or centering prayer/mindful meditation. Initially, I was timid to tell people about this, especially in the Christian world, because I felt that people might think I was kooky or trying to change religions or something else. The reality is that taking time out every day to understand your body (where it hurts, what's tense, what's tired) is VERY healthy and can be very much centered on Christ. For me, it's a time to make quiet time for God and focus on what He may be wanting me to be aware of. It is also a time for me to see where my body might be getting tense and potentially lead to a headache or a migraine.
I have also discovered the joy of reading again! Yeah!! I have always been an avid reader but over the last several years, when my reading wasn't involved in my studies for my master's degree I just didn't do it. I tended to be too tired to read at night. I also realized that my mind was always running and often wouldn't calm down enough to enjoy a good book. I was always thinking of what I had to do later, the problems related to my work or even all of the repairs or cleaning I needed to do around the house. Now, I've rediscovered how to relax and enjoy books. I've read several great one's this summer. I will probably post the list soon!
Finally, the most important thing that I've learned these last few months is how to patiently wait for God's timing. There are a lot of things that have happened with my health in the last year and I've prayed for healing and help but have always expected that those prayers would be answered quickly! (I know, naive, huh??) What I've come to realize is that if I can make a conscious decision to trust God's methods and His timing, the best will always come for me. I can remember back in July when I'd been in the States for about two months, that I was sure I had rested enough and I was ready to go back to work. It wasn't until a month later (still resting!) that I woke up one day and not only felt rested but REFRESHED for the first time in years! It was at that point that I recognized that I would never have given myself enough time for rest if my mission hadn't made me wait. God knew how much time I needed and set circumstances around me so that I would have that time. In fact, three months after that day in August, I am still calmly waiting to return, now with healthy lab results but other situations keeping me in the US and unable to return to La Romana.
So, again, thank you for your patience and your prayers. I apologize for the length of this post but knew there was a lot to catch up on! I will be better about updates in the future.
Many blessings to all!
Kristy
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