In Matthew 24 Jesus warns us that in these days, these last days, the wickedness & evil will be so prevalent that the love of many for the Lord will grow cold. None of us is excluded from that warning by One who knows us better than we know ourselves. I pray that you may continue to grow in love & constancy with the Lord & ask that you pray for the same for the Cell Group of El Medina (read more on news page, see pictures on album page), the flock I'm immediately responsible for as well as our church as a whole, Amor a Quisqueya (Love for Whomever).

Some may categorize these three things as major social problems here in the Dominican. I believe not only are they social problems but spiritual strongholds & powers which have many Dominicans imprisoned in the cyclical patterns of self- destruction & despair. The young adults from my church have felt God calling us to reach out to the marginalized trapped in these areas of darkness. Pray for God's reign to dethrone these principalities of darkness that for years have been in control in Jarabacoa & the Dominican Republic as a whole.

I also ask you to pray for protection as this kind of warfare for the Kingdom of He who is ultimately victorious does not happen without counter attack. Last night Popin (our head pastor) dislocated & slightly fractured his shoulder/arm while taking out some garbage at church after our Thursday night prayer service. He fell in a hole, made by no human hands. Apparently due to the rains & slight earthquake yesterday where he turned & stepped the ground gave & he fell in a hole that today was measured as being 8 feet. While we don't suffer persecution in the Dominican as many of our brothers & sisters do around the world, we are under attack. Please pray for protection & perseverance of the church in the Dominican aggressively pursuing & working for the Kingdom to come as well as for our brothers & sisters all over this earth who are suffering on all levels for the name of our Lord & Savior.

Please pray for the Dominican & Haitian peoples living on the island of Hispaniola. The storm Noel that recently went through the area left a lot of water damage. Where I live, Jarabacoa, is at a higher elevation in the center of the country, but even there we suffered heavy rains. Pray for the rest of the island as there were many in lower areas that suffered devastation, lives were lost, and many were displaced from their homes.

Also, for daily news from the Dominican Republic (even in English) check out the link to http://dr1.com/

My grandmother, Lucy Huldeen passed away after a massive stroke Tuesday, October 2. I changed my flight & was able to be with the family this last week. Please pray for my family as we're all at peace that Grandma's in a better place, but we miss her. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The last 24 hours I've been working on my travel schedule (posted on News page) for the rest of my time in the States. Please pray that as I long to connect with dear ones, that the Good News of what God's doing in the Dominican Republic can be shared. If I'll be anywhere near where you are, please pray & consider the opportunity of having a bit of the DR brought to where you are.

I ask you to continue praying for revival throughout the church in this country to then be able to see a revolution & renovation through the land. Also pray for all the students who it is our pleasure to minister to & with this summer. Pray for fresh life- giving words from our Lord as well as for the passing on of the fire which He has lit in us to be then taken back to schools, universities, youth groups & churches throughout the US! May God's will be done on this earth as in heaven! May His name be lifted high as salvation & healing comes to His creation.

So, the projected date for starting the new Media Site was for this summer... Pray for a miracle! My sister-friend Amy Babb (who will be taking my place at the Art Site as I start up the new multimedia endeavor) is in the process of fundraising. Unless Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides for us, works a miracle (which He's God, He can do whatever pleases Him) she won't be here until the end of summer, resulting delaying my transition even more & staying in the Art Site for the summer. Above all we all want God's will & timing, but may by His grace it be SOON!

God is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides for us. I ask you as my brothers & sisters to join me in prayers of faith in a God who has called me to the Dominican Republic & who will not fail or leave me. In March approximately 1/3 of my monthly support will not be continued. I've sought to take steps in recovering that support, but as I see no options in front of me, I'm praying for a miracle.

If it's once, twice, or joining in my faith cry, I'm praying for a miracle of appoximately $30,000 of one time gifts to come in to pay off my school loans which monthly hang over my head, or a recovery of that monthly support. He's brought me this far, I know He will never leave or forsake me. To Him be the glory! He is always faithful!

I write asking for your prayers. As God's doing big things in the Dominican Republic, our enemy doing just sit back & happily let it all happen. Recently there has been moving a spirit of death & suicide through the region of Jarabacoa and especially in my neighborhood "La Medina." The daughter of one of my neighbors tried to commit suicide about a week ago. Her father is a doctor & politician so it is being kept very quiet. Your prayers are valued even more because of respect for them it's being kept quiet here. Please pray for God's grace for the family of Fifa & the recovery physically, emotionally & spiritually or Sasha. Pray for God's will & truth which bring life to be fortified as we stand in His strength in resistance of the enemy who seeks nothing more than to rob & destroy the life that God has made.

"When we Pray God Works"

Answers to Prayer:
1- Evangelical growth came relatively late, but took off in the 1970s & continued through the '90s as Evangelicals strove to multiply churches and take the gospel to 1 million Dominicans by 2000. During the '90s the number of evangelical churches increased from about 2,000 to 3,200.

Challenges for Prayer:
1- Columbus' importation of sugar cane has been the source of 500 years of wealth and misery. It was one factor in the genocide of the one million indigenous Arawak Taino people, the importation of slaves in the past and also the present exploitation of Haitian labour. Another factor is EU distortion of the world sugar market by exporting under-priced, subsidized beet sugar. Pray for more fair and considerate treatment of the poor by both the Dominican government and richer nations in their trade policies.
2- Religious freedom is not yet an issue completely resolved for non-Catholics. The 1954 Concordat limits that freedom in taxation and government institutions. CODUE, one of the two evangelical umbrella networks, seeks to coordinate activities to ensure equality for all in the sight of the law. This has led to greater unity among Evangelicals than hitherto.
3- The major challenges confronting Christians are:
a) Retention of those converted. There has been growth in many denominations, but only a small proportion of those who respond through evangelism become members.
b) Development of Christian ethics for Christian involvement in a society where corruption, crime and promiscuity are rampant.
c) Cultivation of a missions vision despite pervasive poverty. There are over 70 Dominican evangelical missionaries, of which 30 are cross-cultural.
4- Leadership for the churches is a constant challenge. Emigration of the gifted and moneyed to Puerto Rico and the USA is a loss the growing churches can ill afford. Pray for vision, commitment and stickability for all called to Christian work. Pray also for those willing to serve in the poorer, rural areas. Pray that the seven or more accredited, theological training schools and the National Evangelical University may provide spiritual, mature and stable leaders for the future.
5- The large Haitian under-class has been the most responsive of all. Haitians are immigrants, or descendants of immigrants, who are often despised by Hispanics yet needed as sugar-cane and manual workers. They face discrimination from Dominicans (even Christians), and the question of their emancipation is a major unresolved issue that must be faced by both government and people. Pray for church leaders and their congregations to be good witnesses in this tense and inequitable situation.
6- The less evangelized for prayer:
a) The unchurched majority is nominally Chrisian but occultism is widespread, pervasive and strong. Maybe more than 4,000 villages have no evangelical witness.
b) The middle and upper classes have relatively fewer Evangelicals.
c) Youth. There are 30 universities and colleges with 150,000 students, but the need to work to pay for tuition, lack of job prospects and purpose in life, cripple initiative.
d) The Chinese, who have only two congregations of believers among them.

In a year life can build up to be very full. Naturally an overachieving people-pleaser, God's worked a lot in my character in that I can & do say "no." Needless to say, due to many different factors, life right now is very full. Good, but full. Much of what is going on right now has been mentioned on the News page, but let me focus that info as well in the form of requests that I would ask you to join with us in prayer:

*Personally - I'm reminded time & time again at my utter need for Jesus. I can't be who I want to or should be without Him! I want to "see His glory" more & more like I was sharing on the News page & desire continual hunger & thirst to be in prayer & His Word. Please be in prayer as well for my time in the States. Pray for relationships --fellowship-- here as I'll be away for six weeks & in the States & the in-person catch-up of all that's happened in the last year. May God have "diving appointments" beyond what I could ever ask or imagine.

*Escuela D'Arte - There have been so many exciting things happening at the Art School this last year! Pray that as God is taking us to the next level, that we would be faithful & diligent in each little & big step. Pray for the Dominican art students. We've had a lot of new students start in the last couple months since changing locations & it is very exciting to see a lot of natural talent walk through the doors. Pray that Fran & I would be able to build good relationships with the students & as we also desire to get to know their families & visit homes. May the difference that God is in each of our lives shine to our students & may God use whatever He desires to draw those who don't know Him to the Truth. Pray as well for the other things going on on the property & in the building (from a recording studio & violin lessons downstairs to the Art Movement that's meeting in the location some evenings & weekends, two staff who are living in the apartment behind the main building, & all that is possibility in the works). May it all be for His glory & may those who don't know Him come to know Him!

*My Dominican Family - Pray for Francisco & Yeimi & the kids. God is always faithful, but may their be no hindrances in the ways which He desires to provide for all their needs. Pray for Vinicio & Martina (Yeimi's parents) & the family as well. It's been a hard couple months for everyone the way things are right now. My prayer is that my dear Dominican family may experience the abundant blessings of Jehovah Jireh (God who provides) in whatever way He has for their faith to be worked out.

*My Family - Some of you may know of my grandparents failing health on my dad's side. My grandma is stable but not in a condition of great quality of life. My grandpa is experiencing some dimentia due to Parkinson's & the doctors are currently seeking to find the right medications so that he may be in the clearest state possible. Pray that God may have His way & be glorified.

*Fraternidad Cristiana Amor a Quisqueya (My Church here) - Pray that God would continue to bless this body of believers as well as the other Christian churches in Jarabacoa & the DR. Pray that the leadership would continually be seeking after the Lord & following where He leads. Pray for the maturing of new believers, that they might not fall away. Pray for the discipleship program in which I & about 30 people from church are currently involved in. Pray for the worship ministry. I am starting to be involved with the worship team, but the vision & what is in Pastor Popin, Joan (the music director) & my heart is not simply for me to sing & be involved but in the developing of a program to train voices for His glory. Pray for wisdom in looking at how to develop this program. Pray for the young people (the largest population in the church). This weekend there is a retreat for the adolescents which some of the young adults will be helping supervise & I may do some transl ating. Pray for lives that may be radically devoted to Kingdom work.

Thank you for your prayers! My prayer for each of you is that the Lord's face may shine upon you & that you may recognize His blessing in your lives. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, a holiday not celebrated here; may we all learn to be thankful each & everyday for His faithfulness day after day to all generations. Thank you for your prayers! I'm utterly dependent on Jesus, but also dependent on the Body of Christ, you my brothers & sisters, & need your love & prayer & support & am thankful for it! (Ephesians 3:20-21) Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church & in Christ Jesus forever & ever through endless ages. Amen.

Dearest friends & family,
I write to you asking for your prayers. I don't always know what specific requests to update this page with in a way that would not be repetetive or general, but today I write with a very specific purpose. This last Saturday two lives ended & many lives were forever changed.

Laura is a seven year old student at SI's Special Education School, Genesis. She was the second of twins, and while her brother Emilio has no physical or mental abnormalities, Laura is quite bright, but refined to a wheel chair with some different mental and physical handicaps of which I'm unsure of the diagnosis to tell you the names. Yesterday, Sunday, I spent some time in the presence of these two special children helping interpret for Sissy who's more closely connected to the students as the Physical Therapist at the school. Saturday afternoon, as Laura & Emilio's uncle was cleaning a pistol in the home, the gun fired & killed the mother of these two precious seven year old kids. I plead with you to join in intercession for these two & their family. Sadly, the tragedy does not end there. Emilio, if not Laura as well, witnessed the entire event. Their uncle is currently in prison. Since enbalming of the deceased is too expensive of a practice to take place here, the vie wing of the body was immediate that afternoon/evening, at which, the aunt of this young woman died (of a heart attack I assume), and the parents of the deceased, the grandparents of these children are both hospitalized at the point of heart attacks not wanting to accept all that is happening.

Please join many in lifting up these motherless children and this entire family! How do we pray after something like this happens? I still feel very much at a loss of words. I do believe God is God, God is good, God is sovereign & all-knowing. I think the God whose love is unconditional desires nothing more than to draw Laura, Emilio, their father, each member of this family & their friends who are mourning into His embrace & hold them close to His heart. I pray against guilt & blame. I pray for strength to continue on each day until finally someday the nightmare isn't so harshly real. I pray God may use death to draw others who are living like they're dead, apart from Him, to find life in Christ. I pray for His grace & mercy to flow down & cover each of their lives.

Yet again I'm struck by the shortness of life on this earth, especially as we try to grasp the concept of eternity. Each day we have breath is a gift to live to the fullest.

So many things to write, my little fingers can't type fast enough! We've officially ended the "summer" after twelve straight weeks of high school, college age & adult teams working in our different ministry sites here in Jarabacoa... serving as blessings & being blessed. Other super exciting praise that I can't believe I'm just now posting is that... WE HAVE A NEW ART SITE!!! Beyond what Francisco, myself & the others of SI could ever ask or imagine actually being able to have as an art site is now our location (for about a month now!) thanks to God's incredible provision from the details in the timing of it all, to providing a supporter to pay rent for an undetermined amount of time, to the price & five year contract that we agreed upon. Please join with us in lifting the Art School up to the Sovereign Lord as we transition from the busy summer season to "life as normal" (or something like that), look at restructuring & organization of the new space & new respo nsibilities, but most importantly, please pray for each one of the students that the Lord would have to be in the art school... not simply to learn about art, but so that their hearts may be touched by the love of the Lord who is so good and so faithful and so longing to draw those who don't know Him close to Himself in His saving grace.

I'm all about being real & therefore ask for your prayers personally as well. Here at the end of the teams season, I've loved & am thankful for what God's blessed me in being a part of, but can honestly say that if the summer season were to go year-round here, I don't think any of us could do it & keep Jesus as the main thing. I'm recooperating from the tiredness, but still humbly petition your prayers, I guess I don't even know how specifically. Pray that I may continue to hunger & thirst to know & be known by my Lord day by day. I love this verse from Hosea 6:3, "Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him! Then He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring."

May He have His way... His will be done on earth as it is in heaven... starting with each of us...

-Please pray with us for the site/location that the Lord would desire us to be in for the art site. (The owners of our previous location notified us in the beginning of July that they wanted our location as our contract was up & they've in the last two weeks now turned our previous art school is now a ladies aerobics room.) Needless to say, there are a few leads, but the last outreach & now starting this outreach, our location is the back of my Suzuki Sidekick, the cemetary wall where we're painting, and the newly renovated city park where we eat lunch. There are limited locations, high rent, and up 'till now no financial supporters of the art school. May God open the right doors & show us so that we may continue on in the work in the community that we know He has us doing for specific purposes.
-Pray for the Dominican art students & the relationships that have been established as the site is in a time of transition.
-Pray that the Lord will continue to have His way in the lives of the students who will be with us from the States.
-Pray as it is hurricane season here literally & figuratively. Literally pray for the safety of those of us here on little pieces of land in the Caribbean, up till now we just go through spurts of heavy rain & wind. Figuratively as there are many storms that are hitting others lives who are dear to me & sometimes all you can do as a hurricane hits someone's family/community you can just try to be there to weather the storm with them & help pick up the pieces in between waves. No matter what level of tropical storm or hurrican hits around or directly in my life here, may God be the foundation & focus of life.

May His Kingdom come & His will be done on earth as it is in heaven! We are starting the largest outreach of the summer with 56 students max-ing out the housing capacity of our current base. Pray that each of the students would be open to what the Lord wants to do in & through their lives. Pray for our staff as we pour much energy, prayers, preparation, time, etc. into the lives of these students & our different ministry sites. Pray for health- for the students, two weeks is a short-time which is no fun to spend with parasites in the clinic for example; personally, I've been dealing with some mini-migraines & am seeking the cause & solution along with help of a great doctor here (but down the mountain... meaning gas, doctor bills, medication costs) may the King of kings be the ruler of my physical body.

More soon. Deepest thanks for your partnership in what is happening in the Dominican Republic & in lives of students from the States! May God bless you beyond what you could ever ask or imagine!

So, I'm exhausted at the end of this week. Trips up & down the mountain at the beginning of the week, Wednesday different car & transportation frustrations as friends had my jeep to go to the capital & I had their unreliable car, Thursday my allergies which have been acting up have morphed with the flu virus that's going around & I had a fever all night, Friday I woke up with a slight fever still & later in the morning my computer stopped working. Needless to say, be it testing, coincidence, or attack, I sincerely plead for & covet your prayers. We're just a week away from spring break teams starting, I'm worn out, have planning to do, & am plagued by a wrenching cough. May my eyes be fixed on Jesus & things of above & not on things of this earth as I desire to follow Him in planning & ministering to & with the students who will soon be arriving.

So, needless to say, the Scabies continue, I saw the dermatologist again to day & as she shook her head at the fact that it's an epidemic here that working in community devolopment, I as a gringa will most likely not be able to avoid the itching permanently, she confirmed that the spots on my skull that have been driving me nuts are also Scabies (while parasites usually don't like hairy areas) as opposed to lice which was the other possibility running through my mind. Please be praying for the kids in Fran & Yeimi's family... my family here. Ismalles (5 years), Pricila (3 years), & Rembrant Nataniel (9 months). Part of the reason that I saw the Dr. today was that I ended up heading down the mountain to a bigger town called La Vega to take Yeimi & the baby Nataniel to the Pediatrician. Nataniel will be fine, but he's in the hospital overnight to make sure he gets better.

So, I write this after a long weary day of the medical system in the DR as well as preparing & teaching English class tonight (for which I came the 30 minutes back up the mountain), before going to the kids grandma's house where the girls were to eat supper & take Martina (grandma), Ismalles, Pricila, and one of Yeimi's brothers back down the mountain to see them.

No day is "normal" in entirety here, nor would I want it to be, but I'm worn out... & itching, & ask for your prayers for my family here as well as our Students International family overall. Sometimes sickness just happens, there are such things as germs, viruses, parasites, what have you, but as the Lord is doing exciting things within & through our staff & ministry sites for His Kingdom, I also recognize we have an enemy who wants to use whatever means he can to stop it. Pray that no matter what comes against any of us or our families, that Christ would draw us closer to Himself as we draw near to Him. May the Lord's will be done on this earth as it is in heaven, for His glory alone.

I love my life here, PRAISE JESUS! Just about to complete three months of life here in my new home. I feel connected in community, am feeling integrated into the art ministry site where I'm working, the English classes I'm teaching are underway & going well.

"I know He hasn't brought me this far to leave me!" Those are the lyrics of a song that run through my mind every once and awhile while I feel I'm adjusting well, and not one to experience "culture shock" in a big and life rocking way, I am in that season where sometimes, completely unnanounced comes the cultural irritations of little things I probably couldn't even make an accurate list of. It's normal, it's good, but I won't say it's easy!

Another factor that comes into play is my health. While I'm a typically healthy person, there are things about a gringa moving to the tropical Carribean that are inevitable. PARASITES!!! There have been a few episodes of unhealth, and really, who likes not being in good health? Along the health lines, I've had for the last few months what I like to call, "Scabies for Jesus." Scabies, what a gross word, and no better in Spanish (escabesis). Scabies is basically when by the means of skin to skin contact parasites burrow under the skin & lay eggs, appearing like odd almost acne looking puss pockets which feels like an extremely itchy rash. Fear not, I'll not go into any more detail, but ask for your prayers in that area! I'd probably been carrying it for at least a month before I realized what it was & after seeing a dermatologist a week and a half ago, seemed to be getting better & yesterday found a few new spots. It's just a reality here. The doctor told me that 50% of the patients she's seen in the last two months have been infected, just pray that the right treatment is found so that none of the dear little children I love & who climb all over me will be infected/reinfected, and that the itching on my skin may resume to simply being from mosquito bites :-)

Through it all, be it "Scabies for Jesus," art class, English class, or simply living & breathing, may Jesus be glorified. I pray that His constant & certain presence may be real in each of your lives & thank you for your love & prayers!

Know that I covet your prayers as well as seek to be faithful in lifting the things I know are going on in your lives up to the Lord! The following is a list of what comes to mind as what is on my heart:
-My grandma, Darlene Ecklund, has been battling dimentia for quite some time & in the last month that I have been in the Dominican Republic she has had numerous other TIA strokes with rapid deterioration of her mental & physical health as I understand it. Please be praying for her and our family in this time.
-I'm blessed in truly having gained great family here with whom I feel that I've been able to become a part of, pray that the Lord would continue to bless those relationships in this time when we won't be having staff meetings over the holidays. Pray that when loneliness surfaces in this time of transition, that God's grace may be what transforms those moments into incredible solitude with my Savior as opposed to the pit of loneliness.
-Colossians 3, I know I've mentioned it before, is a passage of scripture I'd like to live by God's grace! Pray that as life pulls in so many directions, the only way which my heart & mind would give way is to being closer to the Lord!

*because HE lives, i can face tomorrow
*the beautiful & peaceful house I'm currently living in with two very fun Puerto Rican sisters (Elisa & Iliana)
*the new RED 1997 SUZUKI SIDEKICK SPORT that the Lord has provided for me to purchase now giving me mobility, freedom & independence... as well as the ability to bless others with a ride quite often
*an incredible staff here to be working with who in so many ways have helped make my transition here so smooth & are so eager & willing to build relationship with a new crazy American :-)
*the incredible support of family & friends who so lovingly & encouragingly have partnered in this work in the Dominican Republic & who join in such a big part of the battle with us, on their knees!

God bless & know you are in my thoughts & prayers as the Lord brings you to my mind! Please drop me an email & let me know how I might join you in prayer! Blessings & Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't know exactly how to ask for prayer other than, if you were in my shoes, how would you be praying... and pray that. I recognize that the day that is a big move for me & is a major change in life, is an ordinary work or school day for most people. A few of you or those close to you may encounter an unexpected blessing, and a few may experience the sideblow of tragedy. For me, I'm in the strange land of the dichotomy of grieving goodbyes and the excitement of hellos.

By the grace of the Lord of Heaven & Earth, may His travel mercies be present... (& may my luggage all make it with me). May the One and Only Yahweh, I AM, meet each of us exactly where we are now and throughout the day. May those of us who know Christ as our Lord & Savior be illuminated in & through our lives as He pours His love to overflowing in our lives! These are the things I pray for each of you, my dear family & friends, as well as for myself. May He be glorified in our lives as we get to know Him better as He meets us & longs to draw us closer to Himself.

God,
grant me serenity to accept the things i cannot change,
courage to change the things i can,
and the wisdom to know the difference:
living one day at a time,
accepting hardship as the pathway to peace,
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as i would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right,
if i surrender to Your will,
so that,
i may be reasonably happy in this life and
supremely happy with You forever in the next.

-reinhold niebuhr

Maybe the greatest way that you can consistently pray for me & the ministry in the Dominican Republic is for the consistency of my walk closer hand in hand with Jesus! The Lord always desires to draw us closer to Himself, but pray that I would hunger & thirst after Him. As transition heightens & time continues to fly faster & faster, there are of course all of the logistics listed in other requests & updates, but above my relationships with others, my deepest desire & greatest focus is to be on my Savior & King for whom all of this is for. He is worthy of each of our lives, and I would ask that you would pray that I would live the following Scriptures which are some of my life verses.

"Oh that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him! Then He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring." -Hosea 6:3

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
"So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. You used to do them when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deed. In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.
"Since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
"Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father." -Colossians 3

These are lyrics from a worship song by Charlie Hall that our SPLICE class was blessed with on last Thursday. That's my desire, to be sent with Holy Fire to go love the world. All because His name is my greatest song!

Please pray:

-I'm in the process of nailing down what insurance program I'm going to go with while living in the DR. I'm not the most knowledgeable about insurance, but as I'm learning more & more, may I make a wise decision on what coverage & plan to go with.

-There are a few different churches & organizations that I will be sharing with in the next few weeks that I will be around. May the words of my mouth & the meditations of my heart be pleasing to the Lord, my Rock & my Redeemer.

-May I be diligent & disciplined in using the time I have been given to tie up loose ends here in the states, as well as to say healthy good-byes.

-Pray for the financial commitments that still need to come in so that I may purchase my tickets & soon head to the field.

-Pray for the staff I will soon be joining in Jarabacoa, DR. May they be in a position to receive me well, and may logistics such as housing, the vehicle I will need, and relationships being established & built. May each detail be a light & blessing to the dark world around us as it glorifies my Heavenly Father!

-May we all, parts of the Body of Christ on this earth be drawn & knit together in interdependence ultimately on our Savior! May those who don't know Him, know that we are Christians by our love, and may they be drawn to our Daddy through it!... Please don't hesitate to send me an email & let me know how you are doing & how I might be praying for you! By all means, know that this is not a one-sided effort, and know that I seek to intercede for you all who I love & care for deeply! God bless!

-Galatians 5:22

Please pray for humility to accept the truths about myself that the Lord wants to continue to reveal to me in this unique time.

The community here amongst us in training has been incredible. Praise Jesus for the friendships & connections in authentic & life-giving relationships between brothers & sisters here. May dissention not be stirred among the ranks, but may we face conflict as it arises in healthy ways. The truth is that the number one reason that missionaries leave the field is that they can't get along with other missionaries. May the Lord have His way & may what rules our relationships with one another be the love of Christ at work in our lives as opposed to our differences.

I can't properly express the thankfulness I feel for the blessings I've experienced this last week! September 21-26 I was able to travel up to Minnesota to spend quality time with so many important people that God has & does use in my life. As I've been preparing to head to the DR, I feel very secure that where I'm going & what I'll be doing is who, what, when, where, why, & how exactly in all the details, that it wasn't until I was face to face with the "I love you. See you when I see you," good-byes that the reality of the sacrifice in leaving hit me upside the head. I thank Jesus so much for the amazing blessings of friends & family that would even check this page to be able to know how to support me on their knees! I praise God for each of you & couldn't go without your faithfulness in love & support of the work of the Kingdom!

I write this update right now from Missions Training International (MTI) in Palmer Lake, CO where I arrived today & will be until October 15 (visit the news page if you want more info of the program & what's happening here). Praise Jesus for incredible fellowship experienced already with three other females my age. We just got back from a visit to Colorado Springs where we walked around "Old Historic Colorado City" & then headed into downtown Colorado Springs & parked at a coffee shop where we enjoyed some good Bubble Tea & sharing in learning one anothers' stories. It never ceases to amaze me when I get to catch a glimpse of God at work in so many amazing & unique ways! We all have quite a few things in common as well which I anticipate continuing to be a blessing for us all in this time of preparation. One of these women and her husband are also heading to the DR. They will be working in a different area of the country with Haitian immigrants through a different organization. There is also another fairly young family who will be going on staff with SI in Jarabacoa, DR! I was able to connect with Brian & Sissy some today & met there two daughters & am very much praying that the Lord would knit us together in preparation for ministry together in the Dominican!

I ask you to pray for the MTI Staff as they lead all of us fresh missionary meat in preparation, each of us present through the SPLICE program- that we would really be able to enter into genuine community of learning, vulnerability, and spurring one another on as the Lord sends us out scattered to the nations, please also pray that the Entrekins & I may connect in a way that may strenghten our future ministry in the DR as well as even be something fresh & encouraging to the rest of the SI staff we will be joining (they will be making the move in January 2005 after I'm there for awhile). Jesus has claimed each of the lives and ministries represented in this place & time of preparation, may He have victory in each of the steps along the way as the evil one prowls about seeking to devour & destroy. May our eyes be fixed on Jesus, may He have His way on this earth, in our lives, as in Heaven, and may the name of the Lord be praised!