So... despite having so many things to tell you all over the summer, and even some time which I might've used for blog writing - my updates about what I was doing in the DR have been few and far between. And now, I am back in England, still trying to adjust back to all the many differences to life here. I may at some point write a blog post more about that in particular, but right now, I'd like to jump back to my last couple of weeks in-country and tell you about what I got up to then! I was in the Dominican Republic for 2 weeks after our final team went home. And in that time, I worked alongside Claire (our country manager) in 2 main jobs: we were creating sponsorship profiles for the children in the school in the village where she works, and we were viewing possible land on which we would like to build a new Nazareth House. On Sunday just gone, I got the chance to preach at my own church in the evening. The evening services are usually quite small, and cosy, and nice; and the lectionary reading was part of John 15. So I extended that reading to look at the whole of John 15 > 'I am the Vine, you are the branches... remain in me and I in you... that my joy will be your joy and your joy may be complete... follow my command... love each other...' etc. etc.! And I talked a little about Sister Mercedes (who I've talked about LOTS on this blog!), and I talked about Claire as well. About how working with her, I have been learning about what it is to remain in Christ, and to see him growing fruits in your life. Claire had spent last year working on the documentation process to legalise a whole community (plus more) of people of Haitian descent to enable them to (1) remain in the country, and (2) be allowed to go to school past grade 8 (into secondary education) and be allowed to work. And that was a HUGE task - Claire was running around finding witnesses, going to various departments and embassies across the country, writing out and translating various documents. And she was SUPER-glad when that was all finished, when the date came which was the cut-off for that process. So then she had a few months, before the teams started in the summer, settling back into what might be the "norm"! She could look at what other projects she wanted to keep going in the village where she works, trying to enable that community to become self-sustainable and to get out of the cycle of remaining in poverty. She, alongside another organisation she partners with, opened a clinic once a week in the village. She's looking at starting an English school, and having educational sessions at the clinic, teaching people how to better care for themselves. And these things on top of supporting the school programme and enabling students to stay in school for longer, particularly through providing transport to high school. And then... around mid-August, the organisation that runs the sponsorship of the school in her village emailed the school director, saying they wanted to close down their operations in the country, and this was their only school there, so they would not be sending any more money. Obviously, this would make it impossible for the school to keep running. So Claire emailed them back, and got them to at least agree to keep sending the money until January, to give her a chance to find another organisation which would take over the sponsorship. And then she started trying to find one which would do just that! She started talking to a couple of organisations, but they wouldn't even consider taking it on, unless all the children had new profiles, as the old ones were really out-dated. Which is why Claire and I spent those 2 weeks desperately interviewing and photographing every child, translating those conversations and creating profiles for the children. And as Claire continued those discussions, it became clear that this job was growing and growing, and that they would like Claire to organise the letter-writing 3 times a year, the translating and the sending, if they are to take on the school with their organisation. And Claire turned to me and said, "God just gives me the next job. The next thing I need to do. Last year was documentation, and now it is this!" I often think about what the job might be that God wants me to do next, or 'in this place' or in my overall future - and it stresses me out sometimes, because I feel like I'm searching for something in particular, like a hidden gem, and if I don't find it, it will be lost forever! But actually, remaining in Christ, and following his command to love as he does - trying to love in every situation, even those who seem unlovable and make it very difficult, and even those who are behind barriers to us and whom it takes effort to love; those hidden by prejudice, social structures, injustice, so on. Remaining in Christ, means that he supplies the work and he grows the fruit. I just need to be willing to see where he will lead me, and to follow in loving obedience in those moments. And it doesn't mean I shouldn't have ideas of what I could do, because all those ideas and plans Claire has for Esperanza (the name of the village) are all great ways that she is working there. But it also means I certainly don't need to worry about what fruit I shall bear - for 'Christ is the Vine, and I am a branch, and if I remain in him and he in I, I will bear much fruit'.
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This is Cecilia - or Ceci (pronounced Se-see) for short. This is a photo I took last year, but it is so apt! I spent yesterday morning, with the Mission Direct team at Nazareth House, a home for children with a wide array of varied disabilities. Ceci has down syndrome and yesterday, I spent a good while sitting on the sofa next to Ceci as we all sang some songs together. Ceci was dancing and laughing her head off as we sang, and inbetween every song, she'd nudge me and make a short 'hmm' sort of sound and wait... and I'd repeat it, to complete hilarity of course! And when she could finally stop herself from laughing, she'd go again, and we'd repeat - the laughter never fading - until we sang another song! It was beautiful. I absolutely loved being at Nazareth House again. Seeing all the kids - talking to them - playing with them. Seeing Sister Mercedes - hearing her story - loving her. But it was also difficult. Seeing them still in that house, and no building work started on a new place yet. One of the things that brought this need home to me more than anything else was one of the boys, José. José is one of the older boys there, and he has to be separated from the other children all the time because he tends to be quite violent. So whenever we are there, using the back room, he has to be outside. He always comes and talks to us through the windows, and it's not that he's unhappy being out there at all - but Sister Mercedes would just love to have a padded room with things he can do in it, where he can do what he likes, and live and learn and so on. A new, purpose-built house would just make such a difference. This is life for them still. Still without enough bedrooms; still without big enough doorways; still without the right bathroom facilities. Just making do. The reason we're not already building a new place, as we had hoped to be this summer, is because we couldn't find the right land in time. We now have until December to find and purchase the land, so that we can definitely start building next summer. Amazingly, over the last year, enough money has been raised to buy the land - though we'll still be raising money to build the house this year - and so we literally just need to find some! It needs to be near enough to the school that some of the kids are able to go to, and to the people who currently bring food, to the children's hospital and the homes of the staff, and so on and so on. So PLEASE PRAY. Pray with us that land would be found. Land that meets all the necessary requirements and is affordable. We trust in God's timing and God's plan - it is in him that money has been raised this year, and it is in him that it will be spent! This is a video I made last year telling the story of Nazareth House, and what we hope to be able to do with it: You can see more about our project to build Sister Mercedes
and her children a new home over on the PROJECTS page! I just wanted to give a really quick update on how our #EnoughStuff project is going! Over the Christmas Boom, we made it to around £2500 on our JustGiving page, thanks to numerous different people around the country selflessly offering their gifts, that people would give to make a home for children half a world away! Then for my birthday, in January, I held a 'Birthday Ball' for my 21st in the church hall at my church in Cambridge, asking guests and family and friends to donate instead of of give me anything. We managed to add around £550 to the JustGiving page and the total from all donations (including JustGiving, cheques and cash given on and around the day) was £975.91 (+ a few anonymous amount donations!). This is just incredible! All of you who donated are wonderful, generous, special people, and I am so grateful to all of you! So THANK YOU. I am incredibly grateful to all of you, and know that your money will make a massive difference. Our #EnoughStuff JustGiving page has now reached a total of £3530! That is GREAT! And also only one of the modes people are raising money for this project all the time. But that is still a long way off our £20,000 target on JustGiving. If you or someone you are close to have an upcoming birthday, or anniversary, or anything at all (any excuse for a party, right? ;-D) - consider mentioning this project and that really, we probably do have #EnoughStuff!
And please, whatever you can give or can't give; please keep this project in your prayers. That the current house would not be sold until we have an alternative ready and that all the logistics like finding and buying land, building materials and so on will all force into place in a timely manner. AMEN. This is Sister Mercedes, and today her and Claire have been scouring different pieces of land in the Dominican Republic looking for the one to build the new Nazareth House on. Since getting the Green light from both Mission Direct and our partner charity in-country, the Samaritan Foundation, it's been all systems go getting funding, land, plans and materials to a point where we can start building this summer! It's VERY exciting! And also quite scary; but where God leads, God also provides - so in his strength we trust to bring all of this together, rather than even our own best attempts!
In light of my own being back in the family home, I am reminded that for some, "home" is a place of question and uncertainty. For many people around the world, and many families in our own country, affording the rent on a house may be difficult; heating the house or buying enough food may be the difficult choice parents are making each day; and presents, well, as I was always reminded as a young child, "they don't grow on trees"! But through little pockets of people across this country doing fundraising, the hard work of Claire alongside Sister Mercedes, and those volunteering to go on a Mission Direct team to the Dominican Republic next summer, one big family will hopefully soon have a house fit for their needs, without the fear of being evicted and with a few more funds to spend on all the other basic needs for their lives. Through generosity and sharing resources we can make a difference to those struggling to get by this Christmas. Who could you help? Who could you give a real gift of meaning to at this time of festive cheer? If you could possibly help support this building project, perhaps consider donating the value of just one Christmas present this year to our #EnoughStuff Just Giving page. As we get further into the final 10 day countdown to Christmas, let's remember the real reason we all give presents - God has given us so much more than we could ever give or receive on earth, but he calls us to give what we can to be his hands and feet and heart here on earth.
"There were so many strange coincidences leading up to us even booking ourselves onto the trip; I was already starting to wonder just what God DID have in store for us all! Before travelling to the DR my faith was really slipping. I rarely attended church and I spent most of my life being too busy, too exhausted and too afraid to give God any of my very precious time. I had turned my back on Him but he had patiently waited for me. He took me from my busy, materialistic life to a quiet third world island with nothing. He sent me out with a team of strangers from all over the country, who turned out to be just the right people at just the right time and while He had my full and undivided attention... He shouted at me with a mega phone for two whole weeks!!! I’m a bit slow on the uptake but I was starting to realise that God had taken me out there for a reason. But how was he going to change my life? I waited patiently wondering each day what it would be and then one day we sang ‘Touch the Sky’ by Hillsong. The lyrics brought me to my knees. The line ‘I found my life when I laid it down’ was my answer. He wasn’t going to change my life, I already had a perfectly amazing life. He wanted me to lay mine down so I could change the lives of others. I absolutely loved every day we spent volunteering. I felt so at home helping these wonderful people, but our two weeks were drawing to an end and I hadn’t had that lightning bolt moment that I was sort of expecting God to hit me with. But then the day came that we visited Nazareth House. Nazareth House is home to Sister Mercedes and the fifteen disabled children she cares for her as own. She has laid down her life for these children; many had been abandoned on the side of the road, and some left on her doorstep. With no NHS, children with disabilities are just too expensive to care for. And then it happened… Just one look at her face, before she had even spoken a word and I felt the Lord speak straight to my heart and He said ‘THIS IS IT’. Sister Mercedes gave her extraordinary testimony (which I cried all the way through). She hadn't wanted to do this. She really wanted to stay in the convent with the other nuns but God kept leading her and telling her to care for these children and so she faithfully did. The home they currently rent isn’t purpose built. Bathroom doorways are too narrow for the children’s wheel chairs, and there are nowhere near enough bedrooms. Worse still the house has been put up for sale. She is clearly worried about the situation but her faith is unrelenting. As we leave and get back on the bus I can’t hold it together any longer. Lots of tears are flowing and my daughter just looks at me and says, ‘You want to do something about this, don’t you Mum?’ I have a talk with Claire (the missionary looking after our group) who has during the two weeks become an amazing friend (funny that, just the right person, at just the right time). She tells me that she also dreams of building Sister Mercedes and the children a new home. Their own home. No rent to pay, no worries of being evicted. With specialist equipment, bathrooms that the children can get their wheel chairs into and space for the children to learn and play. She thinks we’ll need £150,000 to make that dream a reality and she asks me to keep praying that the house will not sell anytime soon. I’m desperate to help, frantic almost, but she’s quite calm and says ‘if it’s a God thing it will happen.’ So we’ve been home for nearly three months now. Claire and I are in touch regularly and I’m delighted to say that two major charities - Mission Direct and The Samaritan foundation - have both adopted the project. £19,000 has been raised already and volunteering teams just like ours will start work on the new home next summer. It clearly IS a God thing and when God is with you anything is possible. So we are all fundraising like crazy and could do with all the help and support anyone can offer. So please remember this project in your prayers. Ordinary people, just like our little family, just like you, can do anything with God by your side. Don’t be afraid to listen and to act. Don’t let fear put you off, God is with you, even when you don’t realise. He never gives up on us."
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AuthorI'm a recent Cambridge Theology graduate now studying for a Masters in Biblical Studies and blogging about all sorts of things! I'm interested in faith, Church, theology, social action, the great outdoors and being creative, and all of those things - along with many more - come through in my posts!
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