Oatmeal and more oatmeal

  Last night was a special night. I got to go to the projects in Hagerstown. Scary place right? Not so much actually. 

The evening went like this:

3:30pm -Text from Hannah "hey wanna go hand out oatmeal in the projects around 7?"
Me: - sure why not. I just have a few places I need to go in Hagerstown. 


  We met at Lowe's  and to our astonishment the oatmeal we were handing out was in a MASSIVE skid. The size was what watermelons are in in the store. You know, those big cardboard things? Yeah, one of those...filled to the top with packets of instant oatmeal. We put handfulls of packets into plastic bags and filled up the trunks of vehicles.  Then we drove to the projects. 

A trunk full of oatmeal bags

That's me..cheesing while bagging oatmeal(*photos credited to Molly Lake)

My first thought when I heard projects was rundown houses and trash everywhere.... That's not what we saw. 

Actually the houses were in a little better shape then my grandma's neighborhood in California.  Basically it's a development of townhouses/apartments set up into courts. We arrived at the first one and went around to the houses and handed out oatmeal, potatoes and spinach. It was actually a lot of fun! I was apprehensive at first, being all the stories and movies you see about the projects, but it ended up being pretty amazing. When I got out at the first court, I felt like I was in Africa or the Dominican. There were children running around outside, dressed kinda shabby. They were so cute! I just wanted to hug them! I loved seeing the expressions and reactions when we told the people that the food was free. :) It was WAY more rewarding than going shopping! 

My favorite story was of this little colored girl, maybe 5 of 6.  She came up to the trailer and got a 5lb bag of potatoes. She took off, hugging the bag and yelling "Momma! We got potatoes!!!!!!" while skipping back to her house. It was so precious! And the thought crossed my mind of whether she actually had food to eat...? Seeing the smile on her face made the whole night worth it. :)


  Half way through our trip, we needed to bag more oatmeal. I hopped in the back of the pickup and bagged and bagged oatmeal. When we started it seemed like God just kept multiplying as we went....meaning we weren't making a dent in the box. I did find the bottom and we DID run out of oatmeal at the last court! Praise God! 

I got to ride around in the back of the pickup too. That was fun! :P


By the end of the night I was covered in oats(from the packets that were ripped) and smelled like rotting potatoes(since the food was from a food bank the potatoes were getting a little old). Natalie said we smelled like the towns in Africa.




We all agreed that it was so awesome to be able to go on mini missions trips in our own back yards. They're cheap too, just costs the gas to get there. While I would love love love to have tons of money so I could go all over the world, I am learning to look for the mission fields in this area, until I have the funds and opportunity to go international.  In Mark16:15   says "He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.."  Hagerstown...and even where you live is part of "all the world"....and they need the Love of Jesus just like starving people in Africa. 


My challenge to you as I look back on last night and look ahead til the next time is to look for the "mini mission trips" around you. You never know when God is going to use you to bless someone. :)





God's Blessings to all of you!
♥

My hat goes off to anyone who farms by hand!

Peppers & Tomatoes in 2010

Wow. I fail at updating this thing! 

Right now, my arms feel pretty numb and like they are going to fall off at any second! Oi oi! The reason.......today...I became a 'tomato farmer'. Well maybe not a farmer farmer....but I planted a garden 3/4 full of tomatoes and 1/4 of peppers. 

Salsa garden we like to call it.

We usually try to plant one every year, but it didn't look like it was happening this year. I did not like this idea, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE tomatoes. And not being able to eat them all the time when they're in season did NOT appeal to my mind one bit. I mentioned it to dad yesterday and he thought it was a good idea to get the garden ready and the tomato plants in ASAP. There are VERY few things that will get me up early, especially on a Monday! Tomatoes must be important enough that I was up and back from H&M Greenhouse with tomatoes and peppers ready to be planted before lunch time. .....but first....the garden had to be turned over and weeded.



by hand.




As I swung the pick ax(because I didn't want dad to hurt his back) my mind went to my trip to the Dominican when we walked by people working entire fields by hand. And I'm complaining about a 10 ft little garden! HOW IN THE WORLD DO PEOPLE FARM BY HAND???!!!! We are so spoiled in America!! 

ouch

It took about an hour or two to get the ground ready then the job of planting. By then I just sat down in the garden and planted everything. Phew! 

My weee little tomato farm

I don't even know HOW long we were out there, but finally it is finished and all we have to do now is wait. Believe me-I had the best cold shower of my life! And I feel extremely accomplished right now. Accomplished and tired. I'm going to bed early that's for sure!




But I still can't get over the fact the people do that every day, all day, wow....


So, if you're ever wondering why Victoria hasn't posted words of wisdom or the hilarious adventures of my life in a long time......between baseball season, trying to get ready for the summer, editing photos/video, and just not feeling lead to write....I haven't been on here! :)

Have a Blessed week!


Dios te bendiga ♥

NOTE: When sleeping on a plane, be aware of your surroundings- you might wake up with your head on some black guy's shoulder

Finally, some time to blog.

Currently, I"m sitting on the couch at my Aunt house, watching Psych on Netflix and hearing screams coming from the cousins playing Wii upstairs. It's 10am and breakfast is finished.
I still haven't adjusted to Cali time...it's so weird being 3 hours behind the majority of my friends. I always have to think about what time it is in PA if I want to text someone.

The weather...chilly! It hasn't even hit 80 degrees! The day we arrived - it was warmer in PA than it was here! WHAT?! Usually it's in the 90s by Easter!

Wednesday...our day of travel started out early. 2am early. We boarded our plane at 6:30 for the bumpiest ride of my life. I have never felt so sick! I almost barfed...yeah...it was bad. When we arrived in Chicago, we were informed that our connecting flight was delayed for an hour. What better way to pass the time then to sleep on the airport floor. I've wanted to do that, and now I HAVE.
9:30am central time we got on the plane for a 4 hour flight to Sacramento, CA.  A much smoother flight than the previous one. BUT this flight was completely packed! The downside to flying Southwest is that you don't have assigned seats and every open seat happened to be the middle seat by the time we were allowed to board(for future-they board business class first). I chose the middle seat between a middle aged lady with an amazing smelling salad for lunch, and a man about 30 bald and dark skinned. I never got to ask him what nationality he was, but he had somewhat of a Spanish accent. Quite the character. I didn't have much space to move around, or even write in my journal. I did however somehow find someway to sleep the majority of the flight. The only problem...although...it is the highlight of my flight.....is that there isn't much space for sleeping and SOMEPEOPLE.....just might wake up with their head on a tall, dark man's shoulder.  :) Yeah..that'd be me..and it was pretty embarrassing, awkward..and hilarious!

We arrived in California around 12pm pacific time, were picked up be grandpa and headed to his house. Finally a bed, my legs and body was so sore...and grandpa's bed was just perfect...with built in massage. :) :)

We've spent the majority of our time here hanging out with our family. LOTS of walks to the park and school and anywhere really. I do enjoy walking everywhere! I've played Tennis for the first time in real life! Pretty fun, except I hit the ball too hard and it flies out of the court completely! Haha!
Yesterday, we got to visit mom's old neighborhood and a friend of hers from high school. I quite enjoyed the trip and hanging out people I've only heard my mom talk about. The houses in North Highlands reminded me alot of houses in the Dominican....and alot of the landscape around here does as well. No banana trees, but lots and lots of palm trees. I even found a BRIGHT yellow plastered house! I was so excited! I even cooked a Dominican style meal for my family last night and need to get some more plantains so my cousins can try them. :)
The most exciting thing around here.....OH MY GOODNESS...they have ICE CREAM TRUCKS!!! I was beyond words excited about this, that I stalked outside GG's(mom's friend from H.S.) house until they came down the street the second time so i could get a picture. The one-a dark grey/black, old van...no way would i buy ice cream from that....it looked way to sketchy! The other one is a big white van that doesn't look as scary, BUT the guy driving looked like Osama Bin Laden!  I don't know if I'll get ice cream before I leave or not.

Well, now that I have actually updated ya'll, I'm gonna go. Photoshoot time for my cousins! :) And more walking!

Till later....
God Bless!
♥

What starts as a passion, can become a ministry.

Britt pitching at a JBHS Varsity game vs. Northern 3/30/2011

With the grass beginning to turn green...


Actually yesterday as I was driving, I smelled that all to lovely smell of fresh cut grass! I was so excited! 
But grass is not the topic of this blog entry. Baseball is - sort of.

As any of you who are my friends on Facebook have by now realized by the abundance of pictures of my brothers caught in random sports like poses....Baseball season has begun! Baseball has been part of the family for about 7 years now. From Little League to High School  ball, we've done it all! I find it fascinating that the boys can still vividly remember a game from 5 years ago. Right down to the pitches and where they came across the plate, how they swung at it, and what went right...or wrong...in the seconds after it was thrown. Sheesh! I can remember a couple games, but nothing like that. I just remember being there and that they won. The score or how they won I do not recall. 

When I say Baseball is a FAMILY sport - I mean it. I remember last summer, coming home from working a tiring week at camp and finding out that I had to bring Daniel to Smithsburg, MD at 9am Saturday morning. And on a day that I just wanted to sleep and prepare for the next week at camp. Everyone in the family does their part. Making sure the boys have enough water and carbs. CLEAN uniforms. And of course...support on the field and personal photographer(even if it's 30º outside with blizzard like conditions).

Josiah batting in at JBHS Varsity game vs. Northern 3/30/2011

Until a few weeks ago, I saw baseball as a passion, but my view has since changed.


 Sometime in the past month I had a crazy dream where my family met a MLB player and started a baseball clinic/ministry type thing in a 3rd world country as well as here in the states. We got to travel ALL OVER the world doing what the boys love most...playing and coaching baseball. Naturally, I told my family about this and we all got a good laugh.


   But it's not too far off actually. Last night I went to practice for the team dad is coaching, which also happens to be Daniel's ball team. I was getting video footage of the boys batting so they could pick out what needed improvement. As I sat there listening to the boys chatter both behind me and on the field, I was struck with an overwhelming sense of the ministry opportunity my family has in this sport. 
    When you have a group of 13 boys ages12-14, you can imagine the conversations that go on. I was so proud of Daniel, who always seems to be the quiet one at home that nobody pays attention to, unless it's to yell at him for coming in the house covered in mud(which I for one am trying harder to always be encouraging to him). Quietly, but sternly, he kept telling the boys that what they were talking about was inappropriate. I sat there smiling, and so proud of him for standing up for what's right! :)
  
   I also got to watch dad as coach. What patience it takes with boys that age! Boys of any age for that matter. Mom kept rolling her eyes at how embarrassing he was, making corny jokes and doing the dumbest things to keep the kids focused on practice. The kids love it! But at the end of the day- he is just as real with them as a coach should be. Most of these boys, we've watched come up through Little League. Daniel's played with them and against them. We know most of their families at least by sight. You can tell which kids come from families that are closer knit, whether christian or not. It was interesting as I watched each boy come up to the plate. Body language tells so much and to see all the insecurity they have made me think twice about just blowing baseball off as only a 'sport'.  It is a ministry. Dad has the opportunity to encourage and strengthen lives of all those boys. Who knows, they might always remember him as the one person that showed them Jesus, whether it was by a smile, or taking time to listen to them. 


Britt, Josiah and Daniel have a different, but similar ministry. The teammate ministry. They play, practice, breathe the same thing as the other players. They see the game from the players perspective, they are looked at, not as a coach, but a brother. A Teammate. They have the opportunity to minister right where they are on the bench, in the field, stealing second base...who knows how God is using them this year as they use their passion as a platform for their ministry.




So what's your passion? What do you love? Because that can very well be the platform to your ministry.


Dios te bendiga
♥

Sometimes Titles are Useless.

It's the beginning of a new week in the life of  Victoria. Everybody cheer! 

Last week, like I mentioned, I had the opportunity to help out with the Outrageous Love Conference in Hagerstown, Md. In one word it was AMAZING! Coming out of such a spiritual high I have to remind myself to get into the Word of God myself and not expect to be fed everyday....3 times a day...by the speakers.
The title - Outrageous Love - pretty much explains itself. God's love for us is completely Outrageous! And we are called to show his Outrageous Love to the world! 

The time we spent worshiping God was outrageous too! My legs are still sore from jumping and dancing all around, but it was totally worth it! This is where the main idea for this post came from:

Yesterday during worship, we were singing a newer song called Dove's Eyes. The chorus goes like this:

I love your face

I love your kisses

I love your embrace

I love your presence

 Right in the middle, Shaun(the worship leader) stopped the song and said "You know, we sing this song to God, but why don't we let Him sing it back to us?" It was such a beautiful moment for me as I let the revelation that God loves my face, my kisses, my embrace....my presence....sink in.


Wow.

We're always singing and telling God how amazing He is, which is the total truth! God is beyond human imagination! He is totally otherwise. But we walk through life not realizing how much He loves and adores us.  He created us. How can you not think that he loves you?! 

As I was letting God sing back to me, I thought I would write it down...

Victoria,

I love your face

I love your kisses

I love your embrace

I love your presence

I love when you smile at me

I love when  you worship me

I love when you're quiet and enjoy my presence

I miss you when you're too busy to take time for me

I miss making you smile at the little things, because you're so concentrated on the big things

I miss the way you make me feel when you're standing in my presence

All I ask for is time with you.

I love you. 

♥God

Now it's your turn. Place your name there instead of mine. Then take a few moments in your busy schedule and spend it in the presence of the One who created you to worship Him. 

That's my challenge to you. And my challenge to myself.

God Bless

Dios te Bendiga

♥

Laptops Can be a great thing...

Greetings Friends!


Right now...this very moment, I'm sitting in a conference room in Hagerstown, Pa after typing up a million worship songs on Power Point for Brian Lake's Outrageous Love Conference. It's been a hectic day getting everything ready, packing up all my clothes, getting my car and getting ready to leave. Between my brother, Josiah, and myself- we are tech teaming, helping with video, sound, and all the odds and ends. I was so excited for this opportunity and I have a feeling it may just be the beginning. 


Getting my car...I'm sure you were probably thinking "Well didn't she just get it from the shop a couple weeks ago?"


Wellllllllll....dear Riley started making a weird noise. Kinda like an old man trying to get out of bed in the morning with creaky joints. Dad said it could be something with the power steering pump or torque converter in the transmission. With a slightly heavy heart, I brought him back to the shop. Jeff, our mechanic, said he would look at it right away. Less than five minute later he walks back inside and asked "Do you put power steering fluid in it?" I replied that I don't know where it goes(haha...I still have some to learn about under the hood). He wanted to know why dad hadn't put any in..and preceded to tell me that all that was wrong was I needed power steering fluid. And a couple small tweaks. PRAISE GOD!!!


Today when we went to pick it up, mom wanted to check to make sure the bill for replacing my engine was correct. It said I owed a little over $100 on it, which was just the taxes. My mom was convinced that there was a mistake. I on the other hand, have been believing God for a miracle. He gave me an engine with 39,000 miles and I knew he could pay for it too. :)
Sure enough- I didn't owe anything extra!!! Just the taxes which ended up being a little over $100!!! I wasn't worried whatsoever...cause the God I serve is a God of miracles! We also checked my overall balance(We found out in Nov. that I didn't pay one of my car bills and owed over $800). AGAIN God is proved gracious in that I have less than $400 to go!! My goal is to have it all paid off by the summer. That way if I go on any short or long term ministry/missions trips that I will not have any debt in the states. 


It's been so cool to see God continually provide for my every need. The more he does, the more I am amazed at His glory. And as I keep surrendering things to him, he showers me with more love. I may not know where God's gonna lead me or what my future holds, but I know the One who holds my future! :)


I hope in someway, this has encouraged you to trust the God that holds your future. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. 


Well...church is starting...and I don't wanna miss it.


God Bless
♥

Never Leave a Project Unfinished

 With everything I've been catching up on since the beginning of February, I failed to update you on the finished projects!!!!

Lo siento!!

Kevin and Jen Sheeler stayed in the Dominican a few weeks after the rest of the group returned to the states. Thanks to them, I have pictures of finished projects!

The progress on the house when Kevin and Jen returned from bringing us to the airport.

plastered and finished walls and floor.

Almost done!

Broulio filling in the septic hole 

Finished! Muy bien!

The family standing on their new porch!

The addition at Juancito's:

The white windows are in the new section

new white back door

The family L-R: Juan Samuel, Joel, Josue, Dominga, Juan Cito, and Jamie

And there you go. It is finished. For now. I'm looking forward to seeing what God does in the lives of these people and in our lives as we continue to be a blessing to others. 

Dios te Bendiga! ♥

Desserts truly are my weakness

What a beautiful morning! My reasons: it's not raining! 

I've had the opportunity since my 2nd family is in Africa at the moment to spend time with some different people. Mainly the Horst sisters: Rachel and Hannah. I guess I just can't get away from Hannah's. :) Tuesday night we even had a Dominican style meal: Rice and beans. We even tried our hand at frying some plantains. Fresh(sorta) mangoes, and who could forget-Dominican coffee.

It was nice to chill and just catch up on each other's lives since we've been back in the States.

Plantaines

Wednesday I started the Daniel Fast for Lent this year, along with a couple other people. Blueberry cheesecake for dessert was NOT a good way to start off my fast. You know how hard it is to watch 6 people eat it when all you can do is imagine what it tastes like! But I am looking forward to what God does in my life in the next couple weeks! 

In other exciting news:::::::: drum-roll please::::::::

Today I will finish a movie! Next week....it'll be on it's way to a small town in the Dominican Republic to be watched by a certain church family.  I'm pretty excited about this!! 
When we got back from the DR and were bombarded with freezing cold weather for weeks....I kept thinking of what the people in the DR would think or how they would react if they came to PA in the winter! So I decided to give them a personal look at some of the things we do in the winter here, along with a slideshow of our trip. I got pictures and videos of things like snowmen and sledding and between Josiah, Sara VK and myself, a pretty decent amount of snowboarding footage. And who could forget Connect 4 and some Rummikub. This week was crunch time, because there is a group going to Los Toros from a local school over spring break and the movie needed to be done to send with them. I spent countless hours cemented in front of the computer making cuts and fitting everything together. Believe me...I am glad it's finished!!!

I would put it on here, but I don't know if blogger supports a 30minute movie file. :)


I hope  you all had a great week too!
God Bless!

7 weeks. 4 days.

  Thursday evening, I walked into the house after work. Dad calls my name from where he was sitting at the kitchen table and says "Come have  a seat." 
NOT a good situation. I knew that. Because Dad only tells us that when we're in trouble or it's something really serious. I racked my brain as I walked the ten feet from the front door to the table. What have I done now? What else could be wrong? 

I'll back up a few minutes to my ride home from Chambersburg with Stephanie. We were talking about rising gas prices and job situations etc. It made me a little stressed.

I sit down and immediately ask "What's wrong?"

He says: "Its about your car."

I seriously almost cried. What else did they find wrong with it? Is it even worth the money we're putting in it?  I prepared myself for the worst and said "Ok Dad just tell me straight."


"Well I have good news and bad news." he said. "The good news is that your headlights are ready to go. The bad news...........

"DAD! JUST TELL ME ALREADY!!!" 


"Well the bad news is that Jeff test drove your car and the engine works fine. You can pick it up tomorrow."


I probably sounded like a deflating balloon when he said that! The time had finally come. 

Friday morning, February 25, 7 weeks and 4 days since I last sat in the drivers seat of Riley, my 2001 VW Golf, I unlocked the door and started the new engine. Oh the sound was so heavenly. Freedom awaited me as I touched my foot to the accelerator. Ok, maybe not too much freedom...my mom was with me! haha! 


While I am very very thankful to have my car back, it seemed like almost immediately I had 5000 things to do and places to go. And of course sibling taxi service. 


All the while however, I look at this as a miracle. God provided so much while I was without a car, and I'm still watching him provide the money somehow for the expense of it all. I just can't help but stand in complete awe of the One who is my provider! :)


And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19


May God Bless you today and everyday!

Day 11: Friday January 14, 2011: Plane rides, weather shock, and culture shock-Hello USA

RUBI's photoshoot!

David, Jewel and Rubi Reyes

Today is the day. The day we return to the United States of America. It's almost weird to think of everything we're going back to. Snow? Cold weather? Really? I don't know if I missed it as much as I thought I did.  :) 

Breakfast was held on the roof of the hotel. And consisted of fruit, eggs, ham, fried cheese and a wide selection of juices including my favorite: MANGO JUICE! But as exciting as mango juice made us, the first thing we thought of was all the way back on the 3rd day when Jamie brought us mangoes! :( 

It was a solemn breakfast. 

yummy!

The view from my seat on the bus to the airport

After breakfast we had a group photoshoot...and 5000000 pictures later, we headed down to get all of our stuff out of our rooms and into the smaller bus. We left for the airport around 11am, leaving both David and Jewel and Kevin and Jen behind! The people that spoke spanish! AH! But once again everything went very smoothly at the airport, getting through customs and security that is. We had a hard time trying to understand the loudspeaker when our plane was boarding, because it was all in Spanish! Not to worry though, we got on our plane in time and were on our way to Miami. 

I had the middle seat, between Lara and Stephanie. I got to talk to Lara about what she thought of the trip and what stuck out to her the most. Being her daughter, Heather, is married and lives there, I also got to see what it's like from a mother's perspective. ;)

flying between cloud layers over the Caribbean.

Hannah, Stephanie and me sitting in the Miami Airport

Miami Airport. Welcome back! Once the plane landed, our cell phones were out and turned on to get all the texts we missed! Well it wasn't too many cause everyone knew where I was! :P But it was still nice to have my mobile communication again. Once we got through customs(which being we were American citizens was a breeze...again Thank You Jesus!), I called my mom to tell her I was ok. But, alas, her news wasn't so great:
While I was in the DR, my dad was driving my car and suddenly the "check engine'' light came on and it started making a really weird noise. Now my dad knows enough about cars to know that this wasn't a little problem, and had something to do with the engine or timing belt. One word: EXPENSIVE!  They were planning on bringing it into the shop on Monday morning. 


What a welcome to home right? I have no car. Which means, I'm sort of grounded. I tried not to process it all right there, because I still had another plane to catch, but already, in the back of my mind, I was stressing trying to figure out how I was gonna get to everywhere I needed to go and all this stuff that needed done, oh and how in the world am I gonna pay for it, because I haven't exactly had alot of work in the past month or two! "God will provide, God will provide!" One thing at a time.

And first was some food! 

You should've heard the screams when we saw a Burger King in the airport, but before security for our next flight and we sort of weren't allowed eating till after we made it through security so we knew how much time we had before boarding our plane at 7:45pm.  So no Burger King.
Instead we found a place where we could get a Philly Cheesesteak and BACON cheese fries! Wow. Was that ever the most delicious thing I've had in a while! And...drumroll please....AMERICAN COFFEE! :) :) I don't mind those espresso shots we had in the Dominican, but I like my coffee a little less sweet, and with milk and all sorts of junk in it. White Chocolate Mocha espresso from the Coffee Beanery=delicious! We enjoyed our first meal in the US while waiting for the plane to board.

Hannah's philly cheesesteak!

First American coffee in 2 weeks!

When we were getting on the plane, one of the flight crew happened to ask us(since we were in group t-shirts) where we were and what we did. We told him we were on a missions trip in the Dominican and what we did there. That was pretty cool that he took time to talk to some of the passengers, but.....it gets better.....when the captain gave his greetings and weather information over the speaker, he said "I want to give a special welcome the Dominican..." Steph and I were looking around for any Dominican looking people we could see, until we heard the end of his sentence.... "missions group!" ...then we were like "hey that's us!" And our whole group cheered!


That made my day.


Then it was sleepytime, although I made a point to get a decent amount of journaling done on the plane, since I knew I would have a lot of time to blog, being I would be stuck at home without transportation for who knows how long..



We arrived in DC sometime around 10pm. And it finally started to sink in that we were almost...home. The first shocker when getting off the plane was the COLD! At first Chevy wondered why the A/C was on, then he realized that oh...that's the outside! BUURRRR! I think it was in the 20's. Quite the adjustment when it was in the 80's for the past 2 weeks. Hannah, Stephanie and I ran through the almost empty airport screaming about the cold weather. Much to the amusement of fellow plane members, as we picked up our bags. 


The real shocker came when we stepped out the door to wait for the vehicles. AH! It was sooo cold!!!!!!!! But might as well get used to it, because it's not getting warmer anytime soon. :)
I hopped in the van, sat down and waited for the heat to come on! Seated with David and Stephanie in the back seat while we headed 2 hours north to the little place known as Franklin Co. Pa. To Marc Blank's house to be exact.


I dozed on and off the whole trip, with the feeling like this was all a dream and I would wake up with the sound of a dirt-bike or rooster at any moment, but that didn't happen. As I woke up, when we got off I81 in Marion, Pa......I noticed something weird, this white stuff all over the ground...snow? Funny how weird it seemed. 
  We arrived at the Blank's after midnight sometime, and on the table to welcome us home was a great big container of homemade chocolate chip cookies, made by Marc's lovely wife, Norma. To make that sight even better, there were 2 gallons of whole milk!!!!! :) :) 

I finally got into my own bed around 2 or 2:30 am. BUT I COULDN'T GO TO SLEEP, BECAUSE IT WAS TOO QUIET! I was like really?! I'm so tired and just want to sleep, but there's no sound. NOTHING! AHHHH!!! 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 A New Adjustment
-------------------------------------------------------------------
That first Saturday back, was quite the adjustment. We had ran out of wood for the woodstove, so there wasn't really much heat on in the house. Talk about having to adjust to the cold fast! I kept looking out the window and would get confused because there was 4inches of snow on the ground. We didn't have Connect 4 to play....I felt lost in my own house. But this was only the beginning....

I've been home a little over a month now, and still am without a car. We brought it to the shop that Monday, and found out I had a cracked piston and needed a new car or a new engine. We're getting a new engine with 39,000ish miles on it, but I need to find another job in order to pay this off. There was a moment I regretted going to the Dominican, because I could have put that money towards my car bills....but then I had to slap myself and realize just how selfish that would be. Which would be better? Having my own car so I can do my own thing....my comfort zone, my freedom, but what about all the memories and relationships I made in those two weeks? Which is more important eternally? People or cars? :)  I can and have lived without a car for going on 5 weeks now...and finally...this coming week I should be getting it back. 
But you know, God is faithful. I've always had a ride to the places I NEEDED to be, not WANTED to be. And I know God is in control and is gonna provide the money I need as well. There have been so many times I get so fed up with NOT being able to go anywhere and I tell mom "I have enough money in my savings for another ticket to the Dominican." But what good will that do? I need to face my battles, not run from them. And facing them, brings one face to face with the deepest emotions and attitudes. I've spent more time in tears since coming back to the states that I have in the past 3 years of my life! I don't like it here. I walk around and look at the people at the stores or wherever and I get sick to my stomach at how spoiled we are. Sometimes I just want to scream. When we fight over WHAT to eat for lunch, when there are people that are thankful to eat the same thing every single day of their lives...cause it's keeping them alive. 
Hello! I even have my own car! I don't think any of the teens I met in the Dominican even had their own dirtbike...much less a car! 
The biggest thing I've seen is just that we don't get it.
We have been blessed with so much and yet how much time do we thank God for blessing us?! Seriously? When was the last time you stopped and thanked God for the electricity in  your house? When was the last time you were grateful for heat in the winter? Or hot water? What about a personal computer and free wifi at places like Panera Bread? It's been a pretty interesting month, I must say....but not without the fun things:

I've taught my siblings how to play Rummikub and Sequence, and I play Connect 4 at least once a week....to improve my skillz for next year! I even got it on my itouch so I can practice even when I don't have someone to play with. 
I have new friends on Facebook, as one by one, the youth we met in Los Toros have joined and added us as friends. I have a new goal to learn Spanish so I can understand and communicate better with them. We are a family, because we are brothers and sisters in Christ, but we're even more of a family because we've actually met each other! 

Snowboarding has been huge therapy for me getting back into my "normal'' life, but you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to Spring and Summer!! I have a bigger love of baseball now, because it brings me back to the Dominican....even though the stresses of the looming baseball season are starting, I'm looking forward to watching and taking tons of pictures of Josiah and Daniel....*sigh* and even Britt play. :P
My family, I'm sure is tired of me talking about the Dominican, but they're getting used to it! I've told so many people so many things, and somehow I keep meeting more people that ask me about it and the floodgates open as I share with them something from my trip. This blog has been a great way for people from the previous years to remember their trips and be a part of what's going on now. I'm still trying to decide if I should create a separate blog specifically for the trip, or if I should leave it in my personal blog?? hmmm

This past Tuesday we had a meeting and picture swap for the 2011 team. It was nice getting to see some of the people I haven't....EXCEPT MARC who wasn't there! :P I'm looking forward(and forcing myself not to stress about it) to putting a slideshow together from our trip as well as making a movie for the people in the Dominican! There will be at least one more blog post about this trip, so you can see the finished projects from this year. Then who knows where God will lead me. But one thing I know, I'm looking forward to returning to that small Dominican town. I'm ready to see those beautiful smiles and laughs. 


Until next time....
Dios te bendiga(which according to Google Translater is God Bless you)