coffeeeeeee

yesterday we got to take a group of students to the coffee factory in Jarabacoa. it was pretty neat!

 love these interns!

live in the Sonshine

outreach two done

last two days of the outreach have been tiring but a blast!

two teams (corocito and huminuco) won the tournament of games so they got a pool party.

Kaysi and Mobs relaxing at the pool!!

of course we had to bust out the vballs!

 annalous :) crazy kid.

 had to go out for yogurt fruit after a day of playing vball and being at the pool.

ellie, me, brady and jess! enjoy my time with these ones.

chico team brought a bunch of stuff to do relay races with the kids in corocito. such a fun time.

 dianny and shaki about to start the races.

 what would a relay race be if it didn't involve water balloons! 

shaki's hermana, also my water balloon toss partner.

 one month, second outreach, blessed to be doing it all with my family of interns.

 anna plus my roommates; helena and ellie,

 so blessed to be working with you :) love you jess.

la vid

i have began to realize i am most happy when i am serving. its true joy.

today the women's sports site became the construction site! 

we helped our church (la vid= the vine) with there building of a new sunday school room. 

tore down a rock wall

 pulled nails out from stacks of ply wood

 and dug a trench

 later we had practice and the girls learned a new cheer.... still needs practice.

all in all... great day!

varsity also won their game against the chico team (4-1).

God is good. so thankful He is my strength. 

FIVB

every time i come on here i realize the days are going by way too fast.
I feel like i had just posted. i cannot believe its monday.

me amiga Ashley

 anna stoked to see her idols.

 ellie and i stoked as well to see the USA vball team!

 the girls excited to see D.R. vball team play

 Brady, Jess, and I getting ready to watch some great vball.

 Christa Harmotto

stud!

 Lili got a picture with Christa

 Mark

 talent!

three weeks

three weeks ago today I landed in the D.R. what an amazing experience.

coach mobs and I before the freshman game against corocito

Kasi and Lili: me amores

dinner in the community night at Shaki's house.

 vaca (cow)

team from chico!

jess :) love her so much!

 vc revolution wins the game against chico

 massive beetles and bugs flying all over the court.

mis planes

por favor perdóname por la falta de puestos.
(forgive me for the lack of posts)

my heart has been very heavy the last couple of days.
I'm continuing to find out were God is leading me, and continuing to trust in Him on this journey (life).
If most of you do not know, I am in the middle of my teaching credential and the only thing keeping me from completing my student teaching is the CSET. over the course of the last month I finally felt like I was beginning to allow God to have total control of that situation. whether I was to pass or fail, I knew it would be God leading me and I was content with whatever the results were to be.
but of course being "content" isn't the easiest of things and when I feel blinded to what is to come in the future... I tend to plan, and in the last couple of weeks, I've been thinking of plans. with the "if" of passing, I had a plan. and with the "if" of failing, I had conjured up a plan.
my plans always fail, and they are never as good as His; this I have known and experienced. yet I continue to have back up plan after back up plan. but right now, even with my "plans" to help me feel secure, I don't know where God is directing me, and I don't know if my plans are matching with His.

I found out on Monday that I passed.
STOKED!
but the strange thing is, I didn't realize until then that I had become attached to my "if I fail plans".

Ultimately, with all these plans and being here in the DR. I just want to be here. I don't want my focus to be anywhere else but on these people here.
that is my prayer.
pray that I can crush the idol of needing to figure everything out. Its driving me crazy.

p.s. new outreach group came in on monday they are from Chico CA, very close to my home town in Nor Cal. I'm in a much different role then the last two weeks. learning and growing as God stretches me in a different way, but very blessed.
thank you for your prayers!

are we in america?

morir soñandos on our way to Santiago!

Andrew with his morir and salami that made the van stink!

T.G.I.F for an american dinner.

after dinner we went to watch snow white and the huntsman.

great evening with the interns. felt like we were back in the states. 

guess again... another outreach group comes tomorrow. I have another team (high school team of 10 girls) on my site. pray that they impact lives of those around them in the DR as well as impacted themselves by what God is doing here.

also;

congrats to my wonderful friends and newlyweds colby & whitney trim, and josh & christine kinney.

love you all so very much. 

bitter sweet

off to the banquet with two beautiful girls; Ellie and Callie :)

the intern team at the banquet dinner. love them all!

the whole Bethel outreach group.

some of my Bethel vball girls. it was such a blessing to be apart of their team. going to miss them!

off Saturday!!!

espresso and donuts to celebrate National Donut Day (yesterday)!

el rio