“The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people” Exodus 13: 21-22
Katelyn and I just returned home Monday evening from a retreat. The retreat, hosted online each year by Velvet Ashes, a ministry focused on women who serve cross-culturally, is called Equip. This year’s theme was wilderness, and the scripture I shared above was the inspiration for this conference. Last year, Kamanda came to join Katelyn, Sarah, and me for this conference, but this year, our dear friend Cora was with us.
I really enjoyed two of the discussions; the first keynote speaker spoke on wilderness, and one of the first things she said was that the wilderness is not something we can avoid as cross-cultural workers. The wilderness she spoke of often feels very familiar. Sometimes here, the wilderness feels like being alone, not sure how God is moving or if he is hearing us. Usually, for me, the wilderness feels like loneliness. The speaker closed the message with two pieces of encouragement.
- Sometimes we have enough to offer other people in the wilderness, and sometimes we have to be willing to receive the strength from someone else to be in the wilderness.
- There is strength in the Lord’s provision for us. In moments when we feel like we are walking through the wilderness, we can look back and see the provisions God has given us in the past, and remember that he is faithful, always with us, and never leaves.
The other topic I really enjoyed was about cultural authenticity. This presenter shared that for us to thrive in a diverse culture, we need to reclaim the cultural story God has given us and learn to lead from it. This calls for vulnerability! This speaker referenced Acts 21-22, known for Paul’s “I’m a Jew” speech. She talked about how three things help us identify our cultural identity;
- Ethnicity – our roots, inherited values, emotional reflexes & deep-seated norms
- Place – geographic location. Places teach us what “normal” looks like
- Faith – (authority structure) tells us who is in charge, and impacts who we trust. Also interprets how we see suffering, success, and sacrifice.
This message was particularly encouraging because, oftentimes, we try so hard to conform to the cultural norms of the Dominican Republic (as we should). Still, there will always be something we get wrong or that doesn’t seem authentic — how we are raised, who raised us, and so much more — that has an impact on how I show up now in ministry. My biggest takeaway from this presenter was that I can try as hard as I want to “fit in,” but still, because I am not Dominican, there will always be a level of disconnect. So, if I know who I am, I can more authentically show up for the people God puts in my path every day, and create deep, long-lasting relationships.
I’m really thankful for the weekend away with Katelyn and Cora. We took time to rest, enjoy the colonial zone, shop a little, and explore some new lunch/dinner spots! This time away comes at the end of a 5-week stretch of teams that felt like a blur. Gosh, now that I think about it, maybe those 5 weeks were just me wandering in the wilderness, hoping God would show up for our teams. There is always a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make our teams here: information collected weeks in advance, site coordination and visits, food prep, transportation coordination & more. There is no way that our weeks come together without God’s continued provisions.
You can easily guess that the last 5 weeks have been full of work! And I could leave my personal update at that. But, let me share with you about our teams…
We started in week one with a small but mighty team from Louisville! They had one day when they served over 190 people. Kate, Cora, and I went out with the team on that day, and Kate and I actually got to work together at a triage station (this NEVER happens). The second week was a team from Brookside Church in Fort Wayne! I looked forward to this team’s trip because their leaders have quickly become such good friends! This was a lot of their team’s first time serving with Solid Rock, and they did a fantastic job! I also got to see my friends Jonathan and Mel that week. Brookside has quickly become a team that feels like family to me. Week three was the University of Neumann nursing students! It’s important to discuss with students what they have learned this week and encourage them to let that inform the care they will give to people back home. The team had a great week, and their students were so fun to be with! Week four featured a team from Pennsylvania & New Mexico—a team with years of experience. Actually, some people on their team have been serving and supporting Solid Rock for decades! I always enjoy hearing stories from when Jim and Doreen Smith were here and how they did things. It’s a reminder of their faithful service to the people of the Dominican Republic and how their work continues to have an impact, even today. Week 5 was my first surgery team as the medical coordinator (insert sigh from stress here). The same week of the surgery, team was a nursing team from Fort Wayne, I didn’t get to serve with this team because I was in the clinic with the surgery team, but I always enjoyed hearing their stories from the day, I again asked them the question of how can what they learned this week impact how they care for people at home. One thing I find myself encouraging nursing students on is that they don’t need to leave their hometowns to find global healthcare, and they should remember that when caring for others. The plastic surgery team served 11 patients. I enjoyed sitting in the OR with Dr. Moz and his staff and hearing their stories and learning from him. This team has traveled to many countries together, providing life-changing surgeries, and has extensive experience to share. Thank you to everyone who prayed for a successful week for this team. I look forward to their return and continuing our partnership!
The Powers were here for a week! I didn’t get to see them much because I was in the clinic, but it was nice to have them here. We are looking forward to their return in December and having them be part of our team!
We have four more weeks left on the schedule to finish out 2025, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but it will keep us busy. This week, I will prepare for our next surgery team, who will be here in two weeks. I also need to tidy up the pharmacy and check on some supplies for our last barrio teams. I have already started coordinating with our January teams to collect their information.
We are still working to move the pharmacy into the old clinic, and electricity work started this past week! While there isn’t an emergency to move the pharmacy, I look forward to having it out of a flood area and into a space that is really nice for our teams.
Christmas decorations have started to go up on people’s houses around town, so this is as good a week as any to join in! I have my tree set up, and need to put the lights on. I even bought some ornaments for my tree this year! I even found some little houses that reminded me of my decorations from home and picked them up to have in my living room. I haven’t thought about it much because I’ve been busy, but as the holidays approach, I start to miss the comforts of home. Even small things like school plays feel so big to miss.
San Juan has thankfully avoided any real damage from Hurricane Melissa. Still, even as I type this, I hear the rain starting to fall. Parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti have been hit much harder. We are thankful that the guesthouse had no issues, but we continue to pray for those affected.
I still haven’t restarted my Spanish lessons, but it’s on the list to schedule. I’m going to keep sharing it here with you all so I stay honest about using the hours I have waiting.
Prayer Requests:
- Surrender to the Lord, trusting his timing
- Provision for our ministry
- Successful surgery week
- Continued relationship building with clinic staff
- Work-life balance
- Prayer for being away from my family for the holidays
- Those affected by Hurricane Melissa
