A staff retreat in Cabarete the end of March was the perfect way to wrap up the winter season. It was nice to have non pressured time in a fresh setting to connect with other staff members and our directors who came to be with us. Rather than exploring, Wellington and I took our free time to just "be". It was a beautiful, and WINDY, setting to do so.
- My favorite spot in Cabarete
The beginning of April, I enjoyed a day with a couple group members from Indianapolis to share more about the Child Nutrition Program and visit the site of our current project- a new home for a family in need. I will share the details of how this project came to be in the July CNP newsletter, but I so appreciate the support that we have received from Solid Rock to do something out of the ordinary. The importance that we put on partnering WITH people rather than DOING FOR people. It's an essential value to our work in the CNP and I love seeing how it spills over into the other programs of Solid Rock as well.
- 2 of the kids looking forward to their new home.
- House in progress!
The last two weeks have provided extra time for me to work through some special projects within the schools, and work with our CNP partners in developing new methods to better monitor our outcomes in order to strengthen our program and better demonstrate the impact that we are having in combatting malnutrition. While not "flashy" work by any means, in my role here, it is essential to me to work to strengthen "the bones" of our partnerships with the schools and the CNP so that we are both honoring our donors' contributions and providing services that honor the dignity and worth of the Dominicans with whom we work.
Last Friday I took the day to enjoy the retreat provided by Velvet Ashes (an online community for women serving overseas). The sessions had to do with Communing with God, and how the closer we move to him, the farther we move from our fears. Just like last year, the theme was very timely for me, and I had a restful, restoring day that I needed more than I had realized that I did.
- Coloring and Hammocks guarantee a good time :)
At the end of the retreat, it was touched upon how often after a really meaningful experience with God, we face some kind of unexpected challenge. And that we did. This week has been a tough one for Wellington and I after a tragedy struck a little too close for comfort. After spinning for a couple days, during a sleepless spell one night, I came across an emailed devotional reading titled "Devastated but not Destroyed" (from Proverbs 31 ministry). It was the reminder that I needed that God is good at being God. My worrying and attempts to "fix" things aren't needed, and I don't need to try to fix things that he hasn't assigned to me to fix. The verse- "Be Still and Know that I Am God." Psalm 46:10 (One of my favorites).
Despite all the unknowns facing us all, that is what we are called to. So I, for one, am choosing to Rest in that, and remember Whose I am, and that God has promised to love us and never leave us. "He Restores My Soul"- Psalm 23:3
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