Time

I know I often comment how fast time is flying by here in San Juan, but in the past, time was never at risk of running out. I still always considered the amount of time I would have here in San Juan indefinite. And although we do have plans to return at some point, now that our August 6th leaving date is coming closer, I feel both the excitement for the next step and the panic that we're almost "out of time."

With June always being full of reports and deadlines within the nutrition program and student sponsorship, it was easier to keep focused on the tasks at hand and keep "the move" out there somewhere. Now that we've hit July 1st and all of the reports are turned in, it's a little unnerving to say the least.

As conversations and visits with Nicole and Kamanda have begun to take shape for the transition, I often think back to the beginning. The amazement and the joy I felt when first winding our ways through the mountains to the campos to visit families in the nutrition program. The jokes and fun made while trying to figure out the process of student photos. It was so crazy, so confusing, that laughing about it was the only way to get through some days. 

Pics from my first ever trip to El Cercado.
It's easy to see why I fell in love with it.

Over the years I have had to be more conscious, more intentional to celebrate the small victories, to count and recount the blessings. At times it has been easy to get bogged down by the challenges, the sadnesses of life here. But together it's woven a rich tapestry. Yesterday as I attended CCED's end of the year luncheon, tidbits and snapshots of almost 6 years working alongside them flooded my mind. It's all been a bit of a wild ride, and I remain thankful.

CCED Luncheon
(Happened to be where Wellington and I got married)

So with that, I'll leave you with some photos, and ask you for prayer. This move is BIG both individually and as a family, for our family here and our family there. Please pray for buckets of unity, patience, and understanding for Wellington and I as we maneuver through this, and a little fun in the midst of it wouldn't hurt either. Thank you for the many ways that you have poured out your love and support over us.

Whether with the CNP families or students at the school,
Owen has brought joy and opened new doors for connection.

As I was going through my drawers, I came across

this gem. My friends in PA are the best and hilarious.

One of them made me this "magazine cover" as I 

prepared to move here in 2011. I am looking forward

to being an "in person" part of life with them again.

And, of course, my two biggest blessings.
I never would have believed you if you had told
me that they'd be part of my journey here.

Changes Ahead

While spring isn’t as easily defined here in the DR as in PA, the rains have started, the flowers on the tree outside of our apartment are blooming, and the El Cercado mountains glow in their re-found green-ness. I’ve always loved this time of year. New life. New beginnings. It’s been fun to have teams who saw me pregnant last year, return again and get to meet the little boy who had been growing inside of me. It is a meaningful season, and it is also the start of a bittersweet season for Wellington and me.

Quiet time on my balcony is always a gift.

Wellington was recently approved for a residency visa from the United States. It’s crazy exciting news for our little family, and it’s also sad and difficult news. It means that we are on our way to new adventures, but also that we will be leaving San Juan, at least for the time being. When we married, we knew our life would be a bit complicated, knowing that if one of us lived near our family of origin, it would mean that the other would be far from theirs. Now having Owen, we feel this at a new depth. However, we are trusting God to continue to lead our steps.

So many factors played into our decision to start the residency visa process, but ultimately it was listening to God moving through it all. You might remember how we hadn’t been successful at obtaining visitor’s visas for Wellington in the past two years, which has been a game changer for us in thinking about the future. While my family has been amazingly supportive of us being in San Juan, even as my father has had an especially difficult past two years battling stage 4 metastatic appendiceal cancer, this has also weighed on our hearts. The residency visa process has gone faster than we ever imagined, way faster than what we understand the normal to be, and I feel like perhaps God was erasing any doubts that I had about this being the right decision at this time for our family. Imagine, it took less than 8 weeks from first submitting the petition to have the processed visa in hand. They can take up to 90 days just to approve a petition; ours was approved in 2 days. Wellington’s interview at the embassy was maybe 5 minutes long before receiving a “yes,” and we were out of the embassy by 8:15am. It usually takes two weeks to process the paperwork and visa; his was ready the following day.

We are excited to see how God leads us during this time. While we know we’re heading to Pennsylvania, we’re not sure of much else. Tentatively we’re looking at making the move towards the end of July/beginning of August. Our goal is for Wellington to obtain citizenship, which will open opportunities for our family that we would not otherwise have. That will take at least three years living in the states. So, we’ll be searching for housing, for furnishings for our home, for jobs, for transportation, for language learning for Wellington. For a slew of things, but we’ll stop there before I get way too overwhelmed! One step at a time. Just as God has gone before me moving to San Juan, we know that He will go before us as we move to PA. There are many things to look forward to, especially being able to be an in-person part of life with family and friends there, and sharing favorites with Wellington.

While on one hand this feels like a “see you later” rather than a “good-bye” to our San Juan community, it will not be an easy adjustment to not see our friends, co-workers, and DR family on a daily basis. This is (also) our home, and we’d like to be here and a part of Solid Rock again in the future. Yes, we’ll be able to flush toilet paper, enjoy warm showers, and count on 24-hour power, but those are little things in comparison to what all this involves. 

I want to end well here. I find myself reminiscing already. There have been tremendous moments during these last 5 ½ years that I have lived in San Juan. I want to honor my relationships and work by leaving well. That will mean being present and real and vulnerable, and well, I, we, need your prayers. It’s only been with the crazy amounts of support through prayer, encouragement, and finances that you have poured out on me and my family that we’ve gotten to this point. And while we’re stepping away from San Juan for now, I, by all means, hope that the relationships we’ve formed with all of you continue into this next phase too. 

So much gratitude pondered in my heart.

La familia Rodriguez