Half way there...ALREADY?!

  I cannot believe that I have been here in the Dominican for over a month already and that it means I am almost 'on the final stretch.' It blows my mind to think about it and to think that when I get home...things are going to be different. The reality of going back home scares me...basically just all the things that come with going back to the states. The rush of life. Here is so laid back but scheduled...just relationship building so much - that the end of the summer is going to be so incredibly hard. We got a glimpse of how that is going to be this weekend but I will talk about that later on. I know I have missed posting quite a few times but here are some of the highlights of what has been going on the past two weeks. 

Rossy and I 

So the end of the second outreach (3 weeks ago) Heidy brought a girl she has known for a while to come and work with us and be our translator. Her name is Rossy and she is 21 years old...only a year older than me. So when I found out she was married I was a little surprised but not much because of how common that is here, even with younger girls. But Rossy has been a huge blessing to me and to Heidy =] She is amazing having around and since she teaches at Doulos (a bilingual english/spanish school) she and I are teaching english classes to all of the girls. And we have only done that once but it has been so fun! And getting to let our students that are here to join in was really fun! Rossy is trying to get her papers right now to be able to come to the states. She wants to come and visit me and I can't help but think she has know idea what she would be getting herself into. But if she could actually come out I would be so over thrilled. She has been a huge blessing so far and I know with the rest of the summer we are going to impact each other SO much...she was definitely brought to SI Social Work site Los Higos for some reason and I can only think it has to do with the relationship her and I will have. 

Brittney, Shanna, and I (funny it doesn't look as bad as it was)

For this outreach I had 2 girls from a team from Northbend, Washington. It is a small town in what they consider 'country' - at the end of the 2 weeks my girls told me I was more country than they ever have been and ever thought I was. Compliment? Or fuel for the fire of my friends who consider me 'hick'? hahaha Anyways I was a little nervous just because neither of them had put down as a preference to be in the Social Work site...but since there were so many people they happened to be the ones to get switched. So any who they ended up being amazing girls! Shanna (pronounced Shawna - and not Shannon...slight inside joke) who just graduated High School and is going off to Oregon State this upcoming fall. It was so fun to encourage her and see how excited she was about going away to college. Brittany was the other lovely girl I got to have at my site =] She is also from Northbend and is going to be a Senior in High School this upcoming year. These two were so great to have at our site and could always make me laugh. BOY, could they make me laugh! hahaha we had lots of good times - including painting a wall in our building. Along with some of our girls who walked in a decided to join...lets just say most of the paint got on the wall ;P 

Chris and Meaghan

 Now on to the hard part...I have literally had the BEST time getting to know all of the interns here and can't completely fathom how well we all get along together and how much of a God thing it truly has been. I really don't think there are many words to be able to describe how amazing and easy it has been to get to know these people. So this past weekend we had to say goodbye to 2 of our interns. Meaghan and Chris got to experience this summer in the 6 short weeks that they were here - but the thing is that one could easily see how much that little time has impacted them and grew their relationship for the better. At first I think I was a little skeptical because there was going to be an engaged couple amongst us  and how hard I was thinking it would be with the rules that were set. Blown away by the time these two left are the words I could use to explain how easy it was to get along with these two and how great and fun it was to see them interact - they're engaged for goodness sake! I really learned how I want my future relationship to be and how impacting missions with your significant other really is. Not only did they set a good example for what a couple following God's will is but how to follow God individually. What they brought up during bible studies or in just general conversation. On a funnier note...I do not think I have ever met someone so in love with chocolate...well food with chocolate in the name =] Meaghan was hilarious about this but because of that we got to enjoy many nights when us interns had quite a few delicious different kinds of cookies while playing Dutch Blitz or just when we were hanging out. You always hear...well most people hear, how the South (they are from Louisiana) always tend to have that 'Southern Hospitality' - well I would like to say that Chris is a definite definition of this. He was always great to everyone he met and was always so entirely generous in everything he did. Though he was basically the King of Polish Ping Pong...I took GREAT pride when I got my first 'kill' and it happened to be toward him ending in him getting a strike. But I was way to happy to feel bad haha He understood, since he (along with Meaghan) had killed me more than once in this game! hahaha  So when the time came to start saying our goodbyes, Meaghan had already cried a week and a half before they were supposed to leave. I remember telling her they were 'happy tears' because for some reason thats all I could think of to say...she didn't think so haha her and Christine looked at me like 'These aren't happy tears!! These are obviously sad tears! I don't want to leave!' Well today I got to reading and found a memory verse that says 'A cheerful heart is good medicine...' (Proverbs 17:22) and it instantly made me think of Meaghan and this situation. Sure I might have said the wrong thing at the wrong time but I thought today about it and realized 'No I truly didn't.' I just simply was happy that this couple had come into my life, that God had allowed our paths to cross and that we got to impact each other whether it was one way or both. They were in fact happy tears because we had such an amazing time that I wouldn't trade it for the world. So when the banquet came for this past team they played the video replaying all the great times they and we had all had. When it came to afterward and Leona (Meaghans site leader) to appreciate the girls that were in her site, she also said a little something about Meaghan and for some reason my eyes were letting a few tears go. Since when do I actually cry?? I was shocked but my heart was aching a little thinking I was not going to have her as a roommate or be able to see her around anymore. Then afterward Josh and Vicki were also saying something sweet about the two of them and then asked all of us Interns to go up to the front...and at this point I do not know what happened other than my eyes would not stop producing tears, and these tears weren't just single tears trickling down one at a time - No, no, no, this was multiple and one time over and over again. I didn't realize until that moment how much of an impact they had made and me as well as all the people they had interacted with throughout their time here. That night we went to Josh and Vicki's around 11:30pm and Jeff and I made Crepes while Rachel made Egg in the Hole (or Toad in the Hole) and we didn't leave again until about 2ish. Since Meaghan was in my room and she still had packing to do the three of us (me, meaghan and Christine) watched a couple episodes of Friends and then fell asleep all cuddle up on the big bed in our room instead of in our own beds around 3. We then woke up around 5:20am (yes, 2 hours later) and got up and said the long unwanted goodbye to both of them. It was a lot better than we thought but still my heart went out and wish they could just come back. But as selfish as we all can feel, we also know that they are leaving because Chris is going to start Dental School at LSU in about a week now and going to be fulfilling a dream that he has had for a while. We are all so excited for this next chapter in his life and the last chapter of college for Meaghan. All knowing that they will also start their own book together this next June 2, 2012 when they will get married =]

Love. Happy Tears. Joy. Laughter.