La fin de semana pasado (last weekend) I was blessed to spend two blissful days in Las Terrenas with Bruce and Ellen Pearson and Lourdes Kleid.  What a surreal moment it was to drive, in my car, across my new country, with my new missionary friend to spend time with people from home.  I realized on that trip that my heart truly is in both Las Terrenas and Jarabacoa, or perhaps is just throughout la Republica Dominicana.  I am so blessed to have the opportunity to serve in both places!

This trip was also special because I was able to spend a lot of time with my sponsor child Bileysi.  She is a gorgeous girl of 14 who is essentially an orphan, both parents abandoning her when she was young, she lives with her grandmother in a small scrap wood house.  It was incredible that we had the opportunity to finally converse (in my limited Spanish) and really get to know one another.  I can't wait to be a bigger presence and encouragement in her life as I hope to serve in Las Terrenas with Sowers of the Kingdom on every short term out reach they have (usually a week in November, February and April)

My birthday has truly been a season as my friends in Las Terrenas threw me a surprise birthday party!  Hey, if this is the life of a missionary than I never want it to end.  :)  of course for more reasons than just birthday celebrations!  Jesus always talks about the joy in abandoning our life to him, to say I feel that joy, love and support from so many is an understatement.

Things keep plowing along down here.  Yesterday marked exactly two months since I moved, crazy how time flies.  I have joined an intensive Spanish college class for five weeks which is going great.  Yesterday we learned 4 past tenses all in one class!!  Crazy.....but at least I no longer have to talk in the present with an added "pasado" at the end  :)  Once this class is finished I will resume one on one tutoring with Catalina.

Next Monday (October 8) Catalina, Julian and I will make the trek to Santo Domingo to see how his leg is doing.  They placed a metal plate (8-plate) on the medial aspect of his tibia which will hopefully help correct his mal-alignment.  Every couple of months we have to get XRays taken to assess when he can have that plate removed.  This can take up to a year.  Please pray this surgery worked so he doesn't have to undergo an osteoplasty in the future, which is a much bigger surgery.  We should know if there is any improvement after this doctor's visit.  Will keep you updated!

September is almost done which is a relief as this certainly is the hottest month of the year, you won't catch most people outside between 12-3! 

Personally I am overall doing well but starting to get rather impatient with bouncing around.  I am currently so blessed to be house-sitting for dear missionary friends of mine while they are in the states, it is a nice reprieve to have the conveniences I'm accustomed to (kitchen appliances, dishes, knives, etc) but even here I can't escape the cock roaches.  I pray that by the time you see me in December they won't gross me out as much...I already feel God changing my heart!

The hope is that I move into my house at the end of October where I will reside with two other young missionary ladies in their 20s.  It will be nice to have a place to call "home."

I pray each of you are soaking up that lovely sweatshirt weather in the northeast...enjoy it for me!!

Melisa on the left is a missionary friend from Jarabacoa and
my future roommate!  These are all sponsored kids with
Sowers of the Kingdom, Bileysi is to my right!  What
a  model pose :)