Totally Funded!

Say what?!
Yes, God does provide! He is awesome! Three months from today, I will be leaving the U.S. Already, so far in advance, he has completely funded my internship. I am so excited! Thank you so much to all who have partnered with me financially. Not only has the minimum goal of $3300 been met, but even more has been donated. This "extra" money is benefiting a future Medical Center. G.O. Ministries is saving to build the three story medical center at the site of a current church in Santiago. G.O. would like it to include 2-4 surgical suites, a pharmacy, a fully functioning clinic, a VIP apartment for surgeons, and more.

Excitement!

This trip is now just shy of four months away! I know I have so much to do between now and then - with school, swimming, work, and general preparations for the trip. I also know that these four months are going to fly by. I am getting more and more excited to go.
I now know that there are several other college-aged interns going to the Dominican this summer with G.O. Ministries. I have not had the opportunity to meet any of them yet, however, it is comforting to me to know that other people are going who will be experiencing similar emotions to those I will be experiencing.
My internship funding has nearly reached the minimum requirement! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to all who have supported me so far! God is amazing! I am still praying that more money will be raised in order to be able to give G.O. Ministries support for the medical center they are wanting to build.
Thank you to those who have been praying! As this trip gets closer, it seems I'm getting less and less nervous and more and more excited. :) Please continue to pray for me as I am still fairly nervous about the separation I will have from my family and Jimmie back here. I worry sometimes about stuff that could happen while I'm that far away, and that I wouldn't be able to get back to be there for my family. Pray for Jimmie. I think he's dreading me not being around. (We've worked the same summer job for the past 3 years; so though we're used to being apart during the school year, summers we're always together.)

Hato del Yaque

This is a G.O. Ministries "hub" in Hato del Yaque - a small town outside of Santiago. It is a building that has dorms & bathrooms (both male and female), a kitchen, and a gathering area. The roof of the building was also accessible but when I was there was not fully constructed.

The dorms and bathrooms were very nice (bottom photo). Yes, the three-story-bunk-beds were lofty! When the electricity was on, the room had fans. The bathrooms have five showers, four toilets, and three sinks. There was also a really big mirror and towel racks. This was one GREAT bathroom compared to most nearby.

The gathering area has many uses. As it is pictured above (top photo), it is used as an eating area. You can see in the back of the picture there are metal covered windows. That room is the kitchen. The kitchen is very nice. As I recall, it has a fridge, nice restaurant style sinks, and a stove. The gathering area is also used for worship/church. While I was there, we used it for vacation Bible school (middle photo) and a pampering day we held for women in the community.

Nutrition Center

Just getting the hang of this blog-site! It is an accomplishment to have figured out how to add a picture to the post! I'm a little technologically challenged. :)
These pictures were taken at the nutrition center in the hole. The hole is a trash dump that has an entire village built on top of it. The poverty is intense; kids walk the sewage laden streets barefoot. G.O. ministries has started a nutrition center here (and in several other locations). The kids can come once a day every day to eat a good, healthy meal of rice and beans. For most, it is the only meal they will get per day. The food is cooked in a kitchen next door to the church a.k.a. feeding center. Once cooked, it is put on a color coordinated plate, set on a tray, and handed through the slats of the window to the church. There, the kids wait patiently for their color plate to be handed to them. The colors represent different sized portions. Each child knows which color they are to take. Once finished, the plate is handed back through the window. The women in the kitchen are nationals. The picture of the kitchen is of the whole kitchen. It is very small. They feed about 250 kids each day from that kitchen.

Opening Remarks.

Next summer, (the end of May through the end of July) I have the privilege of going to the Dominican Republic as an intern with G.O. Ministries. God willing, I will be there 10 weeks. My position is termed "Team-Facilitator". As I understand it, this means that I will be serving alongside short term mission teams that come to the Dominican. I will be working with them on their projects - whether that be construction, vacation Bible school, sports camps, etc. In addition to this, I will be doing odd jobs, such as filling water jugs, washing laundry, cleaning dorms, and doing some interpreting. These tasks by no means cover everything that I will be doing, however, they do cover the basics.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers - even now, though it seems so far in advance.
~ I am a little nervous about leaving my family and boyfriend for what seems to be a really long time. I do not know how often I'll be able to communicate with them. (You can also pray for my family and boyfriend who will be missing me a lot.)
~ I really need to catch on to Spanish right away. I'm taking two semesters and would love to be nearly fluent by the time I leave. Pray that God will bless me with the ability to retain what I'll be learning.
~ Ask that God will give me wisdom in decision making. I'm sure that there will be quite a few times when I'll need to make a decision quickly and perhaps without the advice of a more experienced staff member.
~ I know that there will be many, many times that I will be out of my comfort zone. Pray that in those times, I will learn what it means to really depend on God for guidance. Pray also that I will grow in my faith in each of those situations.
~ "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 That verse is so simply read and stated, however, to actually incorporate it into daily life, is so difficult. Please pray that in everything, no matter what the situation, I will be joyful; pray that I will always take time to communicate with my Savior; and that I will always be thankful for Jesus and the blessings he has given me.
~ Pray also that God will provide above and beyond the needed finances for this trip. I need to raise $3300 to be able to go for the full 10 weeks. If more is raised, I will be able to put it toward a G.O. Ministries project. If you feel led to give financially, please send a check payable to G.O. Ministries with Rachel Manias in the memo line to 11501 Plantside Dr., Suite 14; Louisville, KY 40299.

Thanks so much for your interest and prayers!