Dominican Republic | Part 1

So, we made it to the DR. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived 
and we still had a 5hr bus ride to La Guazara. 
So Food for the Hungry put us up in a hotel for the night so that we wouldn’t arrive in so late. 

We went to this yummy little pizza place around the corner. I’m not sure why it was so good but it was... they do put corn on the pizza but I'm not sure that I like that. ...it wasn’t the corn. ;)

Pillar (pronounced P-lar), Francesca, Jennifer, Esperanza (Meaning 'Hope').
They work for Food for the Hungry. They help coordinate our activities and travel arrangements,
in addition to translating for us on site and translating letters for sponsors in their downtime. 

After dinner, we walked through towns, we passed a dance-off in the square, musicians playing in the street, another party at the top of the hill... 

The party at the top of the hill.

Some of the biggest trees I've ever seen are here! <3

Bad picture of the 'dance off'.

On the way back, we went to this popsicle place called 'Paletas Bajo Cero'. I wish I could have brought one back for the kids. They love them and they were just so darn cute. 

Lime! mmmm

Our hotel was downright beautiful! The tile floors, the iron rails on the windows and stairs...  Of course, every building here seems to have decorative rails and bars.

The next morning, we had breakfast outside on the terrace and parrots flew overhead. 

...like for serious. haha

I leaned over the rail to take a picture of the street and saw this huge pile of trash and a stray dog eating from it. Sadly, it's kind of like that everywhere here.  
-So much garbage in the in front of these beautiful, old, worn buildings.

The bus ride into our village was much better than I was anticipating. 
We even rode in style! 

Check out the curtains.

The people drive SO crazy here and EVERYONE honks. 2 Lane road? No problem! 
We'll just weave between and go around in the ditch.  
It can easily become 3 or 4 lanes. 
(Even the big trucks and tourist vans pass when they shouldn't.)
They all just go for it. Everyone has the right of way!
I guess it's all in our perspective. haha
-HANG ON!

Oddly enough there were no accidents. 
We decided that it was because everyone has to stay so alert.

Many people drive these little motorcycles and for whatever reason, they crack me up, even though they are just doing what they need to do! They carry stuff that’s twice the size of their bikes. I saw a man carrying an 8-foot ladder, another with a wheelbarrow. I don't even know how that's possible. But it is! People using their helmets as a basket to carry things. A couple, each riding with a baby under one arm, dangling off the side. I saw so many people on one bike that the person at the back had to basically balance himself on his crotch. 
It looked like he was standing. 
-But we were moving too fast. I couldn't get pictures of those.

What is that, a propane tank?

3 people on one bike

A sack of something...

Check out his helmet...

Lumber

I'm not sure...

3 people again

Her sweatshirt covering her face...

Riding lady style...

More produce

Most of the riders don’t have helmets so they make funny faces 

trying to keep the wind out of their eyes.

You get the idea....

We kept on driving (and holding on).
On the upside, our 'big eyes' helped us see better. haha

and driving

There are no bodies of water in the village that we went too but on the way in, we passed the ocean. The color, the size of the waves, the shape of trees, just moved me to tears.
(Again, it was hard to capture while moving.)

I couldn't help but think, the whole way there, about how we, as people, are like the towns we've been driving through. We may only see the certain things that lie in ourselves or in others. We may only 'front' with our 'trash' like our egos, our beliefs- or lack of, our stubbornness, anger, or hurt-  or what about the ways that we hide our beauty behind broken, chipped, and dirty walls?

But he knows the purposes for which we were made. (Ephesians 2:10, Jeremiah 29:11) 

He alone can see how much we hurt ourselves when we don't give in, or when we give too much.

He knows we're sinners, even when we struggle to admit it to ourselves (or beat ourselves over the head with it). We are no surprise to him. We make promises we can't keep, we judge others, and even ourselves too harshly. I am certain that each of us struggle with a certain sin, hurt, habit or hang up; or even a certain kind of poverty, even if it's only in our 'fruit of the spirit'. 

Sometimes even our best intentions lead us to a different place than we had planned and even past traumas can resurrect themselves in unexpected ways. 

We're not really in as much control as we think we are.

We are learning.

-And yet-

We are just as holy as the waves (Genesis 1:27, 1 Peter 1:16). Just as awing and worth marveling over as the villages with broken buildings and litter in the streets. 

He sees us every morning, with fresh eyes, for the first time (Lamentations 2:22-23) 

and loves us just as we are. 

Even though you and I struggle with this concept and even loving ourselves. 

He does so freely. (Ephesians 2:4-5, Matthew 10:8) 

It 'is what it is' and we are all broken in some capacity no matter how hard we manage. Yet he knew every one of our days before they ever came to be (Psalm 139:16) and when he made us- even knowing everything that lies ahead- he stood back, looked at you and I and all that he created and said

It is good. (Genesis 1:31)

Yes, that's right. YOU are good.

No matter what happened yesterday, or even this morning, or how 'less than' you may feel.

You are so good and so very loved right where you are.

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This message is enough for now. Rest on that. Another story will come soon.

I pray that the Lord can use whatever you saw when you looked through these pictures to touch your own heart, about you and his love for you.