God Sightings in the Dominican Republic

This is a story of my Dominican Republic Mission Trip.
God brought me to the Dominican Republic four years ago to do medical missions. I am a nurse and this was my fourth trip. These are just my experiences there. And what God did in my life.


Before this trip I just happen to met up with some friends of mine at the used bookstore. I had went there to by some Spanish-English bibles to take down there. When I walked in I ran into a good friend of mine. We got to talking about my upcoming trip to the Dominican. We went to go sit down with some of his friends that were there also. Now God had put it in their hearts to by all the bibles I had wanted to buy. I had five bibles to take that I had found. And they paid for them. It was such a blessing. I never expected for God to put it in their hearts to pay for the bibles. I felt tears well up inside of me. What a blessing. Then one of the ladies that was there wanted to read a poem to me that she had wrote. I don't remember all the words she said but I do remember the last words of the poem. It was "Come follow me, I am yours and you are mine." I felt God at that moment very profoundly. I knew God was telling me to follow Him to the Dominican again. In my heart I had wanted confirmation that I was really suppose to go this time.


When I arrived to the Dominican we were given a devotional to do during the trip. Every time I have been to the Dominican they have given us a devotional and God always seems to have a word for me in there. Well this time is no different. When I opened the the first page of it there were the words "Follow Me and I will make you fish for people!" When I read the words "Follow Me" I knew this was God confirming to me once again that I was suppose to be there. 

The first day there we started off with some devotional time. The lady giving the devotional spoke about how God had used Moses, Elijah and David in the bible. She wondered why God had chosen her to do what she does in the Dominican. A week before this trip I had went to see Joel Osteen. It was called a night of Hope. And in that message Joel talked about how all the great men and women of Faith where in the Grand stands cheering us on. He talked about Moses, Elijah, David and all the cast of characters through the old and new testament. He spoke about why God chose them. It was much the same message I was hearing in that first morning devotional in the Dominican. I think for me it was God confirming that it was Him calling me to the Dominican. 


The next day at breakfast we had a devotional time. One of the Dentist that was with us read us a devotional. One of the scriptures that he talked about was Joshua 24:14-15 ¹⁴ “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” 

When I heard this scripture it really make me think about the things that I worship and put in front of God. And this scripture just also happen to be my reading in my daily bible that week also. So I really felt that God was telling me that there are still things in my life that I worship and put in front of God. And God was letting me know this. I also felt the fear of the Lord when I heard this scripture. There are things of the world that I need to give up. And I felt a sense that God was being serious with me. That this is not a game.

The next day the devotional was about fasting. The scripture that was read was Isaiah 58. It was about what we think fasting is and what God says fasting really is. We think fasting is fasting from food. And fasting from food is good and necessary. But God is saying here that fasting is to let the oppressed go free, to lose the chains of bondage, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. And this scripture was also in my readings for the week. It seemed all the devotionals we were having were lining up with all my readings in my bible and my magnificent. I felt God really telling me this is what He wants from us. This girl is 22 years old and had some kind of malnutrition disease or something else. Very, very sad. She weighed about 60 or so pounds I am guessing. She said she had accepted Christ two months ago.

¹ “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
      Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
   Tell my people Israel^[a] of their sins!
    ² Yet they act so pious!
   They come to the Temple every day
      and seem delighted to learn all about me.
   They act like a righteous nation
      that would never abandon the laws of its God.
   They ask me to take action on their behalf,
      pretending they want to be near me.
 ³ ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
      ‘Why aren’t you impressed?
   We have been very hard on ourselves,
      and you don’t even notice it!’

   “I will tell you why!” I respond.
      “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
   Even while you fast,
      you keep oppressing your workers.
 ⁴ What good is fasting
      when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
   This kind of fasting
      will never get you anywhere with me.
 ⁵ You humble yourselves
      by going through the motions of penance,
   bowing your heads
      like reeds bending in the wind.
   You dress in burlap
      and cover yourselves with ashes.
   Is this what you call fasting?
      Do you really think this will please the Lord?

 ⁶ “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
   Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
      lighten the burden of those who work for you.
   Let the oppressed go free,
      and remove the chains that bind people.
 ⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
      and give shelter to the homeless.
   Give clothes to those who need them,
      and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

 ⁸ “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
      and your wounds will quickly heal.
   Your godliness will lead you forward,
      and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
 ⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
      ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

   “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
      Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
 ¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
      and help those in trouble.
   Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
      and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
 ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
      giving you water when you are dry
      and restoring your strength.
   You will be like a well-watered garden,
      like an ever-flowing spring.
 ¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
      Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
      and a restorer of homes.

 ¹³ “Keep the Sabbath day holy.
      Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
   but enjoy the Sabbath
      and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.
   Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
      and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
 ¹⁴ Then the Lord will be your delight.
      I will give you great honor
   and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!”

And God had even more to say to me during this first week in the Dominican. He was especially speaking to me in the devotionals that we were having every morning. I have been to the Dominican four times now since 2007. And I have often wondered what it is that God has for me here. One of the other devotionals that was read was about the the Faith chapter in Hebrews 11.   That particular morning I had a cup of coffee. This was before the devotional. On the mug I had picked it said "Oh hello there. My name is Faith. I always try to have a word of encouragement for my friends. My motto is: "I know you can't see it yet, but trust me, everything will turn out just fine. Have a great day."  At that moment I felt God again saying "It's going to be okay. I know you have questions about why I brought you to the Dominican Republic but I can't answer you right now. Just have faith and trust me. Everything will turn out just fine." 
So can God speak to you through a coffee mug? Well, yes He can and He did! I read this saying to everyone there that morning. I think some of them looked at me like God can't speak to you on a coffee mug. But that is how God talks to me  in ways I never expect. Notice the Cross in the picture below. This was taken on one of the roads to one of the poorest communities I had been to. There was not much hope here. And God puts a Cross in my picture on this muddy road in this forgotten community. This is the community where the 22 year girl lives in the picture above that I spoke about. This is how God speaks to me. I felt He was saying "I died for these people! Do you not care? Speak to them, love them, and give them Hope."

I was reading my Magnificant the whole time I was there on my trip. One of the meditations was called "Sent to restore Order" And this meditation so spoke to me. It is because I know in my heart God wants me in the Dominican.
This is what the meditation said:
Sent to Restore Order
Had I come to Russia because I wanted it? No, I came because I was convinced God wanted me there. And my coming, my following of the will of God, had meant sacrifices. It had meant leaving behind my own country, the Jesuits I had known and worked with, my family and friends, and everything that had been familiar to me in the first thirty years of my life. In a word, it had meant breaking with all I had known and done before, in order to adapt myself to an entirely new, strange, difficult, and strenuous life of hardship in which to carry on an apostolate. It is the same sacrifice demanded of and made by so many people: missionaries, servicemen, married couples, young people leaving home for the first time. Such a sacrifice is the first test of any vocation, and calling to follow God's will. "In the head of the book it is written of me,"the prophets had said of Christ,"I come to do your will." That was to be the keynote of his life and of his vocation, and it was only in the light of that faithfulness to the Father's will through sacrifice and pain and suffering that one should hear Christ's words on the cross. "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
But why the passion? Why pain and suffering? Is God so vindictive that he must inflict pain and suffering on those who follow him? The answer lies not in God's will but in the world in which we live and try to follow his will. Christ's life and suffering were redemptive; his "apostolate" in the scheme of salvation was to restore the original order and harmony in all creation that had been destroyed  by sin. His perfect obedience to the Father's will redeemed man's first and continuing disobedience to that will. "All creation," said Saint Paul,"groans and labors up till now,"awaiting Christ's redemptive efforts to restore the proper relationship between God an his creation. 
Father Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. 
I just felt God speaking to me in this Priest's word's. It seemed fitting to read these words while on a mission trip. This is the new Chapel that was built in the Haitian Community that we went to. They built it in two and half days. This is a picture with the pastor and his wife and children. I felt we were "restoring order" with the building of the new chapel for this community. I had a dream the night before we came to this community. I dreamed that I had burned my right hand. I had put a ice pack on it that was in the shape of a cross to soothe the the burns. When the Chapel was going up I just felt God saying "this chapel will soothe the wounds of the the people here." It was very hot there in the afternoon. And the only cool place was inside the chapel after the walls and roof went up."

On one Friday we took a trip up a high mountain in the Dominican. There was an orphanage at the top of this mountain that were going to go see. It was the most beautiful mountain I had ever been on. The only thing close to it was the mountains that I had seen in Austria. I had never seen such beautiful foliage before. It seemed the whole mountain was covered in the this bright line green foliage. 

There were beautiful rivers and valley's. And there were small little villages in the valley's. I could not get enough of the beautiful scenery. And everyone on the bus just kept saying "how can you say there is no God when you see this." It was just breath taking! The air was cool and crisp. There was no need for an air conditioner. We actually had our jackets on. Which is unusual in the Dominican. On the way up the mountain I read this devotional from "God Calling" this is a devotional that I have been reading for quite sometime now. The devotional was just perfect while going up this beautiful mountain. This is what it said:


Seek Beauty
Draw beauty from every flower and Joy from the song of the birds, and the colour of the flowers. Drink in the Beauty of air and colour.
 When I wanted to express a beautiful thought , I made a lovely flower. I have told you reflect. When  I want to express to man what I am-What my Father is-I strive to make a very beautiful character. Think of yourselves as My expression of attributes, as a lovely flower is My expression of thought, and you will strive in all, in Spiritual beauty, in Thought-power, in Health, in clothing, to be as fit an expression for Me as you can.
Absorb Beauty. As soon as the beauty of a flower or a tree is impressed upon your soul it leaves an image there which reflects through your actions.

 Remember that no thought of sin and suffering, of the approaching scorn and Crucifixion, ever prevented My seeing the beauty of the flowers.
Look for beauty and joy in the world around. Look at at flower until its beauty becomes part of your very soul. It will be given back to the world again by you in the form of a smile or a loving word or a kind thought or a prayer.

Listen to a bird. Take the song as a message from My Father. Let it sink into your soul. That too will be given back to the world in ways I have said. Laugh more, laugh often. Love more. I am with you. I am your Lord.


I read this devotional to the group while going up the mountain. God always seems to surprise me with the way He will speak to me. He knew that this would be the devotional I would read going up the this mountain. He had it all planned out.


 At the top of the mountain was an orphanage situated in a valley. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. We visited with the children at he orphanage. There was also another group there called Kids Alive. And we meet up with them to take a tour of the Orphanage. I just could not believe that there was an orphanage on top of this mountain. One little girl just jumped in my arms as soon as she seen me. Then she proceeded to take off my sunglasses and she put them on upside down. 

The kids were fascinated with our sunglasses. She then led me to her little friends and kept saying Americano, Americano. We ate lunch there with the children. And the Dentist that was with us gave all the children a dental checkup.

There was also a group of Wheaton college people there helping mix cement for a foundation. It was the Wheaton college football team.

It was an awesome experience. And I am very glad I got to go to see this orphanage.  We defiantly had a very clear view of what God was doing here. The bright yellow home is where some of the children live.

When we got back the next morning I read my devotional for the day. And the title of it was called "A clear view" It was on the scripture Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
It was about how Jesus chose a mountainside to teach His followers about the characteristics of a life yielded to God. There He taught them that attitude, not altitude, was the key to having a clear view of the Father. To have a heart that is clean in God's eyes, we need to accept the Father's pardon through Christ His Son. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse (purify) us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
A mountain top is a great place  to see the stars, but to clearly see God requires a change of heart-David McCasland.

 
So when I read this I was taken back for a moment. God had given my Matthew 5:8 several times in the past. Maybe God was trying to tell me my heart needed some work again. And it did. I felt convicted and repented for the things I had been holding in my heart. God got my attention with this mountain top experience. 
Another experience we had was while we were on our way to a Haitian community. We were going here to put up a chapel and to do medical clinic. On the way there we went though more mountains. And it had just rained and we saw the most beautiful rainbow. It was a double rainbow. We were all trying to  take pictures. So finally they decided to pull over and let us out and take pictures. It was so beautiful. We just had a sense that God was very pleased with what we were about to do in this Haitian community. 

Before the trip I had dream. And in this dream God was also telling me to stay an extra week. I was only suppose to go for one week. But God was directing me to stay two weeks. In the dream I was trying my hardest to get on a flight to the Dominican the week before I was suppose to go. I just knew I had to do whatever it takes to find a flight there. And God was telling me that they were needing nurses in Haiti. And I was confused by this because we where not going to Haiti. But when I found out that we were going to be going to this Haitian community it all made sense. This is where God was talking about needing nurses in Haiti.

The next week there was a few people going back to one of the orphanages we had been to the week before. When I was there the week before one the the ladies that cooked for us said to me "I would like to see you here one more time." I said okay. At that moment I felt that God was speaking to me. I thought he was trying to tell me He wanted me to do one more trip to the Dominican. A few of the people that were going back to this orphanage that had not been there and wanted to see it. I was not supposed to go because I had already been there. But at the last minute they asked me if I would like to go again. They had gotten an extra car and more people could go. At first I said no. I was feeling rushed and I would miss breakfast. So they asked a couple of other people and they said no also. Then I thought well what if it was God telling me go. I thought about what the lady had said to me when I was there the week before. So I went back and told them I would go. I grabbed a pop-tart and my backpack and off I went. 
When we got there one of the ladies with us gave all the children something to color. They were given rainbow's to color. And the message below the rainbow was "Every rainbow is a message from God." When I seen this I thought of the rainbow we seen in the mountains we passed through. I knew this was God talking to me. And this is why I had to go back. I felt that God was saying that  "Every child is a message from God." 

The children were just coloring their rainbows. It was really something to see. 

About an hour after eating there I became very sick. One minute I was fine and the next I broke out in the this awful hot sweat. I felt my stomach cramping and I was very nauseated. I felt like I was going to faint. And we were about to leave. Well I did get very sick. And we were two hours away from were we were staying. The one thing I did not want to happen to me while I was there was to get sick. I had never gotten sick there before but I had seen other people get sick. So I always take antibiotics when I go. But I guess they did not work for whatever this was I had gotten. After about two hours I was feeling a little better. We were suppose to go the beach after we left there. I did feel well enough by then to spend about thirty minutes at the beach. That was after taking some medication. But on the way home I just started to feel worse again. And later that night I became much more sick. I won't go into all the details. 


We were suppose to leave the next morning to fly home. I made the decision to tough it out and fly home sick. I went to the ER went I got home after getting off the plane. It was not a pleasant experience. I never want to experience that again. I spent about six hours in the ER. the doctor who treated me had been to several third world counties and he knew what I had. They gave me fluids for dehydration and IV antibiotics. That is not how I wanted to end my trip there. 


When I got off the plane and my husband picked me up he was listening to an audio book called "Crazy Love by Francis Chan" when I got in the car I heard him talking about Isaiah 58. Which is the scripture that came up over and over on my trip. And then he spoke about risk takers. In this chapter he says "Haven't we all prayed the following prayer? Lord, we pray for safety as we travel. We ask that no one gets hurt on this trip. Please keep everyone safe until we return, and bring us back safely. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. The exact wording may very a bit, but that is the standard prayer we recite before leaving on mission trips, retreats, vacations, and business trips."

 "We are consumed by safety. Obsessed with it, actually. Now, I'm not saying it is wrong to pray for God's protection, but I am questioning how we've made safety our highest priority.We've elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God's best is, whatever would bring God the most Glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and in the world. 

Would you be will to pray this prayer? God, bring me closer to You during this trip, whatever it takes.....

People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress." (Crazy Love by Francis Chan)


When I heard these words, well it made me think. The one thing I did not want to happen was to get sick in a foreign country. But what if this was God's will for me? I know that when I was in the bathroom I was crying out to God to help me. I knew I was really sick and I needed God's help to get me through it."


It was the most wonderful trip for me. Despite the illness at the end. God spoke me in so many ways. 

I am not sure what God had in store for me next as far as going back to the Dominican. This was my fourth trip. But if God calls to go again I will go. 
The Sunday after I came back I went to Mass. The homily that was given by our Priest was on Genesis 12:1-3 

The Call of Abram

 ¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

This is the scripture that God gave me when I went on my second mission trip to the Dominican Republic. The whole homily was on this scripture. I just had a sense that God was speaking to me here. He was was just letting me know that it is Him calling me there. It was just fitting for this to be the scripture on the Sunday after I get back. 

There is more I experienced in the Dominican. I have more stories about the medical clinic's we did. But I will write another post about them soon.