Last Post

hello everyone, once again - and for the last time.

wow, it's hard to believe a whole year has gone by! thank you all so much for your prayers and support through this past year, as i learned and grew, and witnessed a part of God's work in the Dominican Republic. i am so thankful for all he did and is doing there!

i left the DR on july 17th - a very difficult day. i hope to go back next summer, for a few months as an intern, and to keep up the relationships i've built there. until then, my plans for the school year are to attend Desmoines Area Community College to begin my nursing classes. i'll be living in an apartment in ames iowa, with two girls who i haven't yet met, and hopefully furthering the news about God's work in teh DR, and recruiting more help, God-willing! other than that, i don't know what more God has for me, but i hope to learn and serve just as much in these next 4-5 years of school, and would greatly appreciate your continued prayers. when that's all over, if the Lord gives me the go-ahead, i'll be heading back to the missionfield as a nurse. possibly the dominican, or wherever else He opens a door! i am very excited about what the future will bring; every day is a new adventure! praise the Lord for all His work this year, and we will continue to pray and work alongside this incredible labor of love for the Dominican people. thank you all for keeping up with me and sharing in Gods teaching in my life. God bless you all, and have a wonderful rest of the summer!

In Christ, Allison

Please Pray!!

this is a short little entry to ask you all to pray for a little girl down here, named Miguelina.

Miguelina is a 1st grader here, with a very difficult family life. she lives with her mom and stepdad, in an extremely poor family. today, she came to school, and after eating the banana for snack time, she began vomiting everything up - which unfortunately was just the banana, since she hadn't had anything else to eat yet. strangely, practically by the hand of God, a doctor was here and immediately came and checked her out. he said she had eaten a poisonous fruit that morning, and needed to be taken to the hospital. now, in america, hospitals are comforting places where everyone knows help can be found. not so here. as soon as i heard the word hospital, i knew it was bad news for her - but everyone was panicking and going at a hundred miles and hour, so i carried her while one of the teachers drove us there on her motorcycle. we got to the 'emergency room' quick enough - what a sight. peeling paint, rusty tools, tons of people, vomit on the floor, and a nurse that told us there was no doctor available. in a flood of gratefulness, i called leslie, our doctor, and she suggested we take miguelina to a missionary clinic on the other side of town. when we got there, she received much more professional care than she would have elsewhere, and i felt confident that she would get better. i sat with her as the i.v. dripped into her tiny arm, until her parents came. i felt so thankful that we had the money to pay for good care, and that we americans knew of a place to find it. please pray for miguelina as she recovers, but also for her family situation, which has been difficult. thanks everyone

have a good day, and remember to always be thankful for what we have! ~allison

A Baptism - God's Beautiful Work

hey, happy july everybody! hard to believe how time flies again....i have only 2 weeks left here in my beloved dominican republic! and every day continues to be filled with incredible experiences. praise God, He certainly never stops working no matter where we are.

this past sunday, my friend alberto was baptised, along with 6 other people from our church, Nueva Vida (new life). it was a long awaited event, and the church was packed out that morning to hear the testimonies of those who were dedicating their lives to Christ. alberto was first, and i'll tell the truth that it brought tears to my eyes as he related his story - how he had met his wife alida, who was a Christian, and they had married; and through her unwavering example, as well as those of his fellow workers at the ANIJA school, he had come to realize his own desperate need for a savior. it was only about 2 months ago that my dear friend gave his life to Christ, and already i have seen an incredible change in the way he lives. praise God for all He is doing here!!

so, after the testimonies, the entire church proceeded to mount on their motorcycles and climb in the back of a few pickup trucks - and we drove down to the jimenoa river on the outskirts of jarabacoa, to watch the baptisms. the sun was so clear, and the water so bright, and we all rejoiced as one by one our new brothers and sisters were raised from the sparkling water to new life and the body singing 'i have decided to follow Jesus' (in spanish of course : ) what a powerful day, filled with joy and celebration.

well, i pray that your week will be as filled with God's blessing as mine has. remember to always rejoice in the work He is doing!!.......and enjoy the video of alberto's baptism!

~allison