Falling Up

What a trip!

A year ago, the Lord paved the way for me to leave my home and everything I knew to serve in the Dominican Republic. It's hard to wrap my mind around how much has happened and how the time has flown by! Blessing after blessing, challenge after challenge, God is lovingly pushing me through life and pulling me closer to Him. As I've run, stumbled, and crawled through this season, it's like I've been falling up–closer to Him.

Highs & Lows

My 24-year-old brother Micah came to visit for 10 days this month, and we had a blast! We went to the beach for a weekend with some of my Doulos friends, and spent lots of time relaxing. Then we came back to Jarabacoa, and he got to see the school, the motor lab, and experience what I've been up to!

I am so grateful for his visit, because it was a bright spot in a hard month. Towards the end of the school year, everyone was super low on energy and just wanted to go home! I definitely felt that exhaustion, and it was difficult to finish strong. I struggled a lot with anger and irritability, but, praise the Lord, I made it to the end with most of my sanity!

And with one year under my belt, I have a strong grasp on life here, my Spanish is getting so much better, and I can't wait to fall even higher next year!

Called to More

My role at Doulos is shaping up to be a bit different in the coming year. Kristen, my supervisor, has trained me and given me full responsibility for the motor lab, so I'll be shouldering a lot more on my own. On top of that, I've committed to serve as Doulos' Worship Coordinator, which means I'll be planning and organizing worship for our chapel and staff devotions! I'm so grateful for these opportunities to grow in organizational skills and leadership, and the chance to get involved with worship!

Another way I've felt called to more is with fundraising. I still don't meet Doulos' minimum threshold, and I've been encouraged by fellow missionaries, friends, and school leadership to continue raising funds. I've been surviving, but I've been struggling to really thrive. I want to do hospitality, I want to bless others more, I need more opportunities to rest outside of Jarabacoa, but it's hard to do that when I set a scrape-by budget for myself. So I'm gonna change that, enabling myself to be healthier, more active, and more effective in my ministry here!

I'm entering this next stage with bright eyes and complete faith that the Lord is with me as I walk by His side. He's so amazingly good as He patiently helps my crippled feet to run, and when I fall, I fall up, because He uses even the bad for good.

My Question for YOU!

What's one thing you're genuinely grateful for this year?

Author: Timothy Bemenderfer (05/31/2024)