Sister, Sister

My sister and Alli’s sister came for a visit! They made a venture from Portland and experience the idea of “Joshua” for several days. Home and Joshua—coming together.

Here are a few photos from our time together:

Alli, Kelsi, Lainie, Maddie

Ninja Night Pizookie Run

Two Weeks of Overflowing Things

February has been difficult. I believe it is intended to be so. I do not particularly care to elaborate …But we have nearly made it. Here are some key things that have happened in this second month of the new year:

Valentine’s Day. We—the Girl’s Community—were escorted to breakfast by our Boy’s Community, who were all dressed up in their formal-wear. They had made us breakfast. And they served us. And they sang us a song. (And they sang Lexi a song, because it was her birthday.) I appreciate our Joshua Gentlemen. They are so thoughtful and care-full toward us. They made us feel like Ladies.

I received my summer staff position! I will be working in the “Ark” (sports gym/ roller rink/ hang-out location for the Junior High camp). I will be in charge of the snack shop. So if you happen to be at Hume Lake over the summer, come visit me and I can make you a milkshake!

(Side commentary: A shout-out to Canby New Life and Camp Crestview. After all those “Adopt-a-Day”s working in the Candy Cabin, I am exceptionally confident in my skills! Isn’t that funny how things worked out?!)

Minus two. We have lost two more Joshua students. One by choice. One by dismissal. (I could phrase that differently. I think that both were by choice. One was conscious—a deliberate decision and a personal choice. The other was a subconscious choice—a choice to not strive for potential.)  Either way, our community is bruised. There are now 53…

Photos: DR

I have decided to observe things with my own eyes. I want to enjoy them in the moment, rather than as a vague memory through my camera screen. That is to say didn’t take my camera with me everywhere, every day. I don’t have many photos to share, and the ones I have aren’t of myself. These are the photos I took of the way I saw things.

There are some fantastic photos taken by my classmates and staff. They encompass far more of what occurred on this trip. Just a few are on the Joshua website.

Our leaders (in LA)

At the base (with Kelly)

On a "field trip" to a waterfall
(with Taryn and Kelsey)

"Wildwood: Tent Loyalty" (our cabin)

"Corocito" Team (the elementary school girls)
They just got uniforms!

Another "field trip" to the river (with Jess)

At the river with the varsity volleyball team
(Mabelis, Cary, Ester)

"Skim Ice" (with Alli and Kelsey)
It's like a Dominican Otter Pop

The last trip of my retro-pack...

La Republica Dominicana

Some thoughts. Key points. Quite a bit has been left out.

It was the most impacting trip I have been on. Ever.

My heart grew. I could feel it expanding.

For my Joshua classmates. For the elementary students and teenage girls we played volleyball with. For the culture. For our site leader (who is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met).

We ate oatmeal and rice and fried plantain bananas nearly every day. “Safe” and delicious.

I learned about the fundamentals of volleyball. I learned about the Dominican lifestyle. I learned about myself—who I am and the way I see things and that I am not necessarily right (but I am not necessarily wrong, either). I learned about God—who He is and what He does and that “He is not just American”. And I learned—I am learning—how all those aspects correlate together.

And they ways my class has been impacted by this trip is incredible. The way we interact as a community has made considerable progress. And the individual stories are significant. I would like you to hear about them…

Finally, none of this was supposed to happen. I was supposed to be sick. I wasn’t supposed to be physically able to do anything. But I spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic playing sports every day. And I felt consistently and consecutively better than I have in all this time at Joshua, and even in some time prior.

It makes no sense. None at all.

The Lord provided.

And I am thankful.

Gloria a Dios.

A Note to You: What's Been Going On

Dear Reader,

Life is busy.

Our class recently returned from two weeks spent in the Dominican Republic and it was truly the most incredible and most impacting trip I have ever been on.

Then we returned to the Joshua building and found ourselves in an exceptionally stressful week.

I now sit here between the end of a long work weekend and a full week ahead, and I take this moment to let you know a few things:

1.     I am present and accounted for.

2.     A lot is happening.

3.     This piece of life I am facing is difficult.

I’d like to elaborate. I’d really like to share extensively about the DR trip. I want to tell you what I've been thinking. But I can’t firmly say how or when that may happen. I need you to be patient with me. I am learning to be patient with myself. 

–Lainie