Relationships makes it hard.

The little one is my Godson, my friend asked me to be his God mother, Shamil

In all the studying about missions and in all that I believe in about the work of missions I have found that the hardest thing is relationships. But that relationships is the most important part about missions.

Someone can be the richest person in the world but if relationships are broken they can feel like the poorest person in the world. There are four types of relationships that all need to be addressed. First and foremost your relationship with God, your Creator, the Beloved. The most important relationship in your life, if you have this relationship on solid ground, I truly believe the other relationships fall into place.
Second - your relationship with other people, people in your community, your family, your friends, the people you care about, and the people you don't really care about. Having relationships with other people is biblical and God has created us to be relational people (He saw that Adam was alone so He created Eve)
Third- your relationship with yourself, if you hate yourself, or think that you are the greatest person in the world, your relationship with self has broken down. Maintaining a good relationship with self is one of the hardest battles between pride and depression. But this relationship is very important to feel whole.
Fourth- relationship with nature, with your world, with your environment, and with the place you live. Taking ownership of this Earth is part of why God created humans to "Look after the Earth". Having pride and taking care of where you live is a relationship and is in need of your time just like all the others.

Relationships though as humans makes things messy and they are the hard part of not just mission work but living daily lives.
My relationship with God has been a rollercoaster ever since I have became a christian. Like most people I have my mountain tops and my valleys, my sanctification process is not a steady climb up its more like walking the Appalachian Trail. With all its crevice and steady peaks. It has been beautiful and it has been messy. Thanks to God for being the faithful one!

Teaching the espresso machine

My relationship with people has been messy, most of all my days I don't normally see Americans. I am mostly surrounded by Dominicans which puts for interesting days. Most of my days are spent in the market, super market, or different other stores, looking for vendors and buying for the coffeeshop. I know a lot of people in my town and making professional relationships is important and messy. Sticking with my employees when some days I want to fire them. Living life with them, struggling with that as they tell me they have no money. Praying with them that their mother gets out of the hospital, or comforting them as their brother passes away. Eating meals with them, laughing with them, and sometimes (I never claimed to be a saint) yelling at them. We have had frustrating moments, moments of discipline and structure, and moments of forgiveness, and laugher.

This was happening in my paper product vendor's store. I got to play a little to!

Right now me and Luciano are spending a week praying for one of the riches men in Hato Mayor, a huge ladies man and everyone knows him for his fancy cars he drives around. But you can tell he is lonely, he is sad. He comes in the our coffee shop alone. Why does he come into Cafe Del Rey when there is 50 other cafeterias just like ours? He has allowed us to open up conversation not just with him but also I have gotten to have lots of great talks with Luciano. Luciano was scared to talk to him because like Moii (His name) Luciano use to live that life style. I began to explain thats a perfect story of how Christ works, and I being an American and having everything at my fingertips like Moii have a story as to why I left all my material possession for the sake of the gospel. We are on our knees praying for this man and this relationship we are building. The next time he comes in we are sharing the gospel with us. Please join us in prayer as we do this. He is a business owner and involved with lots of politics in town.

The school boy Ricki

My mother is raising money to send a little boy to school. So having relationships with teachers and him and hours of studying and doing homework. And having meetings and shopping for book bags. He was picking on the little kids, and actually was throwing rocks one day. So more meetings and more talking and once again explaining how great an opportunity this is for him. And more homework and more studying.
                                                         
Relationships with people make things messy, take way more hours, but allows you into people life and allows you to trust and be trust, they are hard but rewarding.

Relationship with myself is a struggle while you are a missionary. While being an ocean away from home you can get lonely. Barb and Jessica, two american women I live with will find me crying or complaining and wanting to go home, you fall into depression if you aren't careful. But you can also be very proud, "Look what I have done" type of proud. Satan will use any tactic, how terrible.

Magdelena

Meeting Magdalena a dominican women who I feel in love with as once again given me a love for the Earth and its belongings. She is passionate about organic growing, teaches me how to cook organically here and has begun to start clearing land by MGM compound for an organic garden. She takes pride in the place where she lives, the one MGM American trip we took to her village for a day and cleaned up trash, picked up over 20 bags of garbage. She really loves the Lord and believes He has called us to take care of this land. I love visiting her house and just sitting and talking to such an amazing women. Great things are happening with her!

Please pray for us down here and our relationships, as we are in this for the long hull. The saddest thing is making relationships and just leaving, although its easier, it is more hurtful and sad. These people don't need money these people need a faithful friend. Pray God makes me into this type of person.

An Organization of micro loans and savings accounts - Esperanza

Bank of Esperanza