On a wing and a prayer

2008-06-09T11:52:00.001-07:00

well folks. i'm alive. i would like to apologize to everyone who has been checking this site in the vain hope of recieving any sort of information from me. it has been a LONG two weeks. i would love to fill everyone in on everything, but at the moment i can barely keep my eyes open. the internet has cut out 15 times in the past 30 minutes and i have not yet accomplished everything i need to. so i will leave you all with the knowledge that i am indeed alive.
research has taken a whole new turn (surprise!), but i'm just rolling with the changes. i will return tomorrow to hopefully fill you all in on the details. i love you all so much.
praises: God has blessed me with such wonderful friends here!
I have still not been sick (i have a cold right now, but nothing serious)

prayer requests: WATER. seriously. my back and arms are killing me from lugging gallons of nasty water to and from our neighbors house. we've got dirty dishes stacked a mile high and none of us has done more than wash our faces and hands for the past few days. nasty. i know.
plenty to drink (so you can't worry grandma!) but its just inconvenient!!
-i would really throw myself into this research, i have been hesistant about contacting some people here in the community. that God would fill me with His courage and strength to complete the tasks ahead of me.

2008-05-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

greetings from the hot pueblo of consuelo. things here continue well--except for the water situation. please, be seriously praying for this. omerkys and i were really concerned this morning...we couldn't find water anywhere. the problem, i think, is with the pipes so you have to buy water and bring it to our particular barrio (neighborhood). this is troublesome, but today was concerning. i thought i would die of thirst! haha. sometime, when you are a little thirsty and imagine that you literally can't get water--your thirst tends to multiply by twenty or so. hehe. don't worry--i'm really in NO danger of dehydration. things just aren't as instant or simple as we Americans are used to. its good for me. i've never appreciated a cup of hot water as much as i did this afternoon. makes you take another look at the things you consider really important.
everyone here is doing really well. i have been really enjoying my time with the gang of kids here in our neighborhood. they range from ages 10-17 i just love them all. i can't remember if i already told you this. sorry if its repetetive!
well. as always, the internet here is limited so i better hurry. my one great story for the week--the other night i was hanging with some of Jr.'s friends (10 yr old son of the Pastor here) and we were playing gameboy outside under the mango tree. well, the power was out--gasp--and it was pitch black except for the light of the gameboy. suddenly i felt a little something on my lower back. reaching my hand back, expecting to encounter an ant or two (regular occurence these days, yuck!), instead i feel something HUGE. i let out a delicate, lady-like yelp--okay, it might have been more like Papa when he sneezes!!!!---and lept about three feet in the air. after about .2 seconds of deliberating the boys and i decided that we would head to the porch where there was less likelihood of encountering giant....things. well, it was still dark, though we had a battery light in the porch and i couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was on me. so start kind of hopping around gracefully and with much elegance i shake the legs of pants to just make sure. as the muchachos (boys) giggle and point i suddenly let out another delicate yelp as i see something HUGE leap off of my pants leg. one of the older and braver boys leaps forwards and begins stomping as everyone leaps onto the nearest chair, tree, or roof. on closer inspection we realize that it was what the locals call a cienpie, or centipede. no big deal. except it was as long as my hand and as thick as two of my fingers (considering i have my grandfather's thick fingers that's saying something!! haha) the boys all stare at each other in horror and i was a little surprised at their lack of "macho-ness". come to find out, if that thing had stung me--i'd have been dead in 10-15 minutes if they didnt' get me to the hospital in time. holy smokes!! well, the Lord is always looking out for me--and considering my talent for getting in trouble, its a good thing! :o)

well. that was longer than i expected. hope everyone back home is well. know that i think of you all often.
thanks for all you prayers.
love from the DR!!!

kate

2008-05-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well hello again! again, my apologies for the delay in updates! my internet access has been quite inconsistent this past week. I am not sure where to start as far as updates go. well...my research is going well--but slowly. things move here at a very leisurely place (which is fine with me!) yet it has made for some slow days here. mostly i've been conducting some preliminary interviews with the employees in the clinic and different water systems. hopefully i'll more to say on this later!! :o)
life here is continuing--never in my life had i actually just lived day by day. if i think about the weeks ahead i tend to get overwhelmed by the length and the amount of work i have to do. instead, i have just being working day by day by day. i'm really starting to enjoy being here (what a blessing!). Yasirys and Omerkys have really become friends of mine--we can laugh and joke around which is such a relief. for those who know me--i like to talk. here, i have found myself going almost a whole day without saying more than a few sentences. sometimes its just too difficult. but God has pressed on my heart the desire to really get to know people better--in order to do that i have to actually open my mouth!! haha. so, i have. my spanish is improving rapdily (praise the Lord!) and i am feeling more and more comfortable. i don't have a translator so my communication is slow, but efficient.
well. i don't have a lot of time right now, but please know that i love you all and am praying for everyone back home. hopefully i will be able to get back online this friday and post some pics! tomorrow the youth group (myself included--here you are in the youth group until you get married!) is going to the beach. on a side note--whenever anyone asks my age (21) they immediately follow-up with "o, entonces...tienes compromiso con su novio?" translation: "o, so you're engaged to your boyfriend?" ha. the responses i get when i tell them i don't have a boyfriend to be engaged to--very humorous. they think it very odd.
anyways. that's one anecdote for the day.

Praises: God has blessed me with a calmer heart this week
-i am learning SO MUCH
-i feel at peace here

Requests: we STILL have no water!
--couldn't even wash clothes today b/c of the shortage.
--i will find my confidence in the Lord

LOVE LOVE LOVE
kate

2008-05-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

don't worry! i am still alive. sorry it has been awhile since i wrote last. i don't always have access to the office here in the church where there is internet access. there is an internet cafe in Consuelo--but i have to take a moto (taxi that is motorcycle) and i've decided that is NOT my favorite mode of transportation. plus, i'm not really supposed to go out on my own much.
anyway, i am doing really well. God has just continued to bless me over and over. of course, i still miss everyone: friends, family, and even pets!, but it has become less overwhelming. Omerky and Yasyris the two girls living in the same house with me and we are really having a great time. they are so sweet and considerate, and in the past few days they have really just been treating my like their friend, which is wonderful. the youth group here in the church is also very welcoming and i foresee myself having a very difficult time leaving this place.
as i said before, we still have no running water--which i was able to easily negotiate--until will lost power. there i was, trying to take a sponge bath in the darkness. all i could do was laugh when i dumped my only bucket of water over my soapy head...and missed! yeah, i am THAT talented. haha. so, needless to say, baths are few and far between. ah, the good life.

i've started beginning my research over the past few days and i am really getting excited! there are two water systems and a clinic being run by this church and today i visited the clinic. the power is gone for the moment so the clinic was closed--asi es la vida--but i sat and talked with the woman in charge for over an hour. what a blessing. this culture puts so much emphasis on relationships that it is vital for me to really take the time to get to know the people here. fortunately, i love doing that!

well, i don't have alot of time here--my battery on my computer is about to die--but i wanted to take a minute to say hi to everyone and to let you know that i'm doing well! thank-you so much for your prayers--i lean on them more than you know. i was writing to my prof this morning and i told her that this past week i've really been overwhelmed by my short comings (i won't list them here, it'd take to much space! haha) but lately God has been showing me that He has chosen to use me, not only in SPITE of these shortcomings, but BECAUSE of them! how amazing! it is truly only by His infinite grace and mercy that i am able to sit here calmly in the knowledge that there is no way on earth that kate davidson could survive this internship on her own. praise the Lord i've got the One who calmed the waves on my side!

there was a group here from canada the other day and they showed Facing the Giants for the youth here in the church. yes, it has its corny moments, but i was really blessed by it! only by seeking God's face and truly relying on Him will this summer be a "success".

well. again, thanks for you prayers!
Praises: God has revealed His love to me through SO many different people.
--i'm not sick
--my appetite has returned (anxiety got the better of me for a bit!)
--for Omerky and Yasyris
--the support of my prof here, Smita

Requests: i would continue to remember God's sovereignty
--i won't be overwhelmed by my inadequacies (sp?)
--still pretty homesick at times
--i would really surrender my heart, body, and soul to God and that i would hold nothing back!

2008-05-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

hello everyone! i am finally here in Consuelo and let me tell you...it is HOT! fortunately, the heat does not bother me as much as the cold does. so i'm doing pretty well. i am living here with the Pastor and his family--he has two children: a girl of 12 and a boy of 10. they are both really sweet and really shy. A huge blessing that God has given me is the fact that two of the Pastor's nieces are living here with them--and they are my age! i had been really concerned about making friends (three months is a long time to have no friends!!) and here is a perfect opportunity. they are both christians and are very active in the church.
the house here is awesome--they are a poor family but have no problem opening their doors to me and any other members of the community. right now we have no running water and that has been fun! the pastor's wife said that it has been three weeks since the water has worked--please be praying for this situation! for me, it is not too bad yet, but i know that it has made life a little more difficult for this family.
I am learning alot already--my spanish is better than i thought--as long as person speaks slowly and clearly i can understand them. unfortunately, in real life Dominicans mumble and speed talk (if that's a word!!) haha. but they are usually really good about slowing down for me.
i haven't really started on my research yet, but i think tomorrow the Pastor and I will sit down and talk seriously about how to go about doing this.

Praises: for the two nieces of the Pastor, for the kindness and helpfulness of my host family (they are really great!!), and for the Lord in His provision for me in this time of struggle
Requests: speaking of struggle--homesickness has set in pretty hard. i knew i would miss home and my family alot, but whenever i stop working i get really overwhelmed. please pray that i will really learn to depend on the Lord and that He will keep me busy!

love to everyone at home and i hope to hear from you soon!

2008-05-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

well. i have made it to Santo Domingo without a single problem! it was definitely the easiest international flight i have EVER encountered. we were all really blessed with the ease of it and the fact that all three of us recieved our luggage. we got in last night around 10:30 and spent the night in a hostel in the city. today we went around with our contact here and got cell-phones, exchanged money, and sat in on a microfinance meeting which was REALLY interesting. i was very encouraged that my spanish was acceptable; i was able to follow the conversation fairly easily and i am hoping that by the end of the summer i will be quite proficient.
after the meeting our contact and i dropped off my two schoolmates and they went to their seperate homes where they will be spending the summer. tomorrow morning i will be taking a bus to Consuelo where i will spend the remainder of my internship. i am very excited and very nervous. i feel like God has really brought me here for a reason, and i know that by the time i get back i will be a different person. already i feel myself growing up! haha. well. that is all for now, i think i will try to get some sleep before our bus trip tomorrow.
Praises: that we made it here safely with no fiascos
Requests: please please pray that i will not be too homesick. i love my family so much and i really don't like being away from them. this will only become more difficult as time goes on, so please pray that i don't lose my focus on my research. please also pray that i will be learning to trust in the Lord with all of my strength--He will carry me through this.

thanks so much for your prayers! i welcome any and all emails! you can post comments here or just send me a private email at kdavidson@covenant.edu

bye for now.

2008-05-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

this afternoon i am setting out for the Dominican Republic. i have been blessed with the opportunity to fulfill my academic requirements with an internship this summer for three months. i will be conducting research for a church in a small community about an hour and a half away from the capital city-Santo Domingo. i have named this blog "on a wing and a prayer" because i really believe with all of my heart that only thing that is going to get me through this summer is the Lord Jesus Christ. i have been preparing for this all year long, but it will only be by the grace of God (and your prayers!) that i make it through! in all seriousness, i do hope that some of the information i can provide to the church through my research will be helpful--but i decided several months ago that i will not be basing the "success" of this internship off of my research alone. i have no idea what God has in store for me this summer, but i pray that i will be open to listening to His voice and following His will.
this blog will hopefully be an efficient way for me to communicate with all of you and a way for ya'll to keep up with what's going on in my life. on a side note, i don't plan for this to be any sort of formal news letter--it will simply be brief (and hopefully informative) updates, photos, and prayer requests/praises.
well. until next time (when i will be writing from the Dominican Republic!!)