Visiting VCOM

David and I just returned from chaperoning the Dominican Republic senior trip, and it was so fulfilling; I praise God for opening up the door for us to go. I’ve never been on a trip where there were enough funds and hands available to meet as many physical needs as God enabled us to meet, and I think this speaks volumes of the value in establishing a long-term relationship with a place for annual short-term missions. May God bless all the people who donated supplies and money so that we could bless so many beautiful people.

Medical day was such a challenging learning experience, but I felt so at home. David and I both were amazed at how fast the day passed by. Even though all I did was triage in broken Spanish, I enjoyed talking and interacting with the patients so much.

We returned to NC at about 10 p.m. on Friday night, and we drove through the night all the way to Blacksburg, VA, because the very next morning we had Accepted Students Day at VCOM! Even though we were tired, we really had a great weekend in Virginia. I enjoyed meeting current VCOM students so much; I am excited about getting to know my class and sharing the love of God with them. I pray for the 189 students in our class of 2014—I ask that God would use David and me to live lives worthy of the calling we’ve received and that people in Blacksburg would see our lives and glorify God in heaven. Lord, be near to us for we are frail and weak. We can do nothing apart from you. But with you in your strength, nothing is impossible.

I am overjoyed to share that God provided us with awesome housing for when we start school in the fall. God has proven His ability to provide for us time and time again, but He also loves to answer prayers in ways that are greater than what we ask or imagine. He is a good father who gives wonderful gifts! We had been praying for God to provide us a unique housing opportunity where we could live simply with a Christian family and help serve them in some way. God did just that, and more! A lady named Diana Jaasma responded to an email I sent out to Blacksburg Christian Fellowship (BCF) church about our need for housing. What an awesome family we have in the body of Christ! Diana's husband Dennis is in the last stages of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She offered us her basement apartment and asked if we could help her care for her husband. We were already stoked about the chance to serve, but then, we could hardly believe our eyes when we drove up to see the apartment. Diana lives on the side of a mountain on a gorgeous horse farm. And so that is where we will be moving in this August. We also visited BCF church, and it really seems to be an awesome church focused on the right things. There is a lot to look forward to in Virginia!