gearing up for the DR trip

I came home tonight from XStream to find a little surprise on the counter. Now, normally, a surprise on my return to the house could range anywhere from something the dog did, to something the cats did, to something the kids did. Some surprises are better than others...

Tonight, the surprise was a counter full of snacks from Delma, including a card (stuffed with Delm's traditional teddy bear confetti--why do people do that?) and 1300 Dominican pesos. For those of you who don't do exchange rates in your head, that's like 40 bucks US. Not too shabby!

Levi and I will pack our bags tomorrow in preparation for our trip to the Rose of Sharon orphanage in San Juan de la Maguna. Here are some pics and a story from last year's trip. We're going to work at the orphanage for a week, painting, fixing things, moving rocks (and tarantulas) and playing with the boys at the orphanage. I'm taking my guitar--I don't do much Spanish worship, but we'll be making some joyful noise!

It's Levi's first trip out of the country, and I am asking God to make this a memorable week, a heart-shaper. Will you pray for us, too?