God's Plan

A couple days ago, at church it was 4th semester Sunday, and all of the 4th semester students that wanted to give their testimony about what God has done for them while being on the island spoke. Most of the people that spoke were our friends so it was really sad because they are leaving. Now the good part is that they are going back to the US and I guess it is good that we are moving as well but it really made me think about the last 8 months of living on this island. God has plans for all us. Whether it is to be a Dr., a homemaker, a school teacher, a successful business man, whatever it is if you let God take control of your life, it is what God has intended for you. We have learned that God's plan may not be our ideal plan but it is His plan and when we trust and obey his plan for us we will be where he wants us to be. Now 8 months ago I don't think I truly understood what it means to trust God, but God knows how to bring you to your knees. We have learned a lot while being away from home. We have learned to depend on each other and depend on God. I truly believe that God's intention for bringing us to this island was to help us learn to grow as a couple and to learn to depend on each other. I honestly think that moving away was the best thing for Christopher and I as a couple. We depend on each other more now than we ever have because all we really have here is each other. I mean don't get me wrong we have made a lot of friends who are like our family away from home, but when it comes down to it its just the two of us. So through all the trials and tribulations we have gone through while being on this island. We are thankful we have been able to have this opportunity because it has only made us stronger people.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching we are preparing for a very large feast. It is going to be a little different from our usual family get together. We are going to be spending Thanksgiving with about 80 of our friends here. We are all going to get together at Ralna and Craig's house. They have a fairly big house so we are excited for this fun event. But the best part about Thanksgiving being here is that we are even closer to coming home. We will be home in 3 weeks from Friday. Yay! But Christopher is going to be really busy between now and then so please keep him in your prayers as he begins his 9 exams in 10 days. Which begins December 4.

Tick...Tick...Tick...

Time is flying by. It is almost the middle of November and we will be home in 38 days. We can't wait. We have been keeping busy here. Christopher just finished up his last test and did great again. To God be the glory great things he has done. We know that we could not have the success that Christopher does without his help. Begining December 4 Christopher has 9 exams between the 4th and the 18th. So please be praying for him as he prepares for those upcoming exams.

I have been keeping busy going to Birthday parties, going to craft fairs, cooking, playing bunco, and sewing our names on our Christmas stockings. Last weekend I went my friend Ralna's little boy's Birthday party. It was on the beach and we had so much fun. They cooked hot dogs and Ashley made the most adorable cakes. One was an alligator and the other was a pirate. William turned 8 and I think it was really fun for them. The kids found probably fifty hermit crabs. Now these are the same kind of hermit crabs that you find back at home that have painted shells, but these crabs are wild. It was pretty fun to see all the kids have such a great time.

Earlier in the day I went to the an arts and craft show that Ross was hosting. A bunch of artists from all around the island came and set up their stuff just like an arts and craft fair back at home. They had a lot of beautiful paintings that I would have died to have but they were so expensive. By expensive I mean between $600-$2000 USD. I guess for art, its not that expensive but it is a little out of our price range for now. They also had a bunch of wooden carvings made out of different wood and also out of coconut shells, all of which were pretty cool but I don't think I would have ever really liked it if I would have brought it home. It would have probably ended up being junk. So I ended up buying hand carved salad tongs. They are really neat. They have dominica carved on one side of the handle. I think it will be something that I will actually use when we get back home. But other than that I had a good time looking around at the arts and crafts fair.

Besides that I have been working on making our Christmas stockings. I am in the process of putting our names on them with sequins. I hope they turn out cute. We will see.

We are doing well. We are just counting down the days. We can't wait to be home for Christmas! We miss everyone back at home!

This is not normal...or is it?

We have been living in Dominica for six months now and everyday we are surprised by different things. Living in Dominica is not like living in the US if you haven't already understood that from my previous posts on the blog. Living here is truly an adventure. I just thought I would share some things with you that I don't necessarily think is normal but have become normal over the past six months of living here. 

1. Making your own sour cream
2. Making your own buttermilk to make your own sour cream
3. Being so intimidated by a bull that is blocking the road that you turn around and wait for someone who is driving to take you past the bull
4. Watching a huge shipment of frozen chicken being run over twice by a truck and then still being delivered to the prospective restaurant
5. Local men hissing at you like a snake instead of the typical whistle you hear from a construction worker
6. Being picked up by a plane and landing on a different island only to be told that they sent the wrong size plane and we have to go back and pick up the people we left 
7. Walking with your umbrella opened up out in front of you to keep dry from the horizontal rain
8. Buying eggs from the store only to find out that one of the eggs you bought actually has a chick inside
9. Going to eat at subway and ordering a footlong sandwich and not being able to make it two six inch meals when you pay for it because well of course its a footlong
10. Getting charged by a bull in the middle of a football game

We have now gotten to the point where these things are normal and although they sound absolutely outrageous it actually happens. These are the daily things that make us laugh here in Dominica. "Welcome to the JUNGLE!!!"