Suggestions for Blogging

Recently, I was asked about how to write blog articles or posts. The following is my response which I edited a bit and have republished here for your benefit.

Q: Do you edit your entries before publishing them?
A: Yes. I normally read, re-read and edit my blog posts before I publish them. (That's the English major coming out in me!) But it's really not a big deal if you publish a post to your blog and then find a mistake. You can easily go back and edit it after you publish it. Or you could just ask a friend who’s good at this sort of thing to help you edit them before you publish.

Q: Are blog posts just your mental thoughts that you blurt out for everyone?
A: Blogs really vary in how they are written and for what purpose. Some that I've seen really are just a mental download onto the computer -- poorly written, hard to follow, and have bad punctuation and grammar. Others are very professional and formal. Others are fairly casual yet nicely written. (I try to get mine to fall in that last category.)

It really boils down to what you want out there to represent who you are. Do you care if people think you're sloppy? Or do you really want to make a good impression? Do you want your blog to be simply a way to capture your thoughts to share? Or do you want it to be a structured piece of work with some sort of purpose and point to it? Think about the purpose for your blog, and that will help you answer these questions.

Here are some specific suggestions for your articles:

1. Good titles are always a good thing to have for blog posts or articles. It helps the reader focus on what the topic or theme is or to peak their interest.

2. You might consider putting a "Part 1", "Part 2", etc., on articles if they are a series. The way that a blog works is that the most recent published post or article is listed at the top. Then they descend in reverse order by date (so that the one at the bottom is the oldest.) If the reader had some sort of designation near the top of the post or in the title that the article was part of a series, it might make it easier for the reader to follow and to know where to start reading.

3. Pictures always make it more interesting. Pictures that you have taken are better. It makes it more personal, interesting and visually appealing.

4. It's always a good idea to write the article in your word processing software on your pc or Mac, save it, edit it and then just copy/paste it to the blog site when you’re ready. That way, if something happens to your Internet connection while you are posting, you don't lose all your work. You'll have a copy on your computer in a separate file.

The last thing I would recommend is to make it your own. Be yourself when you write and when you choose your topics. Then when people read it, they will hear your voice, personality and point of view. It will be a better representation of who you are in all your uniqueness. (Read more about “uniqueness” in my Sweet Spot blog.)

Take these suggestions, and start writing your first article. If you do, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a blogger!

Ever Thought About Having Your Own Blog?

Just in the past couple of months, I've had several people say to me, "I've thought about having my own blog -- is that something you could help me do?"

Actually, it is. I'd be happy to help. Just email me or leave me a comment here on this post and I'll get in contact with you.

Or if you are feeling brave and you have at least average technical skills, it's probably something you could set up on your own. I'll tell you about the basics here, and then you can explore your options. When you're ready to start blogging, let me know if I can help.

*****

First, what is a blog? It is a shortened term for "web log." It is basically a web page that has multiple entries or articles posted to it. Over the past couple of years, blogging has exploded. In fact, blogs are now so sophisticated that you can use them for a lot of different things in lieu of having your own web site. You can even sell products on a blog.

A blog is a web site basically -- just a certain kind. Blogs are really good for sharing articles, publishing short essays or poem, journaling or just writing about different subjects. You can publish pictures and videos with your articles, and because it is on the Internet, you can make it available to anyone to see who is connected to the web.

There are basically two different ways you can set up your blog. You can sign up to have it hosted for free on a variety of sites, or you can have it hosted on your own web hosting account. You can get a free account at blogger.com (which is where I have this blog published) or wordpress.com or a variety of other sites. However, these two are the biggest.

Once you sign up for an account, you can choose the name for your blog, choose a template for what it will look like, and then you're ready to start blogging. It's just that simple. I think this blog originally took me about 5 minutes to set up.

Whenever you are ready to write a new entry or article, you go to your blog host, log in and use their interface to enter the text for your entry. Once you've written what you want, you click the "publish" button and you're done.

One drawback to having a free account is that you are somewhat limited in what kinds of "bells and whistles" you can put on your blog. Google (who owns Blogger) and Wordpress maintain control over what you can do with the design of the site to a large degree. There are other sites out there that offer free templates, but the basic functions of the site are restricted.

The other drawback to a free account is that they own the content. If for some reason the company doesn't like your blog or thinks it has crossed some boundary that they have said is inappropriate, they can take your blog down without notice. However, for the vast majority of users, this will never be a problem.

A free service like Blogger has a lot of advantages like ease of use, easy publishing, email publishing and a great record of up time.

If you want more control, you should choose to pay for a hosting service. This works a lot like a traditional web site hosting arrangement. You pay for a web hosting service, install Wordpress software on your space on the site, and then start blogging. This way you have the flexibility of installing plug-in's, different templates, changing the design and adding elements that you can't add if you are using a free server.

(I use BlueHost for one of my hosted blogs. They are inexpensive and have an easy-to-use Wordpress installation. The other host I use is 1and1.com. They are very inexpensive, and also have Wordpress installation. Check them both out and see what you think.)

Well, that's enough to get you started. I've been blogging for about two years now -- a lot more seriously in the past few months. I've been reading a lot of articles and guides about the more technical side of blogs and about the business side of blogs (how to use them to make money online). If you have questions, send me a message and I'll do my best to get you an answer.

Time To Connect

I can say that I have been thinking a lot over the past couple of years about how to live life. I know that sounds kinda simplistic, but I really have. I've been asking myself questions like

• What does God really require of us?
  
• Does He really want us being so busy we can't even enjoy life?
  
• Does He want us so busy we can't take an hour or two and laugh with our friends and family?
  
• Does He really want us so busy that we can't notice how pretty the leaves are today or how bright the sunshine was or how good that person made us feel?
  
• Does He want us to get so busy that we fail to take time to connect with the most precious things in all of His creation -- people?
• Does He want us to get so busy that we fail to connect with Him -- the One who made us?
  

I believe there's something that I've been missing for quite some time now. I've gone through life doing a lot of good things but missing the relationship side of life. Oh sure, I try my best to spent time with Jennifer and Hannah and Abby. They are the most important people in my life. We try take time to enjoy each other quite often - still probably not as much as we should.

But there's something in the human soul that longs for connections with other human souls. There's something that feeds us when we are able to share with others, love others, learn from others, laugh and cry with others, spend time with others. We were created for relationship.

I was reminded of this in two different ways recently.

The first was my trip to the Dominican Republic. The thing I enjoyed more than anything else was the pace of life. I realize that I didn't have a "job" that week and that it was not typical of what life is really like there, but the part I envied about their lifestyle is the time they have in their lives to connect with others. There's not the same rush and pace to life that we have here in the US. We have a lot more stuff because we work hard, and we make money so we can buy stuff, and we're the most wealthy nation on Earth. Nothing inherently wrong with wealth or having stuff. But that shouldn't be the most important thing in life.

In the DR, I sat on the front porch for over two hours one day, just hanging out, talking to the kids and the neighbors, writing, reading, just breathing. I can't begin to tell you how refreshing that was.

Yet, in the back of my mind, something kept nagging me: "You know you ought to get up and get busy doing something - you can't just sit here like this and do nothing."

Why was that?

In the DR, people would stop and sit down beside someone they knew in the park in the city center, and they might sit there and chat for a half hour. They didn't plan for it. They didn't have it on their calendar. They just saw someone they hadn't seen in a while, and they sat down to talk and reconnect. There's something I find very attractive about that.

The second way I was reminded of this was with a good friend this past week -- and even today. This friend's dad passed away suddenly while I was in the DR. I found out about it via Facebook from another friend. This friend and I grew up together, went to elementary school and high school together, and now work together. We've been close for many years.

Yet, there was no way I could be there for him when this happened. I was in a small town in the middle of the Dominican Republic - without a car, without a way home, without a way to connect with him. I felt really bad about it.

This guy -- he's kinda private about things like this and not too emotional. Like a lot of us guys. He's always even-keeled. But I know that if I was in that situation (and I will be one day), just having someone to talk to would be a big help.

He and I spent about a half hour on the phone one day as soon as I got back from the DR, and we've gone to lunch twice in the past week - including today. I've not tried to push him to talk about it -- I've just let him open up when he feels like it. I've just tried to be a friend. I don't know whether it's done any good. That's really not the point. The point is that I feel like I need to be there for him -- and for the others that mean the most to me in my life. I think sometimes that just being there is good enough. Just so that a friend doesn't have to be alone.

I'd much rather spend an hour with someone who is a friend or who needs me or someone whom I need, and just share life for a while together. As introverted as I am, I still need those connections with other people.

So, yeah, getting too busy to connect with people is not any way to live a life. At least not for me. Others might be called or created to run a hundred miles an hour and get a bunch of stuff done that will change the world. But that's not me.

I think I'll settle for just changing my little part of the world one person at a time.

-- by Micah Ray

Where Next?

Day 7 of my DR Trip - April 14

The Dominican Republic is now far behind me. Or I guess technically it’s south of me right now. I’m on my last leg of my trip home. I sit in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and I’m almost home. In just another couple of hours, I’ll see Jennifer and Hannah and Abby. I can’t wait. It’s been so long to be separated from the ones that I love the most.

There are lots of others that I’ve missed, too. That’s the funny thing about going to do something like this missions trip. You can’t take everyone with you when you go. To see some you have to leave others behind. To something of value often costs something of value.

* * * * *

On the flight from Santo Domingo to Miami, we watched an in flight movie. It was Evan Almighty.

(They edit the movies on the plane, so I'm not sure about questionable content in the movie. This is NOT an endorsement for the movie. As with any movie, please do your own research before viewing it.)

It was a funny movie. (After all, Steve Carrell played the lead character. ) The plot of the movie is basically a modern day version of the story of Noah. I was really wondering how the writers would treat the story and the whole subject of God interacting with man. It actually had a few good moments in it.

The part of the plot line that intrigued me the most was the whole struggle that Evan/Noah had with the call on his life. He didn’t expect it or even want it, but there was no denying that God was telling him to do something.

In one part of the film, he is trying to share with his wife why he feels compelled to build an ark. When pushed on his reason for doing something so ludicrous, he can only respond, “God told me to.” He didn’t want to say that, but you could tell he felt he had no other choice. It was like he was giving up or giving in to what he knew he had to do.

In the last poignant point of the film, Evan goes out to meet God under a tree and to thank him. God congratulates him and says that he changed the world. Evan refused to acknowledge that comment, and God says, “No. You did. You’re spending more time with your wife and family, and you took in that stray dog and gave it a home. What you have done has changed the world in some way.” Then God asks him to do the little dance that Evan would do when he was happy.

They danced together under the tree.

That got me to thinking about what I have noticed about people in the Bible who wrestled with God's call on their lives.

When God calls us,

• it is often not what we expect
• it often does not make sense
• it often does not make sense to those around us
• it changes us.

When we obey,

• it forces us to make difficult decisions
• it often puts distance between us and the ones that we love - if only temporarily
  
• it is rewarding when we see the results
• it draws us closer to God Himself.

(For examples, look at the lives of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Esther and Daniel.)

As I have worked through God’s call on my own life and who it is He created me to be and what He wants me to do, I have experienced almost all of these firsthand. Obedience is not easy. It often does not make sense to us or to those around us. But when we do, we can dance with God as we rest and bask in His approval.

* * * * *

I wonder who God is calling now to work in the DR – short-term or long-term. I feel quite certain that He has a plan for our church in working in the DR. I have to admit I’m still working through what my part will be in the future. It may be just what I’ve been doing: strategizing, helping get others there and coordinating future trips. I hope that something I’ve written about this trip motivates and encourages others to get involved. I think that is one way that I can do my part – to help bring others along to do work in the DR.

I can’t bottle up or capture adequately what I experienced this past week in the Dominican Republic. Pictures are good but not good enough. Words can describe but not to the depth needed. Personal testimony can touch a person’s heart but only so far.

Nothing can take the place of obeying God's call and actually being there - wherever He calls you to go. To be there is to know it. To be there is to feel it.

To be there is to have it for the rest of your life. To be where He asks you to go is to experience true joy.

"OK, God. Where next?"

Make A Difference

Day 6 in the DR - April 13

This is always the hard part of ministry – leaving and saying good-bye. As long as I remember doing ministry or traveling with my parents as they were doing ministry, there have always been good-byes. I can remember many good-byes where we said as we left, “If we don’t see you again in this life, we’ll see you on the other side.” That truly is the hope that we have as believers – that we will meet again one day to be together without any more good-byes.

Today we left Monte Plata. Not a lot of fanfare. Carlos, our missionary contact from Santo Domingo, cruised into town about 2:15pm. We sat down and talked about the housing situation and what we felt was the right thing to do and where to go from here. Then we cleaned up our last minute items, loaded our luggage, locked the door and drove away.

I looked around to see if there were any kids that I recognized. I wanted to say good-bye to someone – anyone. This wasn’t the way that I had envisioned it. There were supposed to be kids around watching us load the car. There were supposed to be some people asking us when we’d be back, and we would tell them and we would promise to return.

Instead, there were a few guys across the street saw us load up. They paused momentarily from their game of dominoes to wave good-bye. Rebecca, who lives next door to our open lot beside our house, came over to ask when we were coming back to teach English and Bible studies. We told her in June.

Other than those, no one.

Already I miss Juandi. And Lucero. And Yoan. And Edison.

Funny how you can get used to seeing a face after only a short period of time.

* * * * *

On a hot, sunny, lazy Sunday afternoon, nothing hits the spot like a good dose of ice cream. I like Carlos because he thinks the same.

We stop in an ice cream shop on the main street, and get an assortment of milkshakes, ice cream and fudgesicles for the group. While the ice cream shop staff is preparing our order, I stand at the entrance of the shop which opens right onto the sidewalk which is just beside the main street.

It’s not as busy today. It’s Sunday, and most stores are closed. People are moving slower.

Today, the motorcycles number only in the dozens – not the hundreds we would normally see during the week.

I look to my left and to my right. I breathe in the smells of this small town. I look into the faces of these people – for the last time for a while.

Ice cream in hand, we head out of town. I see familiar homes and storefronts. There was the ferreteria (hardware store) where we bought the tape to put up our mosquito screens. On that corner was the internet café where I sent my thoughts to all my friends so far away. Here was the main street through town that we had walked so many times this past week. And now we were driving down it for the last time.

For a while at least.

Just like that, Monte Plata was behind us and our long journey home was ahead of us.

* * * * *

On the bumpy road back to the capital, Carlos and I talked about what we had just experienced.
“You know, brother,” he says. “Missionary work is not easy. It’s hard work. You have to be in it for the long haul.”

I hear what he’s saying. I mean the kind of hearing that is more than just acknowledging the sounds. I mean the kind of hearing where it connects with some deep understanding and emotion where you know it to be intuitively true. In four short days, I have felt and understood that this will be hard work of a kind that I have not known.

We chat about strategies and people and traditions. We talk about how Monte Plata is different from other places in the DR. We talk about the importance of one person.

One person can make a difference.

Carlos gave me stories of how he has seen it happen. One missionary worked for over a year in San Juan to start a work. After all that time, he had only two or three people coming to a Bible study. Frustration was a continuous part of his life. In desperation, he called out to God one day. That same day, he met a guy who spoke English who agreed to be his friend. That guy was soon a follower of Christ and became a committed worker to spread the Gospel. In just another year, there were over 150 believers participating in about 13 Bible studies all over town.

That one person made a difference.

Russell and I talked about that this week. Just seeing Juandi and his influence on the guys in the neighborhood this week made us think about how neat it would be to see God change his life and use him to reach the whole barrio. Just thinking about one person or family who was committed to the work in the DR who could come here and live and work for an extended period of time – they could really make a difference.

I really believe that if we had just one person who could live in Monte Plata among the people here, that would be such an advantage. They could be there to live out Christ in front of the neighbors, to talk with people daily, to answer the questions of those who are not yet believers and to be an encouragement to the believers. That person could make a real difference.

One person could make such a difference.

-- by Micah Ray

What We All Need

Day 4 in the DR (April 11)

People are the same wherever you go. It doesn’t matter if you are in the South in the US or on the West Coast. Or if you happen to be in China or England or Brazil or the Dominican Republic. People are a lot alike no matter where you are.

How do I know? Well, first of all, I’ve been to all the places I just mentioned. So I speak from a little bit of experience.

As I observe and talk to Dominicans this week on my frontliner trip here, I see that they are a lot like everyone else I see. The kids like to play. The moms work to make a good home for their families. The dads work to provide for their families. People like to be around other people. People like to laugh. People put their arms around others when they cry.

Tonight, I went out and sat on the sidewalk in front of the LIFE House after I finished dinner (a scrumptious ham and cheese sandwich with macaroni and cheese, compliments of Chef Russell). We took two chairs from our front porch and sat down among the crowd of kids that had assembled. Within minutes, Juandi asked if we wanted to play dominoes.

“Si, quiero jugar,” I told him. He was gone like a flash to retrieve his board and dominoes.

Immediately, two others ran to get chairs and were back instantly, ready to play. In the background, there was a group of about 15 kids playing their version of Blind Man’s Bluff – only with a long switch from a flowering plant and they used the entire street as their playground.

After a few games of dominoes, they quickly lost interest and decided to all join in Blind Man’s Bluff. When that grew boring, they played some version of Freeze Tag (although I’m quite sure they don’t use the word “freeze” when the temperature here never drops below 68 degrees.)

Kids just love to play.That’s true anywhere.

Just then, a truck pulls up to the house next door – around 8:30pm. A man hops out and a little girl we’ve come to know named Bella runs to greet him. She jumps into his arms and he hugs her tightly.

That same scene could just as easily have been played out in any country.

When the kids ask me to play in some sort of “baseball-throwing-and-catching-and-running-to-escape-when-you-miss” game, I oblige them. The excitement is intense on their faces. The American has come to play their street game!

After my first toss, one of the older guys asks if I’ve ever played baseball. “Of course,” I tell him. I can tell he’s impressed.

I imagine that little scene could just as easily have played out anywhere.

* * * * *

Earlier today, Russell and I walked north through our entire barrio, praying as we went, speaking to people on the street. Everyone was so friendly. I didn’t greet anyone that didn’t greet me back. On one corner was a lady breaking some sort of beans. On another street, a lady was working to curl another lady’s hair. Over one block, a couple of guys were knelt on the ground, working to repair a bus that probably should have been laid to rest about six years ago.

Once again, people that I could see in any country.

When we looked around, however, we saw only one small Christian Reformed Church and a small Pentecostal church in an area that was about 1 square mile. And in this square mile there are probably about 10,000 people. As I walked along and looked at all the people crossing the street, speeding by on motorcycles, kids playing in the streets and moms working on dishes and food preparation, I couldn’t help but think that all of them have something in common with everyone else I’ve ever seen or met.

These people of Monte Plata deserve to have an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

No doubt, some of them are looking for something more in life. They feel that something is missing. Some of them have probably never even thought that there is something more to life. And some of them will probably reject the Gospel. But we have a job to do. We need to do what we can to share the Gospel and to teach them what it means to follow Jesus.

But we leave the day after tomorrow. Just as we’ve begun to make friends and to be known in the barrio, we must leave.

This afternoon, while we were eating lunch, a group of the neighborhood kids came to watch us eat through the back door. After I finished, I went out on the stoop to sit with them and chat and take their pictures. After a few minutes, one girl asked me if I had a Bible in Spanish.

“Si, you tengo,” I said. I went to retrieve one and brought it back to her.

I read John 3:16 to her in Spanish and told her it was one of my favorite verses. Then we read the Nativity story together. I started it, and she read the last ten verses or so out loud.

We chatted for a few minutes about school, the neighborhood, the boys playing with their fighting fish below on the steps. She asked me about our plans for a church and for this house. I told her it was the “Casa de Vida” or the LIFE House. She smiled, amused that a house would have a name. She asked if we were going to have a church here. I told that it would be here or maybe at someone else’s house. She seemed OK with that.

“I believe in God,” she suddenly said.

“Oh, yeah?” I said. “That’s good.”

Without pausing, she added, “But a lot of my friends don’t. Sometimes they make fun of me.”

“Hmmm,” I said awkwardly. Right then, I knew I had found something else in common with this little girl whose life seemed so much different from mine.

I explained to her our plans – as best as I could in my broken Spanish – about how others were coming after we left, and that they would come to start a church and to teach people about God. I’m not sure she understood it all. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I did either.

But there’s one thing I did understand.

I clearly understood when she asked me the dreaded question.

“When are you leaving?” she asked innocently.

“I have to leave on Monday.”

“Oh.”

I sat quietly, knowing what question was coming next, yet unable to stop it or to ignore it.

“You’re coming back again, aren’t you?”

At that moment, I didn’t know exactly what to say, but I know what I felt like saying.

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll be coming back later this year. And others will be coming to from time to time.”

She nodded like she understood. And that’s just what I was afraid of. She understood that I was leaving, and that all of this was probably too good to be true.

I don’t think I’ll forget that moment as long as I live. It was then that I understood what it must feel like to want something so much more, to see a glimpse of it and then to have your hopes dashed that it might not come true.

I also know that at that moment, I made a commitment that I would do whatever it took to make sure we have a church presence here in Monte Plata for people like Lucero and her family.

After all, the people of Monte Plata are just like people everywhere else. They need the Gospel.

We all need the Gospel.

Preparing the Way

Day 2 in the DR

I don't know if you're like me, but when I think about missions trips, I don't think about the kind of day I had today.

Up at 6:30am, we got ready, ate breakfast and was told by the missionary's wife that we were to sit still and wait for her to return. She had to run her girls out to a missions job site to work with another team.

About 45 minutes later, we were on our way. We needed to finish our shopping for supplies for the LIFE House. It's the house we have rented here in the DR to serve as our base of operations for the next few months.

First, we're off to La Sirena, the DR's version of Wal-Mart, but we need money first. I enter the currency exchange store with dollars walk away with two pockets full of pesos. The exchange rate is 33.80 pesos for a dollar. I feel rich.

Now, back to La Sirena. We grab our last items and stuff them in the SUV.

Finally, we off to Monte Plata. A long and bumpy drive north through the countryside. Along the way, we see numerous "campos" -- little collections of houses near the ranches and farms where people live in some of the poorest conditions. As we pass campo after campo and a couple of little towns along the way, one can't help but wonder what it would be like to live life like this.

On our way to our targeted mission area, we pass thousands of people. In my heart, I realize that all of these people along the way need us and the message we have to give just like the people of Monte Plata. But who will be the one to share with them?

Up ahead, we see the sign that says, "Bienvenido a Monte Plata" -- Welcome to Monte Plata.
Just as soon as we see the sign and start looking on our city map, we realize we are already into the city center. It's a small town in terms of land, but home to about 40,000 people. The houses and shops are built adjacent to one another, sharing walls and opening their doors to spill people onto the sidewalks all around us.

Using our GPS with marked waypoints from the last team, and also using the old fashioned method of "Hey, Amigo! Donde esta.." we finally arrive at the house. It is a new house with lots of really old houses around it. I take out the keys, open the front gate and then the front door. I can't help but smile. We are here. We are in the heart of one of the largest "barrios" (neighborhoods) in Monte Plata, and I don't have a clue as to what God is going to do with us here, but I'm expecting something.

A quick survey of the house says that if nothing else, we have some cleaning to do. First item of note: there is not any electricity or water coming into the house. That's a problem. Another issue: there are no screens on the windows which my experience in less developed countries tells me that every mosquito in the "barrio" is going to have a feast tonight.

Lilly makes a few phones calls and learns that our landlord and handyman are not available until 2 PM. We learn that getting the electricity turned on is going to take 5 days to process everything. And we leave in 4 days. Not good.

Lilly talks to the handyman to ask about getting the water hooked up and turned on. He says he'll be there "later today." She goes across the street to ask the neighbors how the water works around here. I walk across the street and Lilly introduces me to them. She tells me that they have offered to give us water or anything else that we need while we are here. I think, "That's amazing. We come in here renting the nicest house on the street, bringing in lots of new stuff to set up our house, and they are offering what they have to help us out. Now that's a good neighbor."

When we go back to our house, Lilly tells me that the young lady we were talking to is the daughter of a lady that was in a Bible study that was started in this area almost 3 years ago.

And she told Lilly that she was glad somebody was coming back to their neighborhood. Lilly said that this was God at work -- to bring us to rent a house across the street from a lady who was in a previous Bible study and wanted it to return. Unbelievable.

With nothing more that she could do -- and she did a TON of stuff for us today - Lilly and Charlie hop into the SUV, wave good-bye and tell us to call them if we need them.

I look at Russell and say, "And then there were two."

It's an eery feeling to see your only connection to anything familiar drive away, knowing that your language skills are basic at best, you know only one other person and your contacts are an hour and a half drive away.

We wait until 7PM, but the handyman never shows up. So we pack a backpack with a change of clothes and walk into town to El Toro, the nicer hotel in town. We'll stay the night here where at least we can take a shower, flush a toilet and charge our phones. All of which I totally took for granted until today.

* * * * *

As I reflect back on this day, a ton of questions fill my mind.

"Did we just waste a day of our missions trip?"

"Is this what mission work is all about? I thought it was supposed to be more 'spiritual' than this."

"Is sweeping the floor of the LIFE House what God is pleased with right now?"

"What is going to be started here in this barrio and in Monte Plata because we've made the commitment to be here?"

"What will these walls of the LIFE House see over the next few months as we have teams here ministering and sharing Jesus with people?"

I can't help but feel the weight of being one of the first teams to land on the ground in Monte Plata. I don't feel worthy at all to be one of the first. I feel so unprepared, so inadequate, so much like a terrible fit for the work ahead of us in the next few days.

I can't help but feel that four days is not enough. Russell and I will just get started getting to know our neighbors and some of the folks surrounding us in this barrio when we will have to tell them, "Good-bye - see you in a few months!" Something about that doesn't seem right.

I can't help but feel that a dedicated person or two who was here all the time would make such a huge difference here. To have a constant presence here, someone who could build long term relationships with these people, that would be the best scenario.

* * * * *

One of the last things to happen to us at the LIFE House today is the most incredible moment of the day for me. We walk up the street away from the LIFE House and I see a girl who had been playing in the street in front of the house. I smile at her and say, "Como se llama?" She answers with her name: "Maria Louisa," she says with a beautiful smile. I tell her my name and that we were going to be living in the house for a few days. I'll never forget what she said next.

"Are you the ones who are going to start a church?"

I was taken aback. "Si!" I manage to say. With that, she smiles again and breaks into a run toward a nearby house.

The talk has already started. Someone is coming to this neighborhood to start a church. They are excited and they are already spreading the word.

Now it's our turn. It's our turn to spread the Word.

And I am reminded again -- we're here to prepare the way.