"pray continually;"
These are the only two words in 1 Thesselonians 5:17. A verse that I would usually overlook and dismiss.
My lovely best friend Hope bought me a devotional for Christmas and it's amazing how relevant it has been to what I'm going through while I'm here. It's obvious to me that God knew what would happen each day during my time in Santo Domingo and he placed the right verses and words in the devotionals to match what would happen to me that day. Lately, the devotionals have been dealing with prayer, anxiety, and trust.
Probably by looking at this picture of the gorgeous beach in Samana, Dominican Republic, that I went to on Saturday, it's hard to believe that I have struggled with anxiety. However, this past week I've experienced one of the biggest downsides of studying abroad in a "developing country". Getting sick. I've been sick for a full week now, and as many of you probably know I HATE being sick. I'm such a baby when I'm sick. It didn't help that I needed to go to the emergency room and attempt to communicate with the doctor in Spanish. I've never been more frustrated by a language barrier than I was then. Although being in a Dominican emergency room with doctors I could barely understand was not my ideal, I remembered one of the verses I had read that morning. "Pray continually". Prayer is something that can be done at all hours of the day, it doesn't need to always be long and drawn-out but just a simple sentence offered to God.
It's looking like I should be coming onto the healing end soon which is a good thing because I'm almost at the halfway mark. Pretty hard to believe! I still have so much more of this country that I want to experience and enjoy in my remaining time! Sometimes I need to just stop and smile as I'm walking or taking the "guagua" (the Dominican version of a public bus) through Santo Domingo by myself and I feel comfortable and like I know where I'm going. It's a simple thing but it makes me realize how much more comfortable I've grown in this city and with myself. I know that in the remaining half of my semester abroad I will face hardships and homesickness; but I also know that I'll experience things that I'll never experience again in my life and that I need to savor all those small moments while I have them, because before I know it they'll be gone and I'll be back to my normal New England life! So, it's time for this sickness to go away so I can enjoy each adventure that comes my way!
"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
"Jehová está en medio de ti, poderoso, él salvará; se gozará sobre ti con alegría, callará de amor, se regocijará sobre ti con cánticos." Sofonías 3:17
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