Faithfulness

Each week here a new group comes in for their short term mission trip. Well actually, there's usually many groups heree but the interns typical stick with one group for the week. That allows us to connect with the group and get to know them a little bit by the end of the week.  However, this week after 3 days I still felt like I hadn't connected much with the group. In the van, I mostly talked with the missionary/pastor/driver and during ministry times I was mostly with the Dominican youth that were working with us. That's great for practicing Spanish but it means I didn't spend as much time with my group.  That being said I was quite surprised by the response I got from them on thier last night.  Two of the girls made a bracelet for me and another team member gave me a hug and thanked me working with them this week. 
That made me realize that sometimes I can't see the impact I make on people, but that doesn't mean no one's watching.  All week I'd gone in and given my all to whatever ministry we were doing.   The first two mornings were VBS with kids so it was pretty natural for me to jump in and start doing stuff.  According to one group member, I was 'rocking out' to the worship songs with the kids.  On Wednesday, we had a work  project building a fence around a church. This mean cuting down trees and branches for posts and stringing barbed wire. Tools required: machetes, hammers, and several metal poles as post hole diggers. It was great hanging out with older people (over 9 years old) during the day; they'd even help correct my Spanish which was very helpful.  One girl even taught me how to 'mow' with a machete. You use a hooked stick to hold the grass/weeds back and then swing the machete below that to cut the grass off near the ground. Throughout this week I was faithful to serve where I was needed each day, even though to me it seemed like I wasn't making much of a difference to the team.  In return, God was faithful to me and allowed me to see that during those times I wasn't with the team they were still watching me; that made an impact on them without me knowing it.

PRAYER UPDATES
1. Spanish-I'm learning more everyday but I'm not sure if I'll be fluent before I leave.  Pray that I'll be proactive in practicing Spanih and not give in to fear and shyness.
2. Financial-My goal is to raise $1,500 in support to cover airfare and other expenses. So far I've just over $500. Pray that the remaining money needed to cover my expenses would be provided.
3. Future Plans-As of now, I still don't have a job after my intership ends. Pray that I would know where the Lord wants me to be this fall (and afterward).