Acronyms and Earthquakes

My sister, Amara, is in the DR doing her DTS through YWAM. 

For anyone who is not YWAM savvy, that is.. 

Amara is in the Dominican Republic doing her Discipleship Training School through Youth With A Mission. 

I trail blazed the path to the DR and YWAM, the summer after I graduated High School in 2003. In 2006, my sister Sam went, and now, in 2009, Amara is currently in her outreach phase. 

The DTS is broken down into 2 phases: Lecture and Outreach. 

The lecture phase is around 3 months, and is basically missionary school. 

The outreach phase is around 2 months, and is an opportunity to put into practice what was learned in the lecture phase. 

Amara had decided to follow God's leading for her to go to Costa Rica for her outreach phase. Her team consists of the 2 other Americans in the DTS, and 4 Dominicans, and her team leader. The Americans and one of the Dominicans have their Visas to travel to Costa Rica. 

They were supposed to leave November 5th for their outreach in Costa Rica. Because 5 of their Dominican teammates, including the team leader, could not get their Visas, they put it off a week to attempt to convince the consulate to give them permission to travel. 

After a few attempts at the consulate, and much prayer, their Visas were denied and the decision was made to remain in the DR for the remainder of the outreach phase. The reason why the Visas were denied by the Costa Rican government is because apparently a lot of Dominican woman go to Costa Rica to prostitute themselves, and they don't want to allow any more into their country, even if it's a group of crazy, Jesus-loving missionaries. 

While Amara and the 3 others who have their Visas were given the opportunity to go to Costa Rica without the rest of their team, they decided to stay together and finish the outreach in the DR. 

I have to admit, at this point, I was slightly frustrated, as a selfish American. In my mind, I had thoughts similar to, "You should go anyway! That's not fair!" Obviously, I forgot the teaching on laying down our rights when we're on the mission field. Hold on for a second while I dig up my DTS notebook and review that lesson...

OK. All better. 

So Amara decided to stay in the DR, and their team was headed to a town with no phone reception, so we won't be able to talk to her until next week. Just before she left, she sent Sam a text, basically saying, 

"There was just an earthquake in Costa Rica, in the town we would've been staying in."

If that isn't God's protection, I don't know what is. I think that sometimes we pray for God's direction and plan (to grant the team their Visas), but when it unfolds contrary to what we wanted (not getting the Visas), we don't understand until something big happens like an earthquake that killed 23 in the very place we were supposed to be. At least that's how I feel sometimes. 

Even though this is not happening to me personally, I am seeing so many things come to light regarding my trust in God, even though my sister's experience. Sure, I learned a lot in my own experience in my DTS, but it's a daily struggle and daily growth. 

Sometimes it takes something as big as an earthquake that could've taken my sister away from me forever to shake me back to my senses. 

In the end, God is good. 

That's really all that there is to it. 

God is good. 

His very essence is good. His plans for us are good. Everything He is and ever will be is good. Yes, sometimes He allows bad things to happen, but that is just how it is. And it's not in vain. Good can always come from the bad. It's just how we choose to look at it. 

So I am thankful for God's will including the preservation of my sister,  and I'm thankful for the lesson I was reminded of to trust without questioning. 

What are you thankful for today?