Off to the D.R.!

Hi friends,

In just a few short hours (we're leaving at 2 a.m.), I'll be driving down to Philly, where I'll be catching an early morning flight to the Dominican Republic! A HOPE donor is helping to pay for the trip for the summer interns, so I'm excited not only to see HOPE's work in the DR, but also to see the interns who've left!

I don't have much to say before I leave: I'm excited to meet the clients, I'm nervous to be traveling in a developing country for the first time, I'm a bit frazzled as I always am because I put things off until the last minute (like writing a blog post). I'd really appreciate your prayers for safe travels for all of us, as well as that we'll really take the opportunity to see how God is using HOPE (and through HOPE, all of us interns) to restore broken relationships and help entrepreneurs help themselves. It sounds kind of cheesy, but really, one of the things I've come to appreciate about microfinance is the way that it treats recipients as people who are fully capable of working for their own release from poverty.

Well, apparently I did have something to say. I'll write more about the trip when I get back Sunday (or, knowing me, several days later). Thanks for your prayers!

Back in Lancaster

Since I didn't mention anything about being away from Lancaster, the title might come as a surprise, but I just got back yesterday from a two-week vacation in Hawaii. This is the first summer that I've spent completely away from home, and for most of it, I've been so busy and have enjoyed myself so much that it's been easy to get into a routine. But the last few weeks before I left for Hawaii, I was really starting to get antsy. I found myself missing the oddest things, like the view out the car window driving along the roads in Hawaii. So it was wonderful to be home.

Joseph came with me for both weeks of the trip, so it was also fun to introduce him to people and places in Hawaii. He met my parents and other members of my family for the first time, and they all seemed to like each other and get along. We also did a lot of touristy things, like Pearl Harbor, Bishop Museum, Diamond Head, and I always like going back and seeing those places that I don't normally get to.

Tomorrow it's back to work again, and it might take me a little bit to get back into the swing of things. I've kind of forgotten what was going on before I left, and I'm sure that many new projects have come up in the meantime in any case. But I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again and being in the office...thank goodness I enjoy what I do! It makes coming back from vacation just that much easier.