November Update

If you follow me on Facebook, yesterday you would have seen this update:

I saw the craziest thing yesterday!

Police did a sting operation to catch a criminal and shut down a bridge with only his car on bridge. All vehicles moved off bridge to leave the CRV STRANDED alone as they moved in to arrest (or as my Dominican friends said to kill) All officers (about 8 of them that I could count) jumped out pointing guns at the suspect as they ran to the vehicle!

Guess who was in the vehicle?

The answer to the status update was: Me. I was in the vehicle. Not kidding. I was heading to my last IV treatment appointment and found myself surrounded by national police at gunpoint. Thankfully the kids were in school and I was alone. They were 100% sure I was the guy they were hunting until my window was rolled down.

I figured I should start off by telling you who was in the vehicle, and then work backwards to the whole week and what has been going on over here.

Sunday the 7th, my pastor was explaining in church that Christians are not going to by-accidentally take the mark of the beast through vaccines. When the time comes, we will need to choose. As we drove home from church I was explaining more to the kids. I was saying that Dani and I will have the mark of Christ on us, as the Bible says. "Jess, you will have whatever you decide when the time is here." I said to Dani, "We fast and so being hungry does not phase us anymore because we have learned how God sustains us". I then said that God can also send us manna. As I said the word, in my mind it appeared like this: MANNA.  

Now, I believe God speaks in many ways to His people and to me, one way He tells me to pay attention is that I see words in my mind in CAPS! I already oddly spell words in my head and this gets me in real trouble when I am speaking Spanish because I tend to throw words up in my mind as I talk and my spelling isn't always there for Spanish vocabulary. Anyway, as I said manna and it was written MANNA in my mind, I thought-- speaking to the Holy Spirit, "Ok, God, let me know what you want to say about that. "  

We went on about our lives and Thursday came. I spent my morning talking to our potential teacher giving her a tour of the safe houses and discussing my plans with ministry. I drove her back to town and decided to get a workout in at lunch time. I had just gotten an email from Audible that I had a new credit available for a book. As I got ready to go to the gym, I messed around looking at books and what do I find?

A book named MANNA by Steve Farrar. (Yes, it WAS in CAPS!)

I thought, no way. I wasn't sure that I recognized the name of the author at the time. (I checked my library later and I have his other book named Point Man. I love reading books that are written for men 😉).

I kept scrolling but I was pulled to the book, so I went back and hit download. I got ready for the gym and walked down. As I started, I felt a pull to listen to the audiobook and I was like God, I can't lift to an audiobook, I need MUSIC to lift. It wouldn't stop so I pressed play and racked them up.

The whole time I was in the gym, it was as if the author was speaking directly to me. This was manna to my heart. He repeatedly spoke about how God always comes through. The Israelites were 2 million people and God never forgot to send manna to them. He sent just enough for the day. They were not allowed to scoop any up because it would go bad!   I was texting another board member, Kim, and she was saying God has been speaking to her about Manna, too. Everything she was texting was exactly what the author was saying in the book. I sat back on the weight bench, dropped my dumbbells and said, "Ok, God. I hear You. This ministry is Yours. We are finally given the GO AHEAD from Conani to open and now we lack funds to hire Dominicans and buy needs for the rescued girls. God, I believe that You can have a stranger call me and donate. God, I believe a church could call at any minute and donate $50,000 dollars. God, I am POSITIVE You sent me to this country and I am POSITIVE you chose me to be lead this ministry in this season-- I give it all back to You to OPEN US! I will not be overwhelmed by this giant task in-front of me." 

I finished my workout and went home.

That night at 7:21pm my phone made a sound as I was in the kitchen. The closed screen showed a message from Fernando. I waited to open it as I finished my task thinking it was one of my pastors. At 5pm I had texted my other pastor checking to see if our disciple class was cancelled. I was waiting at church and no one had showed, so I texted a few people and left at 5:20. I figured my other pastor was texting me to mention something about this.

As I opened the WhatsApp, I realized I didn't have this number saved, but yet Whatsapp tells you the name of the sender. It wasn't my pastor, this was a stranger to me. Now, I do know of him because Luke knew of him, but I have never seen, met, or talked to him before. He told me that someone gave him my number and he wanted to see if he was in contact with FIGHT Ministries. I told him that he had reached us and I was the new director. He went on to tell me that he had been in communication with an organization in the USA to help him build a women's safe house. There had been a miscommunication with leadership and they did not realize he wants to develop a home for women that have been rescued from human trafficking. This org was looking to partner with a children's safe house. He had already sent his budget and information, but he was told that they could no longer help him. The organization asked if he knew of another org in the Dominican Republic working with children rescued from human trafficking. Fernando told him that he heard of a guy named Luke up in the mountains and he could contact him to see if he wanted the partnership.

Of course I sent him all my contact info and said have him call me. He mentioned the org and I wrote it down. I emailed my board members and Rose wrote back asking me what the org was and I threw it in the search engine to give my board more information. I thought, Ok, I can't find it. This organization seems to be backed by famous christians. I messaged the guy back and asked him to send me the link because I wanted to be able to read about them before they contact me and I was having trouble finding the organization.

He sent me back the link...and I did not make a mistake. I had the right website. 🤯

Now, we have only texted back and forth and we would still need to be chosen to work with but I am asking my readers to pray this week and if you fast, fast! 💕

And even if they do not choose us, God can literally have a stranger text me and encourage me that He is capable of way more!

As I walked the campus with my potential teacher, I was telling her about how FIGHT found our 16 acres. Do you all remember the story? We were at the local plaza and a man came up to us and asked if we were the Americans looking for land to buy. A straight up divine appointment where the Lord sent a stranger to us, to drive us straight to the property that God wanted us to buy. We emailed pastors to help and in December of 2015 we purchased a few mountains and broke ground in 2016 with excavating those hills! AND DO NOT FORGET, they practically gave it to us for pennies! We paid around $45,000 USD, which is absolutely insane!

I love telling people the FIGHT stories of things God has done in miraculous ways. It reminds me of His work and faithfulness to this vision.

Friday I headed to my doctor's appointment for 11:30. I was running a bit behind because I was doing a phone interview for a house mom position that lives in Columbia and the time got away from me. Time got away because I didn't know the country code which made me later than I planned contacting her.

So, before I reached town, I noticed in my rear view mirror there was a national police truck behind me. Now, police do not pull people over here for anything to do with traffic stuff. If they have their lights on, then they want to go around you or maybe they just want to drive with lights on for no reason. I am serious. I wasn't paying much attention to them like we would in the USA. Traffic came to a stop on the Yaque bridge and I stopped, too. I looked up in the rear view mirror and saw about 4 guys pop out of the truck with guns behind me. Even the driver jumped out and I thought, well, that is odd. Now, remember we have security guards everywhere and my guard leaves a gun with me, so I am not exactly frightened by guns anymore. I looked ahead because I caught out of my eye that the cars in front of me were moving, but I wanted to stay still. Just then I saw the cop truck up ahead had cut off the bridge traffic coming onto the other side of the bridge. Men, jumped out with guns up ahead coming at me. I looked around and was like oh my word, I am the only vehicle on the bridge!! Immediately, I opened my window and the passenger side before they ever got to me. Screaming from behind, a cop was yelling for me to put the back windows down. I immediately did as he said. Now, I have never had a gun pointed at me and I have at least 8 men pointing guns at me from ALL ANGLES. A man bends down, looks in and widens his eyes-- Sorry. it's not you. This car is the same as the person we are looking for...all guns are told to drop and they all start walking away. UMMM EXCUSE MEEEE, what is going on!? He spoke back to me in real slow Spanish like I was stupid and repeated the same thing. I kindly called him sir, and told him I understood him. I wanted to know if it was female or male and what the details were 😂. I felt like if they were about to kill me, I could at least get to know details! Sometimes a cute face can get you info. That day he only answered a male and walked away shaking his head.  

FYI, my truck is in the shop so I am driving a rental CRV. Evidently the murderer, drug and guns trafficker, and selling land that doesn't belong to him guy has been out in my neck of the woods driving a CRV.

I can joke around but I told this story to my doctor, pastor, and BFF lawyer and all 3 said you are really lucky you were not killed. These situations end with the person in the vehicle shot dead. Have you not heard that they killed that pastor and wife because they THOUGHT they were in the car of a criminal?? I Googled it when I got home and found a few other stories where police just opened fire on the vehicle just because it was the same mark as the criminal. Have you ever been in a situation where you know God saved your life? It is truly WILD.

I must say this, guys. I was a bit impressed that the police had been watching me and followed me. I was impressed that they called ahead to another cop to shut the bridge down and that I was coming. I was amazed they cleared the bridge to only have me there.

I am not impressed that they didn't search my trunk. They didn't ask for the title of the car. They didn't even ask for my identification or whose vehicle this is or if I have been kidnapped and put in this car OR ANYTHING!

I went on with my day and got the kids at school around 3. We drove home and I found a man at my gate waiting. Dani rolled down her window a bit because he was on her side. He was off the motorcycle and trying to look into the compound from a hill. With her mean face, Dani asked him what he wanted. He asked if I was Phyllis Brady and then passed me papers to let me know I am being sued. Y'all remember I have already been sued for 1 million dollars because a 12 year old child ran a red light and almost killed me and my kid? Well, I am headed to court again for something else.

Get behind me, Satan. I'm busy.