Mountains and Valleys

Such a cliche title, and yet, it is really appropriate for everything that has been going on recently. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past several months; at the moment, things are going well. Thanks to counseling mostly girls, I was able to go with the female students on the 5-day hike up Pico Duarte, the tallest mountain in the Caribbean. It was definitely a challenge and there were moments when we all got stuck inside of our heads. But the views that we saw on the way to the top, the sense of accomplishment (plus the view at the top), and the memories made were well worth the pain and the discomfort.

While hiking, I had a lot of time to think and reflect. I was so hoping for some amazing emotional/spiritual experience, and that didn't quite happen how I wanted it to. So often I am striving in life for the mountain-top experience, whether that's a high in life, or the next goal, or whatever it is I am perceiving is just out of reach. And often, just like with my experience on Pico Duarte, I have expectations of reaching that next "summit" that often are met by reality. In addition to that, some of the views on the way were so spectacular--but it took some time to stop and look around. Sometimes we get so focused on the next step that we have to take (sometimes out of necessity) that we don't get to see the views around us. To that point, my favorite picture that came out of the hike, is not from the peak, but rather as we were beginning to hike on the last day coming up out of The Valley. I've included it here for your viewing enjoyment. 

Since Pico Duarte, there have been several female students that decided to turn to the Bible and prayer as they continue to work through things and grow. One of the students that seemed to struggle so much, and often led me to wondering if there was anything that could be done outside of praying, has publicly announced that she has chosen to be a Christian (and if you knew this student, this is definitely not something that is for show). This decision was made through quite the experience while hiking Pico. They continue to struggle with depression, anxiety, and their worldview; some days are better than others, but they continue to engage in relationships and with each other.

It seems that every time I have a blog update, I am sharing about students' progress, but also my own. Over the past few months I've continued to grow and learn in how I persevere through struggle, and how to do relationships well right alongside the students. I've also wrestled with decisions that needed to be made regarding my future as I am looking at the end of my two year commitment approaching. I am excited to announce that will be returning to the States toward the end of September. In my time here I have learned a lot and have felt God leading me back toward music therapy, and I have accepted a job offer (pending background check) for a music therapy position at Florida State Hospital outside of Tallahassee. This is both exciting and terrifying as I am moving to yet another new state, and a new job in a new setting that is hopefully combining all of my work experience to date. More on this later. 

Please continue to pray for our students as things are not easy here--there is a lot of transition going on with staff, and a lot of spiritual and emotional battles that they are fighting. Pray for CMA as we are in need of counselors as well as other staff.  Pray for me as I am preparing to transition, that I can transition well.