As I said in an earlier post, my first true exposure to the Spanish language came through a personal connection in my early teens to two high-school aged girls from the Dominican Republic who worked at McDonalds with my older brother. Over a period of time, they became like family to me, and I still call them my Dominican sisters today. They introduced me to their language, accent, culture, and food and music, giving me an insatiable thirst to immerse myself in all things Spanish. From then on, I excelled in any Spanish class I took and set my heart on traveling to Spanish-speaking countries that could bring my Spanish classes to life.
God later opened doors for me to travel to Mexico numerous times on mission trips (and also a few personal trips), to study abroad in Argentina, and to make a weekend visit to Uruguay. Years later I spent time in and adopted my son from Colombia and later traveled to both Guatemala and Spain with him. My husband and I went on a cruise that stopped in Honduras and Belize. Now after 30 years since my first trip to Mexico, I finally made it to the Dominican Republic, the country that first captured my heart and gave me a desire to learn and embrace its language and culture. (If you count the United States, that makes it my tenth Spanish-speaking country to visit).
We made it!
And look how close we are to Puerto Rico, my next destination in just another two months!
Watching the flight tracker is one of my favorite things to do while in the air, showing me what places we're flying over and just where we are in the world. I loved seeing just how close the Dominican is to Colombia, the other country so near and dear to my heart.
We were somewhat surprised at how mountainous we found the terrain as we flew into the Dominican.
When I studied for my Spanish licensure exam last summer, I learned a lot more about each Spanish-speaking country's flag. I never knew before that the Dominican Republic is the only flag with a Bible on it. Getting to finally be on the ground to see their flag flying in the wind just filled my heart with delight.
Even more interesting is the verse that Bible is open to on their flag.
John 8:31-32
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will now the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Sounds like a clear path to FREEDOM to me.
But first a stop at Wendy's to grab some lunch before we arrived at Freedom International Ministries.
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