Flori

Flori...
i have spent the last 3 weeks, 6 hours a day with her. she is largely responsible for teaching me this language i have wanted to learn for many years... in fact, since 1993 when i first went to the Dominican Republic. i have been daily grateful for her. She is around 55, i would imagine, has 9 children and has been married for around 30+ years. she had a 10th child who died at 43 days old. the day she told me about the circumstances surrounding his death, i was deeply touched by her heart, her faith in Our Father in Heaven, and how that has held her through such painful waters of suffering. she has raised all 9 children with her husband who worked 3 jobs at times to make sure that their 9 children could all attend university. and they did. she has been teaching spanish for 15 years. we have laughed together at her jokes and stories about cats, we have cried as she has shared about her life, as we talked about adoption of children abandoned by their mothers and fathers (but not by Dios, she adds), we have gone shopping together for sandals and fruit in the market. Today we went to a nursery (for plants) and had coffee and treats as a thank you to her for her time and investment in my life. i was fighting back tears most of the morning...
Flori has taught me not only Spanish, but about life and family and children and the world and about what it looks like to live a life of faith in Jesus, above all things.
Thank you Flori. i can´t thank you enough.