Newsletter

Each year around this time, Eddy and I write a newsletter to give an overview of the past year.  It was sent out last month.  In case you didn't see it, I have pasted below a copy of that newsletter.  If you did not receive a newsletter from us and would like to be on our mailing list, please email me at carrie.bea1982@yahoo.com and I can add you to our list.  Thank you all for you interest in God's ministry here in the Dominican Republic and for your support and prayers. Dios te bendiga!

Update – September 2013

Eddy and Carrie Ramos

Missionaries

Pathway to Jesus School

PATHWAY TO JESUS SCHOOL

Greetings from the Dominican Republic!  Blessing to you and your families!  Another year has passed here at Colegio Caminito de Jesus (Pathway to Jesus School), and I am excited to tell you all about it.  First, I would like to take the time to thank you for your support of our ministry here in the Dominican Republic.  Each year around this time, we look over our funding and support for the past year and plan for the next year.  As I look over our statements and see the list of our supporters and their generosity, I am overwhelmed and humbled.  We are truly blessed.  Thank you so much for continued financial support as well as for your prayers.  We thank God for blessing us with such an amazing group of supporters and we continue to pray for you and for your families, that God may continue to bless you as He has blessed us.

Over the past year, God has continued to bless the school and helped it grow in a variety of ways.  In the 2012-2013 school year, we added yet another grade and we had about 260 students from two years old to seventh grade and over 30 staff members. Our preschool (children ages 2 to 4) still meets in the church building, where the school first began several years ago.  Kindergarten through seventh grade meet at the new school building, which is still under construction.

 
OUR ROLES

 
This past year, I (Carrie) continued in the role of Preschool Principal for the second year.  This is a role that I believe God prepared me for in a variety of ways over the last several years.  My degree and background are in Early Childhood Education.  I love working with small children and I have a passion for helping children who come from homes where they are not receiving the foundation that they need to be successful in school.  Apart from the administrative work that I do, my focus is to mentor and help the preschool teachers grow and become confident as teachers.  I am a teacher of teachers. 

In our preschool we have 80 students, 4 teachers, 4 teacher’s assistants, and one secretary.  I am so proud of and thankful for the preschool team.  They truly are a group of amazing Christian women, who love God,  love kids, and want to serve God in this ministry.  Apart from the work that we do with the students, we have also formed close friendships as sisters in Christ.  We have devotions daily and we help support each other.  I am so thankful that God has helped me and guided me in my work in the preschool and for the progress that has been made.

This past year, Eddy took on several additional responsibilities at the school as well.  At the beginning of the last school year, Eddy was asked to take on the lead administrative role at the school, which he accepted.  I had the privilege of watching Eddy follow God’s leading and grow as an administrator.  Although Eddy does not have background or education in school administration, he has several years of experience at the school and as someone who grew up here, has an understanding and knowledge of the culture that has helped him work with the staff and the parents.  Eddy was able to accomplish so much over the past year in the area of administration and organization of the school.  He also has a true gift for counseling and working with students, parents, and staff members.

CONSTRUCTION/WORK TEAMS

Over the last school year, the new school building has continued to grow and improve.  Additionally, the preschool building received an overhaul as well.  The majority of this work was done by the two work teams that we received.  In February, we received our third work team from First Christian Reformed Church of Crown Point.  The team spent four days in the blazing sun and built almost the complete second story over the office and bathrooms.  They worked very hard and accomplished so much.  They also took the time to play with the kids and build relationships with some of the staff and church members.

 

In April, we received our fourth work team from Illiana Christian High School.  This year the team consisted of all seniors.  Half of this work team worked at the elementary building doing a variety of work painting, pouring sidewalks, building dividers in the bathrooms, etc.  The other half of the team worked at the preschool building.  This was very exciting for us at the preschool because the physical space had not been improved or updated since the school started almost 10 years ago.  They put in ceilings (such a blessing for the heat and the noise.)  They painted beautiful murals in the classrooms.  They repainted our tables and benches and they put in new doors and cabinets. 

We are so thankful for both of these works teams, and it is so encouraging and such a blessing to us that First CRC of Crown Point and Illiana both have chosen to come with a team year after year to bless God’s ministry here.

VISITORS/PARTNERSHIPS

Apart from the two work teams received other visitors this year as well.  In February, Edith Hulcoop, from our mission organization (Global Outreach Mission) came down to visit and help for a few weeks.  She had the opportunity to help us with some organizational work and she also blessed us with her gift for photography.  She took pictures of our student and our staff.  Most of the pictures in this newsletter were taken by her.  Even more than that, we were blessed by getting to know her and to build a relationship with someone inside of our mission organization. 

The “Grannies on a Mission” (Ruth Boss and my mom, Karen Hoekstra) came down for their second annual trip this year as well.  This time, in addition to helping us clean and organize, they helped plan and run a “garage sale” fundraiser.  They brought down a couple suitcases full of donated clothes and we also asked our students’ families to seek out clothes to donate as well.  This “garage sale” was a blessing in several ways.  First, it allowed the families represented at our school an opportunity to buy clothes very cheaply.  Second, the money raised at the sale helped the school financially.  Third, we were able to donate the leftover clothes to several of our neighborhood churches to donate to their church members that had a need for the clothes.

 

This summer, Tonilee Meter, came down for six weeks to help with our summer school.  Tonilee had come down twice with the Illiana work teams in the past and is now in college.  She stayed with a Dominican family from our school and helped with the Bible class and crafts at our summer school.  We loved having her here and she was not only a blessing to the ministry in the work that she did, but she was also a blessing to me and Eddy personally as well.  We had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with her and her host family and built a wonderful friendship with her.

Orland Park Christian Reformed church is a supporting church of ours.  Last year, the director of their preschool contacted me and was interested in building a relationship between our two preschools.  Since then, they had a “trike-a-thon” fundraiser and donated the money raised to our preschool to buy educational toys and books.  I also had the opportunity to visit the preschool this past May to get to know the staff and students there as well.  We are very excited about this partnership with a preschool that although it is in a different country, has very similar goals and ministry as our own.

THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

I can’t believe it is already September!  That means that we have already started our new school year.  This year, Eddy and I will both continue in our administrative roles at the school.  I have now started my third year as preschool principal and Eddy has started his second year as lead administrator.  Additionally we are both a part of the leadership team of the ministry as a whole.  This year the school will continue with the same grade levels and almost every class is completely full.  Also, every staff member from last year stayed and we did not have to hire anyone new this year. 

This year we also have another American teacher that has come down to serve at the school as well.  Joy Gort will be here this year as a mentor to our Kindergarten through fourth grade teachers.  She will be helping them to learn and grow as teachers.  She has already been such a blessing to the ministry and to us personally and we are so excited to see how God will continue to use her in the ministry over the course of this school year. 

THANK YOU

We would like to thank you again for your interest in God’s ministry here at Pathway to Jesus School.  God has richly blessed us and we are so thankful for your partnership in His ministry here.  Your prayers, your thoughts, and your financial support are such a blessing to us and help us to focus completely on what God calls us to do. 

                                                                                                                       
 Blessings,

Eddy and Carrie Ramos

Six Months?!

Wow, it really has been a long time.

My last post is titled "February."  Six months.

Six months ago, things got really busy in the ministry.  Also, we were dealing with some issues that came up that wouldn't have been appropriate to talk about in a public forum.  So I stopped blogging.  I stopped writing and communicating to you all.  I am sorry for that.

I am convicted by the fact that, although I haven't updated this blog in six months, when I look at my stats, I can see that at least once a day someone checks to see if I there is a new post. 

So here it is, six months in a nut shell: Illiana work team, quick trip to the states, end of the school year, Tonilee, summer school, Joy, beginning of the school year.  Lots of busyness.

I have decided to take a new perspective on my blogging.  I tend to put too much pressure on myself.  I have this idea that every blog post needs to long, beautiful and meaningful.  Instead, I am just going to write about whatever God puts on my heart to share. 

I make no promises, but my plan is to update a couple times a month with pictures, stories and witnesses to how God is working in our lives. 

The topic for today: music.

I believe that one God's greatest gifts to us is music.  Music can move us in a way few other things can.

When I worship with music, God touches my heart in a way that is so personal and emotional.  I see that with my husband as well.  Many of you may already know that Eddy has a natural gift when it comes to music, especially the piano.  He can't read music, he has had no formal training, but he can sit down at a piano and just play.  He can hear a song, and then sit down and play it, figuring it out as he goes.  And it is always worship.  I am blessed to have evenings filled with listening to my husband playing the piano and singing to our God.

I tend to always have one particular song that is "my song."  I hear a song that touches me, encourages me, makes me cry, reminds me of God's truths.  And it becomes my theme song.  I listen to it over and over and I draw strength from it.  Sometimes, they are in Spanish, sometimes English. 
In the last year or so, some of "my songs" have been:

"How Great is Our God" Chris Tomlin
"Cuan Grande es Dios" En Espiritu y en Verdad
"Cornerstone"  Hillsong
"Eres mi Fortaleza"  Hillsong

My current song is "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" by Matt Redman.  The reason that I love this song is because it reminds us that no matter what situation we are in or what we are facing, we should always be focused on worshiping and praising God.  We should always be singing praises to God.  There are 10,000 reasons that my heart can find to praise the Lord.  If you have never heard it, I hope you look it up and listen to it.  I hope it encourages you as much as it has me.

Being in another country and away from English worship services and Christian radio, I am always looking for new songs.  I would LOVE to receive comments or messages telling me which praise and worship song have touched and encouraged you, so that I can listen to those as well.





Here are the lyrics:

"10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)"

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

[Chorus x2]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name
Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name
I'll worship Your holy name

February

I John 4:11-12 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Since it's February, the teachers decorated their classrooms and doors and bulletin boards with verses about love.   What I have learned over the years is that love is not a feeling, it is an action.  It is the selfless serving of others.  This February, this ministry received a lot of love.  The Grannies came down and served and loved.  A visitor from our mission organization, Edith, is here for three weeks, serving and helping out of love.  And last week, a work team from First Christian Reformed Church of Crown Point came down to serve in the ministry as well.   We have been blessed beyond measure this month of February.

I've already talked some about the Grannies, so in this post I want to share about the work team.  This was the church’s third construction work team in the last three years.  We always look forward to seeing them each year and continuing to build a relationship with the team members and the church. Some of the team member have come down two or three times.  It is so encouraging to see them each year and Eddy and I consider them close friends.  Many of them even invited us into their homes when we went to the states last summer.  We also enjoyed getting to know the new guys on this trip as well.

The team spent four days in the blazing sun and built almost the complete second story over the office and bathrooms.  They worked very hard and accomplished so much.  They also took the time to play with the kids and build relationships with some of the staff and church members.  One of my favorite things was watching the groups play with the kids at recess time, chasing them around and carrying them on their shoulders.  A few of the members of this group sponsor a student, so they were able to spend time with their sponsor children as well.  Also, on their last night here, they got to experience a little bit of the culture when they went in small groups to some of our staff and church members’ homes for supper.   

This team was such a blessing to us and to the ministry.  We look forward to seeing them again soon.

I John 4: 7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Thank you.

My parents left early in the morning last Saturday.  It had been over two weeks with my mom, and Ruth, and then my dad.  The week with the grannies was really busy.  We were constantly changing the schedule to fit more and more in.  Then we had a few days at the beach with my parents.  We had a great time relaxing and spending time as a family.   

After they left, Saturday and Sunday were a little bit difficult for me.  I had said three goodbyes in less than a week and I was facing a week that was sure to be very busy catching up on the things that I had not had time to do when they were here and getting ready for our next work team that arrives Sunday.  I was kind of stressed but mostly I was just sad.  I felt like I was alone again.

But God didn't let me feel sorry for myself for very long.  Over the last couple of days, He has reminded me that I am not alone.  He has given me an appreciation for my husband and for his love for me.  (I actually have been thinking about writing a whole blog post about how great Eddy is... but I don't know if anyone wants to read that.)  God has also opened my eyes even more to my staff at the preschool and how amazing they are and how much I care about them and they care about me.

God has also been filling me with a joy and an excitement for the ministry and for my life here in the DR that I haven't felt in a long time.

This past weekend, I was too busy feeling bad for my self that I didn't pray for joy or for a contentment with my life, but I think somebody did.  I don't know who, but somebody was praying for me.  And God answered.  So I just want to say that if it was you...

THANK YOU.

 

The Grannies

"The Grannies"

That's not just the name of their blog, it is really what we call them.

Example:
Me: "The Grannies want to ride in the back of the truck on the way to the grocery store."
Eddy:  sighs and shakes his head and laughs "ok"

The people here have a name for them as well.  They call them "Las Doñas".

The Grannies are very entertaining.  They have a lot of fun.  They laugh a lot.  They are not afraid of looking like the crazy American grannies.  The people here really respond to their energy and had a lot of fun with them as well.  

 

This was Ruth's third trip and my mom's fourth.  But it was their second trip coming down as "the Grannies."  (just them, no group)

The DR is my home.  This is where I live, work, serve.  The best thing about this place is the people.  One of my greatest desires is for my family and friends (from the states) to have the opportunity to experience the hospitality, warmth, and love of the people here.  Unfortunately, the people here get a little shy around Americans (especially in big groups).

Since the Grannies are just a group of two, they have had the opportunity to experience some things that the work teams don't.  Last year, they were able to get to know and form relationships with some of the people here.  It was fun for me to see how those relationships grew this year, and new relationships were formed.  It was also interesting to see how the people here continued to get more comfortable and relax and joke with them and that the Grannies were more comfortable as well.  We left them on their own a few times where nobody spoke English (and they do not speak Spanish) but they were ok.  I think they can tell you it is amazing how deep of a relationships you can form with people who do not speak your same language.   I already have people reminding me that next year the Grannies need to go to their house for dinner or lunch or a cooking lesson, etc. 

It meant so much to me to see my mom and Ruth (who both are very important people in my life) being accepted, welcomed, loved by all of the people here who are also very important to me.  The people here (including me) are so appreciative of them and the love that they show by serving and helping here.  I am also appreciative to all of the people here who showed them a little bit of what my life is like here and why I love it so much.

We all can't wait for the Grannies to come back next year. 

Grannies on a Mission 2013

My mom (Karen Hoekstra) and Ruth Boss are here for their second annual "Grannies on a Mission" trip.  They are helping clean and organize not only the school and our offices but also our houses.  The Grannies just love to organize.  We have also been able to give them some great Dominican experiences and they are continuing to build relationships with the people here.  We have also been laughing a lot and having some fun.  They are writing all about their adventures on my "Grannies on a Mission" blog.  If you want to check it out, here is the link to their first post. A few more posts should be up shortly.

Grannies on a Mission: THEY'RE BAAAAACK!

Love and Encouragement

About three weeks ago, I spent my day praying, crying, and writing. I learned long ago that God uses my blog to speak to me more than to anyone else.  The result of that day was my last blog post.

 I showed it to Eddy, took a deep breath, and hit "post".  

For the rest of the day, I was nervous.  I could see on my blog my stats, how many people were reading it, but I had no idea about their reactions.  I doubted myself and my decision to post it.  I couldn't get myself to read through it again, I was remembering what I wrote and all the negative ways people might see it. Eddy warned me that that would probably happen, and he was right.  I was kind of a mess.

And then, that night before bed, I checked my email.

I had received my first response.

I breathed a sigh of relief, I let all of my worry go, I read through my post again with new eyes.  No longer judgmental but with compassion and understanding.  From what I imagined was the perspective of the person who had written me.


The next day, I checked again, and I had a couple comments on the post and a few more emails.  Each day, for several days I received emails and messages.  Messages in which people shared their own experiences, messages of love and encouragement

I haven't been able to respond to all of you individually, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for sharing your own experiences with me and for all of your love and prayers and support.  I can not tell you what it has meant to me.  Your responses have not only encouraged me but also helped me to face some things that I had been avoiding.  

I can see clearly now how God is using my post to help me.  Each time I re-read my post or received an email or message, I was forced to face and deal with my loss.  I choose to feel and cry and pray and talk to my husband when in the past I would have avoided thinking about it and found a way to distract myself.  These have not been the easiest three weeks of my life, but they have been a time of healing and growth. 

God has also used your responses to remind me how surrounded by love I really am.  How blessed I am to have so many people praying for me and supporting me.  I am so thankful for all of you.

These last weeks I have also been praying for joy and God has been answering.  Although I have had difficult days, there have been days when I find myself joyful.  Sunday was one of them.  On the way to church I felt joy and I was excited about worshiping and I knew that that joy was a direct answer to my prayers. 

I am also looking forward to several visitors in the next month.  On Saturday, the "Grannies on a Mission" will be returning (my mom and Ruth).  You guys can probably expect some updates on their blog next week.  Next Friday, my dad will come down to join my mom and Eddy and I will get to spend some time with them.  Right after that a woman from our mission organization is coming to visit for a couple weeks and Crown Point church is coming back down for their third construction work team in February.  The next month will be very busy, but having visitors and getting to spend time with family and friends is always good for me.   I will keep you all updated on how it all goes. 

The Truth

Hi everyone.  So I haven't updated my blog in a really long time.  When I don't blog for a while most of you assume it's because things have been really busy, and sometimes that is true.  When we have work teams down, for example, things get really busy and I don't have time to blog.  But most of the time, when I'm not blogging, it's for another reason.  It's because I'm struggling.

If you know me personally, you probably know that I am actually a very private person.  It goes against my nature to talk about myself, especially when it comes to personal things.  Over the last few years, that is obviously something that I have had to confront and overcome over and over again.  I present in churches and schools, I share my testimony, I open myself up to the people we are serving...

and I write about my journey in my blog.

God and I have had several coversations about this. 

Sometimes I feel like it is "unfair" that I have to write my most personal thoughts for the world to judge and other people don't. 

Now there are a few things that you will notice about that last statement.  First, you might say that I don't "have to" write a blog, that it is my choice.  And that's true, it is my choice.  But the one constant over the last three and half years is that I KNOW when God is calling me to do something, and when He gives me that surety, I will always choose to do what He is calling me to do. 

The second thing you will notice is the word "judge".  Why am I so private?  What is my biggest fear?  That people will judge me.  That if I talk about certain things they will think that I am just "looking for attention."

If I tell you that five months ago I had a miscarriage, will you think that I'm looking for attention or pity?

As a missionary, my worry is compounded.  Most of the people that support us read this blog.  It is even connected to some church's websites.  I worry that they have expectations of me and I don't how to live up to those expectations because I'm not even sure what they are.  

If I tell you all how much I have struggled in the last five months, will you question my ability to do the job that God has called me to do down here? 

I don't know the answer to those questions, so when I'm struggling, I stay quiet.  But right now, I am feeling called to write about this, so I am.  I don't know His reasons, maybe it is for my own good, maybe it is to help someone else who will read this.  Maybe both.  Maybe neither. 

Either way, here it is.

About six months ago (when I was in the states) I found out I was pregnant.  I spent a month planning a life that would include a baby.  I smiled as I imagined Eddy's mom's reaction when we told her (and his aunts' and his sisters') I was pretty sure it would include screaming and dancing around.  I knew it would bring me closer to them and help deepen our relationship.  I imagined the reactions of the the women I work with and at the church. I again imagined screaming and jumping up and down.  Some of them had been praying for a baby for us since the day we got married (it's a cultural thing).  I was going to have almost a full school year to really work with my teachers and get them to a place where they would be ok without me to finish the year.  I was going to need to find a doctor.  We figured out a plan of how we were going to fit a crib into our tiny apartment (we were going to get rid of the couch).  I don't think a minute went by in that month that I wasn't thinking about the baby that I was carrying.

And then, about a week before Eddy and I came back to the DR, it was confirmed, at our first ultrasound appointment, that I had lost the baby.

That life that I had been planning in my head?  It didn't exist anymore.  There was no good news to tell all of the people in our lives.  There was just a big hole, where that baby should have been.  And soon, the sadness turned to anger.

In my anger, the Enemy got a foothold, started telling me lies, and aimed my anger mostly in one direction: the Dominican Republic.

I was back here, far away from my family and friends and in a culture where I couldn't get through a day without someone asking me when I was going to have a baby.  It's a cultural thing that I had long ago gotten used to and we hadn't told anybody what happened, so they had no idea what each comment did to me.  I began to isolate myself, from everyone.

This was the first lie: that in the Dominican Republic, we had no one.  That they would blame me if we told them.  That the comments about infertility would start.  That because we are the leaders here, it is our job to take care of and support everyone else.  That we have no one here to take care of and support us.

The Truth: we are so blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives here in the Dominican Republic.  Eddy's family.  The staff at the school.  The members of our church.  They LOVE us.  They pray for us, they would do whatever was in their hands to help us and take care of us without a second's hesitation.  It was me.  I cut myself off from them.  I was not allowing them to show me love or be there for me.  I believed the lie.

I have always loved living here in the DR.  It's not perfect but I was happy living here.  But during that time, I could not remember why.  I was miserable. I did not want to be here, I resented the fact that I had to be here.  I raged against the Dominican Republic (which I know sounds ridiculous). 

And then the Enemy brought it to the next level.

As I said, I resented the fact that I was here in the Dominican Republic.  So the Enemy asked me: Who brought you here?  Whose fault is it that you are stuck here?  Who called you to this ministry?  Who let your baby die?

God.

It always comes down to that doesn't it?  The Enemy doing whatever he can to separate us from God?  And so often we let him convince us that it is all God's fault.   That He let this happen to us.  That He doesn't care about us.

I was so lost in my sadness and anger that I didn't even see what was happening.  With my husband's help, I opened my eyes.  I saw my sin for what it was.  I had to stop fighting and let go.  I had to accept that my life did not include a baby and that no amount of "raging" would change that.  Just as I had to stop cutting off the people in my life and allow them to love and take care of me, I had to stop cutting off God and let myself feel His comfort and love.
 
Because He had never left.  He had always been there right beside me as I cried and mourned and raged.  He helped me recognize the lies and see the truth.  He welcomed me with open arms and gave me forgiveness that I didn't deserve. 

I wish I could put this all in past tense and wrap it up in a neat bow and tell you that now everything is great and I am filled with joy and peace that never leaves.  I can't do that.  But I can tell you that even though I still sometimes struggle, God is using this situation.  He is using it to bring both me and my husband closer to Him.  To bring us closer together.  To help us grown spiritually, both individually and in our marriage.  I fully believe that we will come out of this much stronger and better prepared for the work that God is calling us to do and for the struggles that we will face in the future.

So that's my story.  That's the truth.  I can't help but wonder how you will react.  Will you judge me and think that as a missionary I should be better?  (I thought that for a long time) Or will it help you see that even though I have been called to another country to work in God's ministry, I am just like you.  I am a sinner.  I struggle.  I fall down.  That it's through God's grace that I am able to do the work that He is calling me to do down here. 

He deserves all the glory and I deserve none. 

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”