Wednesday, January 25, 2012
My Evening
It is 10 pm here in the Dominican Republic and for the last four hours or so I have been hanging out at the church watching the praise team practice for a fundraiser concert that we are having on Saturday night. I can't really remember why I decided to come in the first place, I don't know why I ever thought it would only last an hour or so, none of us have eaten dinner yet and there is no end in sight. Having said all that, I am definitely glad that I am here, because it is a pretty amazing thing to watch. We borrowed a drum set from another church, and we have four musicians from other churches joining our praise team to play the additional instruments. They are all learning how to play together and form one praise team. It is kind of a disaster, but no one is giving up and I'm pretty sure that the practice will not be ending anytime soon. I wish I had the words to express what it is like to be watching this group of people from three different countries (Dominican Republic, United States, and Haiti) working together and praising God. Right now they are practicing a song that translates to "I will praise, I will praise, I will praise my Lord!" I did take a couple pictures and even video. My internet connection is very poor right now, but I will post the pictures and video when I get home (whatever time that may be).
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Prayers
The school is going through a trial right now and it is very difficult on everyone. I cannot share too much about what is going on right now, but I would like to ask for your prayers and share a story of what happened to me today.
Today has been an especially difficult day for me. I care so much about this school and the children that it reaches out to. I don't want to see any harm come to the school or the children. As I pray, read the Bible, and listen to Christian music, God is helping me through it. At a particularly difficult point today, one of the assistants popped her head in to ask me to watch the kids for a minute (the teacher is out on a personal day, so she was by herself). It was during their play time, and usually the kids don't pay much attention to you if you come in at that time, but today one of the little girls stopped playing, came over to me and gave me a gigantic hug. I know that God touched her heart to do that, because it was exactly what I needed. This child in particular is one that is part of our sponsorship program, her family struggles financially, and if our school did not exist she would not be receiving a good education or a Christian education. Serving these children is my motivation. It is a calling from God and He will give me the strength and determination to continue no matter what obstacles arrive.
Thank you all for your support and your prayers.
Today has been an especially difficult day for me. I care so much about this school and the children that it reaches out to. I don't want to see any harm come to the school or the children. As I pray, read the Bible, and listen to Christian music, God is helping me through it. At a particularly difficult point today, one of the assistants popped her head in to ask me to watch the kids for a minute (the teacher is out on a personal day, so she was by herself). It was during their play time, and usually the kids don't pay much attention to you if you come in at that time, but today one of the little girls stopped playing, came over to me and gave me a gigantic hug. I know that God touched her heart to do that, because it was exactly what I needed. This child in particular is one that is part of our sponsorship program, her family struggles financially, and if our school did not exist she would not be receiving a good education or a Christian education. Serving these children is my motivation. It is a calling from God and He will give me the strength and determination to continue no matter what obstacles arrive.
Thank you all for your support and your prayers.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Pieces of Home
My life in the Dominican Republic is very different than my life in the United States. A couple weeks ago, I became aware that what I consider normal day-to-day life had changed drastically since moving to the DR. I tried to take notice of all of the things that are so normal to me now. Here is a small list of the things that I noticed, so that you can have an idea of what I mean.
My New Normal
1- tripping over chickens before getting on our moped to head off to work
2- having to stop and wait because there are a herd of cows blocking the whole road (trying to hold my breath as long as possible)
3- looking at the most beautiful mountains that surround us on both sides
4- having to stop in the middle of a conversation several times a day to wait for a loud motorcycle to go by
5- speaking spanish all day
6- having visitors regularly drop by unannounced
7- regularly dropping by other people's houses unannounced
8- weather that never drops below 60
9- being woken up every night by dogs and cats and roosters
10- regularly losing electricity and running water
11- living in a house that is made completely of cement
12- greeting everyone with a hug and a kiss on the cheek
As is the case most of the time, these changes are both negative and positive. I have grown very accustomed to my new normal and I love living in the DR but there is never a time that I forget that I am in a different country, I am always aware of the fact that I am very far from home and home-sickness is something I continue to struggle with. The thing that helps the most is skyping with friends and family. However, a couple months ago I discovered that finding "pieces of home" helps a lot as well.
In October, I was missing Fall. The cooler weather, pumpkins, and caramel apples. When I found and bought a decorative pumpkin at the supermarket, I realized how much such a small thing could make me feel a little less far away from home. My mom also sent me some candy corn and caramels to make my own caramel apples. Since then, whenever I am feeling like I am on the opposite side of the world, I look for a couple pieces of home and it helps. Another example is that for about 1 week the grocery store had cinnamon rolls, which is what my family has every Sunday for breakfast. To be able to make cinnamon rolls for me and Eddy for a couple Sundays, was very exciting for me and it was so nice to be able to share that family tradition with him.
I have been thinking about starting a new series of posts in which I post the pictures of the different pieces of home that I find here in the DR or that are sent to me in a care package. A few years ago, I took for granted how readily available all of these things were to me, but now, each time I find one, it is special. My first piece of home that I would like to share with you is one of my favorite ornaments, a Christmas Eve gift from my mom several years ago. Having it on my tree this year, for my first Christmas in the DR, made me happy.
My New Normal
1- tripping over chickens before getting on our moped to head off to work
2- having to stop and wait because there are a herd of cows blocking the whole road (trying to hold my breath as long as possible)
3- looking at the most beautiful mountains that surround us on both sides
4- having to stop in the middle of a conversation several times a day to wait for a loud motorcycle to go by
5- speaking spanish all day
6- having visitors regularly drop by unannounced
7- regularly dropping by other people's houses unannounced
8- weather that never drops below 60
9- being woken up every night by dogs and cats and roosters
10- regularly losing electricity and running water
11- living in a house that is made completely of cement
12- greeting everyone with a hug and a kiss on the cheek
As is the case most of the time, these changes are both negative and positive. I have grown very accustomed to my new normal and I love living in the DR but there is never a time that I forget that I am in a different country, I am always aware of the fact that I am very far from home and home-sickness is something I continue to struggle with. The thing that helps the most is skyping with friends and family. However, a couple months ago I discovered that finding "pieces of home" helps a lot as well.
In October, I was missing Fall. The cooler weather, pumpkins, and caramel apples. When I found and bought a decorative pumpkin at the supermarket, I realized how much such a small thing could make me feel a little less far away from home. My mom also sent me some candy corn and caramels to make my own caramel apples. Since then, whenever I am feeling like I am on the opposite side of the world, I look for a couple pieces of home and it helps. Another example is that for about 1 week the grocery store had cinnamon rolls, which is what my family has every Sunday for breakfast. To be able to make cinnamon rolls for me and Eddy for a couple Sundays, was very exciting for me and it was so nice to be able to share that family tradition with him.
I have been thinking about starting a new series of posts in which I post the pictures of the different pieces of home that I find here in the DR or that are sent to me in a care package. A few years ago, I took for granted how readily available all of these things were to me, but now, each time I find one, it is special. My first piece of home that I would like to share with you is one of my favorite ornaments, a Christmas Eve gift from my mom several years ago. Having it on my tree this year, for my first Christmas in the DR, made me happy.
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