The Returm to Jaibon--Week 1

Practicing pure and faultless religion in Jaibon, Dominican Republic

Hola de la republica dominicana!

My first week has come to an end and I can't really put into words what it has been like. It has definitely had its usual ups and downs. However, it has been so good being back to the country and place that is like a second home for me. To better explain what it was like first coming back, I am going to quote my journal entry upon first arrival:

"The moment I caught a glimpse of the DR from the plane, tears began to form in my eyes. I could hardly keep from smiling and shrieking out of pure excitement. As soon as the plane landed I was anxious to get off and feel the heavy air touch my skin. I zoomed through the airport, a pro at where to go and what to do and in a hurry to be out into the country again. I met up with another OO volunteer and together we walked outside; eyes peeled for the familiar OO tshirt. There was the driver. Instead of taking us in the bus I was expecting, he pulls up in his personal car. (Riding in a car on the streets here is a LOT more scary and intimidating than riding in a large bus that owns the road!!!) The car could not go fast enough. The closer we got to the orphanage, the faster my heart beat with excitement. My eyes were feasting on all the familiar sights. I didn't realize how much I missed this place until I arrived. As the car pulled into the orphanage, my heart leaped for joy. I quickly got settled and then ran to sit with Reynaldo, one of my brothers. As I sat there, the other boys worked their way over to greet me. To my chagrin, they all remembered me. They all gave me hugs and wanted to know how long I was going to stay. It was then that I knew I was home. It felt as if I had never left."

This week has been full of many adventures. Here is some of what I have done this week:

*Every morning I was on a team that helped teach Bible stories to the younger boys here at the orphanage. After an epic fail on Monday (consisting of the boys doing kung-fu with each other, running around like crazy and not listening to anything we said...), we decided to add more structure and hands-on projects for the rest of the week. The boys loved doing crafts and we had them make many things. My favorite day was when we taught Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. We had the boys make trumpets and use them to walk around the "wall" of chairs. After each "day" of walking, I had the boys sleep and then I woke them up with a rooster call and they got up and walked again. They were singing and counting and loved it. They really got the story too. It has been fun getting to teach my brothers important concepts from the Bible and watching their growth.

*We also did some work projects in the morning. This year we got to work with the boys in the fields. We did a lot of weed-hacking and planting of new plantain trees. We also weeded the un-used building down the street that used to be the girls' orphanage. They are going to turn it into new classrooms because their school is bursting at the seams.

*In the afternoon, we held a Vacation Bible School at a locals' house-turned-into a community-feeding-program that they call a church but isn't. (How's that for a name?! :)). On the first day, we started with only a few kids but more showed up by the end. This year our camps have 4 stations: crafts, Bible, Health and English. I taught the Bible station alongside a pastor from a church in Arizona. We chose to teach Biblical concepts about who the children are in Christ instead of only teaching Bible stories. We did a lot of fun activities to teach our points and it was very enjoyable and encouraging to see the children fully understand who they are in Christ.

*At the afternoon camp, we learned how to be very flexible. The second day we showed up and they were in the middle of an important meeting in the place that we were supposed to hold camp. We were going to leave and ccome back, but the Domican adults were very concerned that we would not come back. So instead we went back to a bball court through a field behind the house where many kids were sitting and waiting for our arrival. When they saw us coming to the court, they ran to the church to get chairs and carried them back so that we could hold the camp. We were stuck under the hot sun for hours, but the kids got to learn very important things and everything still flowed nicely.

*I have spent many hours with my brothers at the orphanage. My favorite thing to do is just to grab some books in Spanish and read to them. I start reading to one, and soon there are 4 or more sitting on me, beside me, behind me...just to listen to the story.

*We had an awesome family, a church group and a few individuals serving here this week with me and they were great to work with. The dynamic was amazing.

*On Friday we went to Dajabon and Monte Cristi. Dajabon is on the border of Haiti where they have a huge market. It was intense. Many Haitians were rushing back and forth to sell their goods. If you weren't paying attention, it was very easy to be run over or separated from the group. Only pictures and videos can better explain what it was like, which will come soon :-). We got to enjoy good food, a good hike and some big waves in the warm ocean for the rest of the afternoon.

*Today we have been saying good-bye and preparing for new teams to come in. It has been thundering and raining all day, which is always fun. And it keeps it cooler =)

Thank you all for your prayers! I need them! Despite all the good things that have been going on, it has been hard being here without my friends that were with my here last year. It is not the same without them to share the experience with. The people here don't understand what it was like last year, so I miss their companionship.

Sorry this is so long to read, but I hope it was enjoyable! More to come next week!!!

You know you are in the DR if...
*It takes forever to say good-bye

*People here you singing and come running

*You ger stuck behind a herd of cows on the highway and have to slow down for a herd of goats crossing the road