Practicing pure and faultless religion in Jaibon, Dominican Republic
The 3rd week here has flown by so quickly!! I am getting used to life here and it is beginning to feel like home. I am loving spending time with the boys and teaching camps in the community is so fun.
I realize that many of you may not even know exactly what I am doing each week. So here is a synopsis:
On Saturday we do work projects, say good-bye to teams and greet new teams. We also relax after a busy week.
Sunday we have a day of orientation for the new teams and have a church service either here or at a church.
Monday through Wednesday or Thursday we have camps in the community at churches or schools. Sometimes we have 20 kids, sometimes we have more than 300. The camps consist of group singing, and then kids rotate through Bible, English, Art and Recreation.
Friday we go into the country as tourists. To the city or the beach usually.
Sometimes we do work projects here at the orphanage.
During our free time we get to play with the boys at the orphanage. We take them games, instuments, books or just go to hang out and talk.
Ok, so here are this week's highlights:
*The team that was here this week was made up of families. All ages. Including a 2 and 4 yr. old. That cry. A lot. But, I loved having the younger kids here. They were energetic and very interactive with the kids. Also, I tend to get along really well with adults older than me, so I really bonded with them. It was great working with all of them. And they said I can come visit them in Virginia and they would take me all over the place :D
*Since we had a large group, the interns were spread out among the volunteers. I was on a team with a mom, a 10 yr old and a high schooler. None of them knew Spanish. I really had to step up to the plate as the leader of them Bible team and God helped me to do it. As a team we came up with lots of good ideas and they were great helpers. However, I did all of the teaching because of my Spanish. I improved my ability to speak greatly and I loved it.
*For one of the Bible lessons, I had the kids pretend to be sheep. The young boys liked it so much, they wouldn't stop being sheep. They were sheep for the rest of Bible class, and the next day. I couldn't teach because I was laughing too hard. Priceless.
*We went to a mosquito infested museum. I left early. A guy (who I thought was the one who owned the museum)came and gave me mangoes. I thought he was thanking us for coming so I thanked him for letting us. He started talking to me and I didn't understand him very well. I thought it was his strong DR accent. Turns out it was because he was slurring his words. He was drunk, as I soon discovered. He was hitting on me and calling me "mi amor". I took out my camera to take a pic of me and the mangoes and he came into the picture. He then wanted a picture with all the ladies who had cameras. He even picked one lady up and hugged her. Good times, but kinda scary too.
*Beach day with the boys was cancelled again. Once again we put on an awesome day for them.
*We went to the other sight on Friday at Monte Cristi. We got to see the other orphanage, a clock tower built by the same guy that built the Eiffel Tower, eat at an authentic DR restaurant, go on a hike over the ocean and play in intense waves.
You know you are in the DR if...
Your bus driver drives on a skinny one lane bumpy road for a few blocks...backwards.
Teenagers aren't too old to participate in all the activities.
You show up to teach a camp at a church and they didn't know you were coming. They come anyway and open the church for you. 20+ kids still show up.
Lines in the middle of the road mean nothing.
I wish I could write so much more, but I have limited time to keep you all updated. To sum it all up, the boys here all have a future, a hope, passions, skills, a hero inside of them. We are here to release the hero within and give them a future. God sees them as they really are, and he is giving us the ability to do the same thing.
Thanks for praying!!!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Practicing pure and faultless religion in Jaibon, Dominican Republic
Week number 2 is complete!! This week has been much better for me. I am less homesick and enjoying my time here. I am even getting used to the heat and bugs.
Highlights of the Week:
* The week started with a mini Fourth of July celebration. Since we couldn't be at home, the leaders here set up the tables with decorations, and we watched skits and a little video with America the Beautiful and pictures of America and fireworks. Then we ate dulces and helado :D YUM
*One of the projects we worked on this week was sorting through donated books and putting them away in a brand new education room here at the orphanage. It was fun to look through all of the books and get the room started. I really want to have a literacy program for the boys while I am here and use all the awesome books. They really need more Spanish books though..
* I discovered that half of the money I raised to come here goes directly for the boys to attend school. That is so amazing to me, and for those of you that gave to me, that is your gift to these precious boys!
*Our morning camp this week was with the boys here at the orphanage. It was so fun to get to know them better and spend more time with them. They are great.
*After camp on the last day, we gave shoes to all of the boys. It was such a privilege to watch them pick out new tennies just for them.
*I got to spend countless hours this week simply playing games with the boys. They are so special and make every day awesome.
*On Thursday, we were supposed to take the boys to the beach, but their director opted out on it at the last minute. We were all really sad because the boys had been looking forward to it all week. However, we gave them the best day possible. We played Capture the Flag in the morning, and then had a Scavenger Hunt where they had to look for all of us and do something, and then we set up a bunch of mattresses and had them run through sheets, sumo wrestle and just have fun on the mattresses. We ended the day by watching Tarzan on the mattresses and letting them hit a pinata and eat candy. They absolutely loved it, probably more than the beach. Seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing their laughter was the best. I could do it forever.
*This week we had to set up tents for the new groups coming in. I never knew my tent skills would come in handy, but I was one of few that knew how to put up a tent, so I was a team leader and taught my team how to put up 2 successful tents :)
*Our afternoon camp this week was a tiny little church in Laguna Salada. The pastor invited us to her sister's house afterwards and gave us all refreshments. The church was tiny, hot and crowded, but the kids did not care. They were so excited to be there and hang out with us Americanos. I got to teach them English this week, which they get excited about. They would always run out to greet us and wave as we left. The kids here are wonderful. Indescribable really.
*Yesterday we went to Cabarete beach. It was very touristy and very awesome. Warm water, white sands, palm trees. Be jealous :)
Hardships:
One thing that was hard this week was teaching English with a team. I had so many ideas of how and what I wanted to teach, but working with a team is difficult. Also, we only had 3 days to teach them, so I had to keep reminding myself that we were only giving a foundation, not all needed knowledge. Others will come in and cover what we couldn't, and God never leaves them!
Interesting stories of the week:
*I woke up one morning to an announcement that we couldn't take showers until after breakfast because they forgot to fill the water tanks...oops!
*I saved a fellow intern from having to sleep with these large green beetles by taking them off her net one by one and putting them outside.
*On Thursday night, all the girls discovered hundreds of stink bugs in our sleeping room. They were everywhere. Most girls moved out to the tents, but I btaved the bugs and was safe and sound under my mosquito net.
*On Wednesday we had to cut afternoon camp short because a storm was moving in quickly and we didn't want the kids out in the lightening. It poured and lightenined and thundered for hours...but it was so cool at night that we were wearing sweatshirts and pants....AMAZING!!! :)
You know you are in the DR if...
You get pushed out of the way on the street.
You get cut in line.
You take showers with very large spiders.
You eat a lot of rice, chicken, eggplant, yucca and plantains.
Thanks for praying!!
For the record,
I h ave swallowed every pill so far with no problems!!!! Praise God!!
Please pray for me, the kids I reach, the other interns and the boys at the orphanage.
Muchisimas gracias para todos!!
Week number 2 is complete!! This week has been much better for me. I am less homesick and enjoying my time here. I am even getting used to the heat and bugs.
Highlights of the Week:
* The week started with a mini Fourth of July celebration. Since we couldn't be at home, the leaders here set up the tables with decorations, and we watched skits and a little video with America the Beautiful and pictures of America and fireworks. Then we ate dulces and helado :D YUM
*One of the projects we worked on this week was sorting through donated books and putting them away in a brand new education room here at the orphanage. It was fun to look through all of the books and get the room started. I really want to have a literacy program for the boys while I am here and use all the awesome books. They really need more Spanish books though..
* I discovered that half of the money I raised to come here goes directly for the boys to attend school. That is so amazing to me, and for those of you that gave to me, that is your gift to these precious boys!
*Our morning camp this week was with the boys here at the orphanage. It was so fun to get to know them better and spend more time with them. They are great.
*After camp on the last day, we gave shoes to all of the boys. It was such a privilege to watch them pick out new tennies just for them.
*I got to spend countless hours this week simply playing games with the boys. They are so special and make every day awesome.
*On Thursday, we were supposed to take the boys to the beach, but their director opted out on it at the last minute. We were all really sad because the boys had been looking forward to it all week. However, we gave them the best day possible. We played Capture the Flag in the morning, and then had a Scavenger Hunt where they had to look for all of us and do something, and then we set up a bunch of mattresses and had them run through sheets, sumo wrestle and just have fun on the mattresses. We ended the day by watching Tarzan on the mattresses and letting them hit a pinata and eat candy. They absolutely loved it, probably more than the beach. Seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing their laughter was the best. I could do it forever.
*This week we had to set up tents for the new groups coming in. I never knew my tent skills would come in handy, but I was one of few that knew how to put up a tent, so I was a team leader and taught my team how to put up 2 successful tents :)
*Our afternoon camp this week was a tiny little church in Laguna Salada. The pastor invited us to her sister's house afterwards and gave us all refreshments. The church was tiny, hot and crowded, but the kids did not care. They were so excited to be there and hang out with us Americanos. I got to teach them English this week, which they get excited about. They would always run out to greet us and wave as we left. The kids here are wonderful. Indescribable really.
*Yesterday we went to Cabarete beach. It was very touristy and very awesome. Warm water, white sands, palm trees. Be jealous :)
Hardships:
One thing that was hard this week was teaching English with a team. I had so many ideas of how and what I wanted to teach, but working with a team is difficult. Also, we only had 3 days to teach them, so I had to keep reminding myself that we were only giving a foundation, not all needed knowledge. Others will come in and cover what we couldn't, and God never leaves them!
Interesting stories of the week:
*I woke up one morning to an announcement that we couldn't take showers until after breakfast because they forgot to fill the water tanks...oops!
*I saved a fellow intern from having to sleep with these large green beetles by taking them off her net one by one and putting them outside.
*On Thursday night, all the girls discovered hundreds of stink bugs in our sleeping room. They were everywhere. Most girls moved out to the tents, but I btaved the bugs and was safe and sound under my mosquito net.
*On Wednesday we had to cut afternoon camp short because a storm was moving in quickly and we didn't want the kids out in the lightening. It poured and lightenined and thundered for hours...but it was so cool at night that we were wearing sweatshirts and pants....AMAZING!!! :)
You know you are in the DR if...
You get pushed out of the way on the street.
You get cut in line.
You take showers with very large spiders.
You eat a lot of rice, chicken, eggplant, yucca and plantains.
Thanks for praying!!
For the record,
I h ave swallowed every pill so far with no problems!!!! Praise God!!
Please pray for me, the kids I reach, the other interns and the boys at the orphanage.
Muchisimas gracias para todos!!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Practicing pure and faultless religion in Jaibon, Dominican Republic
Hola de la republica dominicana! I have arrived safely and have been here already for one week, though it seems like a lot longer. To be honest, it's been a hard week. I arrived homesick and was regretting my decision to come down here for so long. I am doing somewhat better now, but I could still use your prayers. It is super hot here and it burns all my energy. Also, I would like to enjoy my time here to the fullest, without being homesick.
Despite the mosquito bites all over my body, the sweat dripping down my face and my homesickness, this week was still amazing in so many ways. Here are some highlights of the week:
*I was part of a team that taught 2 VBS's in the local mountain communities. The first had around 80 kids waiting for us when we got there and they cheered us on. The second had over 200 on the first day and by Thursday, there were 350! It is amazing how easy it was to get them to all come and how excited they were to come back. It is so hard to get kids to clubs and VBS in the states...
*The kids all ran after us and grabbed the bus after making us sing a bajillion songs. They did not want us to leave!
*The mountain villages are beautiful. Banana trees, vibrant greens and a view of the valley and grenn mountains...so amazing!!! Furthermore, the people are beautiful too. So many awesome people live up there....
*I worked with 3 other ladies to teach the Bible lessons...in Spanish! It came so naturally and I loved it! We taught about Jesus, Samuel, Paul and Daniel.
*The boys here at the orphanage are a lot of fun. This week we put on a festival for them, played bingo, watched Toy Story and played board games. During our free time, we go visit them and play all kinds of things like bubbles, keyboard, basketball, etc. They get so excited to see us and play with us (and our toys that we bring...)
*There was a crazy thunderstorm here, it felt wonderful!! We played in the rain with the boys.
Here are some things for you to enjoy...
You know you are in the DR when...
Seeing a dog fight
a cow in the street is totally normal
Seeing cows walk by on the street doesn't excite you
Sweat is part of your daily attire
Mosquitoes are your worst enemy. And flies.
It is considered cold when it hits 80 degrees
MORE TO COME!!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Homesickness
2) Bug bites are driving me crazy and the heat too!
3) That God will continue to use me and teach me!
FUN ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK: Exploring Santiago: shopping, monuments, cultural museum, Pizza Hut, McDonalds!!
THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS!!!!
Hola de la republica dominicana! I have arrived safely and have been here already for one week, though it seems like a lot longer. To be honest, it's been a hard week. I arrived homesick and was regretting my decision to come down here for so long. I am doing somewhat better now, but I could still use your prayers. It is super hot here and it burns all my energy. Also, I would like to enjoy my time here to the fullest, without being homesick.
Despite the mosquito bites all over my body, the sweat dripping down my face and my homesickness, this week was still amazing in so many ways. Here are some highlights of the week:
*I was part of a team that taught 2 VBS's in the local mountain communities. The first had around 80 kids waiting for us when we got there and they cheered us on. The second had over 200 on the first day and by Thursday, there were 350! It is amazing how easy it was to get them to all come and how excited they were to come back. It is so hard to get kids to clubs and VBS in the states...
*The kids all ran after us and grabbed the bus after making us sing a bajillion songs. They did not want us to leave!
*The mountain villages are beautiful. Banana trees, vibrant greens and a view of the valley and grenn mountains...so amazing!!! Furthermore, the people are beautiful too. So many awesome people live up there....
*I worked with 3 other ladies to teach the Bible lessons...in Spanish! It came so naturally and I loved it! We taught about Jesus, Samuel, Paul and Daniel.
*The boys here at the orphanage are a lot of fun. This week we put on a festival for them, played bingo, watched Toy Story and played board games. During our free time, we go visit them and play all kinds of things like bubbles, keyboard, basketball, etc. They get so excited to see us and play with us (and our toys that we bring...)
*There was a crazy thunderstorm here, it felt wonderful!! We played in the rain with the boys.
Here are some things for you to enjoy...
You know you are in the DR when...
Seeing a dog fight
a cow in the street is totally normal
Seeing cows walk by on the street doesn't excite you
Sweat is part of your daily attire
Mosquitoes are your worst enemy. And flies.
It is considered cold when it hits 80 degrees
MORE TO COME!!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Homesickness
2) Bug bites are driving me crazy and the heat too!
3) That God will continue to use me and teach me!
FUN ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK: Exploring Santiago: shopping, monuments, cultural museum, Pizza Hut, McDonalds!!
THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS!!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Victory!
Thank you to all who prayed! I just swallowed the pill with absolutely no problem! Praise God!!
7 days until I leave!! I am gone up until the moment I leave, please pray for sanity and safety in travel!!
7 days until I leave!! I am gone up until the moment I leave, please pray for sanity and safety in travel!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
11 days until I leave. I am so excited to get there and start ministering and getting settled into my new home for 2 months!!
Biggest prayer right now (HUGE NEED): I have to start taking malaria pills on Saturday. This doesn't sound like a big problem, but to me it is. I have a lot of trouble swallowing pills, and these particular ones are huge and oddly shaped. I can't even really cut them up well and I don't want to rely on food to help....so PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL GIVE ME THE ABILITY TO SWALLOW THE PILL WITH NO PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!!
Biggest prayer right now (HUGE NEED): I have to start taking malaria pills on Saturday. This doesn't sound like a big problem, but to me it is. I have a lot of trouble swallowing pills, and these particular ones are huge and oddly shaped. I can't even really cut them up well and I don't want to rely on food to help....so PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL GIVE ME THE ABILITY TO SWALLOW THE PILL WITH NO PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Well, it is less than a month before I leave for the Dominican Republic. Just last week I was stressed out about so much! I didn't think I would get the funds raised, I was worried I would not get everything done in time and all the little details were a huge weight on my shoulder. However, in just one week, all that has changed. Here are some praises:
*On Saturday, I was only about half-supported. By Monday, I was over-supported! Praise God for his provisions!
* I am picking up meds for travel tomorrow and I just got my shots today. Two less things on the list to worry about!
* All the details are coming together and God is helping me to live one day at a time.
*I know there are so many people out there praying for me already!!
Even though I am still nervous for my big adventure, I am getting very excited!! Here are some prayer requests for my upcoming trip:
*Safety in travel
*Health while there
*Ability and strength to lead teams
*Homesickness
*Prepared hearts for the Gospel
*The orphans at the orphanage
Thank you all for your prayers! This is where I will be keeping updates while away, so please check back here to see what God is doing in Jaibon, DR!
*On Saturday, I was only about half-supported. By Monday, I was over-supported! Praise God for his provisions!
* I am picking up meds for travel tomorrow and I just got my shots today. Two less things on the list to worry about!
* All the details are coming together and God is helping me to live one day at a time.
*I know there are so many people out there praying for me already!!
Even though I am still nervous for my big adventure, I am getting very excited!! Here are some prayer requests for my upcoming trip:
*Safety in travel
*Health while there
*Ability and strength to lead teams
*Homesickness
*Prepared hearts for the Gospel
*The orphans at the orphanage
Thank you all for your prayers! This is where I will be keeping updates while away, so please check back here to see what God is doing in Jaibon, DR!
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