The last week and this next week are a time of endings and beginning for me. It's been a crazy few days, and they will continue to be crazy, but God is still good and on the throne and teaching me more about Him. Here are some of these endings and beginnings:
-Ending: Last week marked the end of my first year of teaching. WOW! God has taught me so much, and I have grown so much in so many ways in the last year. I will greatly miss my third graders! I can't believe the year is done!
-Ending: School was supposed to end on Thursday, but the principal came at 11 on Wednesday and said it was the last day for the students. Two high schoolers had contracted swine flu, so they decided to end early. The parents were worried about it, even though their kids don't interact with high schoolers, and pulled their kids out early on Wednesday too. So by the end of the day I only had 7 kids. It was a weird ending, but that's life sometimes. Thankfully, nobody else caught the swine flu, so that's good.
-Ending: I am living with new roommates in a new apartment next year, so I have been packing up my apartment. How can I have so much stuff in only a year? It's crazy! Some of it though is my mother's fault. Rubber chickens, blow up monkeys, fake frogs...
-Ending: 10 months of living in a foreign country! I go back to the states for the first time in 10 months tomorrow! I can't believe it has been that long. I really am going to miss life here, and I am so glad I am coming back next year. It would be too hard to leave otherwise.
-Beginning: Saying goodbye. I do not like doing that. Thankfully, for most people, it is only for two months. I was sad because my two closest friends at my church weren't there on Sunday, so I won't see them again until August.
-Beginning: Preparing my mind for the summer! I get into Dubuque late tomorrow night and then drive with some friends to Colorado at 7 the next morning. I am going to be so dead! Then from there I am flying to Seattle on the 15th and then to New Mexico on the 24th and then finally home to Iowa on the 29. As a guy at my church says, "craziness!" It pretty much is
-Beginning: This isn't such a happy one. I have been having problems with my ear lately and went to the doctor. He did some tests and discovered it was my jaw. Now, those who know me know I have had braces twice and jaw surgery. I should NOT be having problems with my jaw! It's a little frustrating, but i need to just trust that God has a plan in all of it. Unfortunately, we have just been realizing it, so I am not going to be able to get all the appropriate tests and such before I leave to figure out the problem. That may mean trying to do them in the states. The orthodontist was going to make me temporary retainers that are supposed to help (don't ask me how) so hopefully they will hold up until August. It has certainly been a test of faith because I thought I wouldn't have problems after the surgery, and to have another medical problem here has been super frustrating. I am trusting God to provide the finances for all of it. He is big, and I know He can just take them away if that is His will.
-Beginning: SUMMER! I am sitting in my classroom waiting for the parents to come pick up the report cards. My room is mostly packed (we have to put everything away and get everything off the walls). It's crazy. I am looking forward to having a time to rest and get refreshed before next year.
I love learning new things and seeing how God works in my life. May you all feel His presence today! He is so good!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Frogs and Life
This is my attempt to post more than once a month. Let's see if this works. As far as I know, I only have about three readers. oh well. I guess I will update you three on the mundane and hilarious things in my life, though I may be the only one to find them that hilarious.
Lately we have had many adventures in our bathroom with frogs. A few weeks ago I was about to get in the shower, so I opened the shower curtain and something jumped off it. I, of course, start screaming when I realize there is a FROG in my SHOWER! I hastily wrapped a towel around myself and went and told Robin, my roommate who was here. She suggested we kill it. I was not too keen on frog guts all over my shower, so we decided to catch it. I was too chicken, so she caught it in one of our drinking glasses! Then we switched it over to an old peanut butter jar. It lasted through the night and we took it to school to show our students. Then we let it out in the grass at school, a good three miles away!
The next week, I was home alone and taking a shower. I was almost through and went to grab the conditioner bottle. There was something behind it! Of course, it was my favorite creature, a frog! I resisted the urge to scream, since I was the only one home! We spent the rest of the shower staring at each other. Thankfully he did not jump on me. If he had, I think I would have really gone crazy! I am hoping he does not invite his friends to join him in my shower.
My roommate Amanda and I had a new experience/adventure today. We went to the beach with another friend Jenny. I hadn't been for a long time, so it was cool to go enjoy God's beautiful creation. Jenny and I went out snorkeling. Besides a leaky mask that I returned for another bad one, it was really amazing. I will probably never get over the awe of seeing real live fish that look like the ones you see in magazines that look fake. Anyways, we took the bus back, no problem. Instead of calling our regular taxi, we took a random one at the bus station. We were about a mile from home and it sounded like we ran over something. It started to get really bumpy. The driver pulls over and says, "la goma," which means the tire. He gets out and Amanda and I just stare at each other like, "can this really be happening?" He goes and opens the trunk to get out the spare. Then he comes and turns on his hazards and tells us "un momentito," one little moment. To change a tire? Yeah right. We start laughing hysterically. Here we are, in the middle of the Dominican Republic, with a taxi with a flat tire! It was pretty humorous to say the least.
In other news, the drama at my church went fairly well. There were times where I was lost and didn't quite understand what was going on, but that happens in other settings too. The mothers seemed to enjoy it, and I did too. After that, some of the people started calling me the wife of Noah instead of my name since that is what I was in the skit. We'll see if that continues!
The next day all the third graders went on a field trip to the capital. We went to a children's museum there. The kids seemed to really like it, and it went well for the most part. We went with a tour company, which was the best thing ever. They had three guides with us who do this kind of thing all the time. They had snacks, games, and songs planned for the kids. The kids really liked it.
I've been thinking a lot about how much God has blessed me. Sometimes I question "why me?" I had the privilege to be born into a household with two loving Christian parents who had the means to provide for me. There was always enough on the table. I look around here and see so many children who do not have that. And then I go to school and see students who are far more well off than me. Why them? Then I remember that God has a plan in all of it, though sometimes it's so hard to see. I get frustrated with my students and with their families who ignore that there is even poverty in this country. Most of my students didn't even know there were people in this country living in shacks without electricity or toilets. They were shocked when I told them that. It is easy to wonder if I am doing any good here, if the students are even learning anything. I have to live "by faith" and remember that God has a plan. I may never receive the things promised--I may only see them and welcome them from a distance. May I dwell in the hope of the things to come!
Lately we have had many adventures in our bathroom with frogs. A few weeks ago I was about to get in the shower, so I opened the shower curtain and something jumped off it. I, of course, start screaming when I realize there is a FROG in my SHOWER! I hastily wrapped a towel around myself and went and told Robin, my roommate who was here. She suggested we kill it. I was not too keen on frog guts all over my shower, so we decided to catch it. I was too chicken, so she caught it in one of our drinking glasses! Then we switched it over to an old peanut butter jar. It lasted through the night and we took it to school to show our students. Then we let it out in the grass at school, a good three miles away!
The next week, I was home alone and taking a shower. I was almost through and went to grab the conditioner bottle. There was something behind it! Of course, it was my favorite creature, a frog! I resisted the urge to scream, since I was the only one home! We spent the rest of the shower staring at each other. Thankfully he did not jump on me. If he had, I think I would have really gone crazy! I am hoping he does not invite his friends to join him in my shower.
My roommate Amanda and I had a new experience/adventure today. We went to the beach with another friend Jenny. I hadn't been for a long time, so it was cool to go enjoy God's beautiful creation. Jenny and I went out snorkeling. Besides a leaky mask that I returned for another bad one, it was really amazing. I will probably never get over the awe of seeing real live fish that look like the ones you see in magazines that look fake. Anyways, we took the bus back, no problem. Instead of calling our regular taxi, we took a random one at the bus station. We were about a mile from home and it sounded like we ran over something. It started to get really bumpy. The driver pulls over and says, "la goma," which means the tire. He gets out and Amanda and I just stare at each other like, "can this really be happening?" He goes and opens the trunk to get out the spare. Then he comes and turns on his hazards and tells us "un momentito," one little moment. To change a tire? Yeah right. We start laughing hysterically. Here we are, in the middle of the Dominican Republic, with a taxi with a flat tire! It was pretty humorous to say the least.
In other news, the drama at my church went fairly well. There were times where I was lost and didn't quite understand what was going on, but that happens in other settings too. The mothers seemed to enjoy it, and I did too. After that, some of the people started calling me the wife of Noah instead of my name since that is what I was in the skit. We'll see if that continues!
The next day all the third graders went on a field trip to the capital. We went to a children's museum there. The kids seemed to really like it, and it went well for the most part. We went with a tour company, which was the best thing ever. They had three guides with us who do this kind of thing all the time. They had snacks, games, and songs planned for the kids. The kids really liked it.
I've been thinking a lot about how much God has blessed me. Sometimes I question "why me?" I had the privilege to be born into a household with two loving Christian parents who had the means to provide for me. There was always enough on the table. I look around here and see so many children who do not have that. And then I go to school and see students who are far more well off than me. Why them? Then I remember that God has a plan in all of it, though sometimes it's so hard to see. I get frustrated with my students and with their families who ignore that there is even poverty in this country. Most of my students didn't even know there were people in this country living in shacks without electricity or toilets. They were shocked when I told them that. It is easy to wonder if I am doing any good here, if the students are even learning anything. I have to live "by faith" and remember that God has a plan. I may never receive the things promised--I may only see them and welcome them from a distance. May I dwell in the hope of the things to come!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Grace Like Rain
As I sit here listening to the rain outside my window, I can't help but think about the "grace like rain" that pours down on me. The last month, and more, has shown me so much about grace and what it means. It's been a long time since I've posted, so I will try to catch you up on the happenings of May.
First of all, I only have EIGHT school days left! One is a field trip, one a half day, and one is field day! Really, the time is going to go so fast! Our last day of school is June 4. I cannot believe the year is almost over. I'm ready for a break but I'm not ready to give my kids up. I told them i am keeping them all and they can't go to fourth grade. They didn't like that very much! We have grown so much together this year. I love seeing their passion for Jesus. They are AMAZING prayer warriors! They are still praying for needs I brought to them months ago.
Last week was spirit week, and they had a ton of fun dressing up for it. Here are some pictures of the craziness:
The next 50s boy band! For oldies day, I showed them pictures of Elvis and most of my boys dressed from that era. It was hilarious! They did most of this posing on their own!
Oldies Day Crazy Picture!
Pajama Day. Taking a nap--Miss Seeman wears us out!
Yes, to all you teachers out there, it was CRAZY having spirit week so close to the end of school. They were even crazier than they would have been, but it was a good week.
I have been getting more involved in my church, specifically in the area of the kid's drama. A lady approached me at camp about helping with it. A few weeks later, she asked if I would write a skit for them. She needed a drama for Mother's Day and wanted to use one the kids already knew about Noah's Ark. Yes, I know what you are thinking--how in the WORLD does Noah's Ark relate to Mother's Day? You're right--it doesn't. I wrote a skit about Noah's sons talking about how their mother didn't give up and helped right alongside them to finish the ark and how much they were thankful for their mother to go before the drama. Okay, so that helps it tie in at least a little :). Then, the lady asked me to be IN the drama! Thinking I was only in the skit I wrote, I said yes. THEN I found out I need to be in ALL of it! I still don't know exactly what I am supposed to do. Yay for huge language barriers! I guess I'll find out come Tuesday when we perform. Mother's Day here is the 31st, which is why we haven't celebrated it at church yet.
I am still going to a girl's home on Thursday nights with one of my roommates and a couple who works at the school. They have two little ones at the home now, three and four, a couple who are seven or eight, and the rest are pre-teens and teens. It has been good for my Spanish and really good to hang out with some girls in a non-school environment. The littlest one is crazy--she makes me laugh a lot!
I am trying to think of all the crazy cultural stories that have happened this last month that I was going to write down to put in my blog and of course didn't and now can't remember any of them. Hmm...come on brain! A few weeks ago, I went to a birthday party at a farm for one of my little boys. The contrast between rich and poor is just so startling here! There was of course a butler serving drinks. They brought pizza out, and I was like "whew, I can understand this!" But of course the pizza was only for the kids! They called the grown-ups inside to have a huge sit down dinner with china and linen AT A THIRD GRADERS PARTY. Wow. I have tasted bits of the liftestyle of the rich, and I must say I'm not sure I could live like that. My kids don't even understand that there are people who don't have enough food to eat. They waste food more than I knew was possible. All day I'm faced with life like that, and then I go to church, where some of the families are wondering where their next meal comes from. My heart is burdened and I don't even know how to express it or what to do. I tell my students about the need and they don't even know how to process it. I see the need and I struggle over my thoughts and what God wants for me. I feel like at this moment He has called me to work with the wealthy children, when sometimes all I want to do is go work among the poor. But I know God has a plan in all things, and I love that I can openly share the gospel with my kids. They know I LOVE to talk about Jesus, and they have that same passion. May they continue to have that same passion.I understand that not all wealthy kids have no concept of the poor people. My prayer is that my students would change and be aware of the needs around them. I can't even imagine how many lives they could change if they did!
There are little things that are different when living in another culture. Sometimes I grow so accustumed to them that I forget most people don't experience these things on a daily basis. Let's see if I can think of some...
-Riding home from church with six or seven Dominicans in a little car. Of course, all the women are talking and talking quickly! It's quite the ride home!
-Motorcycles or scooters that can carry anything and everything. Today I saw two people on a little scooter thing and the driver had a guitar standing upright resting on the floor up to his nose in front of him!
-Fruit and vegetable sellers that come by in old pickups at all hours of the day.
-Plantains in sushi. It was surprisingly good!
-Going to the salon and just getting your hair washed and dried. Maybe some of you have experienced this, but I had never before gone to the salon without getting a hair cut. Many here just go to get their hair washed and blow dried straight.
-No cross walks anywhere. Well, they do have them, but nobody pays attention to them. We pray like crazy before crossing the street!
-Greeting each other cheek to cheek. I am actually going to miss this a lot when I go back to the states! Even if you don't know someone, you greet them. It is such a friendly culture!
As some of you know, I have had a lot of health problems this year. One problem has been with my skin. The doctors haven't been able to figure it out. I went to one last week who thinks he knows what is wrong with it. Praise the Lord! The challenge is the medicine is expensive, but God has already been providing for my needs. It is amazing how He provides in ways you never expect! I am hoping my skin will clear up and I won't have to think about skin problems ever again! My voice has also held out for FIVE months! Yay! It is still not very strong, but it is much better than it was, and I have been able to teach all semester. It is amazing the things you learn to not take for granted when they are taken away from you!
God has been teaching me more about relying on Him in everything. I tend to be a perfectionist, and He has been teaching me that my imperfect perfection is nothing compared to his perfections. I need to let go and let Him work in my life without trying to control everything. I need to have faith. I need to trust Him at all times. I am so thankful for the grace He pours out on my life!
I can't believe I will be in the states in just two and a half weeks! I haven't been back since early August. I am leaving here June 10th. I will be in Iowa, Colorado, Seattle, and New Mexico this summer. I am excited to see people in those places and catch up! God has done so much in my life this year, and I am sure it is the same for you. May you feel His incredible grace this week!
First of all, I only have EIGHT school days left! One is a field trip, one a half day, and one is field day! Really, the time is going to go so fast! Our last day of school is June 4. I cannot believe the year is almost over. I'm ready for a break but I'm not ready to give my kids up. I told them i am keeping them all and they can't go to fourth grade. They didn't like that very much! We have grown so much together this year. I love seeing their passion for Jesus. They are AMAZING prayer warriors! They are still praying for needs I brought to them months ago.
Last week was spirit week, and they had a ton of fun dressing up for it. Here are some pictures of the craziness:
The next 50s boy band! For oldies day, I showed them pictures of Elvis and most of my boys dressed from that era. It was hilarious! They did most of this posing on their own!
Oldies Day Crazy Picture!
Pajama Day. Taking a nap--Miss Seeman wears us out!I have been getting more involved in my church, specifically in the area of the kid's drama. A lady approached me at camp about helping with it. A few weeks later, she asked if I would write a skit for them. She needed a drama for Mother's Day and wanted to use one the kids already knew about Noah's Ark. Yes, I know what you are thinking--how in the WORLD does Noah's Ark relate to Mother's Day? You're right--it doesn't. I wrote a skit about Noah's sons talking about how their mother didn't give up and helped right alongside them to finish the ark and how much they were thankful for their mother to go before the drama. Okay, so that helps it tie in at least a little :). Then, the lady asked me to be IN the drama! Thinking I was only in the skit I wrote, I said yes. THEN I found out I need to be in ALL of it! I still don't know exactly what I am supposed to do. Yay for huge language barriers! I guess I'll find out come Tuesday when we perform. Mother's Day here is the 31st, which is why we haven't celebrated it at church yet.
I am still going to a girl's home on Thursday nights with one of my roommates and a couple who works at the school. They have two little ones at the home now, three and four, a couple who are seven or eight, and the rest are pre-teens and teens. It has been good for my Spanish and really good to hang out with some girls in a non-school environment. The littlest one is crazy--she makes me laugh a lot!
I am trying to think of all the crazy cultural stories that have happened this last month that I was going to write down to put in my blog and of course didn't and now can't remember any of them. Hmm...come on brain! A few weeks ago, I went to a birthday party at a farm for one of my little boys. The contrast between rich and poor is just so startling here! There was of course a butler serving drinks. They brought pizza out, and I was like "whew, I can understand this!" But of course the pizza was only for the kids! They called the grown-ups inside to have a huge sit down dinner with china and linen AT A THIRD GRADERS PARTY. Wow. I have tasted bits of the liftestyle of the rich, and I must say I'm not sure I could live like that. My kids don't even understand that there are people who don't have enough food to eat. They waste food more than I knew was possible. All day I'm faced with life like that, and then I go to church, where some of the families are wondering where their next meal comes from. My heart is burdened and I don't even know how to express it or what to do. I tell my students about the need and they don't even know how to process it. I see the need and I struggle over my thoughts and what God wants for me. I feel like at this moment He has called me to work with the wealthy children, when sometimes all I want to do is go work among the poor. But I know God has a plan in all things, and I love that I can openly share the gospel with my kids. They know I LOVE to talk about Jesus, and they have that same passion. May they continue to have that same passion.I understand that not all wealthy kids have no concept of the poor people. My prayer is that my students would change and be aware of the needs around them. I can't even imagine how many lives they could change if they did!
There are little things that are different when living in another culture. Sometimes I grow so accustumed to them that I forget most people don't experience these things on a daily basis. Let's see if I can think of some...
-Riding home from church with six or seven Dominicans in a little car. Of course, all the women are talking and talking quickly! It's quite the ride home!
-Motorcycles or scooters that can carry anything and everything. Today I saw two people on a little scooter thing and the driver had a guitar standing upright resting on the floor up to his nose in front of him!
-Fruit and vegetable sellers that come by in old pickups at all hours of the day.
-Plantains in sushi. It was surprisingly good!
-Going to the salon and just getting your hair washed and dried. Maybe some of you have experienced this, but I had never before gone to the salon without getting a hair cut. Many here just go to get their hair washed and blow dried straight.
-No cross walks anywhere. Well, they do have them, but nobody pays attention to them. We pray like crazy before crossing the street!
-Greeting each other cheek to cheek. I am actually going to miss this a lot when I go back to the states! Even if you don't know someone, you greet them. It is such a friendly culture!
As some of you know, I have had a lot of health problems this year. One problem has been with my skin. The doctors haven't been able to figure it out. I went to one last week who thinks he knows what is wrong with it. Praise the Lord! The challenge is the medicine is expensive, but God has already been providing for my needs. It is amazing how He provides in ways you never expect! I am hoping my skin will clear up and I won't have to think about skin problems ever again! My voice has also held out for FIVE months! Yay! It is still not very strong, but it is much better than it was, and I have been able to teach all semester. It is amazing the things you learn to not take for granted when they are taken away from you!
God has been teaching me more about relying on Him in everything. I tend to be a perfectionist, and He has been teaching me that my imperfect perfection is nothing compared to his perfections. I need to let go and let Him work in my life without trying to control everything. I need to have faith. I need to trust Him at all times. I am so thankful for the grace He pours out on my life!
I can't believe I will be in the states in just two and a half weeks! I haven't been back since early August. I am leaving here June 10th. I will be in Iowa, Colorado, Seattle, and New Mexico this summer. I am excited to see people in those places and catch up! God has done so much in my life this year, and I am sure it is the same for you. May you feel His incredible grace this week!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
By Faith
My mom and I often "joke" that you shouldn't memorize a verse or pray certain things (for humility, etc.) because then God will really do it. Joking is in quotes because obviously you shouldn't not pray certain things, but at the same time, God really does work on those things in your life. He is so faithful in that! Even after being humbled many times after those kinds of prayers and learning hard lessons through verses I've memorized, I often forget just how much God is willing and will work in my stubborn heart. I wanted to share one instance that is near and dear to my heart right now.
A few months ago, Janna, the lady who is discipling me, asked if I wanted to memorize the "Hall of Faith" chapter, Hebrews 11. Excited about the accountability and the chance to know more of God's word, I said yes. I set out to memorize them, thinking about faith and amazed at how much my forefathers lived in faith. I was (and still am) blown away by all the "By faiths." BY FAITH Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, BY FAITH Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going... and so many more! I thought some about how I could be more like them, but never really thought about how God would work in me to make those verses come alive in my life and to teach me to really live by faith.
Sure, I've heard all the stories of missionaries living by faith for food, money, etc. By the grace of God, I have not been tested in that way yet, though God may one day consider me worthy to bear that trial for His name. So I didn't really think about how else He would teach me to live by faith. As many of you know, the last few months have been really hard. Challenge after challenge has come up, and one by one, God has given me the grace to get through each one of them. Some I am still in the midst of, but God is with me holding my hand for all of it. Many of them I have no idea why they have come up. I knew God had a reason, but just in the last two days did I realize that maybe they have come into my life to teach me to live by faith.
Wow. That took awhile to figure that out. I am glad God didn't stop teaching me after I didn't understand the purpose the first couple hundred times. Obviously, I still don't fully comprehend, but maybe He is trying to teach me how to live by faith. I'm sure Abraham and Noah and all the other famous ones from Hebrews 11 weren't like, "Okay God. Of course I will move to a foreign place where I don't know anything or even where because someday I will be in the hall of faith!" They just stepped out and did it! Am I willing to step out in faith and follow Him? Will He be able to one day say, "By Faith Mindy...?" Wow.
I love that it doesn't just stop after all the "by faiths." Just today did I notice something super cool about verse 13. It says "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did NOT receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." Cool verse, huh? I just realized that there are so many things in my life that may happen to teach me to live by faith, and I may never see the things promised. I may never see the fruition of so many tears shed, of hours on my knees, of hard situation after situation. I may just see them and welcome them from a distance. I love that it doesn't just say saw them from a distance. It says WELCOMED them froma distance. I can WELCOME the results living by faith. And there are things promised for me! In verse 16 it says, "Instead, they were looking for a better country, a heavenly one." I can look forward to a better country than this one on earth, and there I will see what God was doing on this earth to prepare me to serve Him and worship Him best. I will receive the things promised! I will miss out on so much if I do not live out my "By faiths!" The rest of verse 16 says, "Therefore, God is NOT ASHAMED to be called their God, for He hs prepared a city for them." How cool is that? Having lived most of my life ashamed of this and that, I love that it says God is not ashamed to be called their God. Oh, that I would live in such a way that God can say that of me!
So, my dear readers, that is my ponderings of living by faith and what God can do in this stubborn heart of mine. May I truly live out my "By faiths." For those of you who want to know more of the specifics of the "By faiths" God seems to have been teaching me, email me or leave a comment and I would LOVE to tell you more about the lessons He has been teaching me. This year has contained many of them for me, that's for sure. I am so excited to be able to welcome the things promised and one day see them in heaven, though on this earth I will most likely not receive them. It will all be so worth it! May you learn to live life "by faith." What an incredible journey we are on, and it is all so worth it!
A few months ago, Janna, the lady who is discipling me, asked if I wanted to memorize the "Hall of Faith" chapter, Hebrews 11. Excited about the accountability and the chance to know more of God's word, I said yes. I set out to memorize them, thinking about faith and amazed at how much my forefathers lived in faith. I was (and still am) blown away by all the "By faiths." BY FAITH Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, BY FAITH Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going... and so many more! I thought some about how I could be more like them, but never really thought about how God would work in me to make those verses come alive in my life and to teach me to really live by faith.
Sure, I've heard all the stories of missionaries living by faith for food, money, etc. By the grace of God, I have not been tested in that way yet, though God may one day consider me worthy to bear that trial for His name. So I didn't really think about how else He would teach me to live by faith. As many of you know, the last few months have been really hard. Challenge after challenge has come up, and one by one, God has given me the grace to get through each one of them. Some I am still in the midst of, but God is with me holding my hand for all of it. Many of them I have no idea why they have come up. I knew God had a reason, but just in the last two days did I realize that maybe they have come into my life to teach me to live by faith.
Wow. That took awhile to figure that out. I am glad God didn't stop teaching me after I didn't understand the purpose the first couple hundred times. Obviously, I still don't fully comprehend, but maybe He is trying to teach me how to live by faith. I'm sure Abraham and Noah and all the other famous ones from Hebrews 11 weren't like, "Okay God. Of course I will move to a foreign place where I don't know anything or even where because someday I will be in the hall of faith!" They just stepped out and did it! Am I willing to step out in faith and follow Him? Will He be able to one day say, "By Faith Mindy...?" Wow.
I love that it doesn't just stop after all the "by faiths." Just today did I notice something super cool about verse 13. It says "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did NOT receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." Cool verse, huh? I just realized that there are so many things in my life that may happen to teach me to live by faith, and I may never see the things promised. I may never see the fruition of so many tears shed, of hours on my knees, of hard situation after situation. I may just see them and welcome them from a distance. I love that it doesn't just say saw them from a distance. It says WELCOMED them froma distance. I can WELCOME the results living by faith. And there are things promised for me! In verse 16 it says, "Instead, they were looking for a better country, a heavenly one." I can look forward to a better country than this one on earth, and there I will see what God was doing on this earth to prepare me to serve Him and worship Him best. I will receive the things promised! I will miss out on so much if I do not live out my "By faiths!" The rest of verse 16 says, "Therefore, God is NOT ASHAMED to be called their God, for He hs prepared a city for them." How cool is that? Having lived most of my life ashamed of this and that, I love that it says God is not ashamed to be called their God. Oh, that I would live in such a way that God can say that of me!
So, my dear readers, that is my ponderings of living by faith and what God can do in this stubborn heart of mine. May I truly live out my "By faiths." For those of you who want to know more of the specifics of the "By faiths" God seems to have been teaching me, email me or leave a comment and I would LOVE to tell you more about the lessons He has been teaching me. This year has contained many of them for me, that's for sure. I am so excited to be able to welcome the things promised and one day see them in heaven, though on this earth I will most likely not receive them. It will all be so worth it! May you learn to live life "by faith." What an incredible journey we are on, and it is all so worth it!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Spring Break Adventures, Part 2
So, here is the rest of my adventures over spring break. This half was much more adventurous than the first half, except for the pig legs :). On Wednesday, I headed out to my church to get on a bus to go to church camp with my church and other young people from all over the country. They said to get there at 12:30 to leave at 1, so of course as the American, I was there at 12:25. And of course, this is not the US, and the whole church was shut. Nobody was around. Since I don't have a car, I was in a taxi. Thankfully, it was the taxi driver I usually take, so he got out and checked the gates. One was open, and the church worker's son was there and came out. I apologized for being early and proceeded to wait. Eventually, everyone got there and we piled on the bus. I was in the first seat and sat there looking lost. My lack of Spanish ability is frustrating sometimes :). The full-time church worker came out and asked if I wanted to go with him instead (I think he noticed how lost I looked or something). So I drove up to camp with his daughter and him.
The camp is in the mountains, about three hours from here (two and a half by car). It is beautiful! When I first arrived, it was a bit awkward because my church wasn't there yet and I didn't know anyone. A while later, a family I know came, so it was good to see familiar faces. Then, a girl came up to me and started speaking in English. She is Dominican-American. As we were talking, something came up about Emmaus, and I realized I had met her at Iron Sharpens Iron last year! Small world! She had come down with four other friends for the camp. They became my companions since they all spoke both English and Spanish. I should explain that out of over 35o young people, I was the only non-Spanish speaking one! It was quite interesting!
I ended up being in a cabin with my Sunday School teacher for the leader, so that was good. I think the most interesting part of the cabin times was having devotions at 6 in the morning! It was hard for my brain to comprehend Spanish that early! I did better by the end of the time, but the first morning it was almost impossible!
When I hear the word "camp," I think dirty, games, don't care what you look like, etc. NOT so with camps here! The girls wore HIGH HEELS AT CAMP!!! They would go change before dinner every night into their nice outfits and makeup! Some would even miss dinner because they were too busy getting ready for dinner! Being an American, I did not feel the urge to join in this activity, so I stuck out in that too. Oh well. I did dress up for the last night, which was a special dinner. Here is a picture of me with one of the Dominican-Americans next to me and two other girls from my church.
Every morning and night, we had a meeting with singing and a speaker. The speaker was from Argentina and had really clear Spanish, which was good for me. I was able to understand most of what he said. I enjoyed learning more songs in Spanish, and I can now say I know some songs in Spanish better than I know them in English! A couple of times I was a bit tired because we did not sleep much at camp, so those meetings were a little harder, but they were still good.
On two of the days, they had events planned--one day to climb a mountain and the next to go swim in a river. I went to both the activities and had a lot of fun! The mountain was quite the adventure--basically straight up and straight back down! We were SO sweaty when we got to the top, but it was beautiful. I fell down about a hundred times on the way back down because it was so steep! For a while, nobody was around me, so it was good because I had to slide on my bottom several times. Once again, the crazy American! It was so worth it though! Then the next day, we walked to the river that is close to the camp. It was probably a two or two and a half mile walk, but so worth it. We went to a place with a man-made waterfall and spent time just swimming and playing in the water. All of my English speaking friends didn't go, so I spent most of my time by myself, but it was still fun. My friend took pictures for me, and it is fun to look at those now. On the way back, I was walking by myself, and must have looked like the lost American with no friends again because a truck with people from camp drove by and asked if I wanted a ride. It was one of those trucks with a short bed, and there were 11 of us crammed in there! It was funny, especially for those of us right against the hatch when going uphill! It was really cool because I realized that was the first time I had done crazy things like that with people who lived in that country! Usually I do crazy things with other Americans, so it was refreshing to do weird things with others.
On top of the mountain.
Swimming in the river.
The man-made waterfall. If you look closely, you can see the people in the background resting against it. If felt pretty cool!
I was able to meet more people from my church, so that was good! I don't know them super well, but I know names now, and they know mine. I want to go to more services at my church, so it is good to know people now. I found a few more people who speak English, so now when I get totally lost, I can ask them for help.
My new friend Hilma. Her mom is my Sunday School teacher.
On Sunday, we headed back to the city. Our bus broke right before we got into the city! Thankfully, they were able to fix it enough for us to get back home. It was a dusty and hot ride, but it was good to hang out with some of my new friends. I came home and went to bed by 7:30. When I say "lack of sleep," I really mean it! I've decided camp to them means dress up and no sleep. I went to bed earlier than most of them and still got only 5 or so hours of sleep every night. On the last two nights, the guys went around seranading their wives and girlfriends in the different cabins, so it's hard to sleep with that too! It was all worth it though, and I am hoping I can go back to camp another time. It was good to start building relationships with people there. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with people at church!
The camp is in the mountains, about three hours from here (two and a half by car). It is beautiful! When I first arrived, it was a bit awkward because my church wasn't there yet and I didn't know anyone. A while later, a family I know came, so it was good to see familiar faces. Then, a girl came up to me and started speaking in English. She is Dominican-American. As we were talking, something came up about Emmaus, and I realized I had met her at Iron Sharpens Iron last year! Small world! She had come down with four other friends for the camp. They became my companions since they all spoke both English and Spanish. I should explain that out of over 35o young people, I was the only non-Spanish speaking one! It was quite interesting!
I ended up being in a cabin with my Sunday School teacher for the leader, so that was good. I think the most interesting part of the cabin times was having devotions at 6 in the morning! It was hard for my brain to comprehend Spanish that early! I did better by the end of the time, but the first morning it was almost impossible!
When I hear the word "camp," I think dirty, games, don't care what you look like, etc. NOT so with camps here! The girls wore HIGH HEELS AT CAMP!!! They would go change before dinner every night into their nice outfits and makeup! Some would even miss dinner because they were too busy getting ready for dinner! Being an American, I did not feel the urge to join in this activity, so I stuck out in that too. Oh well. I did dress up for the last night, which was a special dinner. Here is a picture of me with one of the Dominican-Americans next to me and two other girls from my church.
Every morning and night, we had a meeting with singing and a speaker. The speaker was from Argentina and had really clear Spanish, which was good for me. I was able to understand most of what he said. I enjoyed learning more songs in Spanish, and I can now say I know some songs in Spanish better than I know them in English! A couple of times I was a bit tired because we did not sleep much at camp, so those meetings were a little harder, but they were still good.
On two of the days, they had events planned--one day to climb a mountain and the next to go swim in a river. I went to both the activities and had a lot of fun! The mountain was quite the adventure--basically straight up and straight back down! We were SO sweaty when we got to the top, but it was beautiful. I fell down about a hundred times on the way back down because it was so steep! For a while, nobody was around me, so it was good because I had to slide on my bottom several times. Once again, the crazy American! It was so worth it though! Then the next day, we walked to the river that is close to the camp. It was probably a two or two and a half mile walk, but so worth it. We went to a place with a man-made waterfall and spent time just swimming and playing in the water. All of my English speaking friends didn't go, so I spent most of my time by myself, but it was still fun. My friend took pictures for me, and it is fun to look at those now. On the way back, I was walking by myself, and must have looked like the lost American with no friends again because a truck with people from camp drove by and asked if I wanted a ride. It was one of those trucks with a short bed, and there were 11 of us crammed in there! It was funny, especially for those of us right against the hatch when going uphill! It was really cool because I realized that was the first time I had done crazy things like that with people who lived in that country! Usually I do crazy things with other Americans, so it was refreshing to do weird things with others.
On top of the mountain.
Swimming in the river.
The man-made waterfall. If you look closely, you can see the people in the background resting against it. If felt pretty cool!I was able to meet more people from my church, so that was good! I don't know them super well, but I know names now, and they know mine. I want to go to more services at my church, so it is good to know people now. I found a few more people who speak English, so now when I get totally lost, I can ask them for help.
My new friend Hilma. Her mom is my Sunday School teacher.
On Sunday, we headed back to the city. Our bus broke right before we got into the city! Thankfully, they were able to fix it enough for us to get back home. It was a dusty and hot ride, but it was good to hang out with some of my new friends. I came home and went to bed by 7:30. When I say "lack of sleep," I really mean it! I've decided camp to them means dress up and no sleep. I went to bed earlier than most of them and still got only 5 or so hours of sleep every night. On the last two nights, the guys went around seranading their wives and girlfriends in the different cabins, so it's hard to sleep with that too! It was all worth it though, and I am hoping I can go back to camp another time. It was good to start building relationships with people there. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with people at church!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Spring Break Adventures, Part 1
YAY FOR SPRING BREAK!!! March was a very long and tiring month here in the DR, hence no blog posts after the Haiti one. March was Reading Month, which meant extra activities, Fair Day, where we had booths and such for each class that we had to run, and other little things here and there that just made for a very full month. But, now March is over and it's spring break! I can't believe it's already Wednesday, which means break is half over! And I have a feeling mine is going to get more crazy as the days go on...more about that later.
Let's see...well, I finally found an orphanage (actually a girl's home) to go spend time at and just love on the girls. They have 15 girls, most who are in middle and high school, but also a couple of little ones. Some friends and I have been going there every Thursday. My friends Bryan and Amy have been teaching them English. I either help with that or play with the little ones. I also got to visit another orphanage where a friend works about an hour away on Saturday. That was a lot of fun as well.
Since the title of my blog post is about Spring Break adventures, I should tell you all about my adventures so far this week. As I said earlier, I went to an orphanage on Saturday, and that was really neat. On Sunday, I did the usual: went to a Spanish speaking church all by myself :). Before I explain what happened next, I should give some background. I have some friends about 2 hours away who my mom met at Emmaus last May at Iron Sharpens Iron. They are a Dominican family but they speak English. They had invited me to come to their house Sunday-Wednesday and then go to a church camp Wednesday-Sunday. I was nervous but said I would do it. I didn't know my church was also going to that camp, but I found that out a little later. Anyway, as of Sunday morning, I had not even heard from them again and I was supposed to go with them that day to their house. So after church, a man came up to me and asked if I was going to camp. I tried to explain to him in my limited Spanish the situation. I told him I wanted to go but wasn't sure what was happening. He had me talk to another guy, who said he would call my friends and see what was up. But they told me to just plan on going in a bus with them from here on Wednessday. Anybody confused yet? Anyways, later on the guy from my church got ahold of my friend, and I did as well. He and his wife said just to go with my church on Wednesday, which is what I was already planning on doing. All that to say, I will be leaving in about an hour to go with them to a camp ALL IN SPANISH where I know very few people! It will be quite the adventure!
Sunday afternoon I didn't do too much, but I decided I would go to Sunday night church, which I never had done before because it is late and kind of far away. So I go to church, and it was awesome! People actually were talking to me! Everyone was very excited that I am going to the camp and kept telling all their friends that I was going! This lady who I had seen from far away but never talked to came up and talked to me. She ended up inviting me to go with her on Monday to another girl's house for dinner. They informed me we would be eating pig's legs! I decided to brave it and go anyway!
So on Monday, I went to this lady's house and then to the other girl's house for pig legs. The lady, Marlin, has a three month old little girl, so I finally got to hold a baby in this country! I was a little overwhelmed at the girl's house, but it was good. Let's just say I don't try to talk much! After a couple hours, out came the pig legs! Let's just say they don't look that appetizing, nor do they taste that great! Marlin knew I had never had them, and she thought it was hilarious! Of course, she told many others that I had never had them, so they are chuckling and watching me try to eat this thing! I didn't want to pick it up with my hands, so I was trying to eat it with a plastic fork. Let's just say it was difficult to get off the bone AND difficult to swallow! They of course noticed that I was not fond of it, but I tried to eat as much as I could! I will not be asking for pig legs for my next birthday dinner, that's for sure.
Tuesday passed with much fewer adventures. I spent the afternoon with my roommate and her friend that is here, so that was good. I went to school in the morning so I could be ready for school next week, as I don't get back from the camp until Sunday and I have heard that sleep is a scarce commodity! So...if you think about, please pray that I can understand at least some things and don't make too many cultural blunders! I heard it's a great week, so I am looking forward to it! I will definitely post pictures and stories when I get back!
I love Easter, as we get to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. May you also rejoice in this wonderful event that gives us so much hope! As my kids memorized last week, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24). Oh, that you may cross over! Have a wonderful Easter!
Let's see...well, I finally found an orphanage (actually a girl's home) to go spend time at and just love on the girls. They have 15 girls, most who are in middle and high school, but also a couple of little ones. Some friends and I have been going there every Thursday. My friends Bryan and Amy have been teaching them English. I either help with that or play with the little ones. I also got to visit another orphanage where a friend works about an hour away on Saturday. That was a lot of fun as well.
Since the title of my blog post is about Spring Break adventures, I should tell you all about my adventures so far this week. As I said earlier, I went to an orphanage on Saturday, and that was really neat. On Sunday, I did the usual: went to a Spanish speaking church all by myself :). Before I explain what happened next, I should give some background. I have some friends about 2 hours away who my mom met at Emmaus last May at Iron Sharpens Iron. They are a Dominican family but they speak English. They had invited me to come to their house Sunday-Wednesday and then go to a church camp Wednesday-Sunday. I was nervous but said I would do it. I didn't know my church was also going to that camp, but I found that out a little later. Anyway, as of Sunday morning, I had not even heard from them again and I was supposed to go with them that day to their house. So after church, a man came up to me and asked if I was going to camp. I tried to explain to him in my limited Spanish the situation. I told him I wanted to go but wasn't sure what was happening. He had me talk to another guy, who said he would call my friends and see what was up. But they told me to just plan on going in a bus with them from here on Wednessday. Anybody confused yet? Anyways, later on the guy from my church got ahold of my friend, and I did as well. He and his wife said just to go with my church on Wednesday, which is what I was already planning on doing. All that to say, I will be leaving in about an hour to go with them to a camp ALL IN SPANISH where I know very few people! It will be quite the adventure!
Sunday afternoon I didn't do too much, but I decided I would go to Sunday night church, which I never had done before because it is late and kind of far away. So I go to church, and it was awesome! People actually were talking to me! Everyone was very excited that I am going to the camp and kept telling all their friends that I was going! This lady who I had seen from far away but never talked to came up and talked to me. She ended up inviting me to go with her on Monday to another girl's house for dinner. They informed me we would be eating pig's legs! I decided to brave it and go anyway!
So on Monday, I went to this lady's house and then to the other girl's house for pig legs. The lady, Marlin, has a three month old little girl, so I finally got to hold a baby in this country! I was a little overwhelmed at the girl's house, but it was good. Let's just say I don't try to talk much! After a couple hours, out came the pig legs! Let's just say they don't look that appetizing, nor do they taste that great! Marlin knew I had never had them, and she thought it was hilarious! Of course, she told many others that I had never had them, so they are chuckling and watching me try to eat this thing! I didn't want to pick it up with my hands, so I was trying to eat it with a plastic fork. Let's just say it was difficult to get off the bone AND difficult to swallow! They of course noticed that I was not fond of it, but I tried to eat as much as I could! I will not be asking for pig legs for my next birthday dinner, that's for sure.
Tuesday passed with much fewer adventures. I spent the afternoon with my roommate and her friend that is here, so that was good. I went to school in the morning so I could be ready for school next week, as I don't get back from the camp until Sunday and I have heard that sleep is a scarce commodity! So...if you think about, please pray that I can understand at least some things and don't make too many cultural blunders! I heard it's a great week, so I am looking forward to it! I will definitely post pictures and stories when I get back!
I love Easter, as we get to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. May you also rejoice in this wonderful event that gives us so much hope! As my kids memorized last week, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24). Oh, that you may cross over! Have a wonderful Easter!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Haiti
Yesterday, I took a personal day and went with some friends to an orphanage and school in Haiti. Wow. I don't even know how to begin describing that experience with you. This blog post may end up being very long, so those of you who want to hear about my trip in detail can read it. Those who don't, feel free to just look at the pictures of all the cute kids :).
I have been wanting to go to Haiti and visit an orphanage since I got here. There is one just across the border called Danita's Children. Some people connected to my school here go there pretty much every week. Usually they go on a school day, so I was never able to go. My friend Sarah told me she was going to take a personal day to go, so I decided to do the same and go with her, her friend who was visiting, and the couple who usually goes on Fridays.
To start out with, we took a bus from here in Santiago to the border, which, on a good day with a good bus driver, takes about two and a half hours. Going there, we thankfully had both a good day and a good driver. Once we got to where we got off to walk across the border, it got a little crazy. On Mondays and Fridays, there is a market on both the Haiti and DR sides. Haitians are allowed to freely cross the border and buy things and then return. That of course means many people pushing wheelbarrows full of stuff, carrying stuff on their heads, in their arms... however they can do it. Annie, the lady who goes weekly, said she had never seen it so crazy as it was yesterday. There were people literally everywhere! Many times we were stuck in a sea of dark skin not able to move for minutes or else being pushed along and getting run over by wheelbarrows! I have some pictures, but they don't do the craziness justice! It was this crazy all the way across the bridge and into Haiti. We thankfully got across the border just fine, as they will often charge, but we got permission to go over for the day.
This does not even begin to show how crazy it was getting through the hoards of people, but you can see the big bags tied onto wheelbarrows, people carrying things on their head, and a little bit of how the people are super close together. 
Some people decided NOT to deal with trying to get across the bridge and made their own way across the river!
Here are more people trying to get across the border.
Hope for Haiti Children's Home, also known as Danita's Children, is about a 5 minute walk from the border into Haiti. When we arrived, the children were all in school. The ministry has about 75 orphans and 580 kindergarten-eighth graders who go to school there. The ones who are not orphans living there are very poor children from the community. It is amazing what they do with very few supplies. The kindergarteners and other classes meet in the large chapel, where many classes are meeting at once. You could barely hear the teacher, yet the 30 or so kids in the first kindergarten class we saw were sitting quietly listening to them. They learn in Creole and French, so I of course did not understand anything! It totally challenged my view of a classroom, as the first group of kindergarteners we saw were sitting only in chairs, many of which were broken--no crayons, no paper, no nothing. This school has some of that, but obviously not enough to use it all the time like we do. It made me appreciate the resources we have.
The first kindergarten class we visited. Annie is working with them on some French. Notice that many of the chairs have lost the wood that is supposed to be on the back. The kids sang us a song in Creole, French, and English. I have heard that song in English and Swahili, and it was so cute to hear these kids sing it in more languages for us. They were so cute!
Two older boys who came over to watch and see what the white people were doing. Notice the socks and tennis shoes--even the girls all had socks. A lot of the little girls had frilly girly socks like I had when I was little.
We looked around some more, and then it was time for chapel. Annie had asked Sarah, my friend, to do some impromptu Bible story skits for chapel, and Sarah asked me to help. After listening to them sing in Creole, we went up in front of all those kids and did some silent Bible story skits, like David and Goliath, Jesus calming the storm, and Jonah in the Big Fish. It was funny to have Sarah be the big fish and eat me and then spit me back out. Of course, there were some glitches since we didn't practice at all, but the kids loved it. They got to guess what we were acting out, and thankfully they figured out most of them.
The kindergarteners singing in chapel. They have good voices! Notice all the hair ribbons. Many of the girls had bows all over their heads.
I am not quite sure what story we were acting out at this point, or what I am doing with my arms, but you can see our crazy expressions.
Little boys at the back trying to see our skits.
A little girl just checking things out during chapel.
Chapel lasted about an hour, and then it was about lunch time. Another part of their ministry is feeding all those children lunch. With over 600 people, that is a lot of work and a lot of money! For many of these kids who do not live there, that is the only meal they get all day. I think we served for about an hour since they had to eat in shifts so everyone could fit in the cafeteria. Every single kid said thank you to a meal I probably as a child would have looked at and said, "that's it?" Wow. It showed me how blessed I truly am. It was funny because some kids said thank you in Creole, some in Spanish, and some in English, probably to impress us. We never knew which language we would be saying "You're welcome in!" I never got the Creole one down. Oh well :).
Serving Lunch
After we ate, we helped them sort through donated toys and supplies. That took a while. As we were taking some of the supplies and putting them in a crate outside, one of the little girls who was finished with school, as they go in shifts, came up and just put her hand in mine. I had never seen this girl before, nor could I even talk to her. It is amazing what you will do when you are craving love! She was not one of the orphans, but obviously wanting just to be loved. She stayed with me until her dad came. She swung on my lap and just held my hand. We couldn't even get her to say her name, but that didn't matter to her. She enjoyed just getting love. Wow.
Some of the donations that we sorted through. The orphanage was features on "Extreme Home Makeover" in November in part of a special on a family who adopted 5 boys from Haiti. The family wanted to give back to Haiti, so the TV show sent two containers full of food, toys, school supplies, etc. A lot of the supplies have already been given to those who need it.
Sarah modeling one of the more unusual donations. I think it said something about being a cool shark or something.
My little friend and I. I could not get her to smile in the pictures, but since i couldn't talk to her, it was kind of difficult!
This picture captures so much. I love the girls in their uniforms, holding hands, just enjoying each other. Wow.
A little girl using her recess time to look at a book. I love her hair bows!
These two girls caught me trying to take their picture, even though I was quite a ways away, and rewarded me with huge smiles!
Boys will be boys. Playing in the dirt is great in any country!
Shortly after my little friend left, it was time for us to go back across the border and catch the bus back home. The border was a lot less hectic this time. Most people had already come and gone from Market.
The market on the Haiti side.
I want to learn how to do this!
I think these women are doing laundry in the river. I am so thankful for a washing machine!
The bus ride back, however, was much crazier than the ride there. The buses are not supposed to stop and get people or let them off along the way because it is an express route. Some do though, and this one sure did. It was also making really strange sounds, like it was falling apart, and going really slow. Annie and I could not figure out what was going on. After we stopped and the bus driver got out for like the fifth time, Sarah and her friend Dar told us we were pulling another bus! They could see from their seats, but we couldn't. We had been pulling a bus our same size for over a half hour! If that wasn't crazy enough, I guess that wasn't working, so the driver decided we would PUSH the other bus! We got behind it and began pushing it by "gently" running into it! Thankfully we did not push it all the way to Santiago. Because of all this, we were about a half hour late getting back into town. That was definitely one of the most interesting bus rides I have taken!
After a fairly interesting taxi ride (I have never ridden with a taxi that has a DVD player showing Jacki Chan on the dashboard before) we made it home. The whole trip was incredible, and I hope to go back often and soon. It was like walking into what I want to do some day with my life. I do not know if God will have me more involved at that home, but it is what the Lord has laid on my heart to do some day. I am so glad I was able to go and help out, but like many things, I got more out of it than I had to give. I learned a lot about how much I truly have and how I need to love on kids. Even working with the wealthy kids, I need to show them that I love them, and even more than that, that Jesus loves them. It broke my heart to see the poverty, but I am trusting that Jesus has a plan even for that. I am thankful for organizations like Danita's Children who are working to reach out to these precious kids.
That post was really long. I hope it gave you a good glimpse into part of my life. If you think of it, please pray for Danita's Children and all the ministries involved with that. It takes a TON of work, and they are very understaffed. It also costs a lot to do all of it. But our God is big enough to handle all that and more. What a mighty God we serve!
I have been wanting to go to Haiti and visit an orphanage since I got here. There is one just across the border called Danita's Children. Some people connected to my school here go there pretty much every week. Usually they go on a school day, so I was never able to go. My friend Sarah told me she was going to take a personal day to go, so I decided to do the same and go with her, her friend who was visiting, and the couple who usually goes on Fridays.
To start out with, we took a bus from here in Santiago to the border, which, on a good day with a good bus driver, takes about two and a half hours. Going there, we thankfully had both a good day and a good driver. Once we got to where we got off to walk across the border, it got a little crazy. On Mondays and Fridays, there is a market on both the Haiti and DR sides. Haitians are allowed to freely cross the border and buy things and then return. That of course means many people pushing wheelbarrows full of stuff, carrying stuff on their heads, in their arms... however they can do it. Annie, the lady who goes weekly, said she had never seen it so crazy as it was yesterday. There were people literally everywhere! Many times we were stuck in a sea of dark skin not able to move for minutes or else being pushed along and getting run over by wheelbarrows! I have some pictures, but they don't do the craziness justice! It was this crazy all the way across the bridge and into Haiti. We thankfully got across the border just fine, as they will often charge, but we got permission to go over for the day.
This does not even begin to show how crazy it was getting through the hoards of people, but you can see the big bags tied onto wheelbarrows, people carrying things on their head, and a little bit of how the people are super close together. 
Some people decided NOT to deal with trying to get across the bridge and made their own way across the river!
Here are more people trying to get across the border.Hope for Haiti Children's Home, also known as Danita's Children, is about a 5 minute walk from the border into Haiti. When we arrived, the children were all in school. The ministry has about 75 orphans and 580 kindergarten-eighth graders who go to school there. The ones who are not orphans living there are very poor children from the community. It is amazing what they do with very few supplies. The kindergarteners and other classes meet in the large chapel, where many classes are meeting at once. You could barely hear the teacher, yet the 30 or so kids in the first kindergarten class we saw were sitting quietly listening to them. They learn in Creole and French, so I of course did not understand anything! It totally challenged my view of a classroom, as the first group of kindergarteners we saw were sitting only in chairs, many of which were broken--no crayons, no paper, no nothing. This school has some of that, but obviously not enough to use it all the time like we do. It made me appreciate the resources we have.
The first kindergarten class we visited. Annie is working with them on some French. Notice that many of the chairs have lost the wood that is supposed to be on the back. The kids sang us a song in Creole, French, and English. I have heard that song in English and Swahili, and it was so cute to hear these kids sing it in more languages for us. They were so cute!
Two older boys who came over to watch and see what the white people were doing. Notice the socks and tennis shoes--even the girls all had socks. A lot of the little girls had frilly girly socks like I had when I was little.We looked around some more, and then it was time for chapel. Annie had asked Sarah, my friend, to do some impromptu Bible story skits for chapel, and Sarah asked me to help. After listening to them sing in Creole, we went up in front of all those kids and did some silent Bible story skits, like David and Goliath, Jesus calming the storm, and Jonah in the Big Fish. It was funny to have Sarah be the big fish and eat me and then spit me back out. Of course, there were some glitches since we didn't practice at all, but the kids loved it. They got to guess what we were acting out, and thankfully they figured out most of them.
The kindergarteners singing in chapel. They have good voices! Notice all the hair ribbons. Many of the girls had bows all over their heads.
I am not quite sure what story we were acting out at this point, or what I am doing with my arms, but you can see our crazy expressions.
Little boys at the back trying to see our skits.
A little girl just checking things out during chapel.Chapel lasted about an hour, and then it was about lunch time. Another part of their ministry is feeding all those children lunch. With over 600 people, that is a lot of work and a lot of money! For many of these kids who do not live there, that is the only meal they get all day. I think we served for about an hour since they had to eat in shifts so everyone could fit in the cafeteria. Every single kid said thank you to a meal I probably as a child would have looked at and said, "that's it?" Wow. It showed me how blessed I truly am. It was funny because some kids said thank you in Creole, some in Spanish, and some in English, probably to impress us. We never knew which language we would be saying "You're welcome in!" I never got the Creole one down. Oh well :).
Serving LunchAfter we ate, we helped them sort through donated toys and supplies. That took a while. As we were taking some of the supplies and putting them in a crate outside, one of the little girls who was finished with school, as they go in shifts, came up and just put her hand in mine. I had never seen this girl before, nor could I even talk to her. It is amazing what you will do when you are craving love! She was not one of the orphans, but obviously wanting just to be loved. She stayed with me until her dad came. She swung on my lap and just held my hand. We couldn't even get her to say her name, but that didn't matter to her. She enjoyed just getting love. Wow.
Some of the donations that we sorted through. The orphanage was features on "Extreme Home Makeover" in November in part of a special on a family who adopted 5 boys from Haiti. The family wanted to give back to Haiti, so the TV show sent two containers full of food, toys, school supplies, etc. A lot of the supplies have already been given to those who need it.
Sarah modeling one of the more unusual donations. I think it said something about being a cool shark or something.
My little friend and I. I could not get her to smile in the pictures, but since i couldn't talk to her, it was kind of difficult!
This picture captures so much. I love the girls in their uniforms, holding hands, just enjoying each other. Wow.
A little girl using her recess time to look at a book. I love her hair bows!
These two girls caught me trying to take their picture, even though I was quite a ways away, and rewarded me with huge smiles!
Boys will be boys. Playing in the dirt is great in any country!Shortly after my little friend left, it was time for us to go back across the border and catch the bus back home. The border was a lot less hectic this time. Most people had already come and gone from Market.
The market on the Haiti side.
I want to learn how to do this!
I think these women are doing laundry in the river. I am so thankful for a washing machine!The bus ride back, however, was much crazier than the ride there. The buses are not supposed to stop and get people or let them off along the way because it is an express route. Some do though, and this one sure did. It was also making really strange sounds, like it was falling apart, and going really slow. Annie and I could not figure out what was going on. After we stopped and the bus driver got out for like the fifth time, Sarah and her friend Dar told us we were pulling another bus! They could see from their seats, but we couldn't. We had been pulling a bus our same size for over a half hour! If that wasn't crazy enough, I guess that wasn't working, so the driver decided we would PUSH the other bus! We got behind it and began pushing it by "gently" running into it! Thankfully we did not push it all the way to Santiago. Because of all this, we were about a half hour late getting back into town. That was definitely one of the most interesting bus rides I have taken!
After a fairly interesting taxi ride (I have never ridden with a taxi that has a DVD player showing Jacki Chan on the dashboard before) we made it home. The whole trip was incredible, and I hope to go back often and soon. It was like walking into what I want to do some day with my life. I do not know if God will have me more involved at that home, but it is what the Lord has laid on my heart to do some day. I am so glad I was able to go and help out, but like many things, I got more out of it than I had to give. I learned a lot about how much I truly have and how I need to love on kids. Even working with the wealthy kids, I need to show them that I love them, and even more than that, that Jesus loves them. It broke my heart to see the poverty, but I am trusting that Jesus has a plan even for that. I am thankful for organizations like Danita's Children who are working to reach out to these precious kids.
That post was really long. I hope it gave you a good glimpse into part of my life. If you think of it, please pray for Danita's Children and all the ministries involved with that. It takes a TON of work, and they are very understaffed. It also costs a lot to do all of it. But our God is big enough to handle all that and more. What a mighty God we serve!
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