Life is Like a Snowball

Sitting in Miami, at the airport, I had plenty of time to look back on the last year of my life.  I’m shocked to realize that it really has been that long.  Time has really flown by and so much has happened that I know it’s going to take me awhile to process everything.  And that’s when it hits home that I would not have been able to do this by myself.  People tell me all the time, “I don’t know how you do it.”  In reality, neither do I; the only explanation is God. 

The last few months have been so busy, so I’ll try to catch you up with my final days in the DR.  It’s still so weird to say that. 

Before our school year ended, another group from Mt. Vernon Church came down and accomplished a wide variety of jobs!  One group painted the entire school, inside and out, with the help of the school kids!  I can’t believe that we made it to this point, especially when I think back to the fact that we didn’t even have a roof on the building when we first got there!  A gracious donor even donated money for two solar panels, so Shawn Rineholt hooked those up right before we left!  God continues to exceed my dreams for this community and it still never ceases to amaze me!

BEFORE

AFTER!!!!!!!!

Our boards are hung and benches made…started to look like a real school!

Another group made connections with five families in the community in hopes of established more permanent relationships.  I really think some great things are going to come out of this and I can’t wait to see God work through our limited knowledge and skill!  I got the opportunity to show a few people around the batey and we visited my kids’ homes!  It’s still an eye-opening experience to see how they live, even after seeing it multiple times, and yet they are so giving and compassionate.  I really do love these families…it’s hard not to when they always have huge smiles as they’re hugging me and offering me what little they have.  While we were doing this, we took a few kids with us, including Jony and Leidy, two of my kids that have really excelled.  Some of the locals that we encountered only spoke Creole, so I spoke to the kids in Spanish and they translated to Creole.  I explained to them afterwards how proud I was of them and that one day, I hope that they will also know English and be trilingual.  At that time, I believe they truly grasped why this opportunity is so important for them and their families.  It still makes me smile thinking about the way their faces lit up when I said this to them.

The team also hosted a small clinic where they recorded information on an online database to connect the DR to the US.  Patients’ information can and will be updated as they are seen and problems can be addressed from across the world.  This will hopefully provide a better healthcare solution for these people that have limited options. 

   Jen learned how to give shots!

We also got the opportunity to take a day trip into Haiti with the team.  They hosted a small Bible school with some singing, a few skits, and craft time.  It was definitely a neat experience.  It’s easy to see why the Haitians try to immigrate to the DR…even though we are so close, the landscape is SO different.  

We officially finished school on June 7th.  The last week of school, we had finals every day.  Most of the tests I gave had to be done orally.  I made the decision that for the material I taught, I wasn’t really going to do any extensive reviews before testing because I wanted to see what my kids actually retained throughout the year.  Admittedly, this worried me a little bit, because I obviously didn’t want anyone to fail.  Thankfully, they almost all did amazingly well!  A few of my kids remembered almost everything, including the information that we only briefly discussed!  I can’t believe how far they’ve made it…some didn’t know their colors in Spanish, and now some can read and comprehend an easy book in English!  I look back to my expectations and realize that I didn’t really have any…that I was just worried and scared that I would fail miserably.  I laugh at myself when I realize that before the idea of teaching in the DR, my dream was to find a job very close to home in fourth or fifth grade…God has quite a sense of humor when He moved me thousands of miles away teach Kindergarten in a language I only partially know!

To celebrate an amazing school year, we took all the kids out for pizza and to the beach!  Seven of them had never even had pizza before!  A local news station came while we were there and interviewed us about our ministry and all the kids got to be on TV! 

Then we all piled in the van…as soon as we arrived, they took off running!

Until we reined them in for some group photos and then they were off again!

We had an amazing time of course!  A few kids were afraid of the water, so I had some of them clinging to me the whole time.  Others are yelling out for me to watch them every second…gotta love these kids. :)

We spent a day at the beach with our neighbors.  It was so fun to just hang out, play Uno, and cook over an open fire!  I love how this community has accepted us and I feel like they truly do care about me.  Through all of our cultural and language barriers, God has still connected us and provided the support that we need while in a strange place. 

My last two weeks in the DR were extremely busy.  I worked with Steve Hull and the Least of These Ministries, building a warehouse to store rice and beans that they provide to the people in the bateys for free.  It amazes me how many people they reach out to every single day!  What also amazes me is how I can be thousands of miles away from home, and people will come on teams that live only a few minutes from my home in Delta!  It’s always so rewarding working with these teams, seeing the country through their eyes…the shock when they see five people on a motorcycle (and laughing to myself when I think about doing that on my way home from school the week before) or when they talk about Minute Rice…how we would love to have that…it’s more like hour rice for us.  I always think back to my first few trips and smile at the memories where I know I must have seemed like such an American tourist!  It’s weird to be on the other side of it now…many of my friends in the DR say that I’m now Dominican, which is such a huge compliment, especially when I think of all the barriers that I had to overcome…God is good!  That’s a lot of rebar to cut, carry, and tie!

The whole community came together and threw us a going away party…we sang, ate, and smeared icing all over everyone’s face…good times indeed! 

My Dominican family, the Rineholts, left on June 19th.  Although it was nice to have a little quiet time, I truly missed the people that taught me how to live, laugh, and love the DR.  It was so hard watching them walk through airport security and then taking off  in the plane and realizing that I wasn’t going with them.  My time in the DR would be impossible without this family’s generosity, and for that I am so grateful!  Everyone kept joking with each other that we were all going to cry when we left and we said that the Dominicans were going to do the same…we were all right.  Once Jen and the neighbor started crying and I ran for the house to avoid it! 

My last day in the DR, I worked a half day with the team and then we hit the beach!  Got to soak up a few rays before coming home.  They took us all out for dinner and ice cream afterwards.  When I got back to the house, our neighbor had prepared a huge meal for me…I wanted to cry just because I felt so loved…and also because I had just stuffed myself, but it’s rude to turn down food, so we ate and laughed and then played Uno until very late.  Our one neighbor told me to have a safe trip and thanked me for everything and fled for his house.  His wife chuckled a little bit and said that he didn’t want to cry, so he said what he wanted and had to leave quickly.  I split up my leftover candy with the families that I had become really close with…such a little thing, but they looked at me like I was amazing.  They said that they owed me so much, little do they know how much they’ve already done for me that I could never repay. 

Running on an hour of sleep, I packed the van, hugged Ricardo, my Dominican brother, and made him promise to keep in touch on Facebook and to protect my motorcycle!  And then I fought tears as I drove down the bumpy hill for the last time.  How do you say goodbye to your best friend, Spanish teacher, partner in crime, guard, etc.?  It’s not easy to say the least.  Since I’ve been home though, he and some of my other friends have called me, so we’ve gotten to talk for a few minutes! 

Wilkyns, another missionary, and I headed out for the capitol in the van, until it sounded like the front tire was going to fall off…again.  So, we called a friend, who just happened to be following us, gave him the keys and were going to catch a bus.  And miraculously, there was a bus sitting right where we stopped that was driving straight to the airport, which seems to never happen!  Once again God took care of us!  And so begins my transition back into the abundance of America…not necessarily a bad thing, just very strange after such a long time away.

Transitioning thoughts…

Once I got to the airport in the DR, readjustment started...some things easy, some things not so easy.  I literally could not understand people speaking to me in English because I expected them to speak Spanish.  Although it was definitely easier to navigate the airport, being able to speak Spanish!  Weird how my “normal” has changed so quickly.  

Phone service and plans…It makes me happy because I got to call my mom and sister for the first time in 10 months.  It was so weird to be able to talk to them, but it made me really happy!  AND 3G!!!!   I was wondering what I was going to do during my layover in Miami until I remembered I have a phone plan again!

At the airport in Miami, I ordered some food and couldn’t finish it all, so I looked around for someone to give it to…and then laughed when I remembered I was in the US and nobody would want my leftovers.  Oh what a different world we live in!

Of course, I still have to tell myself toilet paper gets flushed, not thrown away…gross but true!  All of you who had to do this on a short term trip can relate!  Mom says I’m in trouble if I forget!

It’s still hard to drink water from the faucet because that was avoided at all costs for almost a year.  I forgot one time, the day before I left the DR, and brushed my teeth with the sink water…you can bet I spit that out as soon as I realized what I had done! 

I was in the grocery store, which in itself was overwhelmingly awesome because of the abundance,  I joked at the meat department that I hadn’t seen that much fresh, refrigerated, edible meat in a LONG time.  And did I mention sour cream, sweet corn, and watermelon!  My mom asked me if I needed anything at the store and I just kind of stared at her dumbly because I’m not used to these options, so I just said nothing. 

Fast internet…enough said!

I got into my car for the first time, which represents freedom for me here.  I realized how much I took it for granted when I didn’t have a mode of transportation all the time.  And then I went to turn it on and nothing happened…the battery was completely dead.  I had to laugh because I felt like I was back in the DR again.  My dad told me to just go pick one up at the store…which would work if I had a vehicle…which made us laugh again.  When I actually did get to drive it, it was so weird to have a clutch that worked properly and gears that you didn’t have to slam into position!  Took me a little while to get used to the fact that I don’t have to fight with the car to drive it!  And gas isn’t around $6 a gallon here!  And I’m gonna be the first to predict that I’m probably going to get a ticket because I’m so used to unlimited speeds, driving the wrong way, and pretty much breaking every other law!

The hardest thing has been that I feel like I have two completely different lives and only a few people can truly understand this.  It’s a very weird situation to be in because when I’m in one world, I miss the things from the other, and vice versa.  I have tried to explain this to a few people, but no matter how hard someone tries, they just can’t comprehend until they live it.  The first two weeks, I got angry easily because the “petty” things of America really bugged me.  I was watching the news and people were talking about a tragic accident that a dog was in and how people gathered together and raised over a million dollars for this dog to have spinal surgery and wheels attached to its hind legs so that it could move again.  It just made me really, really sad to think of the families that I personally know and love in the DR that scrounge for their next meal and sometimes don’t find anything, yet this animal has everything is could ever need.  All of this being said, I just ask that you stop and think about the things you say to other people, because we never truly know where they’re coming from.  We don’t know the trials and joys they’ve gone through. 

I am truly happy to be back in the US though.  Hanging out with family and friends…I’ve missed it so much.  I haven’t made it to bed before midnight yet just because I’m always trying to enjoy every moment!  Working at the snowball stand that my sister and I now own has also kept me busy.  It was a huge relief to be able to come home and not worry about having a job and I get to work with my sister!  One day as I was working, I related my choice in snowballs to my Christian life.  Before owning the stand, I only ordered Cotton Candy.  I played it safe; I was comfortable with that choice and knew I would always be fine with it.  I didn’t want to waste my time and money on something that I wouldn’t be happy with.  Now, my eyes have been opened to Sour Cherry, Coconut Cream Pie, Peach Cobbler, Mango, Blueberry Muffin…man they’re SO good!  Before, I was a Christian; I played the role, but I was too afraid to try anything else, even if someone said I should get in to missions.  But, God told me to give it a try, to fully trust Him with my life.  When I did, it wasn’t easy; it wasn’t always fun, but I am so glad I followed the plan God had for me…the plan He STILL has for me.  I’m going back folks!  I definitely have mixed feelings about this decision, but God reconfirmed that, that is where He wants me.  I fought it in the beginning.  Wilkyns kept telling the kids about seeing me next year and I would quickly tell him to be quiet, that I didn’t want to get their hopes up.  Then Jen started in on me that I had to come back.  I probably knew for sure about three weeks before I left that I would be back, which made it easier to leave because I only had to tell people that I would see them later.  I didn’t enjoy thinking about the idea that I would have to tell my family and friends in the US.  Amber sent me a text while I was still in the DR asking if I had to worry about seeing this one creeper guy again so I tried to be creative and say that I’m sure I’ll see him eventually when I go back at some point.  She responded that I avoided her question and blatantly asked if I was going to go back to the DR.  My family assumed I would, but I didn’t want to tell them through texting or Facebook.  Some days are harder than others when I think about going back.  I look forward to it and I dread it all at the same time.  Which leads me to my prayer requests:

• We found out that Visa requirements have been changed, so I need to fill out a bunch of forms and pay a bunch of money so that I can legally stay in the DR for another year.  I was planning on going back in mid September, so I’m praying this paperwork doesn’t hold me up, but I’m thinking that I won’t get my paperwork done until the end of September at the earliest.
• That God provides the funds so that I can fly back and stay in the DR.
• For Wilkyns and his family as they continue to reach out to the community surrounding the school.
• For the Rineholts as they are sharing their heart for the DR along the east coast and that God will provide for them during this time.
• That my family and I will be able to enjoy the time we have together this summer.
• Because of Obama’s new healthcare system, I will be dropped from my mom’s insurance in December, and then I have to find affordable health insurance or risk the penalties, so please pray that a good option comes up!
• I’ve been thinking/praying a lot about reliable, safe transportation for when I return.  I will still have my motorcycle, but it isn’t always the safest option, especially when driving to and from school.  It would also be really helpful when teams, family, and friends visit, and also for the weekly surfer’s ministry at the beach where we take many of our community’s youth to learn how to surf.  Please pray for God’s wisdom in this situation.
• Hurricane Isaac just went through, and although we’ve heard from many of our friends, many people are still suffering from the overabundance of wind and water.
• I know there are many more that I am forgetting, but I’ll post them as I think of them! 

Lastly, THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me spiritually and monetarily, and to those who continuously offered words of encouragement and listened to my complaints.  God has truly blessed me by placing you in my life and I’m not sure what I would have done without your support.  If you would like any more information about what is going on in my life or in the DR, please let me know!  I love to talk about how God is working in my life and the projects in the DR!  Stay tuned for more updates…hopefully this time around I’ll be a little better at blogging!

Another Episode of my Strange Life!

These past three weeks have been very random but very encouraging. I love the variety, the ability to help people in so many ways, to use the abilities that God has given me. Here are a few things that stood out in my mind!

One thing many of my kids love to do is rub my arms and legs...I'm not really sure why...but recently, they started pointing out my blue veins, my freckles, my shaved legs, bruises...these things are all new to them...even many adults don't know the word for "bruise" because they can't see any with their skin color. Some were making fun of me for being as white as milk again after I returned from my trip to the US. Thankfully, my tan has returned! They also love to play with my hair...I rarely go home with the same hairdo as what I left the house with in the morning.

It really is the little things that make me love this place. Like when Sonia comes flying out the door of the school in the morning yelling my name and jumps onto me as I try to keep myself from falling. I can't help but wonder what is going to happen to my kids, regardless if I return or not. You can't help but love them, even if some of them do seem to make it their mission to drive me crazy! And then they start singing "all I need is you Lord" and you can't help but love them all over again!

We've started showing a lot more educational songs and the kids love them! They are very music-oriented and have caught onto these songs so quickly. They never cease to amaze me! Even when we are playing baseball or washing our hands, the simple acts of life, they try to throw in any English word they know...always makes me smile! Five of our kids are really excelling, so we've had to redo the class breakdown so that everyone can continue to learn at an appropriate pace.

I passed two girls that used to come to the school but were kicked out because of sporadic attendance. Both just seemed more desperate looking, hurt, dirtier, thinner. It hurts me to see them and wonder what I could have done to keep them in school. It hurts that they don't see that this could be their only opportunity to get out of the cycle of poverty in their family. I hate that I can't control everything, which again brings me back Proverbs 3:5-6. It's hard not to do my own thing but I'm giving that up over and over and over again.

One day I was standing outside and this older man tried hard to get my attention as he was driving by and was smiling as big as he could. I just thought he was another guy trying to get a visa because we hear that so often, so I gave a small smile and turned away. Later, he came back down the mountain smiling like a fool again and then he actually drove up to where I was standing and put out his hand. I must have made a weird face because he laughed a little and said his name was Freddy, and then all the pieces fell together. This was the man that Jen and I had been asked to talk to about Jesus. He had two motorcycle accidents and was left in a wheelchair, his leg muscles much smaller than they should have been. He also had a large dent in his head and needed surgery. We were also there to give him a walker, but he wasn't really strong enough at that time to use it. Jen and I shared the Word with him, without a translator, and to our amazement he accepted Christ! God does indeed work through us because we know we were incapable of presenting that information in Spanish, in a clear, understandable way. After all this came flooding back, I felt ashamed that I didn't remember him, but he was unfazed as I got excited that he was not only walking, but riding a motorcycle! God is good! It was nice to a result from my time here. It's easy to feel alone and that the work we're doing is not fruitful, but what I need to continually remember is that God is in control and once again I need to place my life in His hands.

One morning, I took Kylie down with me to go to school. We went to meet the guard and he wasn't there, so I went to his house and they said he had already left and should have been waiting for me. Wilkyns came and tried to call him but his phone went straight to voicemail. We started to drive to school until I got Wilkyns’ attention and said that I felt uncomfortable going in without the guard, so Kylie and I waited at a safe spot while Wilkyns went to check for him at the school, but he wasn't there either. I was having "flashbacks" to the last time something happened to the supervisor of our first guard. Many don't know this, but back in February, he was driving to the school to deliver the gun to our guard when three men jumped out and attacked him. They shot him in both knees and took his gun and then ran off when one of our student's mother started screaming for help. The surrounding community came together and got him to the hospital. This all took place only about 2 weeks after the guard was hired. This whole thing definitely threw me for a loop because they crossed a line that I never thought would be crossed. I questioned what would happen next? We canceled school Monday and Wilkyns brought an actual police officer for us to meet to be our new guard. I couldn't see how anyone would want to work for us, so I made sure he knew everything that happened. He said he understood, so we hired him and started school the next day. He meets us and follows us to and from the school every day. Thankfully, on this day, he was only fixing a flat tire and showed up at Wilkyns’ house when he was done. I can't say that I'm not afraid sometimes, but I can say that God has placed people in my path to comfort me and remind me of God's promises. This was one of the reasons I had put off buying a new motorcycle, but I realized I can't live life consumed by fear of the unknown.

Then, just this week, the guard didn’t show up again. We found out that his commanding officer told him to report to the local police station to deliver some information and he was held for almost three days without being told why. Then, he was told that he was being transferred to another town and couldn’t work for us. We continued going to school, but I left my bike at Wilkyns’ house just to be safe. Then, yesterday, he showed up to work and said that he was promoted and asked his boss if he can continue to work for us and his request was granted! God is good!

A couple from Maryland came down to stay with us for a week. While here, they had the chance to visit the school where they taught the kids how to make shirts and dresses out of pillowcases. It was a great opportunity for the kids to learn how to sew and to provide for themselves. That day, it rained and rained so hard that we couldn't hear each other talking in the school and we had to stay over an hour late for it to stop raining, since we all walk or rides motorcycles to go home. It rained the whole next day too, so we had to cancel school, our second rain day all year. Not too bad but it has been raining a lot more recently so hopefully we won't have to miss too many days.

We took a local seven year old boy and his grandmother to a local clinic because he suffers with extreme hernias, is extremely small for his age, yet he has oversized facial features, and he breathes heavily with his tongue hanging out and still cannot talk. The doctor there said he could have a heart problem and that needs to be fixed before anything else can be worked on. This boy is living with his grandmother and his three year old brother that appears to have the same condition. Their living conditions are extremely poor but the grandmother is trying her best with what little she has. The boys' parents won't take care of the boys because of their problems. Please pray for this family as we try to find a pediatric cardiologist and other doctors in the capital that can help.

We finally made it to the beach after at least 2-3 months...I think that's a sin when you live in the DR, so close to the beach! I'm definitely feeling the burn though :( Some new friends, missionaries in Haiti, came along with us. There were a few girls my age, so it was really nice to talk and laugh. That is one thing that I really miss down here. It's not that I don't have friends, but most of them are teenage boys that hang around the house. But it really makes me thankful for the true friends that God has placed in my life!

Some of the young guys that we’re friends with always tell me I need to do this and that to my bike to make it run better or to make it “cooler” so I let some work on it…and I love it! It runs so much faster and smoother. Wish I would have done that one my last bike! Now, our neighbor is asking me to teach her how to drive! I think I started a trend because there are so many more women driving motorcycles now!

We’ve been having problems with someone stealing our water. Our 800 gallon tank has been emptied at least twice by someone, so we finally installed locks on the top….and then water was still missing. We think someone siphoned it out. It’s not always easy to out-think people that have grown up being creative with what little they have. So now we’re going to fill that hole and drill small holes (too small for a hose). And then we wait and see! The water has definitely been a huge blessing though. It’s hard to believe we lasted so long without it!

Four Dominicans are currently parging the walls at the school! We had to move everything to the center of the building and then we’ve been having class outside…not exactly easy with so many distractions, but I’m very thankful for the improvements that seem to be taking place so fast! Next they are working on the floor so that we don’t have so much concrete breaking up and it won’t be so dirty all the time! More improvements will be done the end of this month when another team comes from Mississippi!

On Saturday nights, we have a Bible study for young adults out on our back patio. The first time we had fifteen kids and it has rapidly grown! Shawn gives a lesson, and then we serve some kind of food, and then sometimes show a movie. I love that we can reach out to our own community!

Sunday, we took two vehicles of local kids to La Cienaga for a Bible study (in the rain, during a Papa rally (for a presidential candidate)). Then we went to Baharouco to teach them how to surf. We now have two foam lesson boards that we took with us. A few of the kids managed to partly stand! Some of the local surfers came and helped us teach the kids! They were so excited to be a part of this! Kids are already asking if we’re going again this week! I can’t wait to see how God uses these outreaches!

We only have about 30 days of school left. It's hard to believe that my time here is almost up, which I have mixed emotions about. Part of me can't stand the thought of leaving behind my kids and my friends, but the other part of me can't wait to get home to my family and friends, and my new business with my sister! Please keep praying for us as we make large decisions about the next school year. So many factors come into play like new students, how to teach, who's teaching, etc. A tentative date of June 19th is when I may possibly be coming home. It's going to be weird (good and bad) transitioning back to the luxuries of the US. Sometimes the lack of money and material items here has been a blessing because I have relied on God more than I ever have in my life. At home it can be way too easy to think I'm making it on my own. Keep this in your prayers also! As we are getting busier every day, continue to pray that we stay in God’s will for our lives. So many things are happening and it can be very easy to forget Who is in charge of every little detail!

Thanks again for everything. I am so grateful God has placed you in my life because your support has meant the world to me!

Water, Power, AND Security, Oh My :)

These three words aren’t something that I expected during my time teaching in the DR, but once again, God goes above and beyond what I imagined, which only makes me excited for what He has in store next!

Two weeks ago, four guys from Mt. Vernon Church in Mississippi (the same church that built the walls and foundation for the school) came to update the school a bit!  They were a huge blessing to us and the kids at the school.

                                 

We dug ditches to run pipe for water to flow to a faucet and the bathroom!

A lot of our kids came out to help in any way possible…you wouldn’t find many kids in the US willing to work as hard as these kids did!  We dug a foundation and laid footers for an 800 gallon water tank.

Some of our finished products!  WATER AND ELECTRIC!!!

Two light bulbs and water never looked so good!  Right now, the electric only works when connected to a generator.  We’re eventually hoping to put in solar panels since there isn’t a reliable power source near the school.

A real bookshelf…it’s the little things :) My girls about bowled me over trying to get into position to take this picture!

          Security system……………running water…………………..steps!!!!!!

I finally got my bike replaced!  It feels good to be “independent” again!  Still amazes me how God provides!  Jen and I think we need to put video cameras on my bike to record the crazy things we see every time we drive around…keeps things interesting for sure!  The cups above are filled with sweet beans, an Easter treat that everyone prepares.  There are beans, raisins, a potato-like vegetable, coconut, cinnamon, crackers, etc.  Sounds like an odd combination, but it was really good!

This past week, we resumed normal classes.  It was nice to get back into the routine of things.  Two of my girls can actually say the entire alphabet in English without even looking at anything!  I was shocked when they did it the first time because I hadn’t even been stressing the memorization in order…I just wanted them to be able to recognize the letters!  I was SO proud of them!

I was driving to school Wednesday morning and it started pouring down rain…in less than a minute, I was completely soaked through.  Needless to say, I headed home and we had our second rain day.  The Dominicans looked at me like I was crazy for driving through the rain, but I figured I could only get so wet and just wanted to get home! 

Yesterday we rode through part of a Danilo rally (a candidate for the presidential election).  The people ride through the streets on their motorcycles, scooters, and other vehicles with all of their Danilo hats, shirts, flags, etc. and yell and honk.  It was a sight to see for sure!  We were able to get three flags, a hat, and a poster!  Definitely an experience!

Our inverter has been giving us problems lately, and when we came home last night we had no power at all, even when everyone else around us had power…so of course we tapped into our neighbor’s power (with their permission) so that we could have fans at night!  Thankfully it’s now “fixed” and hopefully it stays that way!

Our crazy cords running all the essentials…like the coffee maker!

Well that’s all I can think of for now…stay tuned for the next crazy adventures!