Gracias a Dios!

Well, I have been here for more than two months now and there are so many things I can praise God for.

1. “Cooler” weather has finally come and it has been glorious!!! I no longer feel like I am sweating constantly and this makes it much easier to teach my classes and also improves the concentration of my students during class. It is definitely not cold here, but it is a refreshing change and oftentimes, I get to enjoy a cool breeze since my classes meet outside under a tent.

2. I feel a little bit more prepared with my classes and now have a better understanding of what my students need. Also, I am really enjoying the tutoring sessions. It gives me a chance to work with the students one on one and we are able to converse more and do more interactive activities.

3. The power hasn’t gone off too much recently!

4. The Lord has kept me safe through everything.

5. I have been able to enjoy times with friends. This past weekend, we were able to go to the first opening baseball game in San Pedro and got to cheer on Las Estrellas (The Stars) to victory!

 

At the baseball game

6. My ipod is working!!! A couple weeks ago, I went to wash my sheets and accidently scooped up my ipod in them. I had filled the washer and had just turned it on when I heard a noise and instantly knew what it was. I quickly retrieved it and threw it in a bag filled with rice. I had no hope of it ever working again, since it was probably in the water for a good 5 minutes. But praise the Lord, He literally performed a miracle. I went to turn it on 5 days later, to check, not really thinking it would work, but it did and there is hardly any damage to it!!! It truly is a blessing from God because many times I use my ipod to look up words in Spanish that I don’t know to better help my students and to also call my family back home.

7. I live right across from the school, so I get to sleep in extra late in the morning. Also, if I am running late, I don’t have to worry about getting a motorcycle taxi, I just walk across the street! It is also nice with tutoring because it is so much more convenient and I don’t have to spend money to get a ride to the school and I get hungry during my break, I can just walk over to my house to grab a snack!

God is so good, every day, even when I fail Him and I can’t help but praise Him for all He has done and how He has given me the strength to get through every day. 

Some things you may not know about the DR:

1. There are little convenience stores called colmados everywhere within the town of San Pedro and people use them to get basic supplies and water. Since the water is not safe to drink here, colmados sell 5 gallon jugs of water for about 50 pesos a piece (a little bit more than a dollar). So when you need some water, eggs, rice, coke, or whatever other little thing you need, you can call up your local colmado and they will deliver it to you for free of charge!

2. Taking a motocycle taxi is a common form of transportation. All you have to do is find a motoconcho (usually by a corner) and then tell them where you need to go in town and they will take you there. Depending on where you are going, it only costs between 30 to 50 pesos for the trip.  It is also not that uncommon to see 3 or 4 people on the same motorcycle.

3. Hissing is a common way to get someone’s attention, so oftentimes if you are walking somewhere motoconchos (motorcycle drivers) will hiss to get your attention and ask you if you need a ride.

4. Change is super important around here. In the DR, change is like gold. If you have too big of bills, people won’t accept your money and will just ask if you have something smaller. For example, the motoconchos rarely have change for anything bigger than 100 pesos (which is about $2.50) and you will have to ask before getting on the motorcycle if they can make change or not.  But if you are lucky, they will drive to a spot where they will break the change for you. I am constantly finding myself checking my coins and scrounging up all the small change I can find and if I don’t have any change, I will often have to go to Jumbo and buy something so I can break my money.

5. Power outages don’t stop us!! Several times at church the power has gone out, but no one really stops during the service. Even if it is pitch black, the church service continues on and we keep singing our songs or the pastor continues to preach until the generator is turned on and begins to work.

6. When it rains, it usually doesn’t last very long and Dominicans will often just wait out the rain. But if it does continue to rain, many of them will just stay in their houses if there is nowhere that they need to be. Also, during the rainy season it is always important to keep your umbrella with you, cause you never know when it might start raining and for how long.

7. It is hot around here a lot, which you probably knew, but because it is so hot it is not uncommon to see women using umbrellas when they’re walking to keep the sun off them and provide some relieve. Umbrellas are not just useful for when it is raining!

 

One Month Down

            I have been here over a month and yet each day is always different and full of surprises. Slowly, but surely, I have gotten into my school routine and am starting to get to know my students a little bit better. I am excited to get to work with them each day in small groups, but also nervous about successfully helping them improve in their English.  When I arrived, I soon found out that I would no longer be doing advanced English classes.  Instead, I would be working with students in grades 2^nd all the way up to 8^th who were struggling with English. This was a big change for me and I was unsure of how well I could do the job since I am still working on my Spanish. But I am doing it, with the Lord’s help, and little by little I am seeing improvements in my students!

            So far this new year has been challenging in many different ways, from the different struggles at school to apartment problems. But I feel that the Lord is trying to teach me how to be content wherever I am, no matter what issues I face. It is so easy to be content when everything is going well and perfect and life seems easy, but throw no electricity in your bedrooms and bathrooms for a week or no water for two days and it becomes a lot harder to be content. But then I remember all the lovely people who are supporting me and encouraging me to serve here in the DR and I realize how self-centered I am being. I don’t really deserve anything, yet the Lord has showered me with so many blessings. I have recently been encouraged by the amount of people who have sacrificed to support me here. It has been just amazing to see how in such a short amount of time, the Lord has allowed me to raise my funds to come serve in the Dominican and it is a reminder for me that this is where the Lord has called me to serve at this time. Not only that, but the Lord has surrounded me with godly people who are challenging me to be better in my walk with Christ and have been so supportive and encouraging. I am truly blessed here and I am excited to see how the Lord will be working in the coming months. 

Shopping along the Conde!

First Week

I made it safely to the Dominican Republic and I didn’t have any problems while traveling! I was even able to keep both of my bags under 50 pounds! Thank you everyone for your prayers.  My new apartment is super nice (it has hot water and a washing machine) and so far the power has only gone out twice since I have been back! My roommates, Melissa and Suzanne, are really sweet and I am excited to be living with them this year. They are both teachers at the school as well. I also am definitely enjoying my new (much bigger) bedroom and am so thankful for the new bed I was able to get, along with a dresser and a mirror!

 On Sunday I was able to go to church at Iglesia Bautista Evangelica de Macoris (IBEM) and reconnect with my friends and fellow missionaries. I even got to see some of my old students! This morning we had our first in-service and it was exciting to see everyone again and reconnect as we started to prep for the new school year. Alli, the school’s director, lead our devotions and reminded us on the importance of taking time in the morning for personal devotions and preparing our hearts as we seek to serve God through our teaching. She reminded us that we cannot do our jobs in our own strength, but only with God can we effectively reach our students. I also found out this morning that I will be working with students that are struggling in English, rather than teaching advanced English because there is a greater need at the school in this area. I am super excited and am looking forward to meeting my new students I will be working with.

Summer Update

            Summer has just flown by and it is hard to believe that in less than 3 weeks I will be heading back to the DR! I am super excited and cannot wait to go back! For those who may have not heard what I am doing this fall, I will be working at a bilingual Christian school called Las Palmas located in San Pedro de Macoris (about an hour from the capital, Santo Domingo). The school is a ministry of the local church, Iglesia Bautista Evangelica de Macoris (IBEM) and the school’s mission is to reach local students with the gospel of Christ, as well as their families, by providing quality Christian education. The school has gained a reputation for quality English instruction due to the American missionary teachers working alongside of local Dominican teachers and I am very excited to be a part of the team! This fall, I will be teaching advanced English classes for students in grades 1^st through 4^th, as well as providing some English tutoring. It will be a fun experience for me because I will be able to work with some of the same students I worked with last school year, as well as, having the opportunity to work with some new students.

            This fall, I will be moving into an apartment directly across from the school, which will be a huge blessing! It will help cut down on the costs of having to pay for a motorcycle taxi to and from school every day and also give me 10 more minutes to sleep in, woo hoo! I will be living with two other girls, Suzanne and Melissa, along with Suzanne’s pet cat Strawberry. They will also be working at the school this fall. The apartment even has a washing machine and hot water, so I am super excited! But the thing I am the most excited about is getting able to reconnect with the whole ministry team from IBEM and my fellow teachers at Las Palmas. Less than 3 weeks!

Please be praying for me as I start to prep for my return. It has been amazing to see how the Lord has been providing for me and I am excited to say that my support has passed the 50% mark in just a short amount of time. I am so thankful for all the support I have received and I am trusting God to supply for the rest of my needs.