... since I last gave some sort of blog update. Life here in the D.R. has been great over the last few weeks. I went through a couple of really rough weeks where culture shock set in, largely due to the accident that I saw with the motorcycle and the dog, as wierd as that may sound (see past post if you don't know about "the accident..."). I didn't want to leave our house at night after school and I would literally run if we were going into town and I saw a street dog anywhere near the road. It was bad for a few weeks... Over the last few weeks I have truly felt at peace about being here, which I think Laura has been incredibly thankful for. She was a bit concerned with my lack of drive during the culture shock period. We continue to settle into our life here by decorating around our house and actually making it feel like a house instead of a temporary shelter. We have also been able to cultivate a number of new friendships over the past few months, which has made life adjustments far easier. Studying Spanish has also become a priority once again, since we have finally been able to find a replacement teacher, and we have had a greater drive to communicate with those around us who solely speak Spanish. Laura continues to be far better at Spanish than I do, but I consider myself having come far since we got here. It still feels like we have a long way to go (which we do!), but we have made amazing progress over the past few months.
We have also added another member to our family with the recent addition of a puppy. Laura found her at the school and within an hour she was in our home and adjusting to life in our house instead of the streets. Her name is Holly and she has been a joy to have around. She is quite the cuddler and loves to sit on our laps as we do school work or other things at the computer. It is amazing how much joy an animal can bring into your life. Her name is Holly because she came to us during the holiday season, so we figured it was a fitting name.
Work has been far more enjoyable lately. The constant frustrations with not having a printer, copier, or paper at times, is something that I have gotten use to. I have come to realize the limitations that the school has and I feel more comfortable with not having everything I "need" all the time. I have appreciated the relationships that I have developed with the kids over the last few months. I feel as though the kids see me as a person that they should respect as a teacher and person, but also as someone who they can talk to outside of class. I still do wish that I had more time to spend with students outside of a classroom setting, but I am content with what I am able to do at this point in the school year.
We have been blessed recently by the generosity of a few individuals and groups. Toth Sports, and specifically Rusty Knight (a friend from college), donated a dozen new soccer balls, coaching supplies, and two children's soccer goals. The teams that Laura and I coach have loved the new supplies, as we were done to only two soccer balls for as many as 20 kids. Our home church, Waite Park Wesleyan, has also shown great generosity in including us JCS in their annual Christmas offering. They will be donating money to several projects at the school, including replacing light fixtures and buying a new printer for the usage of the staff at the school. Thank you to all who have given to us financially and who continue to support us through your prayers...
We have a shortened school week this upcoming week, with two half days, and then we officially begin our Christmas break. Laura's family will be arriving on December 21st and we are excited to see people from home once again. We miss many of you and look forward to seeing you again. My dad will also be visiting next month for over a week, which we are really looking forward to.
Drop us a note or feel free to call...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Adventures to the City...
The last few weeks have been full of action and adventure. Two weeks ago Laura and I travelled with some friends (Christina, her 3-year old daughter Julia, and Greibys) who work at the other Christian school in town. Christina decided that it would be fun to go to Playa Dorada, a sort of resort town on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, where she also had a friend who worked in a resort there. It was another beautiful beach, with palm trees lining the landscape, clear water, and a blue sky throughout the day. It was incredibly relaxing and a great break from the "small-town" life in Jarabacoa. I did manage to finish a book I had been working on over the weeks proceeding the trip (Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller), so the day was a fairly productive one :) We even got a sneak peak into one of the all-inclusive resorts from a friend of Christina's who is an assistant manager at the resort. It was some of the most glamorous decoration that I have seen since being here in the D.R., which definitely told me that it was mostly for foreigners. It was a relaxing day to spend with friends and a great way to get to know some people better here in the D.R.
The next day we travelled to Santo Domingo as a sort of "birthday trip," for my birthday, with Robert and Alida. They took us all around Santo Domingo for the day and we were able to see many of the famous sights throughout the city. Santo Domingo is actually the oldest city in the New World, as it was the first place where Columbus ("Colon") landed in the New World. We visited the Colonial District, which contains buildings that are around 500 years old, including the oldest Cathedral and fort in the New World. I was amazed at how underdeveloped many of these sights were. In the U.S. we would have thrown fake guards and people in re-enactment clothing all around this area but we saw none of this the whole day. We paid around $1 U.S. to a guy in a Nike t-shirt to go into the oldest fort in the New World. The whole thing just struck me as odd... but anyways... We also went to the sight where Columbus is believed to have been buried, which is now an enormous rock structure that was commissioned by a former president. The building is quite impressive, but wear is starting to show only a quarter of century after it was built largely because of a lack of funding. We also went to the Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, which were quite impressive considering they are right in the middle of a booming city area. The Japanese garden section was the most impressive of all the areas. There are plenty of pictures of this area at our Picasa picture website so check them out. We ended our day by traveling to Tres Ojos, which is a series of underwater lakes in Santo Domingo. The water of these lakes was some of the clearest water that I had ever seen and it was teeming with fish and turtles. Laura especially found a liking to all the turtles in the water. The day was a great way to see the many important and talked about sights in the Dominican Republic. Many Dominicans that live here have not seen as much as we saw in a day... What an experience...
The next day we travelled to Santo Domingo as a sort of "birthday trip," for my birthday, with Robert and Alida. They took us all around Santo Domingo for the day and we were able to see many of the famous sights throughout the city. Santo Domingo is actually the oldest city in the New World, as it was the first place where Columbus ("Colon") landed in the New World. We visited the Colonial District, which contains buildings that are around 500 years old, including the oldest Cathedral and fort in the New World. I was amazed at how underdeveloped many of these sights were. In the U.S. we would have thrown fake guards and people in re-enactment clothing all around this area but we saw none of this the whole day. We paid around $1 U.S. to a guy in a Nike t-shirt to go into the oldest fort in the New World. The whole thing just struck me as odd... but anyways... We also went to the sight where Columbus is believed to have been buried, which is now an enormous rock structure that was commissioned by a former president. The building is quite impressive, but wear is starting to show only a quarter of century after it was built largely because of a lack of funding. We also went to the Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, which were quite impressive considering they are right in the middle of a booming city area. The Japanese garden section was the most impressive of all the areas. There are plenty of pictures of this area at our Picasa picture website so check them out. We ended our day by traveling to Tres Ojos, which is a series of underwater lakes in Santo Domingo. The water of these lakes was some of the clearest water that I had ever seen and it was teeming with fish and turtles. Laura especially found a liking to all the turtles in the water. The day was a great way to see the many important and talked about sights in the Dominican Republic. Many Dominicans that live here have not seen as much as we saw in a day... What an experience...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Continuing to develop relationships...
This past Monday was officially the last day of the first quarter of school. It is still hard to believe that the time has gone past so quickly. Our grades were officially due by Saturday but I was able to complete and submit all of my grades by Monday, which made this week a lot easier for me! Laura was able to finish most of her grades early, so neither one of us had to fight any other teachers on Friday for computers (which there are only three of in the school for teacher usage). Report cards are officially handed out this week, so pray that kids who performed well would be encouraged and that those who didn't perform well would be optimistic about what they can do throughout the next quarter. We will also be having parent-teacher conferences throughout this week, so pray that we would be able to properly communicate with parents and students.
We were able to spend a great deal of time with a number of people throughout this week. Since we have move here to the D.R. we have had dinner on almost every Tuesday night with Daniel and Teresa Peterson (the director of JCS and his wife), along with their little boy Jeremiah. This week we had another couple join us and it was great! Jake and Kyla, who I spoke of a few weeks ago, joined us for our Tuesday night dinner and it was great to have several young married couples together for dinner. We even got to play some "nerdy" board games after dinner because Jake is a huge fan of many of the games we brought down here from the states. Jake and Kyla also shared with us that they are expecting a little one in the near future, which they are incredibly excited about!
On Thursday we spent dinner with the couple, Juana and Ramon, who we are currently renting our apartment from. They have been an absolute blessing to us since we have moved here and we always love getting together with them because they only speak Spanish which forces us to have to use our Spanish. Ramon is quite a master with chicken and for dinner he spent 4 hours slow cooking several whole chickens for us (necks, feet, and all!).
I had my first roasted chicken neck, which wasn't bad but the spinal cord is something I am not use to eating around! They make us a ton of fooding including "Dominican potato salad" which has beets, and potatoes in it, and also boiled yuca, which is a type of root that tastes very similar to a boiled potato in the U.S. Below is a picture of Juana and Ramon...
The chicken was so good! We were also able to spend some time with another middle aged couple that is currently living with Juana and Ramon, whose names are Milagros and Augustine. We may actually start working with Augustine on our Spanish and we may be teaching him English as well (a clean swap, which we need because we lost our Spanish teacher this past week... she is simply too busy with two young kids, which we completely understand).
We also had Robert and Alida over for dinner on Friday night. We have spent a great deal of time at their house watching sports the past few weeks, so we figured that it would be nice to invite them over to our house. I cooked tostadas for them, which is becoming the meal that we cook for new dinner guests. We spent some time getting to know how they came to know one another and they have a sweet story about how they developed there relationship over the years with one living in the U.S. and one of them living here in the D.R. At the end of our dinner date with Robert and Alida, I was invited to go golfing with him in the morning (Who knew there was a golf course here!).
We'll just say that it has been a while since I last golfed, and you could tell! It was a beautiful day, in the upper 80s with a slight breeze, so it was perfect for walking 9 holes. I managed to shoot par on the 9th hole which is about all I will admit to scoring on any of the holes throughout the day. It was a blast to simply be out on such a peaceful course where we saw only 3 other golfers in the 3 hours that we spent there. You can check out the pictures on our picasa website...
We were able to spend a great deal of time with a number of people throughout this week. Since we have move here to the D.R. we have had dinner on almost every Tuesday night with Daniel and Teresa Peterson (the director of JCS and his wife), along with their little boy Jeremiah. This week we had another couple join us and it was great! Jake and Kyla, who I spoke of a few weeks ago, joined us for our Tuesday night dinner and it was great to have several young married couples together for dinner. We even got to play some "nerdy" board games after dinner because Jake is a huge fan of many of the games we brought down here from the states. Jake and Kyla also shared with us that they are expecting a little one in the near future, which they are incredibly excited about!
On Thursday we spent dinner with the couple, Juana and Ramon, who we are currently renting our apartment from. They have been an absolute blessing to us since we have moved here and we always love getting together with them because they only speak Spanish which forces us to have to use our Spanish. Ramon is quite a master with chicken and for dinner he spent 4 hours slow cooking several whole chickens for us (necks, feet, and all!).
I had my first roasted chicken neck, which wasn't bad but the spinal cord is something I am not use to eating around! They make us a ton of fooding including "Dominican potato salad" which has beets, and potatoes in it, and also boiled yuca, which is a type of root that tastes very similar to a boiled potato in the U.S. Below is a picture of Juana and Ramon...
The chicken was so good! We were also able to spend some time with another middle aged couple that is currently living with Juana and Ramon, whose names are Milagros and Augustine. We may actually start working with Augustine on our Spanish and we may be teaching him English as well (a clean swap, which we need because we lost our Spanish teacher this past week... she is simply too busy with two young kids, which we completely understand).
We also had Robert and Alida over for dinner on Friday night. We have spent a great deal of time at their house watching sports the past few weeks, so we figured that it would be nice to invite them over to our house. I cooked tostadas for them, which is becoming the meal that we cook for new dinner guests. We spent some time getting to know how they came to know one another and they have a sweet story about how they developed there relationship over the years with one living in the U.S. and one of them living here in the D.R. At the end of our dinner date with Robert and Alida, I was invited to go golfing with him in the morning (Who knew there was a golf course here!).
We'll just say that it has been a while since I last golfed, and you could tell! It was a beautiful day, in the upper 80s with a slight breeze, so it was perfect for walking 9 holes. I managed to shoot par on the 9th hole which is about all I will admit to scoring on any of the holes throughout the day. It was a blast to simply be out on such a peaceful course where we saw only 3 other golfers in the 3 hours that we spent there. You can check out the pictures on our picasa website...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The end of the first quarter
It is hard to believe that we have been teaching at the school for 10 weeks now (not counting teacher training). Laura and I have been reflecting on how we have grown as teachers and people over the last quarter and we are excited for a "new start" with the new quarter. Laura has been noticing over the last few weeks that as a fifth grade teacher she is in charge of teaching content, but possibly the most important part of her job is teaching the kids life skills that they will take with them throughout their lives. This week will be full of preparing final grades and even a day of teacher training, so it should fly past. Thank you to all who have been praying for us, your prayers have definitely been effective...
We have had another great weekend with friends here in the D.R. We had several of the other American teachers over for dinner on Friday night and shared a great deal about the things we have been thankful for over the last quarter of school. I shared that I have been thankful for the 6th graders, for their continual obedience, hard work, and respect throughout the first quarter, they are a class that I look forward to being with each day. I also shared how thankful I have been for the younger kids at the school. Since beginning to coach soccer for the 1st through 3rd graders, I have been able to interact with a number of the kids who I don't teach throughout the day. During break I have been regularly receiving hugs from the kids that I coach, and though I don't need constant recognition to keep going throughout the day, each little hug and display of affection is encouraging to me. Laura was reflecting on her thankfulness for a new start with the coming of the new semester, as she has been able to change the classroom around and implement some new ideas in her classroom, which has all been afforded to her because of the upcoming semester. Laura was also able to share with the group how much Brooke, a fellow teacher, has challenged Laura to become a better teacher through new strategies and insights that Brooke has offered to her. Many of you know that it is easy to talk about the negatives of the workplace when you get together with colleagues, but we were able to focus mostly on the things that we have been blessed and positively challenged by throughout the first quarter.
We have also made new friends with our neighbors across the street from us. A few weeks ago Laura and I were invited to the unveiling of a new business venture in Jarabacoa and we decided to go to simply meet some new people. At this "unveiling" we were able to meet Robert and Alida, the couple who are starting this new motorcycle tourism business. Over the past few weeks we have spent a great deal of time with Robert and Alida. Robert has an international football package and a video projector, so we have been able to watch some football at their house (which I will be doing this afternoon!), which has been a good dose of home for even Laura. Last night we watched the Red Sox pulled even in their series with the Rays, which was great to see! Robert has been coming to the D.R. for a number of years (he is 56 years old), and his wife was born and raised here in the D.R., so they are a fun couple who come from very different cultural backgrounds and they have only been married for around 6 months (which is how long they have been living in Jarabacoa). We went to Santiago (40 minute drive north) with them last Saturday and had our first big Dominican family meal since we have been here. Worth noting also is the fact that they have two awesome dogs, with the one being a 6-month old great dane (makes me want a great dane some day!).
I think that the most exciting news of the week is that Laura took part in her first art exhibition this weekend (you can see the pictures on our Picasa website). It is actually a "benefit" exhibit for the local eco-tourism organization in Jarabacoa, and the theme was "mountain birds." Last night was the unveiling of the exhibit that will be open for the next few weeks, and half of the proceeds . It was an incredibly fun social event and allowed us to see a number of Dominicans that we have been able to meet since being down here. Jarabacoa is a fairly small town (around 20,000 people), so there were a number of people who we recognized from our travels around town. Americans "stick out like sore thumbs" here in Jarabacoa so it has been good for us to go to the social events of the town, because it shows people that we really care about the town and that we aren't afraid to meet others even though language is a barrier at times. One of Laura's paintings was even placed at the top of the stairs leading to the exhibit, so it was the first painting that people saw as they walked in! It is experiences like this that have been making Jarabacoa feel more like home every week that we have been living here.
In addition to grading this week we are looking forward to having the 5th graders over on Thursday night, and we will be having dinner with another American family that we met a few weeks ago while visiting the restaurant that they own. And by the way, GO BILLS AND RED SOX!
We have had another great weekend with friends here in the D.R. We had several of the other American teachers over for dinner on Friday night and shared a great deal about the things we have been thankful for over the last quarter of school. I shared that I have been thankful for the 6th graders, for their continual obedience, hard work, and respect throughout the first quarter, they are a class that I look forward to being with each day. I also shared how thankful I have been for the younger kids at the school. Since beginning to coach soccer for the 1st through 3rd graders, I have been able to interact with a number of the kids who I don't teach throughout the day. During break I have been regularly receiving hugs from the kids that I coach, and though I don't need constant recognition to keep going throughout the day, each little hug and display of affection is encouraging to me. Laura was reflecting on her thankfulness for a new start with the coming of the new semester, as she has been able to change the classroom around and implement some new ideas in her classroom, which has all been afforded to her because of the upcoming semester. Laura was also able to share with the group how much Brooke, a fellow teacher, has challenged Laura to become a better teacher through new strategies and insights that Brooke has offered to her. Many of you know that it is easy to talk about the negatives of the workplace when you get together with colleagues, but we were able to focus mostly on the things that we have been blessed and positively challenged by throughout the first quarter.
We have also made new friends with our neighbors across the street from us. A few weeks ago Laura and I were invited to the unveiling of a new business venture in Jarabacoa and we decided to go to simply meet some new people. At this "unveiling" we were able to meet Robert and Alida, the couple who are starting this new motorcycle tourism business. Over the past few weeks we have spent a great deal of time with Robert and Alida. Robert has an international football package and a video projector, so we have been able to watch some football at their house (which I will be doing this afternoon!), which has been a good dose of home for even Laura. Last night we watched the Red Sox pulled even in their series with the Rays, which was great to see! Robert has been coming to the D.R. for a number of years (he is 56 years old), and his wife was born and raised here in the D.R., so they are a fun couple who come from very different cultural backgrounds and they have only been married for around 6 months (which is how long they have been living in Jarabacoa). We went to Santiago (40 minute drive north) with them last Saturday and had our first big Dominican family meal since we have been here. Worth noting also is the fact that they have two awesome dogs, with the one being a 6-month old great dane (makes me want a great dane some day!).
I think that the most exciting news of the week is that Laura took part in her first art exhibition this weekend (you can see the pictures on our Picasa website). It is actually a "benefit" exhibit for the local eco-tourism organization in Jarabacoa, and the theme was "mountain birds." Last night was the unveiling of the exhibit that will be open for the next few weeks, and half of the proceeds . It was an incredibly fun social event and allowed us to see a number of Dominicans that we have been able to meet since being down here. Jarabacoa is a fairly small town (around 20,000 people), so there were a number of people who we recognized from our travels around town. Americans "stick out like sore thumbs" here in Jarabacoa so it has been good for us to go to the social events of the town, because it shows people that we really care about the town and that we aren't afraid to meet others even though language is a barrier at times. One of Laura's paintings was even placed at the top of the stairs leading to the exhibit, so it was the first painting that people saw as they walked in! It is experiences like this that have been making Jarabacoa feel more like home every week that we have been living here.
In addition to grading this week we are looking forward to having the 5th graders over on Thursday night, and we will be having dinner with another American family that we met a few weeks ago while visiting the restaurant that they own. And by the way, GO BILLS AND RED SOX!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
An eventful 24 hours...
Every Friday I coach a team of around 20 kids ranging from 1st to 3rd grade without any assistants and this has been quite an adventure to say the least. I have found that the older kids want to just play "bunch-ball soccer," while the rest just want to do something active. The biggest problems comes with the kids actually listening (I can't blame them though! They are little kids!) to me when I try to tell them what we are going to do next, I have a blast with them but have lately been feeling that the older kids are growing impatient with having to deal with all of the little kids. Keep this situation in prayer, that God would provide someone to help me with the kids and that the kids would have fun no matter what happens in practice.
After ending practice and getting home around 4:30, Laura and I got ready for the 6th graders to invade our house for most of the night. We ended up having a blast with them (as you can see from the pics on our Picasa website)! I found a bunch of silly games for us to do throughout the night and they loved them! The biggest hit happened to be the "Cucumber Slide" where you cut a cucumber into slices and you race someone to see who can move the slice of cucumber down to the opposite side of the table first. The catch is that you can only use your nose to move the cucumber down the table! The kids got a big laugh out of the game, especially when Laura and I raced one another (and I won!). These parties have been amazing for connecting with students. This is the third class that we have had over to our house, as we have hosted the 7th graders and the 12th graders at other previous times. I especially enjoy it as a Bible teacher because these kids get a chance to see me in and out of class, hopefully being challenged by the way that Laura and I treat each other with Godly love and respect at home.
So now comes the not so bright and happy story about the last 24 hours, I have to admit at this time that those of you who have a hard time hearing about cruelty to animals should probably not read the following section.
Before I get into this story I have to provide a bit of background. People simply do not treat animals with the same about of love and care as they do in the states. Whether they are cats or dogs, they are often seen as more of an annoyance than they are seen as beautiful animals. People often toss rocks at animals, throw them in the river to drown (especially females puppies because they are more expensive to care for), or simply beat them constantly. It is a sad reality here in the D.R., but I can regularly hear people beating their animals throughout the day. With this said, animals do often cause serious issues here in the D.R.. With such a strong number of strays, they are regularly causing accidents (with many of them causing the death of the animal and the driver) and they eat other people's sources of food (chickens, etc.). It is nothing like the animals that simply run around in the states, you can count on seeing stray animals most everywhere you go.
With that said... I had the duty of proctoring Saturday school this morning, which is for students who have had two or more late homework assignments throughout the course of the week. Once I had gathered my supplies for the day (my teaching manuals and papers to grade), I quickly ran out of the door and headed toward school, and as I stepped out of the door, I witnessed my first animal/ motorcycle accident since being here in the D.R.. We live at the corner of an intersection that has a number of "blind" spots, as there are a number of high walls around most of the corners. A dog (a rare one with tags around his neck, which immediately showed that this was no stray) strutted out into the intersection when all of a sudden a guy on a motorcycle came flying threw the intersection, hitting the dog and flying off of his bike. The dog was alive but in a great deal of pain (definitely something was broken) and the guy was actually able to get up (it looked like a broken arm) and pick his motorcycle off of the ground. This is where the story turns as has left a terrible image in my mind throughout the day. The motorcycle rider, who was obviously going too fast in the first place, grabbed the PVC pipe from a young boy who was headed to work and decided to see in everything was alright, and the motorcycle rider began to beat the dog with the pipe, not killing it but further injuring a dog that was in far worse shape than the motorcycle rider had been. I have to admit that I have ever experienced such cruelty to animals in my very short life, but the images from this morning have been racing through my mind throughout the day. The hatred that the man had in his eyes toward that dog is like no other hatred I have ever seen a person have against a defense-less animal. After beating the dog several times the motorcycle rider simply grab his bike, with his one hand, and began to walk up the street, leaving the dog to struggle half way down the street eventually laying on a grassy part of the curb right off of the road. Some of you may be thinking, "Why didn't you do anything?" and I can only answer that I was honestly scared, scared for the life of the dog and the motorcycle rider but most of all scared by the hatred of this man who beat a severely injured dog. The story doesn't end with the dog simply dying, but actually with co-worker noticing the dog and contacting the owner who rushed the dog to the local vet. I am not sure what happened to the dog, but it was a messed up situation, and one that I hope I won't have to witness being done to a human or a dog. It was one of few moments in my life where I have seen true anger flowing from the depths of a person... Sin is not pretty...
After ending practice and getting home around 4:30, Laura and I got ready for the 6th graders to invade our house for most of the night. We ended up having a blast with them (as you can see from the pics on our Picasa website)! I found a bunch of silly games for us to do throughout the night and they loved them! The biggest hit happened to be the "Cucumber Slide" where you cut a cucumber into slices and you race someone to see who can move the slice of cucumber down to the opposite side of the table first. The catch is that you can only use your nose to move the cucumber down the table! The kids got a big laugh out of the game, especially when Laura and I raced one another (and I won!). These parties have been amazing for connecting with students. This is the third class that we have had over to our house, as we have hosted the 7th graders and the 12th graders at other previous times. I especially enjoy it as a Bible teacher because these kids get a chance to see me in and out of class, hopefully being challenged by the way that Laura and I treat each other with Godly love and respect at home.
So now comes the not so bright and happy story about the last 24 hours, I have to admit at this time that those of you who have a hard time hearing about cruelty to animals should probably not read the following section.
Before I get into this story I have to provide a bit of background. People simply do not treat animals with the same about of love and care as they do in the states. Whether they are cats or dogs, they are often seen as more of an annoyance than they are seen as beautiful animals. People often toss rocks at animals, throw them in the river to drown (especially females puppies because they are more expensive to care for), or simply beat them constantly. It is a sad reality here in the D.R., but I can regularly hear people beating their animals throughout the day. With this said, animals do often cause serious issues here in the D.R.. With such a strong number of strays, they are regularly causing accidents (with many of them causing the death of the animal and the driver) and they eat other people's sources of food (chickens, etc.). It is nothing like the animals that simply run around in the states, you can count on seeing stray animals most everywhere you go.
With that said... I had the duty of proctoring Saturday school this morning, which is for students who have had two or more late homework assignments throughout the course of the week. Once I had gathered my supplies for the day (my teaching manuals and papers to grade), I quickly ran out of the door and headed toward school, and as I stepped out of the door, I witnessed my first animal/ motorcycle accident since being here in the D.R.. We live at the corner of an intersection that has a number of "blind" spots, as there are a number of high walls around most of the corners. A dog (a rare one with tags around his neck, which immediately showed that this was no stray) strutted out into the intersection when all of a sudden a guy on a motorcycle came flying threw the intersection, hitting the dog and flying off of his bike. The dog was alive but in a great deal of pain (definitely something was broken) and the guy was actually able to get up (it looked like a broken arm) and pick his motorcycle off of the ground. This is where the story turns as has left a terrible image in my mind throughout the day. The motorcycle rider, who was obviously going too fast in the first place, grabbed the PVC pipe from a young boy who was headed to work and decided to see in everything was alright, and the motorcycle rider began to beat the dog with the pipe, not killing it but further injuring a dog that was in far worse shape than the motorcycle rider had been. I have to admit that I have ever experienced such cruelty to animals in my very short life, but the images from this morning have been racing through my mind throughout the day. The hatred that the man had in his eyes toward that dog is like no other hatred I have ever seen a person have against a defense-less animal. After beating the dog several times the motorcycle rider simply grab his bike, with his one hand, and began to walk up the street, leaving the dog to struggle half way down the street eventually laying on a grassy part of the curb right off of the road. Some of you may be thinking, "Why didn't you do anything?" and I can only answer that I was honestly scared, scared for the life of the dog and the motorcycle rider but most of all scared by the hatred of this man who beat a severely injured dog. The story doesn't end with the dog simply dying, but actually with co-worker noticing the dog and contacting the owner who rushed the dog to the local vet. I am not sure what happened to the dog, but it was a messed up situation, and one that I hope I won't have to witness being done to a human or a dog. It was one of few moments in my life where I have seen true anger flowing from the depths of a person... Sin is not pretty...
6th Grade Party Pics
Copy and paste link in navigation bar to view: http://picasaweb.google.com/StanleysDR/6thGradeParty?pli=1&gsessionid=RRts2VtVCPmL7ph1kJiXPg#
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Our recent day trip and life these days...
A typical weekend for Laura and I tends to be spending the majority of either Saturday or Sunday doing lesson planning and grading, while spending the other day relaxing or spending time touring Jarabacoa. This past Sunday, since we go to church in the late afternoon, we took a taxi, along with a few other teachers, to one of the large waterfalls in the area. Apparently this waterfall was featured in one of the Jurassic Park movies, though I am not sure which one of these movies. We spent several hours exploring the lower part of the falls, climbing over enormous rocks and even swimming in some of the little "pools" at the bottom of the waterfall. It was a blast! I have seen Laura smile that big few times in my life, it was great. The area that we are blessed to live in is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to...
On a side note... I talked to a friend the other day from Minnesota who said it was 39 degrees outside, and I simply responded that we had a low of 73 for the day and a high of 90... suffering for Jesus...
Laura and I enjoy being social people which translates to eating meals and getting together with other on a regular basis. It has been a blessing to meet a number of new people (Americans stick out like sore thumbs down here) here in the Dominican Republic. Yesterday we had a couple, Jake and Kyla, that we met a few weeks ago, over for dinner at our house. He currently works for Youth Life doing logistics for those visiting the D.R. through Young Life, while Kyla works at the other Christian school in the area. It was a blessing to spend some time with another married couple who are within a few years of our age. They even happen to be huge fans of Settlers of Catan and Bang! (two nerdy games that Laura and I really enjoy)
Laura and I have another busy weekend coming up as we will be hosting 16 of the 6th graders at our house on Friday and then having dinner with another student's family on Saturday night. I know that I have really enjoyed the time spent with students outside of class. We have been able to form some great relationships with the kids through hanging out with them outside of the school grounds. Pray for patience through Friday night with the kids and pray that they would really enjoy themselves.
Laura and I are currently getting ready to go into town for ice cream (it's actually ice cream that they mix fresh fruit into... yum-yum...) , which is our reward for each scoring 100% on our Spanish vocabulary quiz for the week (35 words each week and we both have to get them correct to go for ice cream!). We love you all and would love to hear from you soon...
On a side note... I talked to a friend the other day from Minnesota who said it was 39 degrees outside, and I simply responded that we had a low of 73 for the day and a high of 90... suffering for Jesus...
Laura and I enjoy being social people which translates to eating meals and getting together with other on a regular basis. It has been a blessing to meet a number of new people (Americans stick out like sore thumbs down here) here in the Dominican Republic. Yesterday we had a couple, Jake and Kyla, that we met a few weeks ago, over for dinner at our house. He currently works for Youth Life doing logistics for those visiting the D.R. through Young Life, while Kyla works at the other Christian school in the area. It was a blessing to spend some time with another married couple who are within a few years of our age. They even happen to be huge fans of Settlers of Catan and Bang! (two nerdy games that Laura and I really enjoy)
Laura and I have another busy weekend coming up as we will be hosting 16 of the 6th graders at our house on Friday and then having dinner with another student's family on Saturday night. I know that I have really enjoyed the time spent with students outside of class. We have been able to form some great relationships with the kids through hanging out with them outside of the school grounds. Pray for patience through Friday night with the kids and pray that they would really enjoy themselves.
Laura and I are currently getting ready to go into town for ice cream (it's actually ice cream that they mix fresh fruit into... yum-yum...) , which is our reward for each scoring 100% on our Spanish vocabulary quiz for the week (35 words each week and we both have to get them correct to go for ice cream!). We love you all and would love to hear from you soon...
Monday, October 6, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
D.R. Pics Website
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| Random D.R. Pics |
To view pics from our life here in the D.R. simply click on the above picture and it will redirect you to a website with a number of pictures, to view more pictures click on "my photos" for other albums... included are Munne's first bath and our 7th grade party...
School, Beach and Parties...
I almost don't even know where to start in this latest update...
School continues to take up the majority of our time, so at times it feels like that is all that we do. We usually arrive at school around 7:30 and leave anywhere from 4:00-5:00 depending on what sort of after-school duties we have in that given day. Laura and I will be coaching a 4th-6th grade soccer team on Wednesdays, and I am also coaching a 1st-3rd grade soccer team on Fridays. We have really enjoyed our time at JCS so far, but we also really look forward to the weekends so that we can spend time with each other and enjoy the beautiful area that we are living in.
Two weeks ago several teachers, including Laura and myself, were able to travel to the north coast of the D.R. to the beach. We drove 3 hours to a quiet little beach that honestly looked like something out of a travel magazine, it was absolutely breath-taking. We were able to swim and relax for most of the day and we even had an opportunity to snorkel, which is one of my favorite activities at the beach. We truly live in one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to in my life.
Last Friday we were able to host the 7th grade class at our house for a party. I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed having them over to our house. We bought a bunch of pizzas (yes, we have pizza places here!) and played some random games with the kids. The kids introduced us to merengue and bachata music which are the most popular forms of music on the island. It was fun to listen to the music and have 15 kids all dancing to some of their favorite songs. We will be hosting 16 of the 6th graders this coming Friday, and I am already looking forward to that. I think that I had forgot how much I enjoy hanging out with youth last Friday, which brings me to another possible prayer request...
Since serving as Bible teacher I have fielded some pretty difficult questions regarding Protestants and Catholics, and what a Christian is. When you use the word "Christian" in the D.R. it almost means "Conservative Reformed Baptist" (not that it is wrong to be these things, but they have tended to hold an incredibly judgmental attitude toward Catholics here). Most of the kids who are Catholic tend to be culturally Catholic, meaning that their families go to church once or twice a year (we called them "Chreasters") and have done so for several generations, often out of tradition more than for fostering a relationship with God. A perfect example of this was a student who recently confided in me that he was going to start attending a Protestant Church in the area and wanted to be a "Christian." He told me that his dad would be very angry with him because his father is Catholic, but that it didn't matter to this student, and I saw him at church a few days later. The Protestants and Catholics here, even the students, tend to hurl misunderstandings back and forth at one another, continuing to fuel harsh feelings. Because of generations of misunderstanding you will rarely see a Protestant step foot in a Catholic church and vice versa. In light of this situation I have been considering starting a youth group with some of the students at the school, and I am hoping that since it will not be in a church building, Protestant or Catholic, that I will be able to reach both groups for Christ. I have talked with a few other people about this idea and it seems like I would have ample leaders if we decided to go ahead of start the group. I am just spending time listening to God on if this is a good idea, thinking of the implications of starting a youth group while we are down here. Please pray that God would continue to give Laura and I wisdom in deciding if we should go through with starting this group.
School continues to take up the majority of our time, so at times it feels like that is all that we do. We usually arrive at school around 7:30 and leave anywhere from 4:00-5:00 depending on what sort of after-school duties we have in that given day. Laura and I will be coaching a 4th-6th grade soccer team on Wednesdays, and I am also coaching a 1st-3rd grade soccer team on Fridays. We have really enjoyed our time at JCS so far, but we also really look forward to the weekends so that we can spend time with each other and enjoy the beautiful area that we are living in.
Two weeks ago several teachers, including Laura and myself, were able to travel to the north coast of the D.R. to the beach. We drove 3 hours to a quiet little beach that honestly looked like something out of a travel magazine, it was absolutely breath-taking. We were able to swim and relax for most of the day and we even had an opportunity to snorkel, which is one of my favorite activities at the beach. We truly live in one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to in my life.
Last Friday we were able to host the 7th grade class at our house for a party. I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed having them over to our house. We bought a bunch of pizzas (yes, we have pizza places here!) and played some random games with the kids. The kids introduced us to merengue and bachata music which are the most popular forms of music on the island. It was fun to listen to the music and have 15 kids all dancing to some of their favorite songs. We will be hosting 16 of the 6th graders this coming Friday, and I am already looking forward to that. I think that I had forgot how much I enjoy hanging out with youth last Friday, which brings me to another possible prayer request...
Since serving as Bible teacher I have fielded some pretty difficult questions regarding Protestants and Catholics, and what a Christian is. When you use the word "Christian" in the D.R. it almost means "Conservative Reformed Baptist" (not that it is wrong to be these things, but they have tended to hold an incredibly judgmental attitude toward Catholics here). Most of the kids who are Catholic tend to be culturally Catholic, meaning that their families go to church once or twice a year (we called them "Chreasters") and have done so for several generations, often out of tradition more than for fostering a relationship with God. A perfect example of this was a student who recently confided in me that he was going to start attending a Protestant Church in the area and wanted to be a "Christian." He told me that his dad would be very angry with him because his father is Catholic, but that it didn't matter to this student, and I saw him at church a few days later. The Protestants and Catholics here, even the students, tend to hurl misunderstandings back and forth at one another, continuing to fuel harsh feelings. Because of generations of misunderstanding you will rarely see a Protestant step foot in a Catholic church and vice versa. In light of this situation I have been considering starting a youth group with some of the students at the school, and I am hoping that since it will not be in a church building, Protestant or Catholic, that I will be able to reach both groups for Christ. I have talked with a few other people about this idea and it seems like I would have ample leaders if we decided to go ahead of start the group. I am just spending time listening to God on if this is a good idea, thinking of the implications of starting a youth group while we are down here. Please pray that God would continue to give Laura and I wisdom in deciding if we should go through with starting this group.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Cancelled school and hurricanes...
Last week turned out to be quite an eventful week with all of the tropical storms that kept kicking up out in the ocean. We received large amounts of rain from Hurricane Hannah and only a few days later Ike was off our northeast coast. Large storms obviously affect the D.R. and when parts of the country receive large amounts of rain, the Secretary of Education will normally shut down the schools throughout the country. In the U.S. it is often up to the individual school superintendent to make the decision on whether a school will open its doors to students but that is not the case in the D.R.. When the Secretary of Education says there will be no school, the schools throughout the whole country do not have school, whether public or private. This is unfortunate for our area because we rarely see any serious weather but have to close whenever the government says so. Last week, the days leading up to Ike, the students (not the teachers) were given Wednesday off and half of Thursday in spite of beautiful weather throughout our area (so of the best weather we have witnessed since moving here). The following Friday, after two days of beautiful weather and no school, the newspapers published a story noting that for the rest of the school year, private schools will be able to make there own decisions on whether to have school or not. They realized an issue and resolved it. You have to love the efficiency.
Here is a hilarious picture from one of the students. They were given the verse and told to draw a picture dealing with their interpretation of the verse...
Here is a hilarious picture from one of the students. They were given the verse and told to draw a picture dealing with their interpretation of the verse...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Power surges and other updates...
Sorry to friends and family for not staying in touch over the last week. Often times the hurricane season brings a great deal of power issues throughout the island. On Wednesday we experienced our first power-surge which left us with a blown modem and telephone (for our Vonage line). It looks as though we may have another modem on Tuesday, but that is probably a VERY optimistic bet. As for new phones, we are hoping that we can buy phones in Jarabacoa within the next few days but in reality the phone will do us no good without a modem.
Though this happened on Wednesday, we are very encouraged by this past week. We were able to start Spanish lessons, complete our first full week of school, have a number of Dominican staff members over for dinner, meet a number of "new" people in our travels around Jarabacoa, and take our first trip to Santiago where we bought a number of different items that we are unable to buy in Jarabacoa (and that are way cheaper in Santiago!). Possibly the most exciting part of the week was finally getting a number of pieces of furniture in our house. On Friday afternoon the financial director of the school brought to my attention that a woman who has lived in the D.R. for a while was selling most of the items in her house. We were able to buy a number of pieces of furniture (the best being a 8 person table so that we can entertain more!) and plenty of cooking supplies. Praise God for providing those things! We are feeling as though we have taken a huge step in adjusting and settling into our new home. Thank you all for your prayers in this area, they are definitely being answered...
School has been great! It is tough adjusting to teaching all day (Laura is a pro at it, but I am dead by the end of the day!). The kids are lively and fun, which makes every class more exciting. Though there have been a number of adjustments to teaching here, we are both enjoying what God has called us to do here. I have had some time this weekend to think about some things that I would like to do with the students outside of class and have been throwing around the idea of a prayer group made up of students from the school who dedicate time to praying for the students, teachers, and families of the students. I would also like to start opening our house to more kids from the school, so you could all pray that I find the proper and fitting ways to have the students into our home.
Hopefully I will write again sometime soon... If there are any emergencies you can call 1-608-531-1972 which is the phone for the teachers who live next door...
Though this happened on Wednesday, we are very encouraged by this past week. We were able to start Spanish lessons, complete our first full week of school, have a number of Dominican staff members over for dinner, meet a number of "new" people in our travels around Jarabacoa, and take our first trip to Santiago where we bought a number of different items that we are unable to buy in Jarabacoa (and that are way cheaper in Santiago!). Possibly the most exciting part of the week was finally getting a number of pieces of furniture in our house. On Friday afternoon the financial director of the school brought to my attention that a woman who has lived in the D.R. for a while was selling most of the items in her house. We were able to buy a number of pieces of furniture (the best being a 8 person table so that we can entertain more!) and plenty of cooking supplies. Praise God for providing those things! We are feeling as though we have taken a huge step in adjusting and settling into our new home. Thank you all for your prayers in this area, they are definitely being answered...
School has been great! It is tough adjusting to teaching all day (Laura is a pro at it, but I am dead by the end of the day!). The kids are lively and fun, which makes every class more exciting. Though there have been a number of adjustments to teaching here, we are both enjoying what God has called us to do here. I have had some time this weekend to think about some things that I would like to do with the students outside of class and have been throwing around the idea of a prayer group made up of students from the school who dedicate time to praying for the students, teachers, and families of the students. I would also like to start opening our house to more kids from the school, so you could all pray that I find the proper and fitting ways to have the students into our home.
Hopefully I will write again sometime soon... If there are any emergencies you can call 1-608-531-1972 which is the phone for the teachers who live next door...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
First Days of School...
Laura has been enjoying her 5th grade class and the two math classes (6th and 7th) that she is teaching. The students that she has are energetic and fun which makes class more exciting for her (sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad). I will let her tell everyone more about it soon... I am teaching her how to blog within the next few days...
I have really been enjoying my classes as well. I teach a wide range of students from 5th grade to 12th grade. The students have been incredibly responsive so far and I have enjoyed how excited they have been about being at the school and especially in Bible class. I have been getting to know them over the last few days and have just started into some material that I created for the beginning of the year. I am patiently waiting for material for the classes but it has yet to arrive (the perfect prayer concern for those of you who want to lift up something specific regarding our ministry!). Teaching all day is definitely hard to get use to. I am use to being a student and now that I have to stand in front of the class all day I am pretty burnt out. My feet and knees have been slowly adjusting to all the time spent standing in the classroom.
After a frustrating two weeks of trying to cook meals here we have been able to finally find some things that are easier to make and that are hometown favorites. We have eaten plenty of french toast, pancakes (which was a completely different journey because it is incredibly hard to find baking powder here!), pizza (which is expensive to buy already made but really cheap to make here), and baked chicken. The school also has lunches available everyday for 60 pesos (under $2 US) and they are pretty large and filling (lunch is the largest meal of the day here). Laura and I have been buying one meal and sharing it while also cutting up some fruit and veggies to supplement and this has been working our great! Few people are able to eat with their spouse everyday at work!
We have been really thankful for the Dominican Republic. We have been pushed out of our comfort zones a number of times even in the last day (mice, art gallery, school stuff) and it is truly helping us to grow as people and followers of Christ. The language learning is coming along slowly but surely and we were actually complimented for our comprehension today and that compliment will go a long way! Continue to pray for the school, and one student specifically, who I will call Mary for privacy sake, who has been struggling to "find" God once again. Pray that Laura and I would have the words to say and the boldness to say them as we seek to help kids grow in their faith in Christ. We love you all... Zephaniah 3:17
I have really been enjoying my classes as well. I teach a wide range of students from 5th grade to 12th grade. The students have been incredibly responsive so far and I have enjoyed how excited they have been about being at the school and especially in Bible class. I have been getting to know them over the last few days and have just started into some material that I created for the beginning of the year. I am patiently waiting for material for the classes but it has yet to arrive (the perfect prayer concern for those of you who want to lift up something specific regarding our ministry!). Teaching all day is definitely hard to get use to. I am use to being a student and now that I have to stand in front of the class all day I am pretty burnt out. My feet and knees have been slowly adjusting to all the time spent standing in the classroom.
After a frustrating two weeks of trying to cook meals here we have been able to finally find some things that are easier to make and that are hometown favorites. We have eaten plenty of french toast, pancakes (which was a completely different journey because it is incredibly hard to find baking powder here!), pizza (which is expensive to buy already made but really cheap to make here), and baked chicken. The school also has lunches available everyday for 60 pesos (under $2 US) and they are pretty large and filling (lunch is the largest meal of the day here). Laura and I have been buying one meal and sharing it while also cutting up some fruit and veggies to supplement and this has been working our great! Few people are able to eat with their spouse everyday at work!
We have been really thankful for the Dominican Republic. We have been pushed out of our comfort zones a number of times even in the last day (mice, art gallery, school stuff) and it is truly helping us to grow as people and followers of Christ. The language learning is coming along slowly but surely and we were actually complimented for our comprehension today and that compliment will go a long way! Continue to pray for the school, and one student specifically, who I will call Mary for privacy sake, who has been struggling to "find" God once again. Pray that Laura and I would have the words to say and the boldness to say them as we seek to help kids grow in their faith in Christ. We love you all... Zephaniah 3:17
House Guests...
I am glad that neither one of us are afraid of lizards because they are EVERYWHERE! They are great because they keep the bugs at a minimum...
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Our House (the outside...)
This is the front of our house, we are the bottom unit of this place (our gate is half way open)...
This picture shows all of the beautiful palm trees that we have all around our house (it saves us from a lot of noise and dust)...
A different view of the front of our house...
Laura had her toenails painted this morning and she was quite proud of them (for a cost of around $1 US)...
This picture shows the road leading up to our house and it also gives you a idea of the type of security walls that surround many of the nicer homes in the area... Some sure to enjoy their privacy but it also keeps the dust down and the noise out...
This is one of the main roads in the area that is actually paved, this is the part that is right down the street from us...
Around Jarabacoa #2
As you begin to walk into the town of Jarabacoa...
There are a few amazing trees in the area and most of them have parks that have been created around them, here is an example...
Here is a pic showing the mountains that surround our area...
Around Jarabacoa
Here is a picture of what people refer to as the "ant hill" because it is always so busy... Also in this picture is what I like to call the "Jarabacoa Walmart" known by the locals as "La Cancha"...
Better pic of La Cancha, notice all the motor bikes...
Ok, now this may take a second to explain... Since most Dominicans do not have televisions and some not even a radio, they think of inventive ways to advertise to a wider audience down here. They create these massive speaker systems and drive them around town with ads blaring for various companies. On the weekends you can hear these well into the night...
We have phone and Internet!
We now have internet and unlimited long distance calling to the U.S.... Feel free to call us whenever, we would love to hear from you... Here is our phone number once again: 1-612-605-1137...
Thursday, August 7, 2008
More Pics...
Here is a pic of our stove, notice that it is a bit smaller than the ones in the U.S....
We went out to a pretty nice place in the area and this cat joined us for our meal, having animals around seems to be common wherever you are...
Some Pictures
Here is a pic of our first meal that we made in the D.R. (it looks way better than it actually was...)
Settling In...
We are still waiting for the modem and filter (D.R. thing) so that we can have internet and phone access. I have been told that we will be getting all that we need sometime today. Sorry to family and friends for not calling but we have not had access to a phone since last Friday. We will talk to you soon and we miss you...
We are still settling into our new home. We absolutely love the people who we are renting from. The landlord loves the Red Sox and has cable so Laura and I watched a game with him a few nights ago. It has been a blessing to have such nice and helpful people. They only speak spanish so there is a bit of a barrier but luckily their grandson has been in town and he has been incredibly helpful when we need to communicate things that we do not know how to say. Jordanni has been our translator for our local phone service, and his grandparents, and there have been several times where I don't know what we would have done without him.
Our 2 year anniversary was yesterday and we enjoy dinner at one of the nicer places in town. We were a huge plate of meat, rice, and salad, with the meat all coming straight off of the grill. We have not eaten very much meat since we have arrived and so last night was quite a treat. We followed it up by some ice cream, which was good but not as good as ice cream in the states (I can tell this will be one of the things that we will really be looking forward to having once again!). We also ran into a group of Americans (who stick out like sore thumbs) while we were out, in addition to our landlord's family and another teacher at JCS. It feels good to run into people who we know while we are going around the town.
We also started teacher training yesterday and it is going well. It is mostly on interacting with people from another culture but it has been helpful to do this training with other Dominican teachers. We have had plenty of laughs and time to learn names, which Laura and I have been really intentional about doing.
More updates to come...
We are still settling into our new home. We absolutely love the people who we are renting from. The landlord loves the Red Sox and has cable so Laura and I watched a game with him a few nights ago. It has been a blessing to have such nice and helpful people. They only speak spanish so there is a bit of a barrier but luckily their grandson has been in town and he has been incredibly helpful when we need to communicate things that we do not know how to say. Jordanni has been our translator for our local phone service, and his grandparents, and there have been several times where I don't know what we would have done without him.
Our 2 year anniversary was yesterday and we enjoy dinner at one of the nicer places in town. We were a huge plate of meat, rice, and salad, with the meat all coming straight off of the grill. We have not eaten very much meat since we have arrived and so last night was quite a treat. We followed it up by some ice cream, which was good but not as good as ice cream in the states (I can tell this will be one of the things that we will really be looking forward to having once again!). We also ran into a group of Americans (who stick out like sore thumbs) while we were out, in addition to our landlord's family and another teacher at JCS. It feels good to run into people who we know while we are going around the town.
We also started teacher training yesterday and it is going well. It is mostly on interacting with people from another culture but it has been helpful to do this training with other Dominican teachers. We have had plenty of laughs and time to learn names, which Laura and I have been really intentional about doing.
More updates to come...
Monday, August 4, 2008
Storm and Power...
Last night was a crazy night. First of all, we are realizing that it gets dark much quicker here than it did in Minnesota. It is completely dark by around 7:30 here, which also means that it is very bright by around 5:30 in the morning. With that said, we experienced our first extended power outage since we have been in the D.R., luckily we had brought a flashlight with us and my computer provided a pretty good light for us as well (candles and lanterns are high on our priority list right now). I just continued writing a response paper, while Laura studied Spanish under the light of the mag-light that we brought. We passed the time (around 3 1/2 hours of no power) by doing work and listening to episodes of the Office on my computer. The storm, which was most likely not the source of the outage (rolling blackouts are normal throughout the whole island), was pretty powerful. It was thundering and lightening for around 3 hours with heavy rainfall as well. It actually made for a relief from the outside noise of the scooters, dogs, cats, roosters, and motorcycles, so we were able to sleep far better than we have since we arrived here.
We are also officially moved into our new house. We will send pictures once we have internet (which could come today or next month) at our own house. The place that we have is actually right down the street from the school, far closer than we were thinking we would be. Because we are so close to the town and the school, we are thinking that buying a scooter may not be as pressing as it was when we lived on the other side of town. Right now we are trying to get a hold of furniture for our house because currently we have our bed, a table, a couch (I just got it this morning!), and four chairs. Furniture is not cheap here, and people don't do garage sales like they do in the states (that we can throw a $3 sticker on a dresser shows how wealthy we really are, but that is far another post some other time). We are going to buy some furniture and have a gentleman make some other furniture for us, which is a priority because we want to have a house that is welcoming and where we can have people over on a regular basis.
Laura and I had lunch with a young guy whom I met the last time I was visiting the D.R. Revani is the worship leader of a local church and an amazing man of God. We will be meeting each week for a devotional time and to talk about ministry while I am here in Jarabacoa. I felt honored that he sought me out for this, and I am excited to spend more time with him over the next year.
More updates and news to come...
We are also officially moved into our new house. We will send pictures once we have internet (which could come today or next month) at our own house. The place that we have is actually right down the street from the school, far closer than we were thinking we would be. Because we are so close to the town and the school, we are thinking that buying a scooter may not be as pressing as it was when we lived on the other side of town. Right now we are trying to get a hold of furniture for our house because currently we have our bed, a table, a couch (I just got it this morning!), and four chairs. Furniture is not cheap here, and people don't do garage sales like they do in the states (that we can throw a $3 sticker on a dresser shows how wealthy we really are, but that is far another post some other time). We are going to buy some furniture and have a gentleman make some other furniture for us, which is a priority because we want to have a house that is welcoming and where we can have people over on a regular basis.
Laura and I had lunch with a young guy whom I met the last time I was visiting the D.R. Revani is the worship leader of a local church and an amazing man of God. We will be meeting each week for a devotional time and to talk about ministry while I am here in Jarabacoa. I felt honored that he sought me out for this, and I am excited to spend more time with him over the next year.
More updates and news to come...
Friday, August 1, 2008
August 1st Update
Laura and I were able to find a house less than 24 hours after landing, which is a huge blessing. The house is only a half of a block away from the school and has plenty of room for guests (pictures will be posted within the next couple of days). We looked at the house that we were originally thinking that we would be renting and to be honest, I am glad that the lady raised the price and made it so we were no longer interested! I like the house that we are renting a lot more because it is brighter inside, bigger, and it is also far less expensive! So praise God for that! We should have internet and phone within a few days because the school has an account that it will be moving over to us, making service far quicker than if we were a new account. Tomorrow is the official "move-in" day for the apartment and the school has bought us a new bed and will also be providing a refrigerator, washing machine, and some random pieces of furniture.
We spent some time today looking through boxes of supplies and materials in Laura's classroom for this next year, trying to decide what she wanted to keep and get rid of. We really enjoyed this time of preparation, as it was a taste of what we will be experiencing over this next year. Laura enjoyed it up until the time that we ran into a few cockroaches in the boxes of books (her comment was, "It took me a while to get use to spiders... I don't know about these..."). I won't have a classroom this next year, since the middle school and high school teachers move around to the kids, so I enjoyed seeing Laura's classroom come together. Laura might even give me a small table and a shelf to use in her room!
We have been blessed to stay with Daniel and Teresa Peterson since we have been in the D.R. They have exposed us to a lot of Dominican food and have taken us places to have a few new experiences, among them being a trip to the vegetable market and the furniture store. At the furniture store we made our first purchase in the D.R., a large fan! Not only do fans cut down the outside noise (which is ridiculous at times!) but it also provides a continual circulating of air throughout the night. After the first night without a fan it was of high priority to purchase one ASAP.
We will be sure to send some pictures out within the next few days, and even try to do some video stuff (if you are lucky!). We love you all, and hope to hear from you soon...
We spent some time today looking through boxes of supplies and materials in Laura's classroom for this next year, trying to decide what she wanted to keep and get rid of. We really enjoyed this time of preparation, as it was a taste of what we will be experiencing over this next year. Laura enjoyed it up until the time that we ran into a few cockroaches in the boxes of books (her comment was, "It took me a while to get use to spiders... I don't know about these..."). I won't have a classroom this next year, since the middle school and high school teachers move around to the kids, so I enjoyed seeing Laura's classroom come together. Laura might even give me a small table and a shelf to use in her room!
We have been blessed to stay with Daniel and Teresa Peterson since we have been in the D.R. They have exposed us to a lot of Dominican food and have taken us places to have a few new experiences, among them being a trip to the vegetable market and the furniture store. At the furniture store we made our first purchase in the D.R., a large fan! Not only do fans cut down the outside noise (which is ridiculous at times!) but it also provides a continual circulating of air throughout the night. After the first night without a fan it was of high priority to purchase one ASAP.
We will be sure to send some pictures out within the next few days, and even try to do some video stuff (if you are lucky!). We love you all, and hope to hear from you soon...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Off to Jarabacoa...
Currently Laura and I are waiting for our flight from Charlotte to Miami... We were able to check our bags all the way through to Santiago, which will save us a lot of time in the long run. We were definitely blessed by one of the airline workers who allowed us to check 3 bags that were over the 50lbs limit. Praise God for that! The only thing we had to take out of any of the bags was a bottle of shampoo (more of a "comfort" item that a nessity anyways!)... Everything is going smoothly so far we will give another update some time soon...
Monday, July 28, 2008
Jarabacoa Update (2 days and counting...)
Ok, so I haven't quite gotten down the idea of blogging on a regular basis, but here is a quick update anyways... Laura and I are in the final phases of weighing bags and packing into boxes the things that we wanted to take with us. We quickly realized as we packed our luggage that we have little or no room for many of the things that we were thinking we would bring along with us, I guess that is part of moving to another country...
We had an great time on Friday night with a number of friends and family as a sort of "good-bye" party here in Minneapolis. We both realized on Friday how blessed we are by family and friends, which makes it a bit hard for us to leave. Thank you to all of you who were able to attend, we will miss you all...
We fly out Wednesday morning at 7:00 a.m. with stops in Charlotte and Miami before heading to our final destination in Santiago, D.R. Please pray that everything with the flights would go smoothly, as we have only an hour between our Minneapolis to Charlotte, Charlotte to Miami flight. Lord willing, we will be in Santiago around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night, and then we have a 45 minute drive to Jarabacoa, where we will be living...
We also could use some prayer as we prepare to leave because we ran into some issues with housing. The lady who we were going to be renting from in Jarabacoa decided to raise the rent by 50% and for fear of being pegged as the Americans who "pay whatever is asked" I don't think we will be living in that house. Daniel Peterson, the new director of the school, has been searching for a new place for us to stay, which we are incredibly thankful for...
Laura and I have also registered for a few new services so that we can receive mail and telephone calls while in Jarabacoa. We are now members of MFI (Missionary Flights International), and they offer services that fly mail and packages to us every two weeks. The only problem with this is that they charge us, from the stateside address in Florida, at a rate of $1.50 per pound, That means that if you want to send us packages, just keep them on the lighter side. Anyways, here is the address:
Tim and Laura Stanley
Unit 3039-ECDR
3170 Airmans Dr.
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946
We also signed up for Vonage phone service, which allows us to have a phone number in the United States even though we are in the Dominican Republic. It will work through our DSL (yes, the D.R. has high-speed internet!) and will be register in Minnesota, so all the normal charges will apply for calling us, so if you have free long distance or live in Minnesota, you can call us for next to nothing.
Here is that number: 612-605-1137
Please call and keep in contact, it will be a blessing to hear all of your voices...
We had an great time on Friday night with a number of friends and family as a sort of "good-bye" party here in Minneapolis. We both realized on Friday how blessed we are by family and friends, which makes it a bit hard for us to leave. Thank you to all of you who were able to attend, we will miss you all...
We fly out Wednesday morning at 7:00 a.m. with stops in Charlotte and Miami before heading to our final destination in Santiago, D.R. Please pray that everything with the flights would go smoothly, as we have only an hour between our Minneapolis to Charlotte, Charlotte to Miami flight. Lord willing, we will be in Santiago around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night, and then we have a 45 minute drive to Jarabacoa, where we will be living...
We also could use some prayer as we prepare to leave because we ran into some issues with housing. The lady who we were going to be renting from in Jarabacoa decided to raise the rent by 50% and for fear of being pegged as the Americans who "pay whatever is asked" I don't think we will be living in that house. Daniel Peterson, the new director of the school, has been searching for a new place for us to stay, which we are incredibly thankful for...
Laura and I have also registered for a few new services so that we can receive mail and telephone calls while in Jarabacoa. We are now members of MFI (Missionary Flights International), and they offer services that fly mail and packages to us every two weeks. The only problem with this is that they charge us, from the stateside address in Florida, at a rate of $1.50 per pound, That means that if you want to send us packages, just keep them on the lighter side. Anyways, here is the address:
Tim and Laura Stanley
Unit 3039-ECDR
3170 Airmans Dr.
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946
We also signed up for Vonage phone service, which allows us to have a phone number in the United States even though we are in the Dominican Republic. It will work through our DSL (yes, the D.R. has high-speed internet!) and will be register in Minnesota, so all the normal charges will apply for calling us, so if you have free long distance or live in Minnesota, you can call us for next to nothing.
Here is that number: 612-605-1137
Please call and keep in contact, it will be a blessing to hear all of your voices...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Getting ready to leave...
Laura and I leave two weeks from today and we have a quite a bit to do before then. We have been traveling for the last few weeks, spending one week in Buffalo and we are currently spending some time with Laura's family in Cape Cod. We will be in Buffalo for a few days after this Cape Cod trip and we will be back in Minnesota on Wednesday (July 23rd). We have a busy week when we return, with a going away party on Friday night, and many errands to do and good-byes to say. We are getting excited and more nervous as the time approaches for us to leave for the Dominican Republic. Continue to pray for us as we prepare our hearts and minds to move...
We have raised just over half of the funds that we are attempting to raise before leaving for the D.R.. Thank you to all of you who have committed to helping us in our ministry in one way or another, whether through prayer or financial support...
We have raised just over half of the funds that we are attempting to raise before leaving for the D.R.. Thank you to all of you who have committed to helping us in our ministry in one way or another, whether through prayer or financial support...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Support Letters
I am currently finishing the support letters that Laura and I will be sending out to friends and family. We really want to raise some money for our start-up costs (buying a scooter to get around, some furniture, etc.), supplies for the school (a video projector to be used for powerpoint and videos, class decorations, etc.), and some money for emergencies (flights home, etc.). We hope to have a number of people share in our ministry through prayer and giving over this next year...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
New Indiana Jones Movie
You can check out the preview of the newest Indiana Jones movie coming out May 22 (which is next month!)... http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html
Too much time on his hands...
Check this link out of a college kid who built his own tank (it even shoots red bull cans!)... http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/post_moto_kid_death_story_here.html
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The melting of snow...
The melting of snow has had a spiritual significance for me lately. A few weeks ago as I sat in my car, the day after a fresh snowfall, I was startled by the cracking of ice and melting of the snow on my car window. For the next few minutes I found myself intently watching as the sun melted the snow and it preceeded to drop off my car into puddles. Two days ago, as I walked on the path from seminary to our apartment, I was once again surrounded by the sound of melting snow and ice, which was sending water and partially thawed pieces of ice falling to the ground in loud crashes.
On each of these days, I was struck by the spiritual significance of the melting snow. In our lives, as followers of Christ, we too are continually being "warmed" by the Son. So as you listen to the snow melting around you this season, reflect upon it and know that in your life, Christ has, is willing, and is able to provide continual "warmth..."
On each of these days, I was struck by the spiritual significance of the melting snow. In our lives, as followers of Christ, we too are continually being "warmed" by the Son. So as you listen to the snow melting around you this season, reflect upon it and know that in your life, Christ has, is willing, and is able to provide continual "warmth..."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Off to the Dominican Republic!
For those of you who don't already know, Laura and I have been offered jobs in the Dominican Republic for the 2008-2009 school year at Jarabacoa Christian School. I will be teaching Bible and Theology to high school students, while Laura will be teaching 5th grade. It looks as though we will be leaving some time around the end of July or beginning of August. We are very excited about this ministry opportunity, so please be in prayer for us as we enter our last few months of graduate school and continue to prepare for our future in the D.R....
Final Day at Kingswood
Today will be my last regular night serving the youth at Kingswood Church, and I go into the night with a myriad of feelings stirring within me. I love the young people who I have had a brief time of getting to know and I will miss them more than they realize, while I at the same time know that it is time for my service at Kingswood to come to an end. As I think about no longer serving at Kingswood, it oddly feels as if another chapter in my life is coming to an end, and I eagerly await the beginning of another chapter of life with both fear and anticipation.
Raquel Rodriguez, the youth pastor that I have been working under at Kingswood, has been an amazing blessing in my life, and has taught me a great deal about youth ministry over these last 8 months. She is a strong woman, who loves the students that she ministers to like few youth pastors that I have ever come into contact with. I am thankful that she is not only my supervisor but has also been a great friend to Laura and I over the last few years. Thank you Raquel...
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