Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Wonderful Suprise!


My dad is getting married! He and Karla Shelley will be getting married November 25th.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Attack of the Killer Cockroach!


I survived another night cockroach attack. As I heard the flutter of wings and felt something brush past my face, I instantly recognized it, as it's the fourth time it has occurred. I quickly jumped up and ran for the light switch. Thankfully there was electricity and as I flipped on the light, frantically searching for the roach, I realized I didn't have my glasses on and couldn't see. As I reached for my glasses I saw it as it crawled under my pillow. I reached for my sandal and tried to get it off the bed. I believe the cockroach to be the fastest animal alive. They always seem to run out from under your shoe unscathed. The blasted beast went under my bed. Realizing I wouldn't be able to sleep without killing it, for fear of another attack, I took apart my bed to get it. Mission accomplished; roach terminated. Just another night in the DR.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

School Starts!

Well, I lived throught the first day of school. Praise the Lord. I love 8th grade, 7th grade is awesome and 6th grade will be a challange. I am so excited for what God is going to do this year. Thank you all for your prayers. There is a kid who returned to Doulos after 1 year in Florida, named Nelson. He is articulate and kind, but has a poor self-esteem. Please pray that he would begin to see how awesome God has created him. This verse has helped me a lot this week: Esperamos confiados en el Señor porque él es nuestro socorro y nuestro escudo. We are trust confidently in the Lord, because he is our help and our shield. (My translation). Psalm33:20.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

School Starts Tomorrow!

Wow, school acctually starts tomorrow. I am not sure I am ready for it; good thing God is! I am excited about seeing the kids and getting to hear what they did this summer. The jr high kids all have to take a placement test to see where they are and what level they should be in. I will be teaching three levels of math, three levels of English and three levels of reading comprehension (all students have to pass). I can't believe how fast the time flies!
Please pray for me! I need grace(for myself and others).
Pray for the kids as they get used to being in school.
I love you all!
If you haven't sent your check yet, please do. My finances for this month haven't arrived yet, but I know God will provide.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

A little Progress

Well, we have now 3 school days until school starts. I have done my yearly plan, but cannot begin planning because we don't have the schedule yet. It is a little stressful. Even thought this school is run by americans, it falls under the DR cultural negative of having slow, if non-existant communication. Despite these things, God reminds me daily of why he has me here and what an awesome year this will be. God uses this school to make a huge difference in the lives of the people here. Please pray for grace...

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

New Pics

I posted new pics (and some under old titles) so check it out. One week till school starts and life is stressful. I would have to say that these few weeks are my least favorite part of the year. We are in a conference about expeditionary learning and it's awesome. I still haven't started planning the year - we don't get much free time. I began today and I feel a little peace. I know God will get my through it and I know it will be an awesome year; He is always faithful.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Ok, sorry for the long period of time between blogs. I have tried several different times to post, but with the internet and lights coming and going I am always losing the post before I get a chance to finish it. I will divide it up so it doesn't seem as long.

Arrival
I arrived in the DR with the usual landing applause by the Dominicans and walked through the plane door. As the humidity hit my body, the sight of green everywhere, and the smell of chicken cooking, I felt relieved to finally be home. I spent four days in Jarabacoa and then my mom came to visit.

Mom's Visit
My mom arrived after (what I know to be normal) much chaos and left the airport a little flustered. We rented a car and drove to the beach. It was great. I went snorkeling for the first time in my life and was amazed by God's creation! My mom made it all the way to the top of 27 Waterfalls, though the pics are really bad because I forgot to teach the guide how to zoom on the camera. We spent two days in Jarabacoa where my mom got to get a small bite of my life here.
My mom left and I left on an experiential staff excursion.

Excursion
The teaching staff left to hike up a mountain and then camp overnight. As we were huffing it up a giant, jungle covered mountain, it began to pour. I was overcome with the sensation of swimming while out of water. There wasn't a single part of me that was not wet. We finally made it after much encouragement. As we reached the top a lightening bolt hit the ridge about 1000 feet from us, so we ran down the path (wrong one) as fast as we could. We were about half way down the other side of the mountain when we realized we were still very far from Chad & Krista's coffee farm. We arrived and decided to sleep in the buildings where they process the coffee. I never knew the blessing of dry clothes. We had a great rest of the trip. We bonded as we shared life stories and cooked some interesting food together. We returned home to a new appreciation for mattresses and dry clothes and with a deep passion for what God will do this year.