Hey Everyone
Sorry it took so long to update. Monday I leave with 28 junior high students and four other adults for one week at the beach. We will be camping and spending our time learning about the coral reef. There are two marine biologists coming from the National Aquarium and the press is coming to do a two-page report on our school and it's revolutionary education. I have spent this last week preparing and planning this trip. Please pray! Pray for safety, for energy, that the kids would learn a lot and grow in thier relationship with our awesome Creator. I will give you a full report when I return.

Spring Break!

Well, school's back in full swing. It is amazing what a whole week of doing nothing can do to refresh your soul! I spent the week hanging out with my friends and relaxing. I think most days I slept at least twice. For those of you who are teachers, you know that the stretch from January to Spring Break is a long one. Only by God's grace did I make it. It's really good, though, to be doing something again. After all, God did design us as productive beings.

One of the really cool things I did during the break was go to the campo. We had maíz con dulce or chaca. It is basically corn stewed with sugar, milk, raisins, cinamon and cloves over an open fire. It is really good and is a yearly tradition during this time of year.

I am reading a book right now that is awesome. If you have a hard time controling your emotions, or have a hard time not letting them control you, then you need to read this book. It is Controling Your Emotions, by Joyce Myers. God has really brought to my attention lately that I need to be obedient to His word and not my emotions.

Next week is Outdoor Education Week. Five teachers and I will be taking 28 6th and 7th graders to the beach to study the reef, among other things. Please begin to pray for safety and guidance for those of us in charge of the trip.

Math III Boats

This morning the Math III class took their boats to the river to race them. Their assignment was to design and build a boat. They have been working on it the past month. Two of my most ingenious students got a friend (outside of the class) to help them form the body of the boat with electric saws and sanders. Though technically I had never said they couldn't do that, I felt they deserved less points because they didn't do the actual work themselves. However, they did earn extra points for thinking outside the box (something we highly encourage here at Doulos) and the whole design was their idea. Check out the pictures of us at the river. What an awesome assignment! The pictures are under the Math III Project set.

What an active student body!

Today marks one day left until Easter break! But hey, who's counting right? Today has been a fun day with the students. Though it's one of those days that I just can't, for the life of me, understand junior high students. I am not sure that I am here to understand them, but to continue to love them despite not understanding. Isn't that what we are all really called to do for one another though? The students are working on "Found Object" scupltures in art class (check out a few pics) and had fun today in thier team building class. God is always reminding me how special I am through the love of these kids (though sometimes they have wierd ways of showing it).

In other news, for those of you who do not know, a few months ago they found some abnormal cells in my cervix. I have been to two different doctors and both suggest the same thing. In three weeks I will undergo surgery to remove them. Please pray for wisdom for the doctor, strength for me, and understanding for my students. I will need all the support I can get. I know that God will work in this as well and He will recieve glory from it all.

Recent Going's On...

Well, its four days and counting (and I am counting) until Easter break. I am so excited about sleeping in every day, and possibly sleeping all day long if I want. Please pray that this would be a time of rejuvination for me. I am very exhausted and running on low fuel, if not empty. Here are a couple of the goings on in my life recently:

~On Friday my English class finished a project that I am very proud of. We made mobiles based on short stories they read. They all did awesome and I am so proud of how much pride they took in doing a quality job.
~This last weekend I went to a reservoir between Jarabacoa and Santiago. It's called La Presa Tavarez and it was beautiful. Check out the pictures! If you ever come to visit me and want to go fishing, we'll go here.