Holidays

Happy Holidays from the Dominican Republic. Kisha and I have been down here for over 6 months now, and we have my parents in for a holiday visit. It's nice to have a little piece of home here with us in our adventure, for sure. We've been eating meals with friends to introduce them to the folks, spending good quality time talking and watching movies, and today the women went to the shoe store where they found more than just shoes... dresses and outfits, too! Imagine that.

It was really nice to receive a care package from our house church crew. We now have swanky chocolate, tasty tea, American coffee, an entire collection of DVD's, and at least one holiday tie. I feel thoroughly blessed... I'm not really a gifty sort of person, but being this far from home it's super nice to get something from the motherland. I can guarantee that I'll be able to identify with people who have moved to the states from another country. It's a weird feeling not being able to get a hold of what you are used to, and to be in a place where people speak just a little too fast and with too much slang to really know what's going on. It is a strange and lonely feeling that I think one has to experience to understand.

I'm on day 8 of my Christmas break, and it's nice to just be able to take a nap whenever I want. Now I'm at the spot where I'm a little itchy looking for something to do. It will be nice to take the folks to the capital and look at all the historical goodness the oldest European city in the New World has to offer. Plus they have some American restaurants, and I could go for a little Hard Rock Cafe right about now. We found an entry in the Rough Guide that says there's a place that will sell a falafel sandwich, and I'm so hard up for some Mediterranean food that I'll chance having to tell them to hold the ketchup and mayo.



I didn't know how hard being away from home during the holidays was going to be. I was already dealing with the ebbs and flows of culture shock, and being away from home didn't make it any easier. Living in a third world country is definitely different than visiting a third world country. I'm learning patience and contentedness, but at the same time finding new boundaries that I didn't know existed. Life adventures have a way of offering self-realization opportunities. Thank Jesus for that!

A Quick Thank You Note...

I'm on my way to take the long nap, but before I do that I just want to offer up a quick word of thanks to all the family & friends who sent so much great stuff our direction. Your gifts are wonderful sights for sore eyes, to be sure! A huge thanks for making Christmas gifts happen, even though we're so far away. I'll write a longer note soon, and hopefully add some photos as well. Thanks a million!

Sicky

I came home from school yesterday with a real nice head cold. I've been pretty fortunate so far in the school year, but there are certain probabilities that I must yield to because of my chosen profession. More kids = more chance of picking up germs! Really it is not too bad... I've been able to catch up on email and watch some movies on Netflix, which recently came to the island.

We're doing reasonably well, all things considered. As you might have noticed, Kisha usually has a great deal more time to blog. My once-a-week ambition seems like a thing of the past, but today I feel suddenly motivated to write.

We're fast approaching Christmas, but it doesn't really seem like it. Without American family and friends nearby the holiday takes on a different flavor. Our neighbors have been celebrating since the beginning of December... lots of dominoes and loud music that goes well past 10pm, my self-appointed bed time. Last night, while I was trying to ignore the fact that I'm sick, a next door neighbor had a live Christmas concert with a guy who really shouldn't be given a microphone. Ever.

At the same time we've been blessed with good friends down here, who don't hesitate to eat meals with us and go out for ice cream. Below is a photo of our neighborhood friendly fruit stand guy, who keeps us in good shape with sweet papaya, pineapple, banana and juices, while introducing us to new fruit that I've never seen before.



God is good to us, even when we feel lonely and homesick. I just heard about a daughter of a friend who was teaching overseas and had to go back to the states emergency-style. I feel blessed that I haven't had any trouble with health or bandits here, which would be something of a show-stopper. I'm two days away from a three week break, and the rain has finally come so that I can at least enjoy some cloudy days :0)

Adoption

We have a friend visiting with Travis/us. Daniel Whipple! I am supper excited to have him here for the month that he is here. It is always great to have someone from the outside looking in ask me questions to help me process life here in the Dominican Republic. The other night he asked me how I chose the kids that I did to love like my own. That is a great question.

How does one develop that special relationship with a kid that says I will be here for you no matter what? How do I become a trusted friend, a mentor to the youth in my life? I am not hip! I don't dress cool! I speak very poor Spanish... I am not the stereotype for what is pretty here... So what is it.

John 1:14 we read that God is Love!

The love of God is powerful it heals wounds and binds people together. Love is something that we all seek, something we all need. Love is the one thing I have to offer. These children adopted me. I did not adopt them. It is their love and need to be loved that has bound us together. I create in my house a place of peace where they can come to rest and to give and receive love.

Desmayo... Fainting

Friday I went to spend sometime with my girl Yuli. She has been staying at her aunts house because she is not doing well medically and her parents don't want to leave her alone during the day while they work. Since I got here in July she has experienced a stomach ulcer, high risk pregnancy, and now kidney stones. The public hospital here in La Vega is pretty terrible at diagnoses. For the for all three things she was told she was fine and nothing was wrong the first 3-4 times she went to the hospital. Now with the kidney stones she is in a lot of pain and running a fever. When I got to her house she was laying in bed shivering, running a fever and crying out in pain. Lucky her this was also the day she was suppose to be going in for a check up on her pregnancy at the public hospital. Around 11:30 we got onto a motorcycle and started to head to the hospital. She was between me and the driver. About 3 min. into the drive her foot falls off of the peg. Now this is strange for a kid who has been on bikes her entire life. The driver stops and I try to get her attention. A man comes over from the sidewalk to help. She is completely unresponsive. I am tapping her face and saying her name... Nothing. So we pick her feet up and put them on mine. I am holding her up and we start to drive to the hospital. At this time her aunt circles back to check on us and we tell her what is happening and she says to take her to a clinic. Now here clinics mean that you are going to get a much higher level of care. The trick is that Yuli's insurance won't cover this location. This visit will cost about 20-30 dollars. When we arrive at the clinic Yuli is regaining consciousness. Her eyes are terrified as I explain why we are here and what happened to her.

She stopped me and says, "Kisha I don't have the money to go in there."

$20 is standing between my girl getting healthy and caring this baby to term. $20 a month is what she will need to be able to come to this clinic and receive individual care. To have one doctor follow her pregnancy through to the end.

Yuli turned 18 on October 15. We are hoping to be able to change her insurance now. Please pray for us that she would find favor with the government and they would make the transition simple. Also if you would like to help her you there are a few ways. The profits from any photos I sell will be going to help cover her medical costs. You can purchase my photos at www.rememberpeace.smugmug.com Or you can donate to her through my TEARS account by clicking the Financial Support link on the right; just email me and tell me it is for Yuli.

Bagels part 2

Today is my second time making bagels with the two boys, Junior and Goneno. Junior has such a natural talent for baking it is impressive. I am looking into helping him to start baking and selling bagels. We have a friend who used to sell donuts and he is going to help us figure out if it is a viable business here or not. Junior is 14 and needs to start contributing financially to his family. It sounds like a lot of pressure to me but it is the reality of life here in the barrio. school is only a half day and if teenagers are not working for the good of the family they generally are starting to get into trouble with drinking and alcohol. I pray that bagels could be the simple thing that changes Juniors life, although I know that it will take much much more. Perhaps he will decide to open a paneria (bakery) or will make a contact that will open the door to better work. For now I will teach him how to manage his money with what we can bring in selling donuts. I will teach him how to set prices buy in bulk, manage time and how to sell. All skill that will help him in the long run.

Bagels

Last week I made bagels with two of my boys. They had a blast working the dough and then eating their creation. I have never been much of a baker myself but this was a blast. I have learned how to make all kinds of creations from scratch. I have an Indian food recipe that I make and we love it. There is also a shrimp pineapple dish that tastes like Zab Thai!

Aside from cooking I have been trying to see what my place here is? There are so many needs that my usual rule of seeing the need means I should do something about it can not apply. I came here thinking that I was suppose to start a mentoring ministry that focused on young children and tried to have adults stick with them for a few years. Now I am thinking that that dream while it sounds good it just won't happen here. There are not enough healthy adults to start a real program. So where does that leave me...

I have a relationship with Yuli who is about to have a baby. She is 18 and figuring out life. I have a young boy who is 14 that has stolen my heart. I have friends who are leaders in the church. My closest friend from when I was in the internship here has moved back to the barrio and she is seeking God. These people will be my mission. I will love them and try to empower them to be the change they want to see in their community. TEARS is a relational focused ministry. We purposely do not engage in programs, I will not tie myself to a program. If the door opens for an official mentorship I will be very excited but I will not force it.

I am also committed to helping TEARS become more financially stable. I have never been an official fundraiser until now but I believe in this ministry and hope I am able to communicate the vision, mission, and impact TEARS is having on the community here in La Vega, Dominican Republic and beyond.

It's weird to think that God might lead us to a place where we might struggle. I know we say that it's not that weird because we're supposed to, but deep down inside it seems somehow off-kilter. How could God lead me somewhere uncomfortable? Jesus is supposed to make me feel good, and then I tell other people about how good it feels and then they join in and we all just feel good... right?

I looked around a bit and couldn't find a verse that says following Jesus is gonna be a easy ride on the gravy train. Actually, there's way more discussion going the other direction, but I'd rather not talk about that right now. As some of you know I've been struggling to keep my head on straight and in the game down here in the DR. I have better days and worse days, but in general I'm having a hard time with all the limitations I'm experiencing in life. It's not the birthday parties like you see below, and it's not the showing up to support a kid's soccer game like above, it's the general lifestyle things that I miss from Portland... family and friends... food carts... restaurants... walking around at night time... understanding most people... offering help to people that need a hand... quiet neighborhoods... just the little things that I didn't know I'd be leaving in the US.

Please pray for me if you get a chance... I feel okay right now, but because of how raucous my students are I have a a lot of variables when it comes to emotional state of being. I want to be here because I believe that God sent me here, but I'm currently having a hard time understanding why. I need God's focus and a serious change of attitude!

feeding the 5000

My friend Laura is staying with me which means that we have a small following of children around most of the time. This is normal and had started before she came but the frequency has grown. Sometimes it feels like we are feeding the 5000.

One of the boys that I feel an extra connection to comes from the poorest part of our barrio. He has 4 sisters and often times misses meals in his house. Yesterday he came by at 11:45. I was hungry and asked him where he was going to eat lunch and his response was a shrug of the shoulder. I think of James chapter 2 where it says,

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him "Go I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action , is dead."

Now I know that this verse is not telling me that I have to feed every person who is hungry but rather is talking about faith. But the metaphor is used because it was generally accepted that we should care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. That all should give so that none would have to go without. From my abundance I should give to those who are lacking. Caring for my brothers and sisters in Christ. So back to this child...

He has learned to go visit people around meal time in hopes of receiving some food. His family is unable to provide for his needs. There are so many children like this here and I can not feed them all. But this one child... This one child of God I can feed. From my abundance I will care for him. So yesterday we fed him some left over egg salad sandwich and yogurt. You may say you love with your words... I will show you that I love by my actions.

Lightning with no Thunder

Being an Oregonian I am not accustom to thunder and lightning storms. Here in La Vega we have them all the time. My first week here I was so jumpy because the thunder was deafening and the lightning flashed all around like a strobe light. I was sure that if I left the cover of the porch that I was going to be struck! The family we stayed with had a few good laughs at my expense over this. Just this last week Eric and I decided to walk into the barrio during a lightning storm. It was off in the distance and we could hardly hear the thunder. The way the sky lit up was beautiful. We had no lights in the neighborhood so it would go from pitch black to bright and detailed.

I am becoming quite accustomed to the storms that blow over so quickly. Now I look forward to the storm and sit outside on the porch mesmerized by the flashes. It has only been 3 months and most of the time I feel right at home. There are times though when I am ready to go back to Portland. I miss my city and the familiarity. I miss understanding the nuances of life. Language/culture learning can be exhausting and seems to come in small surges. Some days I understand more than others. Some days the words come off my tongue without much work. But then there are those days where I can not get simple words out that I have known for years.

But then again I seem to have that problem in English too! :)

31 and counting

On Sunday we gathered friends to celebrate my birthday. I served burrito bar which was a big hit, although tortillas are not a favorite around here and I did not offer any ketchup or mayonnaise. It was a lot of fun to get the crew together. I was sitting in the garden with Bau, Alberto, Milagros, and Rod when Bau mentioned how it has been a long time since this group was all together. A lot has changed since I came down here as an intern. Many of my friends have families and jobs now, but it is more than that. The church is different right now. The unity that we once had is not there. It was a nice birthday present for me to see my friends together enjoying each others company.

I am praying for unity to be restored and that we could care for another in such a way that people will know that we are in Christ!

Indoor Waterfalls

The sound of running water is a calming sound and I know in the States people will put out a lot of money to make indoor fountains. In my house the sound of running water means there is a big problem. Also hearing the water over the crash of thunder and excitement of lightning is near impossible. We had previously survived our first hurricane without consequence, but yesterdays thunder and lightning storm was formidable. I closed the windows and sat inside with Magi while we waited for Eric to come and give her a lift home. When I walked her to the door I realized that I was splashing to the door.

hmmm....

After helping Magi out to the car I had to find where the water was coming in... Then I saw it!

If you look closely behind me you will see a wet wall, the water was coming in our wall. There is a telephone jack and for some reason the water was pouring in through there. After inspecting the rest of the house we found the same happening in three rooms. To clean up Eric swept the rain waters out the front door while I mopped. What an evening. By 7pm all was back to normal and one of the young boys we know stopped by for a visit. He played games on the computer while we talked to Eric's parents.

For Reals

Ladies and gentlemen, here's one that I'm sure all the women who read this blog can agree with. There are really parking spaces reserved for pregnant ladies here in the DR... in more than one location! I mention this because some things are just plain different down here, and some are more comical than others. I'm adjusting to pizza with corn on top, burritos with mayo and ketchup, and an overall lack of culinary variety.

Lately I've been missing all my friends from Portland/The Beav. We've managed to stay pretty close to the folks via computer and email, but I don't get much time with the homies. I haven't been of Facebook as much as I like, and I think it means that I work too hard. Kisha saw me getting crazy last week, and took me up to the mountains for a hike. It was good times in the trees, which is apparently something I need. This past weekend we found a river that we can walk to and some hills to practice on so that we can climb Pico Duarte next year. But the trees wont tell bad jokes like Bryan, talk incessantly about gross stuff at the supper table, or wear hiking boots places that hiking boots just shouldn't be worn (I can't believe I miss being embarrassed by Bently's lack of fasion sense!). I would like any one of those three things right now!

Okay, enough sap, I suppose. I missed teaching a lot. I really like being back in the classroom again. These students are VERY different from my previous batch of rabble-rousers, but they're starting to grow on me. There are a few that I'd like to shellac, but aren't there always at least a handful? A good shellacking would be just the thing, I think :0) One thing is for sure, I can't have them run around the building as punishment down here. First of all, there's a security fence with razor wire, and I'm just not sure they could orbit the building without bleeding. Then there's the potential heat exhaustion that comes from physical activity in the Caribbean. I'll have to invent new ways! Please pray for my students :0)

In One Weeks Time

In one week I have gotten very close to officially launching my fundraising campaign for the fall quarter. I am still trying to collect my testimonies from teachers, parents and students that has proved to be the hardest part. We have set up a mass email account so that I can easily communicate. But what is even more amazing is that we received a $100 gift even before really launching the campaign. I am excited to see if my ideas will actually work. I have some fear that these fund raisers won't go anywhere.

It is times when I wonder where my fundraising will go that I have to remember that the most important thing that I am here for is relationships. I am here to love people and be loved by people. I am here to share my life, to show people God is a living being and not just words on paper. I am here because long ago these relationships were started and they have continued to affect my life. I am here because this is where the door to work was open for Eric. Our surroundings have changed but not who we are. We continue to live our lives in service to each other and our community. I used to think the life of a missionary was very different from that of a "normal person." But when I gave up the idea of being a missionary I quickly learned that brokenness is everywhere. In the church in the streets with the rich and with the poor. We all need healing.

We all need to learn how to live life in a way that heals. Jesus said he came to bind up the broken hearted. Now that my heart has been bound and healed my passion is to bind the hearts of those around me.

Remember Peace

Photography has become a great joy for me. I love framing the shot and playing with the camera. The other day I was taking photos of the street dogs. I want to make a collage of them. Some are so ugly that it is sad and other have this husky wisdom. Then there are the chiwauwaus... They are everywhere! Eric calls them Ratones which always gets a laugh. The other evening we went walking up the big hill near our house for exercise and Rod & Twilla's dogs accompanied us. Their names are Brownie and Romeo, these dogs have a sense of duty! They attacked every single moto that drove by! This was a little embarrassing but it is something watching these two rat dogs attack moving motorcycles and having the people actually be scared of them!

I have switched photo web pages so if you want to see my art you can follow me on at www.rememberpeace.smugmug.com I now have a collections of photos from the mountain village in Jarabacoa!

The 1st of the Year Is Always Crazy

As you might have guessed, the school year has started. Among other things the school year beginning means I can't hang out on facebook & blogger as much as I'd like. My sincerest apologies to anyone who feels kicked to the curb!

It's really nice to be a teacher again. I like spending my days with young people, and I'm mostly adjusted to the schedule. In many ways SCS is just like the other schools I have graced with my presence. In others, it's very different. They have a classic 43 minute class period, 8 periods a day, and 30 minute lunches. It reminds me of when I was in school. On the other hand this is the first place I've been unable to project over the sound of the class. The combination of loud students, loud ceiling fans, and super-solid surfaces (walls and ceiling of concrete, floors of ceramic tile) makes it a great deal tougher than I've ever had it. I put in earplugs during my prep period just to regain centeredness.

We're still having a good time in La Vega. Things are starting to feel normal... we have a few favorite restaurants, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and I know how to get to most of these places (which is the key). I can also get to the hardware store, furniture store, the electric company, phone company, multiple markets and at least a couple outdoor parks. Those are not things I thought would be hard to remember, but it took a while to get it all sorted out. It's a great deal easier getting around La Vega on a motorcycle than it is in a car, that's for sure. The narrow streets and crazy amount of motorcycles makes SUV's just not the ideal thing.

Keep praying for us, if you don't mind. I have a couple classes that need some discipline/encouragement (aren't those like the same thing?) that will involve a call home. I suppose it was inevitable, but I always hate to have to do it. 3 weeks and no detentions so far... I must be loosing my edge :0)

Irene gave us 2 days off!

Irene was exciting to hear about since it was our first hurricane. No one in La Vega seemed worried about the event and we did not find out about it until Sun night around 8 when we received a call letting us know that school was canceled. It reminded me of my time working at McKay Elementary school. We would cancel school for a dusting of snow... Well there was just rain and a few wind gusts. Mostly we just hung out inside with friends cooking eating and having fun. Eric got a lot of planing and grading work done. The second day off was very nice out and I walked to the barrio and watched a movie with a family.

Oddly enough today we have sustained winds of over 13 miles an hour with lots of rain, worse than anything we saw with Irene and Eric is going to work... hmmm

So you may wonder how this is because stateside school would not be canceled like this. Well here the ministry of education decides and he canceled school for the whole island for those two days. The school districts do not decide there is one guy who decides for the whole island.

I Think I'm Ready

I think I'm ready for this first short week of school. I spent that last couple of days cleaning things out of the cupboards and tossing curriculum that was dated as old as 1987. I have 3 relatively solid plans for Wed-Fri, and what I learn about my students from these first few days will help shape next week. I am very excited to be back in the classroom full time, and I look forward to a very good year. The other middle school teachers are cool people, and I think we're going to make a good team. I intend to work closely with the other teachers, preparing students for the writing projects they will need to accomplish in the other classes. It's a fun and exciting challenge, and part of the reason I like teaching is figuring out what kids need to learn well.



Starting this year is a great deal easier than the first year I taught. I'm not nearly as nervous, and I think I'll be headed out to a friend's going away party in the barrio tonight. Our friend has been working with TEARS for 8 or 9 years, and is dearly loved by the people of Maria Auxiliadora. She will be missed, but I intend to keep her guitar good company while she's gone :0)

Electricity and Innertubes

After a long hiatus from blogging, I felt compelled to write a quick note and post it out there in the bloggosphere. Our life has been eventful, to be sure, as every move is eventful. Everything is a step or two more complicated here than it would be if we had simply moved somewhere else in the US.

Allow me to iterate... In preparation for our arrival, the school signed a contract with the electrical company, and the electricity was up-and-running. Well, it was sort of running. Let's just say that when there was electricity in the neighborhood we were already part of the action. When I got here the school handed me their contract and told me to go into the electric company and switch the contract into my name. They made it sound easy.

As it turns out, the electricity company is notorious for a few reasons. First, they have some super lousy customer service. I got to see this first hand because I was talking with a customer service lady that simply would not slow down her speech, no matter how many times I asked or reminded her that I had only been in the country a couple weeks. Second, the electric company has been known to over charge people. Kinda like how they want me to pay for the month of MAY (not June or July... it's crazy). Lastly, they're quick to simply turn a person's power off. Currently the good ladies at my school are worried that the company will do just that because I can't talk to their customer service people long enough to get them to switch the account or allow me to pay a bill for the time period that we were actually living here.

Dizzy yet? You should have seen me walking out of the office last time... it was nuts. Pretty much everything around here works kinda like that. I bought a new motorcycle... had it in the shop within two weeks. The smoothest thing that's happened so far is that I got a flat tire today, and it was patched within 30 min and cost me less than 2 bucks. That's because it was a guy working out of his house, not some established place trying to steal my pesos. (BTW... the motorcycle tires down here have INNERTUBES like a bicycle! It reenforces my theory that this thing is really a bicycle with a motor attached to it)

We're learning how to navigate in this new culture, though. The motorcycle is a great deal easier to get around on in La Vega, because the streets are narrow and there's a great deal of waiting and honking to get a car through some of the neighborhoods. The mercados are cheeper to buy veggies at, and there are more options than just the Dominican Walmart for the shopping. We've found most of the spices we'll need for the basics, and I even managed to find a place in Santiago that sells BAGELS!!!

Our current complications involve buying a bed and couch, as well as a possible auto repair on the SUV that I drive to work every day. Please pray that we'll be able to afford all of these things and still pay off our medical bills in Portland. Also, pray for the beginning of my school year which begins this coming Wednesday. We're almost done with our teacher's meetings, and will have Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the actual classes. Pray for the kids and parents and teachers that we may start this year off well.

So Many Animals, So Little Touching

I doubt many will be surprised by what I am about to say, because we all know I have the barely controllable desire to make friends with animals.

In my neighborhood there are 3 horses, and 1 is a baby. There are a zillion dogs. Cats are everywhere, as well as kittens, puppies, chickens AND on the way to Rod’s house there are often baby cows!!!!! (vacacitos ) The sad part is I don’t get to touch any of them. Thankfully Rod has 3 dogs and 5 puppies that I can play with!

My photos are from the Travasia which is a mountain village where we have a church plant. Thankfully I got to pet both horses, ride the white one and play with Chiquito, Moreno and Tigua's dog.

See, It's Not So Bad

From Eric's previous pictures and videos you can see that we are ruffling it a little. But life is so good because we are working together real well and we have an amazing community here who is willing to help us with anything! In fact they don’t even need to be asked if they know of a need you can pretty much guarantee you will get help. Sometimes it is nice to be the helpless foreigner. Laundry day was a bit trying though! I had help lined up for the day before but we had no “luz de la calle” which means we were running on the inverter power so no running a laundry machine. Eric was a trooper though and we did it together the whole time. I think I would have quit early but we had a small flood and all the dirty clothes got wet so there was no stopping and coming back to it. Needless to say we will not wait 2 weeks to do laundry again if it can be helped.

Last night we had friends over for dinner for the first time. Alberto and Milagros came with their 3 children and 1 Niece and 1 Nephew. It was a full house and we all had a blast. Alberto and I cooked together so that I can learn how to make his amazing chicken dish. The kids and Milagros arrived on 2 motos, 7 people 2 motos!!! The apartment is great for having people over and the table is in a room just off of the living room so the adults could have some private time and still keep an eye on the kids.

Yuli, the girl from our photo cards has been coming over at least twice a week since we moved in and that has been great. We are paying her to help out around the house so she comes once to work and once to hang out. We are helping her learn English and she is helping us with our Spanish. It is a great exchange! We hope to go to her house in the next week or two. She moved out of the barrio and is living with her boyfriend.

Please pray for us and this relationship that it would be blessed and profound! Yuli has two years of school left before she can go to college. Pray that she remains focused on her studies. Also pray for Eric and me because the craziness of the school year starts on Monday!

Laundry Day

Just got to do our first day of laundry... only took like 5 hours!

Kisha & The Ants

No dialogue required...

Running On An Empty Tank

A few days ago we had a practice of patience when we woke up to an empty water tank. Perhaps a little background info will help you understand how this is even possible. Every house that I’ve seen so far in La Vega, and most of the DR for that matter, has a multi-gallon tank on the roof. Most of them are black, and there are different sizes and shapes, but they all do about the same thing. They hold all of the water for a given house. Each house also has an electronic pump with an automatic switch, which pumps the water from the big pipe under the street to the tank that is on the roof. It’s really not that complicated, but there are plenty of ways that things can go wrong. A broken PVC pipe, a pump that’s not functioning, or a lack of electricity are just some of the problematic options.

At first we thought the lady that takes care of the plants left the water on in the garden. It took a day to figure out there was no way that could happen because the garden hose isn’t hooked up to the tank. Then it took a day to figure out that even though we had closed all the outdoor spigots, the tank still wasn’t getting water. On day three the chairman of the board for SCS showed up with a couple of guys from his church to help fix the problem. Mind you, that was two days of walking down to the garden to draw a bucket of water just to flush the toilet. Fun times.

With relative ease they figured out that the automatic switch on the pump wasn’t telling the pump that it was time to draw water. A quick trip to the hardware store and about US$5 and we were back in business.

I think we weathered the whole thing with good grace. Kisha and I remained on the same team as we tried to trouble shoot and network to solve the problem. We are now much more appreciative of water when we turn the spigot off and on. So I guess you could say that we practiced the patience pretty well!

El Clima

A weather report from La Vega, DR...

Kisha's 11 Day Update

It was 11 days ago that I got on a plane and headed to the Dominican Republic… So how am I feeling and what has happened? Today I am tired. We had a problem with the water that started the day after we received our inverter. So we went from not having electricity to not having water! 2 days without water because it took us a whole 24 hours to figure out something was broken.

I have gotten to spend 2 days with Yuli, the girl from our photo cards, and that is a huge blessing! We are teaching her English and she is helping me with my Spanish. She is a beautiful and smart girl that I am so very proud of. Other than that I have spent time reconnecting with my friends here. The craziness will begin on Saturday though because a group is coming for 1 week, then a couple of ladies will be here right after that. Also Eric will start working and my days will change a lot. It has been great to spend so much time together before he starts his first year teaching which means lots and lots of hours preparing lessons and correcting papers.

As for my emotions… I just got off the phone with Pop, this was my first conversation with someone state side since we got here and I had myself a cry. I am starting to miss people but most of my emotions are pointed at my dog. I wish so bad that I could have Maynard here with me. So tonight I am sad. But I have been nothing but excited since we arrived. It is great to get emails from friends. That helps me to feel like I am still a part of my church. Thank you everyone for your support. Pray for me and my dog that we can be comforted in this time of separation.

Inversion

I simply cannot believe how great it is to have power all the time! Nothing personal against the folks from the stone age, but they were seriously missing out. Here are a few photos from the installation process:






Electricity is a beautiful thing. Even some of our Dominican friends would smile when they heard about our lack of inverter... they know that means no fan while you TRY to sleep :0)



The good news is we have a fully functional inverter. The bad news is that if you visit you'll be sleeping with it! Yep, the breaker box is in the guest room :0)

Never Alone

As it turns out, you're never alone when it comes time to get something done in the DR. We picked up some paint at La Sirena (It's like Walmart) because we decided to paint a few of our walls. Kisha knew someone who had some paint brushes and rollers, so she went out to find them. She was gone for a while, but when she came back she had two of our friends wielding everything necessary for a huge paining project. 5 minutes later 2 of their friends showed up, and then it was just riotous. They had the place painted in no time, and it was just a great reminder that we're not here by ourselves.

4 Guys Paining the Guest Room


EJ Paints the Pink Stuff Blue


Willy shows EJ the intricacies of a gas stove


Everyone, from every culture, loves power tools... even Bau!

Just a few things left to do before we take the photos of the completed house. We're waiting on an IKEA couch, and have to go find a kitchen table. And most importantly, THEY ARE INSTALLING AN INVERTER AS WE SPEAK!!! It's amazing that we made it a week without 24 hour power, but I have a new appreciation for electricity. Even with all the camping and whatnot, I'm still VERY used to plugging things into the wall and getting results.

Chaio for now!

The New Neighbors

As of today we are officially the new neighbors on the block. We managed to get our place put together enough that we're gonna try sleeping here tonight. The place is looking pretty good, though there will be some furniture that we need to acquire. There is some serious charm to this house, and I think we're gonna like it.

The only downer is that we don't have a solid internet connection yet. We don't have an inverter installed yet, so we don't have 24 hour power yet. Actually, I'm not even sure when I'll be able to post this note! Ah well, I'm certainly not here for the creature comforts.

I'm learning a lot about Dominican life. There are many things that are similar to the US. In some ways I'm doing more "American" things than I usually do in Portland. Twice I've gone to the Dominican equivalent to Walmart, and I was so relieved to have the prices marked on the products that I didn't even mind my sub-cultural betrayal. When asked by the kind lady from my school where we wanted to eat when we got here, Kisha said salchicha (a DR sausage on a stick, served with hot sauce) and I said pico pollo (fried chicken and plantains). She didn't take us serious, though, and offered us either McDonald's or Burger King. I don't even eat like that in the states!

I'm learning some of the differences, too. There are lots of social do's and don'ts, some of which I may never learn. Our friends that we've been staying with won't let us do ANYTHING. Sometimes people start cooking for you and you don't even know it. Kids do all kinds of stuff that we wouldn't let our kids do. The peso to dollar ratio is still killing me, even though I practiced. It rains like mad every day.

We had some American friends over for coffee today, and talked about how this is actually one of the more stable things we've done in the past few years. For one, I actually have a solid teaching job. We have more than a 6 month lease on an apartment. It feels good to have made a decision, follows through on it, and to see how God was opening doors all along the way.

Hoping to have an inverter and solid connection sometime next week. Until then I'll keep posting on the occasional wifi I can scrounge up!

Fried Eggs with Onion & Salami

Mangu (mashed plantains)

So Far So Good

We’ve had a good couple of days in the DR so far. When we landed on Monday we knew there was going to be a national strike that would likely hinder transportation. Got to stay in Santiago with the secondary principal and her husband, which was really nice. She is going to be great to work with. Tuesday we spent most of our time running around Santiago, getting cell phones, looking home furnishings, and mad-dashing to the airport (including our first trip to a fast food joint in oh-I-don’t-know-how-long). When we finally got to La Vega we got to sit and talk with Chelo until it started raining buckets. That pretty much washed out any chance of walking over to the barrio, so we settled down for an electricity-free evening and some good sleep. The electric came back on around 9, so we had a fan going when we went to sleep, but “se fue la luz” happened again in the middle of the night, and I woke up in a fantastically stuffy room. Love the Caribbean! The mosquitos ate Kisha alive :0)

We are quite fortunate. There are stores and places here that are exactly the same as the US… I don’t think we’ll have a hard time finding stuff that will remind us of home. It’ll cost, though. So far I’m thinking we had the right idea about bringing our kitchen knives, some of the exotic spices we get from Uwajamaya, and lotsa good shoes. Other than that there’s plenty of good stuff here on the island, though I’ve not been everywhere. The school has hooked us up with a sofa, some furniture, and some dishes as well. Our place is really nice looking, and has plenty of space for the two of us.

Today we got to hang out in the barrio and say hello to almost everyone. It was really nice to be greeted by smiling faces, hugs, and cups of coffee. Rod let me borrow the "Jeep" to get the paint and cleaning supplies we need for our new place. As some of you might have suspected, my driving skills almost blended in :0)

Tomorrow we get to say hello to the few people we missed tonight. Oh yeah, and paint our new apartment :0)

LEAVING

I'm currently on my first flight to JFK, though this'll get posted once I find connection. I popped Mumford & Sons in the earbuds, a somewhat moody Scottish folk-hipster band. I wanted to just sit on this first flight and feel my feelings. Mums is just the thing tonight.

By this time my beloved P-town with my beloved friends and family are more than just a few miles to my posterior. The physical location I can leave... It's not afforded me much by way of employment in the education industry, and I look forward to this opportunity to re-enter the classroom. It's the people I'm gonna miss.

I got a little freaked out on Thursday as I said goodbye to our house church conglomeration... I was thinking I was leaving the people. I've been thinking about that the past few days... I think that I'm flying away from bodies, but I'm NOT flying away from relationships. The difference is huge. Many of my Portland relationships are the forever kind!

As we were planning to leave were spoke with another couple who cautioned us not to go somewhere simply to run away from the life we had in Portland. I was sruggling with things at the clinic, and they had been hearing our frustrations. But this move is not a running away... It's a running towards. The feelings of unrest were spot on because there was something coming that we would never dreamed of had we been perfectly content. We spent a lot of time praying and searching on this one. La Vega/Santiago is where we are supposed to be.

So I guess the emotions are mixed. The sad stuff happened this past week: the goodbyes are over. What we have in front of us is the excitement of saying hello. I guess we'll mostly be saying hola, but you know what I mean ;0)

Closing Out

It is Tuesday evening, and I am exhausted! I over did it a little in the last two days. Eric and I celebrated the 4th of July with our house church. We had a great time hiking in the Gorge and watching the fireworks in Hood River, Oregon. Then today we went to the Oregon Zoo.

We have started saying goodbye to friends now, and that is hard for me. I am so excited to go, yet I am sad about leaving friends. Friends are like family for me, and I am reluctant to accept change. I am thankful for the time off of work to get the chance to have quality time with so many of my loved ones here in Portland. Every day from now until we leave there is some kind of event in place where we will be saying goodbye to people we love. The closure is good though, and it is getting very exciting.

With each day the reality of leaving Portland for more than a vacation becomes more real. It seems like I should have something inspirational to say to all of my friends, but when we hang out there is nothing profound to say. I have not had the life changing experience yet... I feel prepared and ready for this adventure. The unexpected will happen, but we are blessed with such an amazing community in the DR that I am not scared. That is a big answer to prayer. Fear is an emotion that has been a huge part of my life since I was young. But at this point in my life I am experiencing confidence and hope more than fear. I am confident that we are doing the right thing. I am confident that God will provide for our needs. I am confident that our friends and family will not abandon us. I am hopeful for the impact this adventure will have on our lives. I am hopeful for the impact we will have on the community we are entering. I am hopeful for my future, for our future.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this change of attitude and perspective!

12 days

The count down continues! The next week and a half will feel like a whirl wind. There are thankfully a few slow days interspersed with the hussle and bustle of saying goodbye and enjoying Portland favorites! I had my last Physical Therapy session for real this morning. I am in good shape and we are hoping there will be little to no set backs while I am away. Tony Rocklin from Therapeutic Associates is an amazing support and has patiently walked this long road of healing with me. I am blessed by him and his staff. One of the events that I am most looking forward to is a lunch that I am throwing for his office a week from tomorrow.

Where will we be in the next few days...

July 1st- Hiking the Gorge

July 2nd- Family Wedding

July 3rd- BNC

July 5th- Zoo

July 6th- Therapeutic Associates

July 7th- The Journey With Christ send off

July 8th- Our Last Date in Portland

July 9th- Winquist/Townsley Wedding

July 10th- Family day and departure at 10:30pm

I know there are many people that I am going to wish I had gotten a chance to see, and I am thankful for the time I do get to spend with people I love. Please be gracious with me if we don't get together it is not because you are forgotten. If you want to see us the best place to just show up would be Beaverton Nazarene Church this Sunday!

Kisha

21 Days

It is hard to believe we only have 21 days before our departure. We have been asking ourselves what we need to do before we leave the US, and slowly collecting packable items that are hard to get a hold of for a reasonable price in La Vega. Yesterday my brother gifted us a pair of really good flashlights, since electricity is somewhat sketchy, and we may need to provide ourselves with our own light at some point. Some personal care items have also made it to our luggage, as well as spices that won't be readily available. (I can't live life without Kisha's chutney!)

I have been thinking about how wonderful it's been to have such great support from our family and friends in the Portland area. They have been helping us focus on what we're about to do, asking us pertinent questions, and reminding us that we can do whatever God is calling us to do. We have also received similar messages from our friends in La Vega, reminders that we can do it because God is with us and they hope to take care of us and love us in our new home.

Our remaining time in Portland is full of weddings, get-togethers, and spending time with family. We'll be visiting BNC and The Well in the next couple of weeks, so if you attend one of those churches please look for us and say hello.

One important note: Kisha has a photo website up and running. It is a place that you can view and purchase her photography from our recent travels to Boston & the Dominican Republic, as well as photos from Portland and our Oregon hiking adventures.
Check it out!
backprint.com/rememberpeace

First Day of Freedom

This is my first day without working and it feels great! It means I made it to the home stretch and all that is left for me to do is enjoy my friends, family and favorite places in Portland! I am a college graduate now from PCC. This is a huge accomplishment for me. I started taking classes 10 years ago so it was a long slow road. I am not sure what my academic future looks like but I do know I am taking a one year break so that Eric and I can enjoy some time together and settle into our new life.

Some things I am looking forward to are hiking and photographing my home city. I have started an online gallery for my photography. I will be selling my photos so please think of me when you need a gift or greeting cards. I will have photos of the great outdoors in Oregon and of my life in the Dominican Republic.

Fundraising update- we are only $210 away from being fully funded in our monthly support. As for the one time gifts that will help us to buy a vehicle we have only received $350 so far. That is not much towards a car there so we are praying that people are moved to give in both areas.

The Final Paper

I just turned in my final paper! This means that I should be right on track for the license renewal by my birthday. I’m extremely grateful that I was able to stop working and focus on the school part… I’m not sure if I would have been able to finish while working at the clinic.

Kisha also finished her schooling this week, which means that we’ve passed another mile marker in our adventure. School was one of the loose ends that we needed to tie down before we move to the DR, and now Kisha will have her associate degree and I will have a 10 year renewal on my teaching license. Things seem to be moving quickly, with at least one big thing on the agenda for each week. Next week will be Kisha’s last day of work, and we’ll have less than 30 days to finish everything up.

I’m still waiting for my passport, so if you’re praying you might keep that in mind. I sent it off over a month ago, and had to re-send the application a couple weeks ago. Pray that it gets back to me with the quickness so that it won’t interrupt travel plans! Also, pray for good connections with people when we get down there. We have a church family that Kisha already mostly knows, but I’m just getting to know everybody. Normally that’s a non-issue, but there is more of a language barrier with this particular gig. The people were extremely kind and easy to get along with when we were down there for vacation, so I’m not super worried about it, but I’m praying for a couple of really good, really close relationships for myself (I know, everything is always me, me, me). Pray for Kisha as she finishes her last week of work, that she can finish strong and with as little stress as possible.

Moved In With The Folks

I turned in the keys to our apartment earlier today, and we have officially moved in with my parents. There was a HUGE pile of junk in their garage for a couple days, but I’ve mostly got it trimmed down to our luggage, the stuff I put up in the attic, and the junk I pawned off on our friends (thanks friends!). So far it’s cool living with family, but they’re already starting to get nostalgic of our childhood. Just this evening they’ve listed at least 9 of the cute things we did as kids. We were VERY cool kids, apparently.

I didn’t know how much moving in with the folks would put our upcoming adventure in time perspective. Getting everything packed as if we are leaving has reminded me how close we are to leaving. We have 40 days left! I feel almost ready… does anyone ever feel fully ready for this sort of thing? Since I’ve never done anything like this I don’t even know how to know if I’m ready or not. It’s exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I’ve managed to short circuit a few times, which never really feels great, and usually requires a few hours recovering equilibrium on my brother’s Xbox 360. But other than that I’m doing pretty well. I’m close to finishing my final class for continuing education, and that should leave me plenty of time to read Pop’s new book and the required readings for new teachers at Santiago Christian School.

We are grateful that God has provided us a place to live this month. Most of us have heard that God will provide, and we say it to each other with some frequency. It is one thing to hear it, and another to actually see the places that God is already providing. It feels good to know that God has been providing, and helps us remember that God will continue to take care of us. Kisha only needs a few more people to sign up for the monthly contributions, which is really good. We could still use some help with the one-time giving, so it’s not too late to join the action.

But now I must retire.

7 More Weeks

We’ve made it to the seven week mark. I like talking about it in days, because 50-something sounds so much less intimidating than 7. Yep, it’s coming fast!

It seems like most of life revolves around tying up loose ends that are the inevitable by-product of living life. We’ll be moving into Mom & Pop’s next weekend, and as usual we have more junk than I thought we had. Where did we get all this junk? Didn’t I throw or give away almost everything 6 months ago when we first felt like God was leading us to something outside the US? I’m confident I gave almost everything away… well… I meant to, anyways.

I have sent away my final assignments for the Spanish class that I was taking online. I’m 1.5 assignments away from wrapping up the ELL class, and that just leaves the writing class, which I hope to get done in the next two weeks. That would be plenty of time to submit my paperwork to the State of Oregon for renewal of my teaching license. I caught myself daydreaming about how great it would feel to have all the class work behind me… Good motivator to finish!

I’ve been thinking a lot about life, more specifically about my own culture. In the US we have a tendency to think that we don’t have much culture… “I’m Heinz 57” is a relatively common phrase. There is nothing like preparation (and I assume actually going) to live in the context of a different culture to help remind you about yourself, your upbringing, and the kind of lifestyle you’re used to. I have culture, and although it’s a culture that seems fused with lots of different input, it remains quite American. I have a relatively large “personal bubble” that I’ve been trying to shrink in preparation for the DR. I’m VERY used to popping into the local Safeway and paying reasonable prices for easy-to-prepare food. I walk around in total safety, without worry about people really trying to take advantage of me on my 5 min walk to the MAX, or without worrying if the police are going to ask me to empty my wallet. I don't have to negotiate the price of most of the things I buy.

These are cultural axioms that will be changing in about 7 weeks. Pray for Kisha and I as we attempt to avoid being lost in translation, that we will be able to identify things that are cultural misunderstandings, and that we may navigate them in a way that helps us love the people we find ourselves surrounded by.

Prayers & Answers

We’ve been praying a lot since Kisha’s last post. There is nothing like logistics to get God’s people on their knees with the quickness! It’s been good, and I hope to be reflecting more and more on what great stuff God has been doing in our lives lately.

We had a partial answer to our prayers for provision last night. One of our friends got a hold of us because he found a really nice apartment near his place. The photos below are what he sent us. It’s a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2nd floor apartment that has a place to park a car and hot water (not all Dominican houses in the area we are moving to have hot water). Basically, it’s perfect. The best part was that it’s about half of what we had budgeted! Thank God for answered prayers!



This will obviously help us in our month-to-month expenses, but we’re still looking for supporters in both our one-time gifts for move-in costs, and on a month-to-month basis.

I’m plugging away at my studies. I’ve pretty much wrapped up the Spanish class I was taking, and I’m over ½ done with ELL class. So I’m hoping to wrap up these last two classes before my birthday, and it looks like I’m on track. Please pray that I can be focused and diligent.

Also, we’re moving in a couple weeks. Our lease is up, and we’ll be staying with my parents until we take off in July. Pray that the moving goes without a hitch, and that it will be a good time of closeness with the family before we leave.

Recalculations

So Eric and I have taken a look at our budgeting and found some items that needed updating, and the results were sobering! Unfortunately that means I have to raise my fundraising goals. I wish I could say that I was full of faith, but at the moment I am a little worried. I know that God is in control and that we have been called to this mission, so I am confident in the end result and scared of the process. It has been hard to put much energy into fund raising because I am also finishing my last term at PCC. So I really need to trust that God is speaking to people and directing funding my way.

Let me tell you about one of those girls… I have watched this girl grow up and she is an amazing person who wants to work hard and earn money to help her whole family. She is now 17 and is painfully aware of the poverty that she lives in. She has two years before she can finish her high school degree, only public school there means that she goes 2 or 3 days a week for a few hours. That is not much and outside of school there is nowhere for her to put her energy. When she began school she was attending the TEARS school in the barrio. The TEARS school is of a much higher quality than the public schools, only it stopped at 3^rd grade. Eric and I have been planning on putting her into La Vega Christian school for her last two years so that she can finish strong and be prepared for college. She wants to be a teacher!

So if you hold one of my fundraising boxes please get the word out about these wonderful Dominican girls that need a chance to thrive in this world! Or if you haven’t given yet please do. If you cannot commit to giving monthly that is fine a one-time gift is wonderful and much appreciated.

One-Way Ticket?

We are plugging along in our preparations for the DR. I’m working on the schooling stuff like a madman, trying to get things finished by May 31st so I can get all the paperwork in on time. I am pretty much done with my class on Spanish in the classroom, and working on a class for writing and a class for English Language Learners. All three will be really good for my upcoming teaching assignment.

As far as logistics are concerned, there hasn’t been much going on. I’m waiting for Uncle Sam to renew my passport so it doesn’t expire while I’m over there, but other than that it’s pretty quiet. We did buy our plane tickets, which was kind of weird. I’ve never purchased one-way tickets to a foreign country! I’m sure I’ll get used to the idea soon enough, though. It does make the whole thing more of a faith walk somehow… we are trusting God is gonna take care of us!