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)