I can see the relationships deepening with the people who I get to see on a regular basis. At school, I think I have gained the trust and respect of many teachers. In the community, I notice that people are more comfortable and I'm becoming not as much of an outsider anymore. At home, life has settled down and I'm getting into a routine. I find myself still praying for patience, but not having to do so quite as much as months ago. Whether spending time with other American missionaries, visiting dominicans in their homes or working at the Mak school, I am more and more feeling among friends and not strangers and seeing the grace God has on me in letting me be a part of His work!
The days blur together sometimes. I really don't have time for pictures nor do I even think about it in the midst of just being, so I'll try to describe the best that I can some of the moments that stick out most in my head over the past month so that you can get a little glimpse of my days and how God is working here.
I walk out of my house to the highway and catch a "guagua…" or van. Squished between about 15 of my nicest unknown friends, I ride up the hill about 5 minutes and get off at the entrance to "tupe". I pay 20 pesos (about 50 cents) and cross the street to where some "motoconchos" are waiting under a big sign to give a ride. I motion for one of them and hop on the motorcycle, backpack on my back, plastic container with reading materials in my hand, and a full water bottle. We ride about 5 minutes or so on a bumpy dirt road passing cows, sometimes pigs and some small houses on the way. The view to the left is breath-taking. Far off mountains. Wow! Eventually, the familiar tin and wooden houses come into view on the left. Someone is picking cherries from the cherry tree. I give the driver 25 pesos, hop off and walk towards the back of the community, stopping a lot along the way to a many "Bon jou" to my haitian friends. It's quiet. All of the kids are at school. The men who have work are gone and the women are washing clothes, cooking, or chatting on their porches.
It's about 10:00am. I'm sitting on a plastic chair outside of S.'s house in a narrow concrete path. She decides to sit on the ground today. We're leaning up against the tin house next to us. It's time for a reading lesson. She's a bit younger than I am and doesn't know how to read. She loves Jesus, but cannot read her Bible. Her Bible is in Creole, but she wants to learn to read Spanish first. We've spent the whole summer concentrating on vowels… how to write them, how they sound and when we hear them in words. We are working on how to think. We haven't met since before I left for the United States, she hasn't been studying and yet the woman who said that her head is hard, remembers. She remembers what we've gone over. She can even think critically to "read" some words that have vowels in them. It's time to move on. She's ready for consonants and the next week, I'll get to work with her inside her house with some little ones interrupting every 5 minutes… wanting to be a part. Our relationship is growing deeper. She opens up about prayers for her unsaved family, expresses her recent feelings of loneliness because her husband has been working in another town leaving her alone at night, and asks for prayers for her health caused by low iron.
I find myself sitting in the main room of a small (yet, one of the biggest) blue house in Chichigua. Rain is pouring down on the tin roof. It's leaking a bit in the bedroom. The two boys go to sleep and the little girl (a tiny 2 year old) falls asleep in my lap. I get good good conversation with D. She offers me food… rice and chicken (from her plate that she hasn't touched yet). I eat a little knowing that this may be all she has today and that it would be rude to say no. And we talk about family about how she got there, about her story. It's the first time I've been offered food in this community. The first time that I've gotten to know her on a deeper level and that she's asked me about my family and story.
It's a Monday afternoon. I'm sitting on my couch with my roommate Jenna and Lily, a friend and fellow teacher from Makarios. During the Summer Lily asked us to study the Bible with her this year. So, we'll be working with her and learning together by going through Fundamentals of the Faith by John McArthur. We read, are reminded of the holiness of the Bible, the power of God's Word and how it came to be. We listen to half of a sermon and reflect on the gift that we have by being able to read words that God breathed.
We are at Bible Study sitting in a shady spot between a new house that is being built and the church in Chichigua. We sit on plastic chairs, some sit on the ground. There are 4 of us. Three are believers and church goers and one, Di. has accepted Christ but often waivers about whether she would go to heaven if she were to die. She struggles with the idea that living a sinless life is key for her to get into heaven. She strives to "win" her salvation, is hurt, and while she has heard the true gospel and how only Jesus can take away her sins, she struggles to believe that He is just that good… And, the other ladies often remind her of ways that she falls short. After a basic study on the church and Jesus being the head of it and we believers being the body, we get into a discussion about sin and the holy spirit and loss of salvation. It comes up pretty naturally and shows the comfort that exists even with me there. Sin is pointed out. Beliefs are shared. God has His hand there. With open discussion and healthy disagreement over what the Word says., we are all challenged to read our Bibles more. D. says, "I'm going to talk to my pastor and find where it says that… I really want to take the next 4 years to read through the Bible." She hasn't done that before. I am hopeful that studying the Bible will become a life-long passion of hers. God is moving in her and giving her the desire to read and know the Word for herself.
I leave the group of ladies and watch a missionary friend, Christine, jumping around joyfully being chased by such tiny and energetic children. She laughs. I appreciate her and her daughter and friend who are building relationship and loving me and the children through their work on Thursdays while I'm giving Bible Studies.
I run out of the Mak School where I have been up in the library organizing things. I don't want to miss the van of Chichigua kids who are headed home. It's a little after 2:00. They've just gotten out of school. The van of kids is parked outside of the school waiting for everyone to load up. About twenty little ones, from 4 years old to 4th grade are packed in, waiting on the last few stragglers and ready to leave and get home. Everyone is chatting. Some are holding artwork in their hands. Others have homework. Older siblings are looking out to make sure their younger siblings have arrived. The noise level is pretty high. And then, the door closes and we head down the gravel driveway, through Tamarindo, out of Montellano. The heat slowly escapes the van and the fresh breeze from outside fills it. Thank goodness for open windows! Most are quiet. It's been a long day...
It's a Friday. I've been asked, along with all of the other Makarios teachers, to go to a movie. It's the first time that I can remember that I've been asked to hang out for something informal and fun. It's a hard decision. The movie starts at 9:30 (yes at night). So, I say yes and make sure to take a 2-hour nap before getting on the full bus of 25 people to head to see a Dominican movie. I've always known that the culture is a late night one, but I think it hits me more since I've moved to Montellano. People tend to go to church at night most nights, eat dinner after church (which at the earliest would be 8:30), roam the streets, visit friends and play dominoes until the wee hours of the night. If I want to build relationship, adjusting my schedule a bit is necessary.
It's the weekend around 7:00pm. I pull up to Chichigua in Jenna's car and so many little and old faces are staring at me confused. Others, screaming my name. Excited to see me and yet puzzled as to why I would be in their community at dusk, they just stare. I've come to pick up two teenage girls who God has pulled me towards. R. and F. R. and I spent another Saturday afternoon together just a couple of weeks ago walking along the water near the fort in Puerto Plata. Tonight though, I came to pick her and her friend up to go to Youth Group at my church. They are the youngest there since they are only 15, but it is good for them. A game of Simon Says, a few worship songs, a sermon about Psalm 19… they enjoyed doing something different… and then as we leave we hear the blaring of another church service that is happening outside at the baseball field. Listen to the worship. Watch the dancing. God is praised in so many ways. And I see people from Makarios … teachers and kids. Hugs and kisses on the cheek. One teacher, G., is dancing for the Lord, pure joy in her face. Another group of Makarios teachers are serving at the event. I'm proud of the strong dominican leaders that I have serving alongside me.
I'm just waking up from a nap. Jenna and Kaylee (my other roomate) have just gotten home from school. It's my day to catch up and prepare for the other days this week both at school and in the community. I usually go to Chichigua today for reading with S., but she cancelled because of a doctor's appointment. So, it's been a good catching up day. Tomorrow through Friday, I will get up early and head to school until 2:00 and then to Chichigua for Bible Study and discipleship on two of those days. Wednesday this week is a community visit to Poncho Mateo.
My life lately seems to resemble our garden and more in particular that tomato plant. I've seen some small fruit, I think as a result of consistency and building relationship and just being… and there are areas where I just have to figure out another way adjust what I'm doing. But, as always, God remains good. I am so thankful to be able to see glimpses of progress and small fruits after having been here for such a short time.
I appreciate your continued prayers and support:
- Tomorrow, Tuesday, I start working with my kids who need reading help. After 4 weeks of school, I finally have a schedule and will be working with kids in small groups or individually. Please pray for a positive start! I am working with some of the kids from last year and some new kids.
- Next weekend, I will be going down south to celebrate a friend's birthday, see a former Wesleyan student, and give a workshop at Emanuel House on some reading resources that were donated to them. Please pray that this time would be fruitful and that God would keep me safe as I travel by bus down there.
- May I continue to find peace and be patient, knowing that God has a plan in all situations. May I be an encouragement to those around me, in my school and in my community. May I love, have compassion, and give grace in a similar way that God loves, has compassion and gives grace to me.
