It's a Small, Small, World!

I can definitely say that my world has gotten much, much smaller in just the last week.  Along with still working on Child Sponsorship for SCORE, relationally, my focus went away from 117 families to 31 kids and their families, my Bible Study moms (4 of whom have kids in my class - AWESOME), and the 5 little girls whom I have grown to love over the last 9 months.  May God continue to bless my life, humble me, and teach me through this life that He has given me.

First... 

I can officially say...

that teaching first graders... 

in my second language... 

in another country... 

is possibly the hardest thing that I have ever done.  

And, truthfully, it is only by God's grace that I am surviving it.  

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  2 Corinthians 12:9

FACTS

• My class has 31 kids in it, although all have not yet attended on the same day.
• The kids in my class range from 5 years old to 7 years old.
• I teach and the kids learn in a really tight space where there is not much room to move around, no room to sit on the floor, and kids bump into each other often.
• At least 3 of my kids are a true challenge, lacking respect for me and most other authority.
• About 5 more of my kids can't sit still, have deeply rooted emotional problems, and in general are just difficult.
• Most kids, like the rest at Emanuel House, come from a 1 parent home, live with a grandparent, or are taken care of by someone else because their true parents abandoned them or have died.
• Most of the kids have parents who do not have a job.  Those who do then are pulled away from being with their kids to supervise them at home -- thus causing discipline issues at school.
• All but one of my kids cannot read and are slow in learning the alphabet.
• Over half of my students cannot spell their names and struggle even when helped.
• Most of the kids (if they did not attend Emanuel House) would not eat more than 1 meal a day and some would not eat every day.
• Many of the kids come from violent families or families where drugs are an issue.
• Most kids have parents who believe in God, but do not follow Jesus nor consider Him to be their personal Savior.
• I have to ask God each and every day for patience and then more patience. And yet, some days that patience is really, really tested by those hard kids.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

Most of my class - in front of our classroom.  Emanuel House kids are provided with uniforms and recently received new shoes as well.  

We all have lots of personality and fun making silly faces.

PRAISES

• Most of the kids come each day eager to learn and excited about incentives for good discipline.  I have even heard some stories from parents that their child begged to come to school after being sick the night before.
• Even though my teaching methods are a bit different, kids seem to be learning some.
• I had a day alone without help this past week, and I survived it!
• I have help from some kindergarten teachers from the states - and thank them for ideas like "the quietest mouse" when waiting for the bathroom, lots of movement, and the curriculum worksheets.
• I have seen some kids who are learning their sounds and letters and numbers.
• Most kids love to listen to books and some even can answer comprehension questions about them.
• The kids (all of them -- even the difficult ones) love to help!
• I had a successful parent meeting on Tuesday with most of the parents present and an after meeting meeting for the parents of some of the most difficult kids.
• I am getting more organized with planning and learning how to do activities without making so many copies, as that is a limitation.

This is me talking to parents and showing them discipline charts, math games, and reading strategies that I am using to teach the basics.  I also explained to them that I moved here because of my great love for the Lord.  I hope to spread to to the kids a love for learning that will one day help them to read the Bible and be disciplined in following Christ!

SOME UPDATES FOR MY REGULAR READERS
The 5 little girls whose mom passed away a little over a month ago, have now come to be a part of Emanuel House.  Although they are not living here permanently, four of them started coming here each day at 7am, showering, participating at Emanuel House, learning about the Lord, attending school in the afternoons, and then heading back to a neighbor's house in the early evening.  This change all started this past Monday.  The girls seem happy, and are well fed, clean and excited to be back in school.  (Last year, only one semi-consistently went to school.)  May the Lord continue to be with all of us during this transition.  And, I praise the Lord for changing their father's heart to be able to come here as they are now.  Please pray for the next to youngest girl, Rosalía, who has been in a nearby city since the day after her mom passed.  Please pray that she will come back this weekend and join her sisters at Emanuel House next week.

 

Thanks to a donation, we are able to help all of the girls with regular needs including food, clothing and school supplies.  Ranyelis and Ruth Esther started attending the school this past Monday at the school across the street.  They will go each day from 2:00-5:15pm.  

We still have not officially purchased the land for future EH projects, but are ready to do so.  The land is still being saved for us, thanks be to God.  There have been some snags along the way.  Please continue to pray for this process and that everything will go through okay.  It is probably one of Mirqueya's biggest concerns right now.

We are still praying for funds for the building that will add 4 larger classrooms (YAY!) to Emanuel House.  To my knowledge, people have given / pledged about $33,000 in gifts towards the classrooms.  Building will begin after we have raised the $52,000 needed to build the classrooms.  Thanks to all who have given!  If anyone else is interested in helping out, please send a tax-deductible gift for the Emanuel House Building Project to SCORE International at www.scoresponsor.org or to POBOX 9994, Chattanooga, TN 37412. Or feel free to call 423.894.7111. I am happy to answer any questions via email at acorinnechristian@gmail.com.

Thanks for your prayers for:

• my continued spiritual growth, time with the Lord, and understanding of His Word.
• patience and creativity with my first-graders who struggle with discipline / authority.
• me to depend daily on Him and glorify Him in all that I do.
• discernment & patience regarding the little girls' living situation.
• regular rest and renewal and continued good health.

And then we rested...and laughed a lot!

I praise God for rest!  I praise Him for time away.  I praise Him for laughter!  I see His glory in the kids, the beautiful fish, this island, growing relationships, my growing faith, and the love that surrounds me every day.

If you missed the video, some of my Bible study ladies decided to join in on the ALS Challenge that's going on on the internet.  I donated in their honor and we challenged some of the people who they came to love over the summer.  The challenge raises money and awareness for people with the disease and they wanted to be a part as well.  Starting my day getting ice poured on my head with these ladies truly made my week.  If nothing else, you will get a good laugh when you watch the video. Check it out here.

I am writing this blog from Punta Cana, well actually Bávaro, which is a city right outside of Punta Cana in the eastern most part of Dominican Republic.  It's beautiful here, and I thank the Lord for a few days away.  I am thankful for Mirqueya's family and close friends who have opened up their homes to us and who have "connections" for us to enjoy some of the tourist attractions like mudding on the dune buggy, boating and snorkeling.

I thought I was getting away to be able to do some work in peace and quiet, but God always has other plans and has blessed me in a different way.  In addition to getting to be adventurous, the family that we are staying with (a mom from Quisqueya, a dad from Spain, and 3 kids 11, 9 and 2), have become fond of me somehow.  Yes worriers, I have actually rested and spent some time alone.  But I am also very grateful for the little ones' smiles and hugs and questions about what I do in Quisqueya.  While we've been here, it has rained every day.  While on one hand rain is good because it cools the weather down and has given us a great reason to sleep more, I also think about the families in Quisqueya who have tin roofs with lots of holes.   They often suffer when there is so much rain because the insides of their homes get wet.  Please pray for them as we have officially entered into the rainy season, I believe.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty good and calm.  I am grateful for a more "scheduled" life starting in just a few days.  I had my last week of teacher meetings, worked a good bit on Bible curriculum, went to the capital to receive some new books for the library, enjoyed time with friends, worked with some teachers from Washington, DC., and finally came here.  Even though it doesn't sound like it,  it's been mostly low-key, and I'm thankful to the Lord for that.

Thank you to all who responded to the fundraising efforts for Emanuel House.  Please continue to pray for those needs, and if God is touching your heart to give, please email me or visit www.scoresponsor.org.  I would love to give you more information and answer your questions.  Praise be to God for the donations for the land which did come in time.  We still haven't officially bought it yet.  Please pray for the process.  I know that God is good.  The land is reserved for us.  Please pray for no hiccups and for everything to work out.

The building on the current Emanuel House land is what we are working to get now.  As the first day of school begins on Monday, we will have 92 kids in the morning to fit in 4 small classrooms.  Three classes have almost 30 kids and one of those classes will overflow into the meeting area upstairs.  (We have not added any kids at Emanuel House, but some of the kindergarteners that used to attend in the afternoon will now be in 1st grade in the morning, causing some space issues.)  Please pray for these first days.  Pray for my patience during a time of re-organization.  And please pray for provision for the remaining $30,000 for the building.

Thank you for everyone who prayed for me and the position that was offered to me as the Director of Education.  God truly has a sense of humor and He is abundant.  I marvel at the trust that can be earned in such a short period of time.  Thank you for all of the emails of encouragement!  After lots of prayer and uneasiness, I decided to just teach this year and help in the background without the official "title" and responsibilities of being in charge.  So far, I have helped with scheduling, curriculum and done a lot of praying for this place.  Your prayers are so appreciated as well!  Being an American Director of an official school in the Dominican is a lot of responsibility... and came on a little quick.  I learned not long after I wrote my blog about the meetings, "politics," and busyness that being a director would involve.  I just don't think I'm ready nor do I believe it's what God is calling me to right now.  And, I wouldn't have been able to teach.  I do believe that God has placed me here to speak into the lives of teachers, but even more so to the kids, moms and and other family members connected to the foundation.  I want to have time to share Jesus with them when I'm not teaching, by visiting them and just spending time in the Word, and doing life with them when I'm not working.  So, I will be teaching about 25 1st graders, trying to get them to read, so that they can read the Word for themselves, continue to go to school, one day support their own families, and be positive contributers to their community.  I am beyond excited about what God has in store for these little ones.   Teaching is only 1/2 day, which will allow me to complete my child sponsorship responsibilities, rest, plan, come alongside teachers, and spend time with some of my favorite dominicans who are still very new in their faith or others who haven't come to know the Lord yet.

Please continue praying for me in the following areas:

• regular rest...
• continued good health...
• time in the Word...
• wisdom in teaching 1st graders...
• Bible memorization...
• my girls who I haven't spent time with in a couple of weeks...
• their dad...
• Emanuel House details...
• the moms who have spiritual battles, familial struggles, and economic hardships.  May the Lord be with them.  May they come to know Him and depend on Him, and may He give us discernment and wisdom on how to help them long-term.

Muddy Mirqueya and Adrienne after a few hours doing the "Adventure Buggy."  

Change is a comin'

It's almost overwhelming to think of all that has happened since my last post, but as I read the Word this morning, I know that God has a plan... bigger than any that I can see or understand.

Remembering today to Trust in the Lord with all of my heart and to not lean on my own understanding.... (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Remembering that His grace is sufficient and made perfect in my weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Remembering that just like Jesus, my nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing His work. (John 4:34)

Remembering today that the only work God wants from me is to Believe in the One He has sent. (John 6:29)

Last Sunday, the mom who was battling cancer went home to be with Jesus.  Mirqueya and I were fortunate enough to have spent about an hour or so with her before she died.  Our last moments with her were sweet, as we spent time after church service singing hymns, reading to her and praying.  The last prayers were ones imploring the Lord to take her home.  Elpidia suffered a good bit in her last months of life, but on her last day here on Earth, she seemed at peace and out of pain.  Ten minutes after praying for her one last time, she went to be with the Lord.  Please continue to pray for a softened heart for the father, who has now decided that he does not want the girls to come with us at Emanuel House. Please pray for a decision to be made soon regarding the girls, as right now they are staying with a neighbor who cannot keep them long-term.  Please pray for their safety in the meantime, for patience for us, and for God's will to be done.

As you can imagine, my mind has been full this week with thoughts of the girls, worries, and background work to try to help them.  At the same time, I have been in teacher training for the last week.  I think back to this time last year and know that while I went one day to teacher training, I went as an observer.  This year, I began the training expecting to be a 1st grade teacher, in charge of helping the Emanuel House kids learn to read.  Teacher training in a different country is... different.  So far, it's been very theoretical and not so practical, but I continually ask the Lord for patience and ideas to incorporate what I know and understand to the cultural norms. God has blessed the ministry with an American kindergarten teacher who came to stay for the last few weeks and is preparing materials in math and reading to help the teachers teach and kids learn the required content and even more. I praise the Lord for resources to help these kids who seem to have many odds against them.  Please pray that the materials will be received well from the teachers.

On Tuesday, I was asked or better told by Mirqueya that instead of teaching, she wanted me to have a different position this year at Emanuel House.  (Just so you know the official "start" to the year is in 2 weeks.) Instead of teaching, she wants me to be the Director of Education at Emanuel House, instructing the teachers, helping them with planning, and completely overseeing the education component.  I would have some informal help from some close co-workers in education, but in essence, I would be responsible for making sure that all things education are done correctly.  In 2 weeks, Emanuel House will be an official school for the kids in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade and will continue to be a supplemental program for kids in 3rd and above.  In early spring, people from the Ministry of Education will come and visit to observe the classrooms and the teachers.

As you can imagine, this "idea" brought with it many emotions, thoughts and questions.  Some being:

"I just want to teach."

"How can I be in charge of education for a system that I don't completely understand?"

"How can I have enough time to do all that it would demand?"

"How did Mirqueya gain so much confidence in my abilities in such a short period of time when before she didn't even see me as a teacher?"

"What if we end up with 5 little girls to take care of in addition to having this new responsibility?"

"Would I really be allowed to make changes to the current way of doing things here?"

"What are we going to do about the space problem?"

... among many other questions and thoughts...

and immediately and at the same time , my brain also went to solutions...

small changes to the schedule...

how to plan integrating to the strategies given by the Ministry of Education, strategies that I've used in the past, and the resources that we have found and printed...

My brain just can't stop thinking about it...

And, finally, yesterday afternoon, I really stopped to pray to the Lord to see if this is really what God wants me to do.  In part, this seems like an impossible task.  I don't see how I can do it.  At the same time I'm excited to try. And yet, I feel totally unqualified and unable in some respects.  

But, I love these kids.  I love the Emanuel House ministry and I want more than anything for their lives to be affected by the people who work there.  I want more than anything for them to see what people who love the Lord can do together to affect change.

Who knows?  Maybe the end result will mirror the Wesleyan way, where all administrators teach.  Maybe the Lord will work that out where I can help in both ways.  Who knows.  Please pray that the Lord would give me direction, clarity and wisdom during the next few weeks and upcoming school year.  Please pray for more clarity in terms of what the Ministry of Education wants from their schools and teachers.  Please pray for their flexibility in the methods that they allow.  (The amount of kids who are just being passed through the school system without the basic skills and values needed to positively influence their community is huge!)

I know that He is made strong in my weaknesses... I am able to do all things through Him who gives me strength...He can make the impossible possible... I am not alone...The Body of Christ is big!  

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

There are currently two needs at Emanuel House that are very big.  It is just now that I am realizing just how urgent these needs are.

First, there is a plot of land that Mirqueya would like to buy.  That plot of land costs $6000 (US).  I am not good with measuring and acreage, but I know the land would basically be a gift at that price.  It's a lot of land.  In less than 6 days (on August 16), it is possible that the government officials change positions and the land is no longer available at that price. I believe the price would be at least 5 times as much for the same amount of land if the government officials change and they don't want to "gift the land".  The idea long term would be to have a school with 24 classrooms, an orphanage for girls, a chapel, a vocational school, among other things that would serve these poorest families of Quisqueya be able to get educated,  learn vocational skills, and be empowered to help their community and support themselves financially.  While this is a long-term plan, the purchase of the land is an immediate necessity.

Secondly, there is a plan to build 4 new classrooms.  In two weeks, we will begin the school year with two 1st grade classes, one special needs class, and one kindergarten class meeting in the current Emanuel House classrooms.  The remainder of the kids (3rd grade - 9th grade) will be meeting upstairs in the big meeting room that is also used for teams and meetings.  We need help to create the best learning environment possible for these kids.  The building project will cost about $60,000 including the building of the classrooms and the furniture that has to go inside.  We currently have pledges for $25,000.

Please prayerfully consider helping with either of these needs.  Feel free to email me at acorinnechristian@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to see the building plans.  You can also donate at www.scoresponsor.org / Ministries / Emanuel House or call the SCORE Office at  423-894-7111.  All donations are tax-deductible.  Make sure that any donation is specified as being for the Emanuel House Classroom Building Fund or Emanuel House Land.  If you donate or would like to pledge a donation, please let me know using the email above.

Please pray for this project and the continual growth of Emanuel House, the teachers and the students.  May we continue to give Him the glory and serve Him with all of who we are!

Some of the current kids who attend in the morning with their new uniforms received about 2 months ago.