To God be the Glory!

The Lord is working on me.

I imagine the more and more that we become in relationship with the Lord, the more we realize our true need for Him and just how broken & weak we truly are.  And this for me is a time when I feel that.  Broken.  Weak.  Needing Him.  Being worked on.  Being taught...

…patience.

…dependence.

…humility.

…gentleness.

…self control.

…peace.

…forgiveness.

…and of course more patience.

Like always there is a lot going on here in the Dominican.  Yesterday, I said goodbye to my parents who came to visit for the week.  They were able to meet some of the people who have become such an important part of my life in Quisqueya, they spent time with my Dominican family in the capital, and they got to experience the crazy driving, hot weather, my energetic 1st graders, and much much more.  I also got to spend my birthday with them and celebrate with some GAP students who are here through May.  God is good.  And, even though I am away from my first home, He has provided me with community and friends, and He brought my family here to show me love on my birthday.  He is good beyond belief!

Mom & Dad with my Dominican family on Thursday night after dinner.  

Emanuel House was featured in an article recently… I have always had a lot of respect for Mirqueya, but as she told her story during the process of collecting information for the article, I was reminded and continue to be reminded of so many things.  I am reminded of how God has worked in her life and through this ministry, of her desire to do nothing else but please Him and spread His Word to the neediest in this town, and just watching her day in and day out serving Him… I'm both inspired and challenged to be bold for Him.  I pray that the Lord would be edified through Her life and this ministry.  I pray that people's hearts would be touched by this article, and that more people would be moved to help.  Mostly, I pray that people's eyes would be opened to Christ and how freeing and beautiful life can be when we not only say that Jesus is our Savior, but live for Him as our Lord.  Read the article about Mirqueya, "The Princess of the Dominican Republic," here.

I had the opportunity to rest a bit a few weeks ago and spend some time at a resort with the teachers and staff at Emanuel House.  It was a true blessing as God allowed me lots of time in the Word, fellowship with  teachers, deep talks with Mirqueya, and relaxation on the beautiful beach.  Marveling in His creation is one of my favorite things to do.  God is so creative, isn't He?

There's always a photo shoot!  

I have 30 kids who are learning… little by little.  I have at least 3 who regularly continue to give me, the other teacher, and the sub from last week a really hard time, which makes it hard.  Please join me in praying for them.  There backgrounds are not easy.  Discipline at home is not as it should be.  Families are broken.  Hitting, bad words, disobedience.  May these kids feel the Lord's love through me.  May He touch them and be present with us each and every day!  May I believe in His power which surpasses all understanding!  May I believe that He is bigger!  May He break through any barriers so that they will learn!

I love 5 beautiful little girls who come here to bathe, participate in Emanuel House activities, and spend time with us.  I love 5 beautiful girls who need love and more love and more love.  They have recently returned to Emanuel House after a couple of weeks away due to lice.  (And for those who follow normally, Rosalia is back after having been gone for 2 months.)  They are in so much need of prayer.  Please join in prayer for their mental health.  They have had a hard life, a hard past year, and a crummy past 2 months.  Please help me pray for patience with them.  Please join me in praying for their obedience and for routine and for a love for school and education.  Please join me in praying for intentional time teaching them about Jesus and loving them well like Jesus would have if he were here with them.

I am gearing up for the 2014 Women's Mission Week.  This event was my favorite last year.  [It's when a group of American women serve alongside missionaries in the communities that we have grown to love here.  Working with the local churches, we will be focusing on the value of women.  At the same time a speaker comes and pours into the American women and missionaries as well.]  Praying that Dominican women hear the message and that it is glued to their hearts.  Praying that God's light shines through us.  Praying that our focus is only on Him.  Praying that we grow stronger in our relationship with Him and that we all are strengthened in recognizing what it means that we are made in His image.

I praise Him for breaking me.

I praise Him for making me depend on Him.

I praise Him for teaching me.

May He have all of the glory!

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."