I left off on the last blog saying I was going to watch the texas game...well this lasted for the first half, and then around halftime karaoke was starting in the restaurant. I do not know what got into me, maybe the coke I had because I never drink them, but I was more than willing to sing beat it by Michael Jackson on the stage. I went up there with a few girls who were the background dancers and sang with Becca Harris (more like yelled it). I am sure all the Canadians in there who were watching hockey were appalled by our voices, but it was one of the most fun things I have done in a long time. All that to say, I can now claim that I sang karaoke in the DR, try to beat that! Oh and for all of you who eat penne pasta, you need to find out what penne actually means...
So I am not much of a cook, at all. My diet before I came here consisted of Chick-fil-a and mexican food, neither of which I had to cook. At school, I sadly made ramen, mmm healthy right mary?, or a sandwich. I recently decided this needed to change mostly because Anne is an amazing cook and has made dinner every night while the group is here. She makes really tasty food from all these recipes she has. When I don't know how to do something, I usually put it off, but I know it is time to know how to cook so I helped Anne with dinner. I helped her make chicken pasta and lemon bars. Those of you who know me I am verrry slow. It took me forever to cut the peppers for the pasta, but hey at least I tried! I hope to help out Anne more when she cooks so I can learn how to do more. Hopefully I won't make anyone sick :).
Wednesday, I went to the preschool for the first time. I got to meet my students who are absolutely adorable. They are very good for Cristina, which is so refreshing for me. My student teaching was one of the more stressful times so it is nice to work with someone who has great classroom management skills. I ask though that you continue to pray for me that Cristina and I will be able to communicate more and more as the semester goes on, and that we will both make the effort to talk to each other even though it is very difficult (2 Timothy 1:7). We had the students from 9 to 1, and I will continue to do this every Wed/Thurs. Like I said in my last post, I will also be taking care of the twins Jakob and Isaak. They have little minds of their own and are so cute. I love each of the personalities and how they play/share together. Isaak is deaf so Katy and I have to learn sign language to be able to communicate with him; therefore, I may be somewhat trilingual in time, which would be pretty cool...ok maybe that is a stretch, but at least I will know both a little of Spanish and sign language.
After school on Wednesday, I went with the group to Pancho Mateo. There are three bateyes, or villages, that send children to our school so we have a huge desire to keep up the relationships we have with the people in each. It was a great first experience. The people here are very inviting and give you kisses on the cheek when they greet you. One lady in the town Montellano even let Katy, Ashley, and I have a tour of her house before we bought a Coke from her. She told us we could come and spend the day there anytime we liked (keep in mind I had just met her). So back to Pancho Mateo, I gave little girls piggy back rides, which lasted only so long because I am a weakling, and let them braid my hair. There was a basketball court where some boys were playing, and I wanted to go school them, but then some older men started to play so I refrained...someday I will show them that girls can play just as well, well not always but I did beat Chase Walker and Billy one time :).
Since I have been here, I have learned more and more the importance of prayer in our lives. When I am at home, and everything is going well for me, I tend to think I do not need to pray. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way, but being here has reminded me that we need to talk with God everyday in order to strengthen our relationship with Him. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings we get together and start the day off with prayer. It is so refreshing to do this, and I encourage everyone when they wake up to start off with prayer because it really does change the way your day goes.
The luxuries of living in the U.S. of A: mexican food (salsa, queso, the whole nine yards), chicky, drinkable tap water, unlimited use of water, my own room with a normal bed, etc. I could go on, but I am not. When you live where I am, you begin to see how much we take advantage of the things we have. Living here even for just a week has taught me to appreciate the small things in life especially water. I was telling someone this morning how I missed so much about home, but the strange thing about it is I know this is where I am suppose to be which feels like such a contradictory feeling. He told me you forget about the petty things, and that really is part of my prayer everyday, to be wholly focused on where I am and what I now have been given.
"As my heart is yielded to Christ, it will reflect humility, compassion, conviction, patience, contentment, and a hunger to follow Christ. It will drive me to work through conflict in a way that reconciles versus responding in anger or avoidance. I will be salt in the spheres in which God has me. It is all about the condition of my heart."~Kyle Thompson
Here begins the second week of my stay in the DR...au revoir, adios Austin Stone group! I have had a blast with you guys :)
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