Life and Ministry update

It has been a while since I have had time to write. I had several papers due, grades for report cards due, multiple meetings with parents and admin about my teaching and grading, etc. etc. etc. But I got ahead a little bit so I can finally sit down and do another post!

                Life here is as interesting as ever. We have finally settled into our house that moved into in April. There was a lot going on with it being sold and getting a new rental contract from the new owner, power issues, installing things, 2 washer repairs, car repairs etc. As hard as daily life is, we are seeing fruit in the ministry field. The teenage boys in the neighborhood have really formed a good strong bond with Jonathan and are comfortable coming over whenever to just talk or ask questions and even help with work! They love talking with Jonathan and playing basketball with him. He invested in some new, brighter lights for the front of our house which illuminates the basketball court fairly well at night, so now the boys are happy as can be! They can now play until 9-9:30 at night when they used to have to stop around 7 because of it getting dark. We much prefer they stay and play and Amos loves to join in. The boys are good to include him and make him feel like he is part of the game. I will try to film it sometime.

                AS I am no athlete and medically cannot be that active, I have made myself the water queen. I make sure to put the jug of water and disposable cups out on the table and the boys know and feel comfortable enough to get water whenever it is out there. They don’t need to ask and they know it. This culture does not drink a lot of water as a regular rule, so I try to encourage it whenever possible. Jonathan also gives a scientific talk to people about the importance of protein for the cells in your body, and the need to stay hydrated. So between the two of us the boys in the neighborhood and the Uber riders will have better nutrition and hydration!

                In addition to the basketball hoop which Jonathan helped them buy and install, we have had several of the boys come over to play games. Right now Catan is popular so we need to get the 5-6 player extension for it. Games played here are usually dominoes and monopoly so any new game that is introduced is usually well received. We played Yahtzee with Jonathan’s brother’s family and they were laughing so hard they could hardly breathe! When the boys played Catan there was yelling and excitement and everyone left with smiles on their faces even though 3 of us lost. That is the type of ministry and community we are trying to build. Jonathan has already shared the gospel with a few of them and they keep coming back with more questions. Jonathan is planting seeds, the Lord is watering them and we are starting to see them grow.

                Jonathan has also started his project with the boys at Cancela. After the crochet class he spends some time with the boys. They are working on engineering a hydroponic, vertical garden. He has had success on his own at home, so he is teaching the boys out there how to do it. The hope is that between being able to grow food and the crochet projects bringing in money, the people there can become self-sustaining. Jonathan is even going to teach everyone business basics such as money management and investments. He is also going to teach them how to use the internet to advertise and sell their products as well as setup and maintain a website.

                It is so encouraging to see the little sprouts coming up from the seeds that have been planted! The Lord is being faithful and providing and we hope to care for these seedlings (metaphorical seedlings) and watch them grow into strong trees with fruit that will help others!

                In addition to ministry we have our daily lives and activities. I am completing the first quarter at CCS this week so there has been a big push with grades and activities and there is a bug going around the school as well. I caught it but only had a weak voice, fortunately. However, I have 2 kids out with the sickness this week and 1 out last week. So pray for all of us! Teachers and students are catching it.

                I have also been crocheting a lot because of the class. I am actually glad to have this weekly class because it keeps me crocheting when otherwise I would not prioritize it. I am glad to have the push and the artistic outlet. All the donations we have received have been a huge blessing, so thank you!

                Bunt and Tesla are doing fine. Bunt forgets he is a cat sometimes and acts like Tesla, especially when food is involved. However, other than occasional sniffs at the crate, they ignore Bernard which is nice. Bernard is starting to grow tail feathers back and is standing on his complete leg. Obviously, the missing one will not grow back. He is eating well and hopefully will continue to heal. If you had told me we would be nursing a wild pigeon back to health I would have laughed, but here we are!

                I was actually talking to Jonathan the other day about our animals and Amos. It struck me how much Amos copies us and our behavior towards animals. He has no fear of unknown dogs and cats (he particularly likes dogs) and tries to call them over all the time. When we pet animals he does too. He knows what “gentle” means and is very kind and soft with any animal he touches. When we caught Bernard (it was not hard, poor thing could not fly and could hardly walk) he was super excited and raised his hand to pat it. As you know, babies don’t pat very well but when I said “gentle” he immediately changed and carefully stroked Bernard’s head. I then took him to the bathroom and washed his hands. Loving animals is good, but I prefer he not get sick from them!

                Ever since he talks too, waves at and pets the neighborhood dogs that approach us or let us approach them. There are only 2 dogs we will not let him near because they are mean. However, Amos has learned to be kind and gentle with animals and it is crossing over to how he treats people. He is very loving and kind with people and becoming gentler as well.  Who knew the simple act of showing kindness to animals, in front of him would make him so gentle? But as I told Jonathan, we didn’t look for or want a pigeon but it needed help. If we care for the bird and shows an appreciation and respect for God’s creation. He created the animals, we are to care for them.

                Another thing that my husband does that is setting a good example for Amos is his treatment of strangers. Our money is very tight and we are not sure how we are going to make it until his job starts in January, but the Lord will provide. Anyway, it does not matter how tight our money is, if someone needs food or gas, he gives it, even if it means we go without. We never give cash, but it is not uncommon to see Jonathan giving someone a gallon of gas, a ride to the gas station or food if someone is in need. I love this example he is setting and Amos is already showing kindness towards others. He will smile at, high-five (sometimes even hug) strangers and loves to just chat with people. I love to see the faces of people light up when Amos engages with them! He often goes up to security guards and “talks” to them, gives them a knuckle bump and/or smile at them. Their faces always break into a smile and since a good portion of the guards are older men, it makes me wonder how many people don’t even acknowledge their existence, yet here is this little curly-top Americano paying attention to them. Sometimes, Amos does more effective ministry in 1 minute than Jonathan and I in 1 day.

                Wow! This post is long! I will stop for now and try to be more regular in my posting from here on out. Until next time, may Adonai bless you and your homes.  

The Missionary Pedestal

I realize this post may not be super popular, but there is something on my heart I would like to share. So, I have decided to post about it as a way to get it out there and start people thinking. 

There is one thing that really bothers me about both US and Dominican culture. And that is the pedestal that missionaries are placed on. Whenever it is mentioned that I am a missionary (whether by myself or someone else) there is an almost universal response of admiration and wonder. This bothers me a great deal and I usually prefer to just describe myself as a pastor’s wife because for some reason, that is not on the same level as a missionary.

There are several things that I want to address about missionary life, or rather, ministry life. You see, we tend to forget that we are all missionaries. We were commanded to be missionaries when we were given the Great Commission. The act of being a missionary should go hand-in-hand with the life of a Christian. Yes, some people choose the foreign mission field, and others their homeland. That does make the abroad missionaries better or more valuable, they chose to serve abroad, but being a missionary is not an occupation, it is part of Christian life.

Also, just for the record, being a pastor or a pastor’s wife can be just as hard, if not harder, than being a missionary. Now, I am not saying that people who have chosen to be missionaries are wrong or anything, there are some who are truly called that way. What I am saying is that they are normal people. They do not deserve to be placed on a pedestal, no one does. That defeats the whole purpose and meaning behind ministry work. Yes, life on the field is wicked hard, but it is a duty we were given by Christ. Not everyone is called to the field, others serve locally, and they are just as much of a missionary as those serving abroad.

Rather than placing us on a pedestal, why not pray for us? And for yourself? We are all uniquely placed in this world to impact someone or maybe even multiple people. That is an act that all believers should embrace and realize that that is a port of being a follower of Christ. Christ is the only one that should be placed on a pedestal. As scripture says, we are one body but we have different functions. That does not make one part more important than the other, we just have different callings and purposes.

All of this to say, don’t make missionaries more than they are. We are human and preach the Gospel just like you.

Until next time, may Adonai bless you and your homes.   

Our hope to bless others

      It has been a while since I have posted. For some reason Tuesdays have become very busy so I am choosing to post today in order to get a post up this week!

     As you probably know we moved in March to a house in the north side of town. There is vacant land around us so the owners of the house planted different kinds of trees on the lots and in the backyard. People in the neighborhood have been harvesting from these trees but they produce so much that we cannot keep up! We are now collecting the fruit and giving it to those in need, particular people in the community of Cancela.

     The main food we get is Avocado currently, but we also have sour orange, almonds and mango. The cherry tree is not producing a lot just yet and the green bananas are still ripening. I just wanted to share with you Jonathan’s endeavor to gather some avocados to take to church today (I gathered some sour orange as well). We are now using some of the seeds to plant more and once the sprouts are established, we will take them and plant them in vertical gardens in Cancela. The children 12 and older are being taught how to care for the plants and it is there responsibility to tend them during the week. Jonathan will check in on Sundays and Wednesday to see how they are doing. 

The goal is to teach the young adults how to vertical garden specifically with plants that are not in the immediate area. They have mango trees but not the others. They will be taught how to turn the gardens into an income but starting with the church’s garden that will be used to help those in need. The seeds of those plants will then be used in their personal gardens. 

       The ladies ministry crochet class will begin the first Wednesday in September. The ladies will be signing up this week and next so I know how many people will be present so supplies can be purchased. I have asked for ladies 13 and older only but I am willing to teach younger if they really want to learn.

            The first projects these ladies will learn is washcloths, hot pads and headbands. If there is still interest, I will teach them various granny square patterns and show them how they can be joined to create bags, blankets, pillows etc.

            So, with all of that and my new job starting we have been very busy! Jonathan hopes to start Ubering this week and that will be his main source of income so that he can focus on ministry more.

            Until next time, may Adonai bless you and your homes. 

Back in Tennessee!

        Well, it has been awhile since I wrote last. Amos and I are now in the States and a tropical storm hit Santo Domingo. Jonathan is checking on family and church members and I feel so helpless being up here and unable to do much. But in a way it is easier as well because he does not need to worry about our safety.

            Friday is the last day for one of my grad school classes. This latest one was an English classes where we learned about the importance of writing and how to teach writing in a classroom. I really enjoyed the course and I am a bit sad to see it end. However, that means I am that much closer to completing my degree so that is an encouragement.

            I found out that I will be teaching classroom 3^rd grade (all subjects except specials and Spanish) at my new school. This is not the challenge I was expecting but I am excited about it. My new classroom is tiny (I will show pictures in a future post) but I only have 9 students so it should be fine. The school is just starting its 5^th year but is steadily growing so that is awesome.

Because I am teaching 3^rd grade, I had to decide a different classroom theme because the one I was planning on doing was middle school English oriented. So I thought I would do elephants but that was this class’ theme last year. So, I have decided on….Pineapples! With accents of purple and a touch of green. I thought that would be fun for the kids, especially since pineapples are common there and it is a sign of welcome. Since that is my theme, I have been collecting a few things for my classroom which has been fun but also required a lot of thinking outside the box. It is not a common classroom theme yet, and most stuff is like neon tropical paradise stuff. I am enjoying the creative part but trying to find stuff for limited money is a bot of a challenge….plus the fact I have a small classroom and I have to think about where everything will go. Posters are a no go due to sheer lack of wall space. But I can do little caddies and ceiling decorations. So far, so good!

Amos is enjoying the time here. He loves the attention, the toys and the shopping! There are 4 cats and a rabbit to play with plus uncles that are around. Grammie has all these cool things that he is not supposed to play with as well that he tries to sneak any way.

Well, that is all I have time to write for now. Amos needs to go down for a nap. I have another post in progress so I will try to get that up next week. Until next time, may Adonai bless you.

Summer time

Hello everyone---

I know it has been a while since my last post. This has been a rather difficult week outside of school, so I want to spend a little time talking about that.

My beloved dog died last week (run over by a car), my husband and I officially informed our school that we will not be returning next year and I missed my big brother’s graduation from the State Trooper academy. I will be heading Stateside next week for a visit, but I am upset that I was unable to make it to his graduation. He has wanted to be a lawman for so long and after extended higher education, marriage and other things, he is finally one! He is so excited and we are so proud of him!

My husband and I left our school for a variety of reasons, most of which were ethical. However, Jonathan being a Pastor, he also felt that the demands at this particular school were so heavy that ministry had to take a back seat and we are not okay with that. He is teaching at a summer camp but after that, he is officially unemployed. I left also for ethical reasons, but also for medical reasons. My medical condition worsens with stress and teaching 2 subjects and the extra requirements by the school, plus ministry, plus grad school, plus being a wife and mother was just too much. I did accept a teaching position at a different school that has less afterschool and weekend requirements, and less hours overall. It is also a Christian school so I can be open about my faith and teach from a scriptural standpoint. I am hoping all these factors will help decrease my stress so that I can focus more on other things. I am also praying my husband finds a job soon. Surly as a bilingual person with a master’s degree someone will want to hire him! I think the harder part will be finding a job with consistent hours so he can still focus on ministry.

I am really enjoying grad school. I honestly never thought I would get a masters, especially not in English, but the Lord has a sense of humor! Most of my life I was told I was stupid because my handwriting is atrocious, I cannot spell and I was home schooled. My goal is to graduate from Liberty as a member of the honor society. Even though the naysayers are no longer in my life, I carry scars from them and I want to be able to prove to myself, and students that also struggle with dyslexia that you can still achieve great things. The dyslexic brain works differently, learn how your brain works and use it to your advantage. Dyslexia doesn’t mean dumb, it means different.  

I will get off my soap box now.

I have been watching some youtube videos about bullet journaling and teacher planners trying to prepare for the upcoming school year and find a system that will allow me to keep track of personal, ministry and work life. One of the videos I watched had a suggested video about a quote journal. Out of curiosity I watched it. I really like the idea. I have several spare journals (I seem to collect them!) so I started a quote journal…which my husband’s cat promptly vomited on. Why do I like animals again? But I digress, I have found that quote journaling is actually therapeutic for me. Right up there with creative writing and crochet. So, I am going to try to institute a few minutes of quote journaling every day. I also think I found a method of planning that will work, so I am going to get me planner/teacher binder set up this summer.

The church Jonathan is currently the interim pastor at (he is training the new pastor) is in a rural area. It is a very poor area that has unreliable water and sanitation. One of the women living near the church has requested I teach a crochet program so that the women can make things to bring in more money. The average income there is only minimum wage which is about $200 us dollars a month. Considering that I spend that on groceries for 2 weeks, I have no idea how they make it stretch for a month. And we do not live a rich or fancy lifestyle at all, a very modest one in fact. So, I have agreed to teach the class when I return form the States at the end of July. So now I need to create a crochet class, for Spanish speakers, and I speak very limited Spanish. My Husband will translate but this is a challenge for sure. Ministry life does not leave time for boredom that is for sure!

I will end this lengthy post. Until next time, may Adonai bless you and your homes.

A Healthy Dose of Perspective

           I have been having a pity partly lately. My pain is higher than normal due to the increased stress of being this close to the end of the school year. In addition, I have come to accept that we cannot afford for me to fly to the States this summer. Our moved that happened over Easter, completely drained our savings. I knew it would be either the more or going to the States, but I thought we could tighten our belts and do both. However, since there is a payment issue from our employer, and several other factors, it just is not possible. As a result, I have been feeling sorry for myself because I really wanted to see my Mom and watch my brother graduate from the police academy. But the Lord has said no, so I need to accept that.

            Yesterday, I was thinking about how sad I was to not go back over the summer and went with Jonathan to Cancela for Bible study. I do not normally do that because that is my scheduled grad school time. But, I only have some simple things to do so I felt like I could afford the time to go this week (Cancela is a church outside of town that is in a really poor area). As we pulled up to the church we noticed that a house next to the church was undergoing major construction. Concerned, because we know the residents, Jonathan inquired. Turns out that wife delivered their firstborn this morning (a boy!) but the doctor’s diagnosis was correct. The baby has fluid on his brain and needs surgery. While dealing with this, the husband was in the home when some police showed up by the Landlord’s order and bulldozed the house. So the man now has a very sick baby, no money for surgery, no home, a broken motorcycle thanks to the bulldozer, and it appeared that his source of income (raising fish and chickens) was also destroyed.

            The church is going to do what it can to help, but obviously, this man is devastated. As of when we left yesterday evening, he had not yet seen his baby because he and some kind-hearted neighbors were rebuilding the home. His wife was also unaware of the demolition so he was going to have to tell her at some point. The house itself was/is made of sheets of tin metal. Not sturdy at all and they are preparing to bring a sick baby into it. It really made me step back and realize that my not going Stateside is not a big deal. We are strong and healthy, we have a sturdy, clean house and although money is tight right now, we can make ends meet and make it through the summer with no payment (gotta love being a teacher!).

            Sometimes the lord gives us a new perspective when we start to lose focus on what is really important. I had to eat some humble pie last night but I am grateful for the lesson, especially since I was holding my healthy and strong son’s hand as he fell asleep on the way home.  

      Until next time, may Adoani bless you and your homes

Thoughts on the Diary of Anne Frank

Hello everyone!

Recently, I read the “Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank. Yes, I just now read it for the first time. I was not so struck by the diary itself, as I was visualizing where the family was and what they were going through; as a Mother. I tried to imagine what Mrs. Frank was feeling during that time and how I would feel in her shoes. I then began to think about the Holocaust and how all those mothers felt as they were being shipped there, their families being split and sorted, trying to figure out how to keep your precious child(ren) alive, etc. I had been wondering how parents could willingly give up their children to strangers to keep, or sneak them away, but now that I have Amos, I get it.

I have also wondered how come so few people would stand up for or protect/hide the Jews from the Nazis. I know they were protecting themselves and their families but what about their moral obligation? This is still a very difficult question for me to grapple. Again, having Amos has put a whole new spin on it for me. If I were in a place to shelter people being rounded up to be sent to extermination camps, would I hide them? Knowing that if I do, Amos would be hurt if we were found out, would I still do it? It brings a level of understanding of other peoples actions during that time. It was a risk, often a life or death risk. However, we also have to remember that the full extent of what happened in those camps was not fully known to the public until after they were liberated. So some of the people’s refusal to help was out of their own ignorance. I am sure if the full brutality and inhumanity that was endured in the camps was known, there would have been more of an uprising. But that is all speculation and “what ifs”

   One thing I can say for sure though. The reading of the diary and my renewed interest and research in WW2 has taught me some extremely beneficial lessons for being here on the mission field. It is easy to look the other way when uncomfortable situations occur. It is easy to justify not helping someone whom we think is fully capable of holding a job, etc. However, here in the Dominican, some of these homeless, dirty, beggars are victims of the government or unethical employers who did not pay the wages due to them and they are now out on the streets. I am not saying this is the case with all or even most of the people we meet, but if we pass by one, are we any better than those who turned a blind eye and/or deaf ear in WW2? How hard is it to offer food or a blanket instead of money? How about paying for a hotel room for a night so they can have a shower and a warm bed to sleep in? Just one night might make all the difference in the world to that one person. What about going without that coffee this one morning so that man sleeping under the overpass can have a warm breakfast? A $4 Starbucks coffee could buy a couple of egg sandwiches at McDonalds.

There are so many people in need. Everyone can do something, even if it is nothing more than smiling and waving at them so they know that someone noticed and cared that they exist. When someone feels invisible and worthless, then a stranger smiles and waves at them, for no reason, just because they are there, it can completely change that person’s day. Someone noticed, someone cared, and they are not alone in this world.

 You don’t have to hide Jews or spend your life on the mission field to make a difference. You can do that in small, unique ways. Don’t be in a personal bubble all the time. Believe me, as an introvert, I know that is a very hard thing to do! I like my little bubble! But sometimes, that bubble must be popped or put aside in order for others to know that you care about them. Not because they are in need, but because they are creatures that were created by the Almighty and they are loved by him, so are loved by you.

Until next time. May Adonai bless you and your homes.