Update for the end of the year

Hello everyone!

            So, it has been a while since I wrote and I figured that it is time for an update.

           

 First, we finally got family pictures done. We had some good friends come over and they took family photos as well as Amos’ 2 year pictures. It was so kind of them to do that and as you can tell, they turned out really well!

              It is hard to believe that 2018 is almost over! It feels like I was just getting into the routine of everything. But I am excited to see what 2019 holds.

            I am officially on Christmas Break until Jan. 8^th. Our last day was the 13^th so it has been almost a week already. I cannot believe it! I had so much I wanted to do and I have done basically nothing! But rest is a good thing so I am trying to get as much as I can before everything resumes.

            Grad school is going well. I only have 4 classes left! That means I will complete everything in August and I will finally have my degree. It will be so nice to be done but also strange and sad, I like school but I am also ready to have some time back.

            Jonathan is Ubering more hours now since I am at home and no longer have to be dropped off at a specific time. He will begin teaching in an afterschool program in January as well. It is only 2 days a week but it will be a huge help financially to us.

            Ministry is going well. There have been a couple of deaths in the last few months, but sadly, that is a part of life and ministry. I cannot share more details but we are excited to see some growth from the seeds we have been planting (metaphorically). Please continue to pray for us and those we serve.

            I am working more on my crochet, especially over break. I am hoping to be able to start selling a few things to help make money to buy more yarn! As all of you crafters and needle workers know, you can never have too many supplies or too much yarn! If I am successful, I hope to get Jonathan to build me a nice little storage cabinet (with a key) so I can keep Amos away from my supplies. We shall see how successful I am. Regardless though, there are 2 more churches in addition to ours that will be having crochet classes. I will resume in late January or early February. I am currently filming some tutorials that Jonathan will do the Spanish translation for. I will then upload these to YouTube so the ladies can have access to the instruction during the week. Pray for that to go well please! It is hard to film with a toddler!

            Jonathan’s gardening project is going well and he will begin making one at the church next year as well.

            I guess that is it for now. Until next time, may Adonai bless you and your homes.   

Thanking Mrs. K

Hello again everyone—

            Yesterday was a Dominican holiday so we took advantage of it and went to the beach with my brother-in-law, nephew, niece and our dog. Amos loves the water and had a wonderful time and it was so nice to be able to relax and spend time together as a family. We finished the day with a pastors meeting which, while that was going on, Amos, Tesla and I fell asleep. It was accidental but it was nice to go to bed earlier than usual! The beach just wears out little man!

            Anyway, onto the topic of this post. Tomorrow is the last crochet class for this year. We are going to take the rest of the year to plan a new class starting in January, with a different focus, and prepare to start the program at 2 other churches. We are also going to collect some more supplies in order to start again as our yarn supply is now gone and we need more starter hooks. We have decided to have people start with the plastic hooks (they often get lost) and as the progress, give them the metal hooks. This way we can have as many people working as possible since the plastic hooks are supposed to be returned when they receive a metal hook.

            Anyway, as I am wrapping up this class and planning another (actually several different ones for different locations) I realized something. I never acknowledged the woman who taught me to crochet in the first place.

           

Jonathan snapped this picture last week of all of us working on our projects together. It made me think of the first class I attended when I was taught the basics of crochet, and how one woman’s patience with a hyper 7 year old girl is now affecting a community of women in a different country.

            

         We have a family friend who I am still in contact with. Okay, she is Mom’s friend but I claim her too! Her kids and my brothers and I grew up together. She is an avid crocheter and as a favor to my Mom, agreed to teach a class of girls (I think for 4-H) how to crochet. My Mom also got a lesson because she wanted to learn and I still remember the pattern used to teach us how to crochet a washcloth. I then crocheted off and on throughout the years using YouTube to teach myself the stitches I did not know once we moved away from the area. However, the very basics of holding the yarn, chaining, single crochet and how to turn your work were all taught to me by Mrs. K.

            Now, here I am, a 29 year old woman living in the Caribbean and the seeds planted over 20 years ago as a favor to my Mom have born fruit. The obnoxious, hyper, bouncy, 7-year-old girl with pig tails and a gap in her teeth has grown up and used the skill that was so patiently taught to me. Her patience is now giving women who would be, to be real for a moment, at risk for prostitution and sex trafficking, an alternative way to help support their families. The area is very poor with many making less than minimum wage, having several mouths to feed and constant pressures of unreliable water and power and poor sanitation. These women now see hope and a chance to be and do something to better themselves and their families. All because of a one patient lady who spent an afternoon teaching girls to crochet.

            As an English teacher I find the English language lacking here. “Thank you” seems so trivial. You truly do not know how much your selfless act means to me and the community of women we are serving. I know there are jewels in your crown already, but I think there will be an extra diamond for this as well.

            It took a long time to see the fruit, but it is showing itself now. So, as inadequate as it is. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart and the hearts of the women benefiting from this skill. Thank you Mrs. K.

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.