Trouble in Paradise

Last week ended with a bang.

On Friday, during preschool, some Americans in another area stole several children on their way home from school. Of course, we didn't know anything about it, but the parents in Campiña & Cabeza de Toro heard the news before their kids came home. Many of the parents were scared for their children. They were worried that somehow (although I'm not exactly sure why) it was their child that got kidnapped.

The Simos family took the brunt of the frustration when they dropped the kids off at the end of the day. At both Campiña & Cabeza, there was a large group of parents waiting to make sure that their child got off the bus. It was quite the scene! The parents started talking about how they wouldn't be sending their children to school on Monday. "It's too dangerous," said one.

You could tell by the way they were talking that their minds were being filled with "what ifs." However, this fear lead to great conversations. We were able to share with all the parents about the importance of putting your confidence in God. We stressed that you can't stop living or doing good things because you're afraid of what might happen. Kennedy, our bus driver, also reminded the group of parents that dangerous things can happen while their children are at home, as well.

It was an interesting time of sharing & hearing the concerns of the parents. I was reminded that they do care, even if many times it doesn't appear so. God was in control of the entire situation, from beginning to end.

Frustrated & Fired Up

The question I asked myself this morning was, "Has my personality changed recently?" My initial response was, "No, of course not." However, after more thought, I had to acknowledge the following: Lately, my first reaction to pretty much any semi-difficult situation is to get frustrated and upset.

When did my norm go from being a happy, ecstatic, carefree person, to someone who is on defense? Now, if you're reading this correctly, you would notice that I'm not saying I've become a generally mean person. I'm simply saying that my main response has changed.

To those of you who know me well, I obviously don't want to be this way. I have spent a lot of time in prayer lately, seeking God's help to change me. The desire of my heart is to glorify Him, and I know that by becoming an easily irritated person, I am doing exactly what I don't want to do. It is like what Paul wrote in Romans 7:15-25. He doesn't know what he is doing because he does what he doesn't want to do, and he doesn't do what he wants to do. There is a war waging inside of him, his evil, sin nature is making it difficult for him to do the good that he desires to do. This whole passage relates well to what I am experiencing, especially the final 2 verses, 24 & 25. For Paul writes, "24What a wretched man I am! who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Even though I fail, God will lift me up & use my broken, sinful self to bring glory to Himself. This was exactly the case in preschool this past week. God showed Himself through me, even when I was not "feeling" it. I saw myself make mistake after mistake. By the middle of the week, I was begging God to remind me of this question when I came against a tough situation, "What would bring the most glory to Him?" It really stood out to me that day. I took a moment to assess each situation that arose before making my move. It was a great feeling, & I knew that God was there helping me. Then, today, I failed again, in somewhat of a big way.

As I sit here writing, I'm shaking my head at the fact that I can't stop falling down, and falling hard. It's almost as if I can here my parents saying, "When are you going to learn?" I realize I am a sinner, and that I will never be without sin. It took Christ's death on the cross to grant me forgiveness of my sins. I can & will become more like Christ. As I seek Him, He will fill me up, & my attitude will go from frustrated & fired up to overflowing with the love of Christ. Now this makes me smile & renews my soul with a hope for the future :)

Building a Foundation

When Freedom bought land back in November, we were prepared to start building. However, we didn't realize all that would happen over the next 5 months.  

December came & went quickly, with little progress. The men (Jason, Josh, Kurt, & Scott) all worked on small repairs on the guardhouse, and put in a cistern. 

Then came January, and the big move. Our watchman, Pica Pica, and his family moved into the house on the land. They have running water, an actual toilet, and lots of space to roam. It was quite the change for their family, but you could tell they were all excited! 

February arrived with a letter of approval & a groundbreaking ceremony. Freedom received the "go ahead" to use the land for a school building right before our big groundbreaking ceremony. On that day, we had several officials & important people show up to support Freedom. It was there that so many parents of our students realized Freedom is going to be here for a long time :)

March came in a hurry bringing with it a huge group of construction workers from North Carolina.  There were a total of 20 men from all ages who worked hard at building a storage unit. They accomplished so much in only 1 week!

Now we're into April, & we have gotten so far. The school building has been excavated, the storage building is almost done, the guardhouse has received a much needed facelift, and we're starting to put up an 8 foot high fence.

Although so much has been accomplished over the last 5 months, there is still much to do. Right now, we're at a standstill with the construction of our school because we're at the end of our available funds. At the beginning of April, Freedom was offered a Matching Gift for $10,000. This opportunity ends April 30th, and we NEED your help!! If you're interested in investing, please visit our website at www.itisforfreedom.com. Click on Our Team/Donate to begin the process. Make sure you designate your gift to the Building Fund & write "Match It!" in the comments box. 

Thanks to everyone who has helped this project succeed! Let's keep on building that foundation :)

 

Missed March

I thought for sure I'd be better at writing each month, but no such luck :) I missed the month of March, and it was exciting too! 

My parents came to visit for the first time! We had a blast just being together. The first several days were filled with ministry work. We went to preschool, helped with a VBS, and worked on the land (well, at least Kurt & my dad did). Later in the week, we went to the capital & visited some caves. We also went to church on Sunday & spent some relaxing time at the beach. Overall, it was an awesome week. I feel like they left with a personal understanding of the ministry & a better feel for our work here. I enjoyed watching them take ownership in the vision of Freedom :) It's amazing what a trip here can do! *hint, hint* 

Trying to Catch Up

Recently, I received a request for updates, and it made me realize how much time has passed since I last posted on our blog. Boy am I behind! :)

I'll try to give the short version of the last couple months from both the ministry view & ours.

The Ministry

• Since the 1st of January, we have a Dominican family living out on the land. The father works for us as a guard. He's an extremely hard worker & does such a great job. His oldest daughter is in our 4-year-old class. Her name is Beba.
• We've started to break ground! Freedom is in the process of building a large garage to store the bus. In addition, we have mapped out the first building & sizes of the 4 classrooms we hope to build by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.
• Tomorrow, February 12th, is our official ground breaking ceremony. There are several government officials, educational leaders, and more coming to celebrate the beginning of Freedom here in the Dominican Republic. Only by God's grace were we able to set this up.
• Tax free! Within the last week, Freedom was given a letter stating that we do not need to pay city taxes to build. It's obvious that God is in control!

Our Lives

•  We made the much awaited decision on what the coming years hold for us. As of January 1st, Kurt & I became full-time missionaries with Freedom International Ministries, Inc. 
• Now, we are trying to raise the support needed to live here in the Dominican Republic. Although the decision to stay was tough, we realized that we are most fulfilled when we glorify God with our lives. Living here & working with Freedom gives us that fulfillment :) 
• Visitors in January. Kurt's parents came to see us again the beginning of January. We had a blast spending time together! They encouraged us throughout the week & were able to share our vision here with Freedom.

Overall, the last couple of months have brought many new things. I'm continually amazed at the way God works in our lives in the lives of the people we work with. For us, there is so much that needs to be done if we want to continue impacting lives here. You'd think that after making that one tough decision, that the rest would be easy. However, there are still a lot of small things to figure out, so we appreciate your prayers & support for the coming months. Thanks so much for investing in us!

Love, Katie

Happy New Year!

We rang in another New Year here in the Dominican Republic. It wasn't quite as crazy as last year out in the bateyes, but it was still spent with amazing friends. We enjoyed the evening at the Mitchener's with the Freedom team playing Nertz, Euchre, Quelf, Hearts, & much more. The night was filled with lots of laughs & great memories. We definitely brought in the New Year with our very own style :)

Celebration

Merry Christmas to all of our friends & family. As always, it is hard to spend Christmas so far away from those we love. However, we did enjoy the holiday with lots of great people. We celebrated with the Freedom team on Christmas Eve Day by having a huge carry-in, playing games, & spending time together. On Christmas Day, Kurt & I went out to the bateyes with the Mitchener's. One of our Dominican families made rice, beans, & chicken for us. We spent time hanging out with them, playing dominoes & walking around the batey. It turned out to be a fantastic day filled with lots of laughs & smiles.