Why Am I Sick?

I remember the first time I felt "Morning Sickness." We were with the second McGill group enjoying a nice evening at El Concon. I was about to partake in a very delicious chicken alfredo pizza when I knew there was no way that it would go down. I felt awful! I was also very disappointed because it's probably my favorite pizza here in the DR. Some of the ladies from the group jokingly said, "You must be pregnant." Of course, I replied very confidently, "No, I'm not." Obviously, I didn't get to eat my pizza that night, but I made sure to take it home & devour it the following day :)

Ministry Update

Once a week, Kurt does music with the kids. We're singing
"This Little Light of Mine" & "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."

We welcomed Mery to our team this year. She is a certified
Dominican teacher who is now employed by Freedom.

School has been outside the last 3 Fridays because the church is being used.
We've all learned to do our best with what we have, but
Please, help us build that school! :)

Forever and a Day

Wow! That's about all I can say about my ability to blog once a month. I've been awful, to say the least! I could always blame it on the crazy school schedule: 

5:00am - Get up :)

6:10am - Leave the parking lot.

7:45am - Finish the bus route & arrive at the school.

8:00am - Start class.

12:00pm - Finish class.

1:15pm - Arrive at home.

** Of course the work doesn't stop at 1:15, but it's a different type of work. I would say it's a little less exhausting :) **

However, no matter how crazy that schedule is, I wouldn't give it up! Kurt & I are currently working in the Kindergarten class with Angie (another missionary). Our job is to help the teacher and manage discipline. It may seem like a simple job, but it requires a lot of patience, energy, and love. Each day is a new experience (and not always a great one, I might add). We've enjoyed watching the kids as they continue to grow. Their understanding of English, ability to listen to directions, and acceptance of discipline has gotten so much better, even over the last 4 weeks! It's been fun to be a part of the Kindergarten class. 

Next week, we start a rotation with the Preschoolers. All I can say is that it will definitely be a change! Good thing kids are cute because otherwise... 

 Pictured above: Estefani, Chiquito, Nika, & Achuchu are coloring their morning paper.

Theives in the Night

Who would have thought? Well, I suppose I should have guessed, but I just assumed nobody would try. I was wrong.

Less than a month ago, Kurt & I got a call at 12:00am. Half asleep, I walked to the phone to find out that it was Toni calling to say that Jason & Josh needed Kurt to meet them downstairs. They were headed to the land because someone was stealing our rebar. I woke up Kurt with the news, and he quickly dressed & ran down to the car. As I stood by the door, I prayed that everyone would stay safe. I'm not sure anyone knew exactly what to expect. Especially the guys as they drove out to the land.

When the arrived at the land, they were told that it was a group of 3 or 4 guys. They came onto the property and threw rocks at the house threatening harm if the family came out. Then, the proceeded to steal over $1,000 of barb wire. Nobody is exactly sure how they were able to do it so quickly & walk away. There was not a lot anyone could do that night, but it started a long process of trying to apprehend the criminals, & even more work for our team.

Freedom decided it was in the best interest of Pica Pica & his family to put up an 8ft fence around the house & our storage building. So, not only did those robbers cost us the $1,000 in stolen product, but the amount it cost to put up the new fence. Jason also had to make several trips to the police station to report the incident, to get them to talk to suspects, and to keep the process moving forward. We don't really expect to see anyone prosecuted, but we didn't want people to think it would be easy to steal from us. In all, it was a lot of extra work & time, but I'm glad everyone stayed safe through the whole ordeal. I realize that it's for the best that everything is more secure out there.

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 :)