Highlights from the week!

I'm sorry it's been so long between posts. Things have been more than crazy around here!

Instead of trying to fill you in on EVERY little detail (which I so LOVE to do), let me give you a highlight list of what's happened over the past few days. (With more thought-provoking things to come...)

1. We lost power. Um...several times....over a period of several days. But, hey, it happens here. AND, I have a flash light. :) You know, it's amazing how much I really don't need electricity.... (unless it interferes with the functioning of my ceiling fan, of course!)

2. We ran out of water. Not the kind of water we drink, but the kind of water we shower with, flush toilets with, do laundry with, cook with, etc. The city shut off the water for everyone in Monte Cristi. Again, it happens here.

3. We welcomed over 70 volunteers for this week...bringing our total from about 20 to 90...overnight! (They came right about the time we lost power and ran out of water. Welcome to the Dominican Republic. Ha, ha!)

4. I got my hair cut. Nothing drastic. Just a trim from one of the volunteers. But it was really fun, as she doesn't normally cut hair. In fact, it ended up being the "entertainment" for the night. While she cut, I had about 10 other women watch and tell her what to do. She did a good job. It was quite the community event. :)

5. We hosted a VBS here at the orphanage for over 400 kids in the community. 200 in the morning and 200 in the afternoon. Tomorrow night, ALL of the kids (plus families) will come for our closing ceremony! We're estimating somewhere around 1,000 people. We'll show a slide show from the week and then the Jesus film (in Spanish). If you pray, please do so tomorrow for this really cool opportunity to share the gospel!

6. About half of our volunteers got sick. But not me!!! Praise God! (It didn't help, though, that we couldn't flush toilets...) :(

7. I learned a lot of Spanish. Granted, this happens a little each day, but since the last time we talked, it has really added up! I'm not completely comfortable with it yet, but I'm getting better!! (Of course, I mostly know commands. Don't hit, share, sit down, etc.)

8. We had a really scary incident yesterday when some of the boys at the orphanage decided to "play" with one of our volunteers. Let's just say that our type of "play" and their type of "play" is different. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

9. I got to talk to my mom on the phone. Ahh... Love you, mom.

10. I decided to become a dentist. Just kidding. But, I think I would be good at it, considering all the "teeth" I end up pulling around here!! This group of volunteers has been frustrating to work with, and it's really hard to get some of them moving! "Yes, I know it's hot and I know you're tired and I know this isn't what you expected....but, um, you're here now and 200 kids are standing at the gate waiting for camp to start! Besides, you've been here, what, 2 days? Get over yourself!" (Of course I don't really say all of this...I'm much more diplomatic. It's hard not to be annoyed, though.)

Well, that should satisfy your craving for news from the Dominican...at least for now. As most of you know, I could write volumes. I want to tell you so much. About how I'm feeling - not just what I'm doing. But, it will have to wait. Maybe until I figure out just how to explain it...

Just know that I'm doing well, learning much, and becoming increasingly thankful for what I have and who I have. I love you all. Thanks for loving me, too.

Farewell, Scooby.

In the midst of all the good that has happened over the past few days, we had quite a sad moment on Wednesday.

Here in Monte Cristi, there are countless animals that seem to roam freely around the city. It's not always clear who owns these animals - if they belong to anyone at all! We have a fence around the orphanage which does a good job of keeping those animals (along with other things) off our property. And besides the kingdom of flys and mosquitos, there are no "pets" here at the orphanage, so to speak of...except for one...

Scooby served as the orphanage "guard dog" and was loved dearly by both the children and volunteers. He was a little racisit at times; being visibily partial to those of us with lighter skin, but he loved and protected all that lived within these walls.

On many occasions, Scooby (who was given strict orders in both English and Spanish to "stay") would often follow our bus to school, to the store, to the beach, and to church - where he was severly reprimanded upon arrival...and then allowed to stay. (Except at church.)

Needless to say, we were very sad to learn of Scooby's death Wednesday afternoon. Although we're not exactly sure what happened, there are a few theories: he was hit by a moving vehicle (on purpose), he was poisoned our neighbor for chasing and terrorizing his goats (which happened a lot), or he ate/drank something that killed him. (After being here three weeks, let me emphasize the possibility of this! There are LOTS of questionable things here...)

In any event, things just aren't the same without him. He was loved by all, and will be remembered by many. (Except the kids. Apparently, dogs are only expected to last about a year down here, and aren't really mourned the way they are back home. So, basically, there are some sad Americans and a lot of indifferent Dominicans. Oh well.)

So - Here's to you, Scooby. Thanks for three fun weeks. I'm sorry I yelled at you when you came to church. Even dogs want to connect with their Creator, I suppose. I hope you are enjoying being with yours....because all dogs go to heaven, right?

(Note: Scooby was actually alive in this picture. He slept a lot, so a picture of him moving around was hard to find. Good guard dog, huh?)

What a great day!

I had a great day today. Well, it's been great so far...

This week we are holding a VBS at the orphanage, now that school is over for most of the kids here. They tend to be our toughest crowd considering how we are not "cool" or "foreign" to them. They see us ALL the time! Also, we are basically doing the camp in their backyard so it is not a new or exciting location...

The theme for our week is "We are Special to God", and each day we are talking about a different aspect of being special. Yesterday we talked about being His special creation, today His special child, tomorrow His special servant, and Thursday His special messenger. I thought this would be a fun theme, and it is, but these kids tend to get bored, distracted, naughty, mean, mischievous, etc, very easily. You can't really blame them, but it's often frustrating! (For example, yesterday I had a kid throw a baseball bat at my face - and successfully hit his target. Ouch!)

This being said, today went GREAT! Our toughest group of teenage boys (including said abuser) listened to the entire story about Moses (without interrupting), created crowns (and wore them), sang along during our opening and closing ceremonies, AND almost all of them memorized our verse for the day. (Of course, we had to bribe them with Twizzlers, but hey - you do what you have to do! If Twizzlers bring these kids closer to Jesus, then SO BE IT!)

I know it may not seem like a lot to get excited about, but I am just SO thankful right now. I am working with some really great people who care about these kids and are willing to endure the heat, the exhaustion, and the physical abuse, to truly love on these kids. The interns (and volunteers) are so creative and dedicated to sharing the gospel that I feel like a proud parent watching them work! (Of course many of them are only a few years younger than me...so it may be more like a proud sister...)

Please continue praying not only for the kids at the orphanage, but also those in the community who come to our VBS each week. We have the wonderful opportunity to share Jesus with SO many kids (and adults, too!!). Please pray for energy and perseverance, that we may continue to love those that attempt to be unlovable. Your prayers are felt. I appreciate them all!

Happy Father's Day!

To my dad, step dad, the other "father figures" in my life - as well as friends that have ventured into fatherhood with the birth of their children - I just wanted to say, Happy Father's Day!

Thanks for taking on the responsibility of raising children in a way that honors God. It's not an easy task! In light of where I am and the children I interact with, I am especially thankful for all the people that have raised me - and continue to do so. How blessed am I?!

I hope today is special for you!

Bienvenidos a mi casa!

In Spanish, this means "Welcome to my house." And I mean it. Welcome. :)

Since most of you won't be visiting me in Monte Cristi, I thought it would be fun to give you a quick tour of the place - at least my little portion of it. This way you'll have a better idea of where I am and what I'm doing. (I still don't have the best grasp on what my job is, so don't feel badly if you don't fully understand why I'm down here. I'll let you know as I figure it out. :)

Well, here it is. Home. (For the summer.)

I was really surprised with my accommodations when Eric brought me to my room. It was A LOT nicer than expected. I have a full size bed and my own personal bathroom!! I don't even have my own personal bathroom in Michigan. Who would have known that living in a developing country would be a step up in my world? :)

Also, since I've been here, Eric has installed a ceiling fan in my room! I have to admit, I feel more that a little guilty about living in such nice conditions, especially when I see how the majority of the community lives... It makes me all the more thankful for what I have, and all the more aware of what I really don't need in order to be comfortable.


To top it all off, I have a really great view from my roof - which is easily and safely accessible to me by stairs. (Don't worry. I'm not being dangerous...yet. Just kidding.....well, kind of. :) )

This is the view at night. In the distance you can see the ocean. I love to come up here after dinner and read. It's so peaceful....and you get a good breeze. :)

Also, from my roof, I can see "El Morro" which is the mountain. And by the, I mean the. There's only one. At least there's only one you can see from my roof.

The building you can see at the bottom of this picture is one of the "ramadas" where our volunteers and interns stay. They are simply cement floors surrounded by "fence walls" and topped with a tin roof. (Which is NOT rusted...in case you were wondering. ;) ) Again, it makes my house look like a palace. In the next post I'll show you the orphanage and explain a little more about our connection to it...

For now, since you've seen a little bit of my piece of the world, let me fill you in on what a "typical" day looks like.

• 8:00 am - Breakfast
• 9:00 am-11:00 am - Vacation Bible School/Camp Program. (This week we are spending our mornings at "La Ciudad de Luz" (The city of light) elementary school, and our volunteers/interns are facilitating a VBS-type camp. Our theme is "Celebrating the Life of Jesus through the Holidays!" We celebrated Christmas yesterday. :) Feliz Navidad! )
• 12:00 pm - Lunch
• 12:30 pm - Siesta. (Nap time!)
• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Vacation Bible School/Camp Program. During this time we visit a batey (pronounced "bah-TAY"), which is a small village-type area in the middle of a plantation. We run the same program as in the morning, for kids (and adults) of all ages.
• 6:00 pm - Dinner
• 7:00 pm - Evening activity. (This ranges from movie night with the kids at the orphanage, to team reflection time, to walks into town for ice cream...a personal favorite. :) )
• 9:00 pm - Separation time. This is when we leave the "orphanage side" of the property, and let the kids go through their nightly bedtime routine.
• 10:00 pm - Quiet time. (This is when Beth goes to bed - if not before. She has embraced the fact that she is not in college anymore, and therefore she cannot stay up until 1:00 am with the interns and still be fun to be around the next day.)

[Volunteers arrive and depart on Saturdays. Orientation is Sunday (along with church), and our trip to the market and the beach, along with closing, is Friday. (This makes for a busy weekend!) ]

That's "kind of" how our days go. It changes a little every day, but that's the basic outline of what "should" happen. There are some holes in the schedule to allow for travel time (some of the bateys are almost an hour away), as well as time to hang out at the orphanage, shower, rest, etc. Also, when it rains here NOTHING happens. So, we do stuff around the property like sort donations, clean, fix stuff, pump water, etc. By the way, don't let me forget to tell you a funny story about pumping water..... :)

And, I know. I still haven't told you much of what I do. Here's what I know so far:

Eric and Amanda Woods (campus minister, and family, from CMU) have been here since February serving as "Team Leaders" for the volunteers and interns. This basically means that they are in charge. They coordinate and oversee volunteer arrivals and departures, meals, in-country transportation, maintenance, intern morale, spiritual growth, being a liaison within the community, VBS programming, other "in-country experiences", etc.

That's a lot of work. So, I came to help. :) Some of my specific responsibilities include meeting one-on-one with the female interns (we have 15), leading group reflections, leading intern meetings, hugging homesick volunteers, and desperately trying to learn Spanish...among other things. I don't feel like I'm doing a lot, but Eric continues to thank me for being here, so maybe my presence is enough. I will feel helpful, though, on Wednesday and Thursday of this week when The Woods Family takes a much needed break from Monte Cristi and goes on a mini vacation...leaving ME in charge! Please pray for me those days.....yikes!

I'll have to be honest...when I arrived last Wednesday, I was immediately ready to be back in Michigan. I can't fully explain why, but I was extremely overwhelmed with...well, everything. I came to help, but I had no idea of how much help was needed. Coming in the middle of the week didn't help either. It seemed that everyone was already comfortable with each other. I was the "new kid". Not only that, but I was also the "new boss" - so to speak. It was awkward. I felt very "out of the loop". This quickly changed, however, and I've since become very comfortable here with the people and circumstances. I've also begun some significant friendships, which has been a true blessing. It's been a long time since I've been able to sing and pray and share with others in my age bracket! I'm looking forward to the continued development of these dear and necessary relationships.

And no, this is not code for "I met a boy." Sheesh...

On that note, I think I should quit. I have so much to say, but I respect the fact that you still have a life outside of reading about mine. But, I must say, thanks for sticking with me this long. And thanks for the prayers. I can feel them...even now. I'm thankful for you. :)

I will write more soon. Until then...

Sé que Dios tiene la esperanza darle, porque Él me lo ha dado. (I know that God has hope to give to you, because He's given it to me.)

Safe and sound.

I'm here! No bumps, bruises, cuts, scrapes, or major injuries. And...(the best part of traveling south instead of east) NO JET LAG!! :)

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. I really appreciate them.

Also, for those of you wondering...here's my contact info for the summer:



Hogar La Esperanza de un Niño
Calle Altagracia #80
Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

Phone: 989-785-0618
Fax: 440-540-3660


Ok...I need to get to work. There's lots to do. :) More to come later...

Time's Up.

Bright and early tomorrow morning (or later today...)I'm leaving. Part of me is sad, and part of me is excited. All of me is ready. If I didn't get a chance to spend time with you/talk to you/call you, I'm sorry. You weren't forgotten - I simply lost the race with time, I suppose.

If I did connect with you, I just want to say thanks. Thanks for listening, thanks for encouraging, and thanks for making me laugh. I'm really thankful for you. For all of you. :)

Well, here I go. Thanks in advance for the prayers...