So I was just talking to my mom about cell phones and it made me think...LOTS of people have old cell phones. Do you know we need cell phones?? Okay, so if anyone has a phone they're not using, SEND IT! It doesn't matter what brand it is, as long as it isn't ancient. We just take it to the phone store and they do some magic and it's ready. Chargers would also be great to come with the phone...otherwise it isn't that useful after a few hours. So let me know after you dig them out of the closet (you're not ever going to use it anyways!) and I'll tell you where to send it to. We'll use them at the school for keeping in touch with various people there (kitchen staff, construction staff, professors, etc.). Don't think everyone else will just do it, YOU do it! Thanks, from all of us that are hoping to talk soon. :)
Remember when the school looked like this:
Now look at what we have!!!
Just flipping through photos today and couldn't actually believe all the changes that have happened in one year at the school. We've got a new cafeteria, lots of new paint on everything, bathrooms, classrooms, a gazebo, and speaker system...I can't wait until all these things are done and for all the projects ahead. Even more, I can't wait to see all the kids at school.
So I hate these things, I really do. But it's Sunday afternoon, Alison had "tagged" me and I really have nothing better to do so here I go:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts
2. Each player startes with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
#1 I like strawberry-flavored things. I didn't know this until Josie pointed it out to me, but it's true. Stawberry Dinos, strawberry icecream, strawberry SkimIce...
#2 I love sugared cereals. I tried to deny it for awhile and buy things like Muesli and wheat Chex, but have now fully embraced the fact that I love sugared cereal. In fact, the more colors it has, the better it tastes...Fruity Pebbles, Fruit Loops, CoCo Puffs, Reese's Puffs...and the new favorite Marshmallow Safari.
#3 I go to the bathroom quickly. I was once told it is one of my best qualities. I often beat boys out of the bathroom.
#4 I am living my dream job but never knew this was the job I was dreaming of! I get to love on Haitian and Dominican kids all day, I get to tell others about Kids Alive, I get to mend knees and de-parasite kids, I get to help raise babies...who could want anything else??!!
#5 I love mangoes. They are the fruit from heaven.
#6 I don't like sunbathing. I love the beach and ocean dearly and spend a good amount of time there, but don't like to be in the sun. I'm white and have come to realize that that will never change. I go from white to red and not a lot in-between. I love the beach when it is raining and storming. In my heaven, I will have a beach and be there all day.
#7 I love babies. Thankfully I am in a place where I am surrounded by babies. If I have a hankering to love on a baby, I do. If I want a baby to stay the night, they do. Maybe someday I'll get my own, but thankfully I've been placed somewhere to fill my arms with endless amounts of babies!
#8 I listen to songs on repeat. If I like a song, I play it over and over and over until it's time to not listen to it for awhile.
Okay, that's it. Now I'm supposed to tag some people so it's going to be: Pamela, Allison, Josie, Naomi, Kylee, Bekah, Lauren, and Jonathan (yah right!)
Q:What's worse than sleeping without a mosquito net?
A: Having a mosquito trapped inside your mosquito net!
Today may have actually been one of the best days I've ever had. I got to be a part of welcoming my friend Pena and his wife Silvania's baby into the world. It's a little girl and she was born this afternoon at 3:13 with huge amounts of hair! They said she was a bit gringa because of her white hands...but she'll be black soon! It was so special to get to be there, I really feel privileged to be able to take part in their family and how they welcome me in. I'm going back in the morning to help them all get home, so they don't have to do the family moto on first day postpartum! It's hard in the States stepping out of "maternity nurse" role, so you can imagine what it was like for me watching here in the D.R., where most of the times things seem backwards. But I'm thankful mom and baby are amazingly healthy and look forward to helping this little one grow up.
I hate poverty. I hate inequality. I hate how inadequate and helpless it makes me feel.
He tells me it's his birthday on Wednesday. When I congratulate him, his mother asks what for, so he reminds her as well. With 8 children, how can she remember birthdays, especially with no literacy or knowledge of the calendar? I make him a birthday cake, because that's just what I do, and wonder if this is his first one in his 21 years. My heart hurts.
She tells me she has no milk for her baby, who cries constantly in agreement. So I give her four cans of formula from my stock, that should last them awhile I think. She tells me the next day her neighbors baby was hungry, so she gave her 2 of her cans...and I am changed. This is giving. I give because I have plenty. True giving is when you don't have anything else to give, yet still find a way. I have a lot to learn here.
So what do I do? I can never make it right. I can't stop the dependency on those who have more, I can't lessen the gap. But I do all I know how to. I continue baking birthday cakes, I continue to spend time at her house drinking coffee, even knowing she has no extra money for this.
Sometimes it is a struggle living on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, with all the beautiful beaches and high tourism. In the village a few months back, I was visiting families, going house to house and learning about their children. At the top of the hill, I sat outside with some children chatting, as out of the tall grass came 6 tourists and a guide on a horse-back tour. I was speechless. My feelings ranged from shock to anger as they rode their literal high-horse through the village, my village, snapping pictures on all sides. I wanted to run, I wanted to shout at them, "Why don't you get off your horse, shake hands, heaven forbid even smile at these people! That kids picture you just took? That's Carlitos, he's 8 years old and is the man of the house. And that cute little black girl? She's Jeuli and she arrived from Haiti 10 months ago starving and weighing 28 pounds...and she's 8. And that one..." But I don't. I can't. I pray that this "adventure" can somehow touch them deeply in their lives as they develop their photos and remember.
I'm not here to change it all. Maybe not even change a big part, but I've found myself being changed. I am passionate about making it better. I want desperately to see Andres go to highschool and will fight what I have to to get him papers. This isn't fair, none of it, but we weren't promised fairness and justice, were we? So I just try to help in all that I can, to make a difference in the world that I'm placed in , and hopefully that'll be enough. I pray it is enough.
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you".
What a more perfect way to end the summer than a visit from my brother John, sister-in-law Rachel, and Josh and Emily!! The biggest problem was that, as always, the time went way too fast. It was so amazing to have them here, to share this piece of my life and heart and see them loving the same things I do. The kids played endlessly in the water, only falling in love with the ocean on the last few days. Josh's favorite thing ended up being Coke in the bottle! We did some kayaking and swimming and walking and playing.
One of the most special things for me that week was taking my family through the village. The kids brought some toys to give out which was fun to watch. Within the first few minutes, some of my girls from school took ahold of Emily's hands and were leading her through the village. They connected to her so quickly and remembered her when we went back again. She brought along 7 of her own My Little Ponies to give out and each girl in the house was able to get one (big family!). She got to ride on the back of Jonathan's moto, the fearless one that she is! It was also fun to see the kids interact with the Trautwein kids, something I have thought about so much and it became sort of surreal to actually see these two lives mixing. Of course it was also amazing to wake up to thumb-sucking Josh in my bed or Emily telling me that she couldn't sleep because the roosters and monkeys woke her up (P.S., there are NO monkeys in the D.R!)
The time with John and Rachel was very special too. I have been blessed endlessly with a close family and realize that more and more as I grow up and experience more of life. The closeness we have is irreplaceable and I am so thankful to have been able to share with them. Many things happened over these days that I know were planned long ago. Again, it was the best way to end a busy summer and so fantastic to see my family here, something I'm still thankful for. 
With the team this week we have been going to the surrounding villages for mobile medical clinics. It has been challenging and amazing. The amount of people we have seen is incredible, from 75-100+ each day. Many of these people would otherwise not have healthcare, and it's evident on many that they never have had healthcare. I've been learning a lot and seeing a lot as I work alongside the doctors and team in this group. We've got 2 more days and 3 more villages to see.
What an amazing day it was today! It was the last day of summer program for the kids and it was a game day. The kids got to do lots of different games, crafts, and then had a special lunch of hot dogs and french fries...for many of which it was a first! They were all given a bag of goodies which had toys and some sweets to take home. The biggest hit of all was the umbrella hats!!!
(Tommy and Wilson, first graders, cuddling Estefani and Gira, Marquito & Andres)
I love each one of these kids so much, I hate to see them have a last day...but hopefully I'll still see them around the village.
Park Care Center staff along with the summer interns.
One more egg was laid today...and inside the nesting box. What good hens we have, and smart too!
So for water in the house, we have two big black tanks on the roof. When the street water arrives, it fills up the tanks and we use that in the house. So what happens when the street water doesn't arrive for a few days and you have 20 people showering, flushing, and washing dishes?? You run out! We had a big truck come with a fireman's hose and fill up the tanks...for only 500 pesos ($16). Hopefully street water comes later in the week as it'd be great to not have to do that again!
What a week, I can't believe it's already over. The team worked really hard and got the two classrooms well under-way and ready to lay block. Gira (top left) is still as cute as ever and is really warming up and loving on everyone which is great to see.
Today was an amazing day, despite everything. I was given the day mostly off by my fantastic Kids Alivers and I went to a new beach with friends and then came home to flowers and more flowers from friends that are so pretty (my friends and the flowers!). I'm reminded how special my days are here, how loved and protected I am, how supported I am...and I'm thankful to have gone through another "day".
And as one team was sent on the plane, another one arrived 2 hours later. We've got a full week ahead again as the school continues to be blessed by the work and friendship that they bring!
We had our first full day with the Plano Bible team. We had to shuffle things around a bit because luggage didn't arrive and going to the beach isn't as fun without swimsuits. We went to Haitian church then went up the Puerto Plata mountain on cable cars and walked around for a bit. It's been a good day and we're still hoping for the bags to make their way here...or else it might be a long week in the same clothes!
Our newest team arrived yesterday afternoon...all 16 of them, with no luggage! Apparently the connection was too tight in Miami and not even one suitcase made the switch. They are being great though about it all and hopefully we'll see 30 suitcases on our doorstep later today! Looking forward to another fun week ahead.
What is this life that I live that is hard to fully understand? Why is this now such a part of who I am? I long for others to know this, to see and feel as I do.
This is my life. It's waking up to the roosters at 5 am, then music from the loud speakers at 6:30. It's greeting Domy my neighbor in her salon next door and having oatmeal with cloves and milk for breakfast. It's the joy of my day to hear my kids singing after lunch, clapping and smiling, their tough exteriors wiped away even if for only 20 minutes. It's dirt roads, potholes, crossing rivers to get to the school, cane fields, rain and sun and heat. It's Spanish and Creole, rice and beans and plantains and yucca.
I feel like my life here is built on relationships and moments I get to spend with others. It's hearing Big Wilson speak English, hugging Zenida closely, watching mischevious little Vldamir get in trouble again. It's listening to Lydia's wisdom and watching Alberto' faith. It's getting special coffee made for me because Zeneida knows I love it. It's having Gira on my back saying to her dad "Papi, mira!" And it's watching Princesa grow, holding her tight, cuddling her when she cries.
I think this life is hard to understand because it has taken me so far away. But it's not about leaving family and friends, it's about finding them wherever I am. Yet, it's leaving, but it's not forgetting or loving any less. If anything, I cherish even more the time I am given with my family and friends.
When no electricity, bucket showers, dirt in the elbow crease that almost never seems to wash away, and a regular application of DEET have become such a way of life for me, it is hard to imagine anything else.
To be with these children, with those around my, that's what my days are. To not only share Jesus' joy with them, but to truly find it in their eyes and hearts. If only for today little Frankie knows that he is loved, that is enough for me, my job is done.
What started as a 5-week trip has now become my heart and my passion. It's tracing an 8 year old's hand because she can't write her name yet on a card to her sponsor. It's giving kids a chance, a help, a hope. Even if it means organizing yet another bag of clothes, translating one more time the same thing, or getting another fungal infection, I will take it all!
This is my life. Sometimes hard to undersand, seemingly chance for me to end up here, but feeling that it has been planned for years, these are my days. Sharing love, finding joy, letting go of self to discover something greater. I understand this life. I love this life.
And as rain echoes from the tin roof next door and the little girl in the street runs around in her undies chanting "lluvia, lluvia!", I feel at peace. For here, for now, this is where I belong.
Whoever on the team thought that it was a good idea to leave a whole box of Reese's Puffs cereal...thank you. I am forever indebted to you. What a beautiful morning it was!
Why I make a good Dominican:
I can wring out a mop with my hands and not think twice
I can ride a motorcycle side-saddle in a skirt
I like to eat rice and beans everyday
Why I don't make a good Dominican:
I don't wear a shower cap or plastic bag over my hair when it rains
I don't eat chicken feet
I can't make rice
I still don't like touching raw chicken
My hair doesn't need to be dried in rollers then wrapped around my head to be straight
I mop my house back to front, not front to back
I don't care if I can't be a good Dominican...I'm staying!
We had such a great week, a quick, hot, sweaty week! A team was here from Missouri and worked on starting the new classrooms and painting the school. It all looks amazing! The school now matches our cafeteria, and the classrooms are well underway and on-track for starting a new class in the fall.
I got to hang out with my Princesa a bit this week too and I can't believe how big she's getting...she has a pony tail now and it's really cute. I miss having her around all the time and look forward to Monday when we get back to class and the Princesa comes to school again! On Thursday night we went to the beach for songtime which was one of my highlights for the week. A nice time to relax and enjoy the beach and each other and think about all that happened throughout the week. 
I'm so grateful for all the hard work this team put in, the talks we had, the time we got to share together. I learned a lot this week and look forward to putting it to use in the weeks to come. Late nights and early mornings and a little gripe sickness later and the week went really fast. 
Our first big official team has arrived! It's been great and all is well. We spent Sunday in Jarbacoa for a day trip to see the different Kids Alive sites and play at the waterfalls. It was a really nice day and good time to share about all that we do here. Today was working at the school, and they WORKED! They hauled loads and loads of concrete to fill in the massive footers that are the start to our new classrooms. It was a hot and sweaty day, but everyone came back fairly happy and content with the work they had done. And I got to hang out with Princesa, which makes any day better!
I got to spend the day in the village today, going from house to house with letters and gifts to the kids from their sponsors. It is always a rewarding job that I'm thankful to have done. To sit with the kids and families and talk, hear about their lives, that's what I love about this place, that is what I love to be a part of. It's walking through the village and recognizing so many kids...but wanting to know all of them, wanting all of them in our school. As we construct new classrooms this summer, I hope that can become a reality. There are so many kids in the village, it's a big job ahead! And Princesa turned 4 months old today and was especially cute and smiley.
