Birthdays are the Best!

This was the week of birthdays! We celebrated my 25th on Tuesday and Coco's 35th along with all the kids' birthdays today. Here are a few pics for you to enjoy :o)

Behold, my official Dominican birthday cake. This here is one pound of sugar heaven, complete with a sweet pineapple filling spread between two layers of insanely moist cake and covered in the largest calorie consuming frosting you'll ever find in the western hemisphere. Please also note the paper doily skirt. When you order a cake here, expect the skirt.

Here's the group celebrating at the local pizza joint. It's run by an Italian who decided to move to the D.R. and set up shop in Monte Cristi.

Word of party planning advice: When planning a party at a specific location, make sure the owner has plans to be open the day in which you hope to have the festivities. I didn't check beforehand and it turns out the restaurant is actually closed on Tuesdays. Thankfully, Coco had my back and was able to pull a few strings :o) Thanks Coax!

"Hey Heather!" Yep, my sister-friend made it down just in time to celebrate! She'll be here till the end of December and it is good, so very very good.

We threw a little celebration for Coco's birthday this morning at my apartment. This is a picture of the special birthday table. Yes, the sign above the table says, "Happy Baby" on purpose. That happens to be what comes out when ESL (English as a Second Language) Dominicans wish you a "Happy Birthday!"

We drank some hot chocolate, ate some butter cookies, and played a few rounds of Golf, one of our favorite card games.

Coco invited us over for lunch where we got to share a homemade b-day cake with her and the interns.

Then we got special birthday hairdos, care of Nena. She's become quite the little stylist if I do say so myself ;o)

 Not only did we get to celebrate Coco's birthday today, but it also happened to be the big birthday party to celebrate all of the kids at the orphanage! What could be better than celebrating the births of the 40+ kids I love the most in the whole wide word?!?!

Look at her, ain't she a beaut? Haha! My little one pounder looks like a mere twinkie next to this 5-(ish) pounder that fed over 60 people pieces the size of their faces. Also, please note the frilly doily skirts on both cakes...I wasn't kidding.

Those who hung around the party for too long more than likely ended up getting an icing facial. There's nothing like a good ol' food fight to wrap up a day of wonderful celebrations!

*Special thanks to Coco for letting me snatch her pics off of Facebook...aaammmooooochalii!



Victor Rebukes Satan

Everybody say, "Hey Victor!"

Victor is a pretty typical 1st grader at Ciudad de Luz; His attention span lasts for about 5 minutes, he likes to be first in line, and he enjoys doing Kung-Fu moves at recess.

Today, God chose Victor to be a not-so-typical 1st grader for a moment. Here's what happened:

Backstory-

The Lord is growing me. Some of it hurts (emotionally and mentally especially). Some of it makes me laugh (He does some pretty WACKO things). Some of it has given me a whole new perspective on the world. By asking for His wisdom and love, my eyes are being stripped from the physical world and opened to the spiritual.

I feel I'm grasping the tip of the reality of spiritual warfare. Without going too deep into things, let me just say I see it everywhere. Let me also say I feel the need to protect my 'territories,' one of which is my classroom.

While praying for my students and classes today, I felt the Spirit tell me to rebuke Satan and his demons at the beginning of every class, to declare my classroom as Holy ground, and to make it known that he is not welcome.

I then toyed (sp?) with the idea of when I would do this, contemplating when the best time would be and what would be the best way to go about it. I momentairly forgot that all I have to do is say it and it's so cause I've been given that authority in JESUS!

Fastforward to 3:05p.m. today.

Victor and his classmate, Joseph, are in my classroom ready to start reading group. Victor volunteers to pray, and as he prays, we repeat:

"Lord Jesus (Lord Jesus),

Thank You for today (Thank You for today).

Thank You for everything You have given us (Thank You for everything that You have given us).

And Satan, get away from here! ( AND SATAN, GET AWAY FROM HERE! [what?! he totally just rebuked Satan from this place!]

In Jesus name (In Jesus name)

Amen y Amen."

Me: "Wow! Thanks, Victor! Who taught you to pray that, "Satan, get away from here!"

Victor: "No one."

Me: "No one? No one taught you how to pray that?"

Victor (shrugs shoulders like it's no big thing): "Nope. I just thought of it."

AYE COSA!

('Aye cosa' is my Spanish equivalent of 'Oh brother!')

The Holy Spirit totally used this 5 year old not only to rebuke Satan from the classroom, but to remind me of my responsibilty to do it from here on out.

What a sweet sweet moment from a Father who cares about us more than we will ever fully comprehend :o)

Straight Hair

Back in the States, people pay for curly hair. My whole life, people have always given me positive, encouraging compliments about my hair. I don't say this in a conceited way, it's simply factual.

Here, it's the exact opposite. EVERYONE has hair like me and they are always trying to make it straight. I am also asked quite frequently why I don't get my hair straightened or relaxed. Quite frankly, I prefer the curls. However, every now and again, it's fun to mix it up.

The following are a few pics from a few weeks back when I had it straightened...enjoy!  

Finished product

Isaura (next to me) and Jennifer (behind), a few of my stylists :o)

Praise Him!

God. Is. So. Good.

 (When I say 'God,' I'm referring to the God-Head, the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.)

He doesn't leave me where I am but continues to let me know Him deeper.

He doesn't leave me alone but promises to always be with me.

He could teach me all I need to know all on His own, but He blesses me with relationships with other believers who instruct, encourage, challenge, and confirm His heart.

He is patient with me as I screw up.

He is kind to remind me what He has saved me from and how He has grown me.

He gives me good gifts and is teaching me to be generous.

He restores the joy of my salvation.

He's given me citizenship in a Kingdom that is yet to come.

He gives me hope not only for the here-and-now, but that after my 'X' number of years on Earth are over, there is something even better waiting.

He loves me intimately as a lover.

He is the kind Father.

He died in my place.

 His blood covers me in such a way that He only sees white when He looks at me.

He prays for me.

He delights Himself in my praise.

Psalm 115:1

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us

but to Your Name be the glory,

because of Your love and faithfulness."

Llego Baby Dayem!

Back in September, I posted about a baby shower for some friends, Damien and Suyapa. Just wanted to update and let everyone know that on October 16, baby Dayem arrived weighing in at a whopping 9.5lbs! Everyone is adjusting nicely, but be in prayer for Suyapa not only as she heals from the C-Section but as she is missing her family and friends back in Honduras.

Here are some pictures that were taken when we went to see the new family in the hospital...

Baby Dayem just hours after being born

Proud Daddy Damien

Baby Dayem with Tia Cristina (Aunt Christine)





Thou Shalt Not Fear...

As children, many of us often have irrational fears. You know, those 'things' that made you feel all awkward and nervous on the inside... Those 'things' that made you cringe and do everything in your power to avoid... Those 'things' that you would have never confessed outloud cause you would have felt ridiculous. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

I'm going to risk the ridicule to let you all know how the Lord placed my 'irrational fear' in a new light this week. The following is a picture of my former fear:

"THE BIBLE?!?! Christine, you LOVE the Bible. It's chalk-full of words of life and freedom and redemption and grace and mercy and hope! The Bible was your irrational fear?"

No. It's not the Bible. It's that little emblem in the bottom right hand corner. That's the mark of the Gideon.

"GIDEONS! Christine, you were afraid of the Gideons?!?!"

Go ahead. Ridicule. Then listen to my story.

Throughout my childhood and adolescence, and even up until the time I was in college, I associated the Gideons with all kinds of feelings of guilt. As soon as I would spot one, WACKO thoughts began to run through my head. Here are some examples:

"Oh no. He's gonna give her that Bible. The last time she got one, I saw her make a mockery out of it and then rip it up into a bunch of pieces."

"Gasp! Don't give him one either. He threw his last one in the trashcan. He doesn't understand it's the Word of God!"

"Uh oh. I'm getting closer. What do I do, WHAT DO I DO? If I don't take it, he's gonna think I'm not a Christian. If I do take it, it means I'm gonna have yet another one to dust around. Ugh...head down, don't make eye contact."

One time, at MTSU, I even went so far as to walk all the way around the courtyard to avoid the one in front of the Keathly University Center.

I'm a nut. I know.

Now, stay with me as I tell you about how God turned my irrational fear into complete and utter thankfulness this week.

I mentioned in last week's blog that I desire for my students to grasp the greatness of Scripture and carry it in their hearts as a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path.

This week, we focused on 1 Corinthians 6:20. It reads as such, "You were bought for a price. For this reason, honor God with your body." We talked about the price that was paid being the blood of Jesus and to show that we are thankful, we should live lives that bring God honor (taking care of ourselves, being careful what goes in/comes out of our bodies, etc.) 

My 4th graders were especially pumped on Wednesday, and within the first 10 minutes of class, we'd already had our own little worship service! The rest of our time together went well, and then the bell rang to dismiss them for the day and we said our goodbyes.

Most of them left my classroom, but I noticed two girls had stayed behind. I went ahead and began erasing the board. One of the girls, Elianne, said, "Teacher, don't erase the verse. Genesis is looking for it in her Bible." When I turned aound, Genesis had out her little navy blue, tattered and worn New Testament (in espanol) and guess what was in the bottom right hand corner...

Yep, sure was.

And that Bible was PRECIOUS to Genisis. I could tell in the way she tenderly held it and then cautiously turned the thin little pages. It wasn't just another one for her to add to her collection or another one for her to dust around. This was her Bible, and she was thankful for it.

She also understood it's power. She said, "Teacher, help me find this verse. I want to know where it is so I can learn it really well."

Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus for Your Word and for the Gideons who have made it their mission to share Your Word with the world!

And thanks for ridding me of my irrational fear :o) 

About 15% of the student population at Ciudad de Luz comes from Christian homes. Know what that means? The majority of my students are getting their spiritual grub at school. Know what that means? When it comes to grub delivery, I've been entrusted as a waitress for about 70 kids Monday-Friday from 2pm-6pm. I MUST be intentional with the time I've been given with these babies...

I started out teaching them what I call the "Jesus Song." It's a chant we sing at the beginning of every class to get them pumped up and to do a little praisin'. Here's a clip of my 3rd graders gettin' their worship on:

We started with this, and once they got the hang of it, we added a prayer time to the beginning of class routine. I ask for volunteers to pray, and before I even finish my sentence, hands are up and kids are  begging, "Me! Me! Teacher! Teaher! I want to pray! Let me say the prayer!" They are so hungry for Him.

This week we've added a memory verse of the week. The idea is to pick one that goes along with the subject of the week and recite/memorize after we sing the "Jesus Song." Our topic this week was Parts of the Head and our verse was Luke 12:7

(...God knows how many hairs you have. For this reason, don't be afraid! You all are more valuable than many birds.)

We talked about how even though we know how many eyes, noses, mouth, and ears we have, only God knows the number of hairs on our heads...and that's because He knows us! They ate it up, and by the end of the week, most of them could at least paraphrase it. It's my hope that they will understand the power of Scripture and hide it's words in their hearts.

Here are a couple of pictures of them with the art project we did to reinforce the topic:

Caco de Chivo

Many of you have commented on my Facebook status from yesterday, (Christine Kitts cooked a goat head today!), so I thought I'd post a few pics and give a little more explanation...

 

First, you start with the goat head. After being boiled, the meat was removed and then chopped into small pieces.

Next, it was mixed in with a sazon (seasoning) of all kinds of good things...onion, green pepper, vinegar, garlic just to name a few.

While we let this cook down, we fried up some yellow plantains.

 

 

And the finished product! They made me take so much food, and when I ate less than half because it was more than I could hold, they teased me saying, "If it's not good, it's your fault cause you're the one who made it!"

This last picture is of me with my teacher, Yohaira (Yo-hi-ra). She was born and raised in Monte Cristi and has a wealth of cooking knowledge that she's more than willing to pass along. She's gonna make me una cocinera buena (a good cook)!



Mr. Cubo

Meet Mr. Cubo (pronounced KOO-boe). He's my washing machine, and together, we tackled my darks this morning and accomplished this:

Hand washing all these clothes was exhausting yet satisfying. There was definately a time in my life when I would have complained the whole way through, but today, I just felt so truly thankful for everything that made washing these clothes possible...money to buy Mr. Cubo, running water, laundry detergent, arms to do the work, the breeze that the Lord sent to let the clothes dry, etc., etc., etc.

Jesus has filled my heart with great joy :o)



Dream Big...Esperanza (Hope)

This is my sister-friend, Heather. She was my roomie for the past year as we served alongside one another in the Dominican Republic. The Lord has given her a crazy dream to bring hope in Him to the women, men, and children affected by sex-trafficking/prostitution here in the D.R.

She will be leaving in January for a 4 month long mission trip where she will spend a month in Thailand, Cambodia, India, and the States. During that time, she will be learning from and ministering with individuals and organizations who share her passion.

Click where it says Heather's Blog to learn more about her dream and how you can be involved:

Heather's Blog



Dear Jesus,

Thank You for revealing Yourself in a general way through creation. Thank You for the special revelation You give us through Your very life. Thank You that You love us enough to reveal Yourself to us. Thank You that You open eyes, ears, hearts, and minds, and that You give wisdom and knowledge in abundance when we ask and don't doubt. Thank You that Your wisdom brings about life changing experiences and enables us to faithfully live life without fear. You make me so happy and fill my heart with great joy.

I love You.

Mis Niñas Bonitas (My Pretty Girls)

Some of you might recall an earlier blog when I mentioned that a man had an apartment I could live in and if I taught his daughter(s) English, I could live there for free. It seemed too good to be true, especially after I talked with him face to face. All he wants me to do is hang out with them and talk to them in English. Really? Just talk to them? Just talk to them.

So, they come up pretty much every evening and hang out. We play cards, sing songs, draw pictures, etc. They are such special young ladies and I feel like Jesus has gifted them to me at least for this next little while.

Here's a picture of them with their cousin-sister, Dana. From left to right we have Fernanada (8 yrs. old), Isaura (11 yrs. old) and Dana (12 yrs. old).

-

Mi Escuela (My School)

Here are some picutres of the school where I teach :o)

The patio where the kids play at recess and the entrances to the classrooms. My room is the closest one on the left.



Standing at the door looking into the classroom

Standing at the front of the classroom looking towards the back

Standing at the back of the classroom looking towards the door

Consession stand where the kids buy their snacks at recess

Standing at the consession stand looking at the pavilion where kids hang out during recess and where we have culto (worship) on Fridays

The painted mural and the ledge where I like to sit during recess.

Beauty in the Breakdown

The other day, I was on the verge of a breakdown. All of the changes and adjustments since I moved down were just getting the better part of me, and it was time for me to loose control. Right as I was about to throw in the towel, my Dominican Mom, Coco, showed up at my apartment.

For those of you who don't know her, Coco was one of my bosses while I was with Orphanage Outreach. We formed a special relationship and shared laughs, tears, frustrations, and victories. She's only 10 yrs. older than me but has become another one of my "motherly" figures.

As I mentioned, she showed up at my apartment and we visited for a while. Then, a few minutes after she left, she called and spoke the most encouraging words about how excited she is for me and how she could see things beyond that moment in time. I barely made it off the phone in enough time to go into total meltdown mode...and it was good.

I fee like one of my favorite songs, "Let Go" by Frou Frou, is very fitting for that moment in time. Here's a link to a youtube video of the song if you're not familiar with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x52w8txtiQs

Coco also brought me a whole bunch of good stuff for my apartment. Check it out!

And just so no one is mistaken, I am okay now. Once I let go, everything else fell so beautifully into place. Things are coming along very nicely and I LOVE being here :o)

He's Worth Counting On

"I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on Him. I have put my hope in His word." 

Psalm 130:5

It's Already Been Two Weeks?!?!

Yesterday was the two week mark of me arriving to the DR. There are still a few things to happen before I am completely settled, but that's how things happen here. poco a poco (little by little).

Teaching has been interesting, a very humbling experience. It's pretty difficult to manage a class of 18 Dominican school children by oneself. Most of the time, I'm just crying out to the Holy Spirit to help me figure out what to do!

We have a song/chant we sing at the beginning of every class that goes a little somthin' like this:

Jesus, we love You! (repeat)

Thank You for today! (repeat)

Jesus, we love You! (repeat)

Guide us in Your way! (repeat)

It's pretty sweet to hear them singing it to themselves while they work individually. That's definately one time I don't ask them to be quiet :o)

Here's a picture of me teaching on my first day:

A few things to pray for include:

• wisdom for classroom management
• sensing of the Spirit's presence
• friendships to develop

Un Baby Shower

Tonight was super fun because I got to help throw a surprise baby shower. Damien and Suyapa are expecting their baby boy to show up at the end of this month, so we all came together to celebrate! Here are some pictures I took at the partizzay:

A surprised Suyapa!

First game: Guess the Size of Suyapa's Belly With Toilet Paper

Second game: Baby Pictionary

Consejos de Las Madres (Advice from Mothers)

Third game: Who Can Drink Out of the Baby Bottle the Fastest? (the guy in pink is the baby daddy, Damien)

Regalos (ray-gahl-ohs)! Gifts (guh-if-ts)!

A word of thanks from the parents-to-be

The evening was a big success and I was blessed to be a part of it. Please be praying for Damien and Suyapa as they prepare for parenthood and be watching for updates and pictures!