'Leave' it to Us!

The climate here has officially changed from always feeling like a scorching hot summer to more like the beginning stages of a fresh, crisp autumn. Some of the leaves around the patio at school have started to change and fall, and I snapped some shots as my students had some fun playing around. Kids really are more or less the same no matter the geographical location!  

Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas from our living room to wherever it is that you are reading this post!

All Sons & Daughters

My ipod is pretty much set on repeat with All Sons & Daughters most recent album, Brokenness Aside. I highly recommend scrounging up $5.99 to go and purchase it on itunes as quickly as humanly possible. The picture below is one I took a while back and recently edited with some of the lyrics in their song, “Your Glory.” 

Planticas and Change

We’ve spent the last few weeks learning about plants. We talked about the different parts, some of their functions, and what the growth process looks like. Then, each one of my kiddos brought in a container and I brought some beans and we planted bean plants! They were beyond precious with how excited they were to take care of them and made sure to remind me if I forgot to put “Water Plants” on the daily schedule :o)

In case there is anyone who hasn’t heard yet, I am head-over-heels for my students and am pumped about how God is working in and growing them and their faith on a daily basis.  I believe the Lord has set His eye on Monte Cristi and has chosen La Escuela Ciudad de Luz to live up to its name and be a City of Light. The students who attend have been chosen, set apart, ordained, and called out to be the next leaders of this community. They are the ones who will yield to the Father and raise this place out of the dust. I am praying that they will love mercy and justice and will live and lead with a Kingdom mindset. May there be a change in MC and may it begin with:

Our Cat

We got a cat! Or rather, she got us. She just kinda showed up one day and stayed around. She's still nameless as of this moment, so suggestions are welcome!

My Students

Well, here they are! Take a look at this year's wonderful group of first graders at Ciudad de Luz.

 

There's a lot going on in this picture, so in order to truly appreciate their awesomeness, I've cropped them into groups so you can have a closer look. 

Awesome, right? Loves of my life <3

A Father's Gift to His Daughters

This is our new home! It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath that's one street over from the apartment I've lived in for the past year. It's close to school and the grocery store, and we have wonderful neighbors who are already taking good care of us. Best part of all is it's totally in the budget! 

Han Llegado Mis Hermanas!

My sisters have arrived! 

Emilee and Heather got in on Tuesday evening, and we are beyond excited to live out this next year together here in Monte Cristi. 

There is an awesome peace that washes over your heart, soul, and mind when the people surrounding you have similar desires of the heart.

BLESSED.

I miss blogging...

I really really do! "Then why don't you blog more, you silly girl?" If it were only that easy...
 
See, in my opinion, it's not enough just to give you all an update, bullet-points if you will, of what all is going on in my world right now (although bullets seem to be an appropriate analogy for how fast the days seem to be whizzing by me!). When I write, I want you all to feel what I'm feeling, to really grasp the emotion behind what's going on and how it's affecting me and others. I like for you to read as if you are hearing the words flow straight out my mouth.

Right now, I just don't have the time to be creative and write to my posting standards.

So, like it or not, here come the bullets....

• My summer was kick-butt amazing and I enjoyed almost every moment!
• When I got back to the DR, they asked me to be the 1st grade teacher this year...yikes!!! I accepted and have spent the last 3 weeks trying to get my kids to march to the rhythm of my drum. They are almost there, just have a few that are still a little off beat.
• Heather and Emilee are about to move down and join me on the Dominican Rollercoaster Ride! They come on Wednesday, and we're moving into a house! Nothing is nailed down yet, but I'm just gonna say the Lord takes care of His daughters :o)
• I got a washing machine!!! I spent the last year washing my clothes by hand and I now know what a silly I was for doing so. It's been one of my best investments ever! I've washed at least one load a day, and on days when there's a sufficient supply of water, I may even squeeze in a few more!
• I've been able to reconnect with lots of people and have even made some new friends. I'm really starting to see how the desires God has given me for Monte Cristi are starting to blossom. The only word I know to call it is CRAZY!

Okay, that's all I've got to give for now. Hope it's enough to tide you all over until I can write a real good one!

Dominican Sisters Stateside

I'm back in the States for the summer and thus far, I have loved every moment. A special treat was meeting my Dominican Sister-Friend, Heather, half-way and spending the day with eachother. Here are some pics from our time together :o)

Tarde de Chicas (Girls' Afternoon)

The fourth grade girls at our school are a very brilliant group of young ladies. They have caught on to English rather quickly and sometimes even sound just like you and me accent wise (good or bad thing? you decide :o) )

They are all at that pre-teen age and many of them have very strong Type-A dominate personalities. This makes for great leaders, but, if misguided, can also create conflict and tension. The later had become a problem, so my wonderful principal, Ebony, decided to have a Tarde de Chicas (Girls' Afternoon) complete with manicures, games, cookie baking, pizza, and a sweet little charla (talk) about friendship and conflict.

Ebony lead the first half of the charla and talked to the girls about the importance of having friends and of being a good friend, and I took the second half and talked with them about what to do when conflict arises. To help them better confront conflict, I gave them 5 steps (Calm Down, Think About What's Really Bothering You, Talk and Share How You Feel, Listen to How the Other Person Feels, and Come to a Conclusion) that I found at http://www.girlshealth.gov/relationships/conflict/index.cfm.

I saw the first fruits of our labor in English class last Wednesday. They all came into the classroom, sat at different tables and began complaining about eachother. I immediately asked if they had gone through the 5 steps to deal with conflict and I could almost see the lightbulbs go on as they said, "Oh no! We haven't, but we will!" Woohoo!

Here are some pics from our fun afternoon together:

Ebony and Me with the girls who were able to make it

The girls with their cookies...yum yum!

Playing Twister...it was the first time for all of them!

Pizza for dinner :o)

Mangos...

We like LOVE mangos around here!

When we eat them, we momentairly get lost in another world...

We go to the extremes to make the most of every bite...

They give us a little bit more spunk than we already have...

And make us just a little bit crazier than we already are :o)