conejitos

Here are a few more recent pictures of the babies:

dramas

Last week Andre's church had an evangelistic campaign each evening Wednesday through Saturday. Each night they had some fun productions by local community members usually followed by a guest singer or preacher (or a movie on Wednesday night).

On Friday the girls from the teenage group at my site had the chance to perform some dramas before the main message. They did three skits to communicate caring for creation from a Biblical perspective.

In the above skit Yessica pulled several items out of a sack and asked Arisleidi if this should go in the trash can (played by Titi) or thrown outside on the ground. The ground burst into laughter when she pulled out a gallon-sized rum bottle. Arisleidi informed Yessica with each item that the things made by man (glass, tin, rubber, plastic, etc) are to be thrown in the trash and the items made by God (dirt, wood, leaves, peelings) are to be thrown outside.

In the next skit each girl walked across the 'stage' doing something harmful to the environment and then I would cross the stage after them and make a commentary about what I was seeing. Above Anglica is removing the bark from the trunk of a mango tree to make it die so she can then legally cut it down to use for firewood.

In the above picture Titi is washing her 'motorcycle' in a stream.

One of my goals in the communtiy has been to help inform people of how the Christian faith applies to every area of life. I really hope they received the message that the environment is God's creation and we are called to care for it, just as Adam was called to sow and tend the garden shortly after creation.

conejitos

My rabbit had seven babies on Wednesday morning. The picture isn't very good, but you can king of see them all huddled together.

quincinera

Yessica, who has been involved in our ministry in one way or another as long as I've been here recently turned 15. The 15th birthday is a big deal in Latin culture. Usually 'quincineras' are celebrated with a Catholic mass. The girl rents a dress and hsa both male and female attendants who all rent tuxedos and dresses, much like a wedding party. The mass is usually followed by a party at the girl's home with cake, dancing, and drinking.

Yessica did not want to do the typical 15th birthday celebration for a few reasons. Now that she is growing in her relationship with Christ, she has become convicted about how she should celebrate. She knows she doesn't want people to get drunk to celebrate her birthday and does not feel comfortable with the type of dancing that often occurs at those parties. For a while she didn't want to celebrate her birthday at all.

Rather than avoid celebrating her birthday, Carmen Luz and I encouraged her to celebrate it in a different way that lines up with her convictions. So, we decided to go ahead and have a small party, inviting only her family and friends. We made a cake ourselves and rented a dress for her. She didn't have attendants, like the typical birthday party (more to save on costs than because of any other conviction).

The party was successful. Yessica got all dressed up and even got her hair done. About 80 people came (although only 30 were invited!) and they played games and ate snacks and cake. Overall, I think Yessica did a good job of showing the community how to celebrate her birthday in a Christ-honoring way.

charla con Ramon

I started a club for teenage girls that focuses on the environment. We are doing Bible studies that help them form a Biblical view of creation as well as hands-on things, like building the solar stove last week. On Tuesday Ramon, who works for the Secretary of State of the Environment and Natural Resources, came and gave a talk. He talked a lot about water and how it gets contaminated. He shared a few of the things that rural communities do that really harm the environment. Some of the girls seemed to be bored and others were excited to have learned something. Yessica is especially excited about this club and wants to be an ecologist some day.

A lot of people in the community talk about the environmental department as their enemies, because that department says they can't do some of the things they've always done, such as take sand out of the rivers to use in construction, or catch crabs in the local streams. I was glad that the girls could have direct contact with someone from that agency, so they could see that the agency is trying to enforce laws that will protect their local environment.

estufas solares

A new club for girls has been formed. We are focusing on the environment- studying the Bible to see what it has to say about creation and doing hands-on activities as well, such as today's attempt to make a solar stove.

The stove is made using two cardboard boxes, tin foil, and black paint. The boxes are places one inside the other. Both are lines with tin foil (shown in the picture above) and the outside box is painted black. A lid is made in a similar way and a flap is cut on the top (the lid is being painted in the picture below). A piece of glass (or a Reynold's oven bag, if such thing could be found here) is placed over the opening of the lid, so that light can be reflected from the inside of the flap into the box. We will attempt to cook rice in the box on Thursday to see if it actually works.

new intern

We have a new intern working in Los Higos with Johana at the preschool. Selina arrived about three weeks ago and will stay until mid-December. Johana is about 8 months pregnant and Selina has come to fill in for Johana while she is on maternity leave.

Carmen Luz will also continue to work at the preschool as well while Johana is gone. The picture above shows Selina and Carmen Luz giving a math lesson to the class.

Caminata

I went to my first march (protest?) on Thursday (although I didn't march, I went in the truck). People from Los Higos and neighboring communities were marching against the condition of the road that leads from Hato Viejo through Hatillo and to Crucero (this is the road we take to get to Los Higos before we turn left to go up the big hill). The met up in Hatillo (about a mile below Los Higos) and walked to Hato Viejo (about 1.5 miles, but including a mega-hill). When they got the Hato Viejo, they closed off the road and held a ralley. A Catholic priest spoke about the need for justice in government and spoke against how the government does not use money for projects that will benefit rural communities. Following his talk, he gave communion.

Here is the view from the back of the ralley. I am guessing there was several hundred people there

Here you can see the priest up on the stage:

Meri was at the ralley representing the 'junta de vecinos' (the city council) of Los Higos. Her sign reads, "City Council of Los Higos. No movement towards progress. Los Higos demands reconstruction of the Hato Viejo-Hatillo-Crucero highway"

Tito

I found a home for Tito, the rabbit that turned out to be a boy. Carmen Luz needed a male rabbit, and I sold him to her.

So, today I stopped by Carmen Luz's house. I had heard that her younger daugher, Elisabet, was sick and asked Elisabet about it. Here is how our conversation went:

Arlene: Es verdad que estas enferma? (Is it true that you are sick?)

Elisabet: Si. (yes)

Arlene: Que tienes? (What do you have?)

Elisabet: Un conejo! Ven a ver! (A rabbit! Come and see!)

pulga

On Thursday there was a 'pulga' (yard sale) at the preschool in Los Higos. When we host teams, they often leave donations (usually clothes, towels, and sheets) behind at the base. Rather than give these items away, Students International allows sites to sell them at low cost to raise money to buy things for the sites that wouldn't normally be included in our regular budgets. For example, a few months ago Johana had a pulga at the preschool to buy a television for the school.

The community always looks forward to sales like this. The picture below shows the crowd waiting at the gate for the sale to begin.

These pictures (which are my favorites) shows the people rushing towards the school once the gate was opened.

Here the people are crowded onto the porch of the school, looking through the items for sale:

coneja (o)

So, the big news at the social work site this week is that it turns out that Titi, the rabbit, is a boy. That would explain the reason she [he] has not has baby bunnies, yet.

faldas

Kay Yua Korean lady that lives in Michigan (she is the mom of my intern from 2006, Sandra), is working at my site during this outreach. She came prepared to teach the advanced sewing class to make simple skirts. The whole process turned out to not be so simple, but most of the girls did manage to finish their skirts. It was good to have an outsider come to the class and give the girls advice, because I think they sometimes get tired of me nagging them to sew straighter or correct their mistakes. Kay graciously told them when they needed to correct their sewing and the girls took her advice well.

Today Kay was also going to make a simple sundress for Marcela (an SI missionary kid). She cut the fabric out, but then later couldn't find it. Not long after, Gabby came out of the sewing room sporting a skirt and headband her mom made her using her new skirt-making skills. Turns out that Maciel found the little sundress fabric and cut it down to make a skirt for Gabby. Apparently she didn't recognize that that fabric was already cut for someone else's project. ;)

jira

Last week the social work site from El Callejon, which also works with women, brought their teenage girls to Los Higos to have a cookout with the girls from my teenagers' Bible study. We hiked to the river, cooked locrio (chicken and rice), and swam. The top picture shows Daisy, the leader of the social work site in El Callejon starting the chicken.

The girls from El Callejon had prepared a short program where they gave each of my girls a friendship bracelet (one girl is shown giving a bracelet to Genesis, from Los Higos) and then sang a few songs they had learned. It seemed the girls had a good time, except for the fact that the rice turned out kind of hard.

One of our biggest frustrations, however, was that about 40 young men from Los Higos decided to go to the river right when we went. Dominicans often show up for events they weren't invited to, because the idea of an exclusive event doesn't fly here. We were disappointed, however, because we wanted to have an event just for our girls and we had a hard time convincing the girls to spend time with one another rather than going over to talk to the boys.

gran exposicion de costura

On Monday, we had a sewing 'exposition'. Basically we decorated the community center with all the things the sewing class has made in the last four month. We laid plastic chairs down on the floor to form 'beds' to put our bedspreads on, and hung curtains behind the beds to try to make it look like they were in bedrooms. We hung bags on the back of chairs, to make it look like we'd left them there when we got home.

Unfortunately it rained on Monday, so hardly anyone came (except a bunch of kids who realized we had a snack). The participants seemed disappointed that hardly any adults came, but were pretty excited to get their pictures taken with what they had sewn:

Here, Melvin poses with his 'bedroom'. He officially joined sewing class about a month ago and scrambled to get 4 months worth of class projects done in time for the exposition:

Below, Vianelli poses by her 'bed' and a curtain made by Maribel:

Although attendance was super disappointing for our exposition, knowing we were going to have one was really motivating for the ladies. I announced we'd have the exposition about 10 days ahead of time and the women flooded by site daily to finish up their projects on time. A few that had gotten behind were able to catch up with all the class projects in time to show them at the exposition.

Lucas

I bought a male rabbit, finally. His name is Lucas. (Yessica suggested the name). He is shown here with me and Gabriela.

We put him with Titi for a few hours, because it seems she was in heat, but time will tell whether or not she got bred.

Judd

I'm really posting this for my sisters to see. I've had this Cabbage Patch Kid, named Judd, since I was three. When I moved to the DR, he moved, too. Yesterday I took him to Los Higos to use him in a drama in the mom's bible study, but his picture shows Carina playing with him. Carina was convinced that Judd was a girl and she really wanted me to get her a doll like mine.

Reciclando papel

As a part of encouraging creativity and friendship in knitting, yesterday we recycled paper together (rather than knitting). For about two years I've been saving every piece of paper that could be recycled for such a time as this. (I don't know if this is extreme pack-rat'ism or frugalitiy or environmental responsability).

Here, a student from California pulls a piece of paper up out of the batch of liquified paper.

Marta has just formed a round piece of paper here.

And Raquel shows a round piece of paper (sitting on a piece of felt) that is ready to be put out to dry.

gorros

I have felt convicted that I need to think about what it would mean to knit in a Biblical way. I believe that as a Christian, my faith should affect all of life, even my knitting! (Even as I read that, I realize how cheesey that would have sounded to me just a few years ago).

So, we talked about it in knitting class and came up with a list that would characterize Christian knitting. Here is what I can remember from the list:

Responsability

Creativity

Generosity

Honesty

Friendship

Service

Quality production

And we talked about ways we could incorporate those characteristics into knitting. We decided to start by making hats to donate. We have yet to send the hats, but are thinking of sending them to Ukraine or to Haiti (because I have connection through my church in Fertile to ministries in those countries). The ladies came back the following week with these beautiful children's hats:

Melvin came up with the idea of also doing a creativity competition- each knitter will design and knit something of their own imagination. Afterward we will sell their creations and donate the money. I was pretty happy with that suggestion.

My hope is that knitting class won't just be knitting chaos, but knitting with a purpose and we are trying to take steps in that direction.

Forgive me for not updating the blog for so long! I kept waiting to get my camera back from a friend who barrowed it, so I can post some really old pictures of a quincinera (15th birthday party), but haven't gotten it back.

In the month of May, we had a team from Trinity Western University come and live in Los Higos. The only picture I have of them is this tiny one that I copied off of one of their Facebook pages. The team lived with host families and worked in the preschool, the women's center and the club.

Last fall, when Andre left SI to begin full-time ministry in the church, under Mission Door, the club became a church ministry (rather than an SI ministry). The club has met once or twice a week since then, because Andre has had many other new responsabilities as pastor. This summer, however, SI is using the club as 'partner ministry', which means that the club isn't an SI ministry, but we will be sending students to work there when we have teams. So, two TWU students worked with the club (which is meeting 5 days a week during the summer). And an intern, Josh, has come down to work with the club for the rest of the summer, along with whichever students might come down on two-week teams.

In other random news, our sewing class got their first 'job'- take make 10 bags to sell in a local art gallery. Fire ants have moved into my worm composting area and we're trying to figure out how to get the ants out without killing the worms. Titi, the rabbit, is getting huge! The church starting a church plant in Hatillo, a neighboring community. The knitting class is making hats to donate to an orphanage. I could write a whole entry on any of these items, but will wait until I can get pictures to expand on these subjects.

coneja

I bought a bunny. We haven't named her, yet. She is living at the site and I hope to get another rabbit soon, so she won't get lonely.

costura

We have begun to sew again and the new class has two new members (Josefina, shown above, and Janieri) and one old (Sara). We also have one member and isn't very committed, but I could count her and say I have a total of four girls. I was hoping to get more ladies involved, but none-the-less am happy with this small group of young ladies.

Today they began their first project (up until now they have just been learning to pedal the machine and sew straight). They each made an oven mit (shown in the picture below) and I was happy to see how well they sewed around the curves and were able to successfully put the trim around the bottom.

I have also appreciated all the moments of community the sewing class has allowed us to have. About a week ago, about eight ladies were hanging out at the site while sewing class was going on, visiting and laughing. I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the coming and going of women. I pray that this new site will become a safe and inviting place for women to come.

Today, one lady's daughter was at the site during sewing class and she threw a fit because I asked her not to cut paper with the sewing scissors (a pet peeve of mine, because it ruins the scissors for cutting fabric). Anyway, the daughter said to the mom, "you don't love me," and the mom replied, "no, I don't love you, because you don't behave."

In the other room I mentioned to Maribel, the lady that helps teach the class, that we need to learn to tell our children that we love them even when they misbehave, and let them know that we don't allow bad behavior because of our love. Maribel, immediately walked back onto the schene and said in a loud voice, "We DO love you and that is why we won't let you misbehave!" It was one of those chances to speak truth that occurs when we all get together.

mercadito y centro de internet

The church took over the location where I used to have the agriculture site and where the church building is located. Since I moved out, they moved into the casita and the garden.

Just this week they turned the casita into a small vegetable market and internet cafe. They are selling vegetables, such as eggplant and cabbage, and some fruit.

The internet cafe isn't funcitoning, yet, because they are waiting to get electricity (as is most of Los Higos after two and half weeks without power). Joselito, pictured above, is going to work there in the mornings and Laura will work in the afternoons. The have four computers and will be using a satellite internet connection that Joselito installed in his house last fall. The church will split the cost for internet with Joselito.

My understanding is that the church is hoping to make some money with this venture while at the same time offering some services that the community needs. Many students (like Elvis in the picture above) have to make special trips into town to use the internet to do research for their schoolwork. Having an internet cafe in Los Higos will be more convenient and probably will save them money because they won't have to pay transportation for extra trips into town. In addition, it is often difficult to find fresh vegetables and fruit in Los Higos. This seems impossible, since it so easily grows here, but the truth is that people don't grow as much fruit as you would expect.

letrero

A few weeks ago the art site created a sign to put on my site. Nate hung it about a week ago. It really is a piece of art and totally encompasses what the site is about. Note that the cross is actually a tree trunk, and the arms of the cross form a hill, like we see in the green mountains all around Los Higos. The ball of yarn has plants growing out of it.

The Bible on the sign quotes Deuteronomy 30:19, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live..." I truly desire that this verse would become true at our site- that women would be presented with choices and that they would choose life.

estudio con las muchachas

On Tuesday, we began a girls' Bible study. Nine girls, ages 12 to 17, had signed up, but only five came. The study will last two months and we will talk about dating, love, marriage, and boys.

One of the biggest problems that I see in Los Higos is that girls get 'married' (they move in together, often with his parents) very young to the first boy who ever decides he likes her. Usually they quit school when they get married. Often these relationships break apart after a few years, and the girl is left to raise a child without the father's help and with no skills, because she quit school.

This problem is overwhelming to me and I know it will take generations to change. I pray, however, that God transforms these girls in the same way He has transformed me and many of the girls who have come on teams to work with me. I see how he has changed my own view of who I am in light of who He is and changed much of my own thinking on relational topics. So, I know that the transformation I'm looking for can happen. Please pray that Jesus will begin the process in these girls: Wanda, Sara, Yesica, Natali, and Yoba.

baking with Lola

Over a year ago, I tried to help my friend, Lola, begin a small baking business from her house. It started out with a bang, but fizzled.

Lola took quite a while off without baking-- she went through a time last year when it seemed she didn't have ambition to do much of anything. Her stove wasn't working properly, anyway, and she didn't pursue getting it fixed.

But about a month ago, she decided she needed to give baking a shot again. It seems like there was a small breakthrough in her- she realized that sitting around, not working, wasn't getting her anywhere. I don't know if it was desperation or inspiration that hit her. She decided that she needed to do something, however, and got her oven fixed.

So, we began baking again. She is making banana bars and just last week learned to make white cake, to which she adds coconut (very yummy stuff!). Tomorrow I think we'll attempt chocolate cake. Because she doesn't read, she can't follow a recipe very easily. Lola depends on someone else to teach her each new recipe, which she commits to memory as she goes through the steps of making it.

I always struggle with Lola to know how much to help her and how much to let her help herself. She often says things to me like, "When you are around, I just feel so much better. I feel so sad when I'm home, but you help me to feel like everything is going to be okay." The last thing I want to do is allow Lola to become dependant on me, when her dependance should be placed on God. At the same time, I want to be her friend and help point her to Jesus. I don't want to abandon her, like she has been by so many others in her past. I pray that Jesus would help her to transfer her confidence and joy to Him- the only One who truly never leaves us.

piedras de concreta

Today we had some girls over to the new site to help make stepping stones to use in higher traffic areas in the yard. We made molds out of buckets (by cutting the bottoms out) and filled them with concrete (with a little wire in the middle for added strength). After letting them settle for about 45 minutes, the girls decorated them with colored concrete, marbles, buttons, etc.

I told the girls when we started that this is going to be a place for women and they are going be like the foundation of what we do. So, I want their mark under out feet.

One girl etched the words, 'Dios es amor'- 'God is love' into her stone. Others made designs in theirs.

Melvin mixed the concrete.

Sara shows the wire she put into her stone

One of our American students made one with Melvin and Uika's help.

Patria smooths some red cement onto the top of her stone.

Sara's finished stone.

Patria's finished stone

sitio nuevo

I have rented a little house with a small yard to use as my new ministry site (shown in the photo above)! I am very excited to have found this location. It is in Los Higos, just up the road from the Casabera, on the same side of the road (for those who have visited us in Los Higos). The house has a living room (shown in the picture below) and two smaller bedrooms, an outdoor kitchen, and a roofed breezeway (?) between the house and the kitchen.

I'm excited to have yard big enough to have a small garden and a rabbit hutch.

The last few days, people have shown up to help me clean the house and fill in a large hole that had been dug in the front yard. The hole as meant to be used for an outhouse, but I didn't like the location (in the front yard, near the front gate). I'm considering building a dry composting toilet (a modified outhouse that produces compost, never has to be moved, and uses no water).

Thanks to everyone who has been praying that I would find a new location!

preescolar

SI began a preschool in Los Higos two weeks ago. Yohana, Andre's wife, who formerly worked at SI's preschool in Mata Gorda, is starting this new school. The kids' ages range from three to five years of age (as far as I know). Nine are from Los Higos, and three of them are from Piedra Blanca, a community just a little farther up the mountain than Los Higos. From what I know of the families, only three of the children come from Christian homes, so this is a great way to help these kids meet Jesus and reach out to their families.

The students have class five days a week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, they have class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are served a meal, prepared my one of the preschooler's moms. On Tuesdays and Fridays they have class from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and return home for lunch.

This morning I waited outside with the kids and their parents while they waited for the door to be opened. One little boy started out the school year (last September) going to the public school's kindergarten. One day he had an 'accident' (bathroom related) and some of the older kids made fun of him. After that incident he refused to return to school and he never did go back. The mom said that when she heard that SI was going to open a preschool, she talked with Yohana about sending her son there, even though he is a little older than the other children. They decided to give it a try. After a few days of school her son said he will go to school at Yohana's school, but isn't so sure if he will want to ever return to the big school. We pray that his experience in Yohana's school will prepare him to enter into the public school with confidence when that day comes.

I pray that the children will be exposed to a different way of interacting with one another as they learn how the kingdom operates through their little school. I pray that it will be a safe place for them and a place of beauty for them.

update

Sorry I haven't written for a while. I feel like I haven't had much to say, because I don't know much about what is going on in Los Higos. I was told that the Students International preschool (to be taught by Yohana, Andre's new wife) was supposed to open today! I'll update you all on that as soon as I receive news.

I am still in Iowa, finishing up fundraising. I hope to be back in the DR within a few weeks. That is not to say, however, that I'm not enjoying my time at home. It has been a blessing to have an extended time at home to be with family and friends. Iowa joys include:
*learning to make cheese (actually done in Minnesota)
*visiting my FFA advisor from high school
*using yak-trax
*cross country skiiing
*having time to read books!
*baby lambs!