Una Maestra con una Misión: December 2013

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Preguntas

I recently posted a list of questions that I ask in the DR that I never had to ask in Arizona. All of them pertained to humidity, something that I am SO unaccustomed to as a girl who, up until this point, had lived in Arizona for my entire life. I thought I'd expand on this silly facebook post here on my blog with some funny questions and some more serious and thoughtful ones. Many of the more serious questions are from my personal journal entries from the past several months. Missionary life challenges you to look at things with a different set of eyes, hopefully the eyes of the Holy Spirit. I hope these questions make you laugh and that some will challenge you and make you think!

-"Will this floor I just mopped be dry by the morning?"

-"If I leave my jeans outside to dry, will they be dry enough to wear by tomorrow?"

-"If I leave the cap on my water bottle for too long, what types of fungus will start growing inside of it?"

-"Why does this smell SO bad?" (ok - maybe I had to ask this in AZ, but not nearly as frequently!!)

-"Why is this wet?"

-"Where are all the ants coming from?"

-"Would my neighbor notice if his chicken/pig/dog who wakes me up every morning suddenly 'disappeared'"?

-"Is it worth a 2-hour bus trip to the capital just to get chocolate chips and Dr. Pepper?"

-"Will the electricity be on when I want to skype with _____?"

-"Will the electricity be on when I want to take a shower?" (The bomba (water pump) that we have to pump the water from our cisterna (cistern) into our pipes only works when the electricity is on.)

-"Will there even be water in the cisterna to pump into the pipes when I want to wash dishes/do laundry/take a shower?"

-"What time should I leave if the event starts at 5:00 and I want to arrive when the Dominicans will arrive?" (This differs drastically from the question I usually asked in the States: "What time should I leave if I want to arrive 5 minutes early?")

-"Will that store be open when the school day is over?" (Like in most Latin American countries, most Dominicans take a siesta (nap) in the afternoon and most businesses close for a few hours each day.)

-"Will this lotion/soap/hair product/laundry detergent make me get more bug bits or less bug bites?"

-"Am I actually angry or am I just tired/hot/hungry/dirty/itchy/sweaty?"

-"How can I teach combining like algebraic terms with fractions and decimals to students who cannot tell me the difference between 20 and 18?"

-"How do you say _______?" (Even though my Spanish is decent, I still find myself lacking a particular word or verb tense frequently throughout the day.)

-"Is this cultural difference that I'm frustrated about a Biblical principle or just a personal preference?"

-"When Jesus encountered a situation like this, what did He do?"

-"When will La Piña (the bar across the street from my house) get a new soundtrack to replace the 5 songs they've had on repeat since I arrived here 4 months ago?"

-"Am I making an unfair judgement statement about something I'm unfamiliar with?"

-"Was my bad hour/afternoon/day the result of me relying more on my own strength than on the strength of the Lord?"

-"How can I help without hurting in the long run?" (For more information on this question, I highly recommend the book When Helping Hurts.)

-"What is God trying to teach me through this trial?"

-"What is God trying to teach me through this beauty?"

-"Is this action rooted in selfishness or in selflessness?"

-"Do I truly need this or do I just want it?"

-"Am I willing to sacrifice this for the sake of the The Kingdom?"

-"If someone who has lived in Monte Plata for their whole life was in this situation, would they be complaining about it?"

-"Is my heart deceiving me right now?"

-"Am I giving the power and authority in my life to sin or to the Lord?"

-"Is this relationship more valuable to me than the issue that is damaging the relationship?"

-"Although I don't understand what God is doing right now, do I trust Him enough to know that He is, in fact, doing something that is worthy of my submission?"

-"If my time, my money, my resources, and ultimately my very life do not actually belong to me, how does that change how I live?"

-"Do I value my relationship with the Lord enough to be disciplined to spend time with Him every day?"

-"Do I long for time with the Lord each day? If not, what sin-issue in my life is keeping me from that longing?"

-"How easy is it for God's word to take root and grow in my heart? What pavement have I laid, what rocks have I not moved, what thorns have I let grow that are preventing the Lord from sowing His seeds in my life?" (See Matthew 13:1-9)

-"Do I trust that God's will for my life will come with far greater joy than the best life I can imagine for myself?"

-"Do I trust that the all-powerful God of the universe can somehow mesh my joy and His glory?"

-"Have I prayed about this enough?"

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Fall Update

I recently sent out a snail-mail update letter. I've posted an electronic copy of the same letter below for anyone who did not receive a hard copy in the mail. If you'd like to be part of my mailing list, please send me an email with your home address! Thanks for your prayers, love, and support. You all are partners in the ministry here!

Before you read - for some reason, the images in the electronic PDF version of the letter came out a bit abstract. I'm not sure what happened but I can't seem to fix them. I apologize!

Fall Update Letter

Monday, December 2, 2013

Favorite Verses

Tonight I was at Casa Monte Plata for devotions in Casa de Fe (our girls home). Some of the older boys from Casa de Gozo joined us as well since we are still praying for house parents for them. Please join us in praying that the Lord provides two Dominican Christian couples to serve as house parents in our two boys homes!!

Minerva, our house-mom in Casa de Fe, asked me to share something for devotions. I was completely unprepared and there were a lot of Dominican kids staring at me so I went to my "go-to" verse, Romans 8:38-39, which has been a personal favorite since I learned it in fifth grade AWANA. It says "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." I shared a bit about what these verses mean to me and then Minerva asked the kids if they wanted to say anything. It turned into a 30 minute Bible study of each child's favorite verse and it was absolutely beautiful to hear each child read (actually, most of them recited their favorite verses from memory) and then explain their verses and why they were special to them. I finally decided to write them all down so I could share them with our Casa Monte Plata staff, with you guys, and post them in my room. I hope these verses bring you as much encouragement as they bring to our sweet kids at Casa Monte Plata.

Solanyi - Isaiah 54:7-8
For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”says the Lord, your Redeemer.

Karen - Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Lali - Deuteronomy 30:14
But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

Yari - 1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Sami - Joshua 1:8-9
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Kaina - Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Selena - Psalm 8:4
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Ysabel - Psalm 32, Psalm 112
Here's a couple excerpts from her favorite chapters:
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

Minerva - Jeremiah 33:33, Psalm 46:10, Lamentations 3:22-23
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Nicol - Psalm 4:8
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Lula - Proverbs 3
Here's an excerpt from her favorite chapter (verse 1):
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

Giving Thanks

In Spanish - Thanksgiving is translated to: El Día de Acción de Gracias - The Day of giving thanks. Oh how I wish that I more often lived Una Vida de Acción de Gracias - A life of giving thanks. I had so much to be thankful for last week, including some wonderful time with our kiddos, a visit with Vicki, an overnight trip to Juan Dolio for a mini-vacation, and a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with all of our Casa Monte Plata kids and staff.