Apparently...Jesus Even Cares about Math

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 

– 1 Corinthians 15:58

We are so proud of our students, our teachers, and their hard work! I'm so excited to share these exciting indicators of God's work here at our school! After 5 weeks of instruction, our kids made significant growth, improving from 15% of the school passing to 71% of the school passing!

Here's what we learned:

• Once again, God showed us His power and His faithfulness - even in the little things!
• When we focus on the little steps, we see great successes.
• The patterns of the past don't have to dictate what will happen in the future. 

Percentage of Student Population Passing Each Week

Number of Students Passing with 100% Each Week 

Percentage of Students in Each Grade Passing in the Diagnostic Assessment and in the Final Assessment

Average Score of Each Grade on the Diagnostic Assessment and on the Final Assessment

And here's how we celebrated:

One gringa + ice cream for 175 people + 1 pasola

Preschoolers picking their ice cream

Wilton - 2nd grade

Escaila - 2nd grade

Nicol - 2nd grade

Sweet 1st grade girls

Ice cream for everyone!!

MMMMMM

Teachers celebrating their students' success

Sponge Animals and Jesus

A few months ago while reading a book called Embracing Obscurity, I came across an incredible illustration that I couldn't wait to use with my girls in Clase Biblica. It involved the use of "magic grow sponge capsules," - you know, those plastic coated capsules that you put in warm water and when the plastic dissolves the sponge inside the capsule expands and reveals the shape of an animal. I put them on my amazon wish-list and within 5 minutes, my friends Josh and Adora had purchased them and they were on their way to me in Monte Plata.

I finally decided that this was the week to use them in class. But before we got around to using the capsules during the lesson, we opened class with some exciting new graphic Bibles that the Bridgens family from my church in Scottsdale sent down for the ministry. These Bibles are illustrated like comic books, completely in Spanish and in full color. Each page contains the exact Biblical reference from which that part of the story comes. Needless to say, the girls were fascinated with them. We sat together and read them for about 20 minutes, stopping to discuss what we were reading and how that part of the Old Testament relates to our lives today. One of the girls passed by my house this afternoon and said "Clase Biblica was really great today. I love those Bibles! Can we keep reading them?" Yes, Estefany, yes we can. 

After reading, we started our lesson which was based on 2 Corinthians 5:17 - If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. I passed out the magic capsules to each of our girls. I explained that we are each like one of those little capsules. God created us for a purpose, with a specific form and plan in mind. But because of our sin, which is like the plastic casing, we are constrained, held back, and prevented from taking on the form that Christ has planned for us. I then took out a bucket of warm water. As a review from one of our lessons earlier this year, I asked them who the Bible referred to as the "Living Water," - Jesus. I had each of them come forward and they filled a plastic cup with the warm water. Jesus is like the water, and when we give our lives to Him, we can finally become what we were meant to be. He takes away our sin, frees us from bondage, and fills us with His spirit so that we take on the form He originally created us in. The girls dropped their capsules in the warm water and...we waited. At first they were confused. "Are we supposed to drink it?" "NO!"* I yelled, "Just wait." Finally one of them called out "Mine is starting to grow!!!" And one by one, the capsules began to open. The plastic dissolved away and the animals began to emerge from their captivity. "Mine is a monkey! Mine is a rhino! Mine is a lion! Mine is a panther!" The girls literally could not stay seated. They had never seen these types of capsules before and were completely shocked by what happened! They were running around the classroom, showing each other their animals, watching their friends' capsules open, yelling and laughing and smiling and slowly, but surely, getting the point (see the video of their excitement below). 

Our sin is like the plastic. Until we allow the healing, transforming power of the Living Water - Jesus - to free us, we stay bottled up in our sin, never knowing our real purpose or who we were really created to be. But once we immerse ourselves in the Spirit, we are cleaned from our sin, released from our captivity, and take on the form of Christ and all He created us to be. 

First ones to ever open these books - exciting!

Incredibly illustrated and so interesting

The girls were completely enthralled 

Reading about the creation of the world and the fall of man

20 girls in class today - praise God!

Eagerly anticipating the transformation of their capsules

I have never seen them so excited about something!

One of our teacher assistants, Lucy, watches the capsules transform into animals with the girls

Having so much fun!

The girls literally could not contain themselves. They were so excited! Here's a video to prove it:

2 Corinthians 5:17 - If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.

While we studied this verse, our focus was on the word "Cristo" or Christ. It is not when we are in the world, when we are rich, when we have finished our degree, when our family is perfect, when we have a position of power or control, when we are married, when we have a career that we love, when we finally kicked that bad habit, or when we own a car or a home that we are made new. It is only in Christ that we are we made new. He alone has the power to transform us. He alone has the power to make us new in Him. 

*I yelled "NO!" for two reasons: 1. The water was not clean water, it was water from my sink, and although I warmed it on my stove, I didn't boil it nearly long enough for them to put it in their mouths. 2. I'm pretty sure if you eat an expandable sponge capsule and it opens in your throat/stomach, you would have a MAJOR problem. 

New Creation

Oh Margaret*. I had only been in Monte Plata for a few days when I heard my first "Margaret story." She has a very long history of defiance, disrespect, running away from school, violence towards classmates and teachers, and being one of "those kids." By the grace of God, she has continued here at our school and is currently finishing 6th grade. After a long talk outside of her classroom during my first month here, she and I have been on great terms and we have a special relationship. Margaret can usually be found hanging around outside my office during recess, not-so-subtly waiting for me to invite her in to work on math, look at pictures on my computer, or just sit while I do work. 

Margaret and I after Clase Biblica today

Margaret also loves coming to Clase Biblica on Wednesdays after school. I think her favorite part is when she stays after all the other girls go home and we pray together. That's my favorite part, at least! This has been our regular pattern for the past few months and Margaret always has a long list of problems to pray about - everything from her family to her living situation to her academics to her behavior to her friends...This girl prays for it all. Her life is hard. It's not just normal-teenage-girl hard. It's depressingly, sometimes dangerously, makes-you-want-to-cry, impossibly hard. 

After class today, Margaret stayed behind as usual and as I wrapped my arms around her in a hug I asked "What are we praying for today?" She looked up at me and said "Nothing - today I just want to pray and thank Jesus for all the ways that He's changing me. I used to be really bad but I behave at school now and I'm really different. And I want to praise God for that." 

Cue the tears. I hugged her tight as I prayed and thanked God for the way in which He is working in sweet Margaret's life. We laughed together as I said "God, we know that Margaret has been trying for a long time to change herself, but that didn't really work." And then we smiled as I continued, "But God, You are powerful enough to change even the hardest hearts and the most impossible situations."

Today's Clase Biblica lesson was about God making us new creations. The Bible says that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come." How beautiful it is to see this truth so perfectly displayed in the life of one of our girls. Praise God for all He is doing here and in the hearts of those who believe and trust in Him around the world. 

*Name changed to protect privacy.

La Limpieza

"La limpieza" is the worst the best thing to happen to our school. 

Imagine a circus. Imagine a circus full of elementary and middle school aged children. Imagine those children with buckets of water, towels, brooms, mops, and hoses. Imagine all of this happening with very little adult supervision. If you’re imaging what I’m imagining, you have a mental picture that only begins to describe the madness that is our quarterly “Limpieza de la Escuela” or “School Cleaning Day.” Once every few months, all our kids and their families are invited to return to school in the afternoon to help us clean our classrooms. This isn’t just the typical sweep, mop, wipe desks cleaning that the classes get every day when the kids leave. This is a complete “move every piece of furniture outside, scrub every inch of every desk and every wall and every window and every fan and every cabinet, cut the grass and rake the leaves and trim the bushes, scrub every chair in the cafeteria” cleaning. It is a big job.

Our kids love cleaning day because it is basically water-games day. We put just about as much water on the floors, walls, and furniture as we do on the kids. There are no rules, there’s very little supervision in each classroom, and they all leave soaking wet. There is a lot of yelling, slipping, sliding, screaming, and fighting. If you know me at all, you know that (although it involves cleaning) this is basically my worst nightmare. Today, 20 minutes in, I decided that I was done and was ready to head back to my house early. Our school coordinator caught me and asked if I could be in charge of the 2^nd grade classroom. I looked inside and there was no one in there, so I internally decided that I would just clean the whole classroom by myself, my way, and call it a day. I walked in and started scrubbing desks, mumbling under my breath the whole time. No, this was not my proudest missionary moment (or Jesus-follower moment in general).

Then two things happened.

First, God convicted me and said “Kristin, I didn’t ask you to come to Monte Plata so that every day would be full of work that you find valuable, productive, and Kingdom-building. I asked you to come to Monte Plata to be with me, to follow me, and to joyfully engage in what I’m doing here. And today, I’m scrubbing desks.” Then he added “So suck it up and shut up.” This not-so-gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit changed my scowl into a smile as I began praying for the students who sit in each one of those desks and chose to consciously thank Him for an opportunity to serve the least of these in seemingly the least of ways. How often do I miss out on the intended joy of serving because I'm not satisfied with the way in which I'm being asked to serve?

Second, our kids’ families started showing up. It wasn’t just their parents. Their grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts, big brothers and sisters, and cousins all started flooding into the school. And let me tell you something – these people can CLEAN! A team of over ten grandmothers started working on the chairs in the cafeteria. A group of eight dads, uncles, and big brothers started raking, trimming, and cutting the grass, bushes, and flowers. I think one of my favorite moments of life here in Monte Plata thus far was looking out the window today and seeing one of our first graders and his dad raking leaves together in front of our school playground. Three moms came into the 2^nd grade classroom with me and got to work on the walls, the windows, the cabinets, the floors, the desks, and the shelves. Dozens and dozens of kind-hearted, servant-minded Dominican adults chose to spend their afternoon cleaning and scrubbing with us. Our school is sparkling now. But the fact that we have a clean school is not what has changed the “limpieza” from one of my most dreaded events to one of my most eagerly anticipated.

I love the “limpieza.” I love it because for one day every few months, our students’ families feel like they can come to our school campus with something to offer. For once, they are the experts. For once, they are the leaders. For once, they are able to proudly give instead of humbly receive. 

The mom who can’t read what the chalkboard says can lovingly and thankfully clean it anyway. 

The uncle who can’t count the desks can scrub them until they shine nonetheless. 

The dad who can’t help his third grade son with his homework can work next to him and teach him what it means to lend a helping hand. 

The grandmother who never made it past the first grade can sweep and mop the eighth grade classroom  with a smile on her face and a song on her lips. 

The aunt who hasn’t had a job in a year can work and feel productive outside of her home for the first time in months. 

The families who rely on God (through our school kitchen) to provide the only meals that their children eat each week can come together and joyfully offer a gift of gratitude for all the ways in which the Lord supplies for our needs here. 

"La limpieza" is the worst the best thing to happen to our school. I praise God for changing my selfish, fleshly eyes and ears into vessels through which He shows me more of His great love and His grand plan to redeem a lost and broken humanity. 

Pasamos por el Fuego

After a day of cleaning and scrubbing to erase the mark and scent of the fire from my house, the theme of “fire” was fresh in my mind as I planned the lesson for Clase Biblica this week. Our group has been a bit smaller lately and 14 girls (plus two little sisters and two other teachers) came to class today. I started the lesson by talking about the fire in our house and what the house looked like when I returned home on Monday. Kaina and Lali (from Casa Monte Plata) also chimed in and described the house as “un disastre” (a disaster) since they helped us clean yesterday after school. The girls were laughing as they described all the male teachers and staff members from school putting out the fire on Friday during class. I still wish someone had recorded a video!

I told the girls that God used the fire to guide me towards stories and verses about fire in the Bible. We read in Daniel 3 about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery (7x more fiery than normal) furnace because they refused to worship anyone but the One True God. I asked the girls to imagine what those young men were thinking when they stood on the precipice, looking down towards the flaming furnace. “Ok God….now would be a good time to rescue us!” Can you even begin to fathom what thoughts were racing through their heads as the guards hurled them down towards the blazing inferno? “Any time now, Lord!”

But God didn’t extinguish the fire. God didn’t put out the flames.

He did, however, stand in the fire with them.

And He did bring them out on the other side.

So often in life we are called to walk through fires. Sometimes the fires are put in our path by God. Sometimes we start our own fires of sin or are forced to face a fire as a consequence of a bad decision. But sometimes lightning strikes unexpectedly and suddenly we are standing in front of a fire that we didn’t ask for and don’t necessarily deserve.  My girls made a list of those metaphorical fires that we have to walk through: broken friendships, hunger, loneliness, sickness and disease, anger, fighting, death, divorce, fear, poverty.

The fires we walk through

I told my girls that we often wish that God would simply “put out the fires.” But I really think we need to change our prayers – not that God would extinguish the flames, but that He would teach us how to trust Him more as we walk through the flames with Him. God is calling me not to stare at the fire, but to stare directly at Him as He leads me through it.  Fires are an opportunity to look at God more closely, get to know Him better, and trust Him further.  

The Bible is full of references to God’s presence in the fire. He does not leave us to walk through the difficulties of life on our own.

Exodus 13:21 – And the Lord went before them (the Israelites leaving captivity in Egypt)…by night in a pillar of fire to give them light…

God in the fire.

Deuteronomy 4:24 – The Lord your God is a consuming fire…

God in the fire.

1 Kings 18:38-39 – Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the offering…And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God…”

God in the fire.

The girls and I ended our time together by etching Psalm 66:12 in scratch-art paper. We talked about how the smoke of a fire (represented by the black surface of the paper) sometimes obscures our view of all the Lord is doing for us in the midst of the trial. But when we look for God, we will always find Him right there with us, walking through the fire, guiding us with His love, giving us His peace, and shining through the smoke with His hope.

We went through fire…yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance.

-Psalm 66:12

We etched this promise into our scratch-art paper and I told the girls that this verse doesn’t just apply to those of us who have already come out of a fire. It applies before and during the fire as well.

I see the fire that I am going to walk through, and I trust that you will bring me out.

I am walking through the fire right now, and I trust that you are bringing me out.

One of the teachers who helps with our Bible study received a phone call during class to tell her that her grandmother had been taken to the hospital. We stopped and prayed before she left that God would give her His peace as He leads her through this fire. Five girls stayed behind after class and asked me to pray for specific fires that they are walking through in their homes and with their families. I pray this afternoon that God uses our lesson to encourage and strengthen some of you who are reading right now. If you’re looking at a fire, standing in the middle of one, or finally coming out on the other side, find peace in the promise that our God is walking through the flames with you. 

Working on our projects

Working on our projects

Our "fire" snacks - red and orange soda and nacho cheese doritos :)

Broken Cisterns

"We do not believe Jesus when He says there is more blessedness, more joy, more lasting pleasure in a life devoted to helping others than there is in a life devoted to our material comfort. And therefore, the very longing for contentment that ought to drive us to simplicity of life and labors of love contents itself instead with the broken cisterns of prosperity and comfort."

- John Piper

Hold My Hand

A good friend of mine told me a few months ago to "follow Jesus in the work He has put into your hands for today." Anyone who knows me at all can tell you that I struggle with not having a plan, with anxiety about the future, and with wanting to arrange next week and next month when today is staring me in the face. I have clung to that Biblical truth for a while now, especially since life on the mission field (and often just life in general) does not align well with wanting to plan and organize a very unknown future.

This week, God decided to give me a literal example of focusing on the work He has put in my hands for today.

Thursday was, by all accounts, a successful day at school. Second graders practiced addition using a math game, fourth graders learned how to write decimal place value using manipulatives and fractions, and sixth graders raced to see who could correctly multiply decimals the fastest. My students for the day were well-behaved and respectful for the most part. The fourth graders were even so excited that they were literally erupting in applause after discovering that the majority of the class had correctly solved a problem. From a teaching perspective, my morning was constructive, productive, and purposeful.

But then God told me to hold Melanie's hand. 

Melanie is one of our sixth grade students. She's a bit infamous around here as one of "those" kids who each teacher seems to have a story about. At the beginning of the year, she and I butted heads in the classroom a few times. After one of her biggest outbursts, I pulled her outside and we had a serious one-on-one talk about her behavior. Ever since that day, she's been one of my model sixth grade math students. She still has her "Melanie attitude" and her "Melanie looks," but for the most part, we have a great relationship.

On Thursday after school, our middle school students were invited out to our camp for an afternoon of Bible study, crafts, and sports with an awesome visiting American team. We loaded up on our little bus (4-to-a-seat...it was tight) and drove out towards camp. The steep road on the other side of the river leading to camp was being worked on, so we all had to get out and walk the last leg of the trip. And as we started to walk, Melanie took my hand and started walking next to me. This 12-year-old girl who was hard as steel at the beginning of the year just latched on - and we walked hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm to camp.

When I think about redefining "success" and considering "productivity" with new eyes, Melanie is the one who God brings to mind. At the end of the day on Thursday, I wasn't thinking about my math lessons or my teaching objectives or my learning outcomes. I was thinking about holding Melanie's hand. I knew that my day had graciously been successful for the Kingdom of God not because kids learned how to multiply, but because Melanie felt God's love. On Thursday, God literally told me to focus on the work He had put into my hands for that day, that hour, those minutes. How often am I so busy thinking about and already trying to control tomorrow that I miss the job God is trying to put into my hands today? I am thankful that we don't serve a God who is too focused on the future that He can't walk with us, hand-in-hand, today. And just like Melanie, it is my choice to take His hand, to walk with Him, to not try to run ahead nor try to turn and look back, but just to walk hand-in-hand with my Savior.

"Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel." 

-Psalm 73:23-24

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with y righteous right hand."

-Isaiah 41:10

"For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you.'"

-Isaiah 41:13

Walking hand-in-hand with Gabi

Dad and Riley's Visit

Your name, Lord, endures forever,

Your renown, Lord, through all generations. 

-Psalm 135:13

What a blessing to have my dad and cousin Riley visit me last week for 7 days. It was so much fun to show them around my town and work together with our kids. I had the opportunity to translate for Dad several times as he shared small Bible studies with our teaching staff, with our middle schoolers, and with our Casa Monte Plata kids. He also spoke briefly at our church, made leather wallets with our boys at CMP, helped fix several things at our school, and somehow had time to teach our first grade boys how to "Indian Wrestle" on the playground. I was also able to translate for Riley as she led a small Bible study and project with our girls at CMP and shared about her life during our Wednesday Clase Biblica with our middle school girls. I most enjoyed showing them what my everyday life is like here and watching them form relationships with the incredible people of Monte Plata with whom I share my life and the Lord's ministry. Now they can clearly see why I love this place so much!

Painting nails and doing Bible study in Casa de Fe

Riley helping with our pre-school class

Playing baseball with dad after school

Leather projects with our little boys at CMP

Normal afternoon at CMP

Dad and I before church

Nadelly, Riley, and I before church

Walking from my house to school in the morning

Dad and Juan Ramon climbing on the roof to investigate the source of leaking water in our computer lab

Perspective

I work with some of the most loving, passionate teachers I have ever met. Our school may  be little, but the hearts of our teachers are great and are overflowing yet with compassion and care for our 158 at-risk children. I often complained about having one or two major “problem children” in my classroom in America. Here, every classroom has at least 10. It takes a lot of heart to work here. Our school has 12 teachers and 14 staff members (from the kitchen, to sponsorship, to the library, to the office staff and administration). Once a month, those of us who are teachers meet for an evening staff meeting which is half Bible study and half administrative meeting. I walked into our last meeting feeling a bit disappointed and discouraged. It had been one of “those weeks” where you feel like nothing is going right, nothing is being accomplished, and you’re moving nowhere, except maybe backwards. I mentioned earlier that our teachers are loving and passionate about serving our students. However, they themselves are products of a failing public education system here in the Dominican Republic. In case you think I’m exaggerating when I use the word “failing,” let me show you some statistics.

The Global Competitiveness Report ranks 148 countries according to different indicators, including education. In the 2013-2014 report, the Dominican Republic ranked 146^th (remember, that’s out of 148 countries) in math and science education. In fact, here are a few startling statistics for you from the most recent study:

Out of 148 countries, the Dominican Republic ranked:

106^th for Quality of Management of Schools

146^th for Quality of Math and Science Education

140^th for Quality of the Education System

146^th for Overall Quality of Primary Education

"Quality of Math and Science Education Rankings"
Compared with Canada's 17th ranking and America's 49th ranking, the Dominican Republic falls towards the very bottom

Here you see Guatemala and the Dominican Republic falling in the 136-146 range

This chart shows the comparison of math and science education rankings for 9 countries in the Western Hemisphere over the past several years. Remember, a lower line means a better ranking (you want to be towards the bottom of this graph, not towards the top). You can see the Dominican Republic's dark green line at the very top of the graph.

Does that shock you? The Dominican Republic was the lowest scoring country in the Western Hemisphere for math and science education and overall quality of primary education. The worst. Including Haiti (which scored worse than the DR in almost every other indicator besides education).

The problem seems overwhelming. I so often ask myself “What in the world am I doing here? It’s not like I can teach the whole country math.” I so often wonder if helping teachers for a couple years will make any sort of lasting impact. I so often question whether or not my skills are useful here or if I should just go back to AZ and work at a low-income school where there’s actually a light at the end of the tunnel.

Let me go back to the beginning of this blog post. Remember those 12 teachers I was talking about? They are the products of #146. They have grown up here, learned here, studied here, and graduated here, all within schools that are ranked the worst in this hemisphere. So although they are considered “proficient” according to the standards of this government, they would be the first to admit that they “just don’t understand math.” They humbly ask me for clarification on what their 3^rd grade math curriculum standards mean. They come to me admitting that they don’t know how to solve a problem in their students’ textbooks. And when your very best, most compassionate and well-intentioned teachers are products of #146, it is easy to look around and believe that there’s no way we will ever produce students who are capable of being successful professionals who can be part of the solution for their town and their country. As I entered our last staff meeting with this discouraging attitude, the Lord began a conversation between a few of our teachers about their parents. The teachers began sharing stories about where and how they grew up. I learned that our school coordinator’s parents only finished 1^st and 3^rd grade and advanced no farther. I learned that our 1^st grade teacher’s mother was illiterate and signed her own name “+++xxx” because she didn’t know how to spell it. I learned that one of our middle school teachers’ mother decided to learn how to read at age 70. I learned that one of our teachers’ fathers went his whole life knowing only how to read and write the few letters in his own name. Almost all of the teachers shared similar stories. I, now the humble one, listened in awe and reverence. You see, my perspective was completely backwards. I wasn’t sitting among a group of people whose education system had failed them. I was sitting among a group of people who were first-generation literate. I was sitting among a group of people who, despite all odds, had learned to read, write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide although there was no one else in their house who could do the same. I was sitting among a group of people who somehow were able to complete homework when they didn’t have electricity, clean water, paper, pencils, or an adult in their home who could help them read directions or write their own name at the top of the page. These teachers are not worthy of my pity. These teachers are worthy of my admiration and respect. These teachers represent one generational step closer to #145, then to # 144, then to #120, then to a ranking in the double-digits. We hope and pray that the future children of our current students are able to say “My parents can help me with my basic math homework. My parents can read me a story before bed. My parents can write a letter to my teacher that is legible.” And we work every day with the Lord’s help, although sometimes we feel like we’re working backwards, to give our kids a quality, holistic education that will enable them to grow into the Christian leaders that #146 this beautiful country needs. 

(If you are interested in supporting our teachers as they strive to better the state of education in the Dominican Republic, please visit my Amazon wishlist for a list of items that our teachers could use in order to be better educators. Thank you to all of you who have already supported our school and our teachers so generously!)