down in the DR

Check please!

2007-07-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

So getting lice is a pretty normal occurrence hear, especially for the kids. I had not noticed any children crawling with it, but it is hard to tell when someone has lice when they have hair the same color as the lice. Last Saturday was a pretty normal Saturday. We walked a lot near the Ark, a very beautiful walk with surrounding mountains, amazing clouds, and intricate flowers. At night we ate in town and then decided to go to a house of one of the missionaries to hang out for a while. My head had been itching since the moment I woke up in the morning, so I finally asked one of my friends to check my head. Sure enough, I had some bugs. Everyone kept their distance for the rest of the night, and when we got home most of the girls went straight to bed. I guess they were tired. I stayed up shampooing my head with this special lice killer shampoo, my friend went through my head again and said she didn't see them anymore, but I blow dried and straightened my hair just to be sure. The next day was church and I had a hard time staying awake. For some reason, my friends picked last Sunday to sit in the front. Well, I have not had any more problems with lice and have blow dried and straightened my hair everday since Saturday. I am not really the type of girl who gets up an hour earlier just to do her hair, but this week, I am that girl, for the sake of protecting my head from lice. I have also found out I have some kind of blood infection that isn't dangerous, just really gross. I most likely got it from one of the kids, they sometimes pick your scabs for you, and if their nails are dirty with the infectious stuff, you get the infection. The children have shared so much with me since I got here - bracelets, candy, lice, blood infections - but I have to say goodbye to them tomorrow. It is the last day of the summer program at Palo Blanco, and all that is left after tomorrow is to clean the school, visit La Vega with the people from Anija (where Bethany works), and clean the house. Oh by the way, my dad's birthday is also tomorrow, and though he has many more years than I do, he still runs around like he has twenty years. Happy Birthday, Dad! So basically a week until I am back, but it really seems like I just got here. Please pray that the rest of my time spent here would bring glory to God, and that he would continue to work in my heart when I return. One more blog from the DR is possible, but I would not hold my breath if I were you.

Peces son amigos

2007-07-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

In the summer program, the kids have been learning about Australia and the coral reef. I got to teach about clouds, the cicle of water, and the geography of oceans and seas this week. It was a lot of fun to see the kids really get into activities and games and to get excited about learning very new things, such as where the Dominican Republic is located. At the beginning of the lesson on geography I asked who knew what sea the DR is in, and quickly learned that not only did no one know what sea it is in, but that no one knew where the DR is. These kids are 10, 11, and 12 year olds who are very intelligent and eager to learn more. So today we got to watch Finding Nemo in SPanish. There were no English subtitles, but sometimes I would remember what the English was at the funny parts and I would laugh really loud. The kids would all stare at me because apparently something that was hilarious to me in Enlgish didn't translate to be so funny in Spanish. Oh, and the title of this blog means fish are friends, which is from the movie. Aleida does the Bible portion of the day, and yesterday she was talking about how Daniel wouldn't eat the food that was sacrificed to idols. It seemed like something I had heard over and over, and normally I could just skip over that part in my mind and take away the part where Daniel interprets the king's dream or where Daniel was not eaten in the lion's den. But yesterday that part really hit me because it made me think-for us, what are the foods that have been sacrificed before idols, what are the things that we should not be partaking in? We still have idols. We still have things of this world that we should not be participating in. The wrong things that the people in Daniel's time were doing are still being done today, and what are we doing? Praying? Reading our Bible? There isn't any law against praying three times, four times, fifty times a day. I don't know what you all think about that, but let me know, don't be afraid to leave a comment. And remember, peces son amigos.

VBS

2007-07-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

This week at Palo Blanco we are having VBS after school. We just had our first one today and it was definitely louder and more exciting than any VBS I have ever been to, and I have been to a lot of VBS's. Everyone in the US needs to step it up a little! I am feeling good about the language even though there is still so much I do not understand during the day. I am really getting good at commands because they are a necessity in teaching. Sit down! Be quiet! Stop doing that! Do that! The teachers are really teaching me a lot about disciplining the kids because we love them rather than because we are angry or frustrated. I love the devotional time in the morning because the teachers have such a passion for God and really want to work together to guide the kids in following God. Keep praying for the work that is going on here. During this week there will be a lot of the gospel being shared during VBS and a lot of the kids don't attend the school they just come for the VBS. Pray for understanding and wisdom. Que Dios les bendiga!

Prayer requests

2007-07-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I just wanted to get some prayer requests up for everyone. Things are going well here, but there are some things that I really need prayer for. One thing is wisdom to know what to do in certain situations at school. I really want to be an example for all these kids. There are seventeen girls in my fourth grade class and they all want me to sit by them or color with them, and they can get very jealous for my time. What made it even harder today was that two girls who are very good friends had a little falling out today. They tried to make me choose sides and I did my best to tell them I was not going to choose a side and that their argument was silly. Also, it can get very busy during the week, so finding time to just come before God and listen is a very big challenge, so please pray for that as well. We have a devotional time in the morning at Palo Blanco and I got to bring the message today, which was very cool and very scary at the same time. I had some struggles with words, but when everything was said and done, my morning teacher told me not to worry about it and that God was giving me the words. One more thing is to know what to do for discipline, the kids in my morning class can get crazy when the teacher leaves the room and they just want to play, but it is very hard to communicate order in Spanish. Pray for the Bible stories that the kids hear every day to stick with them and speak to them. That is all for now!

Climb every mountain

2007-07-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

SO we took a little trip to Mogote, the mountain that hovers over Jarabacoa, on Saturday and we had a grand old time. The way up took us a good four plus hours with two stops to eat a little food and get rehydrated. I stayed at the front the whole time because I am a little competitive like that. The mountain view was brilliant and I thought it was worth the climb. The way back down is when it got interesting. Before descending I noticed there was a storm coming our way and I could actually see the lightning coming down on another peak. However, the chaos first started with one of my friends and I looking for a child from our group to make sure he was with the other kids and not out wandering the woods with the friendly oxen. He was there but by the time we got to him it started to rain hard and the thunder and lightning were deafening. My friend and I grabbed a couple kids and headed down the mountain since we didn´t feel like waiting around in the open area we were in to get struck by lightning. As we descended a river quickly formed and the already difficult path proved and exhausting challenge for all. The boys just started sliding down on their rears but I refused to get my jeans dirty so I am very sore from balancing myself as I went down the mountain. Everyone was cold and tired when everything was said and done, and we all got down safe, so I consider a successful adventure, even though others might beg to differ. Today was school as usual but every day presents new challenges and difficulties. Thank you for your prayers!

2007-06-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I found out on Wednesday that it is a tradition to pour water on the birthday boy/girl, because my friend Michelle had her birthday on Wednesday and got a cup of water spilled on her. When the kids at the Ark found out that my birthday was Friday they kept telling me that they were going to spill water on me. I was hoping to avoid mass amounts of water, but when I got back from my work site, my hopes were crushed. My bus pulled in, the kids saw me, and they started to chase the bus. I got a few doses of water on my back and front and thought it was done, but the kids started filling buckets and throwing them on me. I was soaked. I got into some dry clothes and stayed in with the rest of the team. It was a very interesting and wet birthday. TOday was the "marathon," which is a big race that a lot of the kids and some adults participate in. THe littlest ones ran a 1 k, the next oldest ran a 5 k, and the very oldest kids and the adults ran a 10 k. These distances are doable in the U.S., but here in the DR, there are hills like you have never seen before. I have a lot of respect for those who ran the race. I handed out water. I also drank the water. That was about it, but it was very fun to see everyone compete. TOmorrow there are some baptims. Please be praying for the language barrier it really is a challenge to communicate with the teachers that we are working with. And if you want to send me mail, send it to:
Faith Miller
c/o Leslie and Vic Trautwein
Unit 3049—KAIDR
3170 Airmans Drive
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946

God bless!

2007-06-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

I am here in the DR! It has been a really good past couple of days, although a very tiring last two days. We visited our sites today and figured out who will be helping during the day. I will be helping Digna in the morning teaching kindergarten, as far as I know, and helping Aveida in the afternoon teaching fourth. I have to get going! Keep praying!

The wedding

2007-06-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day for a wedding! Keith and Jen got married, and now I have a new sister, officially. I was so happy for Keith and Jen to finally get married, but it all seemed a little unreal. Now they are on their honeymoon and the rest of us have to come back to reality. I work all next week at the shop since Keith is gone, and the Monday after he returns I will leave for the Dominican Republic! That is the reason I am starting this blog, it will be easier to update everyone and get pictures out there for you all to see. If you know of anyone who might be interested in reading about the adventures of interning in the Dominican Republic pass the blogspot on to them, por favor! Congratulations, Jen and Keith Miller and God bless you all!