Videos!

Here are some videos so you can see what's going in action here in the DR!

Here is a video of me being interviewed about why I'm serving with Orphanage Outreach:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBMvoC7QpXw

Here is one of me interviewing another intern and some guys from Monte Cristi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYOfyypKfv0

the capital

We took a trip to the capital, Santo Domingo for a "culture day." This is a street that we spent most of our afternoon on, looking at some Dominican crafts and enjoying the Dominican sun. It was great seeing a whole different part of the country than I have seen before, on the other side of the island from Monte Cristi.

Orphanage Outreach dress code everyday is an O.O. t-shirt, and a skirt or some sort of pant that falls beneath the knee. Here, Karen, Kelly, and I enjoyed a day without having to dress in the Orphanage Outreach dress code!

These are pictures of the oldest standing church in the western hemisphere. It's called Catedral Bsilica Menor de Santa Maria. The first brick was laid by Christopher Columbus's son in the year 1514.

Kelly, Sarah, Karen, and I : )

Again, with Sean, Sarah's husband. They're moving to Haiti in about a month to be doctors there indefinitely!

Karen and I climbed to the top of Fortazela Ozama, what a great view! We didn't take a historic tour, but we had fun climbing around the fort and enjoying the scenery.

Life so far in the Dominican

I have been making Monte Cristi my home for two weeks now. Here are some glimpses for you to enjoy:

My favorite place in the entire world is here, on the top of 'El Morrito' (a smaller portion of the mountain 'El Morro'). We took a sunset hike. (My camera doesn't even really give justice to it's beauty, so you can only imagine what it's like in real life!)

This is Karen, Kelly, and I on our first day of school. They came with me the first couple of days to start the music education program that I brought down with me.

The school is called John F. Kennedy. I have ten classes with students ranging from Pre-Premario (kindergarten) to 8th grade. They younger children attend school during the day, and the older children attend in the afternoon, after siesta (Dominican rest time, when most businesses and schools close for lunch until about 2 pm.) I am working with the music teacher who works at the school, Miguel Angel. Before I came, his music classes would sing the same songs everyday while he plays guitar. Now, they sing a few songs, and then I teach the music lesson. I'm trying to learn their names, but I'm not used to having to memorize so many! How do you middle and high school teachers do it?!

These are some of my students and I hanging out during "recreo (recess)." The majority of our recess time spent playing hand clap games, in both English and Spanish.

This is a typical Dominican meal. Rice, beans, and some sort of plantains can normally be found on my plate here. This is a lunch plate, the biggest Dominican meal of the day (not dinner, like Americans are used to). Pictured here, from the top, going clockwise is friend egg plant (great with ketchup), avocado with lime (I never eat this in American, but it's in season here, and it's delicious!), fresh fruit, white rice with steamed chicken and beans, sweet plantains, and con con (I think that's how you spell it-- con con is the rice at the bottom of the pot that has the butter and everything stuck to it-- it tastes like popcorn, and is a treat here!)

Every morning, I get up before the wake up bell to sit and meet with the Lord on the rooftop. It is here that I choose to surrender my day, to ask for strength and guidance, and where I'm able to talk to God about how I'm feeling and what I'm experiencing. I have experienced many thoughts and feelings here already, and sometimes have even questioned my purpose. But each morning I begin my day remembering that I am not the one who is in control. God has me here as a part of His plan for my life, and I choose to trust Him, His timing, and His control. On this rooftop, I am at the highest point at the orphanage, and my perspective is set as I stare ahead at El Morro. It is in this place that I gaze at the beauty of the Lord around me, ponder His promises He has for me in His word, and sit at peace in His presence.

That's all for now. We went to the capital, Santo Domingo, yesterday to visit. I'll post some pictures from that in a few days.

Thanks for reading this! : )

Unexpectedly halfway there

Well I should've waken up this morning at the orphanage in Monte Cristi, but instead here I am still in Miami, Florida.

Yesterday, my flight from Cincinnati was unable to land in Miami due to lightning and high winds that were in a cloud directly over the airport. I sat staring out my window at the lightning around us, and the gray cloud we were circling around. Other planes were doing the same thing. No flights were landing or taking off in the Miami airport, so we went to Fort Lauderdale to land. We sat there for a while and got more gas, then took a 15 minute flight back to Miami, where we were finally able to land.

I was sure I missed my connecting flight to the DR, so I talked to someone to get a flight for the next day, and she said I wouldn't be leaving until 6:30 the next evening. She booked me, and I made some calls to contact the orphanage. Then, ten minutes later, she said that the gates of my original flight had just closed and that I could've made it. I was frustrated that I just assumed and didn't check myself, and that she booked me another flight without double checking if my original flight had left. I was flustered, but not freaking out... I like a little adventure every now and then.

God was faithful and provided for me every step of the way. I was talking with a Dominican woman I met in Cincinnati who was really encouraging and asking lots of questions about what I would be doing in her country. I re-connected with her when we got to Miami, and we stayed with each other while I got a new flight and made sure our luggage would be transferred today. She will be on my flight this evening to Santiago. She was so sweet, and acted as my translator, because the workers at the airport I interacted with did not speak English very well.

God provided again because my mom has a friend who lives in Miami that she used to teach with, so we contacted her, and she came to get me from the airport to stay at he apartment. I hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning (it was then about 9:00 pm), so she took me out to a really nice pizza restaurant. We were in south beach, Miami, where there are lots of high end stores, classy restaurants, art galleries, and lots of people and palm trees. We walked around for a bit. I felt like I was on an unexpected vacation. Today we are going to the beach. Not too bad of an alternative for missing my flight! : )

I guess I'll have to wait to see those little ones at the orphanage just one more day. I'll be arriving the DR around 8:30 tonight, which will put me at the orphanage about 10:00 pm or a little after.

Thanks for all the prayers while I've been traveling! Continue praying for travels and smooth transitions today.