last day in constanza

today we are wrapping things up here. weve done some gift shopping and we are going to clean our apartment, pack, and then go spend the afternoon with the kids. we made them cookies and have cards and gifts for each of them. they will be so surprised! then we say goodbye tonight because we leave early tomorrow morning for jarabacoa. yesterday, sarah and i decided to have our own church service and it was one of my favorite memories here. we went up to the roof of our apartment with our ipods and sang worship songs together and then we went through each kid at the ark and prayed for them individually. it was so wonderful to bring these kids before the Lord and really pray specifically for them. Its easy to say a big blanket prayer for all of them, but with as well as we know them, it was great to pray different things for each one because they are all so different. i have loved my time here in constanza teaching the kids and learning more about the dominican culture. The Lord has strengthened my faith and taught me how to trust him more. My worldview has expanded and my love for missions has grown. I want to thank all of you who have been reading this and praying so faithfully. It really makes all the difference and I feel so supported and encouraged. Im excited to tell stories and share pictures!

i really cant believe that we´re done teaching. friday was our last day. it was really special because thursday and friday the kids were on like the best behavior that they have been this whole time. it was a great way to end. then last night we had a pizza party at the site with all the kids. they loved pizza...oh my gosh, this one kid grabbed a stack of like six or seven pieces and just had the biggest smile on his face. then we played in the dark and took a ton of pictures. it was so fun to have a going away bash without having to say goodbye just yet. today we are having lunch with a missionary, then doing some souvenier shopping and working out. sunday is church and chill, and then monday is cleaning our apartment, packing, and saying our goodbyes. Gods timing is so perfect because last week i was definetly not ready to leave or be done, but now its just the right time. it will be very sad and hard to leave, but im ready to be home. the Lord has taught me so much about him on this trip, especially about his faithfulness in every situation and teaching me to trust him with the big things and the small things because he is in it all. if you could pray that the last few days would be filled with showing Gods love right up to the end and that the goodbyes wouldnt be too hard. i have a feeling that there will be a lot of tears...

hello

hey there. sorry its been awhile. today is our morning off and then we have the afternoon with the big group of kids. then we only have two more days of curriculum! crazy...we think that we leave on tuesday to go to jarabacoa and the beach and then i fly home on thursday. this has been such a rewarding experience. it has been amazing to see some changes in kids over this month. one girl who is really spunky and gave us a run for our money for the longest time, is starting to have a change of heart. the other day she started listening to us and obeying the first time, and she was being so kind to her brothers and sisters. i really affirmed her good behavior and we talked about the fruit of the spirit in her life. its so neat to see God work in a childs heart. ive also been reading whats so amazing about grace by phillip yancy. wow that is a great book and it has been really helpful for me to think more about grace, and being here it has really hit home. Gods grace is amazing. it costs everything for the giver and nothing for the reciever.

last week

hey frienders
i cant believe that we only have one more week of teaching. this week was a lot of fun with the kids and a team that was here. on friday they left and said all their goodbyes. it was really strange to be on the other end of that, to see the team and the kids crying, but to not be part of the leaving. i really cant imagine what next week is going to be like when we leave. im very sad already. on wednesday, the team did a program for the kids and i was able to do a lot of translating, and i´ve also had a few other translating opportunities for the team. that is something that i really enjoy doing. last night we had a girls night with libby, the missionary, and had dinner and watched chick flicks..it was a lot of fun. today the other interns might come but we´re not sure, and then tomorrow we have church and then i think relaxing or going out and exploring. im loving getting to know the kids and the missionaries better and learning more about the ministry. the Lord has been so near to me. please pray that for this last week, i will make the most of every minute to share Christ´s love with the kids, that i will be encouraging to the people i work with, and that i will be listening to the Lord for things that he wants me to do this week. See you all soon.

hello all...well i dont really have any earth shattering news or exciting updates today. we had a great morning with the kids though and things continue to go well with the summer school. tonight we are going to movie night at the ark. they are going to bring a projector and put a sheet on a wall outside and we will watch a movie with all the kids. im sure it will be a blast. the Lord continues to be faithful and is providing for my every need.

last night, a missionary from another organization came to hang out with the team. she shared her testimony and the story of how she got here. it was so encouraging. one really neat quote that she shared that i just cant get out of my mind is this. a missionary is just a nobody serving a somebody. and that doesnt just go for someone with the missionary title, shouldnt we as christians be living like that too...

we just got back from a great morning with the kids. the book for this week is called the little white duck and we are learning about pond animals. one activity was to play follow the leader and act out animals. so we were running around the houses acting like butterflies, frogs, fish, and ducks. it was really fun. this weekend was really fun. we were able to relax and get some things done on saturday and then go out for pizza and watch princess bride with the team that is here, and then on sunday we went to church and then went to the waterfall with the house of kids that didnt go last week. the water is freezing cold, but of course the kids jumped right in! yesterday i was able to call my family for the first time in four weeks! it was so great to hear their voices.