miguel and jennie

Perhaps this is an introduction for some of you. For some of you, maybe we've been able to meet you on a work team that has recently come to the Dominican Republic. Miguel and I work behind the scenes in the DR alongside Makarios....kind of like the people "behind the curtain." I'm ashamed to say that Sharla has gently urged us to contribute to the blog before on several occasions, and its just now that I'm taking up the duty. I have to be honest in saying that we're not very good at this kind of thing and it took my little brother going to Iraq (not part of the military), and being able to read his blog to inspire me to start one as well. I now realize what an important form of communication it has become to post blogs every now and again. So we start out introducing ourselves in this blog with hopes of more entries to come. Miguel is Dominican and we were married at the end of this past January. I've lived here in the Dominican Republic for between 7 and 8 years, and have known Sharla since 1998 when we were both teaching at Santiago Christian School here in the DR. I met Miguel about 6 years later while living in the batey of Caraballo. We do various things for Makarios, and usually each new day is pretty different from the previous one. I do a lot of running around paying bills, price checking on supplies, buying needed ministry materials, taking people to the hospital and making sure they get proper medical care, managing finances DR side, etc. While Miguel also does various things such as teaching electricity classes, Makarios house and vehicle maitenance, and we both have taught a Bible class in a little campo called Arroyo Leche over the past year. (Right now we are on summer break but will start up again in the fall). What has been occupying Miguel's days recently is managing and working on the school house project in Tamarindo. Hopefully it will be up and running by this coming September. So that's it in a nutshell! Post comments if you have any more questions about either of us! Until next time, Ciao.

to haiti and back with los tweems

posted by sharla, NOT in haitian prison

jacob gets his hair styled in haiti

here are the cliffnotes of my trip to haiti to take care of adoption paperwork to adopt Isaac and Jacob:

traveled from santiago, DR to cap haitian, haiti with twins, Ben White, and the boys' parents. took van, truck, bus, and taxi over some of the bumpiest roads ever and at one point could hear my brain rattling against my skull.

the boys' mother decided not to sign the abandonment papers, then decided she would but it was too late as adoption agency didn't want to work with a mom who was changing her mind back and forth. mom does NOT want boys, just didn't want to sign papers (main purpose of the trip, mind you).

took care of all other paperwork necessary for adoption and medical visa - hoping to find another agency to work with us.

took boys to mother's village so her friends and family could see that she had not "sold the babies," which was the rumor. were surrounded by many, many haitians who exclaimed that the mother had not, in fact, sold them. met a 1 year old girl named B.I.G. as in notorious. (if you are older than me you will not understand.)

crossed back into the DR without getting arrested for "stealing babies," as we were warned was a possibility. left this out of previous updates so that my mother wouldn't worry. a special thanks to those of you who offered to bring me food and special juice in jail and/or send some sort of military rescue team in helicopters to get us out. fortunately i did not need to take you up on your generous offers.

returned back to the DR and am continuing to pursue other avenues to complete the adoption. confident that the Lord will show the way.

came back to texas. miss my boys.

[a few side notes: the boys are called "los tweems" in honor of our dominican friend who always refers to them as this when attempting to say "twins" in english. we find it endearing. also, should i spell jacob's name jakob? a friend had said from the beginning that this is who i should spell it, but i thought that might be annoying for him to always have to correct everyone. however, i've since realized that in creole, you spell jacob with a k, so i'm reconsidering. thoughts?]

update on Ian

many of you remember that last august we began taking care of an abandoned 18 month old named Ian. He is now living with a loving Haitian couple in Cap Haitian and I was able to visit him and his new family a few weeks ago. he's doing really well and has bonded with his new parents. here's a family pic.

continued amazement

i am continually amazed at the groups that the Austin Stone sends to work with us in the DR. this group arrived on friday and spent a few days with ruben before joining us on the north coast on sunday evening. even after traveling they endured my lengthy orientation on what would be happening in our english classes this week.

this group includes several elementary school teachers who were put in my group. they have been a such a blessing beyond my imagination. being the teachers they are, they took all of my plans and materials and taught class for me! it has been wonderful to watch them teach and see my students react to new faces and methods.

and after teaching all day, several from my group requested to meet up with the guys to help work on the new school house we're building. they put me to shame as they continued working and i returned the house for my shower!

the austin stone has also provided the money and manpower needed to begin some foundation and columns for this school house. they guys have been working super hard and are even working "over time" today. our presence in tamarindo (the neighborhood where the school is located and where the flood occured a few weeks ago) helps us to continue building relationships with the kids and families of this community.

thank you for your prayers!

building community in the DR

we've already had several weeks full of interns and lots of fun here in the DR. our current interns - constance, holly, brad, drew, barrett, chris, and now robin, who is staying for a year - have been doing a great job both in the villages and around the house. it is wonderful to see all of the gifts that we each can use in this place.

in addition to our interns, this week we have the Krone family (including their 4 daughters) spending time with us in the villages as well as in the MAK house. it has been wonderful getting to know and serve alongside this amazing family who is introducing their girls to missions at such a young age. these pale little girls have been the amazement and joy of many dominican and haitian children this week.

after their time with us is up at the end of this week, we (all MAK staff and interns - there are still more to come!) will head to cabarete for a retreat to prepare us for the rest of our summer together. please be praying for this retreat - that the Lord would use it to strengthen our community so we will work together as ONE body, that He would teach us all more about himself, and that our summer planning will be blessed to bring Him glory through all that we do.

weeping

On Monday I was able to return to the land where the educational center is being built, the neighborhood is called Tamarindo so I am going to start calling it that (even though somehow it got designated as "el boss" by summer staff). Anyway, while in Tamarindo (or el boss) I saw Miriam sitting on a foam pad outside across from her house sorting through books and papers that had been damaged in the flood. If you don't know who Miriam is read "lots and lots of mud."

I walked over and sat with her to see what she was doing. I began to help her peel apart the notebooks, but most everything had to be thrown out. Behind her though she had laid out some birth certificates and other important documents to dry. She started going through some books she used when she went to the university. She was studying to be a nurse, but quit 2 and a half years in for financial reasons. While she was flipping through the pages, she began to teach me the information she had learned and then threw the books out to be thrown away. Then she just started weeping.

As she wept, she told me that her parents were dead, her husband had left her, and that her family consisted of her kids, some of her neighbors, and God. As I listened to her talk, I wept with her. It was so amazing that an older woman with four kids would be so vulnerable before someone she didn't even know all that well and who wasn't even in that stage of life. It was very humbling for me.