A Long Overdue Update!

Hello!

I have been neglecting my blog for quite awhile. Sorry to those of you who check this often. I would think that everyone had given up on my blog, but some of you have told me you check back often for updates. Thank you! You are a blessing to me!

*My kids are doing better. I'm able to manage them a little better most days than I was at the beginning. Part of this is just because I have finally started to figure them out more, and part of this is because I HAVE A HELPER!! There is a dear lady who is helping me in my classroom every morning until noon. This is such a blessing and a HUGE help to me. I am so thankful for her and for my principal who fought for me to be able to have her in my classroom!

*Some of you already know, but some are probably still wondering...I have decided to stay here for year 4 next year! It was a hard decision this year, but in the end, I felt like God isn't finished with me here in the DR yet. So I signed my intent to return form. I am excited about this, but it doesn't come without a price. The reason this decision was so hard is because I LOVE it here, but I also LOVE all of you back home and miss you SO much! I'll have to continue to keep in touch with you through e-mails and summer/Christmas visits.

*Next year there are going to be a lot of changes in my life here, and these changes are tempting me to worry, but I know that God is in control and He will be with me all the way. Some of these changes are: some dear friends are leaving, everyone is moving to different (safer) apartments, a different structure to the administration, roommate changes, etc. I know it will be an exciting year, but when I dwell on all the changes that are coming my way next year, I want to cry. There are so many unknowns! Pray for me in this.

*We have new neighbors downstairs. They are Haitian and can't speak English or Spanish...only Creole and French. And we can't speak either of those languages. But...that doesn't mean we can't communicate. There is an ADORABLE little baby girl who lives there, and we have often commented just through sounds and comments of "aww!!" about how cute she is and how much we like her. One day last week the mother just came over and rang the doorbell. When we answered the door she said hello, giggled, handed over the baby, giggled, waved, and left. We played with her baby for about 40 minutes and we LOVED it! :) We're hoping this happens again. And again. :)

Me with the cutie!

*I know I've talked about the girls' home that my friends Mindy and Drew and I go to each week. This past week we did something very fun with them! A lady gave us some money to use for the girls in whatever way we decided would be best. We talked about it and decided that we didn't want to give them anything material, but we wanted to create memories for them instead. So we are using the money to take them out for dinner because they don't get to do that. This past Thursday we took the 4 littlest girls out to Burger King. When we told them where we were going to go, they didn't even know what it was. These girls are 4, 5, 9, and 10 and they didn't even know what Burger King was! When we got there, they got excited and could hardly wait to eat their food so that they could play in the play place! We ate, we played for quite awhile, and then we got ice cream! They were SO excited and had SO much fun!! When I got home and was thinking about the evening, I was humbled again as I thought about the fact that these girls didn't even know what Burger King was before that night, and that Burger King was a special treat to them. Burger King, of all places. Being here and loving these girls has really shown me again and again just how much I have and how much I take for granted all the time.

Drew with the girls eating dinner.

I LOVE playing here!

Yes, that IS Mindy and I IN the play place...we were the monsters chasing them! :)

YUM! Ice cream! :)

*I think that's about it for now. I will try not to let so much time pass between updates next time! I hope you are doing well! I would LOVE to hear from you!