Whoa...

Sorry to get all non-dominican mission trip on you, but today marks my 6th month anniversary with someone very special!

ALSO, we have been dating the same amount of time in the same country now as we have in separate countries. He sure puts up with me like a champ.

See you soon :)

Una Semana...

So, this week has been interesting to say the least. I'll keep it short on this post and explain more in an email or something.

Anyway, I am in the process of uploading my last pictures, so I am semi-updated: http://picasaweb.google.com/katymkemp/MarzoDR?authkey=Gv1sRgCN2prIXzh6H2rwE#

I'll just tell one little anecdote. Isaak has a little rash/fungus thing on his hind parts that we affectionately call "fungus butt." These twins pretty much like to have anything that makes them feel special. (Case in point: Isaak loves his nasal spray, because it's something only he gets to have squirted in his nostrils every night).

The other day, poor little jealous Jakob said: "Mama, my have fungus butt too??"

Pobrecito...

I shamelessly stole these pics from Kendall...

You read it right. I stole all of these pictures from my roommate Kendall. They are from our beach day with the preschoolers. Gustavo is one of the loves of my life, and happened my kiddo to watch for the afternoon. The picture where he looks miserable is due to the fact that he was FREEZING.

One funny that went down occured when Gustavo began to feverishly dig in the sand:
Gustavo: Ayudame! Ayudame Kati! Tiene que ser grande, porque soy grande.
Me: Como grande?
Gustavo: Grande como el cielo!

Yep, he just wanted to be buried in the sand. Oh, and he is as big as the sky. What a cutie.

Also, be praying for Gustavo. He is a total stud and an overall amazing kid. Up until about two weeks ago, we were really worried over his behavior, because he tends to be a rough kid. He kind of acts out of reflex and has shown a lack of self control when it comes to not hitting other kids, but he is so intelligent and sweet at heart. Over the last two weeks, he has shown a complete change for the better-- pray that this continues! He has become such a great helper, and he wants to succeed. Pray for us to keep his mind and body occupied so that he doesn't get distracted enough to lash out at others.

I love this kid. He is pretty much Denzel Washington.

Well, well. It has been a while since I have blogged...

So, this past week was a little bit loca, but awesome. A high school group from Austin came to Makarios, and we had a blast! The Makarios house was busting at the seams with the normal roommates plus 31 visitors! I am trying to gather my thoughts to put a few anecdotes here...

To explain the pictures, the first one shows Ricardo in his beach attire. Since we were blessed with this big group, we were able to take our students to the beach! Ricardo sported these orange shorts. Go ahead. Read em. Hooters. These must have been donated from someone. Note to philanthropist Hooters employees: know when to stop, ok? Basically, Ricardo is a miniature little thug, so he can do whatever he likes. (Yeaaaah).

The other pics show: Ashley+Luis Fernando, Kendall+Regina, Me+Memo. We love those stinkers!

So, unlike other groups, this group rides public transporation to school to get part of the legitimate Dominican experience-- fun. So, each morning, one of us staffers set out with a group of 5-7 people to hitch a ride on a guagua. The first two mornings, God smiled down on us, and a bus-style guagua arrived. The last day, we piled onto a regular guagua, and fancy meeting a business man who spoke a little English in the back row. His opening line: "Wow, I don't know what I'm going to do with three beautiful women here in this seat." Drive. Drive. I barely talk to him. When we reach our stop, he says, "Stay." [Um, no, I'll get off here]. "You come with me to Sosua. You come to my house, I live alone." SUCH a great offer, but I had to let it pass by.

I was also able to try sugar cane this week. During a trip to Chichigua, I pretty much demanded it from one of our older students, Ronal. Some group members were with me as well.
Me: "Ronal, we want to try sugar cane."
Ronal: "But, I don't have a machete."
Me: "Pero, todo el mundo has a machete. Go find one!"
Then, Ronal fetched a machete and disappeared into the sugar cane field and returned with sugar cane! About 5 of us tried it. It's pretty much not my favorite food. Though it will sound like a stupid comparison, sugar cane tastes like a cross between celery, a tree branch, and sugar water. It was a little too much work for me to appreciate, but hey, I needed to try it.

Que mas? So, last week, my dear roommate Ashley was stricken by a stomach illness. The poor girl basically slept for two days and was just in a lot of pain. Thankfully, she is well now, but on the first day she was sick, she needed a sub. Ash has never missed a day of school, so this was serious. I'm her teacher's aide. Hence, I became the SUBSTITUTE teacher. I have been to preschool enough to be comfortable with basic discipline and short lessons. "Get in line! Leave that alone! Be good!" I can say those phrases all day (and sometimes I do). But now, an entire day was in my hands. Sheehs. I'm not sure that the education of children should be in my hands. Of course, Robin and Cara were there to help (a lot), but I'm happy to say that no one died. It was actually kind of fun. Probably the one time I could have been a little bit cooler of a teacher is when I went off on the children about asking to go to the bathroom. I think I said something to the extent of: "Nobody say anything to me about the bathroom. If you are going to DIE if you don't go to the bathroom, raise your hand and I will put you on a list. Don't ask about the bathroom again!" Don't worry, the children weren't scarred for life. They're fine. And obviously, there is room for improvement on my part. :)

Hmm, what else? I should definitely write on this thing more. Oh, some students from Chichigua (a sweet little village) happen to be very talented at making rings. They used to make them out of pesos or something, but now I think they use piping of some sort. Anyway, pretty much every teacher had received a ring but me. Kendall and I are the newbies, but still, she won Ernesto's heart by saying to him one day: "Tu nombre es Ernesto, no?" The next time she saw him, she got a ring. On our last visit to Chichigua, Robin told Ernesto to make me a ring. Thus, I received my beautiful little heart ring out of force. I know-- my heart is warmed as well.

I am coming to visit in two weeks!

AND,

Jesus is still seated on his throne! There is so much to rejoice about.

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

(P.S. I of course do not think that me coming home is a greater reason to rejoice than Jesus being seated at God's right hand).

Me Falta Aguacate

(Just a typical day with the kids. Picture #1 shows the random things Isaak might do to any person napping on the couch. Picture #2 shows our cuddle-bug Isaak next to Kendall and our little climber Jakob)

You read it: aguacate lady has been MIA for about a week. We had to resort to buying overpriced avocadoes at the beach today out of pure necessity...

This week was a bit different, because we had two visitors: Lindsay came to research for a book she is writing, and Jody came to check out Makarios. Kendall and I were able to take them to Chichigua on Wednesday after school. This was the first time either one of us went to a village without another staff member to be our guide. Of course, we had to hit up one of our favorite families en la casa de Jeson. Jeson's dad speaks about 7 languages, but he wasn't there to chat with us. We had a lovely time visiting with Shasha (mom) and all SIX of her kids. As usual, she offered us everything she could, and was disappointed that we couldn't stay for dinner! I will try and get a picture of their family soon, but they are definitely dear to my heart. Sarah, one of Shasha's daughters, took us on the grand tour of Chichigua. We walked the perimeter of the village, where I saw Wilson and Marleini's house. These two beautiful siblings go to our school, and they come from a family which basically knows no Spanish. The entire house was maybe a 10x7 foot room with a bed, little table with a tv, and some burners on the floor. I just stood outside until Mom invited us in. Picture this: Marleini + Wilson + 2 siblings were on the bed along with about 3 other students from the preschool watching a soap opera or something. They just all made room to sit with us, and Mom was on the floor making something that looked like beans. Little did we know, she was roasting peanuts, and gave all 4 of us our own little bags as a gift! It was so sweet, especially since she seemed to make a little village business selling peanuts and popcorn. Despite the obvious language barrier, she welcomed us into her home to sit and play with her children, and she gave us food, too!

On Saturday, I went with some of the staff to Santiago for a little seminar on Islam. The speaker came from "Closed Door Ministries," and he was a great represenative for his mission organization. He has been living in Jordan with his wife and now 2 kids for about 8 years. He obviously has a heart for Muslims, and spoke about how God is moving in the Middle East. I found the class very informative. He also gave a call to the Dominicans there to come be missionaries in that area. Due to the poor American reputation in the Middle East, it can be very difficult for us to minister to Muslims, because there is a cultural barrier there to break down. The speaker, Scott, stressed how much more accessible Latinos can be to Middle Easterners simple due to their appearance and culture. It was a very interesting perspective, and I am glad I was able to attend.

We also went to a place of dreams in Santiago: the mall! Actually, it was fairly normal, but the two highlights included 1) having a frappuchino-type beverage at a cafe, and 2) seeing Benjamin Button in the movie theater. Fun time.

Today was another lovely day. We went to church this morning,then Ashley, Kendall, Jody, and I went to Sosua for a dia tranquilo en la playa. Nothing at all was accomplished, and that's why it was perfect.

I am starting to actually make some lessons and teach the children... It's scary! Who in their right mind would put me in charge of a child's education? Well, Ashley Sienkiel would. My class' teacher and my roommate asked if I would be interested in doing some lessons, so I am giving it a go! It's a lot of fun, but it's a little scary standing in front of the kids and teaching in your second language. I worry over little things, like the length of activities, or if the kids will even stick with me. It's weird. So far, I enjoy bible lessons over letters. Who would have thought?

I praise God right now for giving me a new hunger for his word. This has not always been the case for me! I am reading more and more, and continuing to desire to read. I am planning on starting the bible from the beginning as well. I can be a total chicken when it comes to the Old Testament, but it's so important to see the heart of God through his covenants. I have been digging the prophets (namely Isaiah) lately, but it's time to start from "In the beginning..."

Let's see, some things to pray for... Sharla is planning on moving with the twins in May to Santiago. This could be a really great thing for them. She really wants to spend quality time with them since the adoption might take another year. She also wants to get them into preschools in Santiago and have them closer to "Nana" and "Papa." Pray that everything falls into place with their move. Sharla needs to purchase a car, and start to get things moved into an apartment in May. Pray for our staff as we all find out what everyone's long-term decisions are concerning working here for a longer period of time. As for me, things are wonderful right now. I am currently working on memorizing some scripture in attempt to write God's word on my heart and mind, so pray me through that! I definitely go through waves of laziness, but I want to continue this growth of scriptural knowledge...

Love you all. One month until I get to visit!