Un Poco de Mayo

Ah, so many things have happened this month, and I have yet to blog about them. Ah, well. Once again, I'll just give a "chin" of information about everything que ha pasado. This picture has no real significance at all, except for the awesomeness of Dominican restaurants. This is our little lunch outing after church one sunday. 100 pesos a plate PLUS a carwash. It's not rare to see a Dominican restaurant/carwash/discoteca/bowling alley. What more could you want?! (I will tell you: chips and dip).

This little man is Diego. Jennie and Miguel, his parents, are Makarios peeps, and he is awesome. He turned ONE this month, and we had the privelege of going to his par-tay. It was lovely. He got to play in his baby pool, and he took the "no hands" approach to conquering his first-ever birthday cake. It was amazing. This is Diego playing on our river day.

What's that she said? River Day? Oh yes, the Makarianos celebrated Dominican Labor day one Saturday in May. All the staff went down to the river bank and hung out all day. This picture pretty much outlines the day: the girls sitting around (and sometimes playing in the river) while the hombres prepared lunch! Nice. Javier from the construction group made sancocho, a Dominican stew that is pretty much amazing. It is my favorite Dominican food (even though I really think there are only like...4 Dominican foods).

Ay, mi amor. This is Gustavo, the kid I pretty much love. He is a little crazy at times, but still awesome. On this day, Kendall and I caught him on the way home from school, so we took him by Colmado Luis, the best place to get fresh juice (with about a full cup of sugar added). Gustavito chose cherry juice-- that little weirdo. Anyway, I had to stop and take a picture to remember that moment. I am really hoping Ashley and I can take our little poopers (Gustavo y Luis Fernando) on some "date days" during the summer. The kids won't have school, but will have some weeks of camp, so we might be able to steal them away and take them to a movie or something. Yay!

This gringo right here is the newest member of our staff, Riley. He is our website person, webmaster, IT guy? I don't really know what he calls himself. He is here for six months working with Garrett and Miguel to add on to the school and continue building the new Makarios house! Riley is the one of the reasons I will come home about ten pounds heavier than I left: he makes brownies probably weekly. On river day, we all ate such a huge, late lunch that we decided to have a light dinner. Light dinner = popcorn + one quarter of a pan of brownies. It's true, people.

This beautiful lady is Kendall with one of her babies, Wilson. Wilson was fresh up from a nap to come see her. He is pretty cuddly. Kendall is leaving us today for the summer! :( She is awesome, and I am so glad she will be able to spend her summer in the states and with her soon-to-be new nephew! Kendall is returning in the fall to be a teacher's aide for a full year, so you can be praying for her for that!

This is El Garaje, our favorite restaurant (our = Kendall y yo). Other people like some other places better, but no one beats the fried plantains here. I just took this picture because they served my coke with a Mickey Mouse cup. I may be the only one who found that hilarious. Sidenote about El Garaje: there are these two kittens that live there, and if you order meat, they will literally come and punch you in the leg so you give them a piece.

Whew. Some things you can be praying for:
- We are kicking off the summer! This year, summer will be a trade off between mission groups and literacy camps with the kiddos. It's really exciting! I think I will be helping Anne some with coordinating the groups who come in, and I am looking forward to that. (I don't want to feel useless during my last weeks here).
- Staff: I am pretty much the only one leaving here for good this summer. Like I said before, Kendall is coming back for the following year, as well as Robin, Cara, y Ashley. (There are other staff staying as well: Garret+Anne, Jennie+Miguel, and more). Pray that God continues to prepare their hearts for the upcoming year.
- Makarios school is growing, yay! We are planning on adding 1 or 2 classes next year depending on the staff that God provides. In addition, school days are going to look a little bit different, and we are really excited about the new developments. The construction team is adding on to the school, so be praying for that. In true Dominican style, building has begun though the entire project is not fully funded, and we will keep building for as long as we can. The Makarios people have felt that this new building is what we need to really continue on with the vision to continue to grow one grade each year and to really equip these kids with education and with the knowledge of Christ. So, God will provide, but still be praying!
- I am leaving here in 50 days. What?! It's weird how fast things are happening. People have been asking me what I am going to do when I get home. Well, that is a great question. I have been struggling a tiny bit lately feeling like the only one who is leaving, but for some reason, I feel like I need to go home and look for a job. That's right, on to the job hunt again. This time, it is going to be a little bit different. Pray for some opportunities for me and for discernment to know what I should be doing!

Claro, I am probably missing things in this post, but I will post more soon. Summer is starting, so congrats to all the people graduating and to all the teachers and students in the EEUU who are finally getting a break! (To all the folks with a "real" job: tough cookies).