Some peeps I love

This is Ashley, or if you're a Dominican person making her a card, "Hachili." I have been her teacher's aide this semester. I'm not sure if you know, but she is the bomb.com. I moved into the Makarios house in January with Kendall, and we promptly moved into the room with Ash. She recently wrote a super-sweet blog dedicated to me, and I feel horrible for not being able to adequately express the blessing she has been to me this year. Ashley is the chica who actually persuaded me to get out of my comfort zone and teach some lessons to our class! If it weren't for her, Marileidi never would have learned that our souls go to the jungle after we die. She is also one of the best popcorn seasoners this world has ever seen.

Anyway, love you boo. I am so thankful for your friendship, prayers, and words of truth. I can't believe you're staying another year! I am obviously planning my next visit as we speak, OR just planning to never leave you. One of those two.


Gustavito. This is Gustavo Adolfo Garcia de la Cruz. He is a love in my life. I somehow grew to love this kiddo. A little back story: when Ashley arrived in August, Gustavo and his mom had recently moved out of his dad's house which is right next to the Makarios school. He still sees his dad semi-frequently while at school or when he needs a haircut, but for the most part he stays with his mom and little sister. I believe his mom and dad aren't on great terms.

Anyway, Gustavo had a little bit of a rough time earlier in the year when I arrived. He is a great kid and very smart, but he is aggressive and has trouble controlling his anger. If someone takes something from him, he would rather pummel them than tell the teacher. After a lot of prayer and talking about a meeting with his mom, Gustavo's behavior transformed for the better. It was a total God thing. This kid has been great. He is still super-competitive and has his faults, but he has been a great student.

Fast forward to summer vacation (a.k.a. now). We are only seeing the kids every other week for literacy camp, but this week a group came to have field days for the kiddos. I invited Gustavo to our field day in his neighborhood. He came and played some futbol americana with me, but later he told me "I don't want to play anymore because you don't throw it to me first." Then, about 3-4 times I had to pull him off of kids because he was getting into fights. We have some 5-year-olds here that fight like grown men in the movies. He seriously was taking swings... Anyway, I tried to talk to him some, and he was angry to the point of tears. It seems like he is just completely acting on impulse. I have started to realize that I am actually leaving this place, and I won't get to see Gustavo anymore. I know he took some steps forward during this school year, but I am so fearful for the beginning of next year. He is going to start off as a total nightmare after such a long break... It's sad to know that I won't be here to see him and love him and try my darndest to show him who Jesus is. I am so blessed that there are others behind me who are staying to do that very thing, but I'm sad that I won't be a part of it. He's my #1 little guy. Please be praying for Gustavo that in the midst of all this, he will see truth and steadfast love and grow into a great man of God.