Remember the Alamo

Ladies night.

This story is about our ladies night two weeks ago. First of all, the "Makarianas" got a text message from Garrett Boon one weekend saying, "The guys would like to make dinner for the ladies on Monday. There will be entertainment."

Dun Dun DUUUUUN!

I love eating dinner, so of course, I was down. Little did we know, this would be a dinner extravaganza! Garrett even ended up taking of the entire day of work in preparation for this event. I'm not sure if you guys know this, but the Alamo Drafthouse is pretty much one of my favorite places. Movie + food?! Yes, please.

No detail was lost to these guys. The Makarios boys are currently: Garrett, Miguel, Jody, and Riley. The men created the Alamo Drafthouse in our own Makarios house! The tables were set up (complete with flowers) pointing toward the projector on the wall. There were even previews consisting of clips from: So you think you can Dance, Best of Friends moments, and Pride and Prejudice! THEN, the ladies voted on the main viewing event, and we ended up watching When Harry met Sally.

I forgot about the menu-- phenomenal, by the way. Riley created an Alamo Drafthouse style menu complete with catchy food names. Check out the pics. We had: deviled eggs, potato salad, ribs, beer grilled chicken, no-bake cookies, and popcorn. It was GREAT! The best part of it all was that the guys even washed every single dish we used. What the?!?!

Thanks, guys. It was an awesome night.

:)

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.

Pray for Yoslena (y Cara)

Hey everyone, this blog is on the heavy side, but it's here to charge you to pray. I am copying this entry from my friend/coworker Cara's blog about her friend Yoslena. As a little introduction, you should know that Cara has invested a lot of time building relationships with people in the DR who are outcasts even in their own village. On more than one occasion she has been asked by people who call themselves Christians why she spends time with some people she continues to invest in. That being said, here is the most recent part of Yoslena's story:

_____________________________________________________________________
(from Cara's blog)

i start this to say that i don’t discuss anyone’s personal life as a means of exploitation. i only feel the need to talk about this because it is about someone i love and would imagine that if you’re reading this you care as well. this blog serves as a place for me to talk about my life and to keep me connected with the people that care to know what God has been doing with me here in the dominican republic.

yoslena, poor, confused, illiterate, hard, rough, child… some of you know that i recently found out that she was pregnant. she just had her 16th birthday. i’d been trying to help her figure out the pregnancy thing and make sure that she was healthy. it’s like a war… taking a girl from the batey, trying to show her that she can amount to something more than what is around her, looking for God’s beauty in it. i admit this has been a year of defeat for me with yoslena. each time i see her following in the footsteps of her grandmother, mother and older sister, and most other women she has to look up to, i feel as though i could have done more. that i’ve failed. all i hope is for better things for yoslena.

i found out today that through a series of events, which are still unclear to me, that yoslena had lost the baby at five months. her older sister, yordi, had taken her to the hospital and they induced labor. yoslena is okay… she still seems really weak and i believe is still feeling pain that is possibly due to her kidney stones. ashley and i went to her house immediately when we found out. we were greeted with lots of… “cara is coming to see yoslena, and cara, yoslena had the baby.” more than anything i feel for her and what she has to go through with peoples’ comments. she was sitting in her house, a heated pot of flies and sweat, so i invited her over for a bit so that she could rest at our house without having crowds of people around her.

i don’t know what i think. my heart just continues to break for her. the worst part about it is that i believe she lost the baby due to a friend of the “father” beating her up. apparently he had hit and kicked her in the back.

all i can think of right now is that i desire fruit for her life. ashley gave her an apple today. it symbolizes something that could happen in her life. yoslena can be fruitful. God can make anything beautiful. i just pray that He starts to prune away all of the bad in her life, all of the evil, all of the hurt, everything that tells her she isn’t worthy. pray for her.

Flor de mi Amor

The whole story starts with a phone call. This is Anne Boon. She and Garrett are the "Directors of Operations" here in the DR. (Please note: there is no good explanation for this picture other than that it was a slow afternoon and we busted out the camera). Somehow (and I'm still not sure how), Dave called the Makarios house and goes, "Is this Anne Boon?" After having no idea who she was talking to for a while, Dave told her who it was. Well, that little booger worked out some little deal with Anne to get me some awesome flowers! Basically, he told her wanted to order some flowers for me. Having the knowledge of the nation, Anne decided to nix that idea since Dominican flower shops all make pretty ugly funeral-type arrangements all the time, but you can buy really great flowers to arrange yourself. They worked out some deal, and Anne was able to print the note Dave wrote me and Make a beautiful bouquet! What good taste she has! AND what a lovely love I have!

I added some cosas...

http://picasaweb.google.com/katymkemp/MayoDR?authkey=Gv1sRgCNOa_pOWkJGz3gE#

What is lacking? Colossians 1:24

I don't know about you guys, but I read God's word and accept it as the truth, but sometimes, I have no idea what something means! This year, I have been reading a lot of Colossians, and I love it, but one verse that trips me up:

Colossians 1:24
²⁴Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. (NIV)

*And KJV, for good measure:
²⁴Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Now, what is lacking? I certainly don't think that Christ's sacrifice was lacking in any way for my salvation, so then what does it mean? Well ta-da! Dr. Sam Storms wrote a little summary of some possibilities for this. Also, I believe John Piper is a wise man of God, so I liked that his commentary was present in the essay. It all makes a little more sense now...

"The fifth option has been defended by John Piper (Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, 2003). "Paul's sufferings," he explains, "complete Christ's afflictions not by adding anything to their worth, but by extending them to the people they were meant to save. What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ is not that they are deficient in worth, as though they could not sufficiently cover the sins of all who believe. What is lacking is that the infinite value of Christ's afflictions is not known and trusted in the world. . . . So the afflictions of Christ are 'lacking' in the sense that they are not seen and known and loved among the nations. They must be carried by the ministers of the Word. And those ministers of the Word 'complete' [or 'fill up'] what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ by extending them to others" (268).

What is lacking, then, in Christ's afflictions is not propitiation but presentation. In other words, the sufferings of Jesus fully satisfied the wrath of God, but there is lacking "a personal presentation by Christ Himself to the nations of the world. God's answer to this lack is to call the people of Christ (people like Paul) to make a personal presentation of the afflictions of Christ to the world. In doing this, we 'fill up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.' We finish what they were designed for, a personal presentation to the people who do not know about their infinite worth" (269).

The amazing think about this text is how Paul envisions himself (and others) filling up this lack. It is in his "flesh"! In other words, "God intends for the afflictions of Christ to be presented to the world through the afflictions of His people. . . . Our calling is to make the afflictions of Christ real for people by the afflictions we experience in bringing them the message of salvation. Since Christ is no longer on the earth, He wants His body, the church, to reveal His suffering in its suffering" (269-70)."

(The entire article is here: http://www.enjoyinggodministries.com/article/filling-up-the-afflictions-of-christ-124/ ).

A Laugh for You (at my expense)

So, it started with a trip to Santiago. This week I spend some time with the poopers (more on that later). Sharls is out of town on business, and I stayed at her apartment with her roommate, Steph and the tweems. Since I obviously wasn't going to be doing any driving around Santiago, I didn't have any keys to the apartment. This never posed a real problem until, yesterday...



The boy's "Nana," Teresa was coming to pick them up last night to keep them for a couple days, and she was so very kindly going to take me to the bus station so I could go back to Puerto Plata. Well, seeing as though I didn't have keys, I brilliantly thought: "Oh yea, I should go out the back and lock everything up behind me!" (So responsible).

After the boys and all their stuff were out the front door and I locked it, I started out the back. There is a kitchen door to a little utility area enclosed by a gate. I pushed the little lock on the kitchen door behind me, closed it, and turned around to see...the iron gate-- deadbolted shut. Did I have a key for this gate? Of course not!

First thought that went through my mind: "Did I really just do this? I can't believe I just did this. Yes, this really happened."

Second thought that went through my mind: the story of when my dad and my uncle Kevin locked my uncle Jay in between two hotel doors, but I digress.

Yes, I definitely locked myself OUT of the apartment but IN from the outside. The area in which I was enclosed is pictured above (at least there was a toilet!). Once Teresa came around back to see what was taking me so long, she said, "Well, we have to laugh about this..." Let me just add to this story that Steph, Sharla's roommate, was on a little beach trip until the next day. A neighbor, Chris, and his wife were very helpful through the whole ordeal, but I had just met them and was in the middle of one of the stupidest acts of my life (don't mention any others, dad).

I tried a bunch of little McGyver manuevers with a credit card and a bobby pin for about an hour or so, and made a bunch of phone calls for another hour. We decided that worst case scenario, I would stay there for the night until Steph got back. Problem: when Steph called we found out she wasn't coming back from her trip until tomorrow night. The possibilities ranged from her sending the keys on the next bus to me breaking off the doorknob. She was so sweet and apologetic (like it was even her fault at all) and told me I should just break off the doorknob since it only costs about 300 pesos. When I finally got a hold of Sharls on Skype chat, she said I should break the doorknob to get back into the apartment-- there was a spare gate key inside somewhere. Finally, per Sharla's advice, I jammed a flathead screwdriver into the knob and voila! FREEDOM! It smelled so lovely. Obviously I had to blog about this. As you can see, when I took the pictures, I left the kitchen door open because of my paranoia that it would spontaneously shut and lock me up again. The good news is: the children are safe. Their apartment is very secure.

By the end of it all, I spent one more night in the apartment since it was too late to catch a bus, and now I am home again!

I realize that I blogged with the risk of being humiliated by my friends and family, but it's ok, because you have to love me.

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!

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).

I stole this from my Dad's facebook page. Oh, Jon.

Mother's Day Musings for Men (mostly)

As a general rule, I don't like Mother's Day because I miss my Mom. Also, it tends to be very confusing. Apparently you have to get a Mother's Day gift for your wife. She's not my mother and as a matter of fact, if not for me, she would not be eligible to receive gifts on this day. Yet, I am still expected to buy her a gift.

I have struggled for years about what to buy my red hot smokin' wife on gift giving occaisions. For all the men out there, this year, I have given my wife the perfect gift. I simply thought, what do I know about my red hot smokin' wife? First, she's a tightwad. B, she really does not like me to have fun. So I just did something that really wasn't that much fun that didn't cost any money and BINGO! Success!

Warning to men: Please realize that this exact gift won't necessarily work for your dearly beloved. You need to find a gift that fits her profile. If she likes shiny things...my gift won't work.

Today I "detailed" her car. I didn't buy anything to do it. I didn't have any fun. Some of you guys may have already figured this thing out...but you never shared the info with me. Today I'm thinking, wow, I wish I had some little kids to help me...that would be a total bonus. What Mom could resist her husband taking the kids outside for an hour and getting them to 'help' wash the car. You wouldn't even have to do a good job. She'd be happy anyway.

Other important gift giving notes:

- You can't really mess up on a gift to your Mom. Mom's just love it when their kids remember it's Mother's Day, or her birthday or whatever. Just don't forget.

- If she (Mom or Wife) says you don't have to get me anything...it's a trap. Do not fall for it. At least get a nice card or something that looks like you had to think a little to select.

- Anything that can be found in the appliance section of a store is generally not a good idea. My red hot smokin' wife told me one year she wanted a vacuum cleaner. I got her one. BIG MISTAKE.

- You can use your children...especially the small ones to deflect blame for a bad gift. "Honey, I wanted to buy you some diamond earrings but little Susie thought you would really like to have a new putter". That's probably not the best example but you get the idea.

Men, we need to support and educate each other. Please take some time to add words of wisdom to the comments section of this note for the benefit of us all. Let's leave no man behind!

As for me, I will sleep well tonight because I done good today.

Promises

<sup>Zephaniah 3...

14</sup> Sing, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵ The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.

¹⁶ On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
"Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

Bible class de la Profe Katy

La Profe Ashley has been letting me teach bible a lot lately. She's pretty stinkin encouraging, and I love that about her. At Makarios, we stick with the same bible lesson for the entire week. That sounds redundant, but the preschool poopers seem to do well with it. We try and change up the activities and such, so they don't get bored with it.

Some lessons are kind of difficult to explain to a 5-year-old! One week, the outline said "Jesus promises us a great future." The reading passage was John's vision. Explain revelation and eternal life to a preschooler, yipee! Anyway, I embarked on that journey. By day 4, they were getting the idea, but here's a little picture of day #2...

(Ashley asks the kids right after the lesson):

P. Ashley: Cuando alguien que ama a Dios muere, no su cuerpo, pero su...
Jeson: Espiritu!
P. Ashley: Si, espiritu! Adonde va su espiritu?
Marileidi: La selva!


*ENGLISH TRANSLATION*

P. Ashley: When a person who loves God dies, not their body, but their...
Jeson: Spirit!
P. Ashley: Yes, spirit! Where does their spirit go?
Mariledi: The jungle!

Oh, Marileidi. In my defense, she might be the most unfocused kid in creation, but thank goodness I had another two days to redeem that lesson!

Cardboard Stories

Two posts in one day, score! I am only posting this here, because I forgot about it in my last post with all its picture mayhem. (Is that even how mayhem is spelled?)

Anyway, the church I attended during college, Austin Stone, showed this video on Easter Sunday. Robin was kind enough to show it to me, so enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/4125092

2 Corinthians 5
¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ensalada

Well, well. I feel incapable of putting together a coherent blog post, but I thought I would throw some pictures up and let people know some of the things happening around here.This first picture is stolen from Robin. Robin is the administrator/director of the Makarios preschool, and she rocks. I thought some of you may remember this beautiful little girl, Yunairi. This is a rare sighting: Yunairi with completely free, unstyled hair. Is that not the craziest thing you have ever seen? This is all natural, people. She is still pretty much gorgeous beyond words. Also, I think she comes up to my knee or something, chiquitin.
Can somebody please tell me why the blog adds photos to the top of the post? Anyway, this picture is stolen from Robin as well. This chiquito, se llama Luigi (Luis Miguel, really) is hilarious. He is the older brother of the littlest/biggest punk in the school, Ricardo. Luigi has big ears and one of those wiiiiiide smiles. He is adorable. He comes to our bible program on Fridays. You should just notice his outfit here. Oversized pimp shoes, sagging pants over some Hooters shorts, and that hat. Yes, this is the family that somehow has a pair of Hooters shorts. Thanks, donating waitresses!




Over here-ish you can see Kendall with the muchachos that she played basketball with in Pancho Mateo. Sili, her friend on the far left, has been wanting to play for quite a while, and lucky for him, Kendall is somewhat of a basketball diva. I am guessing that "diva" wouldn't be the best word choice here, but I'm not an athlete, so who knows. Maybe it's all the Beyonce I've been hearing lately. Anyway, Kendall let Sili win a game last week, which she never heard the end of, so this week she played again (for bragging rights, of course). She and Ernesto (center) whooped up! Go Kendall!

While Kendall played basketball, I stuck to what I do best: sitting around. I hung out with some kiddos and let them play with sidewalk chalk from the school. It was a big hit. Mostly I just thought the skirts the girls were wearing looked like babydoll clothes, so I took that picture. They were pretty cute, though. I pretty much had to force them to call me by my name rather than "Gringa." Also, a nice young man asked me "Do you have boyfriend? Please, I like be your boyfriend." So charming. I don't know how the ladies don't flock to him!

Just a warning: Whenever I post a picture, I pretty much have no idea where this blog will put it or where I will be allowed to type. Don't be surprised. This is technology, after all (kind of).

Somewhere around here you can see a picture of Ashley and me coloring with some kiddos in Chichigua. It was our first visit to the village since Semana Santa, and it went great! Coloring books are quite the rage out there. We also have been on the lookout lately for kids who could be potential students in the upcoming year. Things are moving so quickly!




Something loca happened before Semana Santa. Kendall and I were spending the day at the beach in Cabarete, when I saw a certain someone in that I recognized. What?! It happened to be Danielle Bartz and Ellen Haynes who I rowed with at UT! What a random meeting! I was under the impression that Danielle was in a graduate program in Spain right now, but apparently, she was relocated to the capital here in the DR! Ellen was visiting her for a little vacay. Sweet mothers! Our hilarious reunion has Danielle thinking about coming up to the north coast sometime after her semester ends. Awesome.

OK, done with pictures, finally!

Some things to pray about:

* We are about to start having some serious meetings to prepare for next year. Makarios will now add two more classes! The plan is to have 2 Preschool I and two Preschool II classes. This involves so many things, including building on to the school. In order for all of this to be possible, we need prayer! We are praying that God will provide all the funding for the building addition as well as the right teachers to join Makarios.

* I have been casually looking at job opportunities for the fall. Claro, it is early, and I am still not exactly sure what I want to do. I have applied for one graduate program in Human Resources, but: I don't know if I will get in, and I don't know if it is definitely what I want to do. I have mostly been looking at social services and teaching-type jobs. If I decide to try and teach Spanish or ESL (or something), I will need to seriously start setting dates and planning on getting an alternative certification. I'm not afraid of the future necessarily, but thinking about it makes me want to launch into semi-frantic "planning" mode, which isn't great when you aren't sure what God is calling you to do yet.

* Odilsia is our amazing housekeeper and friend. She works both at the Makarios house and at the school. She has a beautiful spirit, and we love her to pieces. Today, she was talking to Cara a little bit about some stuff she is going through. Odilsia said she has been fearful for some reason lately. She doesn't want to sleep alone, and she doesn't even really feel comfortable coming out to the Makarios house alone right now. She said she feels like some spirit of the dead (or something) is around, and she just doesn't want to be alone. Now, although this may sound crazy, Odilsia is a believer in Christ. Talk of spirits, though, would be quite common in Haitian culture. The idea would not seem outlandish at all, even to Haitian Christians. Cara was able to reassure her that fear is not of God and that we don't have to be afraid and everything, but please pray for Odilsia. Your prayers are powerful, and she needs to be set free from her fears.

Ok, that's all for now. Next time I might try and introduce everyone to the rest of the staff here!

Isaak: Before and After (more like After --> Before)

Back in the USSR

So, Semana Santa en los Estados Unidos was wonderful. I got to eat my body weight in tex-mex and steak, see the Astros beat the Cubs (because they did in the game I went to), and spend some time with some people I love. It was just lovely.

Kendall and I reunited in the Miami airport before our flight back to Puerto Plata. Just so everyone knows, I was able to have a Starbucks frap in Houston before I left. I managed to refrain from getting one last fix in Miami, though...

Our first night back...
Kendall and I arrived home to a puppy that is hanging out at the house for a little while. He has stayed out in the yard, and our good friend was feeding him until we got here. He is a cute little guy, but he managed to eat everything that was outside during his time alone at the house. Luckily, Odilsia (our friend) was able to store our shoes inside for safe keeping. Whew! We pretty much just stood in the yard staring for a minute before going inside.

So the house was...quiet. I mean quiet as in Dominican-style, where there are still outside noises like neighbors, dogs, and roosters, but ZERO happening in the Mak house. Kendall and I are used to there being anywhere from 3 to 35 people there! Our dear roommate Ashley moved into a bigger apartamento in Monte Llano (near the school) with Robin and Cara. I am so excited for them! The place is super-cute, and Kendall will be moving there as well in the fall when she comes back to work for Makarios for another YEAR! Robin, Cara, Ashley, and Kendall are all staying for the upcoming year. It might be hard to be the only one leaving and wondering how things are going here.

Kendall and I immediately parked it in our designated spots at the kitchen table. These spots are pretty much etched in stone, so interns, watch out! (mentira). We wandered the internets for a while, then had our fallback dinner-- pizza mediana con solamente queso from San Jorge Pizzeria. I say fallback, but we generally eat here about once a week. They deliver, and it only takes 25 minutes! Also, we are gluttons, apparently. (Not really, but we sometimes feel that way).

We also came home to a very clean house, free of all perishable grocery items. Our lovely former roommate, Ashley, made sure we wouldn't come home to any spoiled goods. What a gem. Anyway, today after school, we made our first trip to the grocery store alone! dun dun DUUUUN! Everything went well. We went to the fancy new Dominican Walmart se llama La Sirena. It's pretty much completely American except that we walked out and hitched a moto home afterwards, bags in hand (sorry mom!). I'm starting to get a little less anxious on motos, but they are still not my favorite ride.

Our guagua rides were pretty funny today. We had a pretty typical ride to school, with around 20 people in the van, but on the way home we caught an almost-empty one. Gloria! The man sitting in the row in front of us had a cage filled with 2 parrots. Hello random. I guess I was expecting chickens, or maybe a potbellied pig, but no, they were parrots. Sometimes they have those at touristy places to take overpriced pictures with the gringos.

Anyway, we are getting back into the swing of things, and all is well. We are waiting for Anne and Garrett to come back from the states in a couple of weeks, though!

I will try and post a few pictures next time, but now I'm too lazy for that. I'm pretty sure I have one of the finished product of Isaak's braids!

I guess I shouldn't forget to mention that Easter was great. Dave and I went to the Good Friday service con mis padres, and the Easter service at our church. Both were great reminders of Christ's sacrifice for us.

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

²¹Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²²But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

In everything, he has the supremacy-- that is an awesome lesson that I am still learning. The things that I spend time worrying over? They don't matter. Christ reigns supreme. He holds all things together! I can't think of someone else who could do it better.

Besos.

Happy Easter!

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

The fear is back...

So, I thought I was over the worst part of my banana-spider fear, until today. I was carrying two toilet paper roles upstairs when my finger brushed up against something. SPIDER!

A spider was inside the toilet paper roll. I wasn't sure if it was even alive or not because of the weird way it was crinkled up. When I thought I saw it move, I threw the roll down the stairs. Eventually, I used one of those tiddly-wink toys to poke the spider, and it scampered out. Gah! The roll is still sitting at the bottom of the stairs... I'm too scared to retrieve it. I hope I figure out something before I have to get the kids up from their nap...

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!

(Un)Married with Children

Ah, life with kids. It's fun. I love those poopers, but also sometimes I want to shout, "Why, why are you doing that?!" They're 3. They have no idea why they're doing most things. It's definitely a learning experience.

In other news, Kendall and I are starting to feel somewhat of an affinity toward our spider friends. (Note: Only spiders that do not move and are in public places, such as the living room, are acceptable companions). They keep the mosquitoes away (supposedly).

This week, Isaak has been a snotty kid. He is really cute about it though, because he actually lets you wipe his nose, and tells you when he needs a tissue. Sometimes, he even wipes his nose himself. What a genius. Also, we planned a beach day yesterday. True, yesterday was Friday. BUT, it was DOMINICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY! Apparently, the Dominicans gained Independence from Haiti in 1844 on el 27 de febrero. Fortunately it didn't take them 2 days longer, or else they would only be able to celebrate every four years...

Good news about Feb 27: holiday! Bad news: Our water pump broke. Juan Carlos can't work on holiday weekend! My last shower was Wednesday I think. Kendall and I should probably enter into a greasy hair contest. We have gotten a little bit of water with the fancy "hold a bucket with a rake and dip it into the cistern" trick that Anne taught us. Needless to say, we have working porta potties here in the house.

Yesterday, we planned a Cabarete beach day! Ashley, Kendall, and I took the kids on the 45-minute guagua ride to the beach. Picture a 12-seater van (guagua). I believe the seats are designed for 3 grown adults to sit in the last row. Normally, Dominicans put 4. Yesterday, there were 4 adults and 5 children in that last row. Fun ride, I tell ya! The concept of personal space is very different here. We get there, and everything is fine, except that Isaak is feeling warm... Really warm. To add to that, he started just laying on a beach chair staring into space instead of being the wild man he usually is. Around nap time, I went and got some baby Tylenol for him. I gave him some around lunchtime, and again when we got home that evening. I found the thermometer, and the poor kid was at 102. He laid around on a cool pack for a while while I frantically updated his mama. I also caught him sucking on that cool pack. The kid loves ice. What a goon. Anyway, the scare is over. By bedtime, his fever was down to 99, but that was my first sickie kid experience (besides this whole snot week). Blessedly, we have yet to have any pukers at home. We are probably going to hit up the doctor, too. Sick kids are so pitiful...

So, today, we are just hanging out and listening for the "Aguacate!" lady to come around. Our weekends are jam-packed. Before I go, I will tell you about a random awesome thing that happened ten minutes ago. Kendall and I both pressed play for the same song on Itunes at the exact same time. When it started playing on my computer, she was confused, because she had just started the same one! Weird. Beyonce's "Halo." Look it up. It's a jam.

I hope everyone is doing great, keep the kiddos' health in your prayers. We want healthy tweems! Also, please keep in mind that we are so aware that our random water problems are nothing compared to most of the families we work with. Our preschoolers live in villages where running water doesn't exist. We are greatly blessed at the Makarios house.

Hebrews 10

Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

¹The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. ²If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. ³But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, ⁴because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
⁶with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
⁷Then I said, 'Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, O God.' " ⁸First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). ⁹Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

¹¹Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. ¹³Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, ¹⁴because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

¹⁵The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
¹⁶"This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds." ¹⁷Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more." ¹⁸And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. ¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Wow... I have no better words than these.