One of my goals for this year is to read the Bible from cover to cover. I haven't ever succeeded in this task before as I usually get stuck in the laws of Leviticus and Numbers, but this year from being more disciplined and finally deciding to read all the way through the Torah, I have discovered there are a lot of great verses and insights that I have never found before in the Bible. The above verse is one of my new favorites and my verse of the week. I love how Moses says that God is near us whenever we pray to him. I definitely don't utilize the power of prayer as much as I should as it basically in today's layman terms is a phone call, whatsapp message, or text directly to our Heavenly Father.
Speaking of prayer, this school year has started off with a bang. I have 13 very energetic kids who prefer to be doing anything except sitting down. Trying to give instructions with students making floor angels on the ground can be a little distracting. Many of my students came from play preschools and have never been in a structured school setting before, so it is a lot of habit building, or habit breaking whichever way you look at it. One of my students accidently even took me out because when I was backing up to write on the board, he had his leg sticking out. Luckily we were learning about words that start with T during that lesson, so I got to add trip and tumble to the list after I brushed myself off and put all the stuff back on the board I had taken off during my wild tumble to the ground.
On the bright side, to help me corral this bunch, I have been very blessed to have an amazing assistant who is so good with the students and jumping in whenever possible and an awesome teaching partner, so I think despite the busyness, we are off to a good start.
I also started my Master's degree for reading. Taking one class a semester, I thought would be a fairly easy load, but unfortunately I was in for a surprise. Besides the discussion board, readings and responses we need to write every week, the class assigns a full blow research driven project each and every week. So usually every week I have one night when I am up to 1 or 2 a.m. completing research or working on a project. The one bright side is that it is only a 7 week course and I just finished week 3, so despite the fact that the projects are demanding more and more time each week, the end of the tunnel is in sight. On a bright note, I have been able to use some of the things I have learned from my research into my teaching. For example, I was able to create a narrated presentation for the first time and send it to my parents to demonstrate how to use one of our websites. I did the narration in Spanish so of course I don't know if narrating it was a good thing or a bad thing as now all the parents know how I can butcher Spanish. To quote Abraham Lincoln sometimes it is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
I feel like I have finally "re" gotten back into the rhythm of life in Santo Domingo after my hiatus in the states. I love being in the Dominican Republic, but one thing that continues to break my heart about being here is the amount of men, women and children you see on the streets each and every day begging for food, for money for hope. The hardest part is not knowing how to help since there aren't any government organizations within the country such as soup kitchens, or homeless shelters as there are in the states. I definitely haven't figured out how to be "Jesus" to the least of them. I have made it a point not to give money to people who harrass me inside of stores or inside of restaurants because I don't want to encourage them that it is okay to bother people when they shopping or eating, but then again how we can become judges when we have never been in their positions? Anyways this issue has been a burden on my heart for some time so if anyone has any insight into this delicate society problem, I would love to hear it.
I want to end by thanking you for your prayers for me. It doesn't make sense, but I know there are people praying for me because I constantly feel a sense of peace around me despite the busy schedule and the big decisions I have had to make. So thank you, for the prayers that have brought a peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray the same thing for you that I pray for myself, that God would not provide a perfect year per say, but a year filled with His strength and peace so that whatever obstacle you come across, you can conquer in His name. Vaya con Dios (Go with God)
