I arrived in Santo Domingo and got right into the swing of things.
I am taking a week-long module and the homework is due on Saturday. I am loving it; it is the 2nd course in completing my Master's of Educational Theology with FLET (Facultad de Latino America de Educación Teológica - or The Faculty of Education and Theology of Latin America) -- but it is keeping me extra busy...
Thank you for your prayers my Grade 12 students still need a lot of prayer for direction in life.
We have been able to select a team of 6 from the Grade 11 class that will be travelling to Asia for a short-term mission with OMF's Serve Asia in May-June. The group is growing, there are 14 committed students from the class who are coming to meetings to learn about Asia, what God is doing in Asia, praying together for Asian peoples and for the team that will travel. I am amazed over the response and they are growing so much through this already.
Today, a Grade 10 student approached me and said that she is angry that so many people are focused on everywhere but the Middle East! (She has Lebanese background) I asked her what she was going to do about that anger; let it make her bitter or use it toward a positively channelled response? She wondered what I meant and so I explained that she was free to start a prayer group, say, on Wednesdays at lunch for anyone who wants to pray for the Muslim world. A Grade 11 student standing nearby said that they can give her their classroom and some of them will join in... Then her eyes lit up...
There is a fever happening and I want to see the ripples spill over to the whole school; God's Spirit is stirring my students up to be involved in ways that are personal, creative and active in reaching others with the message that we can have victory over death through Christ for eternity!! It is a message that no one should live or die without...
We have been able to select a team of 6 from the Grade 11 class that will be travelling to Asia for a short-term mission with OMF's Serve Asia in May-June. The group is growing, there are 14 committed students from the class who are coming to meetings to learn about Asia, what God is doing in Asia, praying together for Asian peoples and for the team that will travel. I am amazed over the response and they are growing so much through this already.
Today, a Grade 10 student approached me and said that she is angry that so many people are focused on everywhere but the Middle East! (She has Lebanese background) I asked her what she was going to do about that anger; let it make her bitter or use it toward a positively channelled response? She wondered what I meant and so I explained that she was free to start a prayer group, say, on Wednesdays at lunch for anyone who wants to pray for the Muslim world. A Grade 11 student standing nearby said that they can give her their classroom and some of them will join in... Then her eyes lit up...
There is a fever happening and I want to see the ripples spill over to the whole school; God's Spirit is stirring my students up to be involved in ways that are personal, creative and active in reaching others with the message that we can have victory over death through Christ for eternity!! It is a message that no one should live or die without...
Last night, I thought I was having another attack of vertigo and realised quickly that it was actually the whole building that was swaying - not just me! It went on for almost a whole minute and it was freaky. Of course, minutes later, we received the report that the real disaster had been in our neighbouring nation of Haiti. With the warning of a Tsunami on the way, we prayed and cut the class short.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti and those who are ministering to these precious people at this time - that they will be able to share the message of love and hope to these fragile souls so in need.
I have never seen devastation like this since the Tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia.
They are saying possibly 100,000 dead. That is staggering.
The city of Port au Prince has been levelled completely. There are no homes, no resources, no food, no systems, no money - it almost feels like there is no hope. It is going to take more than a decade to clean up and longer to rebuild.
People are piling over the mountainous border into the Dominican Republic. It is our turn to answer the call here, but please remember, this too is a 3rd World nation where the poverty is 42.5% of the population and jobs are scarce outside of the cities.
Please pray that violence will not become a problem - it has already begun.
My friend Mackenson (the French teacher at school) is getting desperate. He cannot get in touch with his family. Their buildings all collapsed - there are no homes anymore - but there is no word. I spent half the morning crying with him and praying. Then all our classes went to the dogs and we just prayed and prayed. That's what it should be like. Our Haitian friends here are really suffering. They have no news of family and friends and it is desperate. Pray that Mackenson will find his family and that they will be safe and well.
There are many Haitians living in the Dominican Republic and are not generally well treated. Please pray that Haitians would feel more loved in this time here in the DR than ever before and that this would be a step toward reconciliation between these two nations between which over a century of animosity causes daily friction.
Thanks for your prayers.
If you can do more than pray please visit these sites and give via online donations:
World Vision Response to Earthquake in Haiti
Compassion International Response to Earthquake in Haiti
The city of Port au Prince has been levelled completely. There are no homes, no resources, no food, no systems, no money - it almost feels like there is no hope. It is going to take more than a decade to clean up and longer to rebuild.
People are piling over the mountainous border into the Dominican Republic. It is our turn to answer the call here, but please remember, this too is a 3rd World nation where the poverty is 42.5% of the population and jobs are scarce outside of the cities.
Please pray that violence will not become a problem - it has already begun.
My friend Mackenson (the French teacher at school) is getting desperate. He cannot get in touch with his family. Their buildings all collapsed - there are no homes anymore - but there is no word. I spent half the morning crying with him and praying. Then all our classes went to the dogs and we just prayed and prayed. That's what it should be like. Our Haitian friends here are really suffering. They have no news of family and friends and it is desperate. Pray that Mackenson will find his family and that they will be safe and well.
There are many Haitians living in the Dominican Republic and are not generally well treated. Please pray that Haitians would feel more loved in this time here in the DR than ever before and that this would be a step toward reconciliation between these two nations between which over a century of animosity causes daily friction.
Thanks for your prayers.
If you can do more than pray please visit these sites and give via online donations:
World Vision Response to Earthquake in Haiti
Compassion International Response to Earthquake in Haiti
Habitat for Humanity
Shannon
PS: We are doing an emergency drive of food/clothing/etc at school tomorrow to take to Wilfrido - our friend that we have always worked with in Barahona. He has a desperate situation right now with hundreds of people arriving after having crossed the border into the bateys. There is no food, diapers, clothing, blankets, medicine, etc. He said last night was a scary nightmare, but thank God they made it through. I will bring the stuff over to Barahona on Saturday with one of my roommates, Katherine. We might head over to the border, because there are hundreds there without supplies. I may be back on Sunday - but we'll play it by ear...
Shannon
PS: We are doing an emergency drive of food/clothing/etc at school tomorrow to take to Wilfrido - our friend that we have always worked with in Barahona. He has a desperate situation right now with hundreds of people arriving after having crossed the border into the bateys. There is no food, diapers, clothing, blankets, medicine, etc. He said last night was a scary nightmare, but thank God they made it through. I will bring the stuff over to Barahona on Saturday with one of my roommates, Katherine. We might head over to the border, because there are hundreds there without supplies. I may be back on Sunday - but we'll play it by ear...
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