Teaching Teachers and Confused Roosters

January 18, 2016

Today our team presented 5 different sessions to the teachers at Ebenezer School in Barahona.  It was a scheduled in-service day for the teachers here.  The sessions included a presentation by Mary Jo Williams on effective schools and ,teaching techniques to improve achievement.  Steve Amstutz presented a session on the scientific method and did a number of experiments that the teachers really enjoyed.  The last session prior to lunch was on thematic units, presented by Becky Cronkleton.

Following lunch prepared by the staff at the school (traditional island fare), Judy Shick talked with the teachers about using fables and music as techniques to engage students and help them retain what they have learned.  Our physical education crew consisting of the three J’s (Judy Pelphrey, Jana Amstutz, and Mary Jean Galloway), taught teachers about the five fitness components, and demonstrated games using equipment they brought made of nylon hosiery.  These were made into balls, Frisbees, jump ropes, and stretch bands.

We continue to stay in the penthouse (the fifth floor of the school building with armed guards downstairs) when not working at the school.  We are in close quarters, but we are handling our situation with humor and grace!  Nighttime noises have been most interesting, especially the barking dogs and confused rooster that crows all night.  It has no idea of night and day!  Laughter is abundant!

We have one more scheduled day at the school tomorrow, and will be working with the school children in their classrooms.  We are committed to making our last day as meaningful as possible, and finishing strong! 

Your prayers, and God’s presence have truly been felt and are so appreciated!  We are all missing our loved ones back home, and look forward to seeing you soon. 

Bendiciones,

Mary Jo Williams, Steve and Jana Amstutz

Sunday: A day of rest

Sunday in Barahona… a day to regroup and gain momentum for the days ahead with our teachers and students.  After a Saturday night revival service in the Creole church, our morning and afternoon were spent prepping for an in-service and processing all we had experienced.  Our day closed with a final revival service and so many hugs that our hearts are overflowing. 

Over the years, a highlight has been seeing the building process of the Creole church.  Walking on the ground, dreaming of a church with Pastor Moise, visiting the building as it was in process of being built and then worshiping with our Creole speaking family overwhelms my heart.  It is an honor to have been a part of their story and makes me excited for the days to come in Haiti and the Dominican.   One thought that has been shared over and over is that while we cannot change the whole world, we can change the world for someone and that is what matters. 

-- Nicole

Bienvenido a la Republica Dominicana

Hola!!! I am finally home. We have all arrived safely in the Dominican Republic, as of yesterday afternoon. It’s been really awesome to watch people on this trip experience the sights and sounds of the Dominican for the first time as we arrived and went to church last night. So much dancing, hugging, and smiles were given as the best gifts we could ever receive. We were welcomed warmly. We are all very excited to see what tomorrow and Tuesday bring as we teach our classes to teachers and students alike. I am the only American translator on our trip, so it will certainly be an adventure for everyone… (translating is like being the unwanted, but necessary, third wheel). I will be teaching English classes all day on Tuesday for grades 1-8.

Haiti was wonderful, and so different than what I have experienced here in the DR. Since I didn't have a specific job or subject to teach, I was the assistant…pretty big stuff;) Everyone that talked to me in Creole, my automatic response was Spanish, which is an issue since most don’t speak Spanish there. My favorite part of the whole trip was riding in the cattle truck- I stood the whole time, absorbing as much of the beautiful terrain as I could. The kids were adorable, and my favorite school that I visited was Chardene. Driving up a dried river bed with trees hitting me was adventurous, as well as the sun burn..all worth it, for sure.

 I got the best night’s sleep of my life last night. Amidst the sunburn and swollen ankles, I am happy as a clam to be home.

With love,

Mackenzie Lyon

For starters, I cannot believe today is our last day in Haiti! It can’t be possible that time has flown by this quickly! I guess this means I’m meant to come back on another trip: prepare yourself mom! ;)

A moment that has really stuck with me the most was when our group went to the school Degeance, a school that’s a forty minute hike and a very rocky twenty minute truck ride from a main road in Haiti. As the rest of my team was busy teaching the children certain topics, Rene and I had gone into the preschool classroom and began having fun of our own. All I’ve learned how to say is “good morning”, “what is your name”, and “my name is Abbey”, so clearly there was a communication barrier between the children and I. Yet, they didn’t care, and we quickly started playing little games with them. At one point, I looked down and saw that the kids were laughing at a little boy (though they tried to explain why they were laughing, I had no idea what was going on). I quickly scooped him up into my arms and held him. For the next twenty minutes, Rene and I sang songs with the children, laughed, took pictures, and enjoyed being with them, and all the while this little boy clung to me so that I didn’t put him down. He let me love on him, laugh with him, and dance with him despite the fact that I was a stranger.

Looking at it from the perspective of the child, his teacher had just simply left the classroom to talk to our leaders and strange white people were now standing before him with no way of communication. His friends were laughing at him, and as a child of that age, he probably wanted to just go home and cry. But, thankfully enough, he took to the stranger and clung on for comfort. He had no idea who I was, what I’ve done in my life, or what my personal intentions were for that afternoon, yet he liked me. I had not done anything exceptionally outstanding to make them want to be my friend, and yet despite all of that, he still took to me.  

In comparison to what I’ve known in the United States, everything about this experience was amazing to me. No parent would let their child tromp through the forest, by themselves, for forty minutes, even if it was to go to school. Not many children at the preschool age let strangers pick them up, and find so much comfort in their presence that they just cling to them and find such joy in just being held.

This taught me a lot about having what the Bible says I need to have: child-like faith. I don’t need to know the plans the Lord has for my life, I don’t need to be afraid of the unknown, but like that child, I need to cling to Him for comfort. I need to trust in who I know He is, and have undying faith in His sweet love for me. And what’s even more amazing was that it took the Lord putting me in the forest, in a foreign country, holding a strange, sweet and loving child, to realize just how precious I am to the Lord. It reminded me that no matter what happens in my life, He is my rock; He will never leave me nor forsake me, and will love me until my final breath (and forever after that too!!).  I am so silly not to cling to him for all of my life.

This trip has allowed me to realize that I am closest to my Father, when I am furthest from my comfort zone. I have loved every second of my experience!

-- Abbey :)

January Teacher Team

Hello my friends from Findlay and Van Buren. Today we took a lovely 20 min. truck ride and were dropped off at a safe site for a lovely 50 min. uphill hike to a Mission Possible school.  We hiked over a rough terrain of rock and small creeks, as we dodged pack mules, people, and motorcycles.  All people, young and old were carrying their wares to sell.  I saw banana leaves that could be used for the bottom of a broom with a handle that was carved roughly from a small tree.   Other items were fruits like papayas, banana, and mangos.  Other items sold were bark, candy, popcorn, noodles.  The students at the MP school went through 3 stations being taught by adults that had gone through a leadership program.  We assisted with any station we wished.  Stations were fitness, hygiene, and nutrition.  I assisted with the fitness and the kids 1^st – 6^th  enjoyed all of the fun from their instructors.  Males were the dominant gender in charge of this program.

     In the afternoon, we taught fitness to teachers that taught in grades Preschool-6.  What fun it was to share our time with these new and experienced teachers, our favorite class of the day! PE!  PE is not a spectator sport and the teachers were totally engaged.  A great time!  Thank you for those that read all of this blog.  This is the first of many to come.

 -Judy Pelphrey.

Teaching went very well today. I am looking forward to teaching again tomorrow. I have been loving my notes.  Love to all my dear family.  - Becky Cronkleton

Goodbye snow! Hello sunshine!

Hey all!

We just wanted to write a quick note to tell you that we made it safely and with all of our luggage! We're so excited to be out of the snowy weather and into the sunshine (even if we only got to enjoy a little bit of it since we arrived at the Mission Center long after the sun went down)! It was a long day of traveling so we're going to spend the evening organizing everything that we brought and then hopefully heading to bed at a decent time. Tomorrow will be a full day and we're excited to see what God has in store for us!! :) Please continue to pray for our team as we invest in the students, teachers and administrators!

Rene (and the rest of the team!)

Photo Team - Friday, December 11

Last post for this trip... We're all missing our friends and families and looking forward to leaving tomorrow - but also sad about leaving this beautiful and desperate place!  This morning we traveled to Lahatte to visit the adorable kids at our farthest school.  I haven't been there before, and didn't know that there was an actual dessert (with real cactus!) in Haiti!  Thankfully, the kids were very excited to see us, and no one cried or screamed and ran away!

We took a short tour of a close village, and loved on the kids while taking their pictures and helping our nurse (Anite) determine which students needed vitamins the most.  We watched them play some soccer during recess before lunch, and learned a lot about their culture.  It's hard to believe that the people in that area often have to walk between 2 and 3 hours to find water, then carry it home!!

This afternoon, while I am writing to you, Alonzo, Darren, and Myron are napping, and Jeanie is practicing her Creole with one of the staff.  Darren and I will be having a couple of short meetings this afternoon with Pastor Herve and Hachemy, then the Leadership graduates will be here for dinner and training again this evening.  I am really looking forward to meeting with some vendors a little later to purchase some Haitian vanilla, coffee, and souvenirs to take home.

Please pray for our long journey home tomorrow.  We will probably be spending many hours waiting at the airport before our plane leaves, so pray for safety there.  Then we will travel to Miami for dinner together before going our separate ways.  Please pray that this time together will spur us all to share with others about the amazing Haitian people and culture, and to work toward building a better place to raise up the next generation of Christ-centered leaders!!

Kimberlie :)