punto. ya.

That's what my friend Melania says when something is finished. My time here is nearly over- I leave in two days. The last few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster. I've been anxious, excited, depressed, happy, angry, relieved and I've lauged until I've cried and of couse I have just plain cried. There are plenty of things I am more than happy to leave behind... I think we all feel that way to some extent when seasons of our lives come to an end. I am ecstatic to leave the geckos, the cold water, the finicky electricity...just to name a few...

Leaving the kids is another story. Saying good bye to them was so difficult. Some of the children were really mature, gave me long loving hugs and then added "te quiero Georgia, adios" when they were finished. Others were sad, but there were few tears. The kids get used to aid workers and missionaries coming and going. From the beginning, they understood in their own little way that my time here was finite.

The only surprise I had was one little boy that was very angry with me. He told me I was bad and ugly and even slapped me with his belt, but he wouldn't leave my side. He found many reaons to be upset with me yesterday, but none rational. After many attempts to talk to him, he sat beside me for a long time and was so angry he couldn't speak. He finally got up and left to go home. I let him go but saw that he had stopped beside a tree by the school gate. I walked over and realized he was crying. He was still mad and wouldn't speak to me. I gave him a big hug and then left him for lack of knowing what else to do. It broke my heart to leave him, but I know can can still pray for him and support him in that way.

Despite the sad goodbyes, I'm packing and processing and getting very excited about being in Texas in just a few days. People keep asking me if its weird that I'm leaving or if I'm really sad to be leaving. I tell them of course I am sad. I'm leaving 160+ amazing children the I love and have invested in for seven months. But I also tell them that I left people I love in the United States that I cannot wait to return to. And for that reason, I'm not so sad.

Please pray for me over the next few weeks. Chances are I'll need it. Transitions are not so much my thing. Please pray that I'll keep my emotions in check and that I will healthily process being back in the US. Please pray for me as I transition financially as well. I will be looking for part time jobs in Texas and in SC. Please pray that God will provide a way for me to earn some money!

Please continue praying for the ministry here on the North Coast. The children are so precious and they need your support more than you know!

God Bless,
GA

One month left...

I have mixed emotions about my time here. Part of me feels like it has absolutely flown by considering that it is already time for me to start thinking about transitioning back to living in the States! Another part of me feels like my time here has been long, hard, and uncomfortable. I supposed both are true. Regardless of which is more true, I am very excited about seeing my family, my boyfriend, Ryan and my friends, who all have been amazingly supportive and loving during my time here. I could not have lasted here a week without their presence and support via letters, emails, phone calls and visits. I love all of you dearly!!

While I have been focused on leaving here, my mind is definitely still trying to figure out the best way to transition the projects to national staff. Since the teacher training that we had in January, the school has changed drastically. To say that I am excited about this a massive understatement. The teachers are interested in learning more about teaching and their classrooms look completely different. They ask questions and want more teaching materials. It is truly amazing and changes this drastic could only be accomplished by the Lord. I am so thankful that he is allowing me to witness progress here! It is so encouraging and I truly feel like he has allowed my short time here to be of value not only to me but to the people with whom I have been working.

The major projects that I will be transitioning to national staff (starting on Monday!!) are a biweekly math activity in which every class participates, a library that needs to be maintained, a list of montly themes that will guide lesson plans, and the maintenance of lesson plans in general (perhaps the hardest project!) Please pray that I will be patient with the national staff I will be training and that they will be excited about taking on leadership positions. Please pray also that they will continue to realize the importance of proper teaching methods and that they will seek out opportunities to learn after I leave.

Also, please keep me in your prayers as I begin to transition over the next few weeks. I am torn. Part of me is excited about hot showers, water pressure, a working stove, being CLEAN and obviously seeing people that have been sorely missed. The other part of me is so sad to leave the kids. Thinking about leaving them makes my heart hurt. I so want to stay to make sure that Adan applies for a scholarship to attend highschool. I want to see the day that little Miranda stops biting and hitting people (this behavior has already lessened significantly!!) I want to watch Manuzca grow from a quirky little 4 year old to an interesting and funny teenager. I don't know which path my 6th grade girls will take, whether they will pursue more school or will get pregnant before they reach age 18 and drop out of school. I want to be here to guide them and love on them and protect them...and the list could go on forever.

There are so many children here that I wish I could care for, but I know that even if I did stay, I couldn't protect or love them as much as they deserve. For this, I want you to pray. Pray that God will take care of these beautiful, innocent children and that He will show them His path and that they will follow.

Thank you to all of you for your continued prayers for me and for my work here.
May God Bless You Very Richly.

Love, Georgia

casi normal

Thank you for your prayers for our school these last several weeks. Since Christmas, things in the village have calmed down considerably. Tension still exists. A few missionaries working here will not be able to continue their work as normal and other missionaries will not be able to work in the village, period. However, the majority of our children have returned to school. We are missing maybe 1-2 children per class. A few of the missing children will not be able to return due to their families' involvement with the violence in the village.

Please continue to pray for our kids and their families. Just think about what it would be like to have your familiy threatened to the point of moving out of the community and then returning in a few short weeks to a somewhat unstable area because you can't afford to pay rent elsewhere. The children at our school are tough because they have to be. Please pray that God will provide them with peace in their communities so that they will able to worry about the things children should be worrying about-playing and education- instead of protecting their families.

I do have some very good news. All of the teachers and teaching assistants from our school attended a teacher's training in Jarabacoa last week. I can't even explain to you how excited I am that this happened! The training went really well and all of the teachers returned to our school with great ideas and enthusiasm. Though we are still learning together (our preschool teacher made several beautiful posters for her classroom, but she made them all in fancy cursive script- not exactly age appropriate), we are moving in the right directly. God has done incredible things with our teaching staff and I can't wait to see what happens during my last few months here.

On a more personal note, someone very special is coming to visit me starting on Thursday! It's been over three months since I've seen my boyfriend and he will be visiting me for over a week! I am excited to show him the project and my life here. Thursday can't get here soon enough!

Thank you again for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray for the project, the children and their families, and the recent unrest in our village. There are still many families suffering that need your prayer support.

God Bless,
Georgia

Art & Impromptu Beach Trip

A few families that were displaced from the village are living nearby in a tiny town called Congrejo. One of our teaching assistants from school, Vanessa, moved with her family after the village became unsafe. They have been nice enough to let me use some space in their home to work with the kids from the village living in Congrejo over the next few weeks. Today, I went to Congrejo armed with acrylic paint (all colors of the rainbow), paint brushes, and an assortment of little boxes. About 10 kids that used to live in Villa Ascension showed up for my "art class." They had a great time and I was pleasantly surprised by their creativity! We had a great time and the kids had a painted box to take home with them.

After we finished boxes, some of the kids were still lingering, so we decided to walk out to the beach- Playa Congrejo. Ramona, Ramoncito, Yaneli, Manuzca, and two other little children came with me. It was a long way- but I think this was mainly because I carried four year old Manuzca the whole way. Luckily, she sang to me to keep me entertained. Once we got there, we splashed around until the kids decided they needed to strip down to their underwear and swim. They had a blast and so did I...

Bònn Ané!

Happy New Year! I am long overdue for a post. December was full and I have a few things to share...

First, my mom arrived here on December 13. We had a fabulous week together. I loved having her all to myself. The week was spent exploring, sunning, trying not to get killed driving on Dominican highways, relaxing and eating lots of good food (I had chocolate molten cake three times!!!) We met my dad and brother out on the Samana peninsula after spending a week in Cabarete. It was great to have my entire family here with me. We spent several days in Las Galeras. The Samana peninsula is, without a doubt, the most beautiful area I have seen in the Dominican Republic- maybe the world...maybe... We also spent a few nights in Jarabacoa and they flew out on the 29th. It was a very special time for me....

Second, I have bad news. A Dominican motoconcho driver was murdered just before Christmas by three Haitian men from the village where I work. This is tragic for many reasons. Obviously, the motoconcho driver lost his life. The story is that the Haitians were trying to steal his motorcycle and they violently killed him in the process. Less obvious to most is the fact that any conflict that happens between Haitians and Dominicans heats up deep-seeded hatred between the two peoples. Shortly after the murder, a gang of Dominicans formed and they entered our village, which is about 70-80% Haitian, and began to threaten the lives of the Haitian families there. The families, not wanting to lose their lives and the lives of their children, promptly moved out of the village. Out of 200 families, only 50 famlies are left. Most of the remaining families are Dominicans. The Haitians have moved to other towns and villages nearby and are barely surviving. The North American workers here have been advised not to enter the village until further notice.

School has been postponed indefinitely, though our staff is optimistic. Please pray for this situation. Without our school, many of these children will not eat breakfast or lunch each day. And obviously, they will become even more behind in their subjects. Selfishly, I am upset because I am unable to see the children each day that I have grown to love so much. Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months, families will move back into the village and it will be safe for us to enter the village and start the school year. If you have any questions about anything, please email me and I can tell you more....

Much love to all,
Georgia

giving thanks

We had Thanksgiving at the Trautwein's (a missionary family here) house in Jarabacoa. A team came down from California and prepared all the Kids Alive staff a huge Thanksgiving dinner! And Anne Marie was here :)

Pictures

me, manuzca, & estefani

manuzquita (showing off her teeth)

after several days of rain, this is what happens in montellano

cutest two year old i know- jonathan, rachel's baby