2015 - A Year in Review

My phrase for 2015 was BE BRAVE.  It was a year full of triumphs and challenges.  It was a year of traveling and seeing new parts of the world.  It was a year full of new friendships and watching God work in big ways.  Back in 2013 I posted this list of important events from the year.  Here are some of the highlights from 2015.

1. Yve's School - Spring 2015

Never did I ever think I would be teaching Spanish with my three middle school boys to 40+ Haitian students.  I had been wanting to do a service project with the boys, but I wasn't sure what.  Getting outside of the four walls of our classroom was one of my main goals for them during the 2014-2015 school year.

Here's the blog post about how we got started.  But it has been awesome to watch the boys grow in their confidence each time we go to the school.  It's one of my favorite things that we've done together.  God pushes not only me, but also the boys outside of their comfort zones.  He catches us every time.

2. Costa Rica - March 2015

Semana Santa, or spring break, threw me into my fourth trip to Costa Rica.  It was an incredible week full of rest, family, laughter, and easy to understand Spanish.  Here's the link to my blog entry from the trip.  It made me realize how lucky I am to have family and friends and people who love me all over the world.

3. Moving - May 2015

The end of my first school year in the DR I said goodbye to my house on Calle G and moved to an apartment in El Dorado I.  I absolutely love this apartment.  It can be challenging teaching and living in the same space, but I mostly love it.  Living on the fourth floor gives us a great breeze, and it gives us some exercise when we bring our groceries home.

This apartment is much closer to public transportation.  There is a security guard who lives here, so I feel much safer.  The location of the new apartment is "far" away from the people I hung out with last year, but it's been awesome to see how God has put people into my life on this side of town.  Plus there's the amazing roof where I get to watch epic sunrises and sunsets every day.  I mean look at these pictures...

"In His hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are His also.  The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:4-5

4. Got baptized - June 2015

I was baptized as a baby in the Lutheran church, but over the past year I have been attending a Baptist church and a Four Square church.  I have been questioning why I was baptized as a baby.  I want to follow in the example of Jesus, and he wasn't baptized as a baby.  In fact, no where in the Bible is anyone baptized as an infant.  It a choice that someone makes when they are old enough to understand.

Last year, I had Pastor John of Iglesia Baptista Vida Nueva come talk to the boys about baptism.  We were studying about it in Bible class, and it was such a great conversation.  I had thought about getting baptized again after that day, but I put it on the back burner.

In June I went to a camp with the Four Square church, Cantico Nuevo.  It was an amazing camp full of spirit-filled worship, crazy games, and good conversation.  I was talking to my friend Keren, and we started talking about being baptized.  She started sharing the story from Acts 8 when the eunuch was on the road.  God had told the disciple Philip to meet this chariot in the desert.  Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading about the Bible.  He replied that he did not.

"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus." Acts 8:35  

The eunuch responded immediately to this good news and wanted to be baptized.

"And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?'" Acts 8:37 

After he was baptized, he went on his way rejoicing, and Philip simply disappeared.

Later, after Keren and I were talking about the story, one of the leaders approached me and asked if I had been baptized.  I responded and told her how I was baptized as a baby, but that I had been thinking about being baptized again.  My own choice.  My own decision to fully immerse myself in God's plans for my future.  She asked if I wanted to be baptized that day.

What a joyous occasion.  There was water, and I had the faith to take the next step.

5. Working at PacTrust - July 2015

I spent July and a few weeks of August in Oregon with my family.  I wasn't exactly sure how I would spend my time at home, but I assumed I would be resting and relaxing.  I don't make very much money working in the Dominican Republic.  The thought crossed my mind that I could maybe try to find a job for the month or so that I was home.

Every summer in college I spent working at my dad's office.  I worked in records management, accounting, IT, but my favorite place in the office is up front at the reception desk.  I love getting to talk to people on the phone and visitors who walk through the doors.  My dad explained they were having some problems with the new receptionist they hired.  She was sick a lot, and it was hard to find someone to cover for her.

I sent an e-mail on Thursday, just stating that I was back in OR for a month and was available if they needed help.  Friday I received a response saying to come in on Monday.

Wow, what a financial blessing to work there for a few weeks.  I loved getting to connect and talk to my dad's coworkers who I love so much.  Such a blessing.

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26

6. The Sloth Experience - July 2015

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE sloths.  They are my favorite animal.  I have sloth shirts, earrings, a hat, a towel, even sloth wine glasses that my mom got me for Christmas.  My friend Chandler went to a sloth sanctuary in Rainer, WA a few summers ago.  She got to hold a baby sloth.  I was so jealous.

She said she wanted to take me there over the summer, so July we packed up in the car and headed off for the sanctuary.  It was one of the coolest experiences.  We went in this little room and fed sloths.  The room was warm and humid.  The sloths were sleeping when we first got there.  We fed them cucumbers and zucchini for around 20-25 minutes.  I wanted to stay there forever.

7. Bridesmaid Time - August 2015

One of my oldest friends Sydney got engaged in 2015, and she asked me to be her bridesmaid!  I had the honor of accompanying her while she went wedding dress shopping.  This is the first time I'm going to be in a wedding for one of my friends.  Such an exciting time, even though it makes me feel a little old that my friends are getting married.  

8. 2nd Year Teaching - August 2015

I felt SO much more confident going into my second year of teaching.  I know the boys; they know me.  I already knew how to organize a school day, and I had prepared much more during the summer.  Although I can't reuse anything from the 2014-2015 school year, I just feel like there is more of a flow in the school days.  It also helps that we aren't in any of my student's houses this year.  :)  It has been such a joy to watch the boys (and girls) grow.

9. AAV - August 2015

In high school I had the privilege of being a part of Younglife.  In college I had the privilege of helping lead Younglife.  I love working in a ministry setting with high school girls.  There is a youth group at one of the churches I go to called AAV (Amar, Aprender, y Vivir la palabra de Dios // Love, Learn, and Live the word of God).  During the 2014-2015 school year I thought about getting involved, but I was just trying to survive last year.

This year one of the leaders, Ruthi, asked me if I wanted to check it out and get involved.  The first weekend the group met, I got scared and nervous.  I figured my Spanish was not good enough and that God wasn't going to use me.  Oh what happens when we listen to the lies of the devil...

The following Monday at Bible study we were reading about Jonah and what happened when he didn't listen to God the first time... So convicting.  The next Saturday evening I went to AAV and haven't stopped helping.  I got to share the message with the girls two different Saturdays in Spanish.  The second time I did it all on my own.  There were only three girls there that day, but it was still awesome to step out in faith and see what God was going to do.

I feel a lot of spiritual warfare with AAV.  I am constantly praying for the group and praying for confidence for me when I go.  Gosh, God is so good, though.  I am learning so much through serving in this way.

10. Teaching Spanish - September 2015

Over the summer I noticed a post on a missionary Facebook page looking for a Spanish teacher for some girls in Santiago.  I responded immediately inquiring more.  In September I started teaching Jami Jo and Judith Anne.  They are 11-year-old twins.  They come over two times a week for Spanish lessons.  I have been using TPR strategy with them.  They came in knowing almost nothing, but they can correctly use the verbs ser and tener and regular AR verbs.  They know over 70 verbs.

They are two of the sweetest girls I have ever met.  We had several different holiday parties, and sometimes we get to go out to dinner after Spanish class.  Their family has been such an answer to prayers I didn't even know I had.  They are so involved, polite, and caring.  I cannot wait to teach them more this spring.  

11. New Roommate - Fall 2015

My first year of teaching in the Dominican Republic was challenging.  I was a first year teacher, trying to do it all by myself.  My bosses hired another teacher for their older daughters for the 2015-2016 school year.  Christin and I met in May before the school year ended.  She was going into her 3rd year of teaching, and she seemed so nice from the very first time I met her.  It has been an incredible blessing to live and work with her.

I have two works for 2016: REST and PRAY.  Cannot wait to see all God has in store for this year.

Con mucho amor.

Last Weeks of Year #1

*forgot to post last June*

What we've been doing: WOW, I finished my very first year of teaching.  The last few weeks have been crazy busy.  I am super happy to have a few months of rest.  "Rest."  Aka planning, reading, organizing, and preparing for next year.  Teachers never really have time off.  Here's a look at our last few weeks of school.

Yve's School

We started off by creating a Noah's ark craft with the kids.  I saw this example on Pinterest, and I thought it was simple enough to create with the kids at Yve's School.  They need practice using glue sticks and scissors.  The kids enjoyed it, and the teachers helped much more.  It went smoother and their was much more control.  I was really happy that we ended on such a good note.

The boys wrapped up the video of the story of Noah's Ark.  Here's the Youtube link if you want to see how it turned out.  The kids and teachers loved watching it.  We brought in Joy's portable projector and used a sheet to show the movie.  There was even a portable battery pack, so we didn't need to worry that there wasn't electricity.

Rosa and I were talking about what we can do next year with the kids.  I want to do more sports and actions with the kids because they have so much energy.

Flash of Ecology 

We briefly covered some ecology topics at the end of the year.  Next year I am doing Earth science with the boys, so I can incorporate more of these ideas.  We ended with an experiment showing the importance of trees and roots.

The boys loved it, and now we have another class plant to keep Steve company.  :)

Timeline Project 

I had this great idea for an end of the year project.  We covered world history this year, and the boys each made a giant timeline.  They drew pictures of the ten most important world history events, and they each gave a presentation about their projects.  They did not use their class time wisely, so the projects did not turn out as good as they could have.

Next year I am going to have them work on the project throughout the year.  Maybe I will make them create a smaller version as we go through US history.  If they do the project piece by piece, it might seem less daunting.  I might also make an option to create a video project instead of just a poster.  They enjoy creating videos.

Last Day Party

I worked incredibly hard to prepare the new apartment/classroom for our end of the year party/sleepover.  With help from their moms, we kidnapped the boys and brought them to the new place.  They had no idea where we were going or what we were doing.  It was awesome.

I had a night of games, pizza, ice cream, and movies planned for the boys.  They had the greatest time, and it was the perfect way to end the year.

Who knows what year #2 will bring... :)

Field Trips #6, #7, and #8

Where we've been going:  We have ended the year with lots of field trips.  They all kind of snuck up on me.  Next year I need to do a better job spacing them out throughout the year.  It was fun to end the year with so many adventures.

Field trip #6: Mirabal Sister's House

This was not the most exciting field trip we went on, but my mom said that not every field trip needs to have a zipline.  :)  I thought this was the most interesting field trip.  I have been waiting to go to the Mirabal sister's house since June of last year when my professor gave me In the Time of the Butterflies for a graduation present.

We were given a tour of the house.  We even got to see Maria Teresa's braid that Dede cut off her dead body.  We also saw the bloody handkerchief that was found at the scene of the crime.  It made what we were reading and watching so very real.

We took the big green striped van, and we ate our picnic lunch inside the van.  The boys said it was too hot outside.  It was a nice afternoon together.  

Field trip #7: Jarbacoa

We stopped and got morir sonando (my favorite orange creamsicle drink) on our way to the waterfall.  I made a chart with areas for the boys to write down how much erosion they saw, how much trash there was on the ground and in the water, signs of wildlife, and water velocity.  We threw a tennis ball in the water and calculated how long it would take to go a certain distance.  The faster the water, the healthier the river.  The same chart would be used on field trip #8.  They were comparing the two rivers, trying to figure out which one was healthier.

After doing the school part of the trip, we all swam in the river.  It was REALLY cold, and not an especially hot day.  The boys didn't care, however; they dove right in.

We stopped at a yummy place for lunch in the town of Jarbacoa, and then we headed back to Santiago.

Field trip #8: Aguas Calientes

The boys loved this field trip.  The river is bigger, and there are more areas to play.  The rocks are giant, and the boys said they looked fake because they were so big.  I love the hot springs that warm the little pool.  Last time I went, it was a Sunday and the place was packed with Dominicans.  This time we went on a Wednesday, so there were hardly any people.

We started off by looking at the characteristics and health of the river.  The boys did the tennis ball experiment, and calculated the water velocity.  They noticed how there was much less trash, and the area was better taken care of.

Then the boys swam around, splashing and climbing on the rocks.

We packed a picnic lunch and relaxed for a bit.  After lunch we went to the hot springs part.  We practically had it to ourselves.  It was neat for the boys to smell the sulfur in the water and understand where it came from.

It was a great field trip to end the year with.  I have begun to think about field trips for next year.  I really want to go to Haiti.  I am going to some more Taino caves soon that I might do again with the boys.  They really love the caves we have been to, and I could connect the caves to some science concepts for next year.  I would love to go to manatee bay and go snorkeling as we learn about ocean environments.  Lots of neat ideas and dreams for year #2 of The Reyes Academy.

Cells

What we've been doing:  We just wrapped up our cell unit, and it was one of my favorite topics to teach in science this year.  Confession: I never really enjoyed science class, but here I am trying to teach it.  I loved this unit because we did so many projects and interactive things with the materials.

The first day I had a powerpoint explaining the functions of the cell.  The next day, the boys used the materials given to them in a plastic bag to create a model of the cell membrane.

They turned the house into a metaphor for the cell.  The boys labeled the different parts.  The couch was the nucleus, aka the control center of the cell/house.  The giant fence around the house represented the cell wall.  The endoplasmic reticulum was the hose, since both are long and maze-like.  Centriole was represented by scissors and tape because it aids in cell reproduction, the dividing and adhering of cells.  It was neat to have Rosa and Pedro ask the boys what the signs meant and why they were in the specific area of the house.

The boys created 3D cell models for either a plant or animal cell.  I put a bunch of random things I had laying around the house into a bag that they used.  If I was allowed to give homework, I would have had them use materials from their own houses.  I saw some neat examples online that were food cells.  It would have been cool to use pizza or cake and label the parts.

We are finishing the year with a little ecology.  We went on two field trips to rivers and had fun comparing them, trying to figure out which river was healthier.