Whale Watching

Can you tell I was excited?  and yes.  that is my 100 peso hat.  LOVE it.

This weekend I have the awesome opportunity to go whale watching with some friends.  Holy cow.  AMAZING.  I wish I could express how happy I was to see these huge, amazing creatures floating gently and gracefully in the water.  Out of the 15,000 whales that currently reside in the DR, we saw two.  But I was content with that, as it was a mother and a baby calf.

The baby and mother one more time...

Carnaval in La Vega

So now it's beginning to be crunch time.  I have many things on my DR Bucket List that I haven't quite accomplished yet.  Thankfully I have great friends who are willing to do amazing things with me.

with some young boys who participate in Carnaval

Last weekend we went to Carnaval in La Vega.  Supposedly it is 2nd to Brazil.  I don't know about that, but it was definitely a good experience.  :) 

My Dilemma...

So here is how you can be praying for me right now...
The ups and downs of the DR life are tough, but I realize that I would have ups and downs no matter where I go.  I love my kids here.  Like, I love them to death.  I love being a part of their lives, I love spending time with them, I love being their friend and mentor.  I love that I have 3 years of time invested in them.  I love that I have my friends here.  My dear friends.  And most of them are staying next year.  I love that I am wanted and cared for here.  New friends bless my heart.  I love them.
BUT
I have friends back in the States.  I have no job (yet) but have a place to live in Maryland.  I have the prospects of jobs, friends, new students, and joy back in the States.

Yet why does my heart seem so torn?  The fear of the unknown?  The frustration of not knowing what I want to do with my life?  Loving my kids here in the DR but knowing I could love students in the States too?

Like it says in Proverbs,  In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.


 But what if I don't even know what course I want to take?  
I know God has a plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11) but why is it so hard when I don't feel led one way or another?  


Okay, thanks for letting me voice my struggle!  Pray for me.  Encourage me if you feel like God is giving you any wisdom about my life... ;)

Baby Shower Numero Dos

how *not* to change a baby's diaper.

praying for Laur and her family

 This past Saturday we had a brunch baby shower for my awesome friend Laura.  Laura and I have worked here in the DR together since 2008.  We both have been here for 3 years and are both on our way out after this year.    I was reminiscing on the past year and remember when Laura first told me that she and Tim were trying to have a baby (late night convos during Spring Break last April).  I remember the day in July when she called to tell me that she was having a baby!  I remember when she and Tim told everyone down here that she was pregnant.  It's been awesome to watch Laura grow into a mother...(literally and figuratively!)  Her friendship has been such a blessing to me and so it was a joy to be able to celebrate with her about the impending arrival of baby Abram James Stanley.

Hard to believe our last shower was for this sweet little guy!

Baby James got to come!

love smiling with this girl!

JAMES!

Introducing:  James Warren Holloway!
Born:  January 28, 2011


James is now 3 weeks old, but here are some beautiful pictures of this sweet little guy! :)

You can read more about him here.

Mom and James when he was 2 days old!

Dad and James when he was 2 days old

Booper, Melisa, and James when he was only 2 days old!

Snuggling with James on Valentine's Day

Sweet little sleeping baby at Laura's Baby Shower

He looks slightly terrified. ;)

Laura and James at her shower

Wyld Life Camp

Stanley, me, Laura, and Melisa (JCS leaders)

I can’t believe camp is here and gone.  It seems that so much that we had prepared so hard for is now over.  Frankly, part of me is relieved, but part of me is sad.  I enjoyed spending time with the girls that I spend so much time loving on.  It was fun to be with the 6^th graders, who were my first class at JCS.  Thank you to all of you who supported camp!

Friday after we got there, we had dinner, club, small group, and then a country fair.  Basically the kids were able to play games and earn “money” to then buy snacks or buy little bags of flour to throw at their leaders or buy chances to dunk their leader with freezing cold water.  Man, it was a blast.  I was freezing cold by the end of it and covered in flour paste but it was a blast.  A great first night.

Highlight of my Friday:  In my small group, I had the 8^th graders, one 7^th grader, and one 6^th grader.  We split our girls by age, but also by maturity.  One 8^th grade girl in my small group immediately opened up about a lot of the pain that has been caused her by her parents and their split and all that comes along with that.  After we had a long talk about it, the 6^th grader in my group shared that she had gone through the same thing and that she didn’t want the other to be alone because others have gone through it too.  It still makes me tear a little thinking about that compassion and that vulnerability that both the girls showed right away. 

Saturday we spent the day in club, small group, playing games, and then the kids had the afternoon free to play and swim.  It was a blast to be in the pool with the kids for the day.  HOLY COW it was so cold though.  We had club and small group 2 more times on Saturday, once in the morning and once in the evening.  After “lights out” Timmy and Tammy the 5^th graders (2 people from the States who came to do program for the kids…no those are not their real names) came in and “snuck” the kids out for a late night campfire and s’mores and hot chocolate. 

Sunday morning was relaxing, we had club, small group, free time, lunch, then packed up and left. 

Highlight of camp for Jarabacoa:  5 boys from Doulos (the other Christian school in town) accepted Christ to be their Savior.  This is a huge deal because most of these boys are the most disruptive, crude, bad home life kids that come to club.  It was and is amazing to see how God and their leader Jerry are working in their lives. 

Prayer for these 5 boys and for my small group girls who are attempting to seek the Lord as they know how…

Update:  I had 2 of my small group girls over last night to my house.  It was so good to talk to them again and see how their weeks had gone since camp.  They’re still seeking and desiring for answered prayer.

All of the students and leaders from Jarabacoa

Check out this awesome video from Camp:

3rd Grade...

I'm doing a Bible Study through the book of James right now.  James is the perfect book for me.  It convicts me of all of my temptations and weaknesses and challenges me in ways to live a better life.

Today I read a chapter about our lives.  Our lives are but a breath to God.  He tells us to count the days because our lives are so short.

I just found out that my third grade teacher has leukemia.  The irony of that statement is laughable to me.  Mr. Irwin was always the tough guy.  He challenged me in so many academic and personal areas.  When I sit and think, there is so much that I clearly remember about 3rd grade, where my memory seems to lack in so much of the rest of elementary school.  I remember losing in Around the World to Blake Branning for the multiplication table 7 x 6.  (I have not ever forgotten that answer since then.)  I remember him throwing away my homework and telling me I had to redo it because of my terrible, terrible handwriting.  (Those of you who know how great my handwriting is now, I have Mr. Irwin to thank for most of that.)  I remember Mr. Irwin playing basketball and always including everyone, even those who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn (as my mom likes to say).  He challenged me to stop being a baby when I would be emotional and cry about my shortcomings.  But most of all I know that he loved me.  He took time out to talk to us and to hear about our days and lives and I know that he did care.  I remember going to basketball games where he was the head coach and him waving to me. (or maybe he was waving to my mom, who was his close friend...but either way...) I felt like a celebrity that Mr. Irwin knew who I was.

Now that I am a third grade teacher, I desire to challenge my students in the same way.  I want them to grow to be humans that have good handwriting, know their math facts, and toughen up.  But I also desire for them to know that I love them.  I love them deeply.  Although Mr. Irwin never talked about God to us (public school, holla), I want my students to know about God and about His love.

I know our lives are nothing but a breath and that we can't change when we will die or what will happen to us, I pray that God's view of my life will be pleasing.  Although my life is short, I want to bring others to know Him and to love Him.  I want Him to have the glory in my life and in my heart.  I want others to know that I love them deeply.

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14


I pray that my "mist" touches others in a way that will bring them closer to Christ...and that I will live every day fully and love with reckless abandon...Amen.


Addendum:  As we were talking about America pride the other day, the IU fight song popped into my head.  Yes, I learned that in 3rd grade too.  I remember walking up to Miss Emrich's room and singing it in front of her door.  Ah, good times.