Hi All, Wow, time is flying by here (and yet summer is not coming quite fast enough)! We are well into May, and yet have not updated on our very busy April! Many great things happened in the month of April that we would like to share with you all. 1. My parents and Allison came to visit!! We had a whirlwind tour of the Dominican Republic (we literally went from coast to coast on the north end) and they got to participate in my classroom. Here is a look at what we got to do:
We started out our first morning, after a delicious breakfast (with a German-it is so my dad to find the one person he can speak German with anywhere! 🙂 ) to this incredible island: Paradise Island.
We arrived and geared up to go snorkeling! We got to see the coral reefs and all of the marine diversity they bring with many different kinds of fish and living plants. It was like the drop-off in Finding Nemo in real life!
After snorkeling, we rested ashore for a little bit as the crowds began to arrive late morning.
After snorkeling, we took a spin through the expansive mangrove forests that also provide so much of the DR’s biodiversity.
That night we rested up and headed out the next day for Las Galeras, which is on the other side of the island-northeast coast. We stayed in this lovely white hotel and spent a day on this beautiful beach, just taking some time to relax and recuperate.
On Sunday we drove home and went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. The next day we went on a waterfall hike and my parents got to see the house that we will be living in next year!
The next day, their last day here, they came into my classroom with me and were interviewed by my students. It was such a cool way to share stories and experiences, and a great way for my students to learn more about life in the US! After classes we went on a grueling hike 🙂
All in all, it was so great to have them here. Getting away from Jarabacoa with them was just the refreshment Matt and I needed from the demands and difficulties of missionary work. And then finishing with them seeing our regular school day with their fresh eyes was just the perspective and refreshment that we needed with our work. It’s so great to be reminded of the novelty of our work in the times when it easily wears off! They also brought with them my keyboard, which has provided me with great rest in worship time with my Lord and the ability to further my ministry with music-I now play the keyboard for a local church here!
2. The day before my birthday we had Expedition Night! Students got to display what they had been learning and working on this semester through various kinds of presentations. Here are the things my students have been doing this year:
-6th Grade: To Hear and Be Heard was the theme of their expedition, which they explored through various channels. They studied and informed the community on factors in our community that lead to hearing loss (i.e. loud music) and they worked in and served the deaf community.
-7th Grade: Japan was their focus, along with what it means to be beautiful in God’s family.
-8th Grade: Coral reefs and their impact on the Dominican Republic.
-9th Grade: Presented their Poetry Expedition by impersonating the poets that most impacted them and performing some of their own work (Doulos veterans said that this years’ poems were the highest quality they had seen!)
-10th Grade: Representation was their theme and they talked about what it meant to be a representative of Doulos.
-11th Grade: They studied crowdfunding within the context of human trafficking. They raised money to go towards building a safehouse for the victims rescued by FIGHT ministries here in Jarabacoa. Here is a link to their t-shirt campaign: https://www.bonfirefunds.com/lets-fight-human-trafficking
The celebration night was successful and really demonstrated all of the important work our students have done this semester, with many thanks to Matt and the hard work he put in to make it happen!
3. My birthday happened! It was a much needed time of celebration. I wish I had more pictures from the weekend, but first many of my Doulos family members surprised me with with cards and baked goodies and them came to celebrate with food and fellowship at Matt’s house. Then Matt took me on a surprise trip to visit with my host family in Santiago. I was thrilled to be with Margarita again, and most of the family was home as well!
4. Due to a last-minute change of plans, we ended up going back to Paradise Island towards the end of April for our 8th grade trip to the coral reefs! Originally they were going to visit a different coral nursery, but the guide backed out and then the backup guide backed out, and well, it wouldn’t really be Expeditionary without unexpected changes happening! 🙂 So we went back to Punta Rucia and did the same things, but with 12 8th graders. For some of them, it was their first time to the beach!
5. I have started a book club with the rest of the high school team to read With All Due Respect by Ronald Morrish, a book on building effective school discipline as part of a Christian Ministry. We are working through setting up a discipline system for our school that really allows us to use the authority that God has placed on us as educators to disciple and discipline our students to help them grow into people that can be used for His kingdom. He also has a parenting book that I have heard is highly recommended, so any parents or educators that have the call of discipline on their lives should check Morrish’s literature out!
6. Matt and I started Pre-Marital counseling with Ryan and Karina! So far it’s been great. They are a great resource and full of wisdom and we are getting anxious for our wedding and marriage!
7. Last but not least, our lovable, energetic, teething Bella is growing lots and thriving. She keeps us smiling and learning and growing.
Thanks for sticking it through til the end! April was a busy time and May so far is turning out to be even busier, so pray for rest and time with our Lord in these last few weeks of school, that we can come home for the summer refreshed and ready to face wedding craziness and our upcoming marriage!
Love,
Kristen and Matt
Adventures with Matt & Kristen 