This week has been one of the longest and most difficult yet, but also one of the most rewarding! God has been so good to give Ina, Abbey, and I strength, patience, and love for the people of Cercadillo and also with for another. Monday was our Sabbath day so no work :). Abbey and I went to the Mercado with a group of Americans (and a few of our favorite Dominicans) in the afternoon. We think we got some great deals (you're never quite sure if you paid too much), and I improved my bartering skills. I'm still not comfortable with the whole process, but I was less of a pushover than I was last year :). On Tuesday Ina, Abbey, and I taught our reading and English classes as in the previous week. 
We began each group with Bingo (with prizes) to encourage the kids to be on time. They hate it when they arrive late and miss the game. On Wednesday Abbey and I continued the classes with the children in one building (with the help of an additional teacher, our Dominican friend Daniel), and Ina worked with the women on making bags to sell in the other building. Some of the women took off right away and did really well on their first bag. Others took a little longer (a lot longer in some cases), but it provided opportunities for all of the women to exercise patience with one another and with Ina. It has been very encouraging to see changes in many of the women since last summer. They are more patient with one another and sometimes remind each other about recent topics from Bible study (putting others before one's self, etc.).
We began each group with Bingo (with prizes) to encourage the kids to be on time. They hate it when they arrive late and miss the game. On Wednesday Abbey and I continued the classes with the children in one building (with the help of an additional teacher, our Dominican friend Daniel), and Ina worked with the women on making bags to sell in the other building. Some of the women took off right away and did really well on their first bag. Others took a little longer (a lot longer in some cases), but it provided opportunities for all of the women to exercise patience with one another and with Ina. It has been very encouraging to see changes in many of the women since last summer. They are more patient with one another and sometimes remind each other about recent topics from Bible study (putting others before one's self, etc.). 
Thursday was a little different from the other days. A couple of women from the Boston area came to do a workshop with the children on worshiping the Lord with dance. It was really fun to watch the kids singing worship songs and waving their flags and banners to the music. Even the boys got really into it! Dominicans in general are very expressive so this kind of activity fits their culture very well. Abbey and I alternated between helping with crowd control with the kids and helping Ina with sewing classes. A few of the women were able to make 3-4 bags in one day while others continued working on their first one. Ina has high expectations for their work since they are being paid for the bags they complete (she in turn sells them on their behalf in the business she has started) so many of them had to redo parts several times until they learned how to do it 
nearly perfectly or put forth a really good effort. On Thursday night Abbey and I went out for a night on the city of Santo Domingo with several of our Dominican friends we met in past years through Time ministries. We began the evening with a ride downtown on the newly opened Metro train system. This was a very exciting trip because when Abbey and I began coming to the DR four years ago, the work on the Metro had already begun, and we have gotten to see it in several stages of completion over the years. We took a público (a form of public transportation that is very common and basically involves squeezing four people in the back of a little car and two 
additional people in the front passenger seat for 13 pesos (about $0.40/person) down to a shopping area near the Colonial Zone. The Colonial Zone is where most of the really old buildings are that date back to around the time of Columbus. We enjoyed pizza at a restaurant and then got Yogunfruz (the most amazing frozen yogurt I've ever had with nearly countless combinations of mix-ins, my favorite being waffle cones, pineapple, and strawberries; or is it waffle cones, melon, and mango?). After that we walked down to the historical area and got countless hilarious 
On Friday Ina and another missionary, Kirsten, led Bible study 
with the women. The awesome thing was that God was truly leading the study because before they really began the teaching, a woman confessed to not speaking to her mother-in-law for nine years and wanted reconciliation. The mother-in-law was present and they were able to begin mending their relationship and exchanged a hug. God is up to awesome things that can only be explained by the work of the Holy Spirit! It's exciting to witness it!!! After Bible study we spent the rest of the day completing the bags with the women. They turned out so cute, and the women had so much fun making them and helping each other! Sara, a shout-out to you for a great idea! Thank you for listening to the Lord on this
Please continue to pray for health and stamina. I will only be in Cercadillo at most two more times before I head home, so please pray that God uses those times to show His love and grace through me! I continue to be amazed and the awesome things He is doing!
1 comment:
Finish strong Jess!!!
I can't believe how fast 4 weeks has gone! I pray God will use you and teach you up until the very last minute - let no time be wasted. Can't wait to see you Thur, Fri, and/or Sat :)
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