Our Most Precious Resource

I can hardly believe that the semester is coming to a close and my time in the DR is almost over. I will be returning to the US on June 18th to spend time with my family and see what God has next.

The semester has been filled to the brim with expedition projects, math competitions, Doulos’ first formal dance for the 9-11th grade, and we will be wrapping things up with service projects and workshops.

One of the most exciting projects this semester was the 11th grade project on water quality. Being the first trained science teacher to design and tackle expeditions for middle school and high school at Doulos has been a huge challenge, but fun. The 11th grade project grew out of my experience testing water during graduate school. The idea grew into a full-blown expedition studying the water quality of one of the largest rivers in the country, Yaque del Norte. The river looks beautiful in many areas, but is dangerously polluted. There is pretty much no solid data on the quality of the river water so we were starting from ground zero.

Collecting water samples from the river as if flows towards the coast was a true adventure. The sampling adventure kicked off with a three-day hike up Pico Duarte (the highest mountain in the Caribbean) to collect water from the river’s source. My recovering knee wasn’t quite up to that adventure so I sent the three boys in the class with our computer teacher who happens to be a video specialist. The weeks that followed were a continuous adventure of trying to find transportation on days that weren’t raining (which is always a challenge) and then trying to find the right roads without any signs just to collect samples around Jarabacoa. Dominicans are extremely friendly people and always want to help, but they are a bit over-eager and will give you directions even when they have no idea where you are trying to go. Needless to say, this all added to the adventure. Our new math teacher (Roddy) was a huge blessing for our trip to the coast to collect the majority of our samples. Roddy happened to have had a job driving around the entire province for years. He volunteered to be our driver and guide for the day as we ventured off-road to little know parts of the river. Google earth proved essential in finding locations where we would be able to reach the water safely.

Once we collected the water samples, we tested them in class for chemical composition and sent samples off to a lab that could test for bacteria. The results were very alarming. The entire river past the source was chock full of dangerous bacteria like E. coli. This was not entirely surprising since in the absence of a reliable city waste plan and water treatment plan, rivers are seen as trash cans throughout the DR. Sewage pipes are released directly into the river and trash bags can be seen floating down the canals in the bigger cities.

Our next step was to address the problem. After writing a formal lab report, the students took their results to the public. Our computer teacher (Jonathon) helped them to create a 5 minute documentary on what is happening to the rivers that will be aired on the local TV stations this summer. Most households do not own a single book besides a bible, but almost everyone has a TV. Media is rapidly becoming the best way to educate and reach large numbers of people.

Our final step is coming to fruition this week as a service project. You cannot completely blame people for throwing trash in the river when trashcans are a scarcity. We are currently painting several trashcans with bright colors and educational facts and pictures about the importance of protecting the rivers.

There were times when I wanted to throw the project in the trash (pun intended) because nothing was working right, but the final product has been well worth the struggle. All of the 11th graders were fully engaged and passionate about this project and learned quite a bit of chemistry in the process. In addition, we have managed to make a real impact on the community and take steps in the redemption of God’s good creation. Now that is a cool project!

Check out my web album for more pictures!

Crossing Borders

The semester has flown by and I can hardly believe that I have less than 6 weeks of school left. My time in the Dominican Republic is winding down and it is hard to admit that I will not be returning next year. Nonetheless, I feel at peace about my decision and am determined to be fully present and enjoy the time I have left in the DR. I look forward to reconnecting with friends and family in the US and seeing what God has next.

The spring has been eventful and busy. My leg is healing slowly, but surely, despite some struggles with tendinitis in the operated ligament. One of the most significant events was my recent trip to Haiti for Doulos’ French teacher’s wedding.

I have greatly appreciated the friendship and humor of our French teacher, Basile, as we shared stories about what it is like to be a foreigner and learn a new language. He even taught me a few phrases in French. I had been hearing about his fiancé in Haiti for the past two years and couldn’t wait to finally meet her. Basile had joyfully announced his engagement in January and proceeded to invite the entire Doulos staff to the wedding in Haiti. Doulos staff responded by banding together to buy our new couple a stove and stock their pantry. The invitation and the responding excitement was a true testimony to the community at Doulos and the ways in which God is breaking many of the prejudices between Haitians and Dominicans by bringing people together in our staff for a greater purpose.

Four other teachers, the director’s family, and myself set off on our first adventure in Haiti midway through our Spring break (second week in April). Due to a change in bus schedules, we ended up in a cramped minibus. Fortunately, we all know each other quite well and did not mind being cramped together with our luggage.

Customs and crossing the border was something else. Somehow, the entry and exit taxes kept mounting and the border officials refused to accept anything from us except American dollars even though we were still in the DR, which is run on pesos. We successfully exchanged money with a series of old men sitting in front of a near-by grocery store. After struggling to carefully fill out our customs papers and make sure they were stamped at the proper stand, we were escorted to the gate on the bridge. There were numerous UN peace keepers standing along the bridge that served as a strong reminder of the turmoil that has often been associated with the Haitian border. Once we reached the gate and waved our paper work in the air, the military officers opened the gates. We followed a train of goats, market men, and shoe-shine boys across the border into Haiti. Children that wanted to carry our bags for a small fee swarmed each one of us. I thought I was a magnet for attention in Jarabacoa, but this was a whole new level. This was the first border I have ever crossed on foot and by far the most interesting. Once we reached the Haitian customs office, we waited for a while to have our passports checked and arrange a bus to our final destination (Cap Haitien, on the Northern coast). Just before I left, I went into the back of the customs office to use the solitary toilet. To the left of the toilet was a pile of carefully filled out customs tickets from innumerable tourists like myself.

The trip to the coast revealed a surprisingly beautiful countryside. From the aerial photographs, I expected Haiti to be a brown dessert in comparison to the green DR. Deforestation in Haiti has definitely devastated the lush, thick carpet of green that covers most of the DR, but the territory was still speckled with small bushes and flowering trees. Once we arrived in the town, it became obvious that we stuck out like a sore thumb. I did not see another white person outside my companions the entire time we were in Haiti.

Seeing the cities in Haiti was also a strong reminder of the importance of simple things like a city plan for garbage disposal. The rivers and canals running through the city had become the most convenient trashcan and the beaches near the river mouths were heaped with trash. I think the sign of true poverty is not how poor a towns ghetto is, it is how large it is. The slums along the coast went on for miles.

The wedding was held in a church/retreat center just outside of town. We were humbled to be treated like kings while we stayed there. Basile even made time to show us around town the morning before his wedding. The town is an interesting mixture of decrepit French architecture from the colonial era, shacks, and modern fast-food restaurants. The church was beautiful and almost made you forget that you were in one of the poorest countries in the world. Several times a day, a mysterious pot of spicy goat stew would show up for all of the visitors. The wedding was beautiful. The church choir sang rhythmic a cappella songs in Creol and the groom’s cousin translated the service from French into Spanish for us. We finally got to meet Basile’s lovely bride and experience a glimpse of life on the other side of the island.

Please check out my web album for more pictures of Haiti.

God reigns over the Big and the little things.

Truth be told, returning to a rugged environment this semester with no mode of transportation and a bad leg was slightly unnerving. I knew that I would at least be spared from having to face crutches on icy driveways again.

My vulnerable and dependent state has been a chance to see some interesting blessings…..

The first blessing I received in January was to run into a slew of other Doulos teachers in the Miami airport. I had not been able to arrange a ride from the airport to my house in Jarabacoa prior to my departure from Champaign. I was going on good faith that there would be taxis available at the airport in Santiago, DR or I would meet some one I knew from Jarabacoa on the plane ride into the country that already had a ride and was willing to take me along. The director of Doulos happened to be in the Miami airport and has a satellite cell-phone. She called up a taxi and we all enjoyed sharing a taxi ride back to Jarabacoa and had a chance to catch-up.

The second and biggest blessing was already awaiting me in our apartment. Fortunately, my roommates were already home and could open the door for me. I had misplaced my key somewhere in the mess that was my room in our apartment. Being in a cast with a leaking ceiling and no crutches meant I took to throwing things around my room….I was not looking forward to dealing with the mess of dirty, dust clothes that was sure to be awaiting me in my bedroom. The open ceiling and massive amounts of rain in the fall were sure to have made most everything moldy. On top of that, all floors in this country seem to attract a layer of dust that is visible by the end of a week! I had been gone for three months. What gross floor would be awaiting me? How was I going to clean my room when it hurt to stand and I couldn’t bend down to clean anything?

I arrived at our apartment around 10PM and was floored to walk into a sparkling, clean bedroom that had fresh sheets on the bed and was far more tidy and organized than I had left it. Our neighbor Frilandia (the secretary for Doulos) had felt God speak to her about cleaning my room and had spent all morning mopping the floor and cleaning out the dust and mold. I was stressed and discouraged about returning to my apartment for no reason. God already had every detail covered!

The ongoing blessing of learning to depend on others has been to see how the community around me has been very aware of my need for transportation. There are days when I am running late for school and had forgotten to arrange a ride and some one has shown up at my door just in time. I was even walking through town and getting tired and my leg was starting to ache when the 4th grade teacher’s husband pulled up and offered me a ride. In addition, my student’s parents have driven me around town on various errands and helped with the planning of various fieldtrips.

What a blessing it is to take a risk and see how God has blessed my life through it and grown my faith. I am also learning a lot about what a truly godly community should look like. My leg continues to heal slowly, but surely and I continue to be blessed by the community around me.

Back in the swing of things!

The Spring semester has started well and promises to be full of challenges and excitement. Much to my relief, the transition back into teaching full time was smoother than I expected. I feared that I would have to start building up the classroom and relationships all over again, but I have been so delighted to see my students again and they have been so welcoming and especially receptive that teaching has been a joy and not a struggle.

I have already been graced with a visit from one of my pastors, Jim Linder. Jim traveled to the DR for the first time to bless the Doulos staff with a workshop on positive discipline in the classroom. The workshop was thoughtful and uplifting. All of us felt renewed excitement for developing positive teaching practices and also for generally learning how to handle relationships in a more Christ-like manner. Jim’s visit was a pleasure and a blessing for all. I am excited to see how New Covenant Fellowship (my church in Champaign) can continue to interact with Doulos in the future.

I am excited to launch into our Spring expeditions. We will be studying the local water quality in 11th grade chemistry and alternative energy sources in 9th grade physical science. It is refreshing to be able to use my background in chemistry as well as biology. I am extremely grateful for all those that have donated science supplies. The students are so much more excited to learn about science when I have the materials to design cool labs for them.

The beautiful weather certainly provides added motivation for walking outdoors, but the healing of my leg continues to be slow. All of the walking and standing required of life here and teaching has been a bit of a strain, but I am managing. I won’t be playing any more soccer this year, but I have refused to sell my red soccer cleats!

Step by Step...

I am finally walking without crutches!! Due to popular demand and those of you with medical interests, I have posted some pictures on my web album of my episode with knee surgery. I am healing well and returning to the DR on January 7th. Happy Holidays!

Out of the Red!

Surgery was fairly successful and I have safely passed through the first two weeks of recovery with no signs of infection. Ya! Praise God! I am officially allowed out of bed, but am still on crutches. I actually took a stroll on the crutches today and saw some of my first real progress in physical therapy. My leg is finally starting to feel less like a wet noodle attached to my hip. My energy level is still low, but I’m sure it will return in a few more weeks when my knee is more fully healed and less painful.

Unfortunately, the surgery revealed an additional tear in a lateral ligament that could not be repaired with surgery and will hopefully heal on its own as well as a large tear in the medial cartilage. About a third to half of the medial cartilage had to be removed from my left knee. This means that I have lost a lot of the main padding between the bones and will need to avoid high impact activities like running and soccer in the future. Apparently, I also have unusually elastic ligaments that are prone to injury. It is something of a miracle that I have never had a ligament injury before- even after playing soccer on and off for over 15 years. It really was a blow to hear that I will have to retire myself from two of my most loved activities- soccer and running- if I don’t want to have arthritis by the time I’m forty or snap another ligament. I am still thankful that I will be able to resume most activities in another 9 months or so. I am truly humbled to learn what it is like to be a full adult and completely incapable of taking care of myself. My parents and friends have been amazing and for that I am truly blessed.

I have certainly grown in appreciation for the numerous wheelchair ramps, elevators and lifts that make the US a far more disability friendly place than the DR. I am missing the wonderful warm weather and charming people of the DR, but am delighted to be able to enjoy the beautiful fall colors here in IL.

The Doulos students have safely returned form their hike up Pico Duarte (tallest mountain in the Caribbean). Please pray for the continued ministry of Doulos and for extra energy for the substitute teachers that are filling the hole that my absence has left. Through the wonders of the internet, I have been able to continue to write lesson plans and online laboratory activities, but some one else still has to be there to teach the students. I would also appreciate prayers for continued healing and prayers against discouragement. I have been delighted to receive so much support and encouragement upon my return to the US from friends and family here as well as in the DR.

The Wonders of Knee Surgery!!!!

I did indeed snap my ACL (that really important ligament that keeps your bones in place and allows you to run) and tear part of the meniscus (padding between the bones that prevents arthritis). Fortunately, in the last few decades they have developed an amazing surgery to fix an ACL since it can’t heal by itself. On October 10th, the esteemed Dr. Gurtler will be taking a part of the ligament in front of my knee and attaching it in the center of my knee to replace the ACL. I will be the first member of the family to have permanent titanium screws in my body, but I am extremely grateful that I will be able to run again some day. After surgery I will be flat on my back for at least a week and then start the long process of recovery. I will have 6 months of therapy before my leg will be healed and maybe a year before it feels normal.
Praises for How God is still taking care of me:
1. Both my mother and I had a sense that something was really wrong and that I needed to return to the US pronto. The doctor told me yesterday that if I had remained in a cast for a month in the DR, the swelling would have hardened and I NEVER would have regained full motion or normal use of my leg.
2. I am increadibly blessed to have 3 awesome communities: NCF (my home church), my amazingly helpful family that is looking after me right now, and Doulos.
3. I can be fixed and run again someday!! I wont be a gimp for life or forced to sit still all too often. Whew!!!!
4. With the wonders of the internet- I am able to plan lessons on line and send them back to Doulos.
5. My mom is an awesome cook and my dad is doctor so I will be in excellent hands.

Prayer requests:
1. That the Doulos students hiking up Pico Duarte this month (tallest mountain in the Caribbean) will remain safe and learn more about godly community and God’s amazing creations.
2. That my surgery will go well and that I will be able to recover quickly. I am still planning to return to the DR in January, but this will require me to be far enough along in physical therapy to continue it on my own. I also need to have full range of motion and have totally kicked the sinus infection I had for two weeks to even have the surgery.
3. That I wont go absolutely bonkers trying to stay still after surgery.
4. That I will be able to write creative and easily teachable substitute plans for Doulos!
4. Finances-I had no idea that dealing with US health insurance was such a headache! I am still working on funding for the next semester.
5. That I will be able to hear God and learn what he wants me to learn during this unexpected time in the US.

My words of wisdom for the day:
1. Trust God with everything and you will find His peace. (Psalm 28:7, Isaiah 26:3)
2. NEVER put a knee injury in a cast!!