Today we went up into the mountains to Palo Alto. There was a building that was being dedicated as a place of retreat for different SCS ministries. We took several vehicles with 4-wheel drive, because the bus couldn't make it up the mountain. At first we were on paved roads and it didn't seem too difficult, but then we hit the rocky, dirt roads that curved around and around (ask this motion sick girl how many curves there were- not that I counted). There were times only one car could get through on the road, or so it seemed. Driving here doesn't exactly have rules of the road. At least I didn't have to drive!  I began to realize why we took the vehicles we did as we got further up the mountain. Paul did a great job driving safely up the mountain. We rode with Ruth (the Spanish teacher at SCS who is working on learning some English) and her husband, Antonio, who did speak English, for which I was very grateful. Even though I may not speak Spanish hardly at all, the more I spend with people who are speaking it in conversation, I'm finding I'm beginning to understand more (even just being here a week). I still can't respond with more than a word or two, but you have to start where you start.

The view at Palo Alto was breathtaking! Lush, green mountains in all directions. Pictures can't describe the beauty I saw and felt standing on the edge. I told a couple people I felt like it was a dream, only it was reality. I live in this incredible place. We toured the building seeing the balconies and sleeping quarters and shower areas (which aren't quite complete). The teams did an amazing job making this into a place of peace and refreshment. I can't wait to see all the ways God uses it to build His kingdom. There was a time of dedication (thanking different ones, prayer, reading Bible passages). It was nice to visit with some of the other staff during lunch. The weather is much cooler on the mountain and the constant breeze was refreshing.

After lunch we took a hike up (showed me I need extra exercise!) to a "plateau" where you could be surrounded by the mountains, yet see the whole city of Santiago in the distance. Someone said we were only like 15 miles from home, but it took approx. 45 minutes to get there because of the roads. Again, the view was stunning! Unlike any place I've been in my travels. Sometimes it is really muddy up there due to a lot of rain, but
because it's been so dry we didn't have to worry about slipping and sliding in the mud. We finally pulled ourselves away from the view to go back down to see where Amado and Ramona stay. They choose to live very simply, so they can better reach their neighbors. What an example that was to me.

Then we attended their local church, just down the road a bit. It was a simple small one room church. We had that place packed with the SCS staff and the team from Pennsylvania. Even though the service was in Spanish for the most part, it's amazing that we can still worship together in song, prayer, and Bible reading no matter what language we speak. Our hearts are united in worship to a God who isn't hindered by languages. Dan Boehning spoke about how God chooses to use ordinary people like Gideon. It was an encouraging message proving that God can use any of us, if we are willing, even if we start off timid and afraid as Gideon did. God still saw him as a mighty man of valor.

After the service we got to stop by and see the local school. It actually is deemed uninhabitable because of earthquake damage that occurred in the spring, but the students have no where else to go. The view would be a daily reminder of the awesomeness of God's creation to all students and staff. It makes me very thankful for Santiago Christian School. I complain too often about little things that may annoy me, but after seeing the way others live so simply, I'm humbled.


Then it was time to come down from our mountain top experience. I will miss the beautiful green mountains, but I can always go back to visit. I do love where I'm living. Upon returning home we had a task ahead of us. The last several days my roommates and I have been living on granola bars and chips/salsa for dinners. We weren't sure we wanted to venture into the world of delivery and phone orders (and we haven't done well buying groceries yet). Tonight we decided to order Yaway. It's like a Subway in the states. Kyla is the only one who can speak enough Spanish to order, so we gave her that job. We placed the order, figured out pesos, and waited to see what would happen. And it showed up with all of the sandwiches correct. We were quite happy to have a decent dinner. I'm thankful God (and the SCS staff) put a Spanish speaking roommate in our apartment. It's time to move on to better menu options for meals... After a long day we are full and ready for bed. Another day, another adventure....

Started off today with another very uplifting devotion led by Stacey (the elementary principal). She talked about how the Hebrew people had seen God fulfill His promises to them time and again and yet were so quick to forget His continued faithfulness. How often I fall into the same trap when life becomes too comfortable. I see God bring me through so many things in my life, yet begin to doubt His faithfulness when things get difficult. But when I'm prone to let fear and distrust creep in, there is a team around me that will remind me of God's faithfulness, pray with me, and challenge me to move on. I didn't fully realize the support I'd get here at Santiago Christian School until I arrived. The administration truly cares about their staff and students! She shared a prayer that I'd like to post from Sir Francis Drake:

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life, having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity, and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas, where storms will show your mastery, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizon of our hopes, and to push us into the future in strength, hope, and love. This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ." - Francis Drake, Pirate/Sir

Also today the doctor that works for the school, Elizabeth, talked to us about how to stay healthy here in the Dominican Republic. She informed us of all the different illnesses that are somewhat common to the area, and how to recognize the symptoms of each. I came to the conclusion that I can wash my hands really frequently and wear mosquito repellent all the time, but ultimately I have to know that getting ill may happen and I'll work through it, with good care readily available, when it does. We then spent time working our way through the employee handbook, which wasn't fun but necessary (and Stacey did her best to throw in interesting "brain breaks" for us).

After lunch I finally got my hands on the teacher editions of my text books. Time to start figuring this curriculum out! (Step by step I might add.) Then Yoalba took Lori and me to Claro to sign our cell phone plans. I had the same employee from last time, who spoke English, so we were done in no time. Most of the group worked on figuring out how to call taxis (and getting them to the right locations), but I didn't have a chance today. It will happen soon enough though, and I'll probably give the wrong directions anyway and end up across town walking home. But I'd laugh about it since it's my fault for not knowing Spanish. After we all got home, Lori, Kyla, and I decided to go out on our first adventure- walking to the store. La Sirena is less than a half mile away from us, which makes it easy to get to. I was able to purchase curtains and curtain rods for my room. Hopefully they will keep the sun out during the day and make it cooler at night. We bought some other things we needed and set out for home. One thing about walking to the store, you want to think very carefully about what you buy and how much you buy. I will say that if we continue to do this my arm muscles will be quite strong. We all agreed it was good to get out and start exploring our neighborhood. The rest of the evening we had time to relax and Kyla practiced some worship songs on her guitar. Listening to her play makes me miss my guitar so much more.

Tonight there is a block meeting on the street outside our apartment. They shut down a portion of the street and everyone gets together to talk about things such as neighborhood safety, keeping things clean, noise control, etc. (This is what I learned from our neighbor.) It would be interesting to attend, but I wouldn't be able to understand what they were saying. With the loud speakers right outside my windows, I will see what I can pick up. On a different note, we're figuring out, with help from the other SCS staff, how to better cool down our apartment (especially my room), and tonight is the first night since I've been here that I don't feel like I'm sleeping in a sauna. I think God is being merciful and giving me slight relief from the heat! Another day, another adventure....

Tuesday was day two of orientation. During devotions Paul shared from Luke 14:25-33 about what it means to be a disciple of Christ- to follow Him. He talked about some different things that we here in the Dominican Republic have to give up, such as possessions, safety, and family. Of course we live in the top percentage of the people here, but we still had to leave behind items that made life more comfortable. Also, he reminded us that depending on where you live, it is safer here than in the United States. Finally, family isn't something you lose necessarily, but it is definitely an adjustment learning to live apart. There is a cost, but the reward is far greater. The mission of SCS is to disciple the youth that we connect with every day. It is based on building relationships with them and leading by example. First and foremost, He calls us to be His disciples. This devotion really encouraged me to continually remind myself of His purpose for me here and refocus when things get difficult.

The rest of the morning we went through some more technical information, which is a great thing for nontechnical me. I must say I'm catching on though. And they present it step by step, so we aren't crammed with information. We went to the main Claro store (cell phone company here) expecting to be there for hours getting our phones set up, but the group of us were in and out within 2 hours. I just have to wait to be approved and then I can go back and sign up for a monthly plan. The employee who helped me led me to believe he didn't speak English for 30 minutes while someone from SCS translated for me. Then the employee slipped up when talking with me and I realized he COULD speak English the whole time. He laughed and said he hates talking with his accent. No need for translation after that. It was quite funny that he could understand the whole time what I was saying and never let on. It made me wonder how many other Dominicans are the same way. I assume they can't understand English when in fact they can.

After lunch I started having an allergic reaction (breaking out in hives) to something, but Stacey knew just what to do. She was able to get me the medication I needed, and after a little time all the hives cleared up completely. Now it'll be a guessing game to rule out what food or environmental allergen would cause such a rapid reaction. God is good to me and my health is in His hands.

I finished off Tuesday shopping with several of the teachers. It seems like we shop a lot, but you can only buy so many groceries or things go bad and we are still figuring out what we need to make our apartments function better. We went to Bellon (like a Home Depot in the U.S.). Sometimes people tend to stare when a group of us "gringos" (white people) enters somewhere. It's interesting to take note of.

Wednesday in orientation we went through the philosophy of Christian education. It was so cool to see some of the places we partner with. SCS is reaching many places, not just here in Santiago. I'm excited that we get to visit some of these places! After lunch we went to IKEA to look for some home decorating items. They had things for every room of the house. You place an order and they send the items up from Santo Domingo in about a day or two.

 In the afternoon I got to spend a short time in my classroom, beginning to unwrap the containers I sent from the U.S.

I'm incredibly happy to see all the containers made it in one piece. Walking back into this classroom brought such joy and excitement to my heart. I could look out the windows at other buildings on campus and know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Now to start organizing everything.

I got to try Baskin Robbins for the first time here in the Dominican Republic and it was so good. It is a great way to cool down on a hot, sunny day. I will definitely be finding my way back to this place. We stopped by another grocery store, that had a book store in it, to look around. There were a lot of books I recognized from the titles, especially children's, except they were in Spanish. It's different to see the majority of the books in a bookstore in Spanish, not English (and not be able to pick up and read them, except the baby books).

Also today my roommates and I were able to find someone who could help us around the apartment. It will be wonderful with our busy school schedules to have someone come one day a week and help us with laundry, cleaning, and even some cooking. She is from Haiti, so we are looking forward to tasting some Dominican and Haitian food! Ir is very typical in the Dominican to have a maid. We couldn't have done this without some amazing people translating for us and knowing what to ask.

Praise report of the day: I used my new phone to calculate pesos and dollars at IKEA. When I left I forgot to pick it up. Hours later I realized I had lost it, and Paul was willing to go back to the store tonight to look for it. I spent much time asking God to please help us find it, as it is brand new. God answered my prayer and it is safely returned. This incident sure taught me many lessons in keeping track of my possessions and not doubting God's continual faithfulness to me even in the small things!