Photos of our world

I know many of you are afraid to send packages as they might cost us an unplanned expense but we REALLY love getting fun things from the US. This box was sent by our fabulous small group in NC. So fun to see if something is waiting for uson mail day at SCS...

Our church, Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva. Pastored by John Webb and his lovely wife, Kelly. Services are in Spanish so it is our two hour Spanish lesson each week. LOVE!!! The members are incredibly warm and welcoming as are most Dominicans. Tim and I attend a weekly couples small group in Spanish as well. Great time with wonderful people!

Our living room. Our first adventure shopping in the DR for a big item. Talked them WAY down with the help of our friend Mindy and her Haitian friend, Patrick.

Our electric is not grounded very well so the boys need to use a Rubic's Cube to turn their lights on and off...

The boys bedroom

The boys hang out room

Master bedroom

Our dining room and view from the front door.

Our kitchen

The office...

The boys bathroom

This is our hot water switch which we flip on about 20 minutes before we want to shower. The warmth lasts about 3 minutes and then starts to cool off. THAT is why I loved standing in a hot shower on my visit to the US. Makes timing morning showers for all of us a bit challenging!

The Early Childhood Education gang decided to get uniforms for school. We have four different color shirts to wear and two pairs of pants. So nice to not have to think about what to wear each day and Fridays are our choice. Custom tailored for me..four shirts and two pairs of pants..less than $100. Nice!

Not uncommon to see a dozen or more men riding in the back of a truck on the way to work.

A rainbow over SCS last week...beautiful!

We took a day trip to Sosua Beach last weekend. Love the water at this beach...crystal clear...

The shops on the beach at Sosua.

A shot from the stores on Sosua Beach, DR.

Epic sand battle at Sosua Beach. A friend pointed out that it looks like I was taking cover behind the beach chair when I shot this pic...love that!

Nowie after the sand battle. Still sand shrapnel in his ear...lol!

This is Ninja, Adam's new kitten. Raul found them near the cafeteria at school.

This is Cheveyo, Nowie's new kitten.

Baked Beans!

Tim and Raul in Jarabacoa last week. Raul grew up there and showed us around his hometown.

This is spray painted on the outbuilding of a friend's church in Barrio Blanco in Jarabacoa, DR.

This photo is an incredible testament to brotherly love. With respect to our friend in the picture, I will not offer great detail, but suffice it to say none of us have ever experienced the heart burden this man has for his brother. Please pray for our friends Raul and Diane and Raul's brother as they seek options for medical care.

Boys Update

Wow! Sorry it has been two months since our last update. Life is busy, even in the Caribbean! I have decided to send an update about the boys but will also post a "Photo Update" with lots of pix later today.

Noah: Noah is in the fifth grade this year at Santiago Christian School (SCS). Every morning before school he is out on the quad playing some sport or other. Shocking, I know! I see him headed to class already wet and dirty most days! LOL! He is doing very well in school although it is getting more challenging. In fact, this coming week he will begin math in the sixth grade cyber school here as he scored very high on the standardized tests this fall. We LOVE that SCS is willing to flex with the kids even though they do not have a formal honors or GT program.

What Noah loves about the DR: his new kitten Cheveyo (A Hopi Indian name he found meaning "spiritual warrior), the food, the weather, the people, learning Spanish, the campus at SCS, the people at school are so helpful with learning Spanish

What Noah misses about the US: his friends, Fireballs soccer (GO FIREBALLS!!!!!), American food and candy, English movie theaters, speaking English, XBOX 360, shooting hoops in the driveway,

Prayers for Noah: Noah has been strongly seeking God recently. Practically begged for a bible for his birthday. Prayers for him to have open eyes and a heart for God.

Noah playing kickball

Jake: Jake is in second grade this year. He tested out of first grade this year because of the language difference. It is likely he will move back to his appropriate grade once we return to the states though. Once again, we are so grateful for the flexibility that SCS has meeting the kids where they are. He is doing well in second grade but still works hard at his handwriting as fine motor skills are not his strong suit. He loves all of the young women teachers who he charms and entertains regularly. I know, that's a shocker!

What Jake loves about the DR: (his words exactly) "the food down here, the internet, the school, my teacher,

What Jake misses about the US: my friends, some of the food there, my old school, Miss Boone, the language.

Prayers for Jake: Pray that Jake would continue to make successful choices in school and that we can find ways to use his time productively. It's a challenge because the kids can't just go outside and play.

Jake and his friend, Juan Diego, playing before school.

Adam: Adam is in seventh grade this year. We (me, Tim and Adam) decided to hold him back a year because of the homeschool situation last year and we wanted him to be able to focus on acquiring the new language. His three boy cousins have stayed back a grade by choice with much success so we all see it as an opportunity to be successful rather than struggle through. Adam is taking two Spanish classes a day, plus a cyber school science class. The kids have 9 classes a day!!! A LOT to keep up with. He ended last marking period with all A's and one B. He has really turned a corner in his ability to manage his school work. I think we left the old Adam in the US! LOL! He's doing very well with his Spanish and really steps out confidently to try it when we are out and about (unlike his wimpy Mom!) Every week he goes to Wyldlife, the middle school version of Young Life and loves it!

What Adam loves about the DR: the food, my new friends, the internet because I can stay in touch with my US friends, speaking Spanish, Wyldlife.

What Adam misses about the US: my friends, being able to walk to Beaver Creek with my friends, birthday parties, XBOX 360.

Prayers for Adam: Pray that Adam would be strong is dealing with his feelings as an outsider. Like most missionary kids he struggles with not fitting in. He is blessed with several great friends but it's still hard for him some days.

Adam and his best bud, Homin. They hated having their picture taken. Thanks boys for humoring me! LOL!

"For" them, not "to" them

When we first decided to move to the DR in April, you can imagine there was a multitude of responses from friends and family. The most striking to me was this: "I could never do that to my kids." But we felt something missing, something empty for us in the everyday typical life.

Tim and I, for anyone who knows us, suffer from severe wanderlust. After 5 years max we get antsy for something else or more or different or whatever. For several years we have chatted with friends about wanting our kids to have a different story.

To us the most interesting adults and young adult children of friends are those who have a story beyond what is typical. I distinctly remember standing at a welcome home party for a friend's son who had returned from Iraq for a leave. His younger brother who was about 22 at the time was talking with me. He said "Yea, Mrs. Chittenden, I just feel a need to get out of the country for the summer so I'm headed to an orphanage in Africa for six weeks." Um, really?!?! You are 22, shouldn't you want to go to a beach house and party with friends? That's what all 22 year olds want to do, isn't it? That's what I would have done. But you know, all the stories that come from beach houses really sound the same don't they? Talk to me about your trip to Africa...now that's something I don't get to talk about every day. The same two young men grew up being moved from country to country for their dad's job: France, China, US and more. They have a different story.



On a daily basis the boys are now surrounded by people who have different stories. One teacher who is 28 has been to 15 different countries. He has worked in the DR before at SCS and has been a missionary teacher in Korea and a missionary in the Romania. Here is something he posted several years ago:



"Graduating from ***ville I had a plan that in my mind would have been nothing short of perfect. Go home for a year while I got my feet on the ground at a good job in the area, until the opportunity opened up to teach in the district I progressed through from kindergarten to graduation. Move out, find a nice mid-west girl, settle down and start blah blah blah. God definitely had different plans, and I am thankful, because I can't imagine being that closed minded 22 year old. Culture has a way of opening one's eyes to the bigger picture. Experiencing another culture has a way of breaking one down and causing reevaluation of everything. Suddenly, I have gone from this cocky college grad to knowing that there are so many more important things than the silly things we as Americans tend to stress about on a daily basis."

Yup, different story.

And another guy teacher at the school has worked in Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bolivia, Taiwan, Israel, Northeast India, Cameroon, England, Mexico, and Tibet.


Everyday we chose as parents what our children are exposed to. Do we control it all? No. Should we control it all? Certainly not. But through conversations and experiences our children can experience more than video games and hang outs at the mall. Before I was a believer I said to a Christian friend "I don't want to force my religion on my kids." She said "Why not? The world spends millions of dollars and hours forcing itself on them. Why wouldn't you, maybe not force but, share your convictions with them? Christianity is not a religion. Religion has a sense of obligation and rules. Christianity is a relationship so introduce them to God. Jesus


We don't know why God called us to the DR. Maybe it is as simple as meeting these guy teachers, people our boys can relate to, spend time with and see the world through. Maybe it is to put in check with the things we take for granted in the US. Maybe a million different reasons. Maybe we will never know in our lifetime. Maybe we'll return to the states and their lives will be typical again but their story will never be the same. But one thing is certain...we didn't do it "to" our kids.

Picture Heavy

Some of our friends do not use Facebook to keep up with us so we wanted to share some photos with them. Enjoy a little peek into our new world....

Beans crashed on Miss Brooker's lap after a long day at the beach...

My awesome aide,Yudelka and I before our Open House.

A picture of the quad at SCS...pretty campus. The boys really like the whole big campus feel.The cafeteria. I get free lunch as a teacher and it is AMAZING! Not Ellio's pizza here!

My classroom!!!

The boys putting away the hand washed dishes...teamwork!

Monument to the Heroes of Restoration is close to our home. It sits on a hill overlooking Santiago and has wonderful views of the city. It was built by the dictator Trujillo but has since been renamed and his statue on top removed. The statue that is now n top is affectionately named "Touchdown Jesus" by one of our friends!

The following five pictures are taken from our roof.

As you will notice we are in a valley named Cibao and surrounded by the mountain ranges of the Cordillera Septentrional and the rugged Cordillera Central.

I shot this this morning in our shower.

I was thinking it beautiful to be surrounded by palm trees.

This sticker, which says "God Bless This House" was left by prior owners. I noticed it the first night we were here when the boys were stressing about things. Reassurance....

First day of school at Santiago Christian.

Bean's lost his first tooth!!! The tooth fairy left dollars AND pesos!

Our new truck...still trying to sell the old one!!!

Staff beach trip to Sosua...fun day! I kept saying "Pinch me. I LIVE here?!?!?"

Some new SCS friends enjoying lunch on the beach.

The view from our lunch table...aaahhh! So nice!

Limoncillo Drew bought on the beach and shared with all of us.

You squeeze the skin and suck on the fruit inside.

Much like the inside of a grape but with one big pit.

View down the beach in Sosua

Jake learning how to use a snorkel.

Isn't the water amazing?!?!?!?

Adam, happy to be on the beach again. And Noah loved snorkeling...little fish!

Jake, little poser! This is a security guard at our bank. ALL security guards carry shotguns.

A bit unnerving at first but actually reassuring now.

My new friend, Naomi, and I after we got our bank accounts. Woo hoo! Now we can get paid!

Week one...

What a week! First, we simply must say that Santiago Christian School has done an outstanding job making sure we are settled in and comfortable. I went to new teacher orientation each day which was very informational. So much too know about the school, the culture and the kids. SCS served us a fabulous lunch each day. Someone even overheard one of the teachers talking about loving yucca and changed the menu to include delicious yucca the next lunch. SO sweet!

Each day included a "field trip" to accomplish some daunting task like setting up a cell phone, getting our bank accounts and applying for residency which included a trip to Santo Domingo, blood/urine test and a chest x-ray. I cannot imagine trying to ANY of those things without the help of someone from here. It was easy breezy with the SCS team! This week on a personal note one or more teachers or staff from SCS helped us fix our stove, measure for screens, exchange our US dollars, set up a maid, take us to IKEA, loaned us tools to put together said IKEA purchases and ran out for a Gatorade when I was sick with dehydration. I'm sure I have forgotten something. Truly it is like an instant family. Brothers and sisters in Christ. I cannot imagine an international move any other way!

Little things this week:

We have had to acclimate to: (not complaints, just realities)
-NOT flushing toilet paper (Yup, it all goes in a little trash can next to the toilet.)
-hand washing and air drying dishes
-hanging clothes to dry
-driving worse than a New Yorker
-loud motorcycles setting off car alarms at all hours
-soaking our fruits and veggies in a bleach bath before we cut or eat them
-brushing our teeth with bottled water
-no air conditioning in our home
-applying bug spray 3-4 times a day
-booming bass out of 5 foot speakers in the back of a pick up truck
-very pleasant Latin American music played by our neighbors which we can hear of course because everyone keeps their windows open
-security guards and police carrying shotguns
-not texting on our cell phones
-having an employee test anything electronic or electrical before it leaves the store including light bulbs and televisions
-watching Phineas and Ferb in Espanol

Big things this week:
Well the truck we bought before we arrived was a bit worse for the wear for our comfort. With being here for awhile and wanting to take road trips on weekend to explore this beautiful island, we really weren't comfortable with possibly breaking down when our language skills are not quite up to par. So we reached out to our friend Ken George who ministers here through G.O. Ministries to see if he could suggest some options for buying and selling a vehicle. Lo and behold, he was selling HIS truck because he would be headed back to the US and not returning until 2011. His truck is 11 younger than the one we had and he also knows a guy here who put our old truck on his lot to sell. So we are now the proud owners of a 2006 Ford Eurosport. Of course, this was not on our financial radar so please pray our old truck sells quickly! :)

So this week we all start school. I start on Wednesday with an open house for my class and the boys start on Thursday full fledged. They have had some time on campus and have befriended many of the teachers so the last hurdle of comfort for them will be meeting their classmates. Pllease keep them in your prayers this week for peace and comfort and confidence in who they are as they seek out new friendships.

Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement! Praise God for a blessed first week and our new Dominican "family."

Love, love, love!

First Night in Santiago

This is a photo I took this morning from Noah's bed... :)

Saludos de Santiago, República Dominicana!!! We arrived Thursday night right on time to the happy face of Wayne Lynch, the executive director of Santiago Christian School. It was so nice to see a familiar face in the crowd. Adam whispered to me “I feel so out of place.” Viola! Lesson one: Adam got to first hand experience the feeling of being a minority if only in a small way. It will continue of course but we were able to have a conversation about how that feels and we talked about how sometimes foreigners in America or new kids in school, etc must feel when they enter new countries or situations.

The kids did great helping us handle our 20 suitcases through the airport. Once outside, it was immediately apparent what a friendly, relational group the Dominican people are. Loud, happy greetings and hugs to family arriving. It was almost like a party! Valerio, the SCS driver, loaded our luggage into the school van and then gave Tim immediate practice in Spanish for the ride to our apartment.

Arriving in the night was interesting and I have since heard from other new teachers and even missionary from another country that it is difficult to do. Hard to see, unsure of what you are seeing…then Adam spots someone holding a shotgun. Of course we later find out that most security guards are visibly armed however the mood of the night was now set. At least for the kids, gloomy and for us, well, not nervous but overwhelmed with all of the newness we will be facing.

I liken our arrival at the apartment to arriving at a rented beach house. At first you feel like a guest but after a few days it feels like home. So we unpacked and saw the light of day and things were much better. Our phone rang early in the day and another new SCS employee, Paul Gibbs who lives across the parking lot, said he was bringing us coffee. Woohoo! Someone who speaks our language!!! LOL! Things were already looking brighter. J

So the big realities for the kids is that they are now living in a city and never have. They will be immersed in a new language and are also attending a new school. SO much to adjust to. They are handling things amazingly!!! They could still use some prayers for sure. I was talking to Adam last night and told him to think about how easy Spanish class in high school will be for him once he returns. He said “Sweet! I didn’t ever think about that!” It’s those big picture things they really cannot know because they’ve not lived much of their lives yet.

We have SOOOOO much more to share but will add later. Don’t want to lose you with the length of posts. It’s amazing how much I could share with you from just of first three days!!!

Thanks so much for all of your payers and continued encouragement. Facebook chat us if you would like our Skype address. We LOVE “showing people around” our little spot in Santiago.

Abrazos!

The Farewells Have Begun...

I have been terribly remiss about keeping up on the blog...sorry! It's been quite a whirlwind month. I've been battling what to write mostly because preparations have had their challenges and I feared coming across as pessimistic. I liken the experience to trying to shove an octopus into a gallon Ziploc. Lots to do in a short time. We remain incredibly optimistic and peaceful about our move despite momentary frustrations with as I often call the "Eewy Things." Yes, I teach Kindergarten! LOL!

I read this on the Facebook status of our missionary friend, Karen George, the other day:

When Satan knocks at your door do you say "Jesus, will you get that?"

It's been a month of "knocking." Things from 3 computers crashing (one was only 2.5 weeks old!!!) and the associated affects on all of our businesses, cracked windshields, unexpected surgery, LOTS of paperwork confusion, pukey kids, dead A/C in the house, and wasted trips to the health department for immunizations ("I'm sorry you needed an appointment with the travel health clinic." UGH! )

But it's been a more resounding month of "answering the door." Friends bringing meals, financial support for our mission, family pitching in, our Small Group and the Peter's family just rocking the garage sale prep, selling both vehicles and the associated arrival of the "Blue Limo" (Tim's grandpa's 1992 blue Caprice Classic station wagon... SAHWEET! Just call us the Griswold's! :D), the gift of a Flip video camera, a relaxing week at the beach with friends old and new, Tim's IBM contract extension.

So as we take the last step off American soil and our first step onto Dominican soil this Thursday, we go confident that God has opened AND answered the doors to clear the path for us.

Thank you Lord.

Psalm 119:34-36 (New International Version)

34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.


BTW, pictures and videos promised in the next post... :)