Samana Excursion

Well, first of all, I can't believe where the time has gone. I haven't updated this blog in several months, that is kind of embarassing, but here I am posting some pictures, so that's better than nothing.

Jake and I went on a "baby-moon" get-away to the Samana Peninsula, a very beautiful part of this island. It was our first time there and we were so excited to be able to see some beautiful beaches and humpback whales. We stayed in a cute bed and breakfast (pictured here) and also a nice resort, but in hindsight we would have chosen the bed and breakfast for the whole time. We had lots of time to swim and explore and then on our last day we went on a whale-watching tour. We got to see the humpback whales that come to Samana to breed and have their babies. We were even able to see a mom with her baby, very special!

Spirit Week

Doulos' Spirit Week was phenomenal. Check out the pics of Pajama day and Doulos spirit day!

A Restful Weekend

Jake and I went with some friends to a place called Villa Pajon outside of Constanza. Constanza is about a 2 hour motorcyle ride from Jarabacoa. It is a beautiful farming town nestled in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. We had an amazing time riding motorcycles, relaxing on the porch, hiking and traveling to a site called Las Piramides. One of the most refreshing things about this trip was that it felt like we were in Oregon. The air was crisp and clear. We actually had to pull out our winter clothes and were still cold! We were so thankful for the opportunity to go on a small vacation.

The School Year Has Begun!

A picturesque shot of the scene at Doulos. Kids are running around the newly finished pond looking for the turtles and new fish. The pond project was a collaberation of several classes as part of their expedition. It is pretty amazing to see what students can accomplish when they are challenged to create and plan large-scale projects.

The school year has started, teachers are back in action and students are slowly transitioning into classes, homework, and social lives. Once again the school is filled with the sound of students repeating after their teachers, laughter in the cafe and futbol games on the basketball court.

I am pretty excited to be back at work, although I didn't feel that way this Monday morning at 6 am. It has been great though being busy again, having community, and being challenged daily to become a better person and a better teacher. I feel like I have so much to learn this year, especially since this is my first official year of teaching. It is a whole new ball game when I am "in charge". So, if you think about it, please pray for me and ask God to give me wisdom. I really want the seventh graders in my devotions class to learn to love the Lord. I want us to be challenged by one another and to grow this year. I will update again with more pics and stories, hopefully there will be some good ones...

A Fantastic Summer

Jake and I have been enjoying a busy summer of workteams, summer camp and a surprise visit home. One of the workteams down here was our very own church in Eugene, Jubilee. We had such a great week with them and decided to go home for a visit shortly after they left. While we were at home we went to a family reunion and visited other family and friends. We are so thankful for so many friends in both countries.

We had a house-warming Chocolate Party!

The end of the school year...

Here at Doulos we are finishing school and the kids are so excited! Here are some pictures of my class. We just wanted to say thank you to my mom who sent us all kinds of wonderful prizes for their "Doulos Store". The students earned these "Doulos dollars" every day and we had the store every two weeks. They loved getting to make some of their own purchases with their hard earned money! Thank you mom!

Also, I wanted to include some pictures from our big project that we just finished. We were studying the Maya and the students were making some awesome art projects.