Vacation Bible School, Dominican Style!

I've been involved in VBS many different years with churches, helping to teach a class of 5 year olds about Daniel in the Lions Den or talking to 8 year olds about Adam and Eve, but I have never been involved in anything quite like the EBDV. The Escuela Biblica de Verano or EBDV hosted by Cielo's church (and other Templo Biblico churches) packs the 3rd floor of the main mission building twice a day. Once at 3 pm for children under the age of 12 and again at 6 pm for teenagers and adults. At 3 pm there are so many children that there is no room to sit, stand or walk and the teachers have to shuffle through dense crowds of children to check the answers written in the students' books containing the curriculum.

Blue Team (my team) - talking about their act of service

Playing games of ring toss for points

In the evening, two teams of Red and Blue compete for points that will accumulate all week for the award's ceremony on Sunday evening. Points are given for answering the questions about the day's lesson correctly, for winning games during the course of the evening and for assignments given to a group from each team modeled after a TV show in the DR. "Reality Show," which probably could be compared to any show on MTV or VH1... Road Rules, Amazing Race, etc. involved challenges geared towards helping others. The theme of the EBDV is Actions that give Life. So, one night the teams were asked to do something for someone in need. The next day we watched videos of what the teams had done during the day. One team had helped to cook, clean, do laundry and give a makeover to an elderly woman. The other team cleaned and cooked for another elderly woman who was wheelchair bound. No winner was declared and the prize was simply the experience.

I had so much fun at the EBDV (despite the fact that my team lost)! It is amazing what the Cielo church can accomplish with such a small budget and how much joy they can provide for hundreds of people in the community of Cielo. The community benefited not only from the Reality Show challenges, but from the activity they were able to attend Monday through Sunday. Over 40 young people gave their lives to Christ on Saturday and Sunday and it has been awesome sharing with them this past week as they came to our normal church services. They are a great group of kids who were touched by Christ's sacrifice for all of us and are earnestly seeking His will for their lives. I look forward to spending more time with them in the coming months.

Dust

There are certain things that keep you grounded. Things that remind you who you are. Yesterday evening, I went to a bible study where we are reading Matthew and talking about the context of history and events happening within the book. Most of the history has to do with the Roman empire and it reminded me how much I love Roman history, mythology and Latin. I spent three years in high school learning Latin mainly because they did not offer Italian, which I eventually took in college. I don't remember much of the dead language I spent so much time learning, but I do remember the emperors and the daily life of the people of this epoch contemporaneous with Jesus and his disciples.

When I lived in Southern Italy, I took a trip with my mother and sister to Herculaneum. This smaller site is less famous than Pompeii, but better preserved. Here Mt. Vesuvius erupted showering ash and dust so quickly that those living there died within minutes suffocating in the thick air and buried in the dust. There was no time to escape. Houses and people were preserved by the volcanic eruption allowing historians and laypersons an unparalleled look at Roman life. Earthen jars used to store food and water, tile mosaics and clothing and jewelry were all found alongside the bodies of the dead.

I wonder what people will see when they look back at our lives. Perhaps some might say that I liked to travel. They might find many books in my house, perhaps clothing and shoes. But what does this really say about me? What do they see when they look now? Anthropologists believe that they can construct a person's whole life from the relics that are left behind -- what they ate, how they dressed, what they did. This says a lot about a person, but does it really say who they were? Everyone here eats rice and beans, wears t-shirts and jeans and goes to work or works in their house. That is so common that it says very little about the person. How then are we set apart? By our actions and our testimony.

What is your testimony? And what do your actions say about you? I have learned that I can be impulsive, reacting purely on emotion. I am transparent, communicating exactly what I think. But if I slow myself down and think more about a situation, the players and what is occurring, I come to a much more rational solution. I would like for my actions to be like those of Christ. Calm for the most part, caring and loving. The Lord listened to those around Him. He knew their needs and he cared for them. He did everything that He could to help those around them and give them a better life -- here on earth and eventually in heaven. Christ was selfless, not thinking about His own feelings, but knowing His purpose and carrying it through. As He died upon the cross, words He said that have most affected me are, "Forgive them for they know not what they do."

How many times am I tempted to be hurt by the actions of other people. To demand an explanation for their actions and their at times purposeful affronts. But who am I to want such things? If Jesus who was blameless in the sight of God and deserved to be treated with the utmost respect, dignity and worship did not demand these things on earth, how much less can I, who am nothing, have an expectation of others? Thus I must learn to become nothing, to believe myself unworthy of anything and to accept whatever comes my way. I do not deserve anything, nor should I have expectation of it. But this I do know, that when Christ comes in His glory is when we shall have our reward.

Cresciendo

I've noticed in the last few years what a difference a year makes. Even though they seem to fly by one after another, each year brings about new changes in my life. This year I feel like I've been confronted by my humanness and the raw human emotion evoked by circumstances simple and complex. These experiences have allowed me to empathize with other people and to better understand those around me. I have also been struck by how profoundly emotions govern our actions and have a better notion of what self-control means. Not just control of self in things such as eating or speaking your mind, but control of your reactions to the unexpected actions of others, perceived affronts small or large and stress. The scriptures mention self-control as a fruit of the spirit. This fruit allows us to carry out the mandate "be slow to anger and abounding in love."

Our sinful nature is predisposed to get annoyed and become angry, to be envious, to be selfish and to sometimes take joy in the tribulations of others. This nature is hard to control, difficult to train and nearly impossible to overcome, except with the help of the holy spirit. Though I have been made aware of the need for control and have realized what things trigger my annoyance, the actual control of these emotions is harder in practice. While still quite flawed, at least when my emotions get the better of me, I have learned to apologize immediately to those who have received the expression of said emotions. In the end it would be much easier just not to react, so that I do not have to apologize, however, I must remind myself again and again that I am only human... and after all what is it that makes us human if not our thoughts and emotions? Therefore, emotions are not to be cast completely aside, but neither can they govern our entire nature.

In this as in all things, I must continually seek God's forgiveness and will in my life. To become a better person I must learn from my mistakes and the wisdom of others. And I must be willing to take correction from heaven and those here on earth.

"A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence." ~Proverbs 15:5

I know the Lord is at work in my life. The more this clay is molded, the better able I will be to serve others.

Blessings,

Anna

Afterwards

So, I probably owed everyone a blog post much sooner...

Thinking about what to say I found that there were many more thoughts bouncing around my head then feasible space in a post. Logically, that ought to mean that I post more, but instead while grasping for the perfect words I just decided not to blog at all. Well, I've gotten over myself and thrown that idea out the window. Thus here we are, be prepared for utter chaos instead of organized thought.

Its July now and that means that we've finished with groups for the summer. It was a great last few weeks for the clinic and the community as we had a dentist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, nurse and physical therapy all volunteer their time to improve the lives of people in Cielo. We also had a great meeting with parents of the school to give them dental hygiene orientation.

One other change that July brought about was the departure of our doctor and friend, Ismael. He was afforded the wonderful opportunity to journey to Spain and study his specialty. It all happened very rapidly as they called him on Tuesday and he left on Saturday! We are all very happy for him and wish him well in this new venture. We are also thankful to welcome a new doctor, Tatiana Cespedes, to our clinic. Tatiana just finished working for 9 months in Azua about 2 hours from here and returned home to Bayona in June.

I've observed a lot over the last 11 months and I will have to write more later about my reflections on human emotion, sinful nature and the growth that has occurred in my life. I also had the opportunity to observe many things with the groups and there was one particular reflection that I'd like to share later as well. Perhaps I will write more tonight or tomorrow... in the mean time have a great day!

Blessings,

Anna