the good news

“Have you taken your hands off of your life?”

 I had the privilege of attending the Young Life All Staff Conference this past week in Orlando, Florida and these were the words Tim Keller left us with on our first morning together. Hmm… He continued the next morning with the statement, “If you believe the Gospel, it restructures your identity.”

 We are called to first let the good news of our Lord, Jesus Christ, infiltrate our hearts and change us from within, before bringing that good news to others. In Young Life, we form relationships with people in the community to bring that life-changing news. I was challenged by Tim Keller’s words – have I taken my hands off of my life? When he asked, I had to honestly answer no. Sure, I am outwardly serving Him each and every day… but our Lord looks deep into our hearts. And deep in my heart, I like to maintain control over a few insecurities. So, now I am resting in the truth of the good news – that I am “more wicked, yet more loved, than I ever believed” (T.Keller).

 Returning to Jarabacoa, we are about to start our programmatic events with Young Life. Please pray for our leadership team that we would approach this semester with Christ as our focus and love kids through His love and power. Please be especially lifting up our student leaders – Rebekah, Daniel, and Glenys.

 I am adjusting to my new schedule at the school and truly finding joy in the kids that I work with. We will be entering the “expedition season” soon, which is always exciting. Also, the whole school will take a break at the end of February for Service Week. I love that each grade in our school serves the community in all different ways for a whole week! It truly shows the revolutionary love of Christ.

Thank you all for your continued love and support. I am so grateful for each one of you.  Don't forget to check out the pictures below...

much love to you, Sara


Housemates Lorraine and Rachel on Lo's bday



Friends Christen and Kerrie at Lo's birthday dinner

Below are just a small handful of the people I got to see in Florida

(really the only times I remembered to take pictures)

The Florida fam
Ryan, Robin, Giovanna, & Maddox and Barry, Gretchen, Jackson, & Cannon

Sarah Bond and I finally made it to Harry Potter world!
Hello Hogwarts!

Fun times catching up with Dave and Maureen

Friends Andrea and Jeremy - who are coming to the DR soon, right?

Happy New Year!

“The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best.”-Oswald Chambers

This quote by Oswald Chambers begins to explain the Fall semester for me. There were so many wonderful things about the past few months – teaching English, leading Young Life, bible studies, discipleship with Rebekah, Spanish classes, accountability groups, tutoring… but all of these wonderful things left no time for being in relationship with those around me, or for maintaining relationships with those far away (you!).

As I was praying about whether or not to stay for a third year, I also began to pray about my schedule. I didn’t want to give up anything because they are all good things; however, I knew something needed to change for a better balance. The solution in my head was to work at Doulos Monday – Thursday and to have Friday as a workday for Young Life, allowing me to do both of my jobs well, rather than just getting the minimum done. I met with our Managing Director who has a gift for seeing the whole picture. He saw my whole picture and countered my idea with a three day work week at Doulos and two days for Young Life…. AND he said rather than thinking so far in the future to next school year, he didn’t see any reason why this change couldn’t take place in January.

Our Heavenly Father knows what we need.

I felt so encouraged by that conversation with my director and am learning the importance of recognizing my limits. By being open and vulnerable with my situation, the Lord went way above and beyond my expectations for this year and next. With that being said, I am planning on staying for a third year. I am excited to see how this new schedule shakes out and how the Lord brings out the best, not just the good.

Please be praying with me through these changes. It has been wonderful co-teaching with the third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers this year. Please pray for them as they transition into this new schedule as well. Also, please pray for me as I begin to structure these new workdays – for wisdom and vision for the ministry of Young Life in Jarabacoa.

I am thankful for you and your partnership. It was so refreshing to be with some of you over the holidays. I hope to see more of you during the summer. Please let me know how you are doing and how I can be praying for you!

Much love and peace,

Sara

Happy Thanksgiving!!

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:2-3

I was reading in Deuteronomy this week – actually in my hammock while camping with 5th grade for our Bird Expedition (I teach at a sweet school!) – and was reminded that in the unfamiliar is where God meets us and where our hearts turn to Him. I have spent over a year now in an “unfamiliar” land that is now beginning to feel normal and more like home every day. However, I was reminded this past week walking into Supermercado Jarabacoa and seeing Cherry Coke, how comforting the familiar can be! So comforting that I bought six cans, when I don’t even drink Cherry Coke in the States! So, as I live and work and play in an unfamiliar land, I take comfort in the truth that the Lord continues to shed light into the dark places in my heart so that I may be molded to more and more like Him.

This Fall has been a whirlwind of school and Young Life. With zero holidays this semester, all teachers are counting the days to Christmas break. It’s been a great semester, but I am ready to rest.

Young Life Update
So MANY good things from the Lord – new leaders, a new schedule, special events once a month, co-ed Campaigners bible study, one-on-one leader/student discipleship, our first All-City Young Life and Vida Joven Club… I am just enjoying getting to know these high school students better and better. Below are some pictures from our Fall events.

Rebeca, me, and Emily - YL staff getting ready for All-City Club!

All-City Young Life/Vida Joven Club

Young Life Scavenger Hunt - we found Waldo!!

Friday afternoons making posters for Young Life

teachers Keith and Kerrie disguised during our YL Scavenger Hunt

YL leaders and our Doulos Managing Director, Tim, and Whit disguised during the Hunt

Doulos Update
We are nearing Expedition Night, so things are busy with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade! I was able to go rock climbing with 3rd grade as they explore Simple Machines. And this past week, I went camping with 5th grade on a Bird Observation trip. Our kids are learning some amazing things!

5th grade camping trip for our Bird Expedition

learning to use the binoculars

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I feel it deeply here. Please pray for me as I discern what next year holds for me. It’s hard to believe my two-year commitment is almost complete. Below are some photos from life here.

Iron Chef - DR style
2 teams
Tri-State Area vs Kansas
Secret ingredient: yuatia

Tri-State Area wins!!!

Much love and peace,

Sara

Outdoor Education Week

"Roar, sea, and every creature in you; sing, earth, and all who live on you!  Clap your hands, you rivers; you hills, sing together with joy before the Lord, because he comes to rule the earth.  He will rule the peoples of the world with justice and fairness."  Psalm 98:7-9

Hey all!  One of the unique things about teaching at Doulos Discovery School, is that every September we have an Outdoor Education Week.  This year I had the privilege of taking the 4th and 5th grade students camping again.  We hike with our backpacks up a mountain in Manabao and camp at a site for 2 nights.  During this time the students have classes to learn about the environment around them, reflection time to enjoy the Lord's creation, and plenty of time to play and be kids!  Below is a link to YouTube - it's the only way I could figure out how to upload the file.  Enjoy the slideshow....there is a surprise at the end!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN1N9aWjUX4

Beginnings...

"The basic plot of the whole True Romance of history seems to be just that Love will have us lovely before he's through or split a gut trying. He will badger us, bulldoze us, clobber and cajole us till in the end we all make it 'to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ' (Ephesians 4:13)." Frederick Buechner

Praying today that each of you would be badgered and bulldozed by the great love of Christ that is never-ending, ever-pursuing, never-failing, and ever-present with us.

A friend shared this quote a few weeks ago and it has stuck with me. As we are completing the first month of school here in the DR, I am noticing the drastic changes from last year to this year. Personally, I am seeing the ways the Lord has grown me in a year and how much this place seems like home. Super encouraging! So, take heart if you are feeling badgered or bulldozed today – there is purpose.

We kicked off the Young Life semester this year with Tribal Wars Club this past Tuesday. The Lord has provided in big ways for this ministry already. The place we were holding our Club meetings last year was no longer available, so many of us were praying for a new space. Our YL Committee Chair communicated our needs to the local Lions Club and we are now using their building right in the middle of town on Tuesday nights…for FREE! It’s a great space – perfect for hosting hoards of teenagers! Funny story… the night of our first club I ran my car right into one of the concrete poles because it was raining so hard and I couldn’t see. It was late and my car is a freakin tank, so I thought everything was okay. The next morning I checked out my car and realized otherwise. Worried about our new relationship with the Lions Club and that there might be some damage to their pole, I drove by early that morning before school to check it out. The pole was completely fine; however, I noticed parts of my car scattered around the parking area. So I stealthily slipped out of my car and began gathering the parts….

Onto other news….the Doulos school year has started beautifully! The ESL program looks much different this year as I am co-teaching more in the classroom with the other teachers. Instead of pulling a small group consistently, the classroom teacher and I are trying to provide in-classroom support. This calls for a lot of collaboration, which has been so much fun with the group of teachers I am working with. Currently we are preparing for Outdoor Education Week – I will be accompanying the fourth and fifth grades on a three day camping trip in the mountains next week! Please keep us in your prayers for fun and safety.

Below are some random pictures of the lighter side of life here… Enjoy!

My 31st birthday surprise dinner!

good friends - leah, me, and meg

me and lorraine...can you find us??  It's Tim's 30th birthday - G.I. Joe style!

Lorraine and I

Year Two

“So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock.” Matthew 7:24-25

I flew back to the DR on a Saturday and these were the words shared at church the next morning. I was filled with hope for the coming of my second year here. Reflecting back on the past year, I can truly see the value of the challenges I faced (and still do), yet rejoice in the foundation I have in our Lord. His strength is beyond compare.

The summer went by in a whirlwind – precious time with family and friends, 

Bywaters and sweet Anna



Jackson!

Cannon!

parents moving, an ESL conference, games of Antelope, the final Harry Potter… and suddenly I was packing to return. It is always hard to leave, but so good to be back in the DR. I returned to my own apartment for the first time and it really felt like home.

The past two weeks have been filled with workdays at Doulos as we prepare for students to arrive tomorrow! The first week back we focused on our Slice. A Slice is a mini-expedition that the staff does each year about something on the island. Last year we learned about the sugar industry and visited a Haitian batay. This year we learned more about public education in the Dominican Republic. We spent a day doing research and visiting local public and private schools. The next day we visited a public school and did various service projects: painting chalkboards, making classroom signs, designing and painting a mural, pouring concrete, sharing ideas with teachers, cleaning and painting the basketball court, and reworking the lighting.

Lorraine and I painting chalkboards

Keren, Rachel, Me, Christin, Kate, and Heather

This was a blank wall at the start of the day - we have some very talented artists on our staff!

Our final day was spent brainstorming a final project for expedition. We decided on a teacher mentor program through providing materials, ideas, and training. This is the most amazing part to me – our entire staff devoted a day to making materials (language games, math manipulatives, posters, a training PowerPoint) for another school. I’ve always been so self-focused as a teacher at the beginning of school. What do I need to get done before kids arrive? However, our focus was completely on another school and how we could help them before their students arrive. I was reminded yet again how special Doulos is and what a blessing it is to be a part of this community.

Picking black raspberries....it was a slow start...

Thank for your continued support as I begin another year here. Please pray for our teachers and students with school starting tomorrow. Young Life will be starting back up in a few weeks and we will need a new space for Club – please join with me in praying for that space. Pray specifically that it will be centrally located and free of charge. I am so excited to have you partner with me on another year here. Please continue to stay in touch and send news from your corners of the world.

Combining of worlds in Fredericksburg - Jill, me, Meghan & Sara (both from the DR), Sam and Amanda



The NY girls - Jessie, Lynne, me, and Andrea

the lovely Bethann

One of my favorite people - Gretchen

But we finished strong!
Rachel, me, and Amanda

Much love and peace to you,
Sara

The First Year

Dear Friends,
One year. It’s hard to believe that I have completed my first year in the Dominican Republic. What a ride it has been! It has been amazing to be able to share this experience with you. What a gift to have such wonderful people around me to lift me up and support me. Thank you.

Doulos Discovery School. Moving here in July I really had no idea what to expect, other than what I read about on paper. I’ve come to realize just what a special and unique school this is. It’s been amazing to watch and experience students from different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds interact. And not only interact, but share and celebrate their cultures and traditions with each other. Just last night, we had a Talent Show where many students presented traditional dances from each country – and these kids can dance! However, what I have enjoyed most of all throughout the year is having the servant heart of Christ as the center of it all. Doulos is Greek for bondservant - someone who has been set free but chooses to remain and serve. It is a beautiful thing to watch this lived out daily. I struggle to actually put this into words. So you should really just come and experience it for yourself!

Young Life has also been an amazing experience. I have been challenged in some hard ways leading a team as I adjusted to a new culture. However, the Lord is faithful and I feel blessed by the challenges I faced. He has molded my heart and stretched me to make me stronger in Him. I came in knowing the ministry of Young Life very well, but never experiencing the Dominican culture. It turns out kids are kids! Who knew?! I love teenagers! They make me laugh. My friend, Rebekah, can sing the Haiti version of “We Are the World” in all the voices of the twenty-plus singers as we are driving around Jarabacoa. It’s awesome. And hilarious. She and I are hoping to begin a bible study together over the summer and into the fall. You can continue to pray for our time together. It’s amazing to watch the Lord break down barriers and begin to form real and trust-filled relationships.

Thank you so much for making this year possible. I can say in all honesty that it simply wouldn’t be possible for me to be here without your support. Financially, I am one hundred percent supported by you. Prayerfully, you have given me the strength to make it through the hard times and experience the sweetness of brokenness. Thank you just doesn’t seem enough.

Much love and peace,

Sara

So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

Hillsong United

I’m beginning to realize that my first year in Jarabacoa is coming to a close. Just one short year ago I had accepted a calling to come here and was beginning to tell people at home about the journey ahead. It’s hard to believe. So much has happened in your lives since I’ve been here… and so much has happened in my heart this year that I struggle to put it into words. My posts this semester have not been as regular as I would’ve liked them to be – and I think part of the reason is I just don’t know how to verbalize things sometimes.

Brokenness. Seems like a negative word at first; however, there is nothing sweeter. Real growth does not take place until the soil has been prepared. It continues with care and pruning. This year has been a time for the Lord to break into the deep parts of my heart that have been hidden unknowingly. I can truly rejoice in the brokenness I have felt this year. “So I’ll stand with arms high and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it all.”

Doulos – Four weeks left until graduation on June 11th! It continues to be a busy time of year (as any teacher anywhere knows).  :) The big news – we just completed our official ACSI accreditation visit and all signs point to Doulos being an accredited school for the 2011-2012 school year! We will find out officially in July. This is a huge step for the school and a LOT of work has gone into making this happen. Very exciting. In these last few weeks of school, I hope to soak up the time with my kids. They have worked so hard and I’m finding myself realizing how much I’m going to miss them over the summer.

Young Life – YL is also coming to a close for the semester. We have Club this Tuesday where Tim will give the Cross Talk. Please pray that kids would be excited to come and hear the message. We will have one more Club and then be finished for the semester. The Lord has blessed our time with high school folks this year. I’ve enjoyed being able to pick up girls in my car to have more frequent hang out times. I will be sad to leave for the summer.

I am excited to see all of you, though! I will be in the States for about 6 weeks this summer, mostly in VA and NY. I can’t wait to give hugs all around! I feel as though you have been on this journey with me and I can’t wait to see your faces. I truly would not be here without you and I hope you know how deeply I feel that.

love and peace,
sara

Semana Santa

When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer! For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God.
 Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks to God, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. I tell you that from now on I will not drink this wine until the Kingdom of God comes.”
 Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way, he gave them the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is God’s new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you.”
Luke 22: 14-20

This is one of my favorite times of year. This past week provides rich times of reflection as we begin the week with Palm Sunday, encounter Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and end with the Resurrection on Easter. I pray that you know the love God is pouring out on you. He is Risen! Happy Easter to you!

My first Easter in Jarabacoa turned out to be a memorable one. It began with an informal sunrise gathering at the river this morning with a few friends, singing hymns and reading Scripture – all in our pjs. We shared a yummy breakfast together and then headed to church. In the afternoon, my roommates and I had a few friends over for lunch and of course, an Easter egg hunt (we dyed eggs together yesterday).

Me, Leah, Lo, Em, Rach, Erica, Amanda, and Brit in between egg  hunts...
yeah, we had so much fun with the first one we had to hide them again!!

I have also enjoyed a week off from school for Semana Santa. I spent the first half of the week camping on a beach with a couple of other Doulos staffers. It was absolutely gorgeous. Here are a few pictures, but there are more on my Facebook page if you are interested. It was a wonderful few days of sleeping, snorkeling, eating, reading, and repeating! We saw shooting stars at night and a whale swam by in the morning. Just beautiful.

Leah, Brit, and Me

Our campsite.

Before school let out for Semana Santa, the students were able to show off their hard work at Expedition Night. Here are the third graders presenting on Ancient Egypt and the ninth grade performing original poetry after a study on hip-hop. Plus a second grade animal from Australia!

Young Life continues to be a fun time with high school kids. Here are James and Sugiery – King and Queen of Nerd Prom Club.

Anna and Me

Three of our best YL leaders!
Tim, Brock, and Mer

It’s hard to believe we have only three Clubs left before the summer!

Thank you for your continued love and support.  I can't tell you how much you encourage me daily!  I'm beginning to realize I'll be seeing some of you relatively soon... how time flies!  I'm excited for hugs all around!  Love and peace to you. ~ sara

pictures, pictures, pictures...

Dad and I hiking a waterfall

Mom and I hiking back down from the waterfall

Mom and Dad at the Lower Jimenoa

the "new" car!

Mom reading to the 4th graders - they LOVED it!

Mom and Dad after a long waterfall hike... lookin' good!

Chrissy and 3rd graders - they love her!

Jill is loved too!!

Silliness before Jill and Chrissy say good-bye to 3rd grade

My sweet third graders

Chrissy helping during Service Week at the public school

Me, Jill, and Chrissy eating pico pollo!