Grace-Filled Blessings

And so it begins...

2010-08-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

So the day has finally come... Tomorrow morning I begin my student teaching internship. It is absolutely crazy to think that I am going to be in this position for a whole school year. I have wanted to be a teacher my whole life and it is finally becoming a reality. I have a whole ton to learn and even more to experience, but I feel like this kind of learning can't be learned in a college classroom. So I am willing to see the roses and thorns of this profession...I pray that God would give me patience, wisdom, strength and determination... but for now I pray for sleep :). I pray that God would use me in some small way in the next school year in the lives of the students that I will come in contact with... may His glory shine through.

Its all for you Heavenly Father.

Chapter 9: New Schools

2010-07-06T16:36:00.001-07:00

This chapter was interesting. It discussed the many different directions that Web 2.0 could take in the coming years. Over the course of the chapter, several miscellaneous notes were made. First of all, one of the main ideas that is developed is the use of technology that is used at home, should also be used at school. We must, as the chapter points out, not fear away from the use of social networks, cell phones and video games. We must embrace that technology because that is the world that our students live in. In research for another project I came across a program entitled wiffiti.com which uses cell phone texting to respond to questions in real time. This is a way for teachers to use cell phones that is educationally beneficial. Furthermore, I think that it is important the remark that is made about Web 4.0. I am excited about the progress that has been made since this book has been published. I think that there are great ideas in the world of education that can only help us in creating a technology community and a very fostering environment for our students.
Another idea that emerged in this chapter was the comment about David Warlick's bookA Day in the Life of Web 2.0 where he talks about how a school librarian subscribes to all of the teacher's blogs in order to use that information to keep on track in order to supplement the instruction when their students come to library. This makes me VERY excited, because this same concept could be used if I am an ESL teacher. One of the main challenges in teaching ESL is that some teachers don't keep you informed on what is going on in the classroom. With this kind of technology, the ESL teacher would be able to be "in the know" without the mainstream teacher doing any more work than just updating their class blog and assignment calendar.
Finally, I appreciate that the authors of this book realize that this is a changing and very dynamic field. I think that it is very interesting that they include their contact information at the end of the book. This shows that they are always looking for the latest ideas. This is a display of professionalism and a willingness to shift with the educational field.

Chapter 8: Systemic Issues

2010-07-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

This chapter was very interesting to me since I am studying to become an ESL teacher and a Gifted Teacher. The former issue was addressed in somewhat lengthy detail in this chapter, providing helpful information for instructors. One of the things that I appreciated about this chapter was the suggestion for the use of blogs for communication. It is true that often times one division of a language development in a student is lacking and so blogging offers a way for the student to work on these skills. It also provides a safe and non-threatening environment for the student in which to work. I also liked the blogging community aspect because it reinforces the component that everyone in the classroom has something to offer to a composition of an piece. This would cultivate the classroom community and would be beneficial for everyone. I also appreciated the "blog as a tutor". This format offers a system for the students to be able to communicate with both the teacher and other students in order to share knowledge and help each other in the path to knowledge.
The second main component that I gained from this chapter was the explanation of e-portfolios. I like the idea for use in teaching ESL students. I like that the materials can be tracked in one place and the students can personalize. One thing that I am excited about ESL teaching is that it can be individualized instruction and so the e-portfolio gives me the chance to individualize assessment.
Finally, I think that there are extreme benefits in using e-portfolios in the professional world. Our year is the first year in Teacher Ed. at JBC to use Livetext as our final portfolio. We will update it at the end of this year in order to include the artifacts from our internship. I like that I can update the artifacts but still maintain the same format. I also like that this portfolio can be used to share with other principals in other states without having to send a big stack of papers. It offers the person hiring with the option of scanning what they deem important and skipping the things that are non-essentials. I believe that I will use it if I ever do become a principal in order to more effectively get teachers that would be best for the job.

Chapter 7: Online Safety and Security

2010-07-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

This chapter had a lot of good information that is relevant to the issues that I will face as a classroom teacher. I also like that during the class lecture, there were points made about a technology coordinator. The picture is much more involved than I had originally expected. I think that if I do become in that kind of role, that I would try to understand what the school is trying to accomplish through technology and attempt to blend those objectives with Acceptable Use within the district.
One of the key things that I appreciated about the chapter was the survey that was given in the middle of the chapter. Even though this survey or questionnaire would need to be adjusted depending on the grade that you were teaching, I think that it is a good idea to include the students in the process of understanding the AUP and the reasoning behind the policies. I remember when I was in school and we were given AUPs to sign. I don't think I fully understood why I was signing the paper. I think that if I were to have been included in the process of making the policies or have been guided through the process of understanding them, I would have taken the issues more seriously. I think that if the students are included in the process that they would take more ownership and the problems after the signing would have been less. Therefore, I believe that if I were to be a technology coordinator, to some extent I would take the students through a lesson, at least, of what they are signing and the reasoning behind the issues that are addressed. I think that that is an important concept, or life lesson, that students should get. They should know that they shouldn't sign something without knowing what it says and in most cases what the reasoning is behind it.
The second thing that stood out to me was the creative commons license. I think that is a great idea in showing that there are safe and secure ways of guarding and sharing your property. I think that this gets at finding the balance between complete open source and protecting the property and ideas of the creator. It gives credit where credit is due, but it also prevents others from reinventing the wheel.
The last thing that I appreciated about the lecture and chapter was the websites for images. I want to use images in my classroom for interactive learning and possible "image field trips" for engaging lessons. As a teacher, it is good to know that there are sites out there that offer free but quality images that can be used in the classroom.
I think, overall, this chapter is really the climax of how we are to handle ourselves with technology in the classroom. It offers us, as teachers, resources, information as well as cautionary notes that we can take in order to protect ourselves, the students and the educational community as a whole. No matter how much we may think that Web 2.0 is the greatest thing, if we do not take caution, it will end up being more disruptive than productive.

Chapter 6: Leadership and new tools

2010-07-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

This chapter deals with a few things that I am interested in after I am in the classroom for several years. Although this chapter would be helpful for a classroom teacher to understand, I am looking at it through an administrative stand point. However, I believe that one of the main components to an effective administrator is to understand what it is like for a teacher. One of the main things that I grasped from this chapter again is how effective blogs and wikis can be in administration. I think that just like blogs can be used in professional development and in the classroom, they are versatile in use for communication from the administration. Again, I think that the blogs should enrich the face to face contact. I think that this could be played out in the use of blogs before "official" professional development. One of the ideas could be to use blogs to see what teachers want to learn about, then to see how they are implemented it and then their feedback on the whole process. I believe that consistency is also a big deal when an administrator uses a blog or wiki. One of the components is to cast a vision and if you have an administrator that sets up a program or process in using technology and then they don't update the blog or they don't follow through on what they are talking about. I believe that the vision is a big part of it, but the details to follow are also very critical.

One of the other key things that I grasped from both the discussion in class and the chapter was the use of grants for school use. I appreciated the comment on developing relationships with the program officers of the organizations. I know that funding is always an issue and if I know a basis for how to go about the process, or what name to look for on the website of the organization, I feel that I will have some kind of grasp on the next step.

The final note that I would like to make about this chapter concerns the comment on the effective administrator that was made in class. Although I do not know this administrator personally, I am gathering that one of the reasons that he was effective was because he was learning, in some regards, "on the job" and along with the other people in the educational community. Often times the best learner (and teacher) is not an expert. This administrator saw a need for change and implemented the change, and apparently followed through with the vision. I hope that one day, in a small way, I can use my knowledge and passion for learning to make a difference like this administrator did.

Chpater 5: Professional Development

2010-07-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

This chapter opened my eyes to a new perspective to this area of the educational field. I think that community is an essential component to Web 2.0 and even moreso with the educators along with the students. One of the main ideas that I have had to grapple with is the administrative side of professional development. As I have said, I would like to be a principal one day or in some kind of leadership role. I want those that I lead to feel confident in the work that they are doing and the work that I am leading. I want to create a community of learning and not something that hinders the work that they are already doing in the classroom. I want it to be a community of learning and not a community where people are prideful for giving away their ideas or taking ideas.
Another one of the ideas that came to mind was the idea that blogs should be used in professional development. I think that the comment was made in this section that blogs (or web interaction) should not take the place of face-to-face communication, but it should enrich conversation. I think this is essential in both professional development as well as looking at development in the classroom. We should use these tools for a better enriching environment and not something that takes away from face to face communication.
Another idea that emerged from this chapter is the need for preservice learning and training. This is an interesting concept to me, because I am interested in keeping up with the latest technology and I hope that that continues after I become a teacher. I know that when I took Educational Technology as a Sophomore, there were not near as many techniques that were taught in that class as are available right now. I think that it is important to educate preservice, but it is also important to keep up with the latest technology because of the quick rate at which technology changes.
Finally, as one that would be interested in leadership in the school system in the future, I think that Web 2.0 offers a lot of invaluable resources. We can use these resources to make sure that the teachers are not only getting the information, but it also allows the instruction to be more individualized and flexible. I look forward to where this may take us in the future.

Chapter 4: New Tools in Schools

2010-07-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

This chapter was inspiring. Just like Trudy said this morning, it was a chapter that even though most of the sites might not work any more, there is still the element of inspiration and a collaborative community of good ideas. Reading the examples in the chapter made me think of one of the schools that I have run across within the past month while surfing the web. I believe that the school is in South Carolina, somewhere. I don't remember all of the details of the program, but two of the things that I do remember is that they used PDAs to do a running record for students. This recorded all of the information and grouped it all together without using paper. Furthermore, I also remember that this particular school was a key proponent of collaborative teaching. They welcomed the idea of sharing ideas and planning together. I really like this aspect. This is a theme that, I believe, is a main factor in the success of Web 2.0. The shift is moving from "look what I thought of" to "look what we did together with the resources around us" and better is "look at this idea that I found, that may be helpful to you in your teaching". I think that as a community of educators we must look on how we can help each other and push down the pride issue. In the chapter, Lemon Grove School District must have had some of this environment because they were able to train 20% of their teachers each year, in order to train everyone over the course of 5 years. For this model to work there would have to be a low turn-over rate for the teachers. This is a good model to follow for administration, of which I would someday like to be a part of.

I really did enjoy a lot of the content area resources that were available in this chapter. I know that over the course of this course we will look at most of the sites, but I appreciated the idea for the use of wikis with independent novel studies. As a future gifted teacher I would like to use this in my classroom because of the higher order thinking skills and the fact that this could go outside the classroom, but still achieve the same objective. The students could be serviced, even if there is not a lot of funding for this program.

I know that I am not very old, but some of the things in this book make me feel a bit old. The component about Journalism and broadcasting made it to appear as if more and more schools have programs and equipment to have a morning show. I remember when I was younger that the morning show was only for high schools and very rarely for Elementary schools. And if they were in Elementary schools, they were run by the administration. What an exciting advancement for the students to be a part of the growing technology community!

Finally, I would like to point out a comment on ThinkQuest. I am not very familiar with the program, but the discussion on this site in class this morning got me thinking. Dr. Krug mentioned grants that were given by this organization. I would imagine that there are others like this organization that give grants. I have heard of some in the past and I know that they are out there. My concern, and one of my objectives within the next year, is to become a little more informed in writing grants. Perhaps there is a "Dummies guide to grants" I could purchase or find free online. That is something I could look into in the future.

Chapter 3: New Tools

2010-06-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! This chapter has a lot of information and it makes me want to look into a lot of the tools that are available. Overall, I continue to get this feel for Web 2.0 as being interactive and the internet no longer is simply something that we get information from, but a place where students and teachers can engage in learning and make it more of a lifestyle. However, with this notion comes a caution, in my opinion. If students and teachers are engaging in this online educational community, isn't there a danger in loosing human interaction. On one hand I see the valuable resources, but on the other hand, some aspect of the tangible human connection is lost and is replaced with technological connection. Nonetheless this is how students today are viewing connection and meaning so we must meet them there. Although, I still think we should strive to find a balance between social skills online and social interaction face-to-face.
A couple of the tools that were mentioned in this chapter really got me excited for the opportunities that await in the classroom. One of the main ones are wikis. We talked about these yesterday, but today through class discussion and readings, I am beginning to see how helpful they can be in the classroom. One of the main connections and uses I can use is with 4th grade writing portfolios. When I was in 4th grade I had a portfolio that was several folders bound together. In here we kept the brainstorming, drafts and the final copies. If wikis were used for this process, it could be an online community where other students are giving feedback and the student is taking more pride in their work. This can also be shown on an electronic portfolio platform, as mentioned in the chapter.
Secondly, I found that the discussion of blogs was especially helpful in giving pointers on how to use it in the classroom. I found that it was interesting that the author commented on the authority and validity of most blogs. It used to be that you couldn't really trust things that you found online, but more and more there are really some valuable resources and information that can be found online. Even so, obviously, there still needs to be discretion. I wonder if educational blogs will become more like the "scholarly journal" community in the future. I also liked the mention of Class Blogmeister. In a world that is more open and the possibility for potential mis-use of the internet are more prevalent, safety should be a top concern for your students. I like that this community is safe and protected, but the students are still exposed to the technology in order to enhance learning.
Finally, a few miscellaneous notes about the chapter. One of the things that I was wondering about is if there was an open-source version of a pdf creator. Based on the discussion of other desktop applications being available, I would assume that there would be, however, I have not run across this service. Secondly, I thought that the social bookmarking discussed makes a lot of sense. Just as with a lot of Web 2.0 it encourages working together and sharing resources. This is a skill that will be helpful for the students even after they graduate your class. Finally, I thought that the concept of Mashups was ingenious. With the possibility of working with churches in the future, these kinds of tools will prove to be invaluable. Furthermore, the use of these applications could prove helpful in administration, which I hope to be involved with, at some level, some day.

Chapter 2: Students and Learning

2010-06-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

This chapter brought a good overview of several aspects of technology in education. In general the chapter deals with how students are viewing technology differently than teachers would view it. It is no longer something that we simply go to for information, but a source of interaction, engagement and resource within education. I remember 3rd grade very vividly because we were very engaged in the activities that we did. We did a lot of "hands-on" learning. Likewise, the "hands-on" learning may have shifted to included more "technology-on" learning, for lack of a better word. Just as I enjoyed and engaged in learning on a kinesthetic path, the students today engage both on a kinesthetic path and a technological path, which are often integrated. Moreover, the students in today's school systems are becoming more literate than the teachers so much so that the students are ahead of the teachers. For example, I interned at Mt. Olive 1st grade and they were using a Smartboard, and catching on with the use within days of learning.
Futhermore, this chapter discussed how today's technologies are interactive, which further builds on the "technology-on" concept. Like it was mentioned in class, students probably know how to manage social networking programs more effectively and thoroughly than "an educational site". The challenge then becomes for teachers to tap into those social networking skills in order to more effectively educate the students. For example, I have heard of a teacher that used Facebook for use in Social Studies. They had the students create a facebook for account for Abraham Lincoln. I believe that activities like this one would both achieve educational objectives and reach the students at their level.
Another one of the big ideas that I have continued to grapple with is this concept of differentiated instruction. For years, that has been a topic that educators have delved deep into with the purpose of meeting the needs of each student. To me that seems intuitive. We are being paid as teachers to educate students. No where in our contract does it say, "Only the Jones and Smiths of the class". Intuitively we would want to find ways to individualize instruction because no two students are alike. That being said, I do agree that technology would more effectively bring tools to the forefront for students to be able to be engaged in a more beneficial education.
Finally, in this chapter it deals with PBL once again. This method has been used and proposed in the field of gifted education (of which I am studying). For gifted students, particularly, they grasp tightly to working for "real-world" reasons in order to find "real-world" solutions. In my opinion, to some extent, especially in this technology era, all students, both gifted and mainstream students can use this method. As a consumer, or student, you want to know that what you are doing in the classroom, or the immediate present, will benefit you in the future.
Overall, technology in education brings the world that our students are living in to life. We must adapt to the culture in order to continue to provide quality education.

Chapter 1: New World, New Web, New Skills

2010-06-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

CHIP: Chapter 1
This chapter makes me excited to be a teacher in this day and age. From the discussion in class today and the reading from today's chapter, one of the things that I wonder about is Web 4.0. Dr. Krug described it as something of a predictive nature based on analysis of data for students. I know that it is not yet completely out there, but how beneficial it would to be put out there for the students and teachers. I wonder if it was specifically designed for students and educational uses or if it is something that was designed with something else in mind and has just evolved with the educational community in mind. As more concerning the chapter, several things came to mind. I think about the different blogs that I have read over the past couple of years. One of the points is made that "Bloggers often have an effect on their readers". I first think about a movie that was made around a food blog that was created. The readers responded to what the lady had to say. In a growing technology educational community, what a great opportunity for our students to be able to have an effect on the world that they live in at the time. The big push now is to teach the test, but I hope that we don't loose the fact that our students have the potential to impact the world around them. This would extend outside the four walls of our classroom. Blogs would afford them the opportunity to have that impact while still meeting educational objectives. Of course the issue of digital citizenship would have to be observed, and so perhaps a blog could be set up as a classroom. What a great opportunity to have the students share their ideas and have other people respond to their ideas.

Another topic that was brought to my attention in the reading. The issue of Digital-age literacy. When we are working in the schools, we may be confronted with parents or grandparents that do not know how to effectively use the the technology that we might use in our classrooms. Our students will probably know a lot more than we might think by the time that we become their teachers, however we must not overlook the issue of educating their caregivers as well. This would foster a learning community with the parents, students and school, which is an invaluable resource for the educational process. This could be accomplished through workshops or parent/student internet scavenger hunts throughout the school year. Hopefully through this class I will be able to gain more tools that can be used to increase educational experiences through the use of technology.

The final component that caught my attention in the reading was the idea of problem-based learning. I am not very educated on this concept, however I look forward to using it in my classroom. In my opinion this very concept is the bridge that needs to be used from the classroom into real world application. I want my future students to be able to think for themselves and not simply "plug and chug" information that is given to them. I believe that PBL reaches these objectives. I think that these objectives can be met through science instruction but also in math instruction and in other content areas.

The blog that I reviewed was Practical Theory. I like this blog because it offers many different links to other sites that this education technology guru has found helpful. I like how he uses Delicious for his bookmarks and offers current news stories on the right panel. These features will be helpful to learn how to do when I am setting up my classroom blog in order to maximize the students' exposure to helpful, relevant and safe resources. I also appreciate that this blogger is someone who is in the field, with his involvement with his school. That gives me as a future educator that opportunity to connect with relevant and helpful information that will benefit my students.

Thoughts from an Education Grad Student...

2010-06-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

So I am in grad school... and I am really enjoying it. It has been an opportunity for me to really dive into the heart and soul of education. Throughout the next year I am going to be learning a lot and experiencing a lot and I wanted to be able to log those experiences.. so here are my thoughts, ideas for the future or ramblings from the mind of an education grad student...
* Stream of Conscious writing is effective in classroom instruction because you discover unique things about why you do what you do
*Some of the things that I have discovered from this writing... I think that I originally wanted to become a teacher because I wanted control of the classroom...one of the most vivid mental pictures I have deals with a group of people...
* Maybe a way to keep students' attention is to do a "3-2-1 recap"... what are 3 things that you learned, 2 connections made, 1 question you still have.

So these are some of my thoughts right now, but I hope that there are more to come.
-Monica

Newsletter Screenshots

2010-05-26T14:21:00.001-07:00

Here is a screen shot of the newsletter... Thanks again for your love, support and encouragement over the years! You are a blessing.
God Bless,
Monica S.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

2010-05-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

So I know that this has taken me a while... I don't think I could count on both hands and toes the amount of things that I have done in the past month... so needless to say I have been a bit busy. But finally I was able to create a newsletter from our trip to the Dominican Republic. I have sent a hard copy out (and if you would like a hard copy, please let me know) but I will include a screen shot of the newsletter. Know that I am absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of love and support and encouragement over the years. You are a blessing! I hope that you are doing well! God Bless!
Love,
Monica

Prayer Calendar- DR 2010

2010-03-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

Below you will find the prayer calendar for our team... thank you for your love and support...
Dominican Republic Trip 2010: Prayer Calendar
Thank you for committing to pray for our team over the week that we will be in the Dominican Republic partnering with Orphanage Outreach (March 27- April 3). You are truly a blessing! This trip would not be possible without you.

Day 1: March 27th (Saturday)
 Most of us will be leaving from Nashville at 6:15am. We will then meet Lucy and Brianna (who leave from Knoxville at 8:40am) in Miami and we will be flying into Santiago, Dominican Republic by 1:35pm. Please pray that plane schedules run on time, safety in the air and that all of our luggage reaches Santiago.
Day 2: March 28th (Sunday)
 Today we will be going to church with the children as well as planning for the week’s upcoming VBS. We will be blending our preparation with the efforts of the other volunteers that we will be working with this week. Please pray for patience, wisdom, flexibility and creativity in this process. Please pray also that we are able to adjust to the new routine of a new place. Please pray for the new friendships that will be forming with the other volunteers that we would all work towards a mutual goal of serving Christ this week.
 Please pray for Lucy Hayes. She asks that you bring the following prayer requests before our Lord.
o Safety traveling there and back and while we are there
o Ability to make a difference and serve to the best of my ability
o The energy and strength to keep up with all the kids!
Day 3: March 29th (Monday)
 Today we will begin our first day at the VBS site. Please pray for flexibility and patience as we figure out the routine of the VBS. Please pray that we would begin to form friendships with the children that we are going to be serving all week. Pray that they would understand the love of Christ through our lessons and through our example.
 Please pray for Brianna Lamke. She asks that you bring the following prayer requests before our Lord.
o Emotional preparation in being away from home
o Having strength to not get too attached to the children
o This is a bigger step for me as far as mission trips so I’m a little anxious, especially for travels there and not having my parents there to send me off.
Day 4: March 30th (Tuesday)
 Today will be the second day of VBS. Please pray for wisdom, clarity, patience and flexibility as we continue to get in the grove of VBS. Pray that we continue to develop friendships with the children, conveying the love of Christ.
 Please pray for Nikki Votaw. She asks that you bring the following prayer requests before our Lord.
o Language barrier
o Pray that I step out of my comfort zone and feel at ease in this new environment
o Acclimation to new routine; being able to sleep, stay healthy, have energy
Day 5: March 31st (Wednesday)
 Today we will be our third day at VBS. Pray for continued stamina as we continue to work hard to present an effective lesson, but also for patience and flexibility when working with the children. Wednesdays are often the days that the students are most “antsy”, so pray for patience with the students that we would convey the love of Christ through our response and actions. Also pray for the continued friendships forming with the children at the orphanage that we would be a source of encouragement and vessels to share God’s love with those around us. Also pray for continued health for our team as we are in the middle of the week.
 Please pray for Caleb Trimble. He asks that you would bring the following prayer concerns to the throne of our Lord.
o Our team would remain strong and yet flexible
o We would continually show Christ in our actions and in our speech
o It would be an uplifting week for the staff at the Orphanage
o We would remember that we are working a small part of a huge Kingdom and mission.
Day 6: April 1st (Thursday)
 Today will be our last day working at VBS. Please pray that we will be able to clearly communicate the lessons, but also take time to send loud the message that these students are loved by the Savior of the world. Please pray also that we would be able to spend quality time with those children that we have formed friendships with, but in a way that would be most beneficial for the children. That the children would remember Christ’s love after we are gone.
 Please pray for Melissa Swartzentruber. She asks that you bring the following prayer concerns to the throne of our Lord.
o Communication with the kids in the English class with the language barrier
o That the Holy Spirit would guide us into conversations where we can share the love of Jesus with the kids there.
Day 7: April 2nd (Friday)
 Today we will spend the day touring Monte Cristi, a town in the Northwest corner of the Dominican Republic. Please pray that this day will afford ample opportunities for reflection and conversation that would help to digest the work that was accomplished and the relationships that were built this past week. Pray that God would instill in each team member the reason for their calling to this trip and what the “take homes” are from this trip.
 Please pray for Monica Swartzentruber. She asks that you bring the following prayer concerns to the throne of our Lord.
o Wisdom and guidance in leading the team down to the Dominican Republic. Wisdom in making decisions throughout the week and guidance to know what would be the wisest thing to do.
o That I would focus on relationships and spreading the love of Christ in service to His kids.
o Comfort as I see and reconnect with the children that I met this past summer. Pray that I would continue to convey the love of Christ to each one. Also pray that leaving on Saturday would be smooth and that I would remember the sweet memories that I have with those children.
Day 8: April 3rd (Saturday)
 Today we will be flying out of Santiago. Caleb will be on the 8am flight out of Santiago and the rest of us will be leaving out of Santiago at 3:00pm. Pray for safety traveling to the airport as well as safety as we all fly back to the United States. Brianna and Lucy will land in Knoxville by 11pm and the rest of us will be landing in Nashville by midnight. Pray that we would be safe traveling back to our final destinations and that we would be able to take time to reflect on the week that we have just been a part of.

The final stretch

2010-03-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Again I am sorry for not updated as frequently as I should... I really do appreciate all of your prayers and support throughout this whole process of preparation and I ask that you would continue to keep us in your prayers. Our team met yesterday to talk about some final details and it is continually setting in that I will be returning before I know it. What a blessing! God definitely used this past summer to teach me, mold me and bless me and I am excited to share that with the other people on my team. I am also very excited, as anyone would be, to see the children that I met this past summer.
I wanted to share with you our verse for this trip:
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11).
We will be working through this passage while we are in the Dominican Republic in order that we would be able to maintain the proper focus and direction in-country.
In the next post I have included our prayer calendar. Please keep our team in your prayers as we make the last minute preparations and then as we leave in 11 days :).

Thank you for your love and support.
Monica

Friday Nights

2010-02-20T10:54:00.000-08:00

So it has been a long last couple of weeks, and finally I was able to take a breath last night. I really enjoy relaxing with people, but when I really need to "recharge my batteries" I need to spend some time alone. Last night was one of those times. I was able to watch some TV, go for a run and just spend some time with our Father, which is always re-energizing. I don't know why I forget that in order to pour into other people I need to be filled up by the Living Water. So last night I was listening to the radio and the Desert Song by Hillsong. The lyrics are below..

The Desert Song
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will

I also spent some time in a passage in 1 John 2:15-17. What a convicting passage about being in the world, but not of the world.

So the update on the trip...
We had the Valentine's Dinner last weekend to raise money for the trip. Eight wonderful people came to the dinner, and it was an opportunity to bond as a team as well as spend some time with the guests that did come to the dinner. God used the opportunity for His glory and for that I am thankful. Next weekend we will be doing a service project as a team. Melissa will be coming over to Knoxville for the weekend to go with us, so that will be a blessing. I am getting excited about going down there, as the time gets closer. Please continue to be in prayer for our team as we make the final preparations.
Blessed by you,
Monica

Swinging into a new semester

2010-01-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

I find myself, even though it is only Tuesday, looking forward to Friday. It was a very long day and I am beginning to feel the weight of the semester. I do know that God will get me through this one, just as He has the past seven. This past week has been one of growth, a direct blessing of your prayers. I have been blessed by the quality "Rocking Chair Time" that I have had with God this past week. The passage that I read each night, focused in Psalms, has always been exactly what I have been dealing with that day. Praise God that He knows me better than I know myself. So we had our meeting yesterday and we have decided to have a Valentine's Dinner on February 13th now, because Gap Creek is free that night and we decided that would reach a greater audience than the babysitting night. So we began planning that yesterday and it is shaping up to be a good event. We will start selling tickets next Monday, so hopefully we will get a good response. We are going to have the spaghetti dinner at both 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Tickets will sell for $10 each, but we will also be accepting donations.
Please bring these requests to our Father this week:
- Stamina for me this week, and others on the team as the semester gets in "full swing"
- Provision for the funds
- Wisdom in planning out the details of the Valentine's Dinner

You are a blessing.
Until next time,
Monica

Do you have time to call me before class?

2010-01-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

So this morning I got a text message from my mom that wanted to know if I could talk to her before class. I was concerned at first, because normally mom doesn't text me that early in the morning, so I called her and she just had some questions for me. All that to say, that that made me think that might be something that God says to me on many days, especially recently... Do you have time to call me before class? I don't know why I struggle with that so much. He is the creator of the universe, and more importantly my Savior, I many days I don't make time out of my schedule to "call him before class". Hopefully there is change on the horizon.
So an update from this week...
God is good... I am constantly overwhelmed with the blessings of friendship. We met on Monday and things seem to be progressing. We chose the theme for the week on Monday and it is going to be "Worshiping God" with our head, heart, hands/feet, soul. Everyone chose their station: English (Dr. Votaw, Melissa), Lesson (Bria), Games (Becky, Caleb), Crafts (Lucy). I will be filling in wherever is needed along the way and the actual week of. I am very excited about the possibilities that this theme will bring. We also decided that we are going to have a babysitting night fundraiser on the night of February 12th, for those couples that want to go out for Valentine's Day. This coming Monday we will talk more about this. As we go into the next week, please bring the following things to our Father, on our behalf:
- Patience in planning the week
- A continued attitude of flexibility throughout the whole process
- Continued trust in the faithfulness of God to provide the funds for the trip.

I hope you are doing well.
In Him alone,
Monica

Called to return

2010-01-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

And so the second part of the journey begins... As of about a month ago, I have been in preparations to return to the Dominican Republic. I always knew that I would be returning to this place that absolutely captured my heart, but I didn't know that it would be this soon. I plan to lead a team from my school during the "Week of E"... Week of Evangelism (aka Spring Break). I am very excited especially because Meliss is a part of the team. I am so excited to be called the same time that Melissa is and be able to experience God in the DR at the same time as she does for the first time. As the details continue to work out, I ask for your prayers. We would like to have 10 people to go on this trip, but right now we only have 7. I believe that God will work everything out for the best, but I still fight my human need to have things figured out. I guess it is just the "old me" coming back that I thought that I got rid of this past summer. Please also pray for our team as we begin at tomorrow's meeting making the outline for the VBS that we will be doing during that week. Pray for creativity, team work and patience. Also, I would appreciate your prayers as I continue to lead this team. It is still a new experience for me... I am learning a lot, but I know that there are still other things I have yet to learn. On another note, school started last Thursday, so throw that in with everything else that needs to be done. Praise God that He remains faithful and constant. I will continue to keep you updated throughout the preparations. May God richly bless you.
In Him,
Monica

Week 10

2009-08-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm HOME!!! It is crazy to think that this time last week, I was still in the DR. Even though adjusting has been a bit difficult at times, God is faithful and I am continually amazed at the things that God is teaching me. The last week in the DR I had the distinct opportunity to organize the "Almacen", which is the storage building for all of the materials that are used by Orphanage Outreach at the Monte Cristi Site. Things include everything from sports equipment to art supplies that are used at camps. I spent literally 3 and 1/2 days organizing this building. At the end of it, I had set aside a bunch of baseball equipment that can be used to be distributed at a nearby baseball organization and the cabinets where is such a way that future camp planners won't have to rummage through materials that they are looking for. For most people this project would have seemed overwhelming and I'll have to admit that there were times during the project that I would think, "What would happen if I just shut the door on this and ran away, fast?" For me though, for the most part, it was strangely comforting. Aside from the fact that I LOVE to organize things, it was a good start to debriefing for me. I spent the whole summer around lots of people, which, for me, is very draining. I was able to spend time thinking about this past summer all the while organizing the almacen. God is great how He has things to work out.

So I have been back for almost a week now and I will return to school on Sunday (hopefully to start training for the soccer team...given that we have enough girls to play). I am excited about returning to a schedule and routine, but kinda hesitant because I don't want my old way of doing things to swallow me whole. I will share one of the main lessons I learned in the DR.

In the DR there are porches on most of the houses. Nothing extravangant, but more times than not they have a couple of rocking chairs on the porch. Because in the DR they do not have large front yards, the porches are part of the town activity. The rocking chair to me represents relaxed time with someone else. Often times you don't have an agenda or a specific purpose, but just willing to spend time sharing hearts. That is view that I want to take in taking "Rocking Chair Time" (RCT) with God, friends and family.

And so I want to thank you once again for all of your thoughts, prayers, encouragment and support. I will be sending out a summer recap with some pictures very soon. I hope that one day we are able to sit down so I can share the stories, relationships and conversations that captured my heart this summer.

Blessings to you,
Monica

Week 9

2009-08-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Wow... I can't believe the title for this entry. This past week has flown by!!! On Saturday a group of 30 volunteers came down from Tom's Church in Arizona and then another group came down from Central Michigan University, His House. This week it was different having volunteers here, but it brought much needed energy to this place. My role this week was being Heather's right hand gal... so I did a bit of everything... I also was able to teach a few English classes, which was great as well.
This week groups worked on the foundation of another Ramada and helped to put on some finishing touches on the Ramada that KUC helped to start. We also did a VBS in the morning at the school on the orphanage campus. We did a camp on God's Love. Monday: Days of the Week, Months of the Year (Creation)/ Tuesday: Emotions (Jesus Calms the Storm)/ Wednesday: Prepositions (Jesus Feeds the 5,000)/ Thursday: Family Members (Martha and Mary). Megan and I worked on the English class together. It never gets old to see the lightbulb go off after they learn and remember a word. In the afternoon we did a VBS in two different locations: both in rural places. We went to a town called Damajagua and Batey Libertad. Both provided their own set of challenges and blessings. For the English part we taught numbers and colors to the VBS in the afternoon. Along with teaching English I also got to lead the opening and closing for the camps. One very special part of the opening and closing was the puppet show that CCV (Tom's church) prepared and presented. The kids were absolutely astounded at the show. They did a great job!! We also got to spend the remaining time in our day with the boys. They continue to amaze me and bless me!!

There are so many stories that I have to share from this week, but right now I am in the empty volunteer center with the boys and the volunteers with so many emotions running through me... I might have some more time to write later because I have the chance to do airport duty... I will be home in a week and I will be able to share many pictures and stories!!! Thank you so much for your support and prayers. I look forward to sharing my summer with you soon.

In Him alone,
Monica

Week 8

2009-07-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

So I am continuing to get good use out of the new can of bug spray. So much to update you on... it has been a fun-filled week this past week. This past week was rather special because we didn't put on a camp or go off-site for a program specifically this week. We had the unique opportunity to put on a camp for the boys at the orphanage... only we did Olympics for them. We divided them into four teams and had competitions and activities for them 1 hour in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. It all ended with a Festival on Thursday night. Another fun fact is that we got to take the boys to the beach in Monte Cristi on Wednesday... for some of the younger boys, this was their first time to the beach, but they LOVED it. The look on their faces when we told them that we were going to the beach alone was priceless, let alone seeing their faces as we pulled up and then when they got to play in the water. I am so glad that I got to be a part of that adventure. Also, on Tuesday John, Tom and Heather went to Monte Cristi for leadership meetings and so I was the one "left with keys". It didn't mean anything that important but that I had to make sure everything ran on time and that everyone was taken care of. It was a neat experience that makes me appreciate the leadership so much more than I already did. On Thursday, part of the activity was to watch a movie that Stephanie, one of the interns, compiled on the "Summer of the Monkeys" (as we termed it)... the boys really enjoyed seeing pictures and videos of themselves over the past summer.
Now that last week is over, we look forward to next week, which has already proven to be a busy week... A team of 30 is coming in today and we are going to be doing camp in the morning and afternoon all week. This is also my last week in Jaibon. I also found out today that I will be working closely along side Heather to be a co-program leader, because she will have a lot more responsibility than previously. With all this in mind, please bring the following things to our Father:
- Rest, peace and energy for the upcoming week. We have spent the past month with only interns, so pray that God would give me patience to extend grace to everyone around me.
- Half of our team left this morning. These are ladies and John that have been with me since May 30th... so seeing that piece of my family leave was very hard this morning at 4:30 am. Also later this morning more of the team left, most of them that have been here for a month. Pray that God would provide friendships to fill that void and that God would be honored in my attitude this week.
- Pray for Danis. He is a boy that came to the orphanage this past Thursday. I have been able to talk to him a bit, but it is hard to understand him (especially at the beginning) because he was crying so hard missing his family. Pray that this week that he would see that there are a lot of people here that love him and more so that he would understand God's unconditional love for him.

I am so overwhelmed with the blessings that you all have shown me over the course of this summer. From phone calls to letters to emails to prayers, I feel blessed to have you in my life. I am so excited to tell you about the way that God has changed me this summer and to share a snapshot of how God used this summer in the DR. May God richly bless your week.

Only His,
Monica

Week 7

2009-07-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

So I am just about done with my second can of bug spray.. that means that I only have 3 weeks left. Absolutely crazy to think that I only have two weeks left in Jaibon and one week in Monte Cristi. But, as always, God is proving faithful again and again and I continue to stand amazed at the grace-filled blessings that he continues to pour out into my life this past summer.

This past week was a whole ton of fun! We got to go to Laguna Salada which is the next town over from Jaibon. We did a VBS at Iglesia Immanuel. It was so cool to see another part of this community and be able to build relationships with the kids and the ministry there. It was cool to say that I was part of the first VBS in Laguna Salada... God is going to continue to use future teams in this location because of the way that He blessed this past week. I taught English again (insert gasp here...) but it was a complete blessing because I got to team teach with another girl on our team. She brought so many good ideas to the table... some of which I will keep under my sleeve until Bible and Social Studies Methods :)... and for several "Teacher juice" conversations :). Anyways... it was nice to be able to have some help this past week. And the time that I wasn't teaching the unruly but precious boys... I was holding some of God's little angels... there was one in particular that was only 2 months old... she was so precious and it filled my heart with joy. The themes for this week were Creation (animals), Joseph (colors), Jonah (prepostitions), Daniel (emotions). It was so neat to see that the students understood the concepts and were even talking about them after VBS. That leads me to a "God moment" one of many that have been part of my life over the past 2 months. After VBS on Wednesday, the pastor invited us over to her house for sodas and cookies... we were a little worried because we didn't know exactly if they were safe or not, but she reassured us that they were... and thank goodness no one got sick. But the cool thing about it the next day she invited us back... and God continued to take care of us, because when we got there, the pop was still in the bottle (chilled) and the crackers were all in sealed wrappers... not only a sign of God's provision and details, but of the completely humbling act of hospitality shown by the pastor. It was so neat to experience that aspect of the culture... the relational aspect that I want to bring back to the States. God has called us to be in community... and I saw an example of that while at her house.

This next week we will have the distinct honor of putting on a sort of camp for just our boys here at Jaibon. We are going to do a week long session of Olympics. Today they started and made their team names, and banners. Each day will consist of active games and thinking games, which all add points to their end total. It will be such a blessing to be able to spend quality time with them this week. Also, we are excited to be able to take the boys to the beach!!! This is something that has been in the making all summer and praise God that we get to be a part of it. They are going to be so excited when we tell them on Tuesday morning. Another thing that I am looking forward to this week is going to Monte Cristi tomorrow. I will be meeting with Julie, the director at the English Institute to brainstorm the framework and direction for the future English Institute in Jaibon. What a privelage it is to be part of that process. Also this week Tom Eklund comes to the DR. He is the Founder and Director of OO. It will be an honor to get to know him. Please lift this week up to our Father.

Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement. May God richly bless you in wherever He is taking you this summer. Talk to you next weekend.
In His hands,
Monica

Week 6

2009-07-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

So this past week I realized the next time the 8th of a month will come around, I will be on my way home. I am not ready to go home yet, but I am excited for when that day does come. So this past week was a blast. We did a camp at the same church that we were at the week before. Camp this week was only from Monday to Thursday. I taught the English class again and it was such a joy to continue with the relationships built the previous week. The topics that I taught are were Monday (Colors) Tuesday (Prepositions), Wednesday (Fruit), and Thursday (Animals). It was a great lesson in flexibility because there were a couple of days (Wednesday especially) when I came in with one lesson plan and had to completely change it by the end of the day. Such is life, and I welcome experiences like that as a time to grow.

Also this past week we got to hang out with the boys from the orphanage during activities in the morning. We did a paper football tournament, a intern scavenger hunt, science experiments, music lessons and English lessons. It has been such a blessing, especially this past week to be able to continue to develop solid friendships with the boys at the orphanage. I only have 3 more weeks here and one at Monte Cristi. I feel like the time is going to fly by.

Some of my highlights from this week were: Sitting down with Carlos to write the words for Spanish songs, learning how to spin a top from Robinson, "signing autographs" the last day of camp, giving stickers out to students in the English class and seeing their sense of accomplishment light up on their faces, being able to translate between Tia and John.

God is so good... I continue to experience His grace-filled blessings in my life. One of the ways has been how I have been encouraged by many of you. Thank you so much for your prayers and continued support and encouragement. Please continue to be in prayer for health and strength for our team. Yesterday, we added 5 new girls to our family... and in two weeks the majority of our team leaves. Please pray for continued team unity and for health and strength for us as we put on the camp this week. We have a lot of fun activities scheduled for this week... I can't wait to tell you all about them next weekend.

I continued to be amazed at God's blessings...
Monica

Week 5

2009-07-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

So I am officially half way through my summer down here. Who would have ever thought that it would come? Now I am wrestling with the emotions that I don't want it to be over, but too soon 3:30 am on August 8th ready to come back home. God has used this time in so many powerful ways so far and I am so excited about what the next 5 weeks hold. Let me tell you about this week... :)

SOOO this week we did a VBS and English camp for 132 kids at a church about 15 minutes from the orphanage. It was so great to see the town and get to meet the kids outside of the school and orphanage here. They have been such a blessing. My part was to teach the English station.. which I LOVED. The theme for this week's camp was: Holidays (Birthday, Valentine's Day, Christmas and Easter) I taught parts of the body (monday), shapes (tuesday), family members (Wednesday), Colors/ Numbers (thursday) and review (friday). It was so cool to be able to try some new games and new lesson ideas. I am so excited about all of the "teacher juice" conversations that I am going to have with Rachel and Susan :). God has really blessed me with a great team and they have really given me a lot of ideas throughout the summer so far!! A lot of really exciting things happened this week at camp, but one of my highlights would have to be with the older boys group at camp. All week they were rowdy and not paying attention. According to them, they had better things to do than be at camp. So I tried to establish myself as the teacher and they finally responded. Friday was an extra day of camp added on because we did our fun day on Saturday (July 4th)... so I was tired and prayed faithfully for strength and patience. I used a vocabulary baseball game that the boys loved!!! I am so excited to work again with them next week.
Other than camp, we did an activity with the boys at the orphanage each morning. All of that leads to VERY full weeks.

So this upcoming week will look a lot like last week. Please pray for new ideas because I will be in the English station again this week :). Also pray for health and strength. Some of us are going into our 6th week and becoming weary and sick. Please pray specifically for Rachel a girl on my team. She has had some family stuff going on back home and she has not been feeling well today.

Thank you to everyone who continues to pray and offer encouragement. You truly are a sweet blessing.
Talk to you next weekend.
In Him,
Monica

Week 4

2009-06-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Wow!! I can hardly believe that I am telling you all about my fourth week here!! God is sooo good!! Last Saturday we left around lunch time to head to Monte Cristi where the other orphanage is located that Orphanage Outreach supports. The secular program had been stationed there, and so for last week the Christian internship program moved to MC and the secular program moved to Jaibon. This past week we partnered with Graystone Church (Atlanta, GA) and Old Orchard Church (St. Louis, MO).

In the mornings we hosted a VBS at the orphanage. This is a camp that the community looks forward to each summer. The first day we had 330 kids come. It was CRAZY!!! The theme was Narnia... so the teaching was directed towards biblical themes that are brought up in that book. My role was to help out with the teaching part. It was a cool opportunity because I was able to utilize my Spanish to translate for the teacher (the pastor from Old Orchard) as well as explain the Bible memory games that the kids did. There is no price that can be put on the smiles on the kids faces when they memorized the bible verse!! Also on Wednesday I got an opportunity to communicate very simply my testimony... God is good. I was very blessed by that opportunity. Also, praise God I have another sister in Christ... one girl that I know of accepted Christ.

In the afternoons a group of us went to La Capilla which is a small church in the mountains of MC. I was a team leader for the Blue Team (the older girls). It was such a blessing to be able to connect with them. They each have a story to tell and dreams!! God also used several of the younger babies to share part of His love to me.. I loved getting to hold those precious children. It made my heart sing!!

So this week three new people joined our team. Luke, Chris and Holly. In the mornings we will do work projects and activities with the boys at the orphanage (in Jaibon.. we are back now until August 1st) and then in the afternoon I get to teach the English station for the VBS that we are doing at a local church. I am so excited about this opportunity. God has been faithful. Please continue to pray for encouragement for the team as many of us this is around the half way point of our time in the DR. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. We serve a mighty God, one in whom we can place our hope in. And as John shared with us this morning: Hope is the "confident expectation of the righteous".

Praying for you.
Monica

Week 3

2009-06-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

hey all... it has been a great week this past week. God has been so faithful especially this past week. On Tuesday our team had the opportunity to spend the morning in prayer. We prayed with partners, alone and as a group. It was probably the most powerful experience since the beginning of this summer. God really overwhelmed me with the peace that I am down here for a reason and that even though it seems like a long time now, that He is going to use every bit of time to teach, mold and expand me through different children, peers, leaders, situations and conversations. Praise God for His faithfulness!!

So this past week the group of interns had the chance to do an English Camp at the school on the site of the orphanage in Jaibon. We worked with 40 of the same kids that came to the VBS the week prior. My role was to be the co-program leader with Heather to lead my peers in putting on this camp. One of my highlights was seeing some of the same boys that I had on my team last week come back and have that same smile of recognition... it is priceless :)

The theme for the camp was Under the Sea and we did an English focus and a Bible focus each day. Some of the things we worked on was Weather (Jesus Calming the Sea), Food (Fishers of Men), Directions (Jonah), Colors, numbers (Gospel). It worked out very well and the team did a great job of putting together the camp with four stations: Crafts, Rec., English and Lesson. We also had the chance to do an English Bee on Thursday. They really seemed to like it and we hope to use that tool in the future, just as they have at Monte Cristi in the English Institute. (I thought of my dear family who loved the Spelling Bee while planning it :) ).

For this coming week we are at Monte Cristi with two church groups and some one week volunteers. We will be doing a VBS for 200 kids in the morning and then splitting up between a VBS at a local church and a sports camp at the Baseball stadium in the afternoon. I think I'm gonna go to the sports camp.

Please pray for unity among the three groups and for the kids to be open to the Gospel when it is presented. The big VBS will be themed Narnia and has been a hit before, so we are excited to see what comes of it this week. Also, please be in prayer for the those of us that are going to be here past the end of this week. At the end of this week, we loose about half of the team because they are going home after a month. We will get a few more month long interns, but as you can expect a lot of emotions can be felt during that time.

Thank you so much for your constant love, support and encouragement. I am so incredibly blessed to know you and have you in my life. Please let me know how you are doing this summer. May God Bless you.

Thanking God for you,
Monica

Week Two

2009-06-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Thankfully I was able to get on the internet tonight... it has been a fun week... so much to tell you all about. Lauren joined us at the beginning of the week and Stephanie, Cara and Micah joined us today. Cara is John's wife and Micah is John's son. Lauren is the intern that will be leaving on the same day as me... so we have become dear friends within the last week. Anyways enough about who is here and on to what we did this past week.

There was a group of 50 highschoolers from Kenniworth United Church (Chicago) so it was such a blessing to enjoy tons of energy on site this week. KUC worked on building volunteer housing for Orphanage Outreach as well as partnered with the interns to run the first ever VBS at Jaibon. I have told a couple of you this already, but this trip and especially this week has been Monica in a nutshell. I got to put my passion for Spanish, kids, teaching ESL all to work this week. Monday-Thursday morning I taught ESL to four groups of kids for 25 minutes each. Then in the afternoons I got to be a team leader for "team verde", which was a group of boys ages 6-13. The stations for the VBS were Crafts, ESL, Lesson, and Rec. It was so fun to be able to translate some, and spend time getting to know the kids.

This past weekend has been a great time of relaxation and an hour of internet time :)... but I am soooo excited about this upcoming week. I had a meeting with Heather, the program leader and friend from JBC, this afternoon and she asked me to be the program leader for the English camp next week. This means that I have done a lot of planning on the front end of things and provide leadership and framework for the English camp. I am so excited to be able to have this opportunity for this kind of leadership. In this role, I wont have the chance to teach per say, but will be able to oversee all that goes on at the camp with the help and guidance of Heather. Please pray for guidance and confidence in the abilities that God has given me as I adventure out on this exciting week!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and concern about the reaction.. I am pleased to say that my hands and feet are back to normal... God is good and He continues to pour blessings on me through friendships, conversations and those boys at the orphanage. God is good.

I am also VERY pleased to let you all know that I can get letters in the DR :)... It will probably take about a week and a half to get here, but I would welcome any cards or letters to know how you all are doing. Please don't send any packages, because chances are that they won't get here, save those for when I get back to JBC :)... ok so its

Monica Swartzentruber
Calle Alta Gracia #80
Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

Thanks so much for all your love and prayers. You are such a blessing and I can't wait to hear about your summer and share more stories and pictures with you when I get back. Hopefully I will be able to get online next weekend, but I've learned to be flexible and thankful for the time that I do get. :)

Love ya,
Monica

internet times

2009-06-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

so right now i have two minutes left online... hopefully i will get to be back online from 10-11 tonight (Saturday) or 9-10 tomorrow night (Sunday)... if not i will be back sometime on Monday... thanks for all your prayers and hopefully we will talk soon.

Monica

Week One.

2009-06-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

Wow... so I am sitting here at my "designated internet time" and will try to cram all of last week into this update. I have so many things to tell you. First of all, thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has been praying for the reaction. It ended up getting to my hands and feet pretty bad by the middle of the week and now it has almost all cleared up...God is a great healer... thank you for going to Him in prayer. So here are some highlights from this past week:

- Meeting 16 other interns, from various colleges and walks of life. The only thing that we had in common at the beginning of the week was an Orphanage Outreach t-shirt and now I consider this group good friends. Some of them will be here for a month and others for two months. Just yesterday, Lauren came, who will be leaving the same day as I will :) She is a blessing!
- Being under the leadership at OO. John Hopkins, someone who has run summer camps in Colorado is leading the summer program. God is using Him in great ways to lead the interns in a Spirit-filled experience.
- Meeting the 20 boys at the orphanage. We are getting to know each boy fairly well. Each afternoon last week we had the chance to do an organized activity (relay races, capture the flag, get to know you interview, etc.) and then we also had free time to just get to know the boys one on one. One of the boys is named Robinson. He taught me how to play Mancala. Meliss would be so proud :).
- Working to get ready for the group of 50 high schoolers here this week. We had to make 50 beds with mosquito netting for the group that is here this week.
- We also toured and went to the beach on Friday and Saturday.

We have a busy week ahead in leading the high school team through VBS. I am in charge with two other interns of the English station :).. God is so good. There are so many other things to share, but my time is about out.
Thank you for the prayers.
Until next week.
Monica

The Lord is my Rock!

2009-05-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

So it is finally here. I will leave this afternoon to go out with my family to spend the afternoon and evening in Louisville, where I will fly out tomorrow morning.
I wanted to let you all know about a passage that I read last night...Psalm 18. This is the passage where David is pleading with God to deliver him from the hand of Saul. Even within the chaos of what David must of been feeling, he begins the passage with "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge." (vs. 1-2).

I am clinging to the promise laid out in this verse. It has been a crazy ride the last couple of weeks home. I have been able to spend time with family and friends and get completely packed. Please join with me in praising God for the time off and the time of preparation before I head down to the Dominican Republic.

I also come with some requests to be brought before our Rock and Refuge. I have had a bit of a reaction to the malaria medicine over the past couple of weeks. Please pray that the medicines that I am on now will solve the problem and that I will be able to carry out whatever is asked of me when I get to the DR. Also pray for safety traveling tomorrow, for me and many of my other team members. Finally, I ask you to pray for calm nerves, for both me and my family.

I will be leaving from Louisville at 10:50am (4287) flying to Chicago, then leaving there at 12:45 (1896) and flying to Miami, then leaving there at 6:45p (749) and arriving in the DR by 8:45pm.
When I get there safely, I will be required to call home within 24 hours. I will call my mom, and she will notify Brad, Becky, Susan, Rena and Emily.

I know that God has called me on this trip for a reason, and I will cling to the promise that He is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. Join me in celebrating God's goodness and blessings! I am so thankful for each one of you. Know that I am praying for you this summer.

Monica

He Never Lets Go

2009-05-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

So the countdown is down to less than two weeks, and I have a lot of things to do... but this morning I had an unique opportunity to enjoy getting up and not really having anywhere particular that I needed to be. I was able to get up and go for a short run and then able to come out on my back deck and dig into a bit of God's Word, while listening to a little Shane and Shane. I have been so blessed with such a sense of God's peace right now... exactly what I needed. I just finished up finals and moving (two of the most stressful things for me.. and together are a bear to handle)... but God is good and over the last several days since school let out for the semester I have been able to spend time with some special people and I have had some time to relax. The passage that I read today was the passage in Psalm 51, when David is talking to God about the sin with Bathsheba. I feel like I have not made time with God a priority, especially within the past month, and so verse 10-12 spoke close to my heart. David pleads to God to "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me... restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me" This is a passage that inevitably I have heard countless times before, but God used it this morning to remind me of why I am going down to the DR and to confirm that He has never let go. I have been called to share the joy of his salvation (something that I never want to become mundane and taken advantage of). Through God's grace I have been able to get through the preparation process so far, and by His sustaining grace I will make it through these next two weeks... and on to the summer. Please be in prayer as I make my final preparations. Thank you so much for your prayers, support and encouragement. You are a blessing.
Because of Him,
Monica

Less than a month...

2009-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

So it is officially less than a month that I will be headed for the Dominican Republic. A lot has happened since I last talked to you all. On Wednesday afternoon I received my t-shirt from Orphanage Outreach that I will wear on May 30th.. the day that I travel to the DR. Also, God continues to bless me with financial support from friends and family. Praise God! I feel so incredibly blessed by everyone who has invested prayer, finances and encouragement up until this point. Also, my original plane ticket was canceled, but God had control of the situation from the beginning. We were able to get a flight with the other girl that is going to the DR at the same time as me, that is from JBC. It puts my heart at ease to know that she has gone down to the DR a few times before and I won't have to deal with as many new things at the same time. God is good. For the next two weeks I will be finishing up school work and then heading home for a couple of weeks before leaving on May 30th. I would appreciate your continued support and encouragement. You are such a blessing!
In Him alone,
Monica

God is SOO Big!!

2009-04-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Praise God! This last week has been a whirlwind of blessings... Let me tell you about them! As of Thursday of last week, I am officially fully funded. That was one of the biggest worries that I had going into this summer preparations... but God had/has it under control. I also had the distinct privilege of having dinner with a lady last Wednesday that I met at the Missionary Convention in November. She has developed a curriculum for churches to use a ESL curriculum. I purchased "English Anywhere" and now I have a resource that if I needed, could use and apply to the situation in the DR. I am perfectly fine if I never take it out of my suitcase, but it is there if I need. It has been interesting how God has fulfilled these little worries... but He has also given me peace to go into the situation fully expecting for my world to be turned upside down. I also found out this past week that the girl that told me about Orphanage Outreach will actually be down there the same time that I will be. Praise God for an answer to the little bit of anxiousness of traveling by my self. Most likely we will be flying in on the same plane. God cares about the little things, which in my mind makes Him that much bigger!

Serving a big God,
Monica

Check out this weekly devotional written by Dr. John Cash (the pastor of Antioch Christian in Mississippi- one of main contributors to the ministry at Orphanage Outreach):

www.countrypreacherdad.com

Within sight

2009-04-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

So I had a realization this week... in less than 2 months, I will be down in the Dominican Republic working with Orphanage Outreach. For so long it has simply been one of those things that is "this summer"... when people would ask me what I'm doing "this summer", I would respond with "working in the Dominican Republic with Orphanage Outreach"... and now "this summer" is a little closer. With that realization, comes excitement, anxiousness and a little bit of an overwhelming feeling. I came home this week for Spring Break and I was able to get my shots that I needed for the 3 months and I am in the process of taking the Typhoid Meds... so I should be well taken care of. It has been good to be able to relax and spend time with friends and family and to catch up on some things that need to be taken care of before I leave for the summer. I would ask that as the 2 months become 2 weeks and 2 days and finally departure day that you would continue to pray for the final preparations. Also, I need to turn in the rest of the money to Orphanage Outreach by April 27th. I am still $570 short, but I am faithful that God will provide. Thank you to all of you who have supported this ministry... I could not have done it without you. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I am blessed to have you in my life.
-Monica

Not alone in a crowded room

2009-03-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

So it's been a few weeks since I have updated this... a lot of things have been going on around campus.. keeping me busy. Next week is midterms and with midterms also comes some projects that I need to keep working on, so this weekend promises to hold a lot of homework time... although I would love to be spending that time with the community that I have developed over the years. I have been reminded a lot within the past couple of weeks about the value of community, especially here on campus. Everyone from work supervisors, professors, mailroom workers, cafeteria workers care about me... that's not even to mention close friends in Alive group, Student Council, church and other things I am involved in... I am so blessed by the friendships that I have formed over the years. As I prepare for this summer, I am even more thankful for them because they, along with my family, have shaped me into who I am today. Thank you very much for your love and dedication to challenge and encourage me to seek God's best for my life. Praise God for community.
Blessed,
Monica

The Gumby Principle

2009-02-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

So I knew that this would have to come out eventually. God has really been doing a number on me.. I have always thought that I understood the whole concept of "Blessed are the Flexible for they will not be bent out of shape". I have been on several mission trips and that has been a consistent theme... but I feel like that principle is going to be something that will be a huge learning experience for me throughout preparation for this summer. I have a pretty good idea of what I will be doing this summer, but a lot of the preparation (curriculum planning) will happen in the first week that I am there, with all of the other interns. My supervisor said that I should be learning as much as I can about different ways that I can teach an English class. Fortunately for me, I am in ESL Methods and Materials, and we are learning just that (which includes some homework that I should be doing today). This is scary for me, because I want to prepare as much as I can on the front end of things, but God is faithful and He will not give me more than I can handle. As a dear friend reminded me this morning, God is a God of order... He's got this :) Thank you for all your prayers and support.
In His Arms,
Monica

He's got the whole world in His hands

2009-02-09T03:32:00.000-08:00

I used to sing that song growing up in Sunday school and VBS and I guess I never really thought about what that really meant for me. My Creator, has the whole world in His hands. He has my hopes, fears, desires, and future plans in His hands. He holds the birds, butterflies, bees and bears in His strong and mighty hands. He has got it under control...
I often say that "I've got it under control" when, someone comes up to me with concerned eyes in the middle of chaos. Most of the time it is me telling them that I've got it under control, to try to fool myself into thinking I've got it under control (if that makes sense), but how much more does God have things under control when we come to him with worried eyes, in the middle of chaos... Our Father is faithful and speaks the truth.
This weekend, I went home to visit my family and I also had the chance to visit a family that I babysat for this past summer. When I babysat for them, the boys where only 4 months (now they are working on taking their first steps... craziness). But I remember when I would watch them and they would start to get fussy. Sometimes all they needed was a bottle, sleep or a changed diaper, but most of the time, all they wanted was just for me to hold them. Somehow being in my hands was comfort enough.
And so, I come to my Father who has the whole world in His hands. Asking Him for continued peace for this summer's plans, motivation to do school work, and patience in relationships. He has got it under control.
In His hands,
Monica

God of the small things

2009-01-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

So I have learned a lot about myself over the last several years. It's funny to think that someone can grow so much within such a relatively short amount of time. I have learned that I LOVE teacher juice (aka talking with other teachers or future teachers about teacher things... which wouldn't make any sense to non-teachers)... I have also learned that I like people and I have been so incredibly blessed by all of the friendships that I have formed over the past few years, but I also love spending time with ME, I am an introvert in that I am "filled back up" by being by myself....I have also being reconfirmed that I love details (hence the over-obsession with Post-it notes, so I don't forget about the details in my life). One of those details that has made me the most anxious about this coming summer has been the issue of money. But God is faithful and cares about details... my Alive group studied Psalm 139 last week... How much the psalmist talks about how God cares about every little detail about me... it astounds me. But back to the detail that God reaffirmed to me this week. Praise God, I received $400 in the mail through the blessings of close friends and family over the past week. I know that is just a fraction of what is required for this summer, but to me it was God saying, "Monica, I have called you the DR this summer... I will take care of you.. trust me". And so I am thankful for the blessings of family and friends and I am also thankful that even though God doesn't need Post-its, He is still the God of small things.
In His Love,
Monica

The Journey now has a map

2009-01-11T21:23:00.001-08:00

So I am new to this whole blogging thing, so be patient while I learn. :) Ever since I came back from Pachuca, Mexico God has been doing a mighty work inside my heart. Even being able to go to Pachuca with my family was a God thing. I am so blessed to have experienced the things that I have in only the past six years. Even though the passion for teaching, children, the Hispanic community and most of all the Gospel has remained the same, this journey is coming to an exciting peak this coming summer. I have been in prayer for the past year and through a recommendation from a professor, I have been given the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic for a summer working with Orphanage Outreach. There is still so much that needs to be done and still so many uncertainties (which usually doesn't settle well with my detailed personality), but God is faithful and He has given me peace (that only He can supply) about going to the DR. I am excited to see where the next step takes me. Because of His grace, I can enjoy the blessing of peace. God is good.