August Highlights!

1. Manna Christian School Sleepover in Bobita

Before all the interns left we were able to have all our kids come out to camp to spend the night with us. You can imagine 20 teenagers out here with us, having practically free reign of the camp, was not one of our calmer nights. When they all arrived we ate homemade pizza and drank flavored sodas. You’d be very surprised how much these kids can eat. Even my girls, as seemingly skinny as some of them are, put away at least four pieces of pizza. They loved it though. Then we spent the rest of the night running around camp, playing games, roasting marshmallows over the bonfire, watching all the Dominicans dance to their hearts desire, then playing a movie up on the pad. The kids loved it and were so full of energy from the moment they arrived until the next morning when they left. It’s exciting to see how much they love being here, especially since this place will become a big part of their life over the next year as school is starting. We loved having him here and it was a really fun night.

2. Our Princesas and Pescadores’ kickoff party

A large part of mine and Jordan’s ministry out here is our Princesas and Pescadores. We wanted to start the semester off right by throwing a big welcome party for all of our kids. We decided to have ice cream sundaes with all the toppings. These included fruit loops, crusted up Oreos, bananas, peanuts, cherries, whipped cream, and many other delicacies. We had the whole place decorated with streamers and balloons as well. As the kids started to arrive, many of them danced and hung-out. We all ate our banana splits then Jordan and I introduced to them our game. We had thought this game up probably a day before and knew the kids would get a kick out of it. Basically we had 10 bowls set up at the end of the room with a different food item in them. There were two teams so each team had five bowls. One bowl contained pickles and jalapenos, another was nasty baby food, another whip cream and Oreos, another had a melted Twix bar, and the last was a mixture of pb & j. We covered each the bowls so none of the kids saw them before hand. Then they would pick a partner and one person had to walk on their hands while another held their ankles and finish one of the bowls. It was a race between the two teams and the team to finish their bowls first got to pie Jordan and me in the face. It was really hysterical. I felt somewhat guilty for filling a bowl with jalapenos but the kids seemed to love the game, some more than others of course. We had a great time and it was just the way to get our semester kicked off.

3. A week with my mom

I was really blessed to be able to spend an entire week with my mother here! She came just after the summer groups and the interns left, so we were able to have a lot of great, quality time together. We went to Santiago with the team, visiting Chiles, Jumbo mall, Pricesmart, saw the final Harry Potter movie, and visited many other luxuries of the big city. She really enjoyed seeing that aspect of the country. The next day we went to my good friend Milagros’ house. Her name means miracle in English and she is truly a sweet woman. Her daughter, Graisy, is one of the girls I mentor and spend a majority of my time with. We arrived at her house in the morning, helped her cook and spent time with the girls. Jailinne taught mom how to make a thread bracelet by tie lots of knots with different pretty colors of string. Graisy painted mom’s toe nails and we all shared a wonderful meal. Milagros’ is truly one of the most faithful women I’ve ever met. She speaks constantly of the love she has for the Lord and continually strives to please him. I love speaking with her about these things. Her passion for her faith and her family really radiates in all that she says and does. This day was a blessing to both my mother and me. The following days she was able to spend Club Chiquito with us, the VBS like activity we have with the younger children of Rio San Juan, visits to the beach, a Bobita church experience, and the greatest experience we had together Saturday when…

4. I GOT ENGAGED!!!

August 13 was mine and Jordan’s one year anniversary and he asked me to marry him! We woke up very early to go see the sunrise on the beach and it was nothing short of perfect. I had no idea he was going to propose, even though my parents had known for months. He played me a really special song and asked me to spend my life with him. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life, knowing I’m going to marry my best friend and guy of my dreams. We spent the entire day on the beach, got a massage, and started the ever exciting wedding plans. That night all of the team and mom came out to have dinner with us on the beach. It was truly a day I will never forget. God has blessed me profusely with a life more perfect and special than I could have ever imagined. Continue to pray for us as we plan out our December wedding and the rest of our lives together. We are very excited!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement. We are busy each day preparing for the first day of school at Manna Christian School, September 5th! Keep us in your prayers for this day and for each of the team members in our individual ministries. God is good at taking care of us all.

Sending my love from the DR,

Audrey