"For He who Promised is Faithful"

I am loving teaching 2nd grade this year. God has given me a renewed joy as I teach in the classroom!  

I was reminded of God's love and faithfulness yesterday after school. What a beautiful reminder of God promises!

Dominican Vacation

(Borrowed/ Stolen from Amber's blog) 

http://alertsfromamber.blogspot.com/

When most people visit the Dominican Republic, they fly from their home to Miami and then from Miami to Punta Cana or Puerto Plata. When you come from the other side of the island, you do things a little bit differently. 

November 1st and 2nd are recognized as "All Saints' Day" and "All Souls' Day" respectively. I'll be honest, I don't know what those days are really about, but I know we got two extra days off of school and a long weekend. Jill and I needed to get out of the city and rest a few days. Thanks to Groupon, this was possible (if you've never looked at Groupon's getaways, do it now! They're worth it and very easy to use). We found a great deal for a 3 night stay at an All-Inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. We booked the Groupon and began to look at flights. There is a bus you can take, but with such a short amount of time, we chose to fly. We booked on an airline I had heard others use before, TortugAir. I could use this blog as a long and bitter diatribe written against Tortug, but I will try and exercise some self-restraint. Let's just say, for those of you who would live in Haiti and want to fly to the DR (or anywhere else they fly) and are considering using Tortug, don't. There, that's all.

We left on Thursday afternoon and flew from Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. I knew the plane would be small, and I thought I had prepared myself for that, but I hadn't. I didn't know that I would be close enough to the pilot to tap him on his shoulder and ask him why certain buttons were flashing red and another screen kept flashing the word "ALERT." (In case you're wondering, I didn't tap the pilot on the shoulder at any point, though I was close enough. I was too busy checking the propellers outside the plane to make sure they were still turning!)

Sweet laminated boarding pass....

Teeny little plane.

What's up pilot?

We landed in Santo Domingo a terrifying mere 45 minutes after takeoff. The airport was nice, but located far outside of town (with this airline you don't fly into the main airport in Santo Domingo). We were ale to share a cab with a nice couple in front of us who were staying in a hotel near ours. The first night of our trip we stayed in the Zona Colonial area of Santo Domingo. This would be considered the historical district as well as the arts district I think. When we walked into our hotel we were greeted with a blast of cool air and a glass of champagne and knew we had made a good choice of hotels. The staff were warm and welcoming and the rooms were great. 

Old church/mission near our hotel in Santo Domingo.

Outdoor patio restaurant things. 

Our next stop though had to be food. We had passed a road a couple blocks from our hotel that was in front of an old church and had restaurant after restaurant lined up, each with an outdoor patio seating area. Our eyes stopped on one particular restaurant and, without discussion, knew we needed to eat there: The Hard Rock Cafe. 

Now, some people will judge us at this point..."you went to another country and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe?!" Absolutely. Try as our cafeteria might, they just can't make a cheeseburger that will compete with an American cheeseburger. We wanted something in English and something that tasted like home. Enter the pulled pork sandwich with french fries and a coke. Delish.

'merican food. 

Still decorated from Halloween the night before. 

Sooooo good. 

After dinner we wandered the neighborhood where an artisan fair was going on with all kinds of crafts from Colombia. When we had seen all we wanted to see we went back to the hotel, sat in the air conditioning, and watched TV. Simple pleasures.

The next morning we needed to catch a bus from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana. I knew the name of the bus-line and the address. We got a taxi from our hotel and were dropped off at a very sketchy building. But, at 6:45 the doors opened and we were inthe right spot. We paid $375 RD (about $10 US) and hopped aboard. The bus left at 7am and as we drove through the streets of Santo Domingo, something just seemed....different. It finally hit me: no walls. There were no walls around the houses, buildings, businesses, nothing! In Haiti, EVERYTHING has a wall around it. The streets are not a mixture of different porches or houses with different paint or different brick. It is all a jumbled mx of different kinds of walls. 

We drove through the countryside on this very nice bus for about 4 hours. No, we weren't exactly sure of where we were supposed to get off. Any Spanish I picked up in high school had been violently shoved out of my brain when I began learning Creole. When we reached the last stop and everyone was getting off, I figured we should to. We were dropped off at a gas station parking lot and immediately swarmed by taxi drivers. We found one, and fifteen minutes later arrived at our resort. 

The next few days involved very little physical activity (aside froma very diverse volleyball game played between Americans, Dominicans, Chileans, Russians, and a Canadian). We ate, sat on the beach, read, ate some more, read some more, and slept. It was great! 

View from our room (semi-blocked by the tree).  

Another shot from our balcony. 

The last day and night we were at the resort both Jill and I were feeling kinda crummy and not entirely looking forward to the trip back. However, the transportation to return to Santo Domingo worked out all right. We arrived in the capital with a few hours to kill so we took advantage of the several American food chains in the area: a bacon cheeseburger at Wendy's and an ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins. There was also a grocery store nearby so we bought a few items that were much cheaper than our local stores here in Haiti. 

On the way back to the airport we attempted to figure out the Metro and did so semi-successfully. We made it back to the airport, had one more fight with Tortug Air, another terrifying fight, and safe arrival in Port-au-Prince. 

Restful weekend and another country stamped on my passport. Win. 

October- the month of no groceries

This month we have decided to not go to the grocery store. We are eating the food that we already have and buying the rest off of the street. We are almost half way through the month, and it has proven to be a lot easier than we had thought. 

It is nice to not worry about going to the grocery store, buying unnecessary food items, and planning out extravagant meals. It is fun to be creative with the things we have and eat locally grown vegetables. 

Here are some items we regularly buy on the street: 

Mangos

Avocados

Tomatoes

Green peppers

Zucchini

Carrots

Onions

Oranges

Potatoes 

Eggs

Chicken (already cooked)
Rice

See there really are so many options! Nathaniel and Josiah have joined us in our Street Eating Adventure Challenge. It may or may not have become a friendly competition! :)  

If you have any recipe ideas, we would love to try them! 

Madame Joseph

Last year around this time we met Cassandra and Fidelca on the streets. Since then they have been enrolled in TeacHaiti and are now successfully going to school. I love spending time with the girls and the rest of their family. The Lord has blessed our friendship, and it has continued to grow. 

Remember this sweet family?! 

Last week I went down to visit Madame Joseph and her family. While I was there Madame Joseph asked me if I knew of any place where she could work. We continued to talk and my heart melted. I so badly wanted to figure out a way to help her get a job. 

I went home and talked with Amber. We put our heads together and thought of what we could hire Madame Joseph to do around our house. Amber and I already have a Haitian woman come to our house 2 days a week to clean and do our laundry, but there are 7 days in a week! 

We have decided to hire Madame Joseph to work 2 days a week around our house. She will help cook dinner, wash vegetables, and clean around the house. 

It might seem silly to hire another woman to help us. Amber and I do not need someone to clean our house. We do not need someone to wash our vegetables and make dinner. But we are so excited to provide a job for Madame Joseph! 

Madame Joseph started working for us today. She came at 7am and was ready to begin her day. This is her first time working for foreigners, so I showed her how the oven worked and where everything was in the house.  She washed, bought vegetables, cleaned, cooked, and cleaned some more. She is SUCH a hardworker! 

My prayer is that this job (as small as it may seem) will create self-worth and purpose. On a practical level, I pray that she will acquire skills that will help her find a more substantial job in the future.  What a blessing to be apart what God is doing in her life!  

I'd love your help! Would you consider helping support Madame Joseph? It would be wonderful to have someone pay her monthly salary of $50. 

If you would like to help out by supporting Madame Joseph, please send me an email at jrutz@quisqueya.org! 

Madame Joseph and her youngest daughter! 

Friday a few of us spent the night up in the mountains. It was incredibly refreshing to spend time away from the city enjoying God's creation.

 Beautiful View

 Blessed by great friends here in Haiti.

 Breakfast over the fire

I was reminded of my need to rest in who is Jesus and find strength in the God of the universe! 

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  Psalm 19:7

Welcome to 2nd grade!

                              

                             

successful blogging negligence

I cannot believe that I have been in Haiti for almost a month but have not yet blogged. Here is a quick update to catch you up to speed. 

So far I am loving my 2nd year of teaching. Last year was a hard year when it came to actually teaching... this year has proved to be very different. Teaching, discipline, and lesson planning are actually enjoyable! God has given me a new attitude, strength and joy. YAY!! I know that I have so much to learn, but God has definitely shown his abundant grace already in the classroom.

It is incredible being back with great friends that have become so special in my life. I am continually overwhelmed with God's faithfulness, goodness, and love as he has provided this remarkable community.

God is teaching me about his abundant love. God is teaching me about the importance of prayer and laying my desires at His feet. God has been teaching me about being intentional in relationships with others. God is teaching me to wait patiently while trusting in His sovereignty. God is teaching me about finding purpose and value in my life. God is teaching me to be joyful. Through all of these lessons, God is revealing to me His power and strength.  

I am overwhelmed as I think of our 2nd grade memory verse for this week:

The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? 

Psalm 27:1

I would love for you to join me in praying specifically for these following requests: 

-Staying in Haiti more long term. Specifically that the Lord would give me reasons to stay here. 

-The hearts of my 2nd graders (and former 2nd graders). That they would love Jesus.

-Patience and trusting for the Lord to provide a husband.

-Discipleship with Haitian college students/ involvement in the Haitian Crusade weekly meeting

-Wisdom as I interact with QCS students daily  

2nd year of 2nd grade!

Today was the first day of school. It is so wonderful to have a classroom full of students again! I loved seeing familiar smiles and being bombarded with sweet hugs. It sure is great being back , but I am exhausted :) 

I have tons of thoughts/ ideas that are swarming around in my head already. Maybe tomorrow I will have enough energy to blog about some of them... 

Coffee dates are refreshing to the soul

What am I doing to serve God?

How am I actively furthering the Kingdom?

Why am I more concerned about what others see that what God sees?

What am I elevating about the Lord?

These are some hard questions that I must answer truthfully as I look at my heart and life. 

Summer Vacation in the States

I have been in the States a little over a week. In that time I have visited my grandma in FL, bought a road bike and have become obsessed with riding it, learned how to build scaffolding to help my dad paint the house, and enjoyed many diet dr peppers. 

I was in the middle of the mall (overwhelmed by all the flashy signs, colorful lights, and bright colors) and I thought to myself "It is so much easier to live and love God in Haiti."

Truth is... it is hard to love God regardless of where I am living. Both Haiti and America have their own set of challenges. 

I must choose to allow God to saturate all areas of my life and be enough. Will I trust that God is able? 

Back to the States for the summer

I arrived in Florida this afternoon! I am spending a few days with my Grandma Padera before heading to Hershey. 

It is nice to be in the land of air conditioning, smooth roads, and good food. It was nice for about 30 minutes... dare I say I miss Haiti already? 

Haiti became my home this year. A place where I saw the Lord move in marvelous ways. I place where I experienced love through community. A place where God broke my heart for His kingdom. A place where I experienced growth like never before. A place where I realized all I need is Jesus. 

I have left one home for another. I cling to the Truth that wherever I am God is with me!

 ^"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 

its hot!

This is written by a fellow teacher/friend/neighbor. I  couldn't say it more perfectly! Check out their blog! 


Heat. 
You know what I wish I could bottle from Haiti and send to all of you in developed countries?
The heat. The hot, sticky, inescapable, oppressive. The heat that desiccates your body, saps your strength, and leads to irritability. I want you to experience this heat the way I do.

I want you to sit in a concrete box and at the hottest part of the day I want you to shut off all your power. The school is having generator issues and it always- always- happens after lunch, when the sun is most on my classroom windows, when the students are most ready to go home, and when I have the least strength to fight back. I want you to experience sweat every.where. I want you come home from your hot classroom, walk across the hot street and into your hot apartment. Peel off your sweat-soaked clothes and hang them up to air dry before you put them into the dirty clothes because you do not want them to mildew. I want you to coordinate fans around you to circulate air and dry the sweat on your body. Then I want you to get a restless night of sleep because wherever your body lays it is sweating into the sheets. To willfully avoid touching your spouse because they are a heat generator and it is already hot. So hot that even brushing ankles in the night feels like your legs might spontaneously combust from the added heat.

It Is All in Your Head.
There is a woman who helps out at my school who has been in Haiti for around 30 years. She said that every May people will wipe sweat off of them and say, "I do not remember it being this hot last May." She will tell you it was this hot last May. It is hot every May, June, July, August, and September. She told me this not knowing about the above rant. She has had nearly 30 Mays in Haiti... but really, was it this hot last year?

change

You can tell that I am done with school because my blog activity is up!

Over this past year I have changed alot. Not all the change has been good, but I would like to believe that most of it has been for the better. My surroundings have changed, my friends have changed, my job has changed, and my heart has changed in alot of ways. 

Change is inevitable. It is bound to happen. But truth is, I hate it. I absolutely hate change. 

It is silly that I drag my feet, kick, and scream when change is taking place. Why is the automatic mode of my heart not to trust God? Why do I not believe in his goodness and faithfulness when He has shown it time and time again? 

I must put my hope in Christ alone. 

Tonight I go to bed mediating on this Truth found in scripture. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.                                Psalm 43:5

Last day of School!

Today was our last day of school. There were many days that I thought I wouldn't survive the year, but God proved Himself faithful. Looking back I am amazed at God's goodness and grace.

Here are just a few of the things my 2nd graders have taught me: 

It is not possible to control others. 

God desires a heart that is broken over sin.  

Life is simple.

A hug can help make a bad day better. 

White people eat mangos with a fork and knife. 

Words are powerful. 

Attitudes affect others. 

We all were shown grace and need to extend it to others. 

We are not perfect.
I speak Creole with too much of an American accent. 

God loves us despite our imperfections. 

There are never too many questions. 

There are consequences for our actions. 

There were days that my 2nd graders made me want to pull my hair out. There were days when I lost my patience too quickly. There were days I got teary eyed when I saw glimpes of my students tender hearts. There were days when my students were perfectly well behaved. There were days when my students said exactly what was on their mind no matter how blunt it was. There were days when everything I taught made perfect sense. There were days when my students did not learn a thing.


Each day was different. Each day was special.

More important that anything this year, my 2nd graders have pointed me toward Jesus. What a wonderful, wonderful blessing they have been!

this might be my favorite blog that i regularly follow. Today's post was a great reminder that I am not in control... God is! 

Check it out www.fabsharford.com

Satisfied: be okay.

One night a couple of months ago I found myself treading anxiety like water in my head, paddling my thoughts round and round.

I was planning conversations in my head to try to calm my heart. I do that for the same reason that I get frustrated when traffic is backed up; for the same reason that I try to anticipate all the scenarios that could go wrong in relationships, work or life.

I do these things because I’m desperate to control my life and in secret places in my heart I believe I would be better at the job description of ‘god’ than God. But underneath my obsessive planning and manipulation, my soul is restless for the fulfillment of a desire I was designed for: I long for the assurance that everything will  turn out okay.  

This desire will control the destiny of every single one of us.  It will either lead us to trust in our Creator or trust in created things.

You can either put your faith in whatever false savior promises a life where everything turns out okay: a husband, a job, your own thoughts, your own abilities.

Or, you can let every point of tension and anxiety humble you with the reminder that you have no control over your destiny and put your faith in the only One who does.  Only God can guarantee that everything is going to turn out okay.

If you picked option A, (the arrogance of attempting to control your own life), you will always feel the underlying anxiety and fear that comes from knowing it’s impossible.  You will constantly face obstacles that you cannot find your way around.  No amount of analyzing or action can change the trajectory of your life.

I know that because of King Saul.  Poor guy found out that God had picked David to replace him as King.  Saul used all the resources at his disposal (which were extensive) but he still couldn’t thwart God’s plan.  Saul just wanted everything to turn out okay, (not a bad desire), but instead of letting it lead him to repent and depend on God, he let it lead him to fight and battle against his maker.

David on the flip side, viewed every obstacle standing between him and his destiny be an opportunity to ask for God’s help.  Even in moments when he got tossed a soft ball, and a single action from him would have delivered his dreams, David refused to fight for himself, but instead waited on the Lord.

They both had the same desire – for their lives to turn out as they should.  But where Saul turned to his own hands and muttered to himself – God helps those who help themselves,David got on his knees and confessed that he was unable to help himself. God helps those who turn to Him for help.

This is the Gospel: our confession that we are helpless apart from His intervention. The irony of our desire for things to be okay is that ultimately - things will only turn out okay for those who have the grace to know that they need God to make things okay.  Things will not turn out okay for those who persist in seeking to climb their way to an eternal ‘okay’.

Crazy David.  He was satisfied by God in ways I dream about.  He describes it in this way:

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

He tells us why he felt that way:

for you have been my help, (Psalm 63:5-7 ESV)

If we want to be satisfied with God in the same way our bodies are satisfied by a great steak, then we have to look to him for help.  Our longing for everything to be okay is the fuel constantly prompting us to turn to God for help.

Every time you feel your desire for everything to turn out for your good tempt you to control or manipulate or plan, instead let that longing lead you to ask God for help.  He promises that He will work every single detail of every single minute of every single day for our good if we’re in Christ.

Here’s what that means: my dad’s death, my singleness, every bad day and every moment of loneliness is happening – not in spite of God’s promise to make everything turn out okay – but because of His promise that He will work everything for my good.

From His seat in Heaven above I think He has a better view than me of what I need.  Being the One with authority every molecule in the world, I think He has a better ability to control my destiny than me.  I pray that our longing for a happy ending would drive us all into the arms of the only One who has both the wisdom and the power to deliver to us a destiny filled with Himself
.

Simple

I just finished reading Donald Miller's book "Through Painted Deserts." It is about two guys who go on a road trip across the States to contemplate life.  On their trip the guys try to figure out who they are and what is really important.

I could relate to these guy's questions in many ways. What is my purpose? Why are things this way? Why do I feel certain ways? Who am I really?

I have a tendency to complicate things that were not meant to be complicated. I often over analyze situations that were not meant to be analyzed. I have a habit of making things more dramatic than they really are. I think I need more than what I have. I dream about how things could be different. 

I have to stop myself. God has commanded me to love Him. 

Its that simple. 

 LOVE      GOD       WITH       MY      WHOLE     HEART. 

God is teaching me to love Him alone. 

 Many people say getting married or having kids will sanctify you. Since neither of those things have happened yet in my life God is using my job as a teacher to refine me and make me more Christ like. i can honestly say it is one of the hardest, ugliest, and most miserable things. but deep down, underneath all the yuckiness i know God is making something beautiful.

‎"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

(eye roll) my husband list....

Check out this great blog!


On my twitter feed the other day a link popped up for a ‘Christian husband checklist’.  I knew that this list was likely to irritate me (or potentially make me wrathful), but I clicked the link anyway.

I’ve seen and heard a lot of lists like this.  I met a girl once who told me over our first cup of coffee that she would never marry a guy who wasn’t a virgin.  On the list I checked out the other day my personal highlight was the requirement for a guy who is ‘completely healed of all his baggage’.

I tried to think of what I would put on my list and I’m kind of at a loss.  Here’s my whole list: 1. MUST LOVE JESUS.

I guess I think that takes care of everything.

I think a man who loves Jesus will have a couple of symptoms in his life.  First, he’ll be repentant.  A man who loves Jesus isn’t a man who doesn’t sin; he’s a man who repents.Must love Jesus means that he must love Jesus.  I don’t want someone who says he’s a Christian.  I don’t want someone who says Jesus is the most important part of his life.  I want someone who believes that Jesus IS his life.  I want someone who loves Jesus more than he loves me.

I also think we will need to share a common view of Jesus.  I think there is  room in a relationship to disagree about some elements of theology.  But there are certain foundations of my faith that I need us to share.   When the rubber hits the road in my life, I want to be standing by people who share my beliefs of the inerrancy of Scripture, the nature of the Gospel and the sovereignty of God.

I’m not sure what else I would really put on my list.

Look, do I want a man who is completely healed of all his baggage? Sure.  Do I want to marry a guy who is pure?  Do I want to marry a man who is never deceived by a love of power or approval or comfort or control?  I guess that would be good.  But honestly – I only know one guy who fits that description.  His name is Jesus.

I think if someone shares my view of the gospel, then they probably won’t have ‘completely healed of all her baggage‘ on their list.  I don’t know how you can look at the glory of the Cross and walk away convinced that you deserve to marry someone who has outgrown sin and folly.

This morning I read a great article:

Some people in our culture want too much out of a marriage partner. They do not see marriage as two flawed people coming together to create a space of stability, love and consolation…Rather, they are looking for someone who will accept them as they are, complement their abilities and fulfill their sexual and emotional desires. This will indeed require a woman who is “a novelist/astronaut with a background in fashion modeling,” and the equivalent in a man. A marriage based not on self-denial but on self-fulfillment will require a low- or no-maintenance partner who meets your needs while making almost no claims on you. Simply put—today people are asking far too much in the marriage partner.  - Tim Keller

Maybe I’m missing things on my list.  Maybe I’m naive, but I really think if someone loves Jesus – really loves Jesus, that kind of takes care of everything.

That may mean that they’ve mastered financial stewardship, but they still struggle with porn.  That may mean they’ve conquered lust, but battle with pride.  The evidence of a man who loves Jesus is not found in conquering a specific sin struggle, but rather in his endurance in the fight.

Don’t look for the perfectly healed champion.  He’s already waiting for you in Heaven.

Look for they guy who is covered with scars from the fight.  Look for the guy who is bloody and bleeding with this huge grin on his face because he’s confident that the war is already won.  Don’t stare at each other too long.  Link arms or get back-to-back so you can make each other stronger before the next attack.

Then fight your way home to your true Hero.