A new perspective

God. Wow. Today I feel so much better. It could possibly be the nap I had this afternoon, or maybe my ability to use the internet and connect with the world. And - THERE WERE STARS TONIGHT. We had worship out under them and it was so amazing. Nothing compares to shooting stars in the sky and lightning bugs down below. The occasional bright lightning was also impresive. The lights went out tonight just as we sat down to eat. But I realized something - I'm not afraid of the dark anymore. I was able to walk into my room, reach around in my bug infested room, grab my flashlight, and return to the kitchen. I even ate my boiled bananas and yuca without being able to see it. Is it possible it actually tasted good? I know that it is an important step in recovering from culture shock, but I never saw myself wanting more boiled bananas. God, I know you are here helping me. Through you, I can do this. But only with you. My classes and difficult and the children tiring, but I am renewed. Tomorrow I may wake up discouraged again, but help me to remember today. Thank you God for a renewed perspective.

Joshua 1:9
John 3:27-30

Blogsitting

Ashley's Internet access in the Dominican Republic isn't very good so she's asked me to help with her blog. She's writing posts offline and e-mailing them to me when she has a chance. I'll post them under the dates she gives me. So far, I've just posted using her login (though this post is under mine). I trust that won't be confusing.

I think it's going to work just fine. In fact, that's how the last four posts got posted. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did when putting them up.

Take care and please keep Ashley and Kayla in your prayers.

EL Primero dia de Escuela

My first day of school began much earlier than I would have liked. The wake up call, someone knocking on my door, happened at 5:30 am. Although I have pretty much adjusted to the time change, it still felt like 2:30 in the morning. After the wake up call, they give us 5 minutes to roll out of bed and make it to the kitchen. It sounds like a long time but early in the morning, it is a long walk - 5 feet. :-) We had a family worship until 6:00 when Kayla and I agreed to do the family jog. We thought it would wake us up and give us a chance to get outside of the orphanage to see the surrounding area. It was a good idea. The air is definitely thick here, though. Apparently the water here turns off as well as the electricity. When we got back to the house, they had draped a hose through the window into the bathroom. That was my shower. VERY CHILLY! It helped the process of getting 18 people through one shower in the morning, though. I wasn’t feeling very well by the time I got to school. The combination of nerves and breakfast (hot pudding with salty, stale bread) didn’t help. That all changed as soon as I saw the children. It was like a hug line at camp. Before I knew it, I had multiple children hugging me and speaking excitedly in Español. Later when we went into the assembly in the church, my new little friend “Estefanie” sat as close to me as possible and by the end she was holding my hand. Tomorrow I have my first classes. I am still worried about how easy the children will understand me in Spanglish. It should be an exciting day filled with name tags, games, and a few rules. Keep me in your prayers. Who ever knew a bunch of elementary school students could be so intimidating. :-) For the remainder of today, I am busy trying to distract myself from my fears. The girls are helping some. One of the girls had me practice my reading out loud in Español which meant reading half of Esther in one sitting. I have also started collecting pictures with the girls and making friends. Not bad for only a week. Maybe I can do this.

Homesickness

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Philippians 4:3 – “Yes…help these women who have contended a my side in the cause of the gospel.”

Today was a difficult day for me. Although all of the days have been draining after hours of trying to understand Spanish, today homesickness really set in. Missing everyone is hard especially when my phone doesn’t work, internet requires both electricity and sunny skies, and letters take months once they have gone both ways. I was trying to distract myself by doing my sisters’ morning jobs. They kept telling me that I didn’t need to and I don’t think they realized I understood them because I just kept going. But eventually, I just needed to cry. I retreated to my room and held a picture of my family and my stuffed elephant – “Ellie.” At about that time, one of my sisters let herself into my room and gave me a hug. She opened up my Bible and found these verses for me. It was just what I needed. Thank you, God. Thank you for Nicole. I know I have a long year ahead of me, but it is nice to have little blessings along the way.

Too Poor for Lunch

After going into town this last Friday, I realized how well off we are at the orphanage compared to the sourrounding areas. However, the orphanage is still very poor in American standards. Today when lunch rolled around, there was no food. We asked if this was common and the replied that they didn’t eat lunch on Sunday. When I asked why they said that they never had enough food. They had to wait for their groceries to be delivered before they could make something some to carry them through until dinner. When the groceries arrived I was surprised again. There are 18 of us living in our house and the groceries looked like what my family of 6 would buy for a weekend. They are very careful about rationing so that the food lasts. We don’t starve by any means, but luxury is nonexistent. You eat when you are very hungry, not when you are bored or in a snacky mood. It is a very different world here. We really do depend on God to provide. Even living here it is hard to fully understand their way of life because this is all they know. Maybe that isn’t so bad though. I would never choose for anyone to be poor, but these people rely on God. If I can learn to like their food, than maybe their faith can rub off on me as well. This is my prayer, God.

Day 3 in a Foreign Land

These last three days have been possibly the longest in my life. Partly because I have done so much in those days that it seems impossible, and then mostly because a four-hour meeting solely in Spanish is never-ending. I’m not complaining, more just shocked. That thing called culture shock is real. No amount of reading about the Dominican Republic or overcoming my fear of bugs could have prepared me. Now the strangest things that are familiar remind me of home. Yesterday Kayla and I decided that we like flies. At least we’ve seen them before. Here is a list of things I found different:

• Breakfast this morning was mashed, boiled bananas with onion on top and a hot drink made of powdered milk. Bananas and Onions are eaten at every meal and they are always boiled. Everything for a meal is combined to be eaten together.

• The shower is cold (actually amazing) but the shower head is opening about the size of a toothbrush and drips straight down. To make a shower more effective there is a large bowl in the bottom of the tub to catch the water and another cup to dump it over your head. The first bucket of water is always surprising in contrast with the temperature outside. By the end of the shower, the water in the bucket is pretty sudsy. I still haven’t figured out exactly how to get all of the soap out of my hair.

• The bugs are different and everywhere. My first night when I arrived there was a spider the size of a tarantula right above our bed. Our “father” swept it off the wall with a broom and stomped on it repeatedly until he gave up and drug it out of room still partly alive. There are also cockroaches. Yesterday we emptied all of the cupboards in the kitchen so that we could smoke bomb the house. I did enjoy the fireflies flying around in our room the last two nights. I’ve always wanted to see one.

• They don’t sleep very much. When we manage to escape at night for bed around 11, everyone is still socializing, and when we wake up in the morning, it is too loud singing around 6:30.

• I don’t speak their language. My vocab is small, my grammar bad, and my pronunciation even worse. I am trying to soak everyone word in but they speak very fast and the accent is just different enough that I am getting good at smiling and nodding. For worship last night, my second day here, they had me pray in Spanish and read the worship out of the Bible. My prayer went something like this – “Father, Thank you for a good day. Keep us tonight. Help me to learn more Spanish. Thank you. Amen.” They just smile and tell me I’ll learn but it couldn’t be soon enough.

• They are definitely on island time here. I rarely see watches and I haven’t found a clock. My teacher’s meeting was at 8 this morning, but people were still arriving at 8:15 and it hadn’t started.

• They are always together and talking. It makes my silence even more obvious. Everyone is always participating as well. I’ve never heard such loud singing in a church. It would be very rude here not to be singing even if I can’t keep up with the words.

• Lunch is a 3 hour affair.

• Driving is very dangerous. I haven’t been brave enough to look at the speedometer when in the car, but on a road that would be 30 mph in the US, I think we are going 50. I will limit my trips into town, but keep me in your prayers.

Overall, I’ve had a successful last two days. I’ve managed to eat at all of the meals. I don’t find myself constantly scanning the walls for bugs. And I am prepared to make a fool of myself in my broken Spanglish. I am so thankful to have had 4 safe flights on the way here and to have arrived safely at the orphanage. Please keep me in your prayers but know that I am doing well. :-) God Bless

Sunsets are my Rainbows

Yesterday evening as I was driving through the country I made a realization. I love sunsets. This wasn't really a new discovery, but the beautiful sky was a wonderful reminder. Mt. hood was in the middle with the city lights all around it. Because of the earlier rain, the colors were reflecting in all of the clouds. I decided that a rainbow may have been what Noah needed, but God gave me a breathtaking sunset instead. I looked back into the sky because I couldn't get enough of it, and right then I noticed a triple rainbow stretched across the sky as far as I could see, entering the sunset on either side. I've been busy getting ready for my trip in a week and it was a nice reminder that God is still there and He's the reason I'm going. Instead of the rushed anxious feeling I've been carrying around with me all summer, it adjusted my focus and left me calm and relaxed. I still have purchases to make and things to arrange before I am truly ready to leave, but I am not as worried anymore. God's not shipping me off to a far away land to abandon me. He's never left me before, and he never changes. Perhaps rainbows and sunsets are the perfect combination. :)

Packing, Reflecting, and Still Counting Down

As my date of departure continues to sneak up on me, I've begun the packing process. It is amazing how fast the bags reach their weight limit, not to mention the stretching zippers. Hopefully airport security chooses not to open my bags, but I wish them the best of luck in reclosing them. My shoes, shampoo, books, Bible, pictures, skirts, and spanish dictionary have each found their little niche and home for the next 10 months in my oversized luggage. :)
I am still looking for a few more devotional type books so I'd appreciate any favorites and suggestions. Otherwise, for the next 10 days I will continue to pack, reflect, and count down the days until my adventure. Thanks for your prayer and support. If you are curious as to how to get in contact with me in the next months, here are a few options:
1. My address - although a mystery to me at the moment, I will know it soon (if you feel ignored when there is a long pause between your letter and my response, know that it may be a 3 month process.)
2. Email - ashleyllogan [at] hotmail [dot] com
3. This blog

Although I'll be sharing my experiences with you as they come, I'd love a taste of home every once in a while too. Please don't leave me with a one sided converstation. Talk to you all soon.

Ashley

Count Down

I can't believe it is already August. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting in the coffee shop studying for finals when Kayla mentioned SMing. It wasn't the first time I had thought about it, but within a couple of weeks I had filled out the stacks of paperwork and was ready to go. As with all trips, there were quite a few details to be worked out. Raising funds was a big one. Thank you to everyone that was a part of that. Your help was really a blessing. Now I am just finishing up the last few items and counting down the days. August 21st I will board the plane and begin an adventure filled 9 months. I can't wait and yet I know it will be here before I know it. Thank you for your prayers. I'll do my best to keep you along for the journey.

His Servant,
Ashley