"God Gave Me You"
I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
And watch as the storm blows through
And I need you
Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
Gave me you
There’s more here than what we’re seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
And I’ll be the flattered fool
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo
Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
He gave me you.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
A Very Dominican Day
Sunday - Tuesday at about 5:30pm are the craziest days in Banica. I feel like I am up super duper early and get to bed super duper late and it is filled with running around, work, beautiful things, wonderful people, and a whole lot of noise and heart. Wowzers! Today was no different. This is the first time that I have really been able to sit down since 6am on Sunday morning so this really is a gift. The days are just because because of the masses, formation, classes, youth groups, and meetings that are scheduled in those three days. Crazy! Crazy!
Today was a great example of how that craziness becomes "Dominican" in the most loving way possible haha. So let's start off in Hato Viejo. I teach classes these every Tuesday from 9am until noon. It's hot and sticky and the classes are big so I have to use my "loud voice" sometimes. After the classes in Hato Viejo we (the college students who help out and I) plan games or activities with the kids because they do not have PE or any kind of physical activities for the students. It's not that they do not want to...but they just do not have the money or resources for it. Four of us decided to go to a different community to visit the kids who lived there and could not go to school. The road was so horrible that we could not use the pick up truck to make it up the hill. We did not know exactly where we were going but we had a general idea. In flip flops and my teaching clothes I trekked down a big dirt hill, crossed two rivers, and trekked up another dirt hill before reaching this little community. Cars cannot even get to them! We brought soccer balls and jump ropes and lollipops for the little kids to play with in the community and they loved it. One of the most beautiful moments for me was meeting a little girl named Maria. When we were playing with the little kids, some of them mentioned that their friend Maria could not come out and play because she could not walk. I did not quite understand what they meant by that so I found out where her house was and stopped by before leaving the community to head back down to Hato Viejo. Maria is a beautiful girl was a gorgeous smile and lots of love who has braces on her legs and is confined to a wheel chair for the rest of her life. The other day I met a boy in who is paralyzed from the neck down, named Miguel Angel (Michael the Angel hehehe like the Archangel), and was really moved by his happiness and love. Father O'Hare reminded me that it's people like Maria and Miguel that show love in its purest form and the human capacity to "look down" on people who are disabled is a spiritual incapacity (it sounds better in Spanish haha). I told Maria that the next time we come up to play with the community in two weeks, that I would bring her in her wheelchair to play too, and her mom loved the idea. At the end of the visit we trekked back own that hill, across two rivers (and encountered 4 cows blocking our way) and back up another dirt hill. Ohh the life in the Dominican Republic!
Today was a great example of how that craziness becomes "Dominican" in the most loving way possible haha. So let's start off in Hato Viejo. I teach classes these every Tuesday from 9am until noon. It's hot and sticky and the classes are big so I have to use my "loud voice" sometimes. After the classes in Hato Viejo we (the college students who help out and I) plan games or activities with the kids because they do not have PE or any kind of physical activities for the students. It's not that they do not want to...but they just do not have the money or resources for it. Four of us decided to go to a different community to visit the kids who lived there and could not go to school. The road was so horrible that we could not use the pick up truck to make it up the hill. We did not know exactly where we were going but we had a general idea. In flip flops and my teaching clothes I trekked down a big dirt hill, crossed two rivers, and trekked up another dirt hill before reaching this little community. Cars cannot even get to them! We brought soccer balls and jump ropes and lollipops for the little kids to play with in the community and they loved it. One of the most beautiful moments for me was meeting a little girl named Maria. When we were playing with the little kids, some of them mentioned that their friend Maria could not come out and play because she could not walk. I did not quite understand what they meant by that so I found out where her house was and stopped by before leaving the community to head back down to Hato Viejo. Maria is a beautiful girl was a gorgeous smile and lots of love who has braces on her legs and is confined to a wheel chair for the rest of her life. The other day I met a boy in who is paralyzed from the neck down, named Miguel Angel (Michael the Angel hehehe like the Archangel), and was really moved by his happiness and love. Father O'Hare reminded me that it's people like Maria and Miguel that show love in its purest form and the human capacity to "look down" on people who are disabled is a spiritual incapacity (it sounds better in Spanish haha). I told Maria that the next time we come up to play with the community in two weeks, that I would bring her in her wheelchair to play too, and her mom loved the idea. At the end of the visit we trekked back own that hill, across two rivers (and encountered 4 cows blocking our way) and back up another dirt hill. Ohh the life in the Dominican Republic!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Football
I miss football! I am working on lesson plans for this week right now and realized that tonight the Redskins play the Cowboys...LETS GO WASHINGTON!!!!! I miss my Navy football and I miss my Redskins football and really just all football. I hope I get to catch a game in December!
Hail to the Redkins! Hail Victory!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Haiti v. DR
You think that the DR is poor and then you take a gander across the river. Literally.
One of the things that is very common here in Banica is for families to have a young Haitian girl living with them to help them with cleaning and cooking. I do not want to call it a maid because that just sounds bad...but they are maids. And these families are poor themselves! There really isn't anything I can compare it to in the US but just stick with me here. Simona (my homestay mom) recently "hired" one of these girls to live with her and help her clean. Simona has a lot of medical problems so cleaning is a little painful for her. She actually takes really good care of the young girl, she bought her clothes, a bedroom set, feeds her soooooo much food, and is trying to help her learn Spanish (she only speak Kreyol) so that she can study in the high school here. The young girl, Jocelyn, come from an incredibly poor part of Haiti. Last night I tried to speak with her but she does not speak Spanish and I do not speak Kreyol so a lot of it was guessing. It is so sad though because she is a TINY little thing and I know that in her entire life she has probably never known what it felt like to be "full" from food. It's just sad. At dinner last night I had a piece of chicken, some batata, and a tiny bit of soup. Simona always says that I do not eat a lot haha but the food here just does not agree with my tummy! I try! Anyway, Jocelyn amazed me at how much she ate. She had a huge bowl of soup, an entire plate of rice, batatas, and an entire avocado...and ate every bite of it. AND she should! She needs to eat as much as she can and regain the strength she was unable to gain these past 13 or 14 years of her life. My heart just really hurts for her. I have no idea what hunger like that must feels like. That is 13 years of hungry! It's not skipping a meal or wishing you hard a second piece of cake...that's a lifetime. It breaks my heart - I don't want a single soul to go without food!
One of the things that is very common here in Banica is for families to have a young Haitian girl living with them to help them with cleaning and cooking. I do not want to call it a maid because that just sounds bad...but they are maids. And these families are poor themselves! There really isn't anything I can compare it to in the US but just stick with me here. Simona (my homestay mom) recently "hired" one of these girls to live with her and help her clean. Simona has a lot of medical problems so cleaning is a little painful for her. She actually takes really good care of the young girl, she bought her clothes, a bedroom set, feeds her soooooo much food, and is trying to help her learn Spanish (she only speak Kreyol) so that she can study in the high school here. The young girl, Jocelyn, come from an incredibly poor part of Haiti. Last night I tried to speak with her but she does not speak Spanish and I do not speak Kreyol so a lot of it was guessing. It is so sad though because she is a TINY little thing and I know that in her entire life she has probably never known what it felt like to be "full" from food. It's just sad. At dinner last night I had a piece of chicken, some batata, and a tiny bit of soup. Simona always says that I do not eat a lot haha but the food here just does not agree with my tummy! I try! Anyway, Jocelyn amazed me at how much she ate. She had a huge bowl of soup, an entire plate of rice, batatas, and an entire avocado...and ate every bite of it. AND she should! She needs to eat as much as she can and regain the strength she was unable to gain these past 13 or 14 years of her life. My heart just really hurts for her. I have no idea what hunger like that must feels like. That is 13 years of hungry! It's not skipping a meal or wishing you hard a second piece of cake...that's a lifetime. It breaks my heart - I don't want a single soul to go without food!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
WOOHOO! I got a package today! I woke up yesterday with a cold and have not been feeling so great. The world is just not giving me a break haha! I think it is the combo of (1) it is really cold in the morning but super duper hot in the days and the huge change takes its toll on your body and (2) I work with little kids all day and they are cute but have all kinds of germs and they always want to hug you haha. Being sick is never fun. Being sick when you are along is even worse and being sick in a third world country is just straight up scary. I took come Dayquil and grabbed a bag of throat lozenges out of my medicine bag and am trying my best to stay healthy people so no worries about me. It will pass! But being able to go to the parish and see that package waiting for me...BEST. GIFT. EVER. Apparently there is a card too but I have not seen it yet...but I think it is just my insurance card from my sister that I got mailed to our house haha! Maxwell (and his mom) sent me a great package with a water bottle with a filter (I forgot mine in VA), medicine, enough crystal light packages to get me through to December, batteries for my Kindle light, and cookie mixes! The best part of the package was the card inside :) it was a card for our anniversary (the 1st of each month) and has a beautiful quote inside.
"May God light the way with His wisdom, calm the way with His peace, and make a way with his LOVE"
This package form my incredibly wonderful and loving boyfriend was one way that God was showing his love through my boyfriend today. I am the luckiest girl in the world! Thank you Maxwell!
So now that my morning classes have finished, I am off to lunch, and then to my afternoon classes. Tonight we will probably take a look at the documentary that just came in. Two years ago a team of photographers and video peeps gave up their time to make a documentary about Banica and I cannot wait to see it. I bet it is great!
The only bad thing...mail is SUPER slow here and I love getting it but seriously it is so slow that I probably won't get it until Christmas sooo e-mails are great haha! I love getting e-mails!
laura.schaefer1@gmail.com
"May God light the way with His wisdom, calm the way with His peace, and make a way with his LOVE"
This package form my incredibly wonderful and loving boyfriend was one way that God was showing his love through my boyfriend today. I am the luckiest girl in the world! Thank you Maxwell!
So now that my morning classes have finished, I am off to lunch, and then to my afternoon classes. Tonight we will probably take a look at the documentary that just came in. Two years ago a team of photographers and video peeps gave up their time to make a documentary about Banica and I cannot wait to see it. I bet it is great!
The only bad thing...mail is SUPER slow here and I love getting it but seriously it is so slow that I probably won't get it until Christmas sooo e-mails are great haha! I love getting e-mails!
laura.schaefer1@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Rain
Rain pops out of no where in the afternoons here! It was a bright sunshine day and then BAM rain. I was in the truck on my way to one of the neighboring towns called Sabana Cruz for Magdalenas (high school girls youth group) and it just started to pour. The people in the back got SOAKED. I noticed something different about rain here. As kids in the US, we either run outside to play in the rain with our boots and coats on or we get yelled at by our parents to stay inside. Here, rain = a shower. For people in the campos, and even in Banica, who do not have a shower (bucket showers) the rain means a chance to shower. You pass so many kids out in the streets in flip flops and tee shirts and shorts using the rain as a shower. It cracks me up! And they love it!
Sadly, the rain means that fewer girls make it to the youth group because it is hard to travel the dirt roads when they become mud. On a brighter note it was a sun filled day in Hato Viejo and teaching there this morning went so well. I will try and add a photo to this blog post so that you can see some of my students in my older classes. If Jimena and Issac are reading this - I have some of your old students and they are brilliant and so helpful!
Off to finish up tomorrows lesson plans for the Colegio :) hang in there everyone and keep smiling!
Sadly, the rain means that fewer girls make it to the youth group because it is hard to travel the dirt roads when they become mud. On a brighter note it was a sun filled day in Hato Viejo and teaching there this morning went so well. I will try and add a photo to this blog post so that you can see some of my students in my older classes. If Jimena and Issac are reading this - I have some of your old students and they are brilliant and so helpful!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Prayer Request
The picture above is of two of the most amazing men that I know. My dad (on the bed) and my uncle Jim (next to him). My uncle has cancer and has beaten it before...he is a fighter! My mom and dad flew back from the Philippines to be with him and to undergo a stem cell transplant (I think that is what it is haha). This summer all of the brothers and sisters on the Schaefer tested to see who has the closest DNA to uncle Jim and the winner gets to help him out! It was pretty neat and a huge blessing that almost our entire family was together this summer in South Dakota. 75% of cancer patients do not have a donor match in their family that is close enough to them and have to get added to a national registry an wait...we got lucky! My uncle has been going through chemo treatments and this transplant is what our family hopes will be able to save him. For a week the poked by dad with different needles and going through a ton of different tests to make sure he is 100% healthy. Today he will spend 6 hours in that bed getting stem cells drawn. The hope is that these stem cells replace all of my uncles bad stem cells when they get put into him. At then end of the procedure my uncle will have my dads DNA - crazy! I know I am bad at explaining all of these scientific things but I really just hope it works out.
Being away from my family in their time of need is one of the most painful things ever but I know that I can pray for them both and pray that this works! Please join me in that :)
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