About a Broom

With all the dirt and dust, floors in El Callejon need to be swept every day.  In fact, at the Social Work site, we sweep several times a day, and still never feel like it’s quite done! 

When your floor needs to be swept, what do you do?  I imagine that for most of us, the process is so simple we don’t even think about it: 

1.  Go to the ‘broom closet’ or corner of the kitchen

2.   Grab the broom

3.  Sweep

If for some reason we don’t have a broom at home, we can jump in the car, drive down to Target or Walmart, and buy one for a few dollars.  Such a small, simple thing, isn’t it?

In El Callejon, not everyone has a broom.  When there is barely enough money for food, buying a broom is an extravagance not everyone can afford. 

And, even if they can afford it, the colmados (little stores) in El Callejon don’t sell them, so it means catching a ride (often a ‘moto-coche’ or motorcycle taxi) into Jarabacoa, and then riding one back again, balancing your purchases as you hold on behind the moto driver.

So, without a store-bought broom, what’s the solution?  This past week, Tago, one of the women who comes to the Site, showed our students:



Tago cutting the branches

1.  Get your machete or other big, sharp knife

2.  Go out into the field near the golf course

3.  Search for a specific shrub that has leaves that work well for sweeping

4.  Cut a bunch of them

5.  Find a long, strong branch for a handle.  Clear off as many of the side branches and twigs as you can

Tago and Daisy tie the branches

6.  Tie the leaves to the branch using a piece of hemp rope

7.  Sweep

8.  The broom will last 2 or 3 weeks, so be ready to repeat again

Trianne gives the new broom a go

As we watched Tago efficiently cutting the branches and tying them up, we realized how lost we’d be if we had to make a broom for ourselves! We don’t want to belittle the gifts and opportunities God has given to us, but spending time with Tago was humbling and powerful.  

You see, it's not just about us coming into El Callejon to be a blessing.  In showing us how to make a broom, it was Tago who blessed us. 

Tago's family is one of the poorest in El Callejon, but she, too, has gifts to share, because she, too, is a child of God.  This is part of the goal of the Social Work site.  To help restore the dignity of the women of El Callejon by showing them the truth that God loves them, and that in Jesus, they are beloved daughters of the King.  To help them see themselves in that Light, and to know that God has a plan and a purpose for each one of them.

We pray that as the students (and we, too!) go home and sweep our floors, we will remember Tago and her family.  That we will remember that while we have much to give, we can also allow others to fulfill their God-given purpose to be a blessing, too.  That by allowing Tago and the other women to teach us, in a small, simple way, we are helping to show them how valuable and important they are.  To us, and most of all, to our loving Father.

Presents!

“It’s like Christmas!  There are all these presents out there, and soon we get to find out which ones are ours!”  Our intern Kaylee stood expectantly looking at the group of new students.  And, she was right!  While we get to review their applications and send them emails ahead of time, we don’t get to meet our students until we’re standing with all of the SI site leaders in the chapel at the SI base.

Once again, God has blessed us with enthusiastic, gifted participants.  For these two weeks, we have three young high school aged women and one adult leader.  We’ve had a busy week, including helping the Adult Women with a sewing project, playing and interacting with the little kids from the community, helping the Treces and Pre-teens with projects, and visiting women in their homes.

One of the highlights of the week was when Debbie talked with our Young Women about handling conflicts in their relationships.  She is a counselor who works primarily with youth and women in crisis situations, so she was able to bring a lot of practical suggestions to them. 

As a Christ-follower, she also emphasized the Bibles call for women to respect their spouses, even when they are frustrated with them.  The women really connected with her, and we’re planning to continue the conversation next week. 

Kaylee blowing out her candle...
withMelissa ready to help out!

Debbie doesn’t speak much Spanish, but Daisy and Kimberley were on hand to help translate.  That’s one of the things that typically worries folks before coming – how will I connect when I cannot speak the language?  The Holy Spirit shows us again and again that despite that ‘barrier’ He truly is in our midst. Yes, it’s important that we can help translate, but the sincerity and wisdom and love were all Debbie’s!

We’ve also had the gift of some great food.  On Thursday Kaylee celebrated her 21^st birthday.  Daisy bought iced coffee (one of Kaylee’s favorite things here in Jarabacoa) and bizcocho (cake).  We all enjoyed the yummy treat, and are thankful for Kaylee and God’s work in her life.  We know that as she enters this new year, He will continue to be her guide.


Getting ready to dig in to some amazing food!

Last night Joemny cooked us a wonderful meal.  Moro (rice cooked with beans), Pollo (chicken), Ensalada (a fresh salad with a simple, delicious dressing), and Tostones (friend green plantains).  We ate at the site, as her small home couldn’t fit us all.  We love being able to show off the amazing cooking skills of the women of El Callejon! 

Joemny is one of our young women, and today we visited her home where she shared some of her testimony.  We’ve written about her before, how God used a moto accident to draw her to Himself.  While their lives are not easy, she and her husband continue to look to God to provide for them and their blended family.

Joemny and three of the children

We praise God for another group of amazing outreach participants for this outreach.  Each is different, and each brings something different and wonderful to El Callejon, and to us. 

The summer has flown by.  After this two-week group, we have a one-week group, and then it's vacation time.  While we’re ready for a rest, we’ll be sad not to be meeting new ‘presents’ until later this fall!  God, You are so good!!

Dining Out and Partying In

It’s been another full week in El Callejon.  We welcomed four new outreach participants (3 students and 1 leader) from Hopewell, New York.  This team has been coming down for years – in fact, all three students were here last year, although not at our Site. 

We love when students want to come back, because it shows the impact Students International is having, not just on lives here in the DR, but on them, as well. 

From helping the women cut out fabric, to giving the Treces (13 year olds) advice about obeying their parents, to playing with the kids who stop by, the students have jumped right in.

On Thursday mornings we have our Young Women’s group, along with all of their little ones.  The students did a great job caring for the kids (ages 8 months up to 4). 

That night, they got a yummy reward for all their hard work when we went to Denis’ home for dinner.  It’s one of our favorite parts of the outreaches, as it gives students the opportunity to be in the homes of some of the people of the community… and it means delicious Dominican food! 

When one of the students took a third helping, Denis told her she was going to get a “bebe de comida” (Food Baby).  She has hosted Semester Students for the past three years, and they’ve taught her some English, as well as some of our sayings.  It was wonderful to hear how God has been at work in her life, and yes, the food was amazing! 



Taking pictures of the sunset.

On our way back to the truck, we stopped and looked out at the beauty of the area.  The sun was setting, painting the sky red and pink, and we were surrounded by lush green hills and vibrant flowering trees.  What a creative God we serve!

Friday afternoon we had our semi-annual birthday party for the three younger girls’ groups (ages 5 up to 13).  All the girls were invited and we celebrated the birthdays of the first six months of the year. 

Birthday girls!

We told them they didn’t need to dress up, but our younger girls (5-10) came in party dresses.  They love the chance to get fancy!  Even though they looked all grown up, they soon dissolved into laughter and screams as we played a variety of games. 

Our Treces explain the next crazy game.

Our Treces helped lead the games, and it was fun to see them taking charge.  Some have been coming to the Site almost all of their lives, and we continue to pray for them as they grow into beautiful young women.

We’re looking forward to next week, when each of the students will lead one of our groups.  We love the opportunity to see their faith in action as they share with our girls, teens and women!  Lives truly can be transformed as people from different countries, cultures, languages, are united in the love of Jesus.