Week two of camp

Today I killed a snake. Well I chopped a snake in half with a broom and we had to get a boy to crush its head. I heard Nadelli screaming so I ran outside to see her throwing rocks at the ground after asking her what she was doing she pointed to a snake slithering around on the ground. I had been told that there were no poisonous animals on this island but Nadelli told me the snake could kill and I didn't need to be convinced anymore so I grabbed the broom and hit the snake in between Nadelli's throwing of chunks of cinderblock. It began to climb into a little hole at which point I started hitting it harder and eventually severed part of its body. Nadelli then took off to find a boy to crush the head of the snake. She soon came back with one of the boys who live here as security and a baseball bat. The whole while Alba was hiding in her room watching from the window. The boy pulled the snake out of the hole as Nadelli quoted Genisis 3 about crushing the head of the snake and screaming. After a couple tries the boy crushed its head with the broom stick. It was a fantastic welcome home after camp.
The second week of camp was completely different from the first as we were dealing with older girls but it was wonderful. This camp I really connected with the girls in my cabin. We shared the Gospel with them daily and God gave us many opportunities to build into the lives of the young believers although none of the girls in my cabin accepted Christ there was a definite openness and changes in the lives of all the girls believers and unbelievers. Tonight at youth group all but one of the unbelievers were in attendance. Be praying that these girls come to know Christ. Also be praying for the young believers that they could have someone to guide them and disciple them. We talked a lot about salvation and that it's not just some prayer you say so you don't go to hell it's a decision to give your life completely to Him because you are a sinful person in need of Christ and His love. The Gospel is preached so much here but many times people say a prayer out of fear and after a while we find out they really weren't saved and they really didn't understand God's love. We had the chance to speak about what it really means to be a Christian.
In the evenings we also had our big group gatherings in which the Gospel was shared and we did dramas and sang. In one of the dramas I was Hannah Montanna and it was hilarious. I had two body guards wearing sunglasses and raincoats with ear pieces and salami as guns. The girls went crazy screaming and everything. It was a lot of fun. We had a family from the States who are originally from here and the mother spoke for two of the evenings. She did a really good job speaking about self-esteem and having an identity in Christ and then about purity and leaving behind the pleasures of this world and having Christ guarding us from the nastiness of this world.
This week I was the Romans coach and I really enjoyed it. It was great to see the captain and how she has really grown and become a really good leader. I also saw fantastic teamwork and putting others before themselves which last year was very minimal, but the girls are growing and God is working.
I came back with some fantastic wounds as well. I have a bruise on my leg from falling while playing freeze tag the length from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my pinky. I also have a cut on my foot from falling while playing basketball in the rain. It's not that big of a cut but in the middle of the game I was surrounded by twenty girls who lifted me up off the ground and carried my into a massive mud pit, then I went to the river which was dirty because it was raining to get some of the mud out of my clothes and my hair. As a result the little cut on my foot became very infected and is very swollen. I'm taking some antibiotics and cleaning it daily so hopefully it will get better soon.
I go back to the states on Wednesday and I'm glad to be going home and seeing everyone there but it's going to be hard to leave.

Camp week one

I have spent this past week in wet tennis shoes with fifty 8-12 year old girls and whatever other Dominican wildlife there is(rats, lizards, tarantulas, etc) bathing in river water which has its distinct odor or the rain. The things that were wet at the beginning of the week are still wet because of the consistent rain and lack of sun. With all that this week of camp was absolutely fantastic.
I was a counselor in cabin 5 which is the cabin with the oldest girls at camp. We spent a lot of time laughing and enjoying ourselves and by the end of camp almost all of them were saying they didn't want to go home and there were even a few tears involved. I was surprised by that because so many of them were daily complaining about being sore from the previous day's activities and being tired.
For three days straight it rained throughout the entire day. It made it a bit more difficult to do our activities and we had to do some creative changes like switching the afternoon competition from softball to hockey inside the cafeteria with benches making the sides of the court and using the top of a five gallon water jug as the puck. We also spent part of that day having an arm wrestling tournament. It turned out to be one of the best days.
With all the rain it was also really cold (mid-seventies) but I was really happy I had brought my sweatshirts because I wore them daily or at least nightly. In thw nights we had all the campers together for some singing and Bible time and dramas, one of which included me pretending to have lice and having butter put into my hair as the "cure." I would say that I will never do that again but we're doing the same skit this next week, but at least I know when we will me doing it so I don't have freshly washed hair destroyed by butter.
In each of these nights the Gospel was presented. We also had devotionals during the daytime that also had a clear Gospel message and throughout the day we were giving many opportunities of teachable moments. One afternoon after lunch during rest time one of the girls in my cabin who is a Christian came up to me and said "Bethany Glenys wants to become a Christian so I told her to go talk with Juana but she's scared and wants to talk to you" so i called her over and I was a little nervous because I wanted to clearly explain what her decision meant and make sure that she understood but my Spanish isn't perfect, but I was reminded that God is not restricted by me or my knowledge. I prayed with Glenys and she accepted Christ into her heart. We went and talked to Juana to tell her what had happened and get Glenys a Bible. Seeing this happen was huge because most of the time I didn't think any of the girls in my cabin were even hearing what was being said in the nights, the teachable moments or in devotional time, but God was working and He still is. Be praying for Glenys that someone will come alongside her and disciple her and also for the other girls who heard the Gospel.
Camp was definitely exhausting and difficult even getting back to town was difficult as we had to send the cabins one by one to cross the river since it was so high from the rains that the bus couldn't get through. In the end everything worked out and there is no place I would have rather been.
Tomorrow starts our second week of camp with the older girls and I'm hoping to get some sleep today so I can be well rested for that. Be praying for the kids that will be coming that they will have open hearts and also that the rain would hold off for a while and that if it doesn't that we would have rejoicing hearts in all we do.

Two months

It seems crazy to believe that I have been here for almost two months. It's really exciting as I'm seeing relationships grow and different changes in different kids that are clearly a testimony of God's work in their lives.
This past week has been yet another busy one. A friend of Rebekah's came down for a visit which meant increased activities. On Wednesday we took a trip out to a waterfall to do some swimming only it had been raining nearly everyday so the water was pretty high and pretty dirty which caused some of the Dominicans with us to stay out of the water, but those of us that entered had a great time getting cooled off in the water.
On Thursday we decided to go into the colonial part of the Capitol and spend some time learning about history since Rebekah's friend is a history teacher. We ended up getting a late start so by the time we got there things were starting to close but we got to spend some time in an old fortress and weapons museum there.
On Friday the interns and I headed out to the orphanage to make playdoh with the kids. It was the first any of them had done this so we first had to explain that we weren't making food but playdoh and then the kids were amazed at how it all came together and then had fun playing with it.
Saturday was one of my favorite experiences I have had here because we got to take all the kids from the orphanage who were graduating from eighth grade or high school to Jarabacoa to go rafting. This was the first time any of them had done this and everyone of them enjoyed the time rafting and laughing together. I fell out of the boat at one point but was very quickly pulled back in by the guide but even that was fun. It was a day that the kids said they would not forget.
Sunday we went out to the orphanage for our fourth of July celebration and ate hot dogs and had a bonfire and roasted marshmellows. It was a great time of fellowship and playing with the kids. It was especially fun to see some of the kids and the changes in them from the first year like Karin who was very shy and untrusting and seeing her now not afraid of new comers or talking with people and there is definite trust that she has with the others around her now. Also Gabriel who had made some bad decisions and got in with the wrong crowd at school and seeing now how he's left that behind and now has a sense of gentleness about him as well as an innocence. Both of these kids are not Christiains but God is softening their hearts and working there. Please be praying for these two kids to come to Christ.
Today I spent some time talking to one of the students in our summer program. He had hit a girl in his class and had been sent up to the office. We've had a lot of trouble with this kid and we have to send him home at least once a week. We found out last week that his dad had been abusing his mother and sister and then in talking with him today he told me that his mom had abused him. Normally he would be sent home for hitting the girl as hard as he did since he's a danger to the others but he really did not want to be sent home and knowing what is going on in his home life we decided to keep him at school in the office until school was over. It was a harsh realization what these kids are going through but it is very much a reality and there really are not forces in place to come in and investigate and help the kids if needed like we have in the states. Be praying for this little boy and the others in our program that they can be cared for well but also that they can find salvation. I shared the Gospel with this little one today and the Gospel is being shared daily with these kids.
I seem to have gotten an outer ear infection from water being in my ear after rafting this weekend. It was causing me a lot of pain but it felt better today although there were still moments of pain and I still can't hear out of it. Along with that I picked up a cold from one of the kids out at the orphanage on Sunday so my sinuses have been a little overwhelmed. On Friday we are going put to Jarabacoa for the weekend and there are missionaries there that are doctors or nurses so if the problem with my ear persists until Friday I'll have them take a look at it and hopefully get some medicine. It is not too bad all in all. I was able to play a game of soccer out at the orphanage with older boys and my ailments were pretty much forgotten during that time aside from the coughing and sniffling. Things are going well. I leave for camp midweek next week and I am excited for that to start. I will be returning home in less than a month now and I don't think I'll be ready for it.