Today i had a lot of fun in esperanza! This little video shows the creative fun you can have with an old wooden seat!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAWlMGy3l0w&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Villa Esperanza
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Monday, 1 July 2013
Random Update!
It's been a while since I wrote anything...life out here has been really really busy!
Today is my first day on my own since....19th May! I've had a really good time, mostly, though. Im not complaining! I had a lady from Mission DIrect come to investigate brining medical teams to the DR, which turned out to be a much better visit than i though it was going to be!! Then my friend Caroline came to visit for two weeks - which was great fun. I really enjoyed showing her my DR life. Caroline's visit was a real encouragement to me - thank you CAROLINE. During the time that Caroline was here we received back another 3 passports for 3 men from Esperanza village - 3 isnt 300 but it is another 3 people a step further to legal rights to work in the DR, and thats exciting.
After Caroline's visit came the next MD team, who did a great job working on the house they sponsored, aswell as all the afternoon ministry projects. The family that were receiving the home have a disabled son, so the team dug deep and raised the money to buy him his first wheelchair, meaning that his family wont have to carry him in a hammock anymore! They also built a little ramp into the hosue for him, so that he can have some freedom to come ina nd out alone. I really love ti when teams see an individual need and manage to help meet it. It really encourages me. God uses us in so many different ways!
I found the team really tiring too this time around - I dont know if its my age....now im the OTHER side of 30... or if some times its just more tiring than others!
This last week Ive been showing the regional manager from the Mission Direct office around, helping her to get an understanding of what MD are up too out here. I've also been up in Esperanza village, trying to help to support some ladies in the village as they care for a gentleman who is dying. He has no family and they have no money to buy soap to clean his dirty sheets and other basic things like that. Being able to help at times like this is really important and I always feel blessed to be able to help in these situations. I went to visit the man on Friday and spent time praying with him, talking to him about God and helping with some of his basic needs. HIs neighbour ladies are lovely and are doing a great job at cleaning him and making sure he is as comfortable as he could be. Things are so very different in the UK, with institutions and professionals involved - but this man is being loved and I guess thats what matters most really....
The next MD team comes on Monday - this is busy season for teams now - Im really blessed to have Bob and Alison here leading with me for the next couple of teams - sharing some of the challenges, excitments and paperwork!! Please keep the three of us in your prayers over the coming months!
I cant think of much else to say right now - life is busy but fantastic. I love what Im doing, Im doing what I love and I think that is an amazing thing to be able to say!!
Send me an email, tell me how life is for you!!
Claire x
Today is my first day on my own since....19th May! I've had a really good time, mostly, though. Im not complaining! I had a lady from Mission DIrect come to investigate brining medical teams to the DR, which turned out to be a much better visit than i though it was going to be!! Then my friend Caroline came to visit for two weeks - which was great fun. I really enjoyed showing her my DR life. Caroline's visit was a real encouragement to me - thank you CAROLINE. During the time that Caroline was here we received back another 3 passports for 3 men from Esperanza village - 3 isnt 300 but it is another 3 people a step further to legal rights to work in the DR, and thats exciting.
After Caroline's visit came the next MD team, who did a great job working on the house they sponsored, aswell as all the afternoon ministry projects. The family that were receiving the home have a disabled son, so the team dug deep and raised the money to buy him his first wheelchair, meaning that his family wont have to carry him in a hammock anymore! They also built a little ramp into the hosue for him, so that he can have some freedom to come ina nd out alone. I really love ti when teams see an individual need and manage to help meet it. It really encourages me. God uses us in so many different ways!
I found the team really tiring too this time around - I dont know if its my age....now im the OTHER side of 30... or if some times its just more tiring than others!
This last week Ive been showing the regional manager from the Mission Direct office around, helping her to get an understanding of what MD are up too out here. I've also been up in Esperanza village, trying to help to support some ladies in the village as they care for a gentleman who is dying. He has no family and they have no money to buy soap to clean his dirty sheets and other basic things like that. Being able to help at times like this is really important and I always feel blessed to be able to help in these situations. I went to visit the man on Friday and spent time praying with him, talking to him about God and helping with some of his basic needs. HIs neighbour ladies are lovely and are doing a great job at cleaning him and making sure he is as comfortable as he could be. Things are so very different in the UK, with institutions and professionals involved - but this man is being loved and I guess thats what matters most really....
The next MD team comes on Monday - this is busy season for teams now - Im really blessed to have Bob and Alison here leading with me for the next couple of teams - sharing some of the challenges, excitments and paperwork!! Please keep the three of us in your prayers over the coming months!
I cant think of much else to say right now - life is busy but fantastic. I love what Im doing, Im doing what I love and I think that is an amazing thing to be able to say!!
Send me an email, tell me how life is for you!!
Claire x
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Tree Frog Tragedy
Hello dear Blog fiends!!
Well, its Saturday morning and its HOT and Im still in my PJ's at 10:30am! Yep, Im having a lazy Saturday! The sad thing is that you cant stay lazy for too long because just sitting still you end up sweaty and smelly! Nice hey....
Today Im heading to the beach with a friend and her family who are here visiting. We are taking 6 kids from one of the villages with us too, so who knows what might happen! The kids get pretty excited about swimming in the sea - which is a bit of a concern as that excitment isnt always matched with skill...so I guess we will all be swimming...! Excellent, no need to shower before i go then!!
I had a sad experience this week, boo... you may remember reading my post awhile ago about the potato frog? Well, this too involved frogs... I have a friendly tree frog, called Henry, who likes to hang out on the balcony at night with me and keep me company. We have a little chat about the day and just enjoy being together. Well.... I got up the other morning and there was something on the floor by the bathroom door... I put on my glasses and discovered that it was Henry - with one leg squished! Tragedy of tragedies, he looked like he was dead. Now, I have learnt from the past frog experience and so I assumed nothing - and got a piece of paper to probe him with. I probed and he didnt move, so I decided he was indeed deceased. I went to pick him up and he jumped!! I let out a startled shriek and then went to find a container to move him in. I put him outside, so that he could go back to his usual home on the balcony. I went to work.... I came home from work and he was missing. I havent seen him since. That was on Tuesday. I feel very sad that my friend has gone. I just hope that he has moved on and found a new play mate to hang out with at night and discuss the day... I cant bear the thought that he is no more ;(
And in serious news.... This last month has been a bit of a strange one really! Ive moved house again, but havent really unpacked yet so Im not really feeling very settled here. There have been a few problems with housing recently and its left me a little unsettled in general - so Im not sure if Im going to stay in this apartment or move out again.... having a choice is an amazing blessing but also means Im not quite sure what the best choice is...!!
Ive had a problem with my back, which is now all better, but for a while I thought I had been bitten by a deadly spider - even though there arent any here- as my whole leg went numb for about 3 weeks! After a hospital trip, x rays and MRI it turned out I had herniated a disc in my back. I bonded on a whole new level with my friend Megan as she then had to inject my behind every night for 5 nights.... we had to google how to do an injection, which was quite fun. Healthcare here is just a little different hey!! Anyway, my back is fine now and my leg is too ;) horrah ;)
Then I got strep throat,,, which was pretty painful, but Im pretty much over that now too! Everything seemed to happen at once, but thats good because I didnt have a team in adn could take a few days off to get better ;)
Lessons learnt this month -
Tree frogs belong outside! If Henry hadnt been trying to use the bathroom inside his leg would never of been crushed.
Im getting old and can no longer lift 94lb bags of cement without damaging myself
Medical care in the UK is fantastic, despite our moans, the NHS is amazing really.
Sometimes you need to take a few days out to recooperate, and thats ok!!
So, thats a bit of a random blog, but its been a bit of a random month in DR world!!
Im looking forward to my friend Caroline's visit later this month - shes coming for two weeks and hopefully will be able to help teach the staff at the special needs orphanages some basic physio that they can do with the children to help improve their quality of lfie a little.
ALso looking forward to Bob and Alison coming out for 3 months to work with me in leading the bigger summer teams for Mission Direct. It will be good to have a team of leaders working together, and supporting each other ;)
Toodle Pip
xx
Well, its Saturday morning and its HOT and Im still in my PJ's at 10:30am! Yep, Im having a lazy Saturday! The sad thing is that you cant stay lazy for too long because just sitting still you end up sweaty and smelly! Nice hey....
Today Im heading to the beach with a friend and her family who are here visiting. We are taking 6 kids from one of the villages with us too, so who knows what might happen! The kids get pretty excited about swimming in the sea - which is a bit of a concern as that excitment isnt always matched with skill...so I guess we will all be swimming...! Excellent, no need to shower before i go then!!
I had a sad experience this week, boo... you may remember reading my post awhile ago about the potato frog? Well, this too involved frogs... I have a friendly tree frog, called Henry, who likes to hang out on the balcony at night with me and keep me company. We have a little chat about the day and just enjoy being together. Well.... I got up the other morning and there was something on the floor by the bathroom door... I put on my glasses and discovered that it was Henry - with one leg squished! Tragedy of tragedies, he looked like he was dead. Now, I have learnt from the past frog experience and so I assumed nothing - and got a piece of paper to probe him with. I probed and he didnt move, so I decided he was indeed deceased. I went to pick him up and he jumped!! I let out a startled shriek and then went to find a container to move him in. I put him outside, so that he could go back to his usual home on the balcony. I went to work.... I came home from work and he was missing. I havent seen him since. That was on Tuesday. I feel very sad that my friend has gone. I just hope that he has moved on and found a new play mate to hang out with at night and discuss the day... I cant bear the thought that he is no more ;(
And in serious news.... This last month has been a bit of a strange one really! Ive moved house again, but havent really unpacked yet so Im not really feeling very settled here. There have been a few problems with housing recently and its left me a little unsettled in general - so Im not sure if Im going to stay in this apartment or move out again.... having a choice is an amazing blessing but also means Im not quite sure what the best choice is...!!
Ive had a problem with my back, which is now all better, but for a while I thought I had been bitten by a deadly spider - even though there arent any here- as my whole leg went numb for about 3 weeks! After a hospital trip, x rays and MRI it turned out I had herniated a disc in my back. I bonded on a whole new level with my friend Megan as she then had to inject my behind every night for 5 nights.... we had to google how to do an injection, which was quite fun. Healthcare here is just a little different hey!! Anyway, my back is fine now and my leg is too ;) horrah ;)
Then I got strep throat,,, which was pretty painful, but Im pretty much over that now too! Everything seemed to happen at once, but thats good because I didnt have a team in adn could take a few days off to get better ;)
Lessons learnt this month -
Tree frogs belong outside! If Henry hadnt been trying to use the bathroom inside his leg would never of been crushed.
Im getting old and can no longer lift 94lb bags of cement without damaging myself
Medical care in the UK is fantastic, despite our moans, the NHS is amazing really.
Sometimes you need to take a few days out to recooperate, and thats ok!!
So, thats a bit of a random blog, but its been a bit of a random month in DR world!!
Im looking forward to my friend Caroline's visit later this month - shes coming for two weeks and hopefully will be able to help teach the staff at the special needs orphanages some basic physio that they can do with the children to help improve their quality of lfie a little.
ALso looking forward to Bob and Alison coming out for 3 months to work with me in leading the bigger summer teams for Mission Direct. It will be good to have a team of leaders working together, and supporting each other ;)
Toodle Pip
xx
Monday, 15 April 2013
Easter Is Over
Hey World, how are you all?!
Its been a little while! Ive been leading a mission team for the last 2 weeks. We had a team of 10 people, aged 7-73, from all over the UK and USA. The team bonded well and got stuck in with all of the building work and projects really well. There wasnt much moaning...!! Probably more moaning from me than from anyone else actually!!
The team did a good job, and we almost managed without a hospital trip...but sadly no. The penultimate day saw us head off to check out one team members allergic reaction which had caused her face and arms to swell pretty seriously. Few injections later and we were off again though ;)
There are lots of things I could write about, but I think the thing that spoke to ME the most this two weeks was the need to put God first and the relationship with Him which needs to be jealously guarded sometimes. In our team quiet times we kept coming back to the need to focus on Jesus - which sounds so obvious, but sometimes it is really easy to get so caught up in doing good things, or even in serving in missions, that you kind of side step the very reason that your doing the good things in the first place. Does that make sense? I fear it does!! Somw of the team were talking about wanting to come back and be in the Dominican for longer - and maybe that is the right thing for them - but what we all kept being led back too was the face that our emotions need to be treated with caution! God can and does use our emotions, but sometimes when we follow our emotions we just get carried away with things, and actually we need to slow down and take a step back and just wait on God. Thats what we talked about anyways ;)
We also did the Harlem Shake - go to you tube and type in Harlem Shake dom rep It makes me laugh every time ;)
x thanks for reading x
Its been a little while! Ive been leading a mission team for the last 2 weeks. We had a team of 10 people, aged 7-73, from all over the UK and USA. The team bonded well and got stuck in with all of the building work and projects really well. There wasnt much moaning...!! Probably more moaning from me than from anyone else actually!!
The team did a good job, and we almost managed without a hospital trip...but sadly no. The penultimate day saw us head off to check out one team members allergic reaction which had caused her face and arms to swell pretty seriously. Few injections later and we were off again though ;)
There are lots of things I could write about, but I think the thing that spoke to ME the most this two weeks was the need to put God first and the relationship with Him which needs to be jealously guarded sometimes. In our team quiet times we kept coming back to the need to focus on Jesus - which sounds so obvious, but sometimes it is really easy to get so caught up in doing good things, or even in serving in missions, that you kind of side step the very reason that your doing the good things in the first place. Does that make sense? I fear it does!! Somw of the team were talking about wanting to come back and be in the Dominican for longer - and maybe that is the right thing for them - but what we all kept being led back too was the face that our emotions need to be treated with caution! God can and does use our emotions, but sometimes when we follow our emotions we just get carried away with things, and actually we need to slow down and take a step back and just wait on God. Thats what we talked about anyways ;)
We also did the Harlem Shake - go to you tube and type in Harlem Shake dom rep It makes me laugh every time ;)
x thanks for reading x
Friday, 29 March 2013
Tha calm before the madness!
Hello and Happy Easter!!
This whole week has been really busy in DR life! Which makes it feel quite strange that today is quiet! Today is good friday and its a public holiday here so everything is closed. The weather has changed and turned cold and wet, and its very quiet outside!!
In contrast to a week that has been really humid and hot, with so many jobs to get done and manic rushing around to do...! I think Ive spent at least 7 hours on the back of motorbike taxis this week, going from village to village, travelling through the sugar cane fields and up mountain paths! I truely do appreciate the beauty of the DR countryside! I just dont appreciate the rough dirt roads!!
Yesterday I had a meeting to obtain the next batch of birth certificates - 53 more for Esperanza, which is amazing! It is such an encouragement to me to see people in the UK getting a hold of this vision and really supporting it! My church did a fund raiser last week and raised enough for another bunch too! Thanks to all of you who have helped in any way with this - through prayer, or through donating. Its amazing, last year when I was collecting peoples information in the village they were all asking me what it was for. I explained that I had a dream and that it was a BIG dream. I said I didnt know if it would happen but that I believed it was right to try and get them all legal papers. I said that we all needed to join together and ask God to help us as I didnt have any money to do this project. The people all looked at me a little sceptically and agreed to ask God to help us. So every time that I get to hand over a birth certificate or a visa or a passport we all get to be reminded that God has heard our prayers and that God loves them and has put it on the hearts of the people in other countries to help us here! Pretty cool hey ;)
SO today is a bit of a quiet day, although Im off to a friends house later on.
Sunday is the first Mission Direct team of the year to the DR. There will be 10 of them coming to help serve the people here and to serve God. We hope to make a difference in the lives of lots of people over the next two weeks - we will be building a home for a family, taking them out of a shack and into a brick home! We will be visiting schools, a drug rehab center, childrens programs, feeding programs and all kinds of other things too! Please keep us in your prayers over the next two weeks - Im the only leader for this team, so good health for me and plenty of energy would be fantastic too!
Have a great Easter, remember what this weekend is really all about (no, not chocolate, bunnies and hot cross buns.....)
Claire x
This whole week has been really busy in DR life! Which makes it feel quite strange that today is quiet! Today is good friday and its a public holiday here so everything is closed. The weather has changed and turned cold and wet, and its very quiet outside!!
In contrast to a week that has been really humid and hot, with so many jobs to get done and manic rushing around to do...! I think Ive spent at least 7 hours on the back of motorbike taxis this week, going from village to village, travelling through the sugar cane fields and up mountain paths! I truely do appreciate the beauty of the DR countryside! I just dont appreciate the rough dirt roads!!
Yesterday I had a meeting to obtain the next batch of birth certificates - 53 more for Esperanza, which is amazing! It is such an encouragement to me to see people in the UK getting a hold of this vision and really supporting it! My church did a fund raiser last week and raised enough for another bunch too! Thanks to all of you who have helped in any way with this - through prayer, or through donating. Its amazing, last year when I was collecting peoples information in the village they were all asking me what it was for. I explained that I had a dream and that it was a BIG dream. I said I didnt know if it would happen but that I believed it was right to try and get them all legal papers. I said that we all needed to join together and ask God to help us as I didnt have any money to do this project. The people all looked at me a little sceptically and agreed to ask God to help us. So every time that I get to hand over a birth certificate or a visa or a passport we all get to be reminded that God has heard our prayers and that God loves them and has put it on the hearts of the people in other countries to help us here! Pretty cool hey ;)
SO today is a bit of a quiet day, although Im off to a friends house later on.
Sunday is the first Mission Direct team of the year to the DR. There will be 10 of them coming to help serve the people here and to serve God. We hope to make a difference in the lives of lots of people over the next two weeks - we will be building a home for a family, taking them out of a shack and into a brick home! We will be visiting schools, a drug rehab center, childrens programs, feeding programs and all kinds of other things too! Please keep us in your prayers over the next two weeks - Im the only leader for this team, so good health for me and plenty of energy would be fantastic too!
Have a great Easter, remember what this weekend is really all about (no, not chocolate, bunnies and hot cross buns.....)
Claire x
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Dedication Day
I first came to the DR in July 2009 and spent 2 weeks helping to build 3 homes in this village. Those homes were number 10, 11 & 12. At that time, the villagers were living in tin shacks, with wood, oil drums and rubbish bags as their building materials. Most of their floors were mud.
Yesterday, we celebrated over 4 years of hard work, resulting in the whole original village now having a proper home, made of brick with zinc roofs. These homes are built by The Samaritan Foundation, in partnership with Mission DIrect and many many churches, organisations and individuals across the world. Each home has a sponsor the Samaritan Foundation doesnt have money to pay for homes, clinics, schools or churches unless individulas donate and sponsor them.
Esperanza is still a struggling community, but yesterday we stood together and celebrated God's goodness in being able to build 260 homes there. Thank you to everyone that has been here on a trip or sent money or supported me or helped in any way with the construction of the homes, school, clinic, church and shops in this community. Your love in action has helped to show this community that they are not forgotten and that the world knows about them and cares for them.
The physical building work is done, but there is so much we can still do to help this community. FOr many of the people they dont have any legal identification - wothout which they have no rights. We had 7 people from the village taken to Haiti last week by the immigration police. These people werent doing anything criminal and all of them were even born in the DR. They need our help to join together with them and get legal papers - birth certificates, passports and visas, to enable them to live and work here in the DR.
If anyone is able to help with any financial gifts, please email me at hopedominican@gmail.com
If you are able to pray for this massive project then please do, please join with me in asking God to make a way for these beautiful people to have a different future.
Thank you so much for reading and for celebrating the successes with me!!!
Claire
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Hard Days
There is no doubt about it, this has been a hard week! Last Thursday night a young woman from Esperanza died during a C Section in the hospital. She was only 6 or 7 months pregnant and so the baby is in the special baby room in the hospital. She also has 4 other children who are 8, 7, 3 and 1 1/2. One of the children's father is around, I dont know about the others....
Friday was probably the hardest day since Ive lived in the DR - seeing the pain, suffering and confusion of the children, and then being at the hospital and getting totally frustrated with the staff there who woudlnt talk to me...argh!!! Sometimes it is really frustrating living here...! Realising that there are no social services who are going to get involved with this baby or the other children, that all the processes we have set up in the UK to safeguard these really vulnrable kids - these things just dont happen here. Heartbreaking and tragic, and all kinds of other feelings too!!
The 4 children are now living in 2 different villages, 2 in Chichigua and 2 in La Vagia. They are living with a godmother and a aunt. I dont know these women, but I pray that they are good women who will care for and love the children...
As for the baby, well, he is still in the hospital but apparently he can come home in the next few days... home....where on earth is his home? His mother is dead and his father might not be his father and doesnt want him. This baby is only a few days old - poor little guy doesnt even have a name yet! Please, please, please join me in praying for someone suitable to come forward to care for him. Someone that will love him and provide for him and cherish him as the gift that he is. Im a bit tempted to look after him myself, but I know that as a single woman I cant adopt him here, and therefore I would never be able to leave the island again!!! uuurrr...no!!
In the positive news.... the working visas arrived back from Haiti!! Horrah!! So that means that there are now 6 of the working men who are officially LEGALLY in the DR for the first time in their lives!!!! 6 men is a start, we have about 2000 more to get, but as I tell the people in the village, God knows our needs and as He enables us we will get more and we will keep working until God tells us to stop!!
SO, please pray for...
The unnamed baby and a carer for him.
THANK GOD for the visas coming and the hope that has brought to the village.
Please pray for more wisdom for me in tryign to help but not interfere with the dramas in the village!
Please pray for the 4 children who are adjusting to new homes, apart from each other, and the death of their Mumma.
Thank you and Im sorry if Ive made you sad. A week like this certainly adds perspective to my life and to what I think my troubles are!! Maybe you coudl take a moment and just realise how blessed we really are that we grew up in places that have child protection services, foster parents and all kinds of official bodies that step in and help at a time of emergency. It is such a blessing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)