Months of Catch-Up

 The end of May and beginning of June was spent gearing up for the Summer Program. June 16 we accepted several students for an 8 week program to strengthen family relationships and hopefully gain a new perspective on life. We also have several summer staff that are working in the house, and one who is also helping out with casework and counseling. The increased number of people has meant more activity, more laughter, and also exhaustion! I learned how to carry a passenger on my bike as we primarily used motos to introduce new staff to the local culture (mostly food and waterfalls). I also had my first bike repair as I hit a fairly large pothole and bent both rims on my bike. Fortunately I have connections (or rather people here that I know have connections) and I have two new rims and am back in business. In all of this I am learning how to set boundaries, deal with conflict/confrontation appropriately, and making sure that I am in a good mental headspace. It's not easy work, but anything good is not easy. 

Getting ready to hike Monastery Waterfalls

To everyone who counts on this blog as an update, I apologize for being silent for the past 6-7 months. Each month I think "I should write a new update" and each month passes with no update written. So here is what has been happening:

January, February, and the beginning of March were marked by rain--lots and lots of rain. I'm pretty sure it rained every single day in February. This meant limited outings because who wants to ride a moto in the rain? We did do things together as staff including movie marathons where we selected a movie from a series and watched one every week. We also pretty regularly go out to eat (because friendships are best developed around food, right?). Other highlights of the past 6 months include hiking a couple of waterfalls, celebrating birthdays, having bonfires, a weekend beach trip that was much needed (complete with some amazing food and hospitality), and gradually becoming more involved with the missions teams that come to serve on campus. 

At the end of April and beginning of May I had my first visit back to the states. It was a very refreshing trip and I was able to catch up with friends and family and relax. It provided for a time of self-reflection, as well as some closure on the last chapter of my life. Being vulnerable, up until I went home I really struggled to let go of the last chapter of my life (the last chapter being the time I spent in Fort Wayne). Change has always been hard for me and I think I was trying to hold on to everything that I had before AND trying to embrace the new. Going home helped me realize that I could treasure all of my time, memories, and friends from before, and be open to new memories, new relationships, and a new life here in the DR. At any rate, I returned to the DR excited and in a much better mental space than before. 

At the beginning of June, I also had an experience in which I served both as counselor and as house staff. I spent some time working in the house when I first got here, however was mostly on as a second person (slightly fewer responsibilities). The difference this time is that I was actually one of the primary people on. I worked Monday morning activities with the boys (during which we went to the river and waterfalls and played tag in the water. It was so much fun). I also worked on service projects with the girls and have re-discovered how much I enjoy doing the physical labor part of the program--especially if it involves swinging a pick axe or sledge hammer. While I enjoyed the change of pace, it was somewhat exhausting to switch between house staff and counselor as they are two different roles, often with the same students. 

Regarding students, life in the student houses has been somewhat stressful recently, as adding several new people to already established communities changes relationships and house dynamics. In addition, we have had several student graduations, and several other students leave the program for various reasons. Pray for the long-term students as they learn to build relationships and get along with new students (and that they don't follow the new students in negative behavior). Pray for the new students that they would be open to changes that would be beneficial in their life. 

On a positive note, I will have my first counselee graduate

Churro waterfall

(having been here 9ish months, one of my co-workers refers to that student as my first CMA baby, haha). I am very proud of this student as they have made some fairly significant changes, and it has been a privilege to be a part of their journey. Pray that they transition back into the home well and are able to stand strong against temptations to return to previous behaviors.

Please pray for me as I continue to learn how to live in this community, and grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Thanks for taking the time to read this long post.

Gracias a Dios! (Thanks to God)