God is working here!

Here it is almost a month since my last update and God has done some incredible things.  I am not going to be able to inform you of all that is happening but I will try.  So the last post talked about the Haitian school as well as students at the school that needed support.  The money for the Haitian school came in as well as some students received uniforms.  The floor is down in the school, most of the walls are up and they have begun to have classes.  God has really been been answering prayers and needs here.

On Sunday, September 24th Centro Manantial de Vida (Springs of Live Center) had their first church service.  They are meeting in the cafeteria area at the school, and there were about 150 people at the service including about 10 other pastors from the town showing their support.  The pastor really wants to reach the youth and get a ministry started soon.  I am working alongside his three sons and another friend to start that ministry.  Tomorrow we are having our first planning meeting and hopefully start within a couple weeks.  Please keep the whole process in your prayers.  It is very difficult for me at times considering I am trying to organize so much yet am still struggling with Spanish.  However, I am learning Spanish quickly and am able to have decent conversations with people.

Work at the school has been getting better.  The mornings are going very well and my afternoon class is better.  I am really starting to see some students responding to my teaching.  I am also starting to build relationships with some of the students.  That is the best part of the job!  I love having students call out my name around town or at the park and run up to me to say hi.  It is such a good feeling.  It has helped me to get used to living in this country.  It is also a lot easier to live here now that my scooter is running well.

I thank all of you for praying for me back home.  It is so encouraging knowing that I have people that are praying for me.  I ask now that you would pray for this new church along with the youth ministry.  We are trying to start it soon and really need God's hand guiding us in the process.  Pray also for safety and health.  Thanks to God, I haven't really gotten sick yet (or not too bad).  I also have a mailing address now so if anyone would like to send me a package just email me for more information. rpauly2006@yahoo.com.  Thank you all so much for your support and may God bless you all.

First 3 weeks

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have updated this.  I have been busy getting ready for the school year and everything else that is going on here.  I decided that I should try to list the specific things that I am involved with here as well as the needs that have come up.

We started school last wednesday and it is looking like it will be a great year.  I am the assistant in the 3rd grade and 6th-9th grade English classes.  We work with the ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) Program where the kids work at their own pace through booklets.  The supervisor in the classroom helps with academic questions and the assistant answers all other questions.  I also will start teaching my own English class in the afternoon starting next week.  I have the elementary 6 class which is 6th-8th grade intermediate/advanced students.  In that class I have 11 students and we will be focusing mainly on conversational English.  During the morning English classes they learn a lot of reading and grammar.  I have also been asked if I would like to help coach the school's baseball team.  I don't know exactly when the season starts but that is a possibility that I am considering.

There are many other opportunities that have come up.  I am looking to start a youth ministry with a friend within the next few weeks.  We are planning a Bible study with the students at the school and hopefully have it grow over the months.  He started something similar here a few years back and when it ended he had about 150 students show up each week.  There are a few teams that are planning to come down and work with Mitch and Debbie doing evangelism and construction.  One team gets here tomorrow and I think there are at least four more teams coming before Christmas.  When I am not at the school I try to help out with those teams as much as possible.  There is also the possibility of me preaching at the English church in Santiago.  There is so much that I can inform you all of, but I don't want to make this too long.

There are a few needs that have come up within the last few days.  I wanted to let you know so that you could keep them in your prayers and help in whatever way possible.  Today we went to see some land where a pastor in town is planning on building a school.  He had a school for Haitian kids but had to close it because of a bad location.  Haitian kids don't go to the public schools because most of them don't know Spanish and they will be made fun of.  This pastor is looking to build an open-air building so that the kids will have a place to go to school.  He needs $2,000 to build the roof and area for the school.  Over $1,000 has already been raised.  Right now the school will have dirt floor.  He needs $260 to pour a concrete foundation.  There are also students attending my school but are too poor to pay tuition.  There are scholarship opportunities as well as sponsors in the states for students like these.  However, there are still some students that are not able to afford a uniform or books.  There is also a church that needs construction needs or teams to come work on it. I ask that you would keep these needs in your prayers.

Arrived in the Dominican Republic

Well I have almost finished my first week here in the Dominican Republic and things are going great.  I arrived safely from Guatemala on Sunday afternoon and had the missionaries waiting for me.  So far this week I have been staying at their house as we look for another place to stay.  A house opened up on Monday and we have been talking to the owner throughout the week. It looks like the family is going to move out tomorrow and we will be able to move in Saturday.  It is a 3 bed 2 bath house and I will be living with another teacher at the school and a Dominican pastor.  The rent is very cheap here which is nice, about half the price of what I thought I had to pay.

So far this week we have had training at the school from about 8-12. In the afternoon I am normally home trying to get settled in and get everything taken care of.  I got a Dominican cell phone today for $4 and $8 a month for the service.  I am looking at buying a small Honda scooter to get around town.  It just so happened that a friends sister in law decided to sell hers at about half the price of another, and it is in great condition.

In 4 days here I have been able to make so many connections.  The missionaries that I work with know so many people that either run baseball leagues or baseball camps.  I have talked to one man that runs the league for the next town over.  Today the missionary was on the phone with an ex-mlb player who is now the president of the Arizona Diamondbacks Dominican team.  He is coming to La Vega Sunday to meet with him.  I have made contact with Ultimate Potential Inc., which is a Christian baseball outreach ministry that has camps in the Dominican Republic.  One of the guys here that is around my age was wanting to get a student ministry/bible study going here soon and wondered if I could help.  He did it once before and got up to 150 kids attending each week.  There are so many different areas that I would love to help, so it is going to be hard to narrow it down so I don't wear myself out.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.  It has been so encouraging to know people are praying for me in the US and in Guatemala.  Right now I could use prayer that everything with the house and scooter work out, and that God would lead me into a ministry that would be meaningful.  I don't want to just join 10 different things, and then wear myself out and not be effective. I will keep you informed as things unfold in the next week.  And next week is still training at the school.  School starts on the 17th.

My last days in Guatemala

Well the last week has been very eventful.  This is kinda scattered, but is a quick overview of my last week.  Last Wednesday I passed my level B test and am now studying level C.  I have been learning so much and am able to speak much more now.  On Thursday I went on a free tour through the school to a macadamia nut farm.  After that tour me and some friends when on a 75 cent tour of a museum and ruins at an old catholic church.  Saturday I took a 3 hour bus ride to Panajachel where I took a boat tour on lake Atitlan to San Marcos, San Pedro, Santiago and San Antonio.  They tours here are so cheap so I have been able to see a few sights.  Sunday I attended Vida Real Church for the last time.  After my first weekend there the pastor knew me by name, and the church is not small.  I only attended the church 4 times, but after the service the pastor pulled me aside and prayed for me in English.  When he finished the other pastor came over and prayed for me in Spanish.  He set me up with their churches adopt a missionary program where they will add me to their churches prayer list and pray for me throughout my whole trip.  He even offered his house as a place to stay if I ever come back to the country.

After only 5 weeks here I have seen God do amazing things.  He has allowed me to stay healthy and see different sights here in Guatemala.  He has allowed me to help out a medical team by translating and helping the people here.  I thought I would only be in school here and not doing any missions work.  He has also built and incredible relationship with a church and a pastor.  I told each of the pastors sunday that, "I now have a church in Guatemala."  I felt like I had been at that church for so long.  The people were welcoming and I had met so many of them.  I am sad to leave Guatemala but I am so excited to see what God has in store in the Dominican Republic.  Thank you all for your prayers and I will write you next from the DR.

Translating

Last Sunday I woke up in time to get some breakfast and head to church. I walked to the local coffee shop where I ran into three other students from the school that were going to the same church. When we arrived at the church some other students came over and mentioned that there was a medical missions team in town and needed translators. I expressed that I had only been here for two weeks and wouldn't be able to do it but they insisted that I go. When we arrived at the school where the team had set up their clinic, I was paired with a lady who was giving out glasses. I ended up translating for this lady and giving people glasses for 4 hours. I was blown away by some of the people and the joy that they had because they could now see clearly. There was one child that really touched my heart. We gave a pair of glasses to an 8 year old boy, and I asked if he could see or if it was still blurry. With the biggest smile on his face he told me in Spanish, "I can see the words!" He was so happy to be able to see clearly. Something as simple as giving him glasses has now changed his life, and something that may not have been possible without people from Georgia who wanted to make a difference in Antigua. I know that God is doing amazing things in the world through His church, and I am amazed at how I can be used in His plan. It is unreal what God is able to do when you open yourself up to His leading.

Exploring Guatemala

Week two is officially over.  I have a stack of 500 notecards with new vocab and verbs not counting the vocab written in my notebook.  It is a little frustrating trying to learn over 600 new words in 2 weeks along with new concepts, but I am slowly learning this language.  My teacher has continued to push me hard, almost to the point of complete frustration and giving up, but I have made it through.  Now I have the weekend to explore a bit of Guatemala with the little time that I have left here.

Last Sunday was my first day exploring.  A friend at the school suggested a church to attend and it was great.  It was completely in Spanish, but I was able to understand the songs and a bit of the message.  After the service, the pastor suggested a local restaurant to try.  I had to go to the hotel by the church and they would bus me up the mountain to this restaurant.  The restaurant was named El Tenedor del Cerro (The Fork of the Hill).  It was an amazing restaurant that overlooked the town of Antigua.  Along with the restaurant there was a small art gallery, sculptures, bird cage and some other sights.  When I got back to the town, I walked to the hill on the other side of town and hiked up that hill.  That hill is called Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross).  There is a huge cross on the side of the hill over looking the city.  It was absolutely beautiful.

Now after another week of studying it is time to explore some more.  Tomorrow morning I am going to hike up Volcano Pacaya.  It is an active volcano about an hour outside of Antigua.  It only costs $16 for round trip bus ride, a guide and entrance to the volcano.  People say that you can roast marshmallows over the lava and that there is a cave at the top.  Volcano Pacaya is a big tourist attraction and I guess is a must see for anyone visiting Antigua.  Next weekend me and some friends are going to some lake town that is about 3 hours away and staying the night.  All of the students go there at some point and say that is also a must see.  However, I don't really know what is there that is so cool, but it should be a great weekend.

This town is wonderful and the people I live with are amazing.  It seems like we are all laughing so hard at every meal.  They only speak Spanish yet that hasn't been a barrier for conversation.  My body finally had enough of the different food and trying to fight off any germs, and I finally got sick this week.  Thanks to God it only lasted 2 days.  Some people are affected for a week or more from the food.  Thank you for you prayers.  I ask for continued prayers for safety, health, and the ability to learn this language.  I miss you all back home, but I know that God is going to do amazing things here and in the DR.

I'll go where you want me to go

Hymn: I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go
By Mary Brown

It may not be on the mountain's hight,
Or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle's front
My Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice he calls
To paths I do not know,
I'll answer dear Lord with my hand in thine,
I'll go where you want me to go.

I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
O'er mountain, or plain or sea;
I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord.
I'll be what you want me to be.

Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may now, in the paths of sin,
Some wanderer whom I should seek.
O Savior, if thou wilt be my Guide,
Tho' dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo the message sweet,
I'll say what you want me to say.

There's surely somewhere a lowly place
In earth's harvest fields so wide,
Where I may labor thro life's short day
For Jesus the Crucified.
So, trusting my all unto thy care,
I know thou lovest me!
I'll do thy will with a heart sincere,
I'll be what you want me to be.

I open my devotional to the week of June 26th and it is titled "The Cost of Servanthood." I read the hymn that goes with the week and thought that it couldn't be more fitting for my first week of missions.  I want to make that my prayer during my time in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic as well as the rest of my life.

On a lighter note, I absolutely love it here in Antigua.  I am living with a host family while at the school that is awesome.  There is the grandma, her son, two grand-daughters and two maids.  There is also one other student that lives at the house.  At the house I have my own room, and it is so big!  I have a table for my homework, a couch, two big chairs, two beds and a full bath.  They have electrical wires that go to the shower head to heat the water so you don't want to put your arms up while in the shower, that could be bad news.  Brent, you know what I'm talking about.

So during the week the days are pretty much identical.  I wake up at 6:30am.  Breakfast is at 7:15 sharp every morning.  I have school from 8-12 then head home. Lunch at 1pm and school again from 2-4. The only place I have internet is at the school, so I stay here till about 5 to talk to people and get stuff done (I am on skype weekdays between 4-5ish Mountain time.  If you want to talk then add me at rpauly2006).  I head home to study and dinner is at 7:15, then I study till about 10 and time for bed.  They are very particular about when they eat their meals and they are always within 5 min of those times.  Every meal is provided throughout the week except for Sunday.  It is sunday that I get to experience some of the restaurants and hope that I don't get sick.  The food at the house is absolutely amazing.  They eat black beans with bread at every meal.  Example: for breakfast we have scrambled eggs with tomatoes, beans, bread and papaya juice or cereal, beans and bread.  It is awesome!

I am learning so much at the school.  My teacher is pushing me so hard, but it is what I need.  After 1 week I have over 300 verbs and vocabulary that need to be memorized by Monday.  I have also completed about 40 pages of worksheets.  I didn't know that it was possible to learn a new language so fast.  Rosetta Stone has nothing on CSA!  I also get as much coffee that I can drink and it is so good.

I thank you all so much for your prayers and your support.  This first week has been so much better than I expected.  I love it down here.  I could use prayers for patience and health.  I have not gotten sick yet from the food but I know it will happen soon.  There are also times that I get so frustrated with not being able to understand a concept, and it doesn't help that my teacher can only explain it in spanish.  If I can't understand what she is saying then I will never understand the concept.  It has caused me to become frustrated and I need patience when learning this language.  God is so good and I thank him every day for this opportunity.  Dios te bendiga ("God bless you" for all of you non spanish speakers haha).