Just One More: Little bit of R&R

Whew! Praise God for rest and rejuvenation. I must say it has been a much more restful week for our entire family (and I think we all look a little less haggard after some much needed sleep)! :) We have basically settled back into our routine pre-Nagua planning and pre-Nagua trip. ESL is still going strong. The classes are smaller than the Fall, but there is definitely a plus side to this as J. can act more like a tutor and help individuals with specific questions and take more time on things they don't understand. We had 2 new people join us this past week, and I must say they brought a lot to the table.
We still meet every Monday night with our AIM staff which has been truly amazing to witness their transformations throughout these months. Although we still have some trouble with Dominican versus American time (but welcome to another culture), they come prepared, with questions, with ideas... It is so exciting for us to witness this growth in these men as they are leaders of their communities. We pray for God's hand to continue raising them up as leaders of leaders (something we are really working on instilling in them).
We have gotten the chance to play with the neighborhood kids more often lately which has become more and more fun (and less stressful for me). Not only have I learned more Spanish (I know certain phrases such as leave her alone-regarding Aubrey, share with each other, no arguing, get down...), but I am just more comfortable in exhorting my "mom-ness" as needed and hanging out. I know I don't have to entertain them anymore. We actually had 11 over here the other day. And I never thought I would be the "neighborhood mom", but once again look what God can do in your life to change your character and priorities.
We will be visiting Las Terranas this week (a new location for camp this Summer) to nail down all the hotel, food, site details, etc. so please be praying for God's guidance and direction during this time. We are planning on driving down Thursday (about a 3 hour drive) and returning Friday, so please also pray for travel mercies and safe roads.
It's hard to believe the end of March is coming up on us! We return home April 14 for a few weeks which we are excited about. Again, it is so comforting to constantly see God taking care of the little things in our life. For example, our goals set for this quarter are winding down which is such a blessing because I would be a crazy ball of stress (and not very happy about it) to have to leave a big project right in the middle and leave the country! But as always, our God knows what I need and He has planned our timing and the "big picture" out so perfectly that one of our next major projects will start when we return....FINAL PLANNING FOR SUMMER CAMPS!!! :) I am beyond pumped to dive into this process, but am truly grateful for some time in between for a little bit of rest.

And for your viewing pleasure, a few pictures! :)

A family selfie. Aubrey has learned to say "cheese", but it's all about the timing.

2 weeks ago, we were asked to come back to Nagua for the First Annual Infantile Baseball Tournament. Checo, J, Aubrey and I drove down to accept an award for the work completed in Nagua during the previous week. It was such an honor and very kind of them for the recognition. They gave several plaques out that day to people and groups in the community they wanted to recognize for their work in Nagua. We actually met a few Canadian missionaries who have lived in Nagua for 11 years and who host a small sports camp in Nagua in the Summer. As always, God paves the way and places people in your life for a reason!

They even brought in a team of baton ballet (the words the Dominicans used) to perform before giving out the awards. The Dominicans are always very professional and thorough when it comes to their tournaments. They sing the national anthem, have someone throw the ceremonial first pitch (which actually was J in this case- sorry I was unable to get pictures), prayed, and Checo had an opportunity to preach.