Restoration is messy. Have you prayed for restoration?

Monday, a national strike was declared. No school on Tuesday! “What will I do with a free week day, the kids out of school and child care to help me with the baby?” I decided to paint Helina’s room. I ran out and got the paint and was so excited until I returned home to 35 feet of 6 inch border. “Hmmm…to paint, strip or conceal.” I got online and read up on stripping wallpaper. Hot water and vinegar for 30 min then pull off—“easy”, so I went for the stripping. About three hours into the project I still had about 33 feet left and I was less enthusiastic about the project, in fact a bit discouraged.

I hate this about myself. I want to learn to enjoy the journey, so I decided to pray. I focused on “my girls” and their restoration. God began to speak to me through the wallpaper. Not literally but figuratively. You see, I was only able to take off about one inch of paper at the time and never reach all the way to the clean wall in a single pull. I had to soak first. Several times, sometimes, scoring the paper ever so carefully, so as to not damage the wall, then pulling the top layer that held the picture- inch by inch. Then I had to soak again, and inch by inch scrap the bottom layer of paper filled with glue that held it sticky to the wall. I scrubbed and scraped each section many, many times to get all the remaining gunk off before I was ready for paint.

These girls of mine have a lifetime of gunk on them, passed on from generations and tightly attached with the strongest glue. We are not looking for the quick fix of consolation, but interested in total restoration. I’m now cautious of the manuals and their description of the amount of effort and time involved in such a process, so I’ll cling to what I learned from the walls today. It will get messy because there are lots of layers to shed. We will need to spend plenty of time soaking and will be careful not to wound the good stuff hidden behind the mess. It’s OK that only tiny pieces fall off at a time because it’s a journey. It will take divine energy, power, patience and prayer….most importantly…soak, soak, soak.

Please join us in prayer for the restoration of these girls.
Joy

Over the last couple years God has been breaking my heart for the girls of this barrio. I’ve nursed their broken backs and prayed with them as they return to their abusive homes. I’ve cried with them — and for them. I’ve been awaken by their face in my dreams and tormented by their personal stories. I want to save them, but I know there is nothing I have to offer that can save them. That is the truth I become more and more aware of with each new day here.

The only thing that I have to offer is the love that I’ve found in my heavenly Father. Through Him captives are set free and comfort, along with gladness, is given to those who mourn. Because of Him the good news is preached to the poor and the lost are able to trade their despair for praise and their ashes for beauty.

God has not only been moving in me but also in the women around me. He has been breaking their hearts for the girls in our community also. We are currently preparing a girls retreat and have a list of 40 girls that have been abused, entered into prostitution, seduced by older men, offered as payment for family funds, or have simply begun to make bad choices in their vulnerable adolescence. We are not adequately prepared or trained but are celebrating in our weakness because we know that God is moving and loves to use the weak to show His glory and might. Please join us in declaring the words of Isaiah 61 each day as we pray it aloud, pray that God show each of us the specific girls we are called to mentor, the stories and testimonies we are to share, and pray that he prepares their hearts to receive.

I will try to keep you posted as to the progress of this journey through personal stories and battles won.

I was telling a friend of mine the other day that big things were about to happen, I could just feel it. When she asked me to explain, I couldn’t. God is stirring something deeply in my heart and in those around me — preparing us for something bigger than we ourselves can imagine. We can feel it and we are waiting with great expectation.

I received this note from my friend and his words could have been mine as they expressed so well what was taking place within my own heart so I post them below.

–

I know it is bad blogging to be silent for too long. Entries need to keep coming frequently in order for a blog to remain fresh and inviting to the audience. Thank you for your patience. My silence is definitely not a sign that nothing is going on. Actually, very intense and good things are going on. It’s hard to describe, or perhaps impossible right now, but I will try. There are deep things stirring in my heart these last few months and especially these last few weeks. But it’s as if the Lord is bypassing the intellect and brewing things directly in the heart instead.

The personal revelations coming are the kind that are radically changing me but cannot necessarily be explained in words until, perhaps, they have shifted my whole life and perspective and I have lived them out a bit.

These personal revelations are not ‘new’ ideas but rather ancient ones that are piercing deeper into my heart and totally affecting the way I rise up in the morning and face the day and face the future. Jesus introduced these mysterious concepts like embracing weakness, accepting God’s lavish mercy, and standing up confidently in grace.

I know these religious concepts have been explained to me in a thousand ways over the last 30 years of my Christian life (and I’ve tried to explain them to hundreds myself), but now Jesus is over-riding my religious understandings and bringing experiential truth in a way I can feel deeply in my heart but I cannot seem to explain in words. They are overwhelming me like ocean waves, and I suspect that I am only beginning to scratch the surface of all that is available in them. I am both terrified and thrilled at the potential these ideas have for my heart and my family.

We are all part of the same body, countries dividing us, but the spirit uniting us. I love that!
Joy

I am proud to announce our new “Media” section on the T.E.A.R.S. web page. We have posted a “thank you” video for all the T.E.A.R.S. School supporters from Christmas 2006. I’ve also posted a video (a little old, I know) about the school.

Thanks for all your support and check it out!

Would you like to make a difference for poverty-stricken children in the Dominican Republic? If so, now is your chance to get involved with what T.E.A.R.S. School is doing, in a practical way.

Choose a teacher to sponsor now >>

Imagine growing up in a poverty-stricken community where school is not a given. Your parents show you very little attention and you often go without food. You hear of other families where the children are receiving education, and you wonder if you will ever have the same opportunity.

This is a reality for many children in the Maria Auxiliadora Barrio. T.E.A.R.S. School is working to change that - one classroom at a time. This year we are starting up a Child Sponsorship program in order to expand the number of children we can support.
In order to teach students, however, we first need teachers. This is where you fit in. Today you have an opportunity to sponsor a teacher, who will provide the wonderful gift of education and, more importantly, the love of Christ to children in need.
The necessity of having sufficient staff in the T.E.A.R.S. School cannot be expressed. This is our foundation, our building blocks, the roots of the ministry. We invite you to ensure that these roots are strong. By supporting a teacher you are providing their salary, which they will live on. When funding to a teacher stops, so does their access to food, clothing and basic commodities. For this reason, consistency is important.

Please prayerfully consider this tremendous prospect, and may God guide your steps.

Sincerely,

T.E.A.R.S. Team &
Joy Reyes, Director T.E.A.R.S. School

Learn more about sponsoring a teacher >>

We’re not in it alone

We just said goodbye to two teams from Calgary, Canada and Lebanon, Oregon. While I am so tired I could just sit and cry it was so great to have them here and I am so sad to see them go. There is an edge and energy that the groups bring with them that is contagious and I miss it when they are gone.

Of special interest was a team of teachers who came and helped me with two weeks of teacher training. It was wonderful to have other voices, ideas, and perspectives. Because of our instant bond, educator to educator, the chasm between country, language and economic standing felt smaller than normal. The team was spectacular, coming as not only teachers but as learners; I know that all parties benefited.

The youth team from Lebanon helped by painting the inside of the school. They were so fast and did a great job. They also ran a Vacation Bible School and helped with outreaches in the evenings. I was told that many heard and received the gospel. It’s exciting to see God use teams in such a significant way.

Prayer Request

I am anxious.  I know I shouldn’t be but the thought of starting school this Week has me in knots. There is so much to do and only so many hours in the day. I keep giving myself little sermons: “Cast all you cares upon me,” “If you have more to do than you are able to complete in 24 hours you are trying to do more than God is asking you to,” “even IF you got your ‘to-do’ list completed, it wouldn’t be enough…It’s not about you anyway,” “don’t just be about the master’s work, be about the master…ABIDE in Him.”

Perhaps my lack of peace is actually lack of faith or perhaps it’s wisdom shaking my overachieving drive. Either way I could use your prayers as I get ready to juggle two schools in two different communities with a new baby at home.

Elijah, by the way, is doing great and growing every day. I think he may end up with Vidal’s straight hair because like Helina and Isaac he lost his hair at about five months and instead of now coming in curly it’s filling in again straight. I guess that’s lucky for him as in the DR they call that “good hair” and work hard to straighten their beautiful curls.

Women’s Health Update

We have three staff members with little ones at home and two others pregnant so I recently purchased a breast pump and extra attachments so that women can continue to breastfeed as they return to work, a gift they never imagined possible.

Cloth diapers are now in production. I am still waiting on my sewing machine to arrive but with the help of a local friend we are getting some made for those who have recently delivered while others wait to make their own when the machine arrives. It’s such a simple way to make a significant difference by freeing up finances to purchase food and other necessities.

Sitting in my office today, long after everyone had left, working to organize the handouts for our full week of training, the sounds of the barrio kept interrupting my alone time. I kept turning up the music but the screaming, yelling and crying took over the room and I had to give it my full attention. I watched from my window for several minutes. Straight ahead five girls, previous students at T.E.A.R.S. school, were fighting as they worked to clean, wash the clothes and tidy the outside area of the tiny house. They argued like adults, faces full of the worry of adults-the childhood of poverty makes one old very fast.

I continued to scan the area for the crying. The baby must have been crying now for more than an hour. I spotted him. Laying on the floor naked with his grandmother sitting next to him a banana in one hand and a belt in the other beating the child repeatedly like it were the most natural thing in the world.

My first instinct was to scream and I did, but no one heard or cared. So I marched out of my office and started up the hillside. What was I going to say or do? I didn’t know but I couldn’t sit and watch a child be beaten. I prayed and wondered how my friend Jesus would have handled such a situation. I knew he wouldn’t come in judgment with a lecture-love was his tool of choice. So I asked myself, “How can I show love in this moment?”

As I approached the house I greeted the woman and spoke kindly to the child using the typical phrase here, “Que fue chiquito?” - “What happened little one?” — “Que tiene?” - “What’s the matter?” He cried and the grandma began to visit with me lying about the situation and why he was crying. I ignored the lie but showed her my office and told her as I watched from there I felt so sad I had to come see if I could help. I entered into relationship with her and we visited for several minutes as the child continued to weep. I asked what she thought he needed. She couldn’t say, but explained that if he didn’t stop crying she would spank him and showed him the belt. I suggested a hug and being held. She shook her head not convinced and didn’t make a move.

I went to visit the girls next door and as I was leaving I noticed the grandmother holding the child, now clothed and soaking up the love. I smiled real big and her eyes met mine. “That’s what he needed” I said. She smiled and asked with expectation if I’d be back. Am I too busy to give her the love she needs?

Welcome to the T.E.A.R.S. School blog!

This weblog exists to keep you informed about what’s going on at the school.

Right now we are planning and working on a number of things for the new year:

• Teacher Training Program
  This program is all about continuing education- for teachers and students. A team from Canada is arriving in August to work alongside the teachers at the T.E.A.R.S. school. During this time the teachers will be free from the demands of students, allowing for intense training. Our aim is that, in the end, they will be equipped with the tools they need in order to apply new techniques.

Above: T.E.A.R.S. School with kids in foreground

• Child Sponsorship Program
  Children in Maria Auxiliadora face exclusion from the public school system; they do not have the necessary certificates or the financial means to enter. In this way, families that are already needy must deal with greater injustice, and their children are the most vulnerable to the dangers of illiteracy. Moreover, the early years of a child’s life are very important; it is during this time that a person is most open to learning. However, most children in the barrio suffer from abusive home situations, malnutrition and neglect. This has caused many to become misdirected or even hopeless.
  In such unstable circumstances, many teens have resorted to drug use. We are therefore committed to providing them with the quality education they deserve. This is what the child sponsorship program is all about. There are still countless children in Maria Auxiliadora who are not receiving the benefits of education. It is our goal to expand the T.E.A.R.S. school, one classroom at a time. Initially we hope to support fifteen new students. With God’s grace and with your help, this will become a reality.

• School Supplies
  T.E.A.R.S. School is purchasing all the supplies needed for the next year. It is so important that the teachers have enough materials to train their students effectively. Be sure to have a look at our list of needs and see where you would be able to help us.

Above: T.E.A.R.S. School Child