Happy Valentine's Day!

       

Every time our kids request pizza with corn I think, "I have to write a blog post about that!" They were really surprised when we told them that no one we know of in Canada eats corn on their pizza. It's so common here. Paul and I still don't like it but here it is: Valentine's Day pizza with corn--for the kids!

Marcie Cooper

In this world, you will have trouble

Dear friends,

John 16:33 says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world."

We don't have to look far to see trouble in our world. It is all around us whether in our personal experiences or seen on Facebook or the evening news. Here, tonight, there is an eight-year-old boy from ANIJA being cared for by nuns and sleeping in an unfamiliar bed while his mom is in jail for child abuse.  He has a splint on his finger and x-rays on his arm revealed a history of broken bones caused by physical abuse. He told Paul that he would rather go to a Kids Alive children's home than go back to live with his mom because she hurt him too many times. No wonder he had trouble behaving in my library class. Would you pray for this little boy tonight? Pray that he will sleep well and that the government would allow him to be placed in a Kids Alive home in the near future. And pray that his life and his mom's would be changed by the Lord who has overcome the world. Our hope is in Him.

Thank you!

Marcie Cooper

Update (February 3, 2016):
Prayers answered! We arrived back from Christmas holidays to find that this little boy had been placed in the care of our school's Social Services director. On Friday, he was moved to one of our Kids Alive children's homes--just in time to experience a Quinceañera, a huge birthday party for three girls turning fifteen. He will likely need some extra sponsors to help cover his 24-7 care. Please let us know if you're interested!

Meet Our Newest Students

Hello from the Dominican Republic!

School has been in session for over a month now and we have the cutest new pre-school students. I probably think that every year. I love the little ones! Will you pray for them, their classmates, and their teachers as they get used to being at ANIJA? Thank you! Here is a sneak peek at some of their school photos:

Over the next several months they should be entered into the system for sponsorship. Stay tuned!

Marcie Cooper

Life and Death

Dear Friends,

Paul is at the funeral of a fourteen year old boy today. A student who was about to enter Grade 8 next week at ANIJA. The son of Ark house parents. A friend of many. We received a distraught call from his dad as we were getting ready to head to church last night. We couldn't believe it.

Last week-end I followed on Facebook as fellow missionaries posted pictures of a close family friend, a twenty-year-old college student who had drowned in Lake Michigan. They attended her funeral on the week-end.

A couple of days ago I heard about a missionary in Santo Domingo who drowned trying to save some teenagers. I didn't know him but can't imagine being in the place of his wife or children.

Three people in a week. Young. Healthy. Full of life. One of our own students. It has been a long time since I have written a blog post. I certainly didn't plan on writing about death. But death is a reality that each of us must face. We hope it will come later rather than sooner but we just never know. We have to be ready for it at any moment. Are we?

So many children in our school tell us that they can get to heaven if they are good enough. But God's standard is perfect and we all fall short. We all need to rely on Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life and died in our place to forgive our sins. Through Him, and Him alone, we can have eternal life. He gives hope. He brings assurance that we will see loved ones again. He helps us through tragedies and difficulties in this life even when we don't understand them. He is faithful. And He is good. Through Him I can say with the apostle Paul, "for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). I hope you can too.

Sincerely,

Marcie Cooper

Dominican Independence and Culture: Part 3

Hello again!

Here are a few final pictures from the preschool/kindergarten fair last week. They're a bit random but show some popular aspects of the current culture.

The staple food--rice and beans:

It's tempting to put little hands in those dishes!

The Tourist Zone (a couple of hours away from us):

At the beach
(They probably have never been there in real life)

The Botanical Zone:

National bird: Cigua Paloma
National Flower: Mahogany

We can't forget the national sport, baseball!

Ready to play

"Cheese!"

Paul actually spent part of Independence Day playing baseball in an Ark vs. ANIJA staff game. He also went to watch the ANIJA boys team play in the Copa Coca Cola soccer tournament. Our guys love soccer even more than baseball here!

I hope you have enjoyed getting a glimpse into the Dominican culture over the past few days. Here are links to the first two parts in case you missed them.

Dominican Independence and Culture: Part 1
Dominican Independence and Culture: Part 2

Marcie

Dominican Independence and Culture: Part 2

Hello!

Here are some more pictures from the fair that our preschool and kindergarten students put on for Independence Day. These once take us back to the time of the Taínos, the indigenous people who were here long before the Spanish arrived on the island in 1492.

"First Inhabitants"

Casabe bread made from yuca (cassava)

Honey and root vegetables still popular today

Commonly used mortar and pestle

Taíno costumes

Visiting third graders

The Taínos eventually died out but remnants of their art and culture remain. Tourist areas are filled with paintings like these that copy their drawings.

Part 3 of the Independence Day fair will be coming on Monday. 

Have a great week-end!

Marcie

Dominican Independence and Culture: Part 1

Hello and Happy Dominican Independence Day!

Today is the 27th of February and the day that Dominicans celebrate their independence from Haitian rule. Our preschool and kindergarten classes put on a fair this week in celebration of the holiday. Check out the Founding Fathers:

Our Duarte, Sánchez and Mella

Do they look like the originals?

Juan Pablo Duarte (top)
Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (bottom left)
and Matías Ramón Mella (bottom Right)

Some little girls dressed up in traditional costumes and other kids played popular instruments.

Gr. 6 student playing the drum

Gr. 3 student helping on the güira

Drums are fun!

I can play a maraca!

Other classes came to tour the displays, hear the music, and watch a short video.  My little JK said it was the best day of school ever!

Watching a cultural video

Playing with Dominican Pesos

There was much more to see but I'll save it for next time. Stop by later or sign up on the right to receive future posts by e-mail.

Enjoy your day!

Marcie

Working in the Library

Hello again!

This fall has brought a lot of changes for me since I've gone back to school with the kids to teach in the library. It's been fun but busy and challenging!

Flag lowering at the end of the day

We've been having a contest in the library to see which class can read silently for the longest amount of time. It is not an easy task since they are very loud by nature and love to talk to each other. Here are the winners! They were the first class to make it to the goal of reading silently for twenty minutes. Now they're listening to books on tape, reading with buddies, and improving their writing. 

Third grade students with new book donations 

It's been encouraging to see kids having fun reading especially since many of them come from homes where parents are illiterate or have very low levels of education. Even ones who told me that reading was boring are finding books that they can enjoy.

They love reading!

This group is actually reading!

Loud fourth Graders caught reading quietly

In a few weeks, a teacher will return from maternity leave and I'll have less responsibilities in the library. I still plan to help out though. I just love seeing kids learning to love to read!

Happy reading and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are celebrating it this week!

Marcie Cooper

Photo Day: A Sneak Peak at Cute Kids

Hello!

When picture day comes around every year at ANIJA, students are given a "día de colores"or "colour day" where they can leave their uniforms behind and wear whatever they like. They come dressed in their best. In many cases, the pictures we take are the only ones they have to hang in their humble homes. Here is a sneak peak at some of our cuties. Can't you see glints of mischief some of those eyes?

 

 

        

I'm sure that I've mentioned it before, but we always have children that need sponsors. Please contact the Kids Alive Canadian office or US office if you're interested.

Thanks for praying for us as we work with kids like these!

Marcie Cooper

Back to School

Hello!

It's hard to believe that we're back to school already. Even this little guy is going!

He didn't like the snack the first day (rice pudding) and the second day said, "I never want to go to school ever again!" On Friday he was thrilled with the crackers and juice. Hopefully he won't complain about going back on Monday. He's been really stubborn about learning Spanish so doesn't understand or speak very much. Hopefully four hours a day will change that quickly.

The report from the first day of grade 1 was, "Only one boy hit" and on the second day, "No kids hit." Yes, we work with at-risk kids. Please pray for their discipline and self-control.

Grade 5 with a male teacher seems to be a success. We get glowing reports daily. Thanks for your prayers as we've been starting another school year with Kids Alive here in the Dominican Republic!

Marcie Cooper