Students International- Education in Mata Gorda

viaje al Pueblo

2009-12-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

For the last day of school before vacations Alberto and I decided to do something special with the kids. The majority of the kids from our school live in the community of Mata Gorda, which is a small rural community about 20 minutes from town. Most of the families only go into town about once a week at most and it is very rare that the kids ever go; only if it is a special occasion or if they are sick and need to see a doctor.

So Alberto and I decided that it would be really fun to take the kids on a 'field trip' into town. We rented a taxi mini-bus and loaded all 22 kids and 4 teachers inside.
The kids were so excited as we began our journey into town, pointing out landmarks that they recognized to show us that they had been to town before. There was also a lively discussion determining who had been into town more than the next kid.

Our first stop was the town park. Now, this is not a playground park like many of you might imagine but more like a town square. In most Latin American towns there is one or many parks like this one always next to a large Catholic church.

Look at these two cuties waiting patiently for instructions. The kids had a blast running around the park and up and down the stairs.
We then bought them ice cream, about 50% of which was dropped on the ground, but they all enjoyed it nonetheless. Next we took them to Doulos Discovery School, which is a very nice private Christian school here in Jarabacoa. They have a really cool playground so we let the kids play there for about an hour.
They especially enjoyed the koi pond with fish and turtles!
To top off the day we took them to Pica Pollo for friend chicken and fried green bananas for lunch. Yum!!

School Christmas Party

2009-12-18T05:41:00.000-08:00

This past wednesday we had a Christmas party for the kids at the school in Mata Gorda. THere was home-made popcorn and we showed the Jesus Movie for kids on a big screen using a projector. Once the actual movie started the little school was packed. Many community members showed up for the movie which was wonderful. Everyone was so attentive to the movie, especially the kids.
After the movie everyone was treated to some home-made treats. The party continued with each child receiving a bag full of gifts. The gifts included stuffed animals, toy cars, purses, playdough, puzzles, pencils, candy and a new toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. The kids were so excited to receive these gifts as many of them would otherwise not get any gifts for Christmas.
The party was so much fun and it make me so happy to see the joy on the kids' faces when they received their gifts. Praise God for the joy He brings us during this season. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to share this joy and His love with the children of Mata Gorda.
Thank you so much for you continued support of the school by sponsoring the children in Mata Gorda. Thanks to your donations we were able to have this party for the children and they were so blessed by the gifts they received. Thank you so much!!

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!!

End of the year Pics

2009-08-02T09:47:00.002-07:00

next post..... graduation!!!

Cultures Collide

2009-08-02T09:47:00.001-07:00

This past team I had the pleasure of not only working with a new team of American students, but also a group of Korean students. A group came from a church in Michigan with a group of mainly Korean exchange students. It was so fun for me to learn a little about Korean culture and I loved listening to them speak Korean amongst themselves. They were great students with amazing hearts for service. The kids at school especially enjoyed when they taught them how to write their names in Korean! Here we are with our names in Korean
Here is Chang Woo writing our names in Korean

VBS

2009-08-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down here is Mata Gorda. Both the teachers and the kids were feeling like we needed to change things up here at the school So we decided to put on a VBS for the kids. It was pretty simple, but turned out to be so much fun. The kids split into three groups and rotated throughout the day doing art activities, playing sports and learning a Bible story.

The best part of each day was the end when we would quiz the kids on the memory verse of the day. We had a sound system set up and the kids loved talking in the microphone. It was very entertaining watching the kids stumble through the verses, but even sweeter hearing the Word of God come out of these kids' mouths. I was reminded of Psalm 119:11 that says "I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You." Essentially that is our goal: to teach these kids God's word so that they might choose to follow Him. It was a sweet reminder of the eternal impact of every little thing that we do.

Bright New Colors!!!

2009-08-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we had a group of students come down to serve with us from Bakersfield Christian High School. One of the projects that we worked on while they were here was painting. We continued the project of painting the swingset and play house. This is still a work in progress...
They also added their own special touch by painting murals on our lunch tables. The first one is a picture of the world with the saying "God has the whole world in His hands". THe kids love looking at the map and pointing out the island of the DR on the map
The second table was painted with a scene of Noah's ark. This one was fun for the kids as they identified all of the different animals.
Thank you, Bakersfield Christian, for leaving a beautiful, lasting impression on the school. Thank you for showing love through Art.

The Transforming Love of Jesus

2009-03-25T18:56:00.001-07:00

2 Corinthians 5:14 says that it is the love of Christ that compels us because Jesus died for all. In my life I come to realize more and more that it truly is the love of Christ that compels us to live our lives the way we do. It is his love that compels us to love. Even when there is no promise of love in return.

Meet Joel. He is a 4 year old at the preschool in Mata Gorda. This school year has been a test of the transforming power that God's love can have on a person's life, even a child as young as Joel. At the beginning of the school year, Joel was a bit nervous as he began his first year at the school. Even though he was one of the smallest children at the school, it soon became evident that he had learned how to stand up for himself. Instead of the sweet face that you see in the photo, Joel wore an angry, aggressive, and defensive face everyday. He was constantly fighting with the other children, getting in trouble and was just a generally unhappy, disobedient child. I soon found out that he came from a very rough, unloving, neglecting home life. I knew that more discipline would not change this child, but rather love was what he needed. I decided that everyday I would walk up to him first, before any other child, and give him a hug. This may not seem like a big deal, as most of the kids run at me in the morning for hugs, but for Joel it was something completely out of the ordinary. At first he was very uncomfortable with the whole situation, sometimes even running away from me or not even putting his arms around me. But I persisted. Every morning, he was my first hug. I would hold him tight, kiss his face and tell him that I loved him and that he was beautiful. From his reaction, I'm quite certain nobody had ever told him that before.

But you know what? It worked. This experiment in love really worked. Today Joel is a completely different child. He is the first to run at me now for a hug. Sometimes he even tells me that I'm beautiful. He now obeys his teachers, does his work, shares with others, and learns well. And it is all because he is loved.

Isn't that how God's love changes us as well? A love that compels us to live, think, and act differently. Because we know we are loved.

DR Independence Day

2009-03-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

February 27 was the Independence day of the Dominican Republic. Instead of having class that day we had a parade through the community of Mata Gorda. We painted the kids faces with the flag and they marched behind a car that was playing the Dominican National Anthem. All the people of the community came out to watch the kids go by. It was a fun activity and a great opportunity for the kids to learn about patriotism, political freedom, and the history of their country.

Spring Intern

2009-03-01T08:42:00.001-08:00

This spring Ruth Miller is helping out as an intern at the school in Mata Gorda. She is from Indiana and will be with us for 5 weeks. Thank you, Ruth, for your willing heart to serve!

Top Achievers

2009-03-01T05:45:00.000-08:00

One of the main goals of the school in Mata Gorda is to teach the children to read proficiently before leaving our school and entering into the public school system. This year there will be 6 children graduating from the school having met the requirements by finishing their "Libro Nacho", a reading book that the children use to learn to read. As a special treat, Katie took the kids to town for ice cream in celebration of completing their Libro Nacho. The picture above is of Erika, Jeuris and Wibeh. And the picture below shows Frannis and Alba Nelly. Congratulations! ¡Felicidades!

It's been a while...

2009-01-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since this blog has been updated, but I (Katie) hope to now try to keep it up to date with at least a monthly post. Thank you to all of you who are supporting the school in Mata Gorda through prayers, support, or child sponsorship. I hope that this blog will be useful in helping you feel more connected to us here in the DR.

This new year brought with it some changes. Johanna, who has been working in Mata Gorda for several years, recently has begun a new preschool in another community here in Jarabacoa. That move left a spot for a new teacher to come in. Katie Lombard (that's me) is now teaching the kindergarden/1st grade class in Mata Gorda. Alberto De Los Santos is still teaching the preschool class.

Profesora Kati - born and raised in California. Graduated from Cuesta College with AA in Early Childhood Education

Profesor Alberto - born and raised in Jarabacoa. Currently in the University studying Education and Modern Languages

In the months to come, I will try to profile each child in our school to help you get to know them a little better, and keep you up to date on special events taking place at the school in Mata Gorda.

Thank you for your interest and support! God Bless!!

Spring in Mata Gorda

2007-04-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

"In the first week of April we had a week of art with the children of El Callejon and Mata Gorda! We did crafts, games, painting and much more!
It was very fun to watch how the children enjoyed these moments. It was good for them. Here we have some photos of the week of art with the children, I hope you like them..." -Alberto

Intern Katie Lombard will be investing in the Mata Gorda children for seven months.

Welcome to Students International's Preschool located in rural Dominican Republic

2006-12-01T15:45:00.001-08:00

The school has 20 students that range from 3-6 years old. The school year is divided into three trimesters giving the the students three vacations a year but for only one month at a time. The vacation times are from the middle of August till the middle of September. The second vacation time is Dec. 15 till January 20 and the third vacation time is the month of April. As you can see in the background the school is located in a very rural area with beautiful mountains surrounding it. Normally students start school at age 6 or 7 and walk to a nearby country school where most of the classes are over crowded and have very few resources. Because of the conditions and the lack of resources it is very common for students to struggle in school and quit at a young age and never learn to read and write. So because of these problems and challenges Students International decided to start a preschool in this community. Now the children can learn to read, write and do simple math before entering in the public school. We also have the ability to teach them many character building skills and also fill them wtih the knowledge and word of God. The school also provides one meal a day for the children. Praise God for His faithfullness to make this vision possible.

Johanna Berroa is the director of the school. She has been working with Students Internationl for several years and has a huge heart and passion for the children and the parents of the children of Mata Gorda.

Alberto de los Santos is Johanna's assistent and teaches some of the classes. Alberto is very talented in music and has been a big blessing to the school.

This building serves as community center, school and is where the church Ministerio de Gracia meets on Sunday morning and during the week as well.

Here you can see Alberto leading the children in music which he does each morning.

The Children of Mata Gorda

2006-12-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Listed below are the children in the school that would like to be sponsored to be able to continue their education. Would you please consider sponsoring one of these children for $30 dollars a month and help Students International continue to bring this blessing to the rural mountain village of Mata Gorda, Dominican Republic.

Franny
August 13, 2001

Franny has one brother and one sister. His favorite food is bananas. His favorite color is yellow. His favorite subject is singing and he wants to be a singer someday. His favorite pastime is baseball.

Angelina
October 31, 2001

Angelina has one sister and her favorite food is rice. Her favorite color is white and her favorite subject in school is language. Her favorite pastime is reading books and someday she wants to be a teacher.

Geuris
March17, 2001

Geuris has two brothers and his favorite food is beef. He likes the color green and enjoys doing math. He likes baseball as his pastime and wants to be a doctor someday.

Erika
July 5, 2002

Erika is an only child and her favorite food is candy. She loves the color brown and enjoys doing math. Her favorite pastime is running and she someday wants to work at a bank.

Arbanelis
August 6, 2001

Arbanelis has one brother and her favorite thing ti eat is candy. She loves the color yellow and she enjoys doing math. Her favorite pastime is playing with dolls and using the hula hoop. Someday she wants to be a doctor.

Jacabed
November 15, 2002

Jocabed has one brother and her favorite food is ice cream. She loves the color red and likes to play with play-dough. She likes watching TV as her pastime and someday wants to be a mommy.

Esmealda
November 17, 2000

Esmealda has one sister and her favorite food is rice. She likes loves the color blue and she enjoys studying language. Her favorite pastime is watching TV and someday she wants to a doctor.

Frankelly
June 5, 2000

Frankelly has one brother and one sister. His favorite food is rice and he likes the color oranage. He enjoys studying math and likes to play basketball in his free time. Someday Fankelly wants to be a teacher.

Rosanna
June 6, 2000

Rosanna has three sisters and her favorite food is rice and beans. She loves the color blue and enjoys studying English. She enjoys swimming as a pastime and someday wants to be a doctor.

Michael
November 24, 2000

Micheal has two brothers and his favorite food is rice and meat. he loves the color red and enjoys dictation. When he has free time he plays with cars and wants to someday be a Police boss.

Esperanza
January 14, 1998

Esparanza has two brothers and one sister. Her favorite food is salad and she loves the color red. She enjoys doing math and goes running for her pastime. Someday she wants to be a lawyer.

Anthony
March 19, 2001

Anthony has four brothers and his favorite food is rice. he likes the color blue and enjoys studing spanish. When he has free time he plays with teddy bears and wants to be a police officer someday.

Wilbel
March 23, 2001

Wilbel has one sister and one brother. Chicken and rice are his favorite foods. Wilbel likes the color red and enjoys studying English. When he has free time he enjoys playing with cards and someday wants to be a police officer.

Richard
June 8, 2001

Richard has three brothers and one sister. His favorite food is candy and his favorite color white. He enjoys studying language and reading as a pastime. Someday he wants to be a police officer.

Arlina
September 2, 2000

Arlina has two sisters and one brother. Her favorite food is rice with egg. She likes the color white and enjoys studying math. When she can she plays with dolls and someday wants to be a teacher.

Jose
May 4, 2002

Jose has three sisters and his favorite food is rice. He likes the color yellow and likes coloring in books. He enjoys baseball as a pastime and wants to be a doctor someday.

Nalleli
August 3, 2001

Nalleli has one brother and she enjoys rice and egg as her favorite food. She likes the color pink and enjoys coloring and playing with dolls. Someday she wants to be a teacher.

Tommy
April 25, 2002

Tommy has two brothers and one sister. His favorite food is meat and his favorite color is red. He enjoys studying math and playing baseball. Someday he wants to be a police officer.

Yansys
December 21, 1999

Yansys has two brothers and his favorite food is rice. He likes the color green and studying math. When he can he watchs TV and someday wants to be president of the Dominican Republic.