Can you tell us about your friends there, and what you like to do with them in your free time?
There is a saying among missionaries, "you don't get to pick your friends, your friends are chosen for you". I think this saying created because when you work so closely in ministry away from what is normal and familiar, you draw close to those around you, and in our case that is the other missionaries that we work with. If all this is true, then God has been very good to us because we absolutely love the people we work with and we have made friends with everyone, some more closely than others which, I think is to be assumed.
We have made good friends with another couple on staff here; their names are Ryan and Caroline. (Ryan is the leader and pioneer of the microfinance site and Caroline works in one of the social work sites.) We get together when we have time and play games typically. A few nights ago we got together and had a "cook out" - and for you west coast people this is what we call a BBQ. Ryan and Josh play ping-pong almost everyday... and currently Josh is the champion.
I have a cooking/baking buddy that I hang out with often, her name is Chastity and she is one of the MK's here (missionary kids). We usually bake something delicious, talk, look through cooking magazines like Bon Appetite, and watch movies. Our goal is to never make the same thing twice, an idea I got from my grandma. This new baking mission has pushed us to try many different and fun recipes.
Last - but definitely not least - is Lowell and Cheryl. Lowell is the director of the Dominican Republic branch of SI and his wife Cheryl does so many different things that it would take paragraphs to explain - she plays a huge role here. We love to go to their house and just hang out... our conversation never ends, when we leave their house we're still talking as we walk out. We all play games together and have dinner together a lot. Whether we're working or just hanging out, we're constantly joking around and having a really good time together. Because the 4 of us are all on the leadership team, our schedules and situations all mesh together. We can discuss things with them that we can't with any other person, and we usually have the same free time - or lack of free time.
We have several other people that we enjoy getting together with, but it happens less frequently and isn't as intentional as it is with Lowell & Cheryl, Ryan & Caroline and Chastity. There are a group of people that we play ultimate frisbee with. Over the fall/winter we played every Sunday, but since our schedule hasn't been consistent we haven't been able to get it going routinely since Christmas break.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
New Idea
Hey readers, I am so sorry for how quiet the blog has been lately, we have been slammed here... even finding down time for ourselves has been quite the puzzle lately. In the midst of such craziness a friend of mine made a fun suggestion for the blog. He thought it might be a neat idea for you as the reader to send in questions that you have for Josh or me and then we will twice a month use a blog to answer the incoming questions. Please send questions to me at: vickimath@hotmail.com.
Meanwhile, a little of what has been going on...
We have been busily working with teams; we are on our 3rd and final team of non-stop back-to-back teams. We have had the priviledge of working with college, high school, and adult teams from all of the States. This past week I got out into the communities that we are working in to visit with some of the Dominican's and I had a great time hearing about their lives and how God has been providing for them. Our construction team spent last week working on a guy's house. The house has been standing incomplete for 3 years and our team pushed the house production into the next phase which was really incredible.
I visited with a woman , Franci, and she told me that her husband died in a moto accident in December. She shared with me all about how God has been providing for her. She has been so blessed that she was even able to fix her house - now when it rains she shouldn't have rain water running through her bedroom and kitchen. Amen!
Due to the crazy schedule, I have to go for now, but I will try and get a better up-date soon.
Meanwhile, a little of what has been going on...
We have been busily working with teams; we are on our 3rd and final team of non-stop back-to-back teams. We have had the priviledge of working with college, high school, and adult teams from all of the States. This past week I got out into the communities that we are working in to visit with some of the Dominican's and I had a great time hearing about their lives and how God has been providing for them. Our construction team spent last week working on a guy's house. The house has been standing incomplete for 3 years and our team pushed the house production into the next phase which was really incredible.
I visited with a woman , Franci, and she told me that her husband died in a moto accident in December. She shared with me all about how God has been providing for her. She has been so blessed that she was even able to fix her house - now when it rains she shouldn't have rain water running through her bedroom and kitchen. Amen!
Due to the crazy schedule, I have to go for now, but I will try and get a better up-date soon.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Freezer Fan
This morning I am sitting on my couch enjoying the beautiful crisp morning with the sun shining through the clouds overhead as I listen to Kutless's rendition of "It is Well", which I must add, is a definite must listen. I have just returned from leading worship at one of the Christian schools in town. I had such a good time... I ended with the "Happy Song" which for kids their age (12-14yr) is a really fun song and for most of them, it was their first time hearing it. All this comes, however, after a night of interrupted sleep. The fan in our freezer has been giving us trouble again and randomly it will start to screech, which I have to say is one of the most obnoxious noises in the world! So can you imagine being happily asleep at 1am and then suddenly waking to that? Well, that's been my life the past two nights... all that to say, the freezer fan is going in for fan surgery.
So last night (before the fan made me it's enemy) I was reading in 1 Corinthians and read 4:1 which says, "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." I thought this was really beautiful and wanted to share it. I love how the end says - "stewards of the mysteries of God" - this leaves me in awe of God; He is so intricate, complex, and majestic, and how amazing that He would allow us to be stewards of His mysteries.
What have we been up too?
So lately our time has been occupied with work - planning, preparing, working with teams, and giving other people a hard time (like Lowell)... I'll be honest, that's my favorite part :) Other than that... at home I daily battle with Josh over a game of backgammon or speed scrabble - I'm pretty certain I'm loosing right now at both - we have a running tally. I have also been doing some baking which is always a favorite activity of mine. I recently made a Mocha Ribbon Cake which was amazing. Additionally we have been trying to get connected and more engaged in activities that are really important to us, so for Josh that is basketball and for me it is running.
Do you want to hear a super sweet story??? So I was telling Josh about a week ago that I was really sad that I was missing all the races that had been going on in Seattle and more importantly I was sad that I was missing out on running in general. The very next day following this sad-tale-of-woe, Josh presented me with registration and a map for an up-coming half-marathon in Jarabacoa (the town we live in)... he said he spent a lot of time searching but finally came across one. After reading through the "panphlet" I discovered that the President of the Jarabacoa Half-Marathon was none other than my own husband, Josh Mathews; and after discovering this it made the winner's prize more exciting - a date with the President of the Half-Marathon - Josh Mathews! He wrote out a whole "entry rules" sheet and made the map himself, which he drove to make sure it was actually 13.1 miles.
Later this month...
Lowell, Josh, and I are leaving Feb 14th to fly to Indiana where we will visit two different colleges (Bethel College and Taylor University) to promote our semester abroad program. We will work between the two schools for the week. On Saturday the 20th my grandparents are going to fly us out to see them for a few days too! I am so excited! It will be Josh's first time out to see my family in Canada, and it will be the first time in 5 years that we'll have had a chance to see my aunt, uncle, and my cousin.
Prayer Requests:
- Our dog Snickers is having some problems with his back end, the vet tried something and it isn't working, so pray that the issue doesn't require surgery and that he will not live out the remainder of his life in pain.
- We have about a solid month of teams coming and going with no break (beginning Feb 27), please pray that we will have energy and enthusiam for each team, along with good health.
- For wisdom, guidance, and discernment
So last night (before the fan made me it's enemy) I was reading in 1 Corinthians and read 4:1 which says, "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." I thought this was really beautiful and wanted to share it. I love how the end says - "stewards of the mysteries of God" - this leaves me in awe of God; He is so intricate, complex, and majestic, and how amazing that He would allow us to be stewards of His mysteries.
What have we been up too?
So lately our time has been occupied with work - planning, preparing, working with teams, and giving other people a hard time (like Lowell)... I'll be honest, that's my favorite part :) Other than that... at home I daily battle with Josh over a game of backgammon or speed scrabble - I'm pretty certain I'm loosing right now at both - we have a running tally. I have also been doing some baking which is always a favorite activity of mine. I recently made a Mocha Ribbon Cake which was amazing. Additionally we have been trying to get connected and more engaged in activities that are really important to us, so for Josh that is basketball and for me it is running.
Do you want to hear a super sweet story??? So I was telling Josh about a week ago that I was really sad that I was missing all the races that had been going on in Seattle and more importantly I was sad that I was missing out on running in general. The very next day following this sad-tale-of-woe, Josh presented me with registration and a map for an up-coming half-marathon in Jarabacoa (the town we live in)... he said he spent a lot of time searching but finally came across one. After reading through the "panphlet" I discovered that the President of the Jarabacoa Half-Marathon was none other than my own husband, Josh Mathews; and after discovering this it made the winner's prize more exciting - a date with the President of the Half-Marathon - Josh Mathews! He wrote out a whole "entry rules" sheet and made the map himself, which he drove to make sure it was actually 13.1 miles.
Later this month...
Lowell, Josh, and I are leaving Feb 14th to fly to Indiana where we will visit two different colleges (Bethel College and Taylor University) to promote our semester abroad program. We will work between the two schools for the week. On Saturday the 20th my grandparents are going to fly us out to see them for a few days too! I am so excited! It will be Josh's first time out to see my family in Canada, and it will be the first time in 5 years that we'll have had a chance to see my aunt, uncle, and my cousin.
Prayer Requests:
- Our dog Snickers is having some problems with his back end, the vet tried something and it isn't working, so pray that the issue doesn't require surgery and that he will not live out the remainder of his life in pain.
- We have about a solid month of teams coming and going with no break (beginning Feb 27), please pray that we will have energy and enthusiam for each team, along with good health.
- For wisdom, guidance, and discernment
Monday, January 18, 2010
Our 5th year together...
Josh and I just celebrated our 5th year anniversary which I think requires a little reflection. We have been immensely blessed by God over these several years as He has prepared the way for us to be where we are now. When we first were married we had purchased a condo in Poulsbo and a new car. It was our first experience living on our own, as we each had come from our parent’s house, so we were maybe a little careless with our money therefore racked up a little credit card debt on top of our new purchases. As our lives veered in different directions one thing that remained stable was Josh’s interest in basketball. This interest brought us into relationships with two people who are responsible for us having attended Northwest University. Within 4 months of their pushing, we had sold our condo, which was totally a God thing because it sold without us having an agent, decent advertisement, or the knowledge of how to do it; and we made enough money on it to pay off all our credit card debt, our car, and the move to Kirkland. While in Kirkland, we met so many wonderful people and had good jobs. During our time at college God changed Josh’s heart in a direction for missions. It had been my desire since I was 18, but I had never really told Josh. God provided the funds for us to travel to the Dominican Republic for a 2-week missions experience the summer of 2007. The summer of 2008 we returned to participate in the 10 week internship program. During that time we had been asked to pray about a job position here. After weeks of prayer and searching out God’s direction for our lives, we applied, interviewed and were accepted. We finished our final semester at college, raised the funds, and are serving here now. We have almost been here for 1 year! I can hardly believe it. The time has flown by so fast.
Some stories…
• Today it will be two weeks that we will have been back from our trip to WA. Since that time we have seen the sun like twice, today included.
• Also in that time, someone tried to steal electricity from us by attaching their cord to ours. However it completely fried the line leaving us without power for a day and half. In that ordeal our microwave was fried too and no longer works.
• Our water heater doesn’t work anymore. Lowell came over to fix it and the first thing he did didn’t work, so he has one more option. If that doesn’t work then we have to buy a new water heater… bummer. So we have been showering at the base each morning. We tried showering in the cold for two days and it was so horrible… especially because it’s been so cold and damp with all the rain.
• Lucy caught a little baby chick in her mouth on Friday. When I saw it I bolted out of the house and started chasing her all over the yard screaming at her to drop it. After about 60 seconds of this she dropped it and the little chick was able to hide behind some rocks so Lucy couldn’t get to it. Then it took Josh holding the dogs, and me like 5 minutes to actually catch the thing myself. After I caught my first chick (or chicken for that matter) I released it into its yard. Hopefully it won’t come back again.
People have been asking how the earthquake has affected us and if we are going to go to Haiti. The answer is that it has not directly affected us yet, although we know it will begin to soon. There is going to be many Haitians trying (many have already) to get into the D.R. There is not enough infrastructure here to sustain proper Dominican living let alone all the thousands if not millions that will try to come across from Haiti. Additionally, the cost of gas, water, and food along the border has shot through the roof as Haitians come across to buy it here to then go and sell it over there. We are far enough away that we should not be affected directly by this however. As for us going there… we will not be going. It is unsafe to go without an organization that is set up and prepared for mass distribution of food and water. And we don’t have the tools to help dig people out of fallen buildings. So we will be here to encourage and help the Haitian families here who lost loved ones or who still have yet to hear from their family.
Verse to remember:
Romans 1:16a – I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes
Some stories…
• Today it will be two weeks that we will have been back from our trip to WA. Since that time we have seen the sun like twice, today included.
• Also in that time, someone tried to steal electricity from us by attaching their cord to ours. However it completely fried the line leaving us without power for a day and half. In that ordeal our microwave was fried too and no longer works.
• Our water heater doesn’t work anymore. Lowell came over to fix it and the first thing he did didn’t work, so he has one more option. If that doesn’t work then we have to buy a new water heater… bummer. So we have been showering at the base each morning. We tried showering in the cold for two days and it was so horrible… especially because it’s been so cold and damp with all the rain.
• Lucy caught a little baby chick in her mouth on Friday. When I saw it I bolted out of the house and started chasing her all over the yard screaming at her to drop it. After about 60 seconds of this she dropped it and the little chick was able to hide behind some rocks so Lucy couldn’t get to it. Then it took Josh holding the dogs, and me like 5 minutes to actually catch the thing myself. After I caught my first chick (or chicken for that matter) I released it into its yard. Hopefully it won’t come back again.
People have been asking how the earthquake has affected us and if we are going to go to Haiti. The answer is that it has not directly affected us yet, although we know it will begin to soon. There is going to be many Haitians trying (many have already) to get into the D.R. There is not enough infrastructure here to sustain proper Dominican living let alone all the thousands if not millions that will try to come across from Haiti. Additionally, the cost of gas, water, and food along the border has shot through the roof as Haitians come across to buy it here to then go and sell it over there. We are far enough away that we should not be affected directly by this however. As for us going there… we will not be going. It is unsafe to go without an organization that is set up and prepared for mass distribution of food and water. And we don’t have the tools to help dig people out of fallen buildings. So we will be here to encourage and help the Haitian families here who lost loved ones or who still have yet to hear from their family.
Verse to remember:
Romans 1:16a – I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Feliz Ano Nuevo - Happy New Year!
I feel so blessed to have great friends and family, some of whom we got to see over our short stay in Washington over the holidays. We had a lovely Christmas holiday but are so glad to be back in the warm Caribbean. After our trip in August, the adjustment back here was very difficult for me which created some hesitation and anxiety for ever leaving again… especially so soon. But God is so good and during our time in the States, I felt so confirmed of our being in the Dominican Republic which made returning wonderful. We both felt ready for our return, and can say with 100% certainty that this is our home.
Since returning, the hardest thing has been re-adjusting to the time change – 4 hours ahead. We would lay in bed at 2 or 3am just staring at the ceiling asking each other if we felt tired yet. We’re almost back to normal. One of our biggest joys since returning is being with our dogs. We missed them so much and love to be with them. They are our daily entertainment.
Our first spring team just kicked off yesterday afternoon. Today we spent a few hours taking them through orientation and this evening after church we had fun teaching them a few cultural things like dancing, playing a typical cup game, and sampling coconut milk (which I personally have an aversion too). Tomorrow we kick off working in the communities at our ministry sites. I am very excited because I get to help out with translating in one them… go me!
Two prayer requests: since being back Josh’s moto hasn’t been running very well and our water heater isn’t working either! Please pray that the fix will be cheap and quick!
Happy New year!
Since returning, the hardest thing has been re-adjusting to the time change – 4 hours ahead. We would lay in bed at 2 or 3am just staring at the ceiling asking each other if we felt tired yet. We’re almost back to normal. One of our biggest joys since returning is being with our dogs. We missed them so much and love to be with them. They are our daily entertainment.
Our first spring team just kicked off yesterday afternoon. Today we spent a few hours taking them through orientation and this evening after church we had fun teaching them a few cultural things like dancing, playing a typical cup game, and sampling coconut milk (which I personally have an aversion too). Tomorrow we kick off working in the communities at our ministry sites. I am very excited because I get to help out with translating in one them… go me!
Two prayer requests: since being back Josh’s moto hasn’t been running very well and our water heater isn’t working either! Please pray that the fix will be cheap and quick!
Happy New year!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Slaughtered Pig Anyone? story by Vicki
So yesterday I went over to a friend's house, her name is Yajaira, because she wanted to give me a pedicure... I know, I know, life is rough sometimes. So we're sitting out on her patio talking, and the next thing I know I hear a pig squealing really loud... and then not squealing... (I know you're wondering what happened right?) About 30 minutes go by and I had completely forgotten about the pig. Then I saw Yajaira's husband, Daniel, throwing a rope over the branch of a tree and then hoisting up what had been the squealing pig. It was HUGE! Daniel looked ever so proud as did the many helpers that he had, children and adults alike. They all stood back and looked at the pig in awe. After they cleaned the outside and inside of the body with water they all headed back to where they had been hiding. About 5 minutes after they left the dangling hog, I heard another squeal... this time I knew... bye-bye pig! Another 30 minutes went by and there, slung over the same branch next to the other hog, was pig number 2. Bad day for pigs! As I learned yesterday, eating pig for Christmas is very traditional here in the D.R.
Shortly after asking Yajaira how many pigs there would be for the feast (held at our church) one of the boys that had been helping Daniel, walked over with a fairly large bucket. He set it down right next to me... and low-and-behold, contained inside this bucket were all the innards from the 2 pigs. Amaody was very happy to show me that he knew what everything was. After the display of pig guts, he took the bucket into the kitchen and left it there. Curiously I asked Yajaira if she would be cooking the bucket full of "goodies". She looked at me and laughed... then responded, no, that she would only be boiling them, (as if that is common knowledge). I must admit, I am grateful to have missed the skinning of pigs.
Up-date on us:
The semester students flew out on Thursday morning and since then we have been on vacation. It feels so weird to have nothing planned that we have to do. We fly back for Christmas holiday on Monday 21st. and stay until Jan. 3rd.
We are getting very excited for another year. We have successfully made it through our first year of work and now have experienced all the aspects that our jobs demands. Now having experienced it all, we feel very prepared, excited, and ready for another full year.
Prayer Requests:
For wisdom as we approach a new year
Health - I am sick right now and therefore dreading the flights back to WA
That our love for God would continue to grow and that our knowledge of Him expand
For patience
Josh and I cannot thank you all enough for your continued support and partnership. We would not be here if it wasn't for you. Thank you for helping in God's plan of making a difference in the lives of people both American and Dominican. You are growing the numbers in the Kingdom of God.
Merry Christmas!
Shortly after asking Yajaira how many pigs there would be for the feast (held at our church) one of the boys that had been helping Daniel, walked over with a fairly large bucket. He set it down right next to me... and low-and-behold, contained inside this bucket were all the innards from the 2 pigs. Amaody was very happy to show me that he knew what everything was. After the display of pig guts, he took the bucket into the kitchen and left it there. Curiously I asked Yajaira if she would be cooking the bucket full of "goodies". She looked at me and laughed... then responded, no, that she would only be boiling them, (as if that is common knowledge). I must admit, I am grateful to have missed the skinning of pigs.
Up-date on us:
The semester students flew out on Thursday morning and since then we have been on vacation. It feels so weird to have nothing planned that we have to do. We fly back for Christmas holiday on Monday 21st. and stay until Jan. 3rd.
We are getting very excited for another year. We have successfully made it through our first year of work and now have experienced all the aspects that our jobs demands. Now having experienced it all, we feel very prepared, excited, and ready for another full year.
Prayer Requests:
For wisdom as we approach a new year
Health - I am sick right now and therefore dreading the flights back to WA
That our love for God would continue to grow and that our knowledge of Him expand
For patience
Josh and I cannot thank you all enough for your continued support and partnership. We would not be here if it wasn't for you. Thank you for helping in God's plan of making a difference in the lives of people both American and Dominican. You are growing the numbers in the Kingdom of God.
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A Visit to the Border... - By Josh
Last weekend we took the students on a weekend excursion to a town called Dajabon. It is right on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We went to mainly check out the big market that they have every Friday and Monday. My understanding of what happens is that items get donated to Haiti and then the Haitians bring it over to the DR side and sell the items at a low cost. It was a lot of fun to see but it felt so chaotic and crazy for us Americans who are not used to it.
We almost crossed over into Haiti but the guards wanted some money from us in order to enter. A river is what separates the two countries and so we did get to stand on the bridge and see into Haiti. It was very different then the DR side. It appeared more desert like and looked like a garbage dump in some places.
Some other interesting things we saw were people buying big blocks of ice and carting them back over into Haiti on their wheelbarrow. We saw one lady carrying a bunch of paper or styrofoam type products on her head. I have no idea how heavy it was but it was stacked at least 10 feet high. We saw guys pushing 500 lbs of rice in their wheelbarrow. It was 10 bags of rice that weighed 50lbs each and they would load it all in their little wheelbarrow.
(This huge load is on a woman's head!)
(above picture are the ice blocks)
All in all it was a very good experience and we were able to learn what life can be be like for Haitians.
We almost crossed over into Haiti but the guards wanted some money from us in order to enter. A river is what separates the two countries and so we did get to stand on the bridge and see into Haiti. It was very different then the DR side. It appeared more desert like and looked like a garbage dump in some places.
Some other interesting things we saw were people buying big blocks of ice and carting them back over into Haiti on their wheelbarrow. We saw one lady carrying a bunch of paper or styrofoam type products on her head. I have no idea how heavy it was but it was stacked at least 10 feet high. We saw guys pushing 500 lbs of rice in their wheelbarrow. It was 10 bags of rice that weighed 50lbs each and they would load it all in their little wheelbarrow.
(This huge load is on a woman's head!)
(above picture are the ice blocks)
All in all it was a very good experience and we were able to learn what life can be be like for Haitians.
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