Students International-Dominican Republic-Centro Especial Genesis

Te Alabaré

2011-06-28T10:56:00.001-07:00

From my office here at the school, I can hear many of the classrooms and what they are working on. This is a blessing (and some days a curse :) ).

Today I was listening to our preschool classroom and I kept hearing the same phrase "te alabare". Its a short part of a popular worship song here. Translated it means "I will worship you". Our classes sing frequently, but I kept hearing this phrase in the same sweet little voice, so I decided to investigate. Turns out it was coming from one of our newer students. She is autistic and when she started here in the fall she said very few words, and she said even fewer words without being asked to do so.

Hearing her sing today made me say "te alabare". God is at work here. It is small moments like this one that help me to know what I am doing here is making a difference.

"I will worship You"

2011-06-01T10:36:00.001-07:00

In 2008 I helped Melvin put pen to paper and we (mostly he) wrote lyrics to 11 songs. they are worship songs that are an expression of Melvin's relationship with God. Some are straight worship, one is basically his testimony to music, and others express his desire that others come to know Christ.

I have very minimal talents when it comes to composing music or playing the guitar, so for a long time we were stuck. enter Richard. Richard, a friend of mine from college, befriended Melvin on a mission trip long ago. He agreed to help us put music to Melvin's lyrics.

The CD "Úsame Señor" went on sale this week! We are selling copies here at the SI base and it is now available online at Amazon and on itunes. I am super excited to see this project fulfilled!

All the money from the CD's we sell at the base goes straight to Melvin. We are using some of the online sales to offset the cost of producing and recording the CD.

To God be the Glory!!!!

teams, teams, teams

2011-03-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

It seems like there is no longer a season that is not "teams season" here at Students International. This spring we have already hosted 4 teams. We have been blessed by students from Joshua Wilderness Institute, ladies from Wintonbury, Connecticut and norther Indiana, students from Jupiter, FL and James Madison University and we are finishing up with this week's team from CA and TX. It has been a blessing to have all of you here at Centro Especial Genesis. The kids constantly ask where are the "americanos". Our kids love having the groups and we love seeing you students connect so well with the kids here at our school!

Christmas time is here again?

2011-03-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Recently we received a phone call from a member of the community asking if they could send gifts to the kids. Today we received really cool cars and dolls for all the kids in Genesis!!! Seems that they like their new toys!!!

Dios es Fiel (God is Faithful)

2011-02-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, I sent out a letter asking for financial support. We needed $1000 to cover an old debt and to pay for the transportation of one of our kids for the rest of the year. God provided $1500!!! A week ago, I was able to look at a basic curriculum in spanish for math, reading, science, and health. Yesterday it arrived costing us $540!!! God is faithful to provide for our needs even before we know them!!!

This is My Son in Whom I am Well Pleased

2011-01-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

Who said, "This is my son in whom I am well pleased?"

This was the first question posed to our parents at a recent parents meeting. Our speaker, Steve Spicer, has a unique perspective on this question. Steve has a son, Scott, who has a disability. While in the DR for a men's conference, they kindly agreed to come share their story with our parents.

Our parents answered the question with "Dios" (God). Correct!

Steve went on to say that as parents of children with special needs, they needed to say this about their own sons and daughters. Steve shared with our parents the story of his journey with Scott and encouraged them to see the blessing that they have been given in the form of their sons and daughters.

By the end of the meeting, many parents were in tears and many wanted to share with Steve and Scott. This was by far one of our most successful parent meetings in recent history.

In other news, the kids are back to school for our spring trimester. There have been a couple of changes in the faces as some kids moved away and others joined in to fill their space.

The biggest change is that Fausto Ramos has stepped down from his ministry here in the DR for personal reasons. He will be greatly missed. Amy Green is now the director of Centro Especial Genesis.

We covet your prayers during this transition and are excited to see those of you who have plans to visit us this year!!!

2011-01-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

Hey friends,

I need your help, well the school needs your help. We have a student, Anibal, who lives pretty far away from the school. Due to rising gas prices, and the cost of transportation here, the school owes quite a bit of money to the bus driver. Would you consider helping us keep Anibal in school by donating toward his transportation? We need $1,000 to pay what we owe and cover the rest of this school year! Please pray about helping us in this.

You can send a check to the home office of Students International

Students International

PO Box 2733

Visalia, CA 93279

Please include a note with your check "for Genesis transportation project"

Thanks so much and God bless,

Amy

"SNOW" DAY

2010-11-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, there was no greater joy than to wake up one morning to find out i could go back to bed (which i hardly ever did) because there was snow on the ground and school had been cancelled. Being from Arkansas, this was a rare treat!!

In the Dominican Republic obviously we don't have snow. We do have hurricanes! We have been watching Tomas for the last several days and it seems if we are going to get hit, today is the day. Right now it looks like our area will receive little more than rain, but just like a predicted snow in the south, a hurricane prediction here will send people to the grocery stores and then to their homes to hide out for the day!

We did not originally cancel school for the day but by 930 only Fausto, myself, my semester student Rachel, 2 teachers, and 3 students had arrived. We decided to call it a day and take the kids home!!! only 2 kids had gotten on the bus this morning and before they got to school one family had called the bus driver and asked for that student to be returned home! Today we will sit and watch the windows to see if we get to "meet" Tomas.

Please pray for those in Haiti as it seems they will bear the brunt of the storm!

recent happenings

2010-10-26T11:46:00.001-07:00

Quality computers at a fair price are often hard to find here in the DR. The computer we had been using at Genesis was getting really old and really slow. Recently a team from The Chapel in North Canton, Ohio came and brought with them several new computers to donate. What a blessing it has been!!! Thanks!!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago, Henny decided that she was not going to leave her classroom to go outside for the morning flag raising ceremony. She threw herself on the floor and managed to break her arm in the process. What a day! Sissy and I (thank God Sissy was here) took her to the hospital and got x-rays, talked with the doctor, and were able to involve a team member (an orthopedic surgeon) in order to take care of her arm. True to form, things did not turn out as planned. She did not have insurance and was not able to have the surgery that the orthopedic recommended. Instead she now has a cast and is staying home until she is all healed. We are praying that her bone heals well and there is no nerve damage. We visited her at home about a week ago and she seems to be doing well! Thanks to all those who have prayed!!!

During our last outreach we were fortunate enough to snag Amy (above with daniel polo) for a day. Amy is a speech therapist who specializes in swallowing disorders. I was happy to have her at the site for a day to evaluate our kiddos with down syndrome. Many times, kids with down syndrome have feeding/swallowing problems. Our issue here is that most doctors i talk too don't even know if it is possible to get a swallow study done here. Amy was able to feel as the kids swallowed and helped me decide if we needed to take action. Thankfully all of our kids seem to be doing fine!!!! Thanks for your help Amy!!!!

2010-07-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

if you are still checking in on this blog...congratulations! your waiting has finally paid off!

The kids a Centro Especial Genesis are doing well! We are finishing up the summer and the kids were asking this morning "y los americanos" loosely translated, "where are the americans?". They love having students from the teams and enjoy learning from them and teaching them as well. Pray for this final outreach to go well. Pray that as we send the kids out for their "summer" vacation that they are safe and well cared for.

We are finishing evaluations on the last few kids. This spring/summer, we have been working hard to evaluate each child, using a global developmental assessment. Those are really big words that basically mean we are looking at each child and how well they do in a lot of different areas. While the kids are on vacation, Fausto and Amy will be writing individual plans for each child for the coming year. We are excited to have a better idea of the kids' true abilities along with the tools to help our teachers improve their abilities to meet each child's special needs!

Stay tuned for photos of kids with their new teachers and classrooms once we start back in the fall!!!

Graduation

2009-08-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Every year at the end of the school year it is our pleasure to host a "graduation" ceremony to share with our parents all that the students have accomplished during the school year. Usually it is a big production. All the kids come dressed up, parents too. We share what God has been doing in the life of the school and each child receives a certificate for a specific goal met or character trait that has been developed during the year. Enjoy the photos (there are a lot)!

All Good Things Must Come To An End

2009-08-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

It is true. Summer has ended. The kids are now out for their "summer vacation" and we are preparing for a new school year.This summer Centro Especial Genesis hosted over 30 students in our classrooms and in therapy. It was an amazing summer. During our last outreach of the summer we had a few days of "VBS". We had extended worship times in the mornings and a craft activity from the kids. One day a group from our local YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base came over to help. All in all it was a wonderful summer with many lives changed. Thanks for coming, praying, and supporting what God is doing here in Jarabacoa.

2009-07-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

yup, that's right, one more outreach has come and gone! This time we welcomed back some old friends from Turlock, Country Bible, and Hopewell, along with our favorite independent traveler Morgan!!! We had a great 2 weeks with these ladies. We managed to go back to the pool for a day which was wonderful in the heat! The ladies working in Special Education also helped a ton on "clean up" day when all the kids were outside picking up leaves and trash from the yard! The kids had a great time with this group from bubble blowing and piggy back rides to Vladi's daily "phone call" at lunch when he would removed the ice pack from the cooler and use it as his phone. I think it may be visible in the photo!

thanks again ladies for a wonderful 2 weeks!!!!

2009-06-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

no new photos yet!

i somehow never seemed to have my camera with me during this last outreach! However, I wanted to give a great big THANK YOU to the gals from BCHS and JCS for all their help during this last outreach. Our kiddos decided for whatever reason that they wanted to be bad during this past outreach! Thank you girls for your compassion, patience, and resilience!!! We took a trip to the pool during this outreach which was wonderful because the midday temperatures here are getting really hot!!!!

Thanks again ladies...i hope to add pictures soon!!!

2009-06-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well, Centro Especial Genesis had 2 weeks off...well from teams that is. In what may be a first in our history, we did not have students assigned to our site during a summer outreach. While we did not have the "americanos" buzzing around the site, we did manage to stay busy. Vanesa received the final portion of her walker: forearm rests to help give her better balance and stability while walking. Here is a brief video clip of her trying it out for the 2nd time and taking a walk down the hall for the most part independent of any help (although it will be a while before we trust her to use it completely on her own!)

SUMMER HAS STARTED

2009-06-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again! Summer teams have begun and we are moving full steam ahead. This first team brought 4 ladies to special ed and 4 to therapy. We had such a great time with this group. The worked together very well and connected well with all our kids! We laughed a lot and got a lot of work done. This summer in the classrooms our students from the states have goals to work on with the kids and the new system seems to be working out well. It will be great to be able to track the progress of the kids over the summer!

Vanesa is the proud recipient of a new walker and while we still need a couple of new parts, we are hopeful that this is the start of a new level of independence for her. Please be praying for Vanesa. She has been sick off and on a lot as of late.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

2009-06-01T07:41:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day in the Dominican Republic usually falls a couple of weeks after Mother's Day in the states. So yesterday we celebrated all the moms. Friday at the end of the school day we had a special presentation for all of our moms. A couple of the classes joined forces to sing a special Mother's Day song. Each child had a flower and a card to present to his/her mom. A couple of the moms shared what challenges and unique blessings come with being a mom to a kid with special needs. There weren't many dry eyes when they finished! After the moms ate lunch we took family photos to be able to present the moms with new photos at a later date!

Donations

2009-05-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

some of the new braces from Cascade

new wedge and stool...thanks Marilyn they work great

Nelo and Vanessa with their new hand splints

Once again we have been blessed with many new donations in the therapy site and its time to say a huge THANK YOU!!! Thank you to Benik, Cascade, and Marilyn Collins for all the new goodies. Our kids (and therapist) truly appreciate your generosity!!!

Spring Cleaning

2009-05-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

From time to time we all have to clean up. This holds true for our school as well. We have been extremely blessed to have a large yard with lots of trees and plants that provide both shade and beauty. The downside to all the beauty is that when we leave for extended breaks, like the one we just had, we come back to lots of leaves, branches, and some trash all over the yard. So last week when the power went out and it was too hard to see to teach inside, we all went outside to lend a helping hand and clean up the yard. From the biggest to the smallest, all the kids had a job and most stuck with it, even if just for 5 minutes!

More Spring Happenings

2009-04-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

During the spring outreaches we were joined for a couple of days by a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) outreach group from Tennesse. This group came with games, toys, candy, songs, and a presentation for our students. We had a lot of fun playing with parachutes, jump ropes, and new balls!!! Thanks guys!!!

href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9j7kGVP3-6E/SeyzPlp-sEI/AAAAAAAAB9I/si-0AaEZdq8/s1600-h/DSCN1126.JPG">

2009-03-20T09:10:00.001-07:00

Another spring team has come and gone. This group was from James Madison University and Virginia Commonwealth University (even though she still claims the JMU group)! We were very blesses to have Brian, Erika, Rachel, Laura, and Bryan with us for the week. Bryan and Laura were a special asset to the Developmental Therapy side of things with their knowledge and interest in Physical Therapy. The other 3 did a fantastic job as well at Genesis getting involved and loving the kids!!!
Thanks for all your hard work, and we welcome you back anytime with open arms!!!!

Our faithful "steeds" Bryan and Brian!!!

The Developmental therapy crew at Melvin's house for community visits

The whole group at the banquet. Thanks again for all your help!!!

JUPITER

2009-03-09T06:09:00.001-07:00

We have once again been blessed by our friends from Jupiter Christian School. They were with us for a week and a half and we all had a great time. 4 students were with Fausto and Amy had 3 (who named her super amy and gave her a cape!).

As always the students from Jupiter did a wonderful job in the sites and brought an amazing amount of donations with them. THANKS

this isn't the best pic in the world, but it is rather indicative of the group! molly appears to be missing a head and Michelle is behind the camera, but otherwise, the gang is all here

We're Back!!!

2009-02-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since this blog was updated...our apologies to those of you who check for regular updates.

In mid December we had our Christmas party with all the families. It was a great celebration with parents and children, food and lots of presents! Then we closed for the holidays and vacation. We just returned to classes on Jan 26th. Today (Feb 13th) we had our Valentines day party. We had so much fun!!!

We have already hosted our first team of the year...Thank you to Katie, Patti, and Kathy for all your hard work! We are looking forward to seeing our Jupiter Christian friends at the end of the month.

Enjoy the photos from the last couple of events!

Our Christmas party was lots of fun with our families!

Sancocho!!!!!

Candy seems very happy with her Christmas present

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY or FELIZ DIA DE SAN VALENTIN

Candy, the pinata is behind you!

Fun with pinatas!

I know we've said it before, but we have WAYYY too much fun with cake!

November Outreach

2008-11-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

We just completed the final outreach of 2008! It has been a year full of students coming to Centro Especial Genesis to bless and learn from us! We have loved having all of you.

This final outreach was a busy one! We hosted a team from Riverbank and another from The Chapel. Thanks to both churches for sending a team. We hasted 2 participants at Special Ed and one at Developmental Therapy (note the new name!)

Jordan, Denise, and Gwen did a great job of jumping in and building relationships with the kids. It was a joy to have all three of you at the site!!! We also welcomed a number of visitors including the Art Site (thanks for coming to play), Pam and Delora from the SI home office in CA, and various group leaders. Thanks for participating the the Lord's work at Centro Especial Genesis!
Gwen enjoying the love from Daniel Polo

A visit from Amy Babb and art site participants to lead an art activity

Jordan with Daniel Polo and Leonela

Denise with Rances

Student Awards

2008-11-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

This school year we have started a good behavior/homework completion program. Our goal is to encourage the kids to behave during class and to do their homework each night at home. If they complete both tasks for the month then at the end of the month they receive a prize and a ribbon. Their names are also placed on a certificate that hangs in the office for the next month, recognizing their achievement. Join us in congratulating this months winners: Nelito, Mildred, Angelica, Madeline, Jonathan, Patricia, Candy, Omar, and Manuel Andres

All of November's winners!

Candy is so proud!

Nelito receiving his award!

Dia de La Raza

2008-10-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Dia de La Raza directly translated means "Race Day". It is the day here in the DR that they celebrate their racial roots. There is not one specific race here in the DR. The majority of people here are a mixture of Taino (the indigenous people group), Spanish, and African. The story goes that Columbus (Cristobol Colon)arrived to the New World on October 12th. He and all those with him came to the island bringing their culture and their diseases. The slave trade also eventually arrived and thus the 3 cultures celebrated. The Tainos eventually died out leaving no indigenous people group here on the island, but the are still remembered on this day.

The poster announcing America's discovery. Can you still name the 3 ships?

Worship time during the festivities...notice all the kids dressed as "tainos"

Patricia came dressed as the Queen of Spain.

Lizbeth in her native taino costume

Manuel the conqueror!

Nelito and Darwin

Wheelchairs

2008-10-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in posts. It has been a busy month getting the school up and running again for the new school year. At times it can be difficult trying to meet the physical needs of all the children and at other times, like today, i can be pure joy. Yesterday we received 4 new wheelchairs in the mail...good thing we didn't have to try to stuff them in a mail box. Today Vanesa and Laura received their much needed (and anticipated) new chairs from Joni and Friends Wheels for the World program. Enjoy the photos.

Laura in her old chair

Laura in her new chair

Vanesa in her old chair

Vanesa in her new chair

WE'RE BACK!

2008-09-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

After a much needed and appreciated month off, the children of Centro Especial Genesis are back in class. We started back on Tuesday September 9th. We said goodbye to Samuel, Miguelina, and Argenis at the end of August and have added 2 new teachers to our staff. With new teachers comes new classroom assignments, and so far the kids seem to be doing well with their new teachers and classmates.

Carmelina has our most advanced class this year with: Leonardo, Madeline, Juan Carolos, Geronimo, Vanessa, and Jeremy.

Next in line is Neli (one of our new teachers) with: Laura, Melina, Manuel Andres, Vladimir, and Daniel Polo.

Lourdes has with her: Wilman, Giselle, Darwin, Omar, and Alejandra.

With Margarita (our other new teacher)we have Candy, Patricia,Jonathan, Omar, and Henny.

And finally with Maribel and Angie we have Rances, Mildred, Franklin, Leonela, Raymundo, and Angelica.

Enjoy the photos

Outreach 7

2008-08-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Outreach 7 was another large outreach and a great way to end the summer. The girls we had with us from Turlock, Raisin City and our independent friends Vicki and Katie were such a blessing. Katie is a speech therapist and was a wonderful help in evaluating the kids speech abilities, and educating the teachers on things they can do to help their classes run more smoothly.

This group, as the last one of the summer, had the "privilege" of helping us end out the year. They helped us plan and prepare for the last day of classes and then helped us clean up afterward. From cleaning up the outside of the school to scraping glue off of desks and walls (yes walls)they had wonderful attitudes and servants hearts. What a blessing.

We have now finished our first week of "summer" vacation and have 3 more to go. That means there will not be a lot of posts in the next month, but pray with us that the kids not only enjoy their vacation, but that they remain safe and well cared for in the mean time.

For all you sponsors, this "break" gives me an opportunity to update our files and send out new photos. I will be joining forces with our ladies in the home office to update the sponsorship files and our roster from the school. It is possible for some of you that your sponsor child will not be continuing with us in the fall as we have had a lot of changes in our enrollment. We will notify you individually if that is the case and offer you the opportunity to help another child within our school. We have several new children starting in the fall, so please be praying for them and if you have friends who want to sponsor a child please point them in our direction.

Thank you all for all of your prayers and donations over this past summer, we could not do what we do here in the DR without your help!

Outreach 6

2008-07-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

This past outreach was once again busy busy busy! We hosted a much smaller group this time with 2 students at special ed and 3 at therapy. During the second week of the outreach, we held a VBS for the kids at the school. We were able to have 4 "stations" for the kids to rotate through including: sports, crafts, music, and Bible story. During VBS week we also had a birthday party and a trip to the swimming pool!!! Enjoy the photos

Happy Birthday Madelin, Miguelina, and Lourdes

This is what happens when kids get cake without being at a table with plates and utensils

Vanesa during music time

Craft time at VBS

Dinner in the Community at Darwins...special ed group

Outreach 5

2008-07-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

Amazingly another outreach has come and gone. This outreach brought old friends as well as many new ones. Brian, Megan, Kelly, John, Lourdes it was great to see you guys again. This group of students worked very hard from swimming at the pool to cleaning the yard to endless diaper changes. The PT and Special Ed groups seemed to meld into one and form one large super group!!! We had such a great time with the students representing Bethany Reformed Church, Hopewell Reformed Church, Messiah College, and the Duyst team. Thanks again for all your hard work over the last two weeks!!!!!

The beautiful ladies and gentlemen from special ed: Kayley, Kristen, Paige, Fausto, Kaelie, Jessica, and Travis (i apologize if any names got butchered in the spelling)

The wonderful PT crew: Amber, Katie, Jess, Amy, Laura, and Amy

One more update

2008-06-30T09:08:00.001-07:00

Hey for all of you with facebook out there...Centro Especial Genesis now has its very own facebook group. We will post from the updates from here on the group, so just check in every once and a while!

Attention Sponsors

2008-06-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Sponsors, please remember that we would love to have a photo of you and your family! A couple of photos have arrived, but we would love to see all of your faces on our new bulletin board. Please send your photos to:

Amy Green
Unit 3022-SIDR
3170 Airmans Dr.
Fort Pierce, FL 34946

Thanks again for making Centro Especial Genesis a reality for our children!

Outreach 4

2008-06-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Another outreach has come and gone. With this outreach we marked the middle of our summer here and are now on the countdown to our fall vacation! This past group was made up entirely of high school students, full of energy and ready to serve. This team brought 4 students to special ed and 4 to physical therapy. They served in the classrooms, played at recess, helped clean the yard, and helped with out "spa" day.

Unfortunately at various moments, one or more of the students were not feeling well and we do not have any photos of these 2 groups at the school, but thanks again to Bakersfield Christian High School and the youth from The Chapel in Canton, OH.

Enjoy the photos of "spa" day

Well its not a foot bath but it will do!

Alejandra getting the royal treatment.

Jonathan was patient, but not overly excited.

Candy loves her newly painted nails

Vanesa getting ready for her pedicure

Outreach 3

2008-06-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

We are almost halfway through our summer here. Its incredible how fast time flies. This was a very busy outreach for us. From "field day" to clean up day, we kept this last team busy. Thank you so much girls for all your hard work. This last outreach was made up of teams from Sonoma State University, San Fransisco University, and James Madison University. Enjoy all the photos!

Special Ed team(the guy in the green shirt on the end is our new intern Travis Gerig who will be with us for the rest of the summer...Welcome Travis)

Physical Therapy Team

henny all dressed up for the day

the big race

more of the race

bobbing for wiffle balls

face painting

more face painting

cleaning the school lawn

Outreach 2

2008-06-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by at Centro Especial Genesis this summer. We have just finished with our second team of the summer and things are going well. Our Physical Therapy site received a shippment of donations from Cascade DAFO, a company that manufacturs foot splints for special needs children. They have been such a huge blessing. Please take a couple of moments to view the videos in this post. Our last group came to us from Boston University and Grove City College. 4 you ladies made special ed their home for 2 weeks and 4 more were at physical therapy. Thanks ladies for all your help!!!! You made a HUGE difference in the lives of our students.

Outreach 1

2008-05-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Summer time has arrived at Centro Especial Genesis, signaled by the arrival of the "americanos" (no offense to those who live in central and south america...you are also americans!)

In the special education site we were blessed to have one student during this outreach. Melisa came to us from Bethel College, but was born and raised in Honduras. She speaks fluent english and spanish and was a huge asset to our ministry. Here she is with Jeremy(one of our newest students)

In the physical therapy side of things, we received our summer intern (with us for 10 weeks)...her name is Jess. Welcome Jess! We had 2 students in physical therapy, Knox and April.

(April, Knox, Jess, Amy (PT site), Melisa, Fausto
This was a wonderful outreach and we loved watching the kids and "americanos" interact and learn from each other!

Sponsorship Needs

2008-04-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Many have been asking through the last few outreaches if we have a current list of students who need to be sponsored and for how much. If you are interested in sponsoring one of our students you may contact Pam Christy in our international office (students@stint.com) or you can contact Amy Green (amyleighgreen2003@yahoo.com) for more information. Sponsorships are typically $50/month, however some students are on a partial sponorship and only need someone to cover the difference. Now the fun part, photos of all the kids who still need sponsors!

Clary Elisa Victoriano needs a $50 sponsor

Felix Rodridguez Lozada needs a $20 sponsor

Geronimo Abreu needs a $50 sponsor

Henry Coronado Candelario needs a $50 sponsor

Jeffrey Javier Rosario Baez needs a $20 sponsor

Jonathan De Jesus Trinidad needs a $20 sponsor

Juan Carlos Garcia needs a $20 sponsor

Leonardo Marmol needs a $50 sponsor

Leonela Baez Magarin needs a $50 sponsor

Manuel Andres Baez Hernandez needs a $50 sponsor

Maria Fernanda Trinidad needs a $50 sponsor

Omar Trinidad needs a $50 sponsor

Rances Alexis Pichardo needs a $50 sponsor

Thanks to all who look at these photos and consider sponsoring a child. If you would like to sponsor a child please contact us and we would be happy to supply you with the information you need. If you wish to do a partial sponsorship, we are open to those as well.

March was a busy month

2008-04-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

March turned out to be a very busy month at Centro Especial Genesis. We hosted a group from Moca, two mission teams, rode horses, and had a "pool" day! The mission teams included a group of high schoolers from Jupiter Florida, and campus groups from Taylor University, Bethel University, and CalPoly. It was a great month. Enjoy the photos of some of the groups and activities

here we are with a sign made by some former students from Grove City. Thanks ladies

the jupiter girls

HORSES

2008-03-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

We recently were able to have horses at the school for a morning. The students really enjoyed being able to ride the horses and enjoy the morning outside. We are hoping to be able to have them back soon to begin using the horses for therapuetic purposes as well.

Sorry the photos are a little washed out!

Visit from high school in Moca

2008-03-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

We were recently blessed to have a visit from a private school in Moca, which is a town about 45 minutes from Jarabacoa. Some of their high school students came to spend the day with our students, learn about the school, and bring gifts for each student. It was a great day! Enjoy the photos

Friendship

2008-02-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

One of the special things about Centro Especial Genesis is the way in which the kids are able to teach those of us "normal" folks. Todays lesson was on friendship. I look over today to see 3 of the older boys sitting and relating to one another as friends would. Helping each other, encouraging each other, and just being with each other. It is such a blessing to these kids to have a place where they can learn about and form friendships. Many of our kids live in neighborhoods where they are the only "different" one. Centro Especial Genesis gives them a chance to be "same". Thanks for all you do to help our kids be "same".

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

2008-02-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

or Feliz Dia de Amor y Amistad (happy love and friendship day). We pray you are able to celebrate love and friedship with those around you today. We had a great day here at the school complete with puppet show, treats, and lots of red shirts! It was a wonderful time. May we never forget the greatest gift of love demonstrated to us by Christ!!!

Blessings from Centro Especial Genesis

2008-02-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of all the kids and staff in front of the new school. We could not do what we do without you, our supporters. Whether that support comes in prayers, dollars, pesos, or just coming for a visit and giving hugs...we are incredibly greatful for all the support we receive!!!

Now meet our teachers and their classes

Carmelina (in purple) has been with Centro Especial Genesis almost since the beginning (in front: Maria Fernanda, Clary, Daruin, Nelo in back: Jeffry, Felix, Geronimo, Carmelina, Masiel, Kiko)

Miguelina is new to teaching but has been with Centro Especial Genesis for the past couple years in an administrative role (Jose Ramon, Miguelina, Alejandra, Candy, Manuel, Wilman, Giselle)

Samuel has also been with us for several years. (Madeline, Leonardo, Samuel, Juan Carlos, Henri)

Lourdes has been with us for 3 years. (in front: Vanesa, Laura, Vladimir in back: Omar, Lourdes, Melina, Jonathan)

Maribel has been with us for the last 4-5 years. Angi, her assistant, just started with us in August. (in front: Leonela, Rances, Henny, Franklin in back: Angi, Maribel)

Fausto Ramos is the new director of the school and came to us from Columbia. He joined us at the end of 2007

Altagracia "Tita" joined us in the fall of 2007 as our administrator...we would be lost without her!

Our New School

2008-02-13T10:18:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, Centro Especial Genesis has moved!!! We were very blessed by our brothers and sisters at Amor A Quisqueya to be able to use their facilities for nearly 4 years. Our growth and thier growth led to our move. Praise the Lord for all He is doing in both ministries. We moved all of the school "stuff" (ie desks, tables, chairs, supplies, etc.) in December and then spent January getting settled in, waiting on electricity, and adding walls and concrete to transform the house we are renting into a wonderful, usable space for the school. We were blessed at the end of January to have a group from The Chapel in Ohio come and help us with the construction!!!

Here are some photos of the finished project!

Fall Fundraiser at Genesis

2007-12-04T05:43:00.000-08:00

One of the latest events at Genesis was the "Kermese" fundraiser. This was held to help raise money for items needed in the school. Donations to the school like clothes and hygiene products were available for the students and parents to purchase.
Also, our teachers made pastelitos (a fried Dominican food) and cake. Other snacks were available to buy and the kids had fun with their parents.
It was a fun Friday and it is always good to touch base with parents and relatives of the students. We continue to thank you for your prayers and support.

Fall news from Genesis

2007-11-21T06:04:00.000-08:00

Hola from Jarabacoa!

(Amanda with the children)

Several things have been happening recently.
We thank God for the safety through the recent tropical storm, and we also thank God for His protection of the students and their families. Much devastation has occurred in other places, and we continue to pray for those areas.

(At left, Kristin with Massiel)

We are currently in the midst of stabilizing a place to rent and will possibly move in December or the beginning of January. This place has a nice patio and yard for the kids and more room in general. We thank God for this place and for this blessing.

Right now college students (Amanda, Kristin, Gretchen, Megan, and Michaela) in the new semester program with Students International from Bethel College in Indiana have been helping at the school. Three students are working with the classes, one student is working with physical therapy, and one student is working in the office.
Christmas time is here, as well. The Christmas decorations are being made and hung, and Christmas music is in the air. Amanda, one college student, has been helping the students learn a Christmas song, while she accompanies them on the guitar. Other college students and the teachers have been showing their creativity through the decorations.

(Megan and Daniel)

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for the school here. God is working and using this school to minister to the community.
Please pray for the continued situation with our new building and for the rent to come into the budget.

(Alejandra, Gretchen, and Kristin)

2007-04-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

Interns Anna Prohaska and Lynn Lanier work with the children daily.

Centro Especial Genesis staff and activities

2006-12-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Back: Daniel, Mercedes, Samuel, Argenis
Front: Miguelina, Maribel, Carmelina

Mercedes working at communicating with parents.

Samuel and Daniel leading the students during their Music time.

Carmelina during one of her teaching sessions

Maribel loving on Daniel. Daniel is one of the students that has Downs Syndrome.

Daniel in class with his students.

Maribel once again loving on the children of Genesis.

Argenis is one of the students that has gone as far as we can take him in the school. So now he is on staff doing what he loves to do the most, helping keep the school in order. Thanks Argenis for all your hard work.

The staff with all the students.

Students of Centro Especial Genesis

2006-12-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Carlos
October 11, 2000

Daniel lives with his parents and has one older brother. His favorite pastime is singing.

Vladimir
September 13, 1999

Vladimir lives with his mom. His favorite pastime is playing with cars.

Wilman
April 17, 1991

Wilman has two sisters and his favorite pastimes are playing on the swings and eating.

Vanesa
October 13, 2001

Vanesa lives with her parents and has one younger brother. Her favorite pastime is playing with blocks.

Rances
November 24, 2002

Rances lives with her grandmother. The reason is that her younger sister suffered a sever burn to the face and her mother and sister are in the United States recieving help. Her favorite pastime is singing.

Ruht
1998

Ruht lives with her father and has one brother that is blind in one eye. Her favorite pastime is playing in the sandbox.

Patricia
July 13, 1994

Patricia lives with her mother and she has one younger brother. Her favorite pastime is playing on the swings.

Raymundo
July 30, 2000

Raymundo lives with his father and two brothers. His favorite pastime is playing with clay.

Melina
June 5, 1998

Melina lives with her parents and she has four brothers.

Nelito
June 3, 1997

Nelito lives with his mother and one older sister. His favorite pastime is playing with cars.

Maria
December 1, 1996

Maria lives with her grandmother. her favorite pastime is playing on the swings.

Masiel
August 18, 1992

Masiel lives with her grandparents. Her parents abandoned her and she has never known her father.

Madlin
July 24, 1987

Madlin lives with her grandfather and has never known her father. Her favorite pastime is listening to music.

Manuel
April 19, 1995

Manuel lives with his parents and has two younger brothers. His favorite pastimes are doing puzzles and playing on the swing.

Juan (Kiko)
April 7, 1996

Kiko lives with his parents and has an older brother. He likes working with puzzles and eating.

Laura
December 3, 1997

Laura lives with her dad and grandparents. Her mother was killed in a freak gun accident about two years ago.

Jonathan
October 20, 1993

Jonathan lives with his mother. His father pasted away when he was very young. His favorite pastime is playing in the sandbox

Jose
February 10, 1993

Jose Ramon lives with his parents and an older sister. He enjoys walking and working on puzzles.

Jeffery
1995

Jeffery lives with his parents and has two brothers. His favorite pastime is playing baseball.

Juan
November 11, 1985

Juan Carlos has two brothers and his favorite pastime is playing baseball.

Henny
June 26, 1998

Henny lives with her dad because her mother abandoned her and has never cared for her. Her favorite pastime is playing with others.

Henrry
January 14, 1991

Henrry lives with his parents and four brothers in a very small home. His favorite pastime is playing baseball.

Felix
June 6, 1992

Felix is the oldest of three children and he has two sisters. His favorite pastime is caring for animals.

Gissel
February 9, 1995

Gissel has three brothers and lives with her mother. Her favorite pastime is playing on the swings.

Elvis
October 25, 1993

Elvis lives with his parents and younger sister. His favorite pastime is palying baseball.

Paul
June 19, 1991

Ernesto lives with his partents and has one younger brother. His favorite pastime is riding bike.

Daniel
January 3, 1994

Daniel lives with his grandmother because when he was six months old his mother had a mental breakdown and has not recovered.

Darwin
June 5, 2000

Darwin lives with her mother and his favorite pastime is playing baseball with his friend in the back yard.

Carlos
September 11, 2000

Carlos lives with his parents and has one older brother. His favorite pastime is singing.

Carolina
September 31,2000

Carolina lives with her parents and has a younger brother three years old. Her favorite pastime is singing.

Alejandra
Feburary 17, 2000

Alejandra lives with her parents and has one brother. Her favorite pastime is playing on the swings.

Candy
February 22, 1983

Candy lives with parents and is the youngest child. She has two brothers and her favorite pastime is playing on the swings.

Rauly
July 18, 1989

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Rauly lives with his grandparents. His favorite pastime is playing baseball.

Aneuris
August 25, 1989

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Aneuris lives alone and is deaf. His favorite pastime is working in the mission.

Luz Mercedes
September 24, 2002

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Luz lives with her grandparents while her mother lives in the states. Her favorite pastime is singing.

Gabriel
October 25, 1993

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Gabriel lives with her parents has two brothers. Her favorite pastime is singing.