The Final Day of Bible School

   Hola todos! Apologies for not posting last night, but the internet service was spotty and not connecting. This morning it seems better though.


  Yesterday was our last day of Bible school, which was very bittersweet. We had a big fiesta for all the kids, including a giant cake from a nearby bakery. When we arrived, all the kids were excited and ready! All of them wanted pictures with every member of the team, and many of the kids were dressed up for the party. It looked like a Sunday morning or even maybe prom. The children were dressed up so nicely, with dresses and button-up shirts, and I felt quite under-dressed for the occasion. But, even in all the dress clothes, we all played like normal together on the playground and on the basketball court, before Bible school began for the day.


  One of the little girls (one of my favorites) who was there, Francisca, was dressed up in a lace dress with a beautiful sash and a bow in her hair. It was probably the best dress she owned, as were the clothes many of the kids were wearing. I gave her a piggy back ride, and told her she looked like a princess! She smiled a huge toothy smile and covered her face with her hands, giggling and embarrassed. It was so cute! The children were all so beautiful and sweet!! I have realized the best possible way to start off any day is with a million smiles and hugs from children.


  We started the day all gathered in "el templo", the sanctuary of the church, which was a big, loud experience, since everybody from the Bible school, including the very little ones, were all together in one place. Somehow there seemed to be even more kids than had been there throughout the week. During morning gathering, the kids sang all the songs they had learned, some old and some new, and when we asked for them to sing"mas fuerte" (stronger), they took it quite literally. The sound of all the voices singing praises together was tremendous!


   We then broke off into our individual groups for the daily lesson, which was "Jesus is my best friend". There were many crafts to do because we had many as back-ups for the whole week, that we hadn't done yet. Because some classrooms were not yet cleaned-up after the painting, we had two groups do their lessons and crafts in the church sanctuary. The youngest group, age 3-5, were one of those groups, and I stayed to work with them. It was a very interesting and chaotic experience! There was no way to keep control because kids were everywhere, all over the pews and altar steps. But, like many times during this week, we all realized we have to let go of our need-to-control side and just go with the flow. So, I tried to explain what I could, and we did the best we could at communicating the crafts to the teachers and the kids that listened, and we began handing out crayons to color. The children made cross necklaces from popsicle sticks -though the boys used them more as airplanes:P- and masks of Jesus (or of something through which they saw God, like flowers). They were messy crafts, but they made for an interesting experience. "Mas pintas! Mas colores!" (More crayons, more colors!) were the common phrases.


  Afterwards, we corralled all one hundred or more kids and all the teachers upstairs, which Rosa and many of the other girls had decorated with colorful streamers and bows. There was a huge cake and everyone was very excited! We sang some more and the Reverend Milquella said a prayer, and we began passing out plates of cake. All the kids were so excited! And most cleaned their plates:)


  Then it was time to leave. The teachers lined up their classes and handed out the bags for the last day, green tote bags with the Episcopal Church shield on the front and filled with construction paper, crayons, chalk, and an autograph book. And when the kids were leaving, our team truly felt like rock stars, as all the kids wanted us to sign their books and bags. It was so sad for me to see them all go because the church grounds were so quiet after they left. We all gave many hugs and kisses and autographs, and it was over way too soon!


  Later, we ate lunch all together, including leftover cake for dessert. It was delicious. Some members of the team had finished up the last of the painting while Bible school had gone on, so we didn't have too much left to do after lunch. The cafeteria was finished up, with the final touch-ups on flowers and paintings of foods. The room had transformed from plain yellow and green before, to a beautiful cafeteria with many colors and pictures. Every team member had the chance to paint a flower, and every one of them was unique.  We have pictures of each of the flowers and foods that were painted! The school truly looks transformed with all the new and fresh paint! It is true that many hands working together, including those of the Dominican kids, make the job go much faster!


  This morning we all reflected on the moments that have impacted us most on this trip, and we realized the influence that this loving and accepting community has had on us all. We are all truly changed by this experience. We'll spend the next few days visiting with friends, relaxing, and traveling. Today we are going to the beach with the Reverend Milquella (pronouced Mil-kay-ah) and her friends and family.Tomorrow, we will go to our final church service and leave at noon to go to Santo Domingo to spend the next day and a half. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. God is truly in this place, with the people of this community, and our team.


  Sending lots of love,


  Rachel :)


P.S. Feel free to leave any comments on this post for the team. I promise I will share them with everyone! :)