Petra Update

I have had a few people ask me for updates about Petra. 

We I first got her, she was so small.  She is still small, but she has been growing.  Her little legs are getting longer, yet her body size hasn't changed much in the nearly 3 weeks that she has been living with me. 

Since she was a street dog, I am trying to keep her away from all human food and get her accustomed to dog food.  At first, she ate it but I don't think she liked it very much (since she wouldn't eat very  much).  Now, she eats well.  I am hoping she will gain a little weight since she is so skinny. 

Housebreaking...  Petra has actually been doing well with housebreaking.  When I am home, I leave the back door open and she is able to go out whenever she wants- and she does.  She very rarely has an accident in the house when I am home.  When I am not home, she is left in the laundry room, but there are not usually any problems there either.  She has also made it overnight with no accidents for the past 2 nights, although she usually wakes me up at least one time in the middle of the night. 

I have also discovered that she is a little thief.  She likes to steal- shoes, clothes, rugs, books, whatever she can find!  She also loves to chew and will chew on whatever she steals! 

I took a video of her playing with one of her toys.  Click here to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYssWBhMqfk

The newest addition to my family...

Meet Petra! 

She is an adorable little puppy that has found her way into my life.  Petra was a puppy of a street dog, living on the street. My roommate Katie and I were talk about how we have been seeing a couple of street puppies on our way to work in the morning, so we decided to go see where they were living.  When we found Petra, she was sitting in a garbage pile, trying to find something to eat.  She is young, probably born during the first week of August (according to the vet), with scars on her head from some cuts she got a while back.  We brought her home, cleaned her up, took her to the vet to get her first vaccine and de-worming, and gave her a new life.  At first she was scared and tried to leave, but once she realized she was in a safe place, she became comfortable and now is happily living as a house dog.  My roommates and I marveled at the similarities we saw between Petra’s life and our lives.  Before becoming Christians, we lived out in the world, filling up our lives with garbage and thinking we are happy.  Then Someone (Jesus) came along and rescued us from our life, cleaned us up, and took us to be with Him.  Sometimes, we try to get away and go back to our old life, but once we realize that we are safe and in a good place, we can take joy that we were rescued and life a truly happy life!

WyldLife- the beginning of something BIG!

I want to tell you a little about a new ministry that I have just recently joined to impact the lives of children here in Jarabacoa. 

Young Life is a ministry that was founded in Texas as an outreach program to reach the kids who do not go to church and/or have no desire to go to church. The idea was to reach the kids where they were and get them to know Jesus. Adult leaders develop relationships with teenagers, get to know them and about them, have conversations with them, and really come to love them as a person created in the image of God. The teens are invited to go to a Club meeting, which is a youth group meeting held at someone’s house. The club time consists of songs, games, skits, and activities that allow them to have fun, laugh, and enjoy themselves. There is also a brief talk about Jesus, lasting for 10-15 minutes. Besides club meetings, the adult leaders are able to mentor and disciple some teens who truly have a desire to go deeper with their relationship with Christ.

Young Life works with high school students and has a division called Wyld Life that works with middle school students. This is the new ministry that I have signed up with.

I will be working with a small team of adults to reach into the lives of the middle school students in Jarabacoa. I am super excited about this ministry and the opportunities that God is going to give me to impact these kids for the Kingdom!

Now, if you are excited about this ministry like I am, you may be wondering how you can help.  Well, there are a few ways that God can use you to help with this ministry.
One way you can help is through your prayers. Pray for the middle school students who will be coming to the meetings. Pray for those who are not sure if they should go. Pray for the parents and for their permission to let their children attend. Pray for our leadership team (Tim, Laura, Rachel, Jessica, Natalie, and I) as we prepare all the activities and events for Club meetings and for our contact with the kids outside of the meeting times. Pray against the spiritual warfare that will try to combat the Work that God is doing here with middle schoolers.

Another way you can help is through donations of items that we need for club meetings. Each club meeting (every other Tuesday), will have a different theme. We need items that can go with these themes to help bring the students in and allow them to enjoy themselves while learning about Jesus.

The themes for this first half of the year are:

• Beach Party
• Banana Night
• Movie Night
• 70s Night/ Tie Dye
• Outer Space Night
• Christmas Party

We need items to go with the various themes, including silly hats and costumes, facepaint, and anything else that can be used to create the theme. There are a few items I know for sure that we need:

• Beach Party- Beach balls, leis (enough for 50 kids plus adults), beach accessories, grass skirts
• 70s Night/ Tie Dye- Tie dye materials (actual dye), White t-shirts for middle school students (adult sizes- all sizes, must be new and still in packaging or still have tags on), 70s hairdo wig, disco ball
• Outer Space Night- Facepaint (especially green), Alien costumes- facemasks, hats, gloves, etc.
• Christmas Club- Any type of Christmas items, decorations, candy, etc.

In addition, each week there will be a raffle as door prizes for students. Any donations of small/ medium items that can be used as door prizes are also greatly appreciated, especially if they are related to the theme of the Club.

All donation items can be sent to the following address:

Jyll Schenault
Doulos Discovery School
Unit 3017 - DDSDR
3170 Airmans Drive
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946

I would ask that you could please include $3.00 per pound for shipping from Florida to the Dominican Republic.

I want to thank you in advance for your help with this new and exciting ministry opportunity that God has brought my way. It is such a blessing to be used by God in new ways to reach his children and bring them into a relationship with Jesus.

Hurricane Earl

Hurricane Earl was a Category 3 storm when he pounded Puerto Rico and was heading toward our island.  God protected us by turning the hurricane away, leaving us with some thick clouds and some light-moderate rainfall. 

Of course, this was the closest I have ever been to a hurricane- and I was excited.  Strange, I know... but if you know me, then you understand what I am saying.  I have always loved studying weather.  When I was younger, I had a desire to study meteorology and specialize in hurricane studies.  However, that education path was not possible for me (and God had other plans). 

Growing up in Ohio, I did not get to experience a hurricane, so I have been paying close attention to the tropics during this hurricane season, since I am now living there.  So far it has been an active tropical season, but nothing has headed this way. 

Quick update- Work and Home

School has been in session now for 3 weeks.  Things are going well.  My schedule still has not been set- so I continue to jump from class to class, trying to work with a variety of kids in preschool, 1st grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and 8th grade.  I am also working at the school across the street, helping them get their special ed program started.  I have also been evaluating students again.  As you can see, my "not so set" schedule is pretty busy.

The house is doing well.  We have not had any recent ant attacks.  The bait powder seems to have worked.  We (my roommates and I) are starting to get settled in and the house is starting to feel like home. 

I would love for you to leave me a message or send me an email letting me know how things are going in your area of the world.