Walker 5 News
| | | | Wally hates school! But he Loves Ned! He got kicked out of school! He lost his shoes so he couldn't go! Wally Loves Ned and the ipad! So what do you use to motivate Wally in school? You use what he likes, Ned and the ipad mini.
Schools here are not much fun. The teachers write the lessons on the board and the students copy them in their notebook.
Then they have this huge exam to see if they learned everything or not. This is literally the way students here are expected to learn. We have encountered 17 year old young men who cry because they don't want to go to school. There is so much pressure to do well in school and get an education. This is especially true for those in the poorest areas of the city.
We have started volunteering 2 days a week at a children's center where students age 3 to 14 receive help with their homework, are taught the Bible and are fed. This is where we met Wally.
Wally is a sweet little 7 year old who loves to smile and play but really doesn't like school at all. From day one, he was attracted to Ned and the games on Ned's ipad mini. So much so that he wanted to play and not go to class and work on his homework. Most days, Wally comes to the center both morning and afternoon instead of going to school because he had been kicked out of school and then he "lost" his shoes so he couldn't go to school. Ned made a deal with Wally that if he did his class work then he could play on the ipad. WELL, not only has Wally been doing his work at the center but this week he also made it all week at school.
Sometimes you just need the right motivation from the right person! Wally is also thriving at learning English as he and Ned chat. | | | Fatherly Love and Hugs. Fun pictures taken with your Dad.
Just playing and laughing and wrestling and joking with your Dad. You know that guy who will always be there with you and for you. He may be stern at times and you may disagree with each other but he loves you.
Fatherly love and influence is missing in the lives of so many of the children here in the Dominican Republic. So many here don't know their dad or their dad is not a good influence at all. Ned's often quiet presence helps to change that.
These boys are 11 and 12 and don't know how to read. One day when Debbie was teaching English to their class and passed out a paper with short conversations in English and Spanish on it, the other kids made sure that we knew that these guys couldn't read. So Debbie quickly sent them with the papers out to Ned to give them some small group time and to help them not be embarrassed in class. At the end of their time, which consisted of a lot of laughing and not much English learning, they asked if Hannah would take a picture of them with Ned.
On this day, they got a small glimpse of the love of a really cool Dad. They got a cool glimpse into how much God loves us like a Dad.
| | | | |  | Samantha's thoughts: Adventure. It sounds exciting and full of craziness, but that's not all. When you read the stories one thing goes right into the next and adventurers never seem to stop. That isn't how real life adventures work. There are lots of moments when you're sitting around wondering when the next thing is going to happen. Then one day, out of the blue, something exciting happens and you find yourself in a classroom with an overwhelming amount of potential. Twenty-three 6th graders who love to talk, hove lots of energy and are all very different. But the things they all equally have....
Imagination. Potential. Leadership.
My life is an adventure. Some days I don't fell like anything is happening, but then I find myself talking selfies with the quietest of all the 6th graders. It's those little moments that make the sitting and waiting all worth it. It's knowing that in 3 days you may not have impacted all of them, but you hope they really understood that they are better than what others have said about them. So tonight as I sit and wait for my next adventure I hope those crazy wild 6th graders grow up to the world changers they can be.
So live the adventure don't just watch it! #adventureaddict #livetheadventure #faithfuljane
| | | |  | Brother and Sister These two! Hannah finally has given up trying to be taller than Jesse.
You will often see them walking the almost 2 miles to their friend's house. It is a local ministry called Casa Grande and once there you will find them welding, building, playing airsoft, swimming or who knows what.
They both understand quite a bit of Spanish and speak it when needed but usually only when needed.
The boys at the center love to fist bump or arm-wrestle with Jesse and all are amazed that he is only 14 because he is big. Hannah is always keeping us laughing with her witty humor and the little girls love her hugs and smiles and touching her hair.
What a blessing they are.
| | | Debbie teaching the 3 to 5 year olds how to count in English and Spanish. | | | | | | | | |
What are the Walkers doing right now?
We are moving!!
The last week of August, our family will be moving long-term to Santiago, Dominican Republic. We will be working with YWAM Santiago and the Martin Family! We are super excited about this transition. But also praying for wisdom as we figure out visa's, residency, what to do with our things, etc...
As always, we are praying that the Lord will use us wherever we are!
Lord, help us not to miss the things you have prepared for us to do!
No comments:
Post a Comment