Prayer Requests

ISSUE

O c tober & Novem ber

2010

That God continues to move in the relationships that are being formed. My health and the health of my students and fellow professors. Positive family influ ences of the students and even the shoe shiners not in the school.

AN INSIDE LOOK ON W HAT GOD IS DOING IN JARABACOA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

Domincan focus
Since October ?

Its Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It has been so neat to see everyone get into the Christmas Spirit. Every year right around October both the rich and poor go all out decorating their homes and getting into the Christmas Spirit. I must say that I have seen some pretty extravagant decorating here and one of those homes happens to be pictured here. This photo was taken in a rich neighborhood in Jarabacoa, but even when you go into the campo, you see some pretty amazing lights, trees, and decorations. Whod a thought you could put Christmas lights on a palm tree. :)

Feliz Navidad

Lights, Camera, Action!!!

A MOVIE IN THE MAKING

For the first 2 weeks of November, we had a small team from Finland (Mirian, Paulina, and Pekka) come and do some great things for the ministry here. Their original purpose for coming was to make a film to promote support for our school. However, they went above and beyond. For the film, they selected one of our students (Jefry Lpez) and more or less, did a documentary of his life. They would follow him through out the week to Wilfred, Joel, Gregory & Jefry trying out their see where he worked, meet his family and get to know his weapons to combat evil. home life, and even see where he went to school. This film was done in Spanish, Finish, and English so that people can know what God is doing here in Jarabacoa with these amazing boys. Paulina also led a Drama class for our younger students and helped around in the classroom, and Pekka got our computer lab all networked together and connected to the internet so the boys can start computer classes and Rosetta Stone in English and French. We developed some great relationships with these amazing Servants for Christ. We are very appreciative for all that they have done and the impact that they have left here. Thanks guys, you will definitely always be remembered by our students Saying goodbye and praying for our and staff and we hope that God crosses our paths sometime again in the future. God Bless. friends Paulina and Pekka.

Discipline & Character Development

Our curriculum has a very strict discipline procedure with very specific rules and guidelines. This is especially good for our classroom and with the boys that we work with in particular in order to develop their character as young men. We were having a problem however, where one of the consequences for breaking a rule, a mark, was not very effective in our classroom. So one week, our Director told the professors that for any rule that is broken that we need to give detentions (which is a consequence that has more weight). That week was a very rough week. I have never made so many boys cry various times in one week. One of my students, I ended up giving him like 10 detentions. That week he felt like I was his enemy. That boy went to his parents and one morning, the father decided he would like to talk to me. I explained to him the situation with regards to the rules, and the change that the director had made for the week and the reasons for the change. The boy had told his father that he was the only one getting detentions, which was not true. I explained to the father that every detention that he had earned by breaking one of the school rules. This happens to be the same family that I discussed earlier in the previous newsletter, and this boy happens to have two other brothers that go to our school as well. The boy that I had given the detentions to happened to be the favorite in the family who the father explained to me that they speak to him lightly. The two other brothers, they tend to discipline more harshly. When he told me that, and I realized the difference in discipline or lack thereof in the home, I realized the need of healthy discipline in the lives of these boys in order to develop a healthy character. Also, I realized a need for parents to be educated in a healthy way to discipline their children. We finished off the week, and I must say I was very upset because I could tell that the boy that I had given the detentions to was very upset with me. I sat him down on the last day of the week and had a talk with him and explained to him the reason for his detentions, and the responsibility that he has for his education. The beginning of the next week, I couldnt believe the change in him. The first day of class that entire week, I could not believe how well he followed the rules. He acted as if I was his best friend, and he even came and found my house one morning before school. Another thing I couldnt believe was something that he said that week and that was, Profesor Ralstin, disculpa por lo que hice ahorita (Professor Ralstin, Im sorry for how I have been acting). I am beginning to see how much of a need these boys have for healthy discipline, and in reality though it is not an enjoyable part of this position, it is necessary in order to develop the overall well-being of the character of these children, and in the end, it seems like they recognize that it is important as well.

H IGHLIGHTS
B OUGHT

v OTORCYCLE M O CTOBER 5, 2010

Saturday Outing to the

River O CTOBER 16,2010

Baseball Game w/ Pastor

Popin N OVEMBER 10,2010

First Parent-Teacher
Conference N OVEMBER 12,2010

Trip up the Mountain w/

YanKaury N OVEMBER 18,2010

Baked a Cake w/

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-2

Jonathan N OVEMBER 20,2010

Dominican Thanksgiving

LEADERSHIP
Recently, we have been intentional in trying to teach and give our students good leadership skills through various team building activities. This activity is working on communication where the boys had to effectively communicate to get their partner across a mine field successfully. These skills will make our student effective in their community.

Dinner w/ Friends N OVEMBER 26,2010

Contact Information
Cell: 809.430.7892

TEXT

Email: jim.ralstin@gmail.com Please Send Donations to:

College Park Missionary Church 2014 Liberty Drive Mishawaka, IN 46545 Attn: Danny Hunter

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