my life songs

most of the foreignness of this country has worn off for me.  things that used to be strange are now normal.  everyone once in a while i’m surprised by something again.  like yesterday, i asked for a pepsi light at the colmado (or a diet pepsi as i suppose you would call it).  first the lady that owns the store looked at me like she didn’t even understand what i was saying, then she realized she didn’t have any of what i was asking for.  so i ended up with a diet coke.  as i was leaving she said, “i didn’t know that they sold that.”  it doesn’t surprise me at all that she didn’t have any diet pepsi, but didn’t even know there was such a thing!  she owns a store!  not every part of the first world has reached this place.

allow me to introduce you to something that quite the norm around these parts:  cachipa.

cachipa- ash that falls from the sky when the sugar cane fields are burning.  i remember the first time i walked outside to see this falling from the sky… let’s just say i was terrified.  now it’s normal, annoying still, but normal.  you wake up in the morning and black ash is covering everything.

here you can see the smoke.

i know the quality is not so great.  obviously these were taken from the car.  rachel and i didn’t want to go too slow as to inhale the smoke.  the cane fields the entire way out to the village are being burned.

rumor is that they might open up the sugar cane factory here in montellano again.  i’ve lived here for two years now, this would be the third harvest season, and i’ve never seen the can cut down.  word is that the prices of sugar have tripled, so companies are asking to harvest here in the north, but the government says NO.  so they are burning the cane in protest… or they could just be burning it because that’s the first step to harvesting.  the cane doesn’t actually burn down but all the foliage around it does, so then it’s easier to cut down.  who knows what’s really going on.  i’m just tired of cleaning black stuff off my porch, AND it came in my window and was all over my bed!  one thing though… if they do harvest this year it would be a blessing.  everyone gets really desperate around december.  people need jobs.

the Lord is a faithful provider.  that is one thing i have learned to be so true living here.  it’s looking like we are going to be able to pay full salaries to the women this month.  thank you to all of you who sold things, bought stuff, and gave offerings of love!

a few cosas i’ve gotten to do lately:

visit the capital, santo domingo, and colonial city.  i’ve lived in this country for over two years now and i finally made a trip to the capital.  it’s unlike anything else i have ever seen in the country.  the dominican republic is still considered a developing country for many reasons, but santo domingo is a fully developed metropolitan city.  rachel and i stayed in a small hotel in the colonial city.  all of the buildings there date back to colonizing of the DR.  we went into a museum and saw lots of cool artifacts.  the best part was seeing the first cathedral of the new world, built back in the 1500s.  we also ate dinner in a park right next to it at night.

can you believe this exist here?!?!

also, we went for a little hike, saw some caves in cabarete, and made sancocho.  i’m thinking of making this a regular activity.

i went to a little artisan fair in moca.  we got to see what some of the local artist of this country make… lots of recycled things, and some really beautiful stuff.  the best part about it was that i met this peace core volunteer that works in a community in the south where they cut and design larimar jewelry.  larimar is a stone here in the DR.  so i’m hoping i get to go visit this place on the south coast soon!

sometimes i feel like i am the luckiest person in the world, other times i feel like a factory worker… counting, counting, and counting some more… BEADS!

today i feel privileged.  i spent the morning baking cakes for the art co-op ladies.  we’re having a small surprise party for them this afternoon.  they all think we’re having a serious meeting, which we are, but we also wanted to give them a treat, real cake, out of a box!

the downside is that money is tight.  today we’ll be braking the news that after this payday the well is dry.  be praying that things will sell, and that God will once again prove that He is the ultimate provider.

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”  Luke 12:7

i was asked to be a part of a brochure for the Shine women’s conference at Shoreline.  back a few months ago ashley and i had a great time playing around with a pair of glasses taking pictures of me and the kids.  i didn’t know how it would turn out, but it looks GREAT!

you can check it out here:  http://www.shinewomen.com/see.html  take a look at the brochure too.

also, if you’re in austin you should definitely think about going to SHINE!

i’m sitting here counting down the minutes until rachel comes back.  i pick her up at the airport today at four.  i now have a month of working in the art co-op under my belt.  although, i’m sure that things will be much different working WITH rachel.

so, i’ve learned, it’s not rocket science.  the materials go out, the women turn work in, we package things, and try to find people to buy them.  it’s interesting to see how it works.  i get excited at the end of the day when i look at the pile of things the women have completed.  it gives a sense of accomplishment.  it’s concrete.  then, at the end of month all is tallied up and the women are paid according to the work they turn in.

that isn’t even the best part though.  each day i get to sit and talk with the women.  there are about 30 of them.  they don’t all come in to the art co-op ever day, but at some point or another i see their faces and speak with them.  i’ve tried to get to know them as best as i could this month, but sometimes i don’t even have to try, they just open up their lives to you.  i already love ALL of them.

the best part is getting to hear first hand how their jobs have changed their lives, how the quality of their lives have improved.  like tati, who told me that she is saving up to buy a refrigerator.  or, ALL of the women that were able to send their kids to school this month with their pay.  and ingris, that has worked with rachel since the beginning who says that she doesn’t know how she can ever thank rachel for what she has done for her, even the times that rachel has just been there to listen and give advice or encouragement.

sometimes the women complain, but it’s easy to remind them how things could be different, and then they’re happy again.  it’s fun too.  they all come in and start chatting… usually in creole and i don’t understand anything, although, i can tell when they aren’t happy about something.  but then, the other day i asked someone to translate for me, and janina told me that they were talking about how there is no reason to have fear in life when you have faith in God.

friday was my birthday and payday… in other words a big day.  yesterday (monday) i went in to clean some things up and make sure that everyone got their pay.  juana asked if she could speak with me privately… which usually is a sign that they need something, instead she had a gift for me.  she had made me earrings for my birthday!  i cried a bit.

pray.  pray for these relationships and these beautiful women.  pray for the long term.  that their kids would go to school, and graduate, and get jobs, and that the cycle of poverty would end.  pray for dignity.  and praise Jesus for His justice and grace and mercy.

this is elena making chula clips.  i take absolutely no credit for this picture.  i actually even stole it from rachel’s facebook.  it was taken by an amazing photographer that donated her time and photos to la tienda.  check out gigiphotograhpy.com

For me, in the beginning, starting a non-profit was just a means to an end.  I needed a way to raise support so I could continue my ministry here in the DR.  But of course, God always thinks (or knows) so much bigger than we do.  As of this week SPERO Ministries is officially open for business.

The main purpose of the non-profit is to raise funds, to raise funds and then use those funds to come alongside those with the most needs, to meet their needs.  God is already opening up the opportunities for service.

Here are some of the organizations and projects that are and will be supported by SPERO Ministries:

Helping Hands http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/ based in Hutto, TX

Projects with Helping Hands:

School Supply Drive

Coats for Kids

La Tienda http://latienda.moonfruit.com based in the Dominican Republic, La Tienda is the art co-op where I have started working.

Support a Missionary

Cara Jane Welch- (yeah that’s me!) by supporting me financially you will also be supporting La Tienda.  These funds go towards my living expenses in the DR.  It will keep me living here, so I can keep serving!

This is also something that I hope that God will continue to open doors for, that we would be able to support more missionaries here in the DR, and in other parts of the world.

Other Projects:

Sponsoring Rut Ester to go to private school in the DR- Cristina is a dear friend of mine here that I worked with for the past two years.  She works for Makarios and is the sole provider for her large family.  She struggles.  Spero Ministries is helping to support her so she can send her daughter, Rut to school.

Sponsoring Yoslena Betran for vocational training and to finish her public school education- Yoslena is a girl that I spent lots of time mentoring while working for Makarios.  I hope to continue to spend time with her and encourage her to do more with her life.  She is very behind in school, but trying to graduate.  We have started to discuss sending her to beauty school, which would be a great job opportunity for her.

The Board:

Mike Welch- my father, the man most responsible for the starting and running of SPERO.  My parents have done a great deal to support me.  I am in debt to them for what they have done to relieve the burden that I carry.

Ben Terry- pastor at Lifepoint Fellowship.  Ben has always been someone that I go to for spiritual advice.  He had a large part in encouraging me to move to the DR and start ministry here.

Camille Crocket- Camille is a dear friend of mine that is known for her patience.  She spent two years living and doing ministry in the DR.

If you are interested in supporting any of these projects please contact me.  carajanewelch@gmail.com I am trying to raise $1000/m for my living expenses.  I currently have $350 committed in monthly amounts.  Checks can now be made out to SPERO Ministries, 2002 Aster Way, Round Rock, TX, 78664. Please include a note indicating to where the money should be applied.

sometimes i get bored. and the only thing i have to entertain myself is my computer and the internet.  you can imagine my dismay if either of those things isn’t working.  i watch movies on my computer.  i talk to my family.  i read my favorite blogs.  i play solitaire.  i keep in touch with what is going on in every person’s life that i have ever met through facebook.  sometimes i get really bored.  like tonight, since all of my roommates are in santiago and for some reason orange (my dominican phone service) hates me and i missed jessi calling.  i’ve watched gladiator, thanks to the new movies kendall brought, and i’ve done all of the other things on the above list that i use my computer for entertaining myself.

so then, i start searching for things on google.  ANYTHING that i might be interested in.  tonight i googled Jesus.  i was curious about what google had to say about Jesus.  i’ll tell you what the first five links were.  i also have to say that i was disappointed but not surprised that the first link was not the Bible.  i do believe however, that these links say something about our world today.

1.  wikipedia- this says, we want simple, basic facts. wikipedia is the world of information without having to dig too deep.

2.  Jesus dress up! NOW IT’S TIME FOR JESUS DRESS UP! Dress up Jesus by dragging the items to him with your mouse. They’ll snap right into place! It’s fun, fashion and it’s…- WHAT!?!?! what is this?  this is disturbing.

3.  How to know God personally through Jesus Christ right now…- i don’t know anything about who sponsors this site, but we’re a little bit closer to the right track. right?

4.  video results for Jesus- some carrie underwood video on youtube. this says, we care a lot about stars and the entertainment industry, probably more than we care about Jesus.

5.  news results for Jesus- some thing that is actually about madonna and not about Jesus.  only further reiterating my previous statement.  it also makes me sad that the news has nothing to do with what Jesus is doing in all parts of the world and the martyrs that are made everyday. nope. just madonna.

all this really leads me to believe is that we are all searching for Jesus.  when we seek knowledge, we are really just looking for Jesus.  when we waste our time playing stupid games on the internet, we are really just trying to keep our brains moving… because we are made to think… and thinking leads to Jesus.  we are really just looking for Jesus when we create things that will patch up the mess we have made of our lives.  we have an addiction to media and news because it’s in our nature to discover, to want to be informed, to care about the world… these are all things that point to Jesus.  the truth is, that when you find Him, you realize that all roads don’t lead to rome.  you really can’t be on the wrong path.  when one finds, drugs, and sex, and food, a other material things to be empty, that path has lead them to Christ… the only answer.  we do find Him. He is always there, at the end of every empty path.  it’s just that sometimes we refuse to see Him.  and THAT is what faith is.  believing that He is there at the end of emptiness.

sometimes i wonder if anyone really finds these little anecdotes interesting.  for now i’ll just keep writing.

it’s pouring down rain outside and has been for the past two hours.  i’m going to curl up and watch some movies soon.  it’s a nice break from the heat.

i went out to the village this afternoon even though the storm clouds were collecting.  i should have asked a dominican if it would rain.  they somehow have a more accurate radar built in their genes than whatever kind professional weather people use.  i went out to the art co-op this afternoon with the intent of tidying up a bit.  all of the women helped out too.  it’s amazing sometimes how i don’t even have to ask them to do things, they just do it.

as soon as i got out there is started pouring down rain.  in order to get the the village you have to cross a river.  the river gets kinda high every time it rains… so i was a bit worried, but i wanted to at least finish what i was doing.  the rain kept coming down, and i was scared to drive.  i just kept saying to the ladies… i hope the river doesn’t get to high.

juana, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite ladies… if i’m aloud, said that if i got stuck in the village that she would let me stay at her house and give me a bed all to myself.  how kind of her!  i’m already starting to feel like the women would do anything for me… within their power.

i didn’t get stuck out there. the river was fine, although the road was really bad.  thank God for 4 wheel drive.  along the way home i came upon two men pushing their truck.  i offered them my services.  so negrita and i gave them a little push.  they were able to get the truck started!

so that’s a day in the life of cara.

still waiting on the eye to get better. pray it does.

Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears
Without crying;
Now I want to understand.
I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good
Without hiding;
You must help me if you can . . .

Doctor, my eyes—
Tell me what is wrong!
Was I unwise
To leave them open for so long?

‘Cause I have wandered through this world
And, as each moment has unfurled,
I’ve been waiting
To awaken from these dreams.
People go just where they will;
I never noticed them until
I got this feeling
That it’s later than it seems . . .

Doctor, my eyes—
Tell me what you see.
I hear their cries . . .
Just say if it’s too late for me.

Doctor, my eyes
Cannot see the sky—
Is this the price for having learned how not to cry?

these are just some random thoughts for the day…

1.  yall know that song by jackson brown, “doctor my eyes?”  it’s a good one.  my dad has always been a musician and amazing song writer… now he mostly writes christian music.  growing up my parents taught me a lot about music.  when i was younger my dad played in a band.  they played some original stuff  and some cover songs.  sometimes i would confuse which songs were written by my dad and which songs he just covered.  “hit the road jack” and “doctor my eyes” were two songs that i used to think my dad wrote, until one day when i was older i heard “hit the road jack” on the radio and for a half second thought, ‘my dad’s song?! on the radio?!’ and then i realized how funny it was that i thought he wrote it.

2.  speaking of doctor my eyes… the pink eye is persisting.  i’ve never had it this bad before.  my eye is swollen and huge.  i’ve been sick a few times here in the DR, and they have ALL been the worst illnesses of my life.  this is the WORST pink eye.

3.  why does mandy moore have to sing in all of her movies?  i find her to be a much better actress than singer.  it just ruins it for me when she starts singing… especially if i’m kind of enjoying a movie that she’s in.

4. lubi (robin) made it back home on sunday.  i call her lubi because that’s how the haitians say her name.  when she first moved down here she would introduce herself as rubi because robin is typically a man’s name.  people didn’t quite understand why she would call herself a man’s name,  so she went by rubi.  and then, because haitians, speaking creole, don’t really pronounce the spanish ‘r’ so well, they say it like an ‘l.’  thus, lubi.

i’m so happy she’s here.  i’ve told her that several times.  it was quite difficult being here by myself without any english speakers.  i’m sure i’ve kind of annoyed her.  i’ve just fallowed her around the house talking.   i was also really hoping that when she came home i could get back to sleeping better… but this pink eye… wheeew… killin’ me.  so still no sleep.

5.  yesterday we went to the grocery store and i bought everything for chips and salsa. growing up my mom always made homemade salsa.  my friend jessica and i would come home after school or church and eat half a bag of chips… mostly because the salsa was so good.  it’s one of the things i miss being here… mama barb’s salsa.  so i attempt to make my own version.  it makes me happy.  i also indulged a little a bought some frozen french fries.  we have a small fridge, so i usually just buy a few things, mostly fresh stuff for cooking.  every once in a while i’ll buy something to pacify my cravings.  so yesterday it was chips and salsa, and french fries.  once i cooked the fries i realized that i didn’t have any ketchup… small fridge.  you can’t eat fries without ketchup!  so i dumped some of the salsa on top of it.  i was so stuff by the time i went to bed.  i can’t remember  the last time i was able to go to the grocery store and buy everything i wanted.  life is just different here.

6.  another way that life is different here in the DR is convenience.  most things that are simple in the states, going to the grocery store, washing clothes, paying your bills, changing your oil, are all things that are quite INconvenient here in the DR. occasionally you find that something is actually simple to do and you are SO surprised…. like… that was so easy!  i went to get the oil changed the other day in negrita.  for starters, you can’t do that here in montellano where i live.  so i drove to puerto plata, not so bad, but also not convenient.  finding the place and actually getting the oil changed was surprisingly simple!  but then they also told me that i needed an air filter… lots of “tierra.”  i said, “great! give me one of those too.”  they didn’t have any, nor could they tell me where to find one, inconvenient.  for now negrita will have to run with a little “tierra” in her filter.

7.  a cute story.  rachel (hopefully you know who i’m talking about by now when i say rachel) is back in canada for month.  she has a couple of kids that she has taken in and now has custody of, although they can’t travel back to canada yet, so they stay here with the family of the haitian pastor while she is gone.  their family lives close to my house, and they go out to village most days, so i’ve seen them a lot in the past few weeks.  rosairi, 13, has spent some time hanging out with me.  yesterday we were riding back to montellano from the village (it’s a long dirt road through the middle of a sugar cane field) and she started asking me some questions… as 13 year olds do.  i will do my best to translate.

rosairi:  is it cold in the airplane?

me: yes.

rosairi: why?

me: well, they have air conditioning.  and also, the air is much colder the higher you go up.  like at the top of a mountain, you know?  you’ve seen pictures of mountains before, right?  there is always snow at the top.  the same thing happens here, when you go to the mountains in jarabacoa it cooler there.  it’s because the air gets cooler the higher you go up.  (me thinking… i’m not going to try to explain the atmosphere in my second language or to a child that has been educated in the dominican republic.)

rosairi:  do you see the clouds in the plane?

me:  yes.

rosairi:  do you see the snow?

me: well, not exactly.

rosairi:  do you see Jesus up the in the sky?

me:  hmmm.  (side note here, the word in spanish for heaven and sky is the same.)  no, you can’t see Jesus in the sky from the airplane.  it’s a spiritual thing.  Jesus is real, and He is in heaven, and He can live inside of us, but you can’t see him.  it’s like your soul.  you know what that is right?

rosairi:  yes.

me:  you know you have one and it’s inside of you, but you can’t see it.  like the wind, you can feel it, and you know it’s there, but you can’t see it.

rosairi:  some people say God doesn’t exist.

me: but you know He does right?  how do you know?

rosairi:  i’ve read the bible. and i’ve heard people talk about it.

me:  that’s what faith is.  believing in something even though you can’t see it.

the conversation kind of went on from there… but isn’t that just too cute?  “can you see Jesus from the airplane?”  sometimes i wonder who left me in charge, and i think how do you answer questions like that?  maybe you know.