Playa Fronton

I've decided to give you a picture tour of our time at Playa Fronton with 18 sixth graders for their coral reef expedition. We started early Monday morning and drove for 5 hours to the Samana peninsula. Things were a little packed on the bus and students were FULL of energy! When we arrived, we were dropped off on the side of a dirt road literally in the middle of nowhere. The beach we would be staying at was not reachable by car so we had to hike for two hours to get there! When we finally arrived, it was amazing to see the faces of several of the students - some had never seen the ocean before. One girl, Noemi, stood with her mouth open in amazement for at least 2 minutes. A whole wave emotion flowed through me during that time as I enjoyed their reactions as much as they enjoyed their first view of God's marvelous creation.

Hiking in

Noemi (front) & Eliezer (back)

When we arrived at the beach which would be our home for the week, it didn't take much time for the kids to get in the water, clothes and all.

Students enjoying the ocean (some for the first time!)

Eventually, we had to round all the kids up to set up our campsite. We had 5 tents that needed to be set up along with our very own (and my first ever) BIFF - Bathroom In Forest Floor. The first day passed by quickly after setting up camp, dinner, and the requisite campfire.

Our tents

There was always endless amounts of sand in our tents - very uncomfortable to sleep on!

Our first day began with a review session - "obstacle course" style.  Basically students had to make their way through an obstacle course and answer different questions along the way.  If they answered incorrectly, the teacher asking the question got to make them do any embarrassing thing they wanted.  It was a lot of fun for both students and teachers!

Priscylla doing the limbo on the way to Station 1.

Frailyn doing sand stars after answering a question incorrectly.  He always has a smile on his face.



Geremias climbing a tree for the last challenge!

The rest of the day was spent waiting for our experts from the non-profit, Reef Check DR.  We passed the time un-knotting the human knot and even had French class.

Satisfaction - human knot just about cracked!

Joe finding a moment of solitude - always needed when
 surrounded by 11 and 12 year old kids for a week

Our experts finally arrived late afternoon on Tuesday and gave a class on coral reefs.  This included review for the students as well as some new information.

Ruben (from Reef Check) talking with students and teachers.

The next day was what all of the students were looking forward to most - snorkeling!  Before we could get into the water though, the kids had some work to do.  One way marine biologists around the world are helping coral reefs is through coral nurseries.  Ruben informed the kids that they would be helping out by making coral "cookies".  The step by step process (with pictures) is below.

Step 1 - Mix the cement.

Step 2 - Cut out the mesh centers.

Step 3 - Create coral "cookies".

Step 4 - Let them dry.

Step 5 - Pop them out.

Final product - Coral cookie with attached (in this case, dead) coral.

These coral cookies would be used to attach live coral which would then be transplanted to a coral nursery.  In these coral nurseries, marine biologists are trying to re-grow coral and increase genetic diversity of the different coral species - pretty cool stuff!

After making our first batch of cookies, we gave snorkeling lessons and then the students were let loose into the water to actually see the coral reefs that they had been learning about!

6th graders out in the water having a great time!

Adriana being silly!

That night before bed we had one last activity - Plankton fishing!  Using our makeshift nets of pantyhose and strainers, student went plankton catching and used flashlights to see these tiny organisms that are the main food source for corals. 

Joe checking out plankton with Isabela.

Following the very full day we had, everyone was exhausted, so after gathering around the campfire for smores and songs, we went to bed anticipating the next day of adventures.  Day 4 went by very fast.  We made more cookies, snorkeled some more, and students collected loads of data on water quality, beach width and slope.  It was hard to believe that the next day we would already be heading back home.

Taking water quality measurements.

Our snorkeling group pick - can you spot Joe?

Our last day began the same way as every other day - with our daily devotions with students.  That morning; however, we awoke early and did a sunrise devotional time.  Our devotions topics throughout the week all had the theme of water and so we ended on Friday with a more symbolic action with water - Jesus washing His disciple's feet.  It was quite breathtaking sitting on the beach with my kids, talking about God and seeing his beautiful sunrise.  When the sun did make it's first appearance on the horizon we all stopped and soaked it in for some time.  We culminated the trip with washing our own student's feet and gave them the opportunity to do the same for each other. 

Our breathtaking sunrise.

Washing one another's feet

Prayer before leaving Playa Fronton

Boat ride (perhaps the most fun part of the trip for me) back to civilization - the waves
were still quite large from a storm that was raging near the Bahamas

We ended the trip by picking up trash and taking boats (instead of hiking) to the town where our bus was waiting to take us back home.  The bus ride home was much quieter than the one to the beach.  Kids slept or recapped the week.  Joe and I were incredibly exhausted - ready for a shower and a real toilet.  As I look back at our week in Playa Fronton I don't really think about everything the students learned about coral reefs - which was a lot.  Instead I think about the relationships that were formed or strengthened.  Of course I would not like to spend every week in seclusion with 18 sixth graders, but it was the most unifying experience I have ever had with students.  I know that Joe and I made the right decision in answering God's calling for us  in the Dominican Republic.  This blog cannot tell you half of what we experience here and I wish you all could live it with us!

I hope all of your lives are as fulfilling as ours are - that you have found purpose in all that you do, which can only come from God.  As always we enjoy hearing from you and are thinking and praying for you all.

Soli Deo Gloria

MORE Adventures / An update

(Christen writing) We hope this post finds you all doing well.  It seems that it has been way too long since our last “real” update on what has been going on in our lives so here is the run-down.

October came and went at an incredible speed.  We had report cards, which is always a crazy and confusing time that causes lack of sleep.  After all of the report cards were passed out, Joe surprised me with a night away in Cabarete – a beach town about 3 hours away – for some much needed R&R.  We returned home feeling rejuvenated and ready for the next quarter of school to begin.

Relaxing for a night at the beach

Cabarete (and basically all of the beaches here) is beautiful!

Joe has spent a lot of his spare time making furniture for our house.  The newest addition is an awesome “island” for our kitchen.  We do not have much storage or counter space so that has really helped out, especially for me who loves to cook and be in the kitchen J   He also painted an accent wall in the kitchen and our house is feeling more like a home with each completed project.  Not having a TV has been great too (in my opinion – Joe is missing his college football)!  It leaves a whole lot of extra time for Joe and I to be a couple – walk the dog together, cook together, work out together (using Joe’s TRX trainer that he got when he went to Afghanistan), play games together, etc.  Part of me dreads ever going back to the United States where there seems to be so many distractions!

Part of moving to a foreign country and living without many of the luxuries we are blessed with in the United States means that we must be a little more creative about having fun.  We have been introduced to a vast variety of “fun” here.  This is generally played out in theme parties.  Some of the other missionaries here, Harley and Abby McAllister, had a Star Wars Party for their three young boys.  They each were able to invite one friend and their teachers (I am their oldest son, Kaden’s 6^th grade teacher).  Joe and I showed up to the party with our makeshift costumes as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.  The party was a blast!  They had various games prepared – a race to build several Lego guys based on drawings, Piñata – Jabba the Hut style, and my personal favorite – light saber fight!  We even had a guest appearance from Yoda (our friend’s Tim and Whit’s 3 day old little girl). 

Lego-man building competition



Jabba the Piñata



Light saber fight - Obi Wan Kenobi vs. Jango Fett



Catwoman even made it to the Star Wars party (I think there was some confusion amongst the Dominicans)




Princess Leia with Yoda

Some highlights from October in the classroom include a debate in my 9^th grade health class on the topic of sleep.  After finishing a unit on the importance of sleep and the benefits it has for health, students had to defend whether or not it is “healthy” for teenagers to start school at 7 am (which is when school starts for our high school students).  The debate went amazing and our stellar judge panel (which Joe had kindly agreed to be a part of) ended up choosing the group who defended an early start to school.  After they finished and the judges had made their remarks, I felt like a proud parent looking on at all of my students – they really did a great job especially defending their group’s POV in their second language!

Another important and encouraging part of October was the huge transformation God did in my 6^th grade class.  If any of you recall, I spent many sleepless nights worrying about this class and their bad behavior in the classroom.  Being their “guide” teacher, I felt especially responsible for them and that their behavior reflected my ability as a teacher.  Through TONS of prayer, a devoted middle school staff, and help from parents, this 6^th grade class is unrecognizable.  They are quiet, respectful, come to class prepared, and are starting to (not completely, but it’s a work in progress) take responsibility for their actions.  Of course there are always things to work on, but these kids have become “my kids” and I am shocked at how much I love them.   

The end of October brought the beginning of Expeditions here at Doulos.   For those who are reading with quizzical looks right now, allow me to explain.  Doulos is an Expeditionary Learning school which means we get kids out of the classroom and out of the box in order to provide them with experiences for learning.  This semester 6^th grade’s science Expedition is discovering coral reefs – what they are, why they are dying around the world, why they are important to humans, and what we can do to help them.  Planning for this Expedition was overwhelming!  I really didn’t know much about coral reefs before coming here and now I was supposed to be an expert on it!  I studied up though and spent two weeks preparing my students for what would be some of their very first trips to the ocean.  Joe and I will include a separate post in a few days telling you all about our magical time at the secluded Playa Fronton. 

Finally, I want to say a special congratulations to (brother) Nick Rauschnot and Nicole Morrison on their engagement! 

We love hearing from you, so please keep the emails coming! 

Blessings and Soli Deo Gloria (SDG).