Tuesday 22 March 2011

Santo Domingo

 I am moving in 10 days!!!!I am settled here now, I´ve got my life in a nice routine and I know people. The idea of movng and starting all over again is daunting. On the other hand I am excited about finally moving on and I am eager to get to work! I am eager but also fairly nervous. I know nothing about disabled kids and the work with teenagers and Laura Flores is hugely important and therefor terrifying. I know it is God who will achieve stuff not me but even so the work is so great and I am so little and insignificant.

     Laura Flores is a pretty foul place (in every sense of the word.) Caroline is a 14 year old girl who got pregnant and then her baby was killed. I heard that story in England and it helped me decide to come and work here. Well now she has a "boyfriend" and he drugs her and makes her prostitute herself. On Sunday it was her family we went to visit. Jill had found out the mum can report (doesn´t have to be the girl) him to the police. Sadly we came too late. The bfriend has taken Caroline away to Quito where she´ll permanently work as a prostitute now. Everyone here seems to feel she is "lost forever" . She´ll probably end up murdered. It´s so awful! Teenagers think they´re adults but she´s still a kid. The horrible thing is Jill says this story is not a rare tragedy. She isn´t "called" to work with teenagers (lucky her) but se feels the girls are hugely in danger. They all get pregnant at 14 even the "good" ones. Jill is madly keen on my starting up a version of GIGGLE here to connect and help the girls. One group for kids in church and one group in GIGGLE. Must be some serious beadwork that will keep girls away from sex!!!!

   Nothing is set in stone obviously but the idea for work so far is, I´ll do Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri mornings helping at the school. Wednesday morning I´ll do English session and bible stories at the PEPE playgroup in Laura Flores. Tuesday afternnon will be prayer group for womens ministry. Free time might be working in an orphanage for children orphaned by AIDS and perhaps a clinic for the terminally ill. Plus some stuff for the abused womens work.

     The living arrangments are pretty good. One big building. The school is downstairs and upstairs are 2 flats. Jill and Katy live in 1 and the pastor and family (and me!) live in the other. Couldn´t be much closer to the school could I? Plus I have Jills apartment on tap for decent tea and English dvds whenever I want not to mention support etc. I´m pretty pleased to be honest. I haven´t seen much of them so I can´t declae them lifelong friends but pastor William and his family seem nice. It´s him, his wife Jenny and their 2 children. 14 Year old daughter and a 12/13 year old son called Israel.

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