Another blog that I do

I contribute to a microfinance blog called Mykro.org. Check out my latest post.

My Schedule

I realize I haven´t written a blog in a while and it's actually not my fault. I wrote a blog for part of my job and submitted it to the site (mykro.org) but it hasn't been published. Since we are not supposed to "double dip" our blog posts there, I was going to provide a link on this blog. Anyways, in this post I will describe the job that I do here and supply you guys with a couple of pictures.

I am interning with Esperanza International, a HOPE International partner, and my job is to work closely with an organization called Kiva. Kiva is a site that raises funds through donations from people all over the world. I travel around with the Esperanza loan officers and take pictures of the loan-groups as well as interview the group leaders and put their stories on Kiva.

A typical day is like this (actually every day is really different, but this is at least the amount of time each thing takes):
*6:30am get up, breakfast (cornflakes, banana, OJ, everyday)
*7:30amish travel somewhere to go to meetings with a loan officer
*8:00ish arrive where I need to be
*8:30 the loan officer arrives where I need to be (sometimes I wait 15 minutes, sometimes I wait an hour...but it really doesn't bother me, I just go with the flow of things)
*9:00 get to meeting, do interview(s) of clients and take pictures
*10-12 go to other meetings and do the same
*12pm return to office, start on the next day's schedule
*1pm lunch
*2pm-5:30pm work on the next day's schedule, post stories, journals, and pictures collected throughout the day to the website. Also I sometimes do typical "intern" things like printing receipts and data entry.
*5:30-6:30 go to the gym that is a few blocks from the office (40 pesos to work out...thats like $1.10, this is actually the "glass half full" typical day, I dont go to the gym as much as I should, I usually just work out at our apartment)
*6:30-8:30 go to the apt, shower, start making dinner, eat dinner
*8:30-10:30 "read" in my room. I usually fall asleep for a half an hour in an awkward position before I wake up, turn the light off, and go to bed for good.

Here is a typical weekend:
*Friday night usually just chilling at the apartment. The dude I live with works late a lot of times, and I am usually content resting up for the next couple of days.
*Saturday I usually go to the beach and there are sometimes a random assortment of other intern-type workers who are able to go too. It is nice that there is a good beach 5 minutes away, and two other great ones within 45 minutes and 35 pesos (about a dollar)
*Saturday evening- there is a group of people my age from the church I've been going to that I hope to get involved in...I actually haven't gone yet... (apparently "jovenes" in the DR means late high school/college aged people, while in Ecuador it meant late high school until you are like 30)
*Sunday: sometimes beach, sometimes just chilling. 6pm= church

That is a normal week. I've only been here about 5 weeks and still hope to do a lot more and develop relationships here. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. The added pictures are a couple recent shots taken at loan meetings (Schooler if you're reading this, the puppy pic is for you).

If you guys don´t have Spring Break plans and want a free place to stay in the Caribbean that is 5 minutes from an awesome beach, come and visit me. Seriously.

I will leave you with a passage from the Bible that has meant a lot to me recently:
1 Peter 5:6-11

Sometimes I wish I could just know it all right now…

Something I have been learning down here is to wait. I have a lot of expectations for being down here and a lot of things I want to learn and improve in. I think for the first couple of weeks I was frustrated that I didn’t learn everything already.

I realized that I need to be patient and wait. My Spanish will improve over time with practice and study, both of wich I need to be willing to do. I need to work hard at improving in ways I can with both learning Spanish and getting better at my job.

Something interesting about the Spanish language is that they have the same word for both “to hope” and “to wait”, esperar. That word really has taught me about the interconnected relationship between hoping and waiting. Many times in the Bible it says to “wait upon the Lord” and I think that involves a lot of hope.

Isaiah 40:31 NAS says, “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

Some other versions say “those who hope in the Lord” showing further the connection. I guess where I’m at right now is that I need to put my hope in God and wait on him.

So in terms of Spanish frustrations, developing relationships at work and church, knowing a lot about my job, I may not be where I want to be now, but I know that with patience and the right perspective it will be getting better every day.

What I did at work this week:

I traveled with loan officers and interviewed clients about their loans and how it affected their life and family. It is really cool to interact with the people we are helping and reminds me of the impact we are having.

Major League Baseball Heaven

So if you guys don’t know (or haven’t walked into our family room at my house), I’m a big baseball fan. While I was in Ecuador, the only sport people cared about was soccer and the national hero was a speed-walker. My Ecuador experience was great, but could have been better if there was baseball.

So now I’m in the Dominican Republic. They love baseball here. Not only is it the national sport, but it’s really the only sport people value here. In that regard, I fit in quite well. I saw on the Esperanza website about a month before I came down that Jose Reyes, one of the best shortstops in the big leagues, worked with Esperanza to build a youth baseball field.

Norberto, the director of the Puerto Plata branch of Esperanza and also the guy I share an apartment with, has some MLB connections (kinda). First of all, Esperanza was started by Dave Valle, a former player in the majors who played for about 12 years. His son actually lived where I live now last fall and is a pretty sweet guy.

Since Esperanza’s main goal is to help people, people like giving money to us, and especially some wealthy businessmen. Norberto told me that one time on a HOPE trip (where donors from Esperanza’s partner HOPE come down and check out what we’re doing) a group had the owner of a pretty big bank and also the guy who was the co-owner of the Texas Rangers with George W. Bush (that was the rumor).

Norberto is from San Pedro, which is where Sammy Sosa and a lot of other players are from. He said that his dad played softball with Sosa’s brothers and went to school with Robinson Cano (of the Yankees) as well as George Bell’s sons. Apparently he even ate dinner at Alfonso Soriano’s house when Soriano helped out with Esperanza (scroll all the way to the bottom of this link), but Soriano was out of the country (Norberto said he met his mom). Felix Pie (the guy the Cubs just traded) lives right by the Esperanza office in San Pedro, used to date one of Norberto’s friends.

My hope is to meet a player or two and get a picture with them. We shall see what and who the next three months bring my way.

Some cool things I hope to do while here (besides meet some baseball players):
-meet the kid I sponsor with Compassion International and volunteer with them
-go to Haiti on a HOPE Trip
-find a gym and work out a few of times a week
-keep improving my Spanish
-contribute a lot at work

Stuff I would appreciate prayer for:
-That I could make a difference here spiritually and contribute at work
-to really grow as a person here
-that I could also find direction in life after I'm done here

First week in La Republica Dominicana

My first week has been an interesting one. I flew into Santo Domingo last Tuesday and worked at the Santo Domingo office on Thursday and Friday (Wednesday was a holiday; I went to the beach with some coworkers and got pretty burnt which is ironic because earlier in the week while I was at Taylor, I got frostbite).

The organization I am with here is Esperanza International, which is a sister-organization and partner of HOPE International. They both give out small loans to people who cannot get loans anywhere else. As the old saying goes, “You need to have money to make money” and that is why many poor people are stuck in poverty; they have the skills to run a successful business just not the means of investing in it.

I will work extensively with Kiva, an organization that funds many microfinance companies by being a central location for people to see stories of clients and donate money. My position has a lot of freedom to it which means I will be able to help in a variety of ways and also means that I need to be proactive in looking for ways to contribute.

Right now I am in Puerto Plata which is on the northern coast. From my apartment that I share with the Esperanza branch director, I can see the mountains and the ocean. I can actually only see the ocean from part of the roof, but hey that counts, right? This weekend a bunch of Esperanza people came up from Santiago and Santo Domingo to hang out with us. Just down the road there are 27 waterfalls fairly close together that you can hike up and then jump down. This picture I got online because our cameras would have gotten soaked if we took them along. Notice the tour guide at the top! It was really awesome but also exhausting.


Puerto Plata is pretty small. A good way to get around is by motoconcho which is just a motorcycle taxi. On my first ride, we were going to the cable car that goes up to the nearest mountain for a view of the whole city (it actually was closed due to rain). We were still waiting for Krista to come (she went to TU with me and works in Santiago) and while we were all on our motoconchos I saw Krista walking down the street and motioned for her to follow us. After a little running around she finally met up with us.

My apartment situation is the best of the other interns I have talked to. I share a two-bedroom apartment with the branch manager from my office and it is pretty nice. A 5 minute motoconcho ride will get me to a pretty cool beach, and a 45 minute ride will get me to an awesome beach.

Some things you can pray for me to do are to find ways to make a significant contribution with the company I’m with, that I would find some good consistent fellowship while I’m here, that I would make the most of relationships and free time while I’m here, and also to be a light wherever I go.

Until next time,

Kevin

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Deuteronomy 7:9

Life Lessons from Intramurals

Intramural dodgeball is intense. People from all over campus (and off-campus) come together to throw dodgeballs at each other for a half an hour, and it is a sight to be seen.

My team this year is pretty good and only have one loss so far (we only lost by one point that game). I am on a team with a bunch of other guys from my wing (3rd East Wengatz). For many of us, this is our forth year playing together, so it's extra special.

Working as a team and playing smart is sometimes difficult in dodgeball because of its individual appeal and glory. My self-designated role whenever I play dodgeball is to play conservatively at first in order to stay in the game for when things really matter. I avoid high risk throws and vulnerable positions to give myself the best chance for survival. There are always a few guys who start out too aggressive and predictably they get out early and aren't much help to their team in the end.

My favorite thing is to be one of the final guys on the court staring down the opponent, that's why I do what I do. This is when I thrive in dodgeball and feel my best when the heat is on. Now I may not be the best dodgeball player in the world (although I would consider myself above-average in both throwing abilities and catching), but I hold my own and like to be in control of the game.

Scoring in intramural dodgeball is based on time. If the winner wins quickly, they get more points than if the game is stretched out.

In our past couple of games we have gone down to the wire in several matches with each team down to one person. I have confidence when I am in times like these because I mentally know what needs to be done and I try my best to do it. It doesn't always mean victory, but more times than not things turn out the way I want.

The mental aspect of sports is huge, just ask Yogi Berra. He's the one who said, "Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical."

Good quote. Mentally knowing what you need to do in any situation helps you get things and succeed. This is true in the world of academia, sports, and our relationship with Christ.

It may be thrilling to run up to the middle for a really close range throw, but if you're just going to be pegged by the other team, it's not worth it.

This dodgeball example is obviously not perfect; don't wait until the end of life to be aggressive and give your all. Considering danger and looking ahead to the future is something Christians need to be doing.

1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 2 Corintians 4:18 says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

It's funny how God many times uses the little times in life to teach us, even dodgeball.

Conversation with a Cult Member

Of course he wouldn't tell you he was from a cult.

Yesterday while waiting for a friend to be done with class at Harper College, some people from the "Church of God" came up to me and asked me to go to a bible study at his church to uncover the "secrets of the Bible".

A red flag went up because since when are there secrets in the Bible?

So I asked him about those secrets and he told me that "along with God the Father, there is a God the Mother that many people don't know about". No wonder the red flag went up.

After quoting me a half-dozen unrelated Bible passages (possibly to woo me with his knowlege of scripture, but he didn't know that I know my stuff a lot more than the average guy) I ask him to just show me where God is called 'mother'. He points out Galatians 4:26, "But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother."

After one quick look in a Bible concordance I saw that "Jerualem" signified Sarah (Abraham's wife) because Abraham is the father of Israel (and Jerusalem) which means Sarah is the mother---and NOT God.

That is just one of the qualms I had about this cult along with their not directly answering questions, always going back to the same Biblical passages, and pointing the finger at us. He said that "worshipping on Sunday is not in the Bible" and I quickly responded that "Wearing that shirt you have on is not in the Bible, but that doesn't make it wrong" and of course he tried to hold back a smile (cuz he knew I was right!!) and went back to something he already said a few times that didn't make much sense.

Overall, he was very confusing to talk to and I was frustrated at the end of the conversation because I knew he did not listen to what I had to say. He just listened for the "trigger words" that would give way to an argument he had....

The School of Biblical Evangelism has this to say about what makes religious groups cults:
"A group is non-Christian when it denies the essential doctrines of the Bible: -The diety of Christ which involves the trinity, the Resurrection of Jesus, Salvation by grace alone" and goes on to say this about twisting scripture, "Some of the errors they commit in interpreting Scripture are: 1. Taking scripture out of context;
2. Reading into the Scriptures information that is not there;
3. Picking and choosing only Scriptures that suit their needs;
4. Ignoring other explanations;
5. Combining Scriptures that don't have anything to do with each other;
6. Incorrect definitions of key words; and
7. Mistranslations"

The people I talked to did #1, 2, 3, and 4 (and possibly 5-7 but I just didn't remember that). Needless to say, there is a lot to be learned from this experience.

1. We need to know the Bible and how to read it (click here for a suggestion on learning how to read the Bible, I have this DVD and you can borrow it if you'd like, it's sweet)

2. We need to be bold in preaching the Gospel in any way we can and take advantage of opportunities we've been giving, and then look to create more opportunities. True Christians need to let the world know the truth that they are sinners who are bound to be judged by a just God. We also need to let them know that by believing in Jesus they can have their sins covered and their fine paid.

We need to do this so the cult people don't reach them first!

Summer

This summer is more relaxed than the last couple. Instead of delivering mail 50+ hours a week with barely any free time, I am taking a couple of classes at Harper and working at the Wave pool concessions stand about 15 hours a week.



Needless to say, I have a lot of free time. I have been reading a lot and enjoying the nice weather when I can. I also have garage saled a little and put some of those findings on eBay.



A couple of the books I have read so far are:

• Mistaken Identity (the story about the Taylor van accident mixup) The things I like best about this book is how you can see God's faithfulness in the terrible situation, how God used this story to bring people to him, and how strong the two families faiths were through it all and what a testimony they were.


• Success God's Way - I started this back around Christmas and was too busy thoughout the semester to finish it. Charles Stanley shares some great stories and tips about how to succeed in this life God has placed us in and how seeking God will help us meet the true definition of "Success".


• Boy Meets Girl - Yeah I know it sounds cheesy but it has some good stuff to say about dating and relationships from a Christian perspective and has cleared up some wrong ways of thinking that I have had in the past.

Some other books I plan on reading this summer: Against All Odds: the Chuck Norris story, Renovation of the Heart, and The World is Flat.

The classes I'm taking are History of Latin America and a Spanish Literature class (that is online). I enjoy learning about L.A. because of my time in Ecuador.

I have been thinking about what I want to do after I graduate Taylor in January and have been looking online a little for companies or opportunities I might like to work for or do. I found a really interesting internship opportunity in the Dominican Republic through a Christian organization.

The good news is that I would be in a Spanish speaking country for about nine months and also that I would get some more experience in the business world (which I would really like) that companies would value.

That is something that excites me but I know that it could just be me putting my hope in something worthless (Isaiah 40:31), so we'll see where this idea goes.

Lastly I would like to close with the funniest picture I have ever seen. Every single part of this picture is hilarious.

Since the Word of God is "living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12), I shall close with this verse:

Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

International Economics

This past semester I took a class called International Economics at TU. The teacher I shall call "Dr. E" (since i don't want to bad talk someone) is less than captivating in his teaching style. In fact I know someone who said a big reason he transfered is because he would have to take another one of his classes.

It was kind of hard for me to respect this teacher because he was so incredibly dry and I could not find motivation to pay attention or study a lot for that class.

Flash forward top the last month of class, I found myself with a high C, desiring to pull it up to a B-. I studied hard for the each of the last quizzes and wound up getting that B+.

But the whole reason I told that story that you probably don't care about is because of this. One day before a different class, I walk into the Reade Center bathroom to do my daily post-chapel pee before class. I walked in and saw none other than Dr. E doing his business, but when I passed him, he let out a fart that sounded like a big "toot".

Needless to say, that brought a smile to my face.

This Blog

I never know what to call this blog. I think the current name is kind of stupid sounding because most people's blogs have some clever title.

I thought to myself "What should I call my blog?" and then I thought that I would name it something refering to what it is about. I almost called it "Random ramblings" but when I hear something described as a 'rambling,' I think of something I don't want to read.

Then I thought that all I really blog about is what I have been learning and thoughts I have been having. So thus I kept the dumb title because as dumb as it may seem it serves its purpose in describing what this is.