Compare and Contrast

Then vs. Now

Remember when you were in elementary school and your teachers would ask you to make to compare and contrast by making a list? Well I thought I would retreat back to my younger years and do the same with SVG and the USA!

Many people ask us how St. Vincent is different from the United States.  Here is a short list…along with some similarities!

United States	St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Drive on the right side of the road	Drive on the left side of the road (or in the middle because many of the roads are very narrow and curvy)
Missouri-lots of flat areas to ride bike or go on long walks	Lots of places to walk but almost all are HILLY!
Electricity is reasonably priced-we run AC all day long, have dishwashers, dryers etc.	Electricity of very expensive here, therefore there is no central AC, but only units, we have a switch that turns on our hot water heater so we only have hot water if we turn on the switch, and no dyers-we hang all our cloths out to dry.
110 watt outlets	220 watt outlets
In Missouri we were days away from a beach	In SVG we can see the beach from our house and its about a 20 min walk/5 min drive!
Wal-Mart, Starbucks, McDonalds on every corner	3 KFCs on the island, 1 Subway, and 1 Pizza Hut, oh and 2 Ace Hardware stores. There are lots of local stores that sell various items, but no one stop shops.
Cable TV	Cable TV-we thought we were going to miss all of the presidential election adds, we were wrong, they show them here too!
US Dollar	Eastern Caribbean ($EC) for every $1 US there is $2.65 EC
Hunt deer and turkey	Hunt Iguanas (season is October 1 through January) and lots of fishing!
Drove everywhere in our own cars	We walk a lot to the grocery stores and also take public transportation. We use the school van sometimes as well.  There are vans everywhere for public transportation and it costs between $1 EC and $1.50 EC (so about 30₵ to 50₵)
May see some loose dogs or cats from time to time outside	Goats are everywhere! Along with dogs and a few cows here and there.
Squirrels everywhere	No squirrels
Primary language is English	Primary language is English!
Four season (cold and warm)	2 seasons (rainy and dry) but always warm, since we have been her it usually always gets to around 85 or 90 degrees.
Few fruit trees	Almost every tree is a fruit tree: avocado, golden apple, sugar apple, breadfruit, mango, papaya, banana, and lots more.

 

Weekend Events-Independence Day!

This week we had a fun filled weekend all around here at WISE! On Saturday, October 27, St. Vincent celebrated its Independence Day.  For those of you asking who are they independent from? They gained their independence for Great Britain 33 years ago; however GB still produces all of SVG’s money so you still see the Queen every day when you pull out your coins or dollar bills!

On Thursday we celebrated the holiday with the preschoolers since school was closed on Friday for the holiday. The kids enjoyed eating cupcakes and making decorations like flags and hats. We even did a little parade around the preschool.

How most of the kids ate their cupcakes

marching in the parade with their flags

sporting their blue, yellow, and green hats

Since we had Friday off EK and I enjoyed a 3 day weekend which was nice, we were able to go to the beach for a couple hours on Friday afternoon and we had beautiful weather.

Saturday we got up bright and early and headed downtown with the Wurdeman family and the visiting adjunct teacher to check out the Independence Day Military Parade. It was a different parade then we were used to. It was in a large outdoor stadium, and the military stood out on the field and marched around, along with a marching band. So there was no parade in the streets.  There were lots of snow cone stands, popcorn stands and even cotton candy! We decided not to get anything since it was 8 am but we enjoyed watching all of the kids get their goodies.

Later that day Amanda Wurdeman and I planned a Harvest Festival for the students.  Because there is no fall season here there is no tradition like this so we thought the students would enjoy it and we were right! They went bobbing for apples…which by the way was the best entertainment of the night…had a 3 legged race, played limbo, and pinned the nose on the pumpkin.  We made some rice crispy treats for snacks.  I figured everyone has had at least 1 (or 100 like myself) rice crispy treat in their lifetime but many of the students had never had one before—they ate them all up!

Below are some pictures of these fun events!

The military at the parade

Someone selling flags, USA and SVG together!

The kids lining up for snow cones, oh and it wasn't raining, people are using umbrellas to
stay out of the sun

Bobbing for apples

EK getting ready for the 3 legged race...he lost

Limbo time

Limbo winner celebrating his victory, all the students were really happy for him :)

Here Comes the Rain!

First I have to apologize it has been so long since my last post. We have officially entered the rainy season here in St. Vincent and I think due to that our Internet has worked off and on for the past two weeks and it conveniently would not work every time I sat down to write on the blog.

Today, however, is a bright sunny day with clear blue skies! When it rains here it usually doesn't rain all day long but it does rain hard. Our apartment has a tin roof; EK and I laugh whenever it starts to rain because we know that means we have to yell if we want to speak to each other and if we are watching a movie we know it's no use because the rain is so loud we can't hear it.

In St. Vincent many people walk everywhere or use public transportation...and people do not like walking in the rain. Just like in the U.S. if it’s cold, people here say you will get sick if you go out in the rain, even if it’s 80 degrees outside. Whenever it starts to rain you see people quickly retreating under store fronts or seeking refuge under neighboring houses. I teach dance every Thursday to girls in the community and this Thursday was another rainy day. I assumed no girls would show up for dance because of the rain but when I arrived there were about 10 girls waiting under the carport...I guess that means they are enjoying dance class :).

We like to go on walks a lot and on Friday I had some girl time with the other missionary, Amanda Wurdeman, we went for a walk around the area we live. We got some funny looks because it had been raining off and on that day...like I said people here don't go for walks in the rain, even if you have umbrellas.

One good thing about the rainy days is the "cooler" temperatures...I think it is the closest we will ever get to fall! This is our first time not experiencing a change in seasons, we have to remind ourselves it is almost November and not still June.

We are so thankful to be here and serving in SVG and continue to feel the love and support from all of our supporters! Hope everyone back at home enjoys the cool fall days and colorful leaves while we enjoy the cool rain and luscious green surroundings!

A Closing Fun Fact: EK and I usually eat lunch everyday with the students which is a great time for us to fellowship with them. They have shown us new ways to eat things, specifically spaghetti. The students LOVE to put ketchup and mayonnaise....yes I said mayonnaise, on their spaghetti. I have tired one small bite, it wasn't too bad but I will stick to the "traditional" spaghetti. EK has not been brave enough to try it yet...

A picture for proof!

 

Little Ones

I wanted to introduce you to the WISE preparatory students today! If anyone did not know I not only teach the college students at WISE, but I also teach Monday through Friday to three and four-year-olds.  This preschool was started by WISE to serve the children and families in the community; and most of all to share Jesus to the little children. It is a half-day preschool from 8:30 to 11:30.  Amanda Wurdeman is a head teacher along with myself and we have an assistant, Mrs. Marshall, who is from  St. Vincent.

While God teaches us patience everyday with the kids, particularly those who like to climb and crawl on the tables...we are also filled with joy being able to watch them learn.  They love to sing and Amanda has taught them songs like "Jesus Loves Me" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."  It's a blessing to hear them sing these songs throughout the day to themselves.  We say a prayer before snack time everyday and their favorite part is to shout "AMEN!" 

We are working on teaching them letters (ABCs), numbers, colors, shapes and more. Some of their favorite things are playing with play dough, stacking/sorting blocks, playing with toy trucks, and playing outside. As of now we have 7 boys and 3 girls.

We ask that you will be praying for the preschool, for the children and their families. In St. Vincent preschools have to be certified by the Ministry of Education.  One of my earlier posts discussed our first meeting with the Ministry.  At that time she did not certify us and gave us some suggestions on things to change in our preschool.  However, she said we could still open but we would need to contact her later for her to come by and finish the certification process. Last week we contacted the Ministry of Education to set up another appointment. They explained they will perform a "surprise" visit.  Therefore we do not know when the investigator will come.  We are ready to complete the certification process so we do not have to worry about it any longer.  We ask that you pray the investigator will treat us fairly even though we are an "American run" preschool.  That she will see we are teaching the children daily and providing them with appropriate learning and play materials.

Here are some pics of out little ones!

Having fun during craft time!

 Here is a video of some of the students at snack time.

 

We charge a minimal fee for the preschool (approximately $11/month) because many of their families do not have a lot of money and are living in homes without electricity or indoor plumbing.  If you would like to help sponsor one of our preschoolers please contact me at ekandmaddie@yahoo.com and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have! Your sponsorship would help go towards the daily cost of the preschool, children's uniforms, snacks, school supplies, etc. 

Beep Beep...

The current WISE van

If I have not mentioned it before St. Vincent is notably hilly. WISE has a school van that gets from point A to point B (but does squeak down the road and it is collecting problems), it sits 8 people comfortably, though we are not afraid to get uncomfortable an squeeze in more.  However, with a growing student population it is impossible to fit all of the students into to school van.  WISE is currently in the process of raising money to buy a used truck. 

A Used Truck in St. Vincent costs about $10,000.  This will help transport groups, the growing number of students, building materials, and help replace the van.  Check out our website for a current amount of funds raised at http://windwardislandsschoolofevangelism.org/support.html.  Any extra support raised will be used for repair on the existing van.

If you would like to donate to our truck fund please send your payment to
WISE
c/o Andrew and Jenna Stout
P.O. Box 1741
Pittsburg, KS 66762
*Please put "truck" in the memo line.

If your church would like to help you could simply put out a gas can as ask members to help "fill the tank!"  Thank you so much for everyone's support!

A Pirate's Life for Me!

EK and I had a great time this weekend. We went out on our first "date night" since we moved to St. Vincent. We went to a quaint restaurant that overlooked the ocean. It was very peaceful as we were able to watch the sunset over the water with reflections of vibrant orange and pink.  We felt rejuvenated getting to spend time alone together off of campus since most of our days are surrounded by the students.

We were also thankful that we made it to and from the restaurant safely because EK is still getting used to driving on the opposite side of the road! He does a great job, I don't think I could do it; I would probably have a panic attack.

On Saturday we went to Wallilabou Bay with all the students and staff, which is a beach here where parts of  Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed.  It was cool to see the buildings and the landscape that were in the film, it made me feel closer to Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley :).

The students had fun swimming and dressing up in pirate clothes and taking lots of pictures.  I think all of them were destined to be models because they LOVE getting their picture taken. Some of us went on a little boat ride through the cove which was gorgeous. The vibrant blue waters were crystal clear and match beautifully with the lush mountainous backdrop. We went out on a small motor boat with our guide, Speedy.  He was a very nice gentleman who provided a lot of information about the area.  He told us about himself as well.  He was a fisherman; he told us he fished every morning in his ore boat.  He said he paddles about 2-3 miles off the coast every morning.  Sometimes he said he will only catch one fish but other times he will catch numerous, which he will sell in his village.

On our way back into the cove the motor of the boat became flooded and stopped working.  Good thing we had two ores so we got back safe and sound. 

Later in the day I reflected on how far Speedy paddles out to sea knowing that he might only catch one fish or even none, but he still does it every morning.  I was encouraged by his dedication. 

I thought about the disciples who were fishermen just as dedicated as Speedy, and after meeting Jesus they became "fishers of men."

^"18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And He *said to them, “^[h]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. ²¹ Going on from there He saw two other brothers, ^[i]James the son of Zebedee, and ^[j]John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him." ~Matthew 4:18-22

Our prayer is that we can become more and more dedicated to be like Christ and to show other's Christ's love.

Below are some pictures of our time with the students!

All of the students arriving at Wallilabou Bay

Behind me is the pole that Jack Black swung from while he was trying to escape!

EK was being a pirate...Arrrr

The students playing dress up



This was on our boat ride, here is the rock from the beginning of the first film where there were 3 pirates hanging...

First Week, Complete!

Well we made it through our first week of classes! EK is teaching Old Testament History and Personal Evangelism I and II. I am working in the preschool Monday through Friday in the mornings and teaching English I.  During the week there were several times I thought... I don't think I would have believed it if someone told me a year ago that I would be living in another country and teaching an English class to all Haitian students, (some which are not completely fluent) and working with 3-year-olds in a preschool.  My thoughts were I would graduate with my Master's of Social Work and get a "social work" job somewhere in Columbia, MO or maybe in another state.  EK was working at State Farm and planned to continue working there and advance in his career.  However, God had different plans for us.


I am reminded of the verses "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.  While we may not always know what God's plans are for us or understand everything, we are thankful we have leaned on His understandings and not our own.  We do know that God is using our gifts here and that He is allowing us daily opportunities to grow closer to Him and  build relationships.  We have really enjoyed spending time with the students and getting to know them.  Here are some pictures of the staff and students below.



Here is all of the WISE staff

Here are the students at orientation
 

We continue to ask for prayers for our transition to a new country and culture. Please pray for both of us to make an impact on the students and community.  Please pray for EK and myself and that we can continue to support one another and confide in each other.