Happy New Year everyone!

I sit relaxing on my couch enjoying my last evening on Christmas break and taking a little vacation from my vacation before Monday morning rolls around. This Christmas season we were generously gifted tickets to fly back to the States for the FIRST time for Xmas since being married. Let me tell you.  Freezing cold weather…not my favorite. Troy and I are very spoiled with our warm sunny weather in the DR. We’ve gone to the US a few times for family events, and support raising. This time around it was a truly restful vacation.  So do I really need a vacation from my vacation? No, not really. It’s just how our time off got planned and I have a few days at home before being Mrs. Gerent to 22 first graders again.

The Gerent clan!

I honestly struggle with what to write on our blog. What do they want to hear? What new story should I tell them? Does that need to be told? Will it bore them? How do I make it sound exciting? Does it have to be exciting?  Life has become normal, so how do I write about the normal? What is important to share?

Then a still quiet voice told me. “Lexie, you and Troy are loving me and loving others just as I’ve instructed. All who love me are called to do the same wherever they are. You just so happen to be in the DR, which is right where I want the two of you.” That became the most important story.

All the pressure of writing a captivating blog post, the best this blog has ever seen and the best you have ever read, went away.  All the details of what Troy and I do are great, whether it be about my little 6 year olds or Troy’s teenage students. They are what make life fun, challenging and ever-changing.  Many of you want to hear just 1 story. Some of you just want to hear that we’re going alright. Some want to know all the details, the ups and downs and really get a taste for what our life is like. Some of you want to hear about our finances and how you can help us. The list goes on. In whichever category you find yourself, the most important thing to know is this.  God is good and He has called us according to His purpose. He gave us the opportunity to love Him and others in the DR. We answered his calling in our life and we will continue to do so until He calls us HOME (heaven of course).

However, I don’t want that to be end of this post. Telling stories, talking about life and meaningful things are life giving to me. So here we go!

In 2015,  I started my 4th year of teaching at Doulos. This year I really have a great bunch of kids!  They are so cuddly, friendly, smart, eager to learn and please. I am also blessed with a new assistant, Elea. She makes life so much easier. I couldn’t imagine teaching without her.  She takes ahold of anything I give her, runs with it and excels beautifully! She has made this year a blessing! In 2015,  Doulos started their reaccreditation process with ACSI (Association of Christian School International) and AdvacED. As a veteran of the school and a grade level leader, I was asked to join the crew of people who are leading this reaccreditation process. Being accredited is really important for the school and I am honored to be apart of the school’s steering crew who helps lead this big task!  Please be in pray with us as we work hard reaccrediting our school!

In 2016, I will have a student teacher in my classroom from January to the beginning of April. Her name is Lydiah and I am very excited to welcome her into my classroom and walk with her and she teaches and learns how to be a teacher! If you are on Facebook, you will most likely see pictures of us adventuring through this coming semester.  I really enjoy being a mentor, so I look forward to this opportunity of helping someone and walk with them through the wonders and challenges of being a teacher!

My wonderful assistant, Elea!

The crew this school year! Cute eh?

In 2015, CMA received a lot of new staff members!  We have been praying for God to bring spiritually mature followers of Christ  who were called by God and willing to serve on CMA’s campus. We were pleased to welcome 3 new families to the CMA family. One of the staff members works in counseling, 2 others as in-house staff working with the boys and the last family is CMA’s new director.  It’s a full house! 🙂  Something exciting that happened in 2015 is that several of the students received Christ and many were baptized.  **goose bumps** Pray for these young teenagers who are discovering what it means to follow Christ for the first time. Pray for the staff at CMA that God would give them wisdom as they lead, disciple and do life with these new Christians and help them mature in their faith.  It has been great to watch Troy mentor and interact with the teenagers at CMA and watch them respond to him. I don’t know how he does it, but I believe a lot of it has to do with the model and example Troy’s dad was to him! His dad was a great picture of discipline and consistency and this has really shaped the way he does a lot of things.  He is really doing a wonderful job in his new position!  Watching CMA grow from the ground up has been a blessing because we have been able to see the ebb and flow or staff members, and challenges of being apart of a new ministry. Watching God work through CMA staff and seeing the fruit that bears is humbling.  Knowing that all this work is not their work but God’s!!

This past year has been a great year for Troy and I!  It has been a lot of hard work, but it’s been a great year! We love the DR and love seeing how God continues to use us!  It’s amazing how loving God and loving others can be done anywhere around the world!! If you are reading this right now, how and where are you loving God and others?

Well there’s a little glimpse of what we’ve been doing and what we will be doing soon.   Let us know what you want to hear about? I’m always up for ideas!!

Thanks for reading and following us over the past 3 years! We are so blessed by your prayers and financial support! God is good!

-Lexie and Troy