Revisiting the school

This blog hasn't been updated because my last year was spent largely outside of Santo Domingo. This may be the last blog, as the school is now completely in Dominican hands, and they are doing a blog in Spanish.

It was a blessing to visit the school once again for the last three weeks of the school year. I was amazed at the progress of the students. It was more than just not seeing them for a long time...cognitive issues they have had for years have been resolved or improved upon this year.

For example, most of the children (other than the preschoolers) can tell you the day and date now. In the past, even after three years of work, most students remained unable to do so. Why? Well, first I would say it was the effects of severe language deprivation on the cognitive processes.  But now I have to wonder if that was the cause after all. What was different this year? The biggest difference perhaps was that the students had lunch every day at school. The students had vitamins daily. (Normally they don't eat a very balanced diet.) They were given parasite medicine from time to time. There were some new teachers and some older teachers, but the improvement was across the board. God certainly coordinated the combination of causes for their improvement, in response to the prayers and gifts of his people.

Whatever the reason, the students showed a marked improvement in their thinking. They were reading more, although they are still way behind in reading skills. They understand questions better. Previously this was a tremendous difficulty for most. Now, they are frequently able to answer the specific question, and if not, at least they do recognize that a question has been asked!

Thank you Jesus!