Gracias a Dios

I have so much to be thankful for...

for friendships that span all aspects of life 

&

after school strolls for ice cream and chinola juice 

for moto trips to the beautiful campo 

&

new friends who make life a little sweeter

for fall smells

&

relaxing nights at home

for coffee cupping during my planning time

&

homemade honey with stingers

for thoughtful gifts from my kiddos

&

my mama's loving heart

     for Expeditionary Learning 

&

a beautiful classroom 

 for Christmas craft time with thoughtful friends

&

hot chocolate with whip cream and Elf

for beautiful friends who inspire me

&

the chance to celebrate Chad, Krista, and the dream of Doulos

It's Thanksgiving week friends!

What are you thankful for?

Big Dreams [Class of 2026]

Today at church we were asked the question,

"What big dreams does God have for you?"

It's fun AND scary to ponder that one…

[swinging after school]

It was really scary for me to leave everything and move here.

But I believe this is a big dream the Lord has for me.  

But it wasn't and isn't easy.  

I'm guessing big dreams are never easy.

[working after school at my desk]

  

This month (November) Doulos has a big dream.

We need sponsors for our classes.

60 sponsors in 30 days.

2 sponsors everyday.  

It's a big dream.

[sitting in our circle]

I'm not "in the know" when it comes to school sponsorship.

Thankfully, they let us teachers focus solely on teaching

while others work hard on finding the money to support that.  

But I overhead the other day that Kindergarten sponsorship is low.  

It hurt my heart because…

those are my people.

That is my crew, my family.  

[building our kindergarten pond]

Could this be a "big dream" God has for you?

It might not be easy.

Money might be tight.

But would you be willing to pray about it?

$50/mo.

$25 goes to my kiddos.

$25 goes to my salary.

You get to support me and my students at the same time.  

Sweet.

[praying for Annabelle before she moved]

Please let me know if this is something 

you want to partner with me on.

E-mail me at morgan.caselli@doulosdiscovery.org

I signed up to sponsor the Class of 2026 last week.

I believe God has big dreams for them.

I can't wait to see what they are...

When I'm… in the classroom

I see: 

20 kiddos - 1 lamp - sometimes spiders - lots of student creations

I hear:

students trying out English - loud voices - construction - singing

I smell:

fresh air - lunch cooking - trash 

I taste:

coffee - water - sometimes chocolate 

I feel:

sweet kids touching me all.the.time.

I feel:

overjoyed - proud - frustrated - humbled 

Discoveries

There is a lot of learning going on in my life right now.

Last night at bible study we talked about our "many things list".

What is it that fills our lives.

There is a lot of learning going on…

learning spanish

learning how to teach Kindergarten

learning how to run healthily 

learning new friendships

learning how to healthily enjoy stateside relationships 

There is a lot going on in this brain of mine.  

But it is good.  

Really good.

I'm enjoying these new discoveries…

God is good, especially when I do not deserve it.  

The process of cooking/baking/everything takes double the time here.

Chocolate makes everything better.

I still love to bake.

Kids love insects and getting their photo taken.

Coming back from a 3 day absence is REALLY tough.

When Lexie and I try to do something nice...

It might turn out to a major flop.

A major flop that creates a lot of laughter and community.

AND tastes really good :)

(pumpkin dream cake 2013 everyone)

Good byes always yank on your heart.

Annabelle will always be loved by the Kindergarten Family.

(and extremely well prayed for)

I miss these drinks more and more every single day.

[butterscotch latte- Coffea]

[mocha- Caribou]

I found a new place to get yummy specialty drinks in Jarabacoa!

Chickens can be much cuter than I thought.

My families love knows no bounds.

Apple Cider is perfect for any situation.

How to light/use/jimmy the stove & oven at my house.

Planning lessons is 120% better when you add Lexie, Alicia, and coffee.

I've been doing a lot of discovering down here on this island!

A mentor teacher of mine would always say…

"You're either green and growing,

or red and rotting."

I going to go ahead and choose the green and growing option.

What have you been learning lately?!?!  

Please share with me :)

Tour [food]

So I live in the Dominican Republic.

With a Colombian family.

I eat well.

Here is a look into a few of my meals...

fried plantains

potatoes and lentils 

rice with a fried egg (a combo I really enjoy)

arepas with ground meat

chinola juice (a DR staple and oh so tasty)  

bistec

rice

broccoli 

ahuyama (very similar to pumpkin)

arepas (my Columbian fav)

rice

lemon chicken (Aileen LOVES this)

avocado (we eat this with many meals)

yuca (similar to potatoes) 

rice with vegetables 

fried eggs

tostones (DR staple)

potatoes with meat and peppers 

avocados

meat, vegetables, and rice

platanos maduros

(and Janer, reppin Scheels in the DR)

lulo juice 

masamorra (milk & corn)

rice with vegetables

yuca

broccoli 

lemon chicken

fried plantain (Aileen's favorite!)

There you have it.  

A peek into mi comida :)  

A big shout out to Nelly and Priscy for being amazing cooks!

I am truly blessed.

What is your favorite food from another culture?  

Mine would have to be arepas, tostones, y chinola juice.