Back to the Beach ;)

This was a nice week because Wednesday was a holiday and I had the day off of school! Instead of sleeping in on the day off, I woke up early to drive to a place called 27 waterfalls. The name says it all, it's an area where there are 27 waterfalls and it is INCREDIBLE!

It's fun, adventurous, and intense! I went with a few teachers, some Young Life leaders and an exchange student I met from the University nearby. When you arrive at 27 falls you put a lifejacket and helmet on and you begin the journey. First we hiked up/around all 27 waterfalls, it’s neat because you actually rock climb to get to some. We had two Dominican guides that helped us. Once we got to the top it was time to come back down! Sometimes the only way to get down is to jump off the cliff into the bottom of the waterfall. Some of the jumps were about 30ft-40ft high. It was such a rush! A few of the waterfalls you must slide down and for a while we were laying in a lazy river going down stream. The water was so clean and the sights were breathtaking. We couldn't take cameras because we were jumping off cliffs into water and there would be no way to protect them so I have no pictues. We finished it all after a few hours and it was awesome. Without a doubt my favorite thing I have down here so far. So, if you're coming to visit, I'm ready to go again!

Wednesday night we also had Young Life - our theme was "Birthday Party". It turned out great and lots of students came. We decorated the Young Life house with tons of balloons, streamers, and birthday festivities. We even had one of the leaders dress up as a clown! There was a cake eating and decorating contest. At the end of the night we shared the gospel with the students. I LOVE HANGING OUT WITH THESE KIDS - THEY ARE SO MUCH FUN! The picture I posted is from our Young Life club this week.

Thursday after school we had our first volleyball game. Unfortunately the girls and guys team both lost close matches, but I was encouraged by the way we played. After school today I was relieved because it's FINALLY the weekend! It will be a nice break from school work and lesson planning. I'm leaving early in the morning to go to the beach and soak up some sun. I hope you are all enjoying the nice weather and the beauty of fall. I miss it. There are two seasons here, hot and hotter. Leaves don’t change colors and we don’t get the fresh brisk air. I am blessed to constantly have the warm weather and the beach, so I guess I’ll take advantage of that!

Love and prayers
Ash