Dominican Republic 2010 (18)
Our team is headed to Barahona, Dominican Republic. We will be doing some construction projects, puppets, drama, song and street witnessing to tell people about the love of God through His son Jesus Christ.
Pictures Worth A Thousand Words
Here is the last batch of pictures. Enjoy!
A first Glimpse
In our continuing saga of uploading from 2 different cameras, here is the first round of pictures.
The End Of The Story (or The Beginning Of Tomorrow)
Hello all! This will be our last journal as we will be busy traveling tomorrow and monday.
Yesterday was a very rainy day which cancelled our work plans. But in the end it was a good day of worship, relaxation and a good recharge from the hard work on Thursday. Of course we wanted to work, but God wanted us to rest! This we did with thankful hearts and were prepared for the last day of ministry today.
Our day of ministry work today was absolutely awesome (and rain free… praise God!). First thing in the morning we walked to the project house on the mountain and set up for the puppets, drama and music. Kids appeared out of nowhere and we had a large audience of eager children. It was a success in the Lord and by the end the “canas” (us) each had at least two buddies. Everything went smoothly and we proceeded to eat lunch and take a break for a little while. At about 4 we set up right outside the “palace” for the second time of ministry today and the last time this trip. During the ministry the sound system began to loose power. We quickly prayed that God would supernaturally allow us to finish. Which He did!! All the ministry groups were able to finish their parts and once again it was a huge success. After cleaning up and saying goodbye we returned to the palace exhausted and hungry. Directly after dinner we had a time of communion, prayer and worship. During this time we were able to reflect on all that has happened this trip, and how we want to return to our regular lives.
Now we are packing up for a trip the the beach and then the market tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers… and they will most definitely be appreciated as we finish out our last day here and return home to you. We love you all!
On The Mountain
Hello all from the air conditioned palace in Barahona!
Yesterday was the big moving day to the mountain! We were to only have a 10 to 15 minute drive up and the previous destination is visible while looking over the ocean. This is another convenience because we have the assurance of not driving three extra to the airport! When we arrived we were blown away with the beauty of this place. Right away we thanked God for this amazing blessing, and also for stretching us the way He did. We prayed that although we are now located in such a upscale place we need to keep our guards up for hinderances and that we may finish strong (in the Lord). Once we had unpacked, debriefed, and had awesome lunch, we set out to meet the locals on the mountain. It was quite an experience to say the least. We walked the dirt roads in search of people outside of their “house”. It was interesting to see the warmness and hospitality the people showed towards us. Everyone we spoke to invited us in and not one denied the fact that Jesus is Lord. Some considered, some accepted Christ, and all could use definite prayer.
PS- Kyle Kent has just confirmed that it takes 1,562 licks to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop! Wowza!
Moving on to today: we woke up, had omelets and toast, and moved on to the hard work in the pouring rain. We were split into three groups. They included a group for organizing the rice with In Calvary's Care, another was We hauled rocks and more cement down a slope in order to build a wall so we could reinforce a house. In this house lived a grandmother with her family of 9… and they were overjoyed in receiving the help that was given. It was definitely a challenging day. The rain made things difficult as we tried to lay cement while it was pouring. We stood in the rain searching and passing rocks; making and laying cement; and holding tarp over the soaked wall that we were trying to build. But God answered our prayers and gave us all energy to finish the day. Today was probably the dirtiest work we’ve had all week long, and the showers were bittersweet knowing that the people in the house we worked on would not get such luxuries. Your prayers are really being felt through the perseverance that is clearly visible throughout the team. Please continue to pray as we finish our these last few days.
Mountain Pics
Finishing Strong
These past two days we finished up working at the orphanage and doing ministry in the city. Today we leave for the Mountain. Here are some pics from our final ministry in Cabral.
Two For One
Hello again Everyone from the DR!
We have had a a busy and productive past two days filled with work and ministry.
Yesterday we worked on the orphanage by making our own cement! We also moved rocks and we were pretty efficient because of our assembly lines! The team took a break at lunch and then continued until about 3pm. We took a much needed hour to freshen up and then we went to a Prayer meeting at Pastor Pedro’s church. This was a great time of prayer and worship to the same God yet in different languages. It was also nice to have a translator there with us. Our team was given about half the time to pray. Five of the team prayed at the front of the church while the translator translated for the Dominicans. During the prayer some would call out “Amen!” and “Hallelujah!” This was very encouraging and made this time all the more special because although they did not understand us the were remaining in the spirit. After the Prayer meeting we ate dinner and headed to bed early because we would be working bright and early the next day!
Today was also a work morning however some of our team members woke up not feeling so great. With the Lord’s grace, nothing has been too serious and they are all feeling better! We continued moving rocks and laying cement until lunch time came at 1pm. A few hours after finishing up some last minute cement buckets we headed to another church in Cabral to share our ministry. Only two of the puppet songs were able to be done on account of another sound system crash but we worked with what we had to the best of our ability.
Productivity and great attitudes are definitely a huge part of our team work here and prayers are being felt so thank you! Tomorrow is the big moving day to the mountain house (which has air conditioning) so please pray that our attitudes will remain positive through the fatigue and heat. Thinking of you all!
Buenos noches
Another Point Of View
So we have had a couple of cameras floating around and seeing as how we have been somewhat busy, it's been a challenge to get all the pictures organized. With that said, here are the pictures from that other camera. Enjoy!
Island In The Sun
Buenos Noches!
Well, we’re all just as exhausted as ever but God is keeping our hearts in the right place. Today we went to another Batey and were almost stopped by the rain, but thankfully it cleared after a few card games.
As we arrived we found a small church where we would be holding the ministry. We quickly found that the heat would take its toll as we struggled to find relief. Unfortunately our sound system lost power and we were unable to proceed with what was planned. We ask for prayer for our sound system to be restored by the next ministry time. However God definitely worked everything out as always! Our translator Wilkens the very enthusiastic and energetic MC for our ministry, took charge with some very skillful improv. He is a huge blessing. The drama also performed a last minute skit which they had previously practiced only once AND in english! Their performance was a huge hit and made everyone laugh.
Around 11 we headed to an island at which we had an hour to relax and explore. We left eagerly for lunch and relaxed the rest of the afternoon until 5pm. At which point we went to church, located literally 10 feet away from where we ate our meals. It was amazing to hear a sermon in spanish and reflect upon the fact that we all serve one God (even if we don’t understand the sermon). We returned to our rooms for showers and an early bedtime for tomorrow’s full day of work.
The other church staying here is leaving which will require more work so we also ask for prayer in that area. We are thinking of you all, and are looking forward to telling you our future experiences on this journey in the DR.
Beach and Batey Pics
Yesterday we started the day at the beach and went into Batey 7 to do ministry. Today we started at Batey Algodon and then went to a place called the "island". Here are some of the pictures from our excursions. More pictures will follow.