This is Lucy
Well today is our last day and ive been trying to blog all week but it keeps messing up, so here's my last try. Friday evening Our group went to El Circulo and got into groups with translators and went around the neighborhood asking people for prayer needs and inviting them to church. I was paired with Lynsey. We went to a few houses and prayed for the health of people. We were on our way to certain house when Lynsey and I stopped at an older ladys house(her kids were in their midfiftys.lol). We asked her to go to church and then asked if we could come onto her porch(which was guarded by an iron gate) and she looked at us for a second and said yes. So she unbolted the door and let us in. She then started talking to us about how when her husband died in the 60's she started searching for God and prayed, but didnt acccept Him cause she never found the right time or exactly what she was looking for. Our translator shared his testimony and we shared Christ with her. Right after that she wanted to accept Christ into her life. Chills ran down my spine. We prayed with her and for her. As we were leaving she told us that she had never let other people in to talk about God before. But she let us in because we seemed different and she could tell. It was an amazing experience!!
Saturday we went to an orphanage for a little bit and it was so heartbreaking. The children clung to us like we were their life line. I think its good we didnt stay long because it would have been worse. That night we went to a "screamo/rock" concert that El Circulo was doing and it was EPIC!!! haha We all moshed and did "ska circles" together, it was amazing. At the end of everysong we were all SOAKING wet with sweat. ha Tessa is an awesome mosh..er.lol
Then Yesterday we did affirmations and shared what changed us on the trip. ill share mine: As we were in Cotui i watched Janiece,Nichole, and Lynsey with children hanging off them and surrounding them, and it gave me the picture of Jesus on kids bibles, where He is sitting, shining in the light that He is with the children just in awe of Him. Right then it hit me, it was like that song "i wanna be your hands, wanna be your feet, ill go where you send me." This trip was totally God sent and we are Gods hands and feet, we werent working for God, we were working WITH Him. It was awesome.
Last night we went to church and said our last goodbyes...i will miss everyone so much.
Trish is freaking out on me so ill go, see you guys this week!
-lucy-
Monday, June 30, 2008
Bombtastic
Hello,
This is Jake. I have never blogged before so this is an adventure. The trip is starting to rap up and I am happy to say that no one was hurt. Jeniece just came and was a jerk to me no joke I never liked her. It is really hard to sell sarcasm when typing. I do like her but she was just mean to me. I will forgive her later. I hope everyone is blessed with long life and I have to say that I am so proud of little Mary she has come so far, and is an amazing person. She is sitting right next to me.
Schafer out.
This is Jake. I have never blogged before so this is an adventure. The trip is starting to rap up and I am happy to say that no one was hurt. Jeniece just came and was a jerk to me no joke I never liked her. It is really hard to sell sarcasm when typing. I do like her but she was just mean to me. I will forgive her later. I hope everyone is blessed with long life and I have to say that I am so proud of little Mary she has come so far, and is an amazing person. She is sitting right next to me.
Schafer out.
June 29, 2008
Yello! It’s Carly here. I haven’t blogged yet, so this should be fun!!! Today our team slept in ‘til 10 a.m. Glorious! Then we spent the entire morning eating muffins and donuts, doing affirmations, and sharing what God has done in our lives. This was a very exciting, fun, and emotional time for our team. First, we shared what God showed us this week. Tessa said that she had expected some huge “God sightings” or miracles and forgot to look at the little things. That is totally how I’ve felt this whole trip. I had such high expectations for the trip and felt empty. Yet, today I realized God has shown me his love through so many people and in so many ways. I think God has shown the whole team His love the most through the sweet kids of Cotui. They come up and just want to spend time with you. They don’t care who you are or what you look like. They just love. I couldn’t walk down the street without 12 kids tickling me and grabbing onto me! Another thing that I was reminded of by Lucy was that we are the hands and feet of Christ. Not only are we loved on by the kids, but it is our job to embody Christ. We shouldn’t be there for us, or even for the kids, only for God.
Hola! It’s Cassi J. I don’t even know where to begin in talking about our trip. Our group is so much fun and it feels like we are at church camp again! It’s crazy how many amazing experiences I’ve had throughout this week. One incident really stuck out in my head and I would like to share that with you guys. It was Friday night and we went around the community of El Circulo in small groups. We would go to people’s houses and give them a goody bag that we made which consisted of a bible, a sermon tape, and candy and then invite them to church at El Circulo Sunday night. Sometimes that’s all we would do but other times, we would sit down and pray for the families. One of the most memorable and moving experiences of the trip came when Nicole, Ana (our translator) and I came up to this hair salon. Inside were about 10 women and so we talked to them to them and soon found out that most all of them were Christian. Before we were about to leave we asked them if there was anything we could pray for them about. One woman had a nephew in jail, one had a bad leg and knee, another had health problems and one of the ladies, Ramona, had cancer. So we all gathered in a circle, joined hands, and Nicole and I split up the requests and started praying aloud for these women. Ramona was one of the few I prayed for. After the prayers ended, I looked around to a room of women with tears falling down their faces. Ramona right away then asked if she could pray for us. In her prayer she said “Thank you God for these three beautiful angels.” Right then, I got choked up for the first time. My goal this trip was to make an impact on someone, someway, somehow. This was that moment. I totally felt like God had really used me for something. Just knowing that I had such an impact on someone who I had just met 10 minutes ago was so awesome. Anyways, I’m excited to get back home to everyone and tell them more about my experience. Mom, Dad, KK, Kymberli, and Caralee- I miss you guys so so much! I know you are just miserable without me, right? J KK-THE ROOM BETTER BE CLEANED when I get home!! Haha. Adios and see you Tuesday! XOXO <3
Hola! It’s Cassi J. I don’t even know where to begin in talking about our trip. Our group is so much fun and it feels like we are at church camp again! It’s crazy how many amazing experiences I’ve had throughout this week. One incident really stuck out in my head and I would like to share that with you guys. It was Friday night and we went around the community of El Circulo in small groups. We would go to people’s houses and give them a goody bag that we made which consisted of a bible, a sermon tape, and candy and then invite them to church at El Circulo Sunday night. Sometimes that’s all we would do but other times, we would sit down and pray for the families. One of the most memorable and moving experiences of the trip came when Nicole, Ana (our translator) and I came up to this hair salon. Inside were about 10 women and so we talked to them to them and soon found out that most all of them were Christian. Before we were about to leave we asked them if there was anything we could pray for them about. One woman had a nephew in jail, one had a bad leg and knee, another had health problems and one of the ladies, Ramona, had cancer. So we all gathered in a circle, joined hands, and Nicole and I split up the requests and started praying aloud for these women. Ramona was one of the few I prayed for. After the prayers ended, I looked around to a room of women with tears falling down their faces. Ramona right away then asked if she could pray for us. In her prayer she said “Thank you God for these three beautiful angels.” Right then, I got choked up for the first time. My goal this trip was to make an impact on someone, someway, somehow. This was that moment. I totally felt like God had really used me for something. Just knowing that I had such an impact on someone who I had just met 10 minutes ago was so awesome. Anyways, I’m excited to get back home to everyone and tell them more about my experience. Mom, Dad, KK, Kymberli, and Caralee- I miss you guys so so much! I know you are just miserable without me, right? J KK-THE ROOM BETTER BE CLEANED when I get home!! Haha. Adios and see you Tuesday! XOXO <3
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Hey Buckweat!
Its torrie! ok so this trip is officially awesome, i absolutly love it in the Domincian. God is doing some really cool things here. So we went to Cotui, i absolutly adored the little kids, they followed me absolutly everywhere! They were so stoked to just play and have fun for a little while! There was this one little girl who was about five years old who followed me absolutly everywhere i went, she kept on giving me flowers and temporary tattoos. it made my week just to see someone so happy just to spend time with. yesterday we went to an Orphanage. And of course, i wanted to adopt all the little kids and take them home with me! i feel the same about all the animals here, they have no Animal Shelter, so all the poor animals roam the streets endlessly, searching for food and water. Its really sad becase i have whitnessed alot of cruelty and abuse towards these animals, [and you know how much i love them]. Give Taffy and MiMi/Foxy Cleopatra a big hug and kiss for me. I miss them more then you can imagine. [Baby Voice:] I love you grama, see you in a couple days!
ps. i am searching for a small flute for willy! hahaha
now he can play his flute as i walk away!
ps. i am searching for a small flute for willy! hahaha
now he can play his flute as i walk away!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
June 28
Hey, It's Tessa again. I brought the computer up for some girls to write but they were all asleep. That explains the kind of day we had today. Exhausting yet very powerful!
We started the day by getting up early and heading out to Cotui again to see the completed construction. The roof was done but there was still a bit more to add to the wall surrounding the (soon-to-be) playground. The whole group helped round up as many children as possible and headed to a field to play. A baseball game was started while others played with the younger kids. This also gave us another chance to decide if we could sponsor a child in the community to be enrolled at the Christian school. Again, it was very hard to leave this community for a lot of us as we have all given part of ourselves to them.
We headed back to our house (with a quick stop through Burger King for lunch) to get ready for the orphanage. Jeff, Sam and Carly headed to El Circulo for band practice as they will be playing/singing for part of worship tomorrow night. The rest of us went to an orphanage close to our house. We helped the children make braclets and color bible protectors. Leaving the orphanage, you could feel somewhat of a somber mood on the bus. A lot of us just want to rescue these children from their situations and give them everything we have. But it breaks our hearts knowing we can't.
We were back to the house getting ready for the evening and off we were again. We headed to a local park in the historic area of Santo Domingo. El Circulo was hosting a concert and were inviting the locals to attend. Hard rock music is very popular right now so a lot of us got our fair share of moshing. Quite funny that it was only with our group. I think most of the spectators were enjoying watching us flail around. Sam and I gave our testimonies during the concert. It was amazing for both of us but especially for me as this was somewhat of a fear for me. From the moment I got up there, God allowed the words to flow freely. It truly moved me. When the concert was finished, we had been informed that this is also a local hang out for the homosexual community. We were challenged to go with a translator and to talk with different people. Some great stories came out of it and many were invited to tomorrow nights service at El Circulo. We made it home and dragged ourselves through showers and dinner, and now I'm the last one up typing away.
We are all excited to sleep in tomorrow and it will be a more relaxed day. We'll make sure to have some more people blog tomorrow. Good night and we'll talk soon!!
We started the day by getting up early and heading out to Cotui again to see the completed construction. The roof was done but there was still a bit more to add to the wall surrounding the (soon-to-be) playground. The whole group helped round up as many children as possible and headed to a field to play. A baseball game was started while others played with the younger kids. This also gave us another chance to decide if we could sponsor a child in the community to be enrolled at the Christian school. Again, it was very hard to leave this community for a lot of us as we have all given part of ourselves to them.
We headed back to our house (with a quick stop through Burger King for lunch) to get ready for the orphanage. Jeff, Sam and Carly headed to El Circulo for band practice as they will be playing/singing for part of worship tomorrow night. The rest of us went to an orphanage close to our house. We helped the children make braclets and color bible protectors. Leaving the orphanage, you could feel somewhat of a somber mood on the bus. A lot of us just want to rescue these children from their situations and give them everything we have. But it breaks our hearts knowing we can't.
We were back to the house getting ready for the evening and off we were again. We headed to a local park in the historic area of Santo Domingo. El Circulo was hosting a concert and were inviting the locals to attend. Hard rock music is very popular right now so a lot of us got our fair share of moshing. Quite funny that it was only with our group. I think most of the spectators were enjoying watching us flail around. Sam and I gave our testimonies during the concert. It was amazing for both of us but especially for me as this was somewhat of a fear for me. From the moment I got up there, God allowed the words to flow freely. It truly moved me. When the concert was finished, we had been informed that this is also a local hang out for the homosexual community. We were challenged to go with a translator and to talk with different people. Some great stories came out of it and many were invited to tomorrow nights service at El Circulo. We made it home and dragged ourselves through showers and dinner, and now I'm the last one up typing away.
We are all excited to sleep in tomorrow and it will be a more relaxed day. We'll make sure to have some more people blog tomorrow. Good night and we'll talk soon!!
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Leprosy Center
Well hey there Big Mary here (...I'll explain later). Oh how this trip has opened the eyes of my heart. It truly has. We went to Cotui a couple days ago and i witnessed poverty at it's peak, yet..everyone is so appreciative for everything they receive. We did so much and the construction was intense to say the least. We knew it needed to be finished as quickly as possible because it benefited the education and future of the Cotui children. Mom, i want to adopt these kids. Picture an African-esk village with smiling faces and a tropical terrain. Check out Romans 1:20, my verse for the trip I'd say..Today we went to a Leprosy Colony, the only one in this country. I have to admit i was a bit taken back upon our arrival. I had no idea what to expect. Once we did our meet and greet i felt instantly comfortable and communicated to the best of my abilities with them. These people were abandoned, they were shunned, and most do not have families. My heart felt so heavy today and the little elderly guys called me their granddaughter and this made me weep. They are people just like everyone else, people who need affection, people who should be able to live where they want without feeling a social barrier. The stories i recorded i can not wait to share with you. Every situation has made me stronger, in faith, and mentally. My team is my family. I'm truly blessed to be living this life. Cant wait to see you all again. p.s. mom: you failed to pack the camera charger, it died the second day, along with my cd player :[... JALA, your cd's were awesome the 1st 2 days, thank you again. i cant find that moon here.. oh and another p.s. i am glad i did not bring my cellphone, it has been a breath of fresh air to say the least
Ciao,
Mary Crabill
Ciao,
Mary Crabill
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Back in Santo Domingo
Hey everyone!! its June 26 and everyone is doing pretty good!
Kaylee fell and hurt her ankle but is still truckin :) keep her in your prayers!
Hola! Es Lucy. ha my mind is in espanol when i should be speaking english.
Today was really chill, which was nice after a long 3 days in cotui.
Today we first went to Margara and visited a few people that were seen by a ROCKHARBOR group last year. The kids were so sweet!! A few wanted to play "slaps" and some other hand games. I made shapes and stuff with a little boy with rubberbands and our fingers, these kids are smart, and a few spoke pretty good english too!! After Margara we went to a hospital and did a few skits and songs with the kids, and prayed with all the parents and guardians that asked for prayer.
Quick amusing story: There was an elderly lady who was talking to Tessa and I and we kept trying to tell her "no hablas espanol" but she just kept talking! so we got one of our translaters to help us and she ended up talking about her nephew with pnemonia(spelling?) and how she read to him from a track everyday. She also told us the story of Noah's Ark...this story gets better..i promise.lol The translater we had needed to do something else so we got another one, miguel, and he was telling us more Noah's Ark and about random things, we were trying to leave for the bus and she wouldnt give any of us time to talk so miguel said, "Adios, God bless you!" she kissed us and said goodbye..then came back and talked more, knowing we didnt have a translator and didnt speak spanish. She left again and Miguel stopped her and wanted to pick on me so he said, "come talk to my friend, lucy!" so she talked up a storm about how she is learning to play the guitar and copies hymns from books and learns them. everyone was trying to leave and she started singing!!! it was so funny but very cute!
its so sad to see how desperate people are to talk, and how lonely they are. She didnt know us yet was so open and wanting someone,anyone to listen...but hey, thats why we are here, isnt it?
On the way home, i taught a guy from El Circulo some english, he is doing so good, its really funny to hear him say "mi name is erickson,how are you? i am goob" or "goobda" he is trying :)
After that we came home and chilled and decided to hit up the Dominican mall!
So we ate some chinese food(or in my case, a chocolate muffin..dont say it, mom, ive been doing good) and got all dressed up in tourist clothes and went to the mall to get Bon(amazing DR ice cream)
Now i am sitting on my bunk about to pass out, so goodbye until tomorrow.
thanks again for everyones prayers, God is good!!
I love you mommy, daddy, Ginka, Grandpa and especially Lilly(fart nugget)!!
In His name, Lucy Lima Bean(we also played a name game with food as the catagory.! lol)
Everyone is asleep now, i took too long, so this is it.
much love to all the family and friends! You are missed!!
Kaylee fell and hurt her ankle but is still truckin :) keep her in your prayers!
Hola! Es Lucy. ha my mind is in espanol when i should be speaking english.
Today was really chill, which was nice after a long 3 days in cotui.
Today we first went to Margara and visited a few people that were seen by a ROCKHARBOR group last year. The kids were so sweet!! A few wanted to play "slaps" and some other hand games. I made shapes and stuff with a little boy with rubberbands and our fingers, these kids are smart, and a few spoke pretty good english too!! After Margara we went to a hospital and did a few skits and songs with the kids, and prayed with all the parents and guardians that asked for prayer.
Quick amusing story: There was an elderly lady who was talking to Tessa and I and we kept trying to tell her "no hablas espanol" but she just kept talking! so we got one of our translaters to help us and she ended up talking about her nephew with pnemonia(spelling?) and how she read to him from a track everyday. She also told us the story of Noah's Ark...this story gets better..i promise.lol The translater we had needed to do something else so we got another one, miguel, and he was telling us more Noah's Ark and about random things, we were trying to leave for the bus and she wouldnt give any of us time to talk so miguel said, "Adios, God bless you!" she kissed us and said goodbye..then came back and talked more, knowing we didnt have a translator and didnt speak spanish. She left again and Miguel stopped her and wanted to pick on me so he said, "come talk to my friend, lucy!" so she talked up a storm about how she is learning to play the guitar and copies hymns from books and learns them. everyone was trying to leave and she started singing!!! it was so funny but very cute!
its so sad to see how desperate people are to talk, and how lonely they are. She didnt know us yet was so open and wanting someone,anyone to listen...but hey, thats why we are here, isnt it?
On the way home, i taught a guy from El Circulo some english, he is doing so good, its really funny to hear him say "mi name is erickson,how are you? i am goob" or "goobda" he is trying :)
After that we came home and chilled and decided to hit up the Dominican mall!
So we ate some chinese food(or in my case, a chocolate muffin..dont say it, mom, ive been doing good) and got all dressed up in tourist clothes and went to the mall to get Bon(amazing DR ice cream)
Now i am sitting on my bunk about to pass out, so goodbye until tomorrow.
thanks again for everyones prayers, God is good!!
I love you mommy, daddy, Ginka, Grandpa and especially Lilly(fart nugget)!!
In His name, Lucy Lima Bean(we also played a name game with food as the catagory.! lol)
Everyone is asleep now, i took too long, so this is it.
much love to all the family and friends! You are missed!!
June 26
Hey Guys its Jeff once again, this time I am going to write more than an introduction =). Today we started our day off by visiting Margara! For those of you that don't know, Last year we spent our entire week in Margara. It was really nice to go back and see our friends. The Community has made a really big step towards the future of their children. Last year when we were there they had only one school and it was for preschool aged children. Now they have a center for tutoring 3 times a week for all ages. It was really nice to see how much the city has changed. The streets were much cleaner and the children seemed extremely happy. Oh and as we climbed off the bus we were lucky enough to catch a cock fight, which is a big sport here in the Dominican. It was interesting cause I have never seen one before...No they didn't let them kill each other they stopped it when it got to fierce. But the coolest part of the visit was when we got to see Leona and Lupie. For those of you that don't know Lupie was cured of blindness and paralysis last year on the trip. I added the link to the Motion Magazine if you want to read her story. Unfortunately Lupie was sleeping and we did not get a chance to talk to her but Leona was out in the front of her house and was really excited when she saw Lynsey and me. We got a chance to talk to her about Lupie,and asked how she was doing. She said that Lupie is starting to fade in old age. Lupie is turning 88 soon and is starting to lose memory and is getting the flue very easily. It was such a blessing to see Leona and all our old friends from Margara. Both Lynsey and I had a real hard time leaving again because we love that city with all our hearts. It was awesome to see the center where they are tutoring the kids cause it was in the same house that we had our home base in last year. When you walk into the front room of the house there was a cork board with a small picture of last years team. When i saw that i had a hard time keeping myself from not cry (got to stay strong for my team!). All and all it was such an amazing morning. After that we came back to the house we are staying in and had Lunch. We also went to the Children's Hospital in the afternoon which was fun. We came back from that and the team got to go see the local Mall while i went into the city with Fausto, Fausto"s wife, and Jolene to run some errands. We had a great day today!
http://www.rockharbor.org/resources/motion/MOTION_August_web.pdf
P.S.- All the parents should be very proud of each and everyone of there kids!!!! I have never seen so many people work as hard as they have been working on this trip. They have been a total blessing to every one they have encountered. I am truly blessed to have such strong hearted team members. Thanks for your prayers we love you all.
Hey guys its Casey. Everyone is taking my words. God is working in amazing ways, as you can see from other's posts. Hopefully I'll write another night, but if I don't its because I'm having to much fun.
http://www.rockharbor.org/resources/motion/MOTION_August_web.pdf
P.S.- All the parents should be very proud of each and everyone of there kids!!!! I have never seen so many people work as hard as they have been working on this trip. They have been a total blessing to every one they have encountered. I am truly blessed to have such strong hearted team members. Thanks for your prayers we love you all.
Hey guys its Casey. Everyone is taking my words. God is working in amazing ways, as you can see from other's posts. Hopefully I'll write another night, but if I don't its because I'm having to much fun.
Our time spent in Cotui!
June 23
Hey Guys, its Jeff again. Today was an awesome day! We started our first day of construction in Cotui. We had an amazing day. All the team members worked very hard today. Sam, Jake, Tessa, Mary Pf, Anna, and Lynsey rocked it in the construction zone! Nicole G, Nikki S, Cassi, Mary C, and Casey were very funny in their skits, and Lucy, Victoria, Kaylee, Carissa, and Jeniece had a great time playing with all the kids! We also had a dental clinic going on as well and Jolene, Trish, Carly, and Carissa did a great job lending a helping hand. I am very proud of all the team members and the co-leaders. It was a great start to a great trip.
Hey everyone! It’s Nicole G. today was such an amazing day! Within ten minute of being in Cotui we were all running around with the kids or jumping in on the construction and dentist clinic. The people in the city are so nice and were so happy to see us. The kids loved every moment we spent running around and playing with them. They also loved taking pictures! They were asking to borrow our cameras so that they could take pictures of us and their friends. There was also a great turn out at the dentist clinic. So many kids and families were there to get their teeth cleaned. They were all so thankful that we were there to help.
Besides everyone being excited about the dentist clinic, they were also happy to hear that we are going to get a park started for the children and build a roof for the Christian school. The school is at the front of the little community which was cool to me because we couldn’t miss it. It is the only green building which makes it stand out.
Over all we had an amazing day! We had a few complications with electricity going out so we had to change locations to sleep. The good thing is that the Pastor of the church in Cotui let us use his house to shower and sleep. We are so thankful for that and will be staying here for the next two nights. We are so excited for what is coming in the rest of our journey in DR.
June 24
Hey Guys, Its Jeff again we had another great day in Cotui! Once again every team member worked extremely hard. I was very proud of them! We have bonded with the people of Cotui and will be sad to leave them tomorrow. We had a small set back due to the rain but we made it work! I hope you are all well back home!
Hello, It’s Trish. Today was rockin! We got to Cotui and everyone seemed stoked that we were back. We started right away. Playing with some loco kids and getting nice and muddy in the construction area. We got some unwanted rain, but it seemed to pass fairly quickly and we were able to pick back up. Our plan to go to church tonight changed when we realized all the work that still needed to be done on the playground wall and when we looked down at ourselves and noticed our ridiculously muddy bodies and clothes. We needed showers…badly. Good Times! The people are so welcoming and friendly towards all of us. The kids loved hanging out with the guys on our team. Tough, wonderful day. We’ll see ya all very soon. Keep praying, we love it and need it!
Hey it’s Kaylee, the Dominican has been awesome. The weather is actually pretty decent and working with the church has been an uplifting challenge. Things are going really good and SAFE (mom and dad). Thanks for the prayers and support, I can’t hear them but God can, and I’m really grateful with the way things are turning out. Oh and sorry about the communication mom, my phone has zero service in the whole country, seriously, otherwise I would text to let you know that things are all good. Love you guys, see you soon!
Hey it’s Lucy, at the moment I am sitting on the living room floor with moths, frogs, dogs, and beetles all over the place. All the members of El Circulo who came to help us in Cotui are playing the guitar and singing worship songs in Spanish, everyone is just full of happiness and you can totally see Jesus shine through them!! They are amazing people. When we got back to the village we’re doing work in, all the children I played with yesterday were saying “Lucy Lucy! Como estas??” a few of the older girls were trying to teach me Spanish and getting so frustrated...it was pretty funny. But I did learn how to say “I am learning Spanish and not very good” lol Mom, I know you’d be proud.lol I love you! Thanks to everyone who has us in their prayers(even “ya’ll” in texas)
Cant wait to see you all!!
June 25, 2008
Hey everyone! It’s Nikki Smith! Today, our last day in Cotui, was probably my favorite. We got so much done! I’m pretty sure we left the Dominicans astonished about how hard the Americans work (especially the girls!) God was completely faithful in giving us energy and strengthening us when we were tired and ready to finally put our shovels down. He was faithful in keeping us smiling through it all and teaching us that He is God wherever we go.
After digging the ditch around what will be the playground for the past two days, we finally began building the necessary wall. For a good portion of the day, we sifted dirt and poured water to make cement. It was hard work but definitely rewarding! I’ve been completely blessed, too, to see how God can work through us even through the language barrier. The kids are so receptive to any attention we give them and we are thrilled to be able to show them Christ’s love. As we play tag or “ring around the rosie” or sing songs in the street, the parents watch, too, noticing how we love on the kids. I just can’t help but see the Lord everywhere in the DR!! We also had the opportunity to do some street evangelism by going on house visits and listening to sharing with some of the people of the community. The Dominicans are so welcoming and eager to tell of their life experiences. One woman even shared of how Christ is already using her in this community of not many believers by hosting a small group bible study in her home! Anyway, after a hard day’s work, we got to take our first dip in a pool, and boy did we need it. Most of us were covered in mud and completely drenched in sweat haha. I’ve never seen so many sweat stains on one group of people.
Completely irrelevantly, I thought I would mention that the food is really good J. Don’t worry, Mom, I’ve been drinking plenty of clean water (we all have.) I feel like I could write a ton more about all God is doing through our team, but sleep is calling ;) I can’t wait to get home and tell you all the “God stories” I’ll have stored up, but for now, thanks to everyone for all your prayers. Continue to pray that the Lord would strengthen us in our weakness. Please pray that God would allow us to all to stay in good health and continue to serve Him wholeheartedly. Thanks again for all the support! God bless!!
Hey Guys, its Jeff again. Today was an awesome day! We started our first day of construction in Cotui. We had an amazing day. All the team members worked very hard today. Sam, Jake, Tessa, Mary Pf, Anna, and Lynsey rocked it in the construction zone! Nicole G, Nikki S, Cassi, Mary C, and Casey were very funny in their skits, and Lucy, Victoria, Kaylee, Carissa, and Jeniece had a great time playing with all the kids! We also had a dental clinic going on as well and Jolene, Trish, Carly, and Carissa did a great job lending a helping hand. I am very proud of all the team members and the co-leaders. It was a great start to a great trip.
Hey everyone! It’s Nicole G. today was such an amazing day! Within ten minute of being in Cotui we were all running around with the kids or jumping in on the construction and dentist clinic. The people in the city are so nice and were so happy to see us. The kids loved every moment we spent running around and playing with them. They also loved taking pictures! They were asking to borrow our cameras so that they could take pictures of us and their friends. There was also a great turn out at the dentist clinic. So many kids and families were there to get their teeth cleaned. They were all so thankful that we were there to help.
Besides everyone being excited about the dentist clinic, they were also happy to hear that we are going to get a park started for the children and build a roof for the Christian school. The school is at the front of the little community which was cool to me because we couldn’t miss it. It is the only green building which makes it stand out.
Over all we had an amazing day! We had a few complications with electricity going out so we had to change locations to sleep. The good thing is that the Pastor of the church in Cotui let us use his house to shower and sleep. We are so thankful for that and will be staying here for the next two nights. We are so excited for what is coming in the rest of our journey in DR.
June 24
Hey Guys, Its Jeff again we had another great day in Cotui! Once again every team member worked extremely hard. I was very proud of them! We have bonded with the people of Cotui and will be sad to leave them tomorrow. We had a small set back due to the rain but we made it work! I hope you are all well back home!
Hello, It’s Trish. Today was rockin! We got to Cotui and everyone seemed stoked that we were back. We started right away. Playing with some loco kids and getting nice and muddy in the construction area. We got some unwanted rain, but it seemed to pass fairly quickly and we were able to pick back up. Our plan to go to church tonight changed when we realized all the work that still needed to be done on the playground wall and when we looked down at ourselves and noticed our ridiculously muddy bodies and clothes. We needed showers…badly. Good Times! The people are so welcoming and friendly towards all of us. The kids loved hanging out with the guys on our team. Tough, wonderful day. We’ll see ya all very soon. Keep praying, we love it and need it!
Hey it’s Kaylee, the Dominican has been awesome. The weather is actually pretty decent and working with the church has been an uplifting challenge. Things are going really good and SAFE (mom and dad). Thanks for the prayers and support, I can’t hear them but God can, and I’m really grateful with the way things are turning out. Oh and sorry about the communication mom, my phone has zero service in the whole country, seriously, otherwise I would text to let you know that things are all good. Love you guys, see you soon!
Hey it’s Lucy, at the moment I am sitting on the living room floor with moths, frogs, dogs, and beetles all over the place. All the members of El Circulo who came to help us in Cotui are playing the guitar and singing worship songs in Spanish, everyone is just full of happiness and you can totally see Jesus shine through them!! They are amazing people. When we got back to the village we’re doing work in, all the children I played with yesterday were saying “Lucy Lucy! Como estas??” a few of the older girls were trying to teach me Spanish and getting so frustrated...it was pretty funny. But I did learn how to say “I am learning Spanish and not very good” lol Mom, I know you’d be proud.lol I love you! Thanks to everyone who has us in their prayers(even “ya’ll” in texas)
Cant wait to see you all!!
June 25, 2008
Hey everyone! It’s Nikki Smith! Today, our last day in Cotui, was probably my favorite. We got so much done! I’m pretty sure we left the Dominicans astonished about how hard the Americans work (especially the girls!) God was completely faithful in giving us energy and strengthening us when we were tired and ready to finally put our shovels down. He was faithful in keeping us smiling through it all and teaching us that He is God wherever we go.
After digging the ditch around what will be the playground for the past two days, we finally began building the necessary wall. For a good portion of the day, we sifted dirt and poured water to make cement. It was hard work but definitely rewarding! I’ve been completely blessed, too, to see how God can work through us even through the language barrier. The kids are so receptive to any attention we give them and we are thrilled to be able to show them Christ’s love. As we play tag or “ring around the rosie” or sing songs in the street, the parents watch, too, noticing how we love on the kids. I just can’t help but see the Lord everywhere in the DR!! We also had the opportunity to do some street evangelism by going on house visits and listening to sharing with some of the people of the community. The Dominicans are so welcoming and eager to tell of their life experiences. One woman even shared of how Christ is already using her in this community of not many believers by hosting a small group bible study in her home! Anyway, after a hard day’s work, we got to take our first dip in a pool, and boy did we need it. Most of us were covered in mud and completely drenched in sweat haha. I’ve never seen so many sweat stains on one group of people.
Completely irrelevantly, I thought I would mention that the food is really good J. Don’t worry, Mom, I’ve been drinking plenty of clean water (we all have.) I feel like I could write a ton more about all God is doing through our team, but sleep is calling ;) I can’t wait to get home and tell you all the “God stories” I’ll have stored up, but for now, thanks to everyone for all your prayers. Continue to pray that the Lord would strengthen us in our weakness. Please pray that God would allow us to all to stay in good health and continue to serve Him wholeheartedly. Thanks again for all the support! God bless!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
We Have Arrived
Hey everyone! Its Jeff,
We have made it! We spent our first full day in the Dominican today. Yesterday was a pretty crazy day of traveling. We all flew out together from LAX to Florida, than we had to split into two teams in Florida to the D.R. The first team got out just fine and arrived in the Dominican on time. However the Second team had many many lay overs in Florida. We were scheduled to fly out at 6:30pm and didn't not take off till around 11:45pm (Florida time). So the second group almost had 24 hours of traveling. The good news is we all made it and we are doing very well!
Hi everyone, it's Tessa. I am the first up to blog so I wanted to let everyone know how I am doing and what I have experienced thus far. Like Jeff said, traveling was crazy. I was on the second team so I got the full extent of the lay overs. We were first delayed for 2 hours which we though, 'ok, this is fine'. They finally boarded us around 8:45pm, but then a large thunder and lightning storm came through that kept us on the ground for another 3 hours. We were finally in the air at 11:45. Although on the plane we met this man who was interested in our trip as he was over hearing us talking about it. It turns out his mother, who was with him, is a pastor of a church here in Santo Domingo. They know the people of El Circulo church. It was great to have family in Christ with us. As we were being delayed, his mother actually went on the intercom and prayed. She then returned to her seat and began singing 'Hallelujah'. We joined in and maybe a minute later, the captain came on the speaker and told us we had the go ahead to take off. It was a wonderful way to see God work through a tough start. I am in absolute awe of the country here. It is beautiful in so many ways yet eye opening in so many other ways. It is truly showing me how much that we have even though at times we may think we have so little. This morning we had a great start, had breakfast as a team. We also had a debriefing of the things we will be doing throughout the week. The team packed into the churches van and took off for a tour of Santo Domingo. It was a great introduction to the city and we were able to see some spectacular sights. We headed back to the house for a quick nap and was awoken to an intense tropical storm. It rained so hard that the streets became rivers in a matter of 10 minutes. Lighting and thunder were clapping left and right. We were like kids in a candy store, our noses pressed to the windows with amazement. Once it stopped raining, we practially floated ourselves to lunch at a place that the team from last year fell in love with. I can't remember the name but it had amazing chicken. We stuffed ourselves but still had room to grab some ice cream from Bon. This evening we headed over to El Circulo for church service. We all experienced our first 'brown out'. As a team with El Circulo staff, we circled up and prayed that God would be with us and that we would be able to move forward with our service for the evening. Power did return and we had an amazing service. We were more guests of honor for tonight, the service was amazing. There was a guest speaker who is a journalist for a newspaper. He talked about how his job is challenging as being a Christian in a dark world. It was amazing hearing from someone who is in a controversial line of work and who is continually faced with judgements of being a Christian yet writing about the news and not letting emotions, opinions, or beliefs be an overpowering influence. But he did say that if you read his columns that he writes in a way that still mimics the life of Christ and is an inspiration to people. Fausto, who is the pastor of El Circulo, finished up the evening with a quick sermon about how we appear as Christians and being able to take our fire and passion of Christ outside of the church. It is our responsibility as Christians to inspire other people and to bring them to the church. He was also saying that a lot of times we get so caught up in what we can do for other Christians when our focus should be more about what we can do for other people. Giving our selves and not always looking at what we can gain. After church, we mingled with a lot of the people. I don't know much Spanish so it was a great opportunity for me to start picking some up. They always get together at the local McDonald's after church so as a team we headed down there to continue conversations with these amazing people, some of which have already volunteered to help us out with some construction we are doing in the next few days. We were finally finished for the evening and headed back here (to the house) to pack and get ready for the next few days. I'm not sure if they'll let me type again since I go on so long =) but we are all safe, healthy and having a great time!!!
Hey Guys its Jeff again. We will be taking off in the morning to go into Cotui and start our building project. Please pray for us for good weather and that God will work in many ways. We will most likely not have internet access during the next 3 days. So if we do not post anything dont worry we are fine we just dont have internet. God bless we love you.
We have made it! We spent our first full day in the Dominican today. Yesterday was a pretty crazy day of traveling. We all flew out together from LAX to Florida, than we had to split into two teams in Florida to the D.R. The first team got out just fine and arrived in the Dominican on time. However the Second team had many many lay overs in Florida. We were scheduled to fly out at 6:30pm and didn't not take off till around 11:45pm (Florida time). So the second group almost had 24 hours of traveling. The good news is we all made it and we are doing very well!
Hi everyone, it's Tessa. I am the first up to blog so I wanted to let everyone know how I am doing and what I have experienced thus far. Like Jeff said, traveling was crazy. I was on the second team so I got the full extent of the lay overs. We were first delayed for 2 hours which we though, 'ok, this is fine'. They finally boarded us around 8:45pm, but then a large thunder and lightning storm came through that kept us on the ground for another 3 hours. We were finally in the air at 11:45. Although on the plane we met this man who was interested in our trip as he was over hearing us talking about it. It turns out his mother, who was with him, is a pastor of a church here in Santo Domingo. They know the people of El Circulo church. It was great to have family in Christ with us. As we were being delayed, his mother actually went on the intercom and prayed. She then returned to her seat and began singing 'Hallelujah'. We joined in and maybe a minute later, the captain came on the speaker and told us we had the go ahead to take off. It was a wonderful way to see God work through a tough start. I am in absolute awe of the country here. It is beautiful in so many ways yet eye opening in so many other ways. It is truly showing me how much that we have even though at times we may think we have so little. This morning we had a great start, had breakfast as a team. We also had a debriefing of the things we will be doing throughout the week. The team packed into the churches van and took off for a tour of Santo Domingo. It was a great introduction to the city and we were able to see some spectacular sights. We headed back to the house for a quick nap and was awoken to an intense tropical storm. It rained so hard that the streets became rivers in a matter of 10 minutes. Lighting and thunder were clapping left and right. We were like kids in a candy store, our noses pressed to the windows with amazement. Once it stopped raining, we practially floated ourselves to lunch at a place that the team from last year fell in love with. I can't remember the name but it had amazing chicken. We stuffed ourselves but still had room to grab some ice cream from Bon. This evening we headed over to El Circulo for church service. We all experienced our first 'brown out'. As a team with El Circulo staff, we circled up and prayed that God would be with us and that we would be able to move forward with our service for the evening. Power did return and we had an amazing service. We were more guests of honor for tonight, the service was amazing. There was a guest speaker who is a journalist for a newspaper. He talked about how his job is challenging as being a Christian in a dark world. It was amazing hearing from someone who is in a controversial line of work and who is continually faced with judgements of being a Christian yet writing about the news and not letting emotions, opinions, or beliefs be an overpowering influence. But he did say that if you read his columns that he writes in a way that still mimics the life of Christ and is an inspiration to people. Fausto, who is the pastor of El Circulo, finished up the evening with a quick sermon about how we appear as Christians and being able to take our fire and passion of Christ outside of the church. It is our responsibility as Christians to inspire other people and to bring them to the church. He was also saying that a lot of times we get so caught up in what we can do for other Christians when our focus should be more about what we can do for other people. Giving our selves and not always looking at what we can gain. After church, we mingled with a lot of the people. I don't know much Spanish so it was a great opportunity for me to start picking some up. They always get together at the local McDonald's after church so as a team we headed down there to continue conversations with these amazing people, some of which have already volunteered to help us out with some construction we are doing in the next few days. We were finally finished for the evening and headed back here (to the house) to pack and get ready for the next few days. I'm not sure if they'll let me type again since I go on so long =) but we are all safe, healthy and having a great time!!!
Hey Guys its Jeff again. We will be taking off in the morning to go into Cotui and start our building project. Please pray for us for good weather and that God will work in many ways. We will most likely not have internet access during the next 3 days. So if we do not post anything dont worry we are fine we just dont have internet. God bless we love you.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Rock Harbor Dominican Team
Hey Everyone! My name is Jeff and I have been blessed along with Lynsey, and Jolene, to lead a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. We will be leaving June 21st and flying down to partner with El Circulo Church. We will be working on the renovation of a building for El Circulo, Street Evangelism, Evangelism at a University and a special activity for the kids with cancer and AIDS at the Children's Hospital.
God has put together an amazing group of people to participate in spreading his word on this trip. Through out the trip we will be writing our experiences from day to day. Each night a few of the trip members will be writing about their day, you will get to hear from:
Lucy, Casey, Carly, Nicole, Sam, Victoria, Tessa, Anna, Jeniece, Cassi, Trish, Emily, Mary C, Kaylee, Danielle, Nicole, Jacob, Mary P, Carrissa, Jeff, Lynsey and Jolene.
We look forward to Sharing what the Lord is going to be doing in the Dominican Republic.
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