We have become good friends in a very short time with 9yo Angel and his family. They live in the house next door to the one we built. Angel and I had hit it off immediately with playing ball and reading from my spanglish book together on Sunday. On Monday, he introduced me to the rest of his family...mother, Suen, father, Manuel, and big brother, Gilberto. This was a letter Angel gave to me on Tuesday:

"Dear and distinguished Debora,

For me it is a privilege and at the same time an honor to speak to you. To be able to talk about the most important thing, that is God. Because He can help in our bad situation. I know that all things are possible for those who believe in God. I want you to return again some day to our country. My mother thanks you for being friendly with me.

Att. Angel"

It touched my heart to think about this little guy sitting up the night before writing this letter. I immediately wrote him back and gave him a letter the next day.  When I went to see them, Suen gave me a long hug.  I think it was a hug that only two mothers could share. Even though we couldn't communicate in words, I know what was in her heart.....she wants so badly for a better life for her family....she wants someone to understand how hard it is for all of them.

For the rest of the week, I exchanged letters with Angel, Gilberto, and their aunt Eva, whom I also seemed to connect with in a special way. On Thursday, I gave them a bag of clothes that I had brought from home in hopes of God showing me exactly who I needed to give them to. It was no surprise that He brought their family into my path. I had boys clothes and a couple dresses and tops for a woman.

One of the hardest parts about leaving the DR was knowing how difficult it would be to continue to keep in touch. There are no addresses in the barrio. As far as I can tell, no one has postal service in the barrio. Most resorted to cell phones, since there were also no land lines there.

Angel's family asked us to call them when we got back to the states. So, on Sunday night, a week after returning home, I called and spoke to Gilberto and Angel. Suen and I just giggled through tears of joy since we couldn't really communicate past hi, how are you?. Since then, Gilberto has called us twice more on Sunday evenings. He is Angel's much older brother, probably in his mid-20's. He teaches history at the school and speaks very good english. I could tell from visiting there home and seeing every diploma on the wall from grade school on up for both Gilberto and Angel, they take working hard for a better life very seriously. I was impressed to know they were actively seeking solutions to help the people in their community as well. In one conversation, Gilberto told me that when he wasn't working, he "liked to go help people who were less fortunate then them." It was simply amazing to me to see where they lived.....and even moreso to witness their true faith in God and desire to do His will. Something Gilberto would often say was "if God wills it", when he spoke. It was always a reminder to me that I need to be seeking God's will more then anything....no matter what the cost.

Great news for Gilberto and his family....Gilberto met with Victor (the pastor at our church there). He is now visiting people in the community with Victor and Amable to share the Gospel. He was so excited, he couldn't wait another month to share the good news. He called us last Sunday night to let us know. He "asks for our many prayers as he knows he needs God's strength and words to encourage the people."

I praise God for the ripples of blessings He continues to display!

 Deborah

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.    Psalm 57:9-10

We had along with us a dentist (Dave) and a dermatologist (Denise). Together, their mission was to connect to the community and lead people to the church. So on Monday, they had set up a clinic to serve the police and family members who wanted to talk to a doctor or get their teeth checked. Dave mainly check for serious concerns, cavities, possible needs for extractions, etc. (pictures in DR Getting Things Started Montage). Denise also did some screening. From there, they set up appointments for Tuesday through Friday to see them at the clinic set up at the church/community center.

I helped Micki organize and prepare lunch for the team on Monday. Our guides for the day were Rick and Suzanne, the missionaries. We ended up spending a couple of hours at the police station mainly observing and waiting to meet up with some others before we could move on. Everyone was very nice and friendly. Although it was very different to be around policemen armed with rifles all the time.

We were stopped at the front door by one and it really gave me the heebee-geebee's! Rick hardly paid any attention to them, walked up talking on his cell phone while the guard was standing there waiting. Ha!! Then, when he was finished talking on the phone, he walked right up the steps and into the door!! Micki and I looked at eachother, looked at the guard, and said we're with him!?!?  Surprisingly, he just laughed and waved us by. (Apparently, they knew who we were anyway!!)

Tuesday was the only day I ended up working at the clinic. I was there all day with Dave, Linda, Lynn and Wendy. Linda, Lynn and I were the assistants and Wendy was the interpreter. Actually, I don't think I contributed much...maybe some moral support...and I helped Lynn a few times to get the tools set up for the next patient. But they by far, had a pretty good system going already =] I'm sure I was funny to watch though.

It was amazing to see how a dentist works...in a whole new perspective. I've never actually seen teeth being pulled and cavities filled before. I even got to hold a hand for one sweet little gal who was a little nervous.  What we did learn was that alot of Dominican's drink pop (probably because the water is so bad, I guess). So as a result, I think everyone that came in, adult and children, had atleast two cavities. By the end of the week, I think Dave saw over 30 patients, did somewhere in the ballpark of 50some fillings, and extracted over a dozen teeth. I was thoroughly impressed with the teamwork between he, Linda and Lynn...and especially his willing heart to work straight through, seeing as many as he could, hardly ever taking a break, and always giving each person his personal encouragement and feedback.

During the week, many people came from the police station -- police officers and their family, people from the church, and people who just walked in off the street. Some told nightmarish stories of the kind of dental and medical services they'd  received there in the Dominican. If I'd been any one of them, I don't think I'd be too crazy about seeing a dentist at all. But, they came. And they swallowed their fears, and had the work done that needed to be done. They were all so grateful. And it was such a huge blessing to know that a substantial impact was made in their lives. We praised God for each new opportunity to let His light shine.

Denise, our doctor/dermotologist, was one of our "veteran" short-termers; this being her 6th trip to the DR. I really enjoyed and was touched to hear how God had worked in her life and led her to a place to want to go and reach out to the world with her God-given talents and abilities. Her genuine heart for the people, constant smile, and positive, uplifting attitude towards everyone she came into contact with, I know made an impact and helped strongly to fulfill our mission there. It was a real joy to hear her wise tips for relating and communicating with the locals. And I was impressed with how efficient she was with her personal mission for reaching the people. She'd learned through experience that she need not buy a thing before she got there. It didn't prepare her anymore then if she had not.

I think she made a trip to the pharmacy almost everyday. She would see her patients. Diagnose them. Let them know her prescribed plan for aiding them. And ask them to return the next day for the medication they would need. A well oiled machine, she was!! I got such joy from watching her work the couple of times I did. She was a wonderful blessing.

Well, more to come this week on the trip. And I will be starting new pictures by Tuesday, keeping the present montage link available to go back to. I pray you are enjoying!

Have a Wonderfully Wintery Week!!

~ Deborah D

If you didn't get a chance to see the DR Day of Arrival montage, click on the link below to check it out...

DR Day of Arrival

Sunday began with much excitement and anticipation. The entire team spent some time in the morning listening to teaching time from our pastor, followed by some time to share and pray. We headed over to the building site to get our first look, see how the foundation looked, pray, and meet some of the neighbors. It was very exciting!  Did I say that??

About ten of the guys (the real builder dude's) made some measurements and comparisons to the "blue prints", and built up a few lines of block on the corners. They were all so gung-ho about getting started....I was amazed at how much they accomplished in just a few short hours.

The neighbor's (especially the children) came out of the woodwork in no time at all. Although I resolved from the get-go to do whatever the Lord had me assigned to do, I realized almost immediately, that my heart was drawn to meeting and getting to know the neighborhood. I made sure to take my "spanglish" book with me everywhere I went so I could try to communicate something to someone if at all possible. The children were so proud and eager to try their limited english out on "real Americans", I felt like I was right at their level with my spanish...we made a good match. 

One of the first phrases I learned was Dios de Bendigo....God bless you. To which almost everyone answers Amen. It's like an affirmation or agreement to your blessing. The other couple new phrases I learned were Lo sientos...I'm sorry!....and Mas despacio, por favor....slow down please!! lolol The people were so patient and kind....and so eager to communicate with us. Ofcourse, like I mentioned in my last entry, playing games was a universal language for all ages. When the balls came out, a ton of kids would come running....and sometimes, a few grown-ups too. I guess we made it look so fun!!

On Sunday night, we were invited to attend the church service in LaRomana...Comunidad Cuerpo de Cristo del Este....Community of the Body of Christ. I had never experienced anything like it. It was so enveloped with the power of the Spirit. Young adults (probably 13-25yo) led the worship. I really didn't know exactly what we were singing, but by golly, it sounded good!! They had the words up on a screen. Occasionally, I could figure out a few words. I'd try to kick it in on the choruses, without sounding too off key.

About half-way through the 2 hour service, about a dozen of the children came up one at a time and introduced themselves telling their names, ages, and some had verses memorized...all in english. You could tell it was something very special that they had prepared just for us. One little girl about 7yo came up and recited the twenty-third Psalm. Is was amazing!! Then, they all gathered on the stage and sang a beautiful song.

At another point in the service, everyone sitting in the congregation started a train around the whole auditorium and sang and cha-cha'd all the way around. That was definitely a first for most of us. And fun, fun, fun!! The pastor shared his message on passion for reaching out to the community. And our pastor had a short time to share and give an invitation to the church members to meet us out at the house during the week.

A few comments on some of the pictures...the first couple you can get a pretty good look at Amable's family's old residence in the background. You just can't imagine how most of this neighborhood lived like this. But, they do. And still, they were some of the most gracious and generous people I think I've ever met.

Some of the children I met...Bethsaida (tall girl, hardly cracked a smile all week, but quietly hung out with me alot during the week....I wanted so much to know more about her), Manuel, Katherine, Ashley, Pedro, Jonathon, Juan, and Christina.

There were two families that I grew closer to each day...Pedro's family across the street (which I honored his wish to have no pictures taken of his house and family), and Manuel's family (next door neighbor's to Amable). Pedro had a wife and four children. Manuel was married to Suen. Together they had Gilberto and Angel. I have several stories to share about these friendships that I'll wait to give later.

All in all, what a weekend! And a wonderful start to a life-changing week for all of us.

More to come soon,

Deborah

This is a picture of Amable's Family (Pronounced U-mo-blay). This is the family that we built the house for. They are members of the church we support in LaRomana. They were chosen by the elders of their church because Amable is a single dad. In DR, that's not a typical scenario. If the family doesn't stay together, it's usually the father's that tend to leave. But in this case, the mother was the one who moved out. I guess she lives close by in the same neighborhood.

Amable works for a sugar cane farm. He's a very hard working, Christian man, raising his three girls on his own, with Christian values. From left to right: Paula (pro. Pow-oo-la), the oldest daughter is 15 yrs old...Nirobi (like the country), the middle daughter is 12 yrs old...myself...Rachel (pro. like Rachel Welsh), the youngest daughter is 7 yrs old with much of the same happy-go-lucky attitude that my own 7yo has ,

Amable, and Stephanie.

Stephanie is our pastor's daughter who lives in Santa Domingo with her husband Mark. They moved there as missionaries sponsored by Willow Creek last March. It was wonderful to work and visit with her all week. She speaks nearly fluent spanish, and I'm sure she got tired of people calling "Estanfani!!" for translation every 5 minutes (although she never showed it ). It was neat to work with her because she was in high school  when Bruce and I were small group leaders for the HS ministry at church. It's amazing to see how God has worked in her life and how He's using her now to further the Kingdom.

All three girls, came out smiling everyday, eager to give hugs to all of us, work and be good hostesses. I can still see the images of barefoot Nirobi and Rachel waiting around with thick rubber-dipped gloves on their hands to mix concrete (spanish: mecla) or bring another 30 pound block back to the guys. They would show up out of the blue with cups of water for you. And at the first sign of a ball, they were ready to take you to the street to play. Being the soccer player I am, naturally I couldn't wait to kick around a ball with them. But most of the time, they loved to play a game where you stand in a circle and simply keep the ball up in the air (like volleyball). I think you were supposed to be out if you let it touch the ground, although they never asked me to step back.

Paula was a little shy at first, but by the end of the week, she was in full bloom, laughing and cuttin'up. I noticed what a "mother hen" she was with her younger sisters. I was impressed with how much she took them under her wing, played with them, did their hair, even corrected them at times.....and they listened! Everyday, she would come out with a little china coffee pot and a cup of coffee for you (actually, it was more like a little 1/8 of a cup...). Believe me, each shot was guaranteed to carry you through to the end of the day!! If it weren't for all the sugar, I'm not sure I could've drank it. There no telling how many of us drank out of the same cup that week!! Ha!!

Rachel was your regular 7 year old....energic, kooky, smiley, and mischievous. Each day we played in the street together. I could tell how proud she was to be able to ask the other kids to play with us. Although I have a feeling she was normally labeled "too small" to play the ball game, I was able to talk the kids into including everyone, matter what size they were....and they loved it. By the end of the week,

there was never even a question about it.

Another favorite game we played alot was STOP!.

It was a little like Hot Potato. All the kids would stand in a circle, with one in the middle. As the kid in the middle covered their eyes and counted silently to 20, the other kids would pass the ball around really fast. At 20, the mid-kid would yell STOP! Whoever was left holding the ball would be the next in the middle.

Nirobi was more of the shy sort. She met me every day with a hug and a smile. And we would just stand there and enjoy eachothers company. I was really impressed with how much Amable encouraged his children to get involved with the job and work where they could. On the last day, Nirobi was so excited to be sweeping out the concrete floor of their future bedroom. She painted the tresses, moved block, mixed concrete, fetched water for mixing, fetched water to drink, swept, served lunch, and played alot. At church on Sunday, she and Rachel were the first ones to come meet me. Okay, I'm going to cry....I miss them already!  

Stay tuned for more!!

May God Bless Your Day,

Deborah

Journal Entry ~ Saturday Evening, November 4th ~

     It's been a long day that started at 4am. We had to be at the airport at 5:30....departed at 7:30....switched planes in Atlanta with a 1 1/2 hour layover....and arrived in Punta Cana at 2:15pm.

     Like a herd of sheep, we picked up our bags, met out by the curb, and then crossed the parking lot to wait about 20 minutes for some of the church members and missionaries to meet us with transportation....all 24 of us, 40 suitcases, and 20 carry-ons. It had to have been a sight for the locals!!

     Upon their arrival, we piled our luggage into the back of a truck and boarded a medium sized city bus. First stop: the future site (hopefully) for the next church plant. We took a few moments to ponder the opportunities and prayed over the land. I was reminded of the land that God promised to Abram the first time he visited it. It brought a smile to my face as I considered the endless possibilities of spreading the Good News right there within blocks of our circle. God is so BIG....anything is possible!

     After a very "educational" 2 hour bus ride to LaRomana, we checked in to our hotel and spent the evening chatting up a storm with excitement, sipping coffee, and soaking in the beauty of our surroundings. Bruce was right....so far I've learned that the landscape is sadly poor and distraught in many places, and surpriseingly beautiful in others. This hotel is amazing! I can't believe we've come on a mission trip and we get to stay in the comfort of this! Randy said that he's felt after a while of leading these trips, that it's important to work hard while we're here, but to also have a shower, bed and air conditioning to enjoy after a long day in the heat.

     The people we've met so far (Victor, the church pastor here, and his wife, Uderme...some of the church members...Rick and Suzanne, the missionaries....and all the hotel staff) all seem warm, friendly, and glad that we're here. I'm so thankful to be here and pray for God's huge blessings and wonders to cover our week together. I also pray for each of our hosts and their families.

     This evening after dinner, Victor and Uderme both told their stories. I was especially moved by Uderme's. She shared that 17 of her family members gave their hearts to the Lord two weeks ago. Imagine!! I've prayed for several of my family members for 16 years myself. Maybe one day, they too will desire to have a personal relationship with Christ. I've learned that it's true...all things are possible with Him abiding in our hearts. Amen.

Because Punta Cana is home to the largest airport on the island, the tourist resorts in the area are developing at a rapid rate. People from all over the island are moving there for work. The area that we've considered to be the best place to build a new church is located right in the middle of the 900 unit apartment complex, where workers and their families will eventually live. I couldn't help but notice how hard they work at welcoming  the tourists. From the moment we got off the plane, we were serenaded with live native music, a kodak moment with two beautiful girls dressed in colorful costumes, a fairly quick entry through customs, and lots of people wanting to help you with your bags (for a small price). With a group this large, we couldn't help but be noticed. And all of us perfected our "hola's" and "no gracias's" within minutes.

When we finally got on the road to LaRomana, it didn't take long to realize that we'd left the city, and the comfort of the tourist nest. Driving from Point A to Point B in itself was CRAZY!! People tend to drive on both sides of the road until the last minute when oncoming traffic meets you. Vehicles appear to have a silent "ranking system" that goes like the bigger you are, the more power over the road you have.  Tourist buses are the top dog's, then medium city buses, small buses, trucks (usually loaded with a dozen people), mini-vans (who drive everywhere with their sliding doors wide open), cars, and lastly, motorcycles and motorscooters. The light might be red, but if no one's coming then you go across (even saw a few police do this too). It wasn't atypical to see anywhere from two to five people riding on one motorcycle. It was WACKY....unlike anything I've ever experienced on any road. It was unbelievable that we didn't see any accidents (although we heard that they do happen).

Okay, I'm going to give you a break for now  Be sure to check out the first round of pictures. And enjoy!

Blessings to You Today!

 Deborah

He who goes to the poor will lack nothing.

Proverbs 28:27

Thank you everyone for all of your prayers for our trip! And thank you especially for all of your eagerness to hear of how the trip went. Both of us have been talking non-stop about it in between "getting things done" here at home. It didn't take long to have to jump right in to the regular schedule....the kids and I had a fieldtrip first thing Monday morning, and Bruce is finishing up a side job in the evenings this week. It will take a while to process all of the experiences we've had, as well as all of the things that need (and probably won't) change around here in our own country. We have an even deeper sense now of how blessed we are as a nation, but how much we take for granted every single day.

There is so much to tell about from cultural differences, food, people, and faith, to many one-on-one encounters with new friends. I've decided that it will be impossible to tell everyone about everything in ONE sitting!! I'm going to have to space it out....I will make my first installment today in "Dominican Memories" and will probably continue on with little bits until I run out of things to say.  I pray that you won't get tired of hearing about it for a while!! I also have SO many pictures to share that I will post in chronological order, a small bunch at a time. Does that sound good?

In the big picture, the good news is that we were able to finish the house to the point that all the local contractors have been able to come in this week and do their jobs. It's a very small three room house with a family room/kitchen, a bedroom for the father, a bedroom for the three girls, and one small bathroom. All the block was laid and the roof was on and filled in where needed when we left.

Yesterday we received an email from the missionary there that said that the stucko crew has finished the outside of the house and will be working on the inside this week. The electrician has been in to hook up and make outlets. And, the plumber has the water running (they have never had either of those). I think next week they will paint the inside and outside. Believe me when I say, that you will be amazed to see how far we came in one week and how much this family has NOW compared to how VERY little they had before. It's hard to imagine that they will now "rent out" the little shack that they lived in before....someone else will live in the same conditions that they've been living in for years...and there are so many more who continue to "make it" like that day-to-day.

Have a great week Friends!

More to come soon,

Deborah