Thursday in La Romana

Good evening followers.  We hope that all of our families and friends have had a great week.  We are closing in on our return but have had a great day today and look forward to another wonderful day tomorrow.  I am still having trouble with getting pictures to post but will keep trying to see if I can get a few on so that you can see us.  

Today on the construction site, the goal of finishing our pile of rocks and dirt from the hole was accomplished with 5 minutes to spare.  We also had a group working to clean up the third floor to make it ready for more work.  As with every day, the group on the site had lots of play time with the neighborhood children who were hanging around.

The VBS team went to a batey for the first time.  They only had about 30 or so kids but also had quite a few adults around wanting to take part as well.  So many stories of amazing encounters with the children and their families.

After our work today we toured the Good Samaritan Hospital and an orphanage.  David Gray got to spend some time with the staff of the hospital and enjoyed learning and connecting with them.  The younger children were having nap time when we were at the orphanage but our group got to play basketball with some of the older girls who were hanging around.  Others of us passed around a 6 month old baby.

Tonight's group time devotion was the rest of the story from John 9 as the man who was healed from his blindness was again questioned about it.  Hopefully this trip will change each of us in a way that is noticeable to others.

God sightings from today:

Marti saw God in the kids singing one of the VBS songs

Amelia saw God in the ability of the rock moving crew to finish the task

Meredith saw God in the pastor of the batey church who spoke to them so passionately

Rachel Porter saw God in a little girl who brought her a handful of cherries.  Even though she admitted to being hungry, she wanted Rachel to have them.

Jacob saw God in Max as they ate dinner together

Grace saw God in the group as we prayed this morning for the Fletcher family

Conner saw God in the picture that showed no more dirt in a pile

Wibby saw God in the teenagers of the batey who wanted to be involved in VBS

Abby saw God in the prayers being answered for the Fletchers

Peyton saw God in the group as they played basketball at the orphanage

Alli saw God in Wibby as she has been going out of her way to greet everyone that she sees

Max saw God in the people at VBS who were listening through the gates to see what was being said.

Abby saw God in the faces of children at VBS who had never seen a marker

Sarah saw God in the team encouraging her as she didn't feel well last night (she is doing fine now) and in Peyton who cut her beaded necklace off simply because a 3 month old baby was interested in playing with it.

Peyton saw God in the old lady who loved having her picture taken with her grandchild

Wibby saw God in the children who enjoyed learning to count in English

Alli saw God in Grace Tatro as she let the kids continue to climb all over her at VBS

Kris saw God in the young woman who was signing praise songs as she did her laundry and in the woman who was so happy to have her photo taken.

Amelia saw God in herself as she feels God calling her to be part of ministries like this for a longer term

David Short saw God in the conversations that have happened between the team members that are not possible in a normal week.

Adam saw God in the little kids on the construction sight who kept wanting to help just a little bit more.

God showed up in these and many other ways today.  We have found out that after going to the beach again tomorrow afternoon that the guys will be moving into a very nice hotel (Casa de Campo a 5 star resort).  The girls will remain in their current lodging but will spend time at the guys' new place.  Lots of things left to do and to experience but we are grateful for the ways that we have already experienced the presence of God here in this place.  It seems surreal that in just over 48 hours we will be landing in Cinci.  May God bless you all as richly as we have been blessed this week.

Goodnight again from Casa Pastoral in La Romana, Domincan Republic.

Day is done, gone the sun

Good evening from La Romana.  We have had an incredibly full day.  The construction team today continued the task of moving the dirt and rock from the sewer/water hole for the school as well as cleaning rubble out of the classrooms.  The hope is that tomorrow we will be able to complete the moving of the accumulated rock.  

The VBS team worked out of a school in one of the poorer areas of the city.  They had about 115 children that they worked with today.  So many amazing stories from that group will be mentioned in the God sightings below.  

Tonight during our team time our local coordinator shared about all of the other missions that are being done through the organization.  It is amazing how much they are trying to do in order to raise the standard of living of so many people.

We then looked at John 9 and the story of Jesus healing a man blind since birth.  It was hard for people around him to believe he was the same person after his encounter with Christ.  Our prayer is that as a result of our encounter with Christ this week, each person will be noticably different.

Here are our God encounters from today:

Ellie saw God today in Fernando who was her kid helper for the day on the construction site

Peyton saw God at VBS as a local boy who helped her police the trampoline on the playground.

Grace G saw God in Alli as she sang Amazing Grace for a group of children

Abby saw God in our interpretor Mike as he shared about Christ with a group of local children

Grace Tatro saw God in the kid who she was playing soccer with her and saved part of his juice to share with her

Amelia saw God in the compassion of the children toward our group

Alli saw God in Eric helping to keep her positive throughout the day

Ellie saw God in the two local girls who sat and constantly filled the water bottles for our team

Elizabeth saw God in herself as she knew that she could not have done what she did today without God

Callie saw God in the mother of the 3 month old who seemed relieved to have those present to help love on her baby

Todd saw God in our teams work ethic

Rachel Wright and Kris saw God in the woman who gave so much of herself to care for the children of the entire neighborhood and share a personal touch with each child who came.

Tim saw God as he visited a little boy who had surgery a few days ago.  As they walked in the mother had spent time mopping the floor for them.  The boy attempted to return the crayons once he had colored but the team insisted that he keep them.  Please pray for this boy.

So much seeing God today.  Tomorrow, for the first time on this trip, part of our group will be heading out to a batey, aka a sugar cane village.  I have been to one.  Pray that God will move the hearts of our group as they truly encounter a new level of poverty.  

Pray for the team to receive strength for the days ahead.  Many of us are very tired.  May we leave every bit of energy we have in the bateys and on the construction site.

Goodnight followers.  As we wake tomorrow, we will be about 60 hours from heading home.  It has been an amazing trip.  Thank you for following and for supporting our journey.  Until tomorrow

Day 2 of work

Good evening followers.  What a fun day.  Today our VBS team was dropped off at their site while the construction crew carried on to the school where we were working.  This morning both teams encountered some rain but that didnt dampen the spirits.  The construction team spent time moving rocks again as well as helped to raise and lowere supplies to the third floor of the building using a pulley system.  The VBS crew worked at another church today and got a chance to play with and love on lots of children.

At the beginning of our devotion time tonight we passed out the cards from our prayer partners in the Journey of Faith Sunday School Class.  We are so appreciative of the prayers being offered for us and we are praying for you as well.

Our devotion tonight was from Luke 16:19-31 and we talked about seeing those around us who are in need.  The end of our devotion was filled with about 30 minutes of sharing God sightings.  I will share as many as I can tonight but know that there are so many ways that our group s experiencing God.

Meredith saw God ina little boy who was caring for his 2 younger cousins.

Jawain saw God in the children who wanted to help on the construction site. 

Rachel Porter saw God in the elderly lady who came to VBS.

Peyton saw God after lunch when we had given away as many pb&j sandwiches as we could.  It was explained to them that before they could play with Wibby they had to wash up.  They then scrubbed and scrubbed with hand sanitizer wipes out of concern for her.

Marti saw God in one specific boy who constantly wanted to help.

Abby saw God in a girl who painted her and then made sure to get Abby water after being hot.

Alli saw God in the positive attitudes of Rachel Porter and Meredith on the VBS site.

Grace G saw God in older children caring for younger children during VBS.

Samantha saw God in a boy asking for help knowing English words.

Elliot saw God in the ladies from the church who helped with VBS today.

Elizabeth saw God in our group overcoming language barriers.

Grace T saw God in one of our interpreters who talked to her about choosing God daily

Rachel W saw God in the interpreter as she helped so much and brought the children in for VBS

Conner saw God in his little buddy of the day who brought him water instead of looking out for his own needs,

Ellie saw God as older kids helped to control the younger kids at VBS

Barrett saw God in a kid who had to work in the afternoon with his chickens but got up early to be at as much of the VBS as possible

Calie saw God in how the construction crew took care of each other

Mike saw God in Rachel Carroll as she helped an elderly lady with a craft

Kris saw God in the power of the local church.

Grace saw God in our interpreter coming back tonight to help some kids with their spanish.

Elizabeth saw God in the amazing amount of people who wanted to share so many God sightings

Sherry saw God in the construction crew willingly and without complaint getting back off the bus to complete one more task when asked.

Thank you to everyone who follows us.  It has been such a great trip and is almost halfway done.  Pray for rest and rejuvenation of the team.  Pray that we will continue to see God in so many ways each day.  Feel free to leave comments to be shared with the team.  Goodnight from La Romana.

Day 1 of work

Good evening followers.  Today has been full, hot and long.  Our group, as you know, is extraordinary.  The other group staying in the compound with us has caused some frustration but things are working out.  

The construction crew worked to help clean the third floor and also moved rock piles to fill in an area that will eventually be the school courtyard.  Everyone on the site worked extremely hard.  Rachel Porter and Sarah Wetherington were our champions at heavy rocks.  So many of the others worked hard without slowing down.  

The VBS crew battled language barriers but did a great job of connecting with the children.  One of the Dominican helpers even commented multiple times about how amazing our crew was doing.  The group has made notes about how to improve tomorrow and I am confident that they will be just as awesome as they were today.

God sihtings that were shared today:

Grace Tatro saw God in the men who were working tirelessly to dig through rocks for the sewer and water supply for the school

Amelia saw God in how the group worked together

Alli saw God Kris Tatros patience in leading VBS

Ellie saw God in how selfless the workers were

Rachel Porter saw God in the positiveness of the children

Peyton saw God in a young boy watching out for a baby who wasnt even his family (this baby made Peyton realize they really dont wear diapers.  Oops)

Callie saw God in the way that we are so similar to the children even with so many differences

Barrett saw God as the children engaged with the story of the Good Samaritan.

Elizabeth saw God in the Dominican women who took pride in using the few English phrases that they knew to communicate with us.

Kris saw God in everyone on the VBS crew stepping in to make a difference.

Adam saw God in Peyton.  Even though she got peed on, she worked tirelessly through the day, even sweeping the church by herself twice.

Abby and Conner saw God in children who tried to give them the crafts they had just made as a gift.

I see God in the tired eyes of our group tonight, who left it all on the site today.  What a great group we have and  what a blessing it is to be a part of it.

Pray for rest and rehydration tonight.  Eric had a brief episode due to heat.  He is doing better but please pray for him.  Lots of others are spent.  Pray that God will give us strength for tomorrow.

I almost forgot...our devotion tonight was from Luke 12:13-21.  We talked about being aware of where our treasures are being stored.  May we all store up our treasures in showing the love of God with others for the glory of God.

We have found room in the inn

Good evening followers.  Such a full day.  Here is a rundown of what we have done since our last blog post.  Our accommodations last night were tolerable, and by many standards wonderful.  The guys all stayed in one room and the girls stayed in 2.  No ac but several fans.  About 5:30 am the power went off which shut the fans off.  About 10 minutes later the roar of a generator was heard and the fans resumed their job.  Such a blessed roar.

This morning we went to Ebenezer Church beside the school we will be working on.  I was able to reconnect with the pastor after having been gone for 2 years.  We experienced Sunday school and an incredible worship.  Tim and Adam helped lead a song and ended with How Great Thou Art, which led to the song being sung in Spanish, Creole, and English at the same time.  God's love is a universal language.  Many of the pictures that were posted on the youth facebook page are from the church.

After church we were given information that we would not move to the hotel.  Instead we were to pack our bags and they would be moved to new rooms.  We went to a beautiful beach and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.  When we returned, our rooms were not ready so we ate dinner.  After dinner we saw dozens of people working to construct beds for our group.  Everyone is now in a permanent spot for the week.  All girls are together and the guys are in 3 spots at Casa Pastoral.  All rooms are air conditioned and bathrooms are much better.

Tonight's devotion was from Matthew 9:27-31.  We believe that God will show each of us what we need to see according to our faith.  

Many God sightings were shared tonight.  Here are some:

Peyton saw God in the church as we were able to communicate with children and others despite the language barrier.

Grace G saw God in the passion that was exhibited in worship.

Abby saw God as the music united everyone in worship.

Ellie saw God in the ladies who peeled potatoes for the entire group of folks staying here.

Conner saw God in the congregation across the street who have worshipped with passion for a long time.

Amelia saw God in the opportunity she had to teach a child how to give to the church and to God through an offering.

Elizabeth saw God in how each one of our team experienced God in new and different ways.

Todd saw God in the power of the congregation that prayed protection and Gods presence over our team in worship this morning.

There were many more God sightings shared but there is no time for typing them all.  Today has been amazing.  Tomorrow we go to work.  The VBS team will work inside the church where we worshipped today as the construction team works outside at the school.  Check the youth facebook page for pictures.  Feel free to share your comments for the team.  Tomorrow is Thomas' birthday so pray that it is a special day for him.

Goodnight from Casa Pastoral in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Night one and road bumps

Good evening followers.  Today has been extremely tiring and long.  We are on our fourth housing option for the night.  We are being extremely flexible.  Tonight we are staying at the church across the street from the Casa Pastoral.  Tomorrow we will move to the hotel, hopefully.  Rooming is not ideal but we will make it work.  We will be turning in for the night soon.  Everyone on our team has been great today.

Each night we will share how we have seen God.  I will share some of the groups thoughts that they share during devotions.  Tonights focus is Mark 8:22-26.  Our prayer is that God will help us see people as God does even though it may take a while to see clearly.

Tonights how did I see God today:

Alli - saw God in the airport workers at an early hour

Eric - saw God in those helping us make our living arrangements for tonight liveable.

Thomas - saw God in interactions with others

Elizabeth - saw God as she attempted to communicate with Spanish speakers

Abby - saw God in there always being a solution to the problems we faced

Kris - saw God in the groups willingness to be flexible

That is all for tonight.  Pray for us as we rest and as we worship tomorrow in an unfamiliar language but offer our praise to our loving God.  Family and friends we are praying for you as well.

Goodnight.

Commissioned and Pre-trip thoughts

Last night most of our team gathered alongside friends, family, and church members to offer the trip and ourselves to God.  It was such a blessing for those going on the trip to be prayed over in a special way.  We will carry the names of those who have committed to pray for us.  Thank you to everyone who has offered prayers, kind words, and any type of support for this team.  Please share our blog with others so that you can follow our journey.  Each night as we gather for devotion we will read the comments left on this blog so please feel free to offer your words for us.

As I write this it is 29 hours until we leave.  Our prayer for this trip is that God will open our eyes to see people as God sees people.  Our best efforts can only succeed if we love each child and each person in the way that Christ loves.  May our trip be more than simply a work trip.  May we know Christ more fully through our efforts and may others know more fully the love of God through us.

Pray for our nervous team members.  Some have never flown. Some have never been out of the country.  Some are picky eaters.  Some need alone time to function.  Some need more sleep than they will have the opportunity to get.  May God give us what we need for these days.

Pray for our nervous families who stay behind.  Parents, spouses, siblings, and children will sacrifice for the week.  May they know that God's presence is with them while loved ones are away.

Pray for those we will meet both on the construction site and in the villages where VBS is being held.  

Thank you for following our journey and we ask for your prayers as we go.

Preparation

June 25 at 3:00 a.m. our mission team will depart for the Dominican Republic.  We are in the midst of preparation mode and getting more excited by the day.  Our team is 36 strong, including 11 adults, 3 college students, and 22 youth.  We will be working on a school in La Romana and leading VBS activities in the bateys (sugar cane villages) around the countryside.  As the students and adults prepare for a week of serving, please be in prayer for the them.  Pray that God will open their eyes to see people as Jesus sees them.  Pray for the safety of the team.  Pray that the work will be helpful to the community.  We have a commissioning service on Wednesday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall.  Please join us as we commit ourselves and our trip to God.  Follow the blog so that you will be able to see updates from the team as we go about our journey.