Thursday

I would like to spend some time today opening your eyes to the healthcare needs in the Dominican Republic. Rachel and Joan spent the day trying to help meet some of those needs. The day started out with giving antiparasite medicine to the entire school of children at Palo Blanco. The children so regularly drink water that can give them a variety parasites which cause stomach pain, diarrhea, and further compromise their already poor nutrition status. Each child in every grade level was given a pill that they had to chew which by the looks on their faces didn’t taste very good. This is ideally done every few months.

Next Rachel and Joan accompanied Leslie and Christina (the missionary doctor and nurse) on some home visits. A young girl, Rosalina (19 years old), who grew up in the Palo Blanco program had been in a bad motorcycle accident about five months ago. She suffered a broken shoulder, a compound break of her right leg, and an internal brain bleed. Sadly her boyfriend was killed in the accident. She had surgery on her leg and was sent home to her small home to recover. The instructions for follow-up care and surgical site care were written and given to her mom. The problem is that her mom does not know how to read. They missed three follow-up appointments and did not change her dressings a single time. By the time Christina was asked to come assess her, her surgical site had completely opened up, the metal plates that were put in her leg were exposed, and the leg was severely infected. Christina decided that Rosalina needed immediate medical attention. This was however severely complicated by the fact that that path to her car was so narrow and rocky that a car could not drive immediately up to her house. It was also pouring rain so the path to her home and turned into a river – muddy and slick with running water and no lights. Many of the men in the community worked together to carry Rosalina up the path to Christina’s car while Christina held an umbrella over her to try to protect her wound and prayed that the men would not slip and drop her. Rosalina was successfully taken to an orthopedic doctor who treated her as best she could (for free!) but admitted that Rosalina needed more care than he could provide. Rosalina was accepted by Cure, a nonprofit medical group, who ended up performing the needed surgery and saving her leg. There are so many other pieces to this story that are such clear interventions by God that it is too difficult to share here. It is miraculous that Rosalina survived and still has her leg. During our home visit was assessed her, changed her bandages and prayed with her. Rosalina voiced that she knows God allows people to go through difficult things some times and she knows that this may bring her closer to him. She admits that she is not emotionally recovered from the accident and the loss of her boyfriend and still struggles a lot. Rosalina is planning to try to start taking university classes in the next few months. This was already delayed due to the accident. She is experiencing double vision all of the time which will obviously will make reading in school difficult. We ask for prayers for her mental and physical healing, her family, and her education.

More time was spent that day updating the medical records of students, organizing medications, and going on another home visit.

I’m going to end this blog now because I’m out of time to write! More later! Enjoy a few pictures in the meantime!

 

Wednesday

How is it already Wednesday? It’s amazing how many months we spent planning for this week, how much thought went into each  item we packed, and how much time we have spent imagining what our time would be like – and now we are already more than halfway through the trip. Now that Denise has spent a few days of quality time with her sponsored girls, Kimberley and Keidy (pronounced Katie), she voiced “Now I know why you guys keep coming back!”. The truth is the work here is hard work – often harder than at home. For example, in the U.S. a load of concrete blocks would be delivered by a skid loader or truck and set exactly where it is going to be used. In the Dominican Republic blocks are moved by hand one or two at a time which adds significant time to the project. A simple square, block building will often take 2-3 years to build. The work here is often mundane. There truly is nothing special about flying to another country to spend our time hand-making paper books that allow young students to practice writing letters. What is special are the relationships that we form. It is amazing how in a matter of just a few days bonds are formed with the children we sponsor. That picture hanging on our fridge will never be just a picture again. It is a face we have kissed. It is a hand we have held. It is a heart that is melded to ours.

We got to go on some home visits in Palo Blanco. A group of us got to see the FanFan family’s new home. This is a family that has become very special to many of us who have traveled here multiple times. There are five children ranging from 3 to 13 years old. Macson , the oldest boy, is poised, a polite, and cares for his younger siblings without complaint. The next oldest, Rossy (Rosie), is sponsored by the Grossman family. She and Macson help with the cooking in a kitchen equipped with only a coal fire. This home visit warmed our heart because what we saw was a major improvement in living conditions from where they had been previously. The family just got electricity a few weeks ago and were proud to show off their lights. We pray that they will be able to stay in this home as mom has no income at this time and is relying on family members to pay her bills. She is looking for work but has found none at this time. We ask for prayers for steady employment for her and good health and safety for the family.

Cheyenne and Silas giving the FanFan family their gifts.

 

We got to enjoy dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in town – Columbianos. We enjoyed the company of Tami Griffin and her three precious kiddos, Jan (the missionary from Palo Blanco), and of course Karen Green. When we got back to the team house we had some time to relax and unwind and enjoy being serenaded with the guitar by Luke.

Tuesday

2/7/17

When you are here in the DR, you are welcomed as family.  Though the work continues, our second day at Palo Blanco would prove to be just that – family.  Just as we set aside time at CCW to make sure we invest in relationships, so we echo it when we work with Kids Alive.  So, let’s get down to the business of how the day unfolded and give you some great stories and examples of the family atmosphere that occurred.

The day began good and early as usual.  The team, minus Rachel and Joan who would serve medical needs at the Ark, headed off for a full day at Palo Blanco.  However, we were met there by the already arrived Chris Russell and Neil Boston who took off early to help lead worship and devotion for the staff at the school.  Thus, example numero uno of the day of service as a family.  According to Neil, helping lead the worship was an amazing uplifting experience to start his morning.  He will get the chance to start that way again tomorrow, but will pass the guitar off to Luke who will join Chris for Thursday and Friday’s devotions.

                                              Neil working on his art project at Palo Blanco.

 

A great second example of the family based concept today was the time spent by several team members on the playground with the kids at Palo Blanco.  Whether being a human jungle gym, pushing the swings, being chased, or making the merry go round go faster (Chris Null was the vehicle of choice here) the kids became our own children for those moments and the joy that fills them enlarges our hearts even more.

All the little girls love Chris Null!

 

Denise spent some great time today on the roof of the school with the aquaponics and sort of, let’s say, created life!  Thus our third example of family concept.  She got dirty planting two different kinds of lettuce (romaine & leaf) and well, gave us a picture of a more fun and loose side to her that we may not yet have been aware of. J  Needless to say, her extra efforts to help plant in the lower section on the side of the school will provide a great visual for the kids at the school to see the plants grow and how God feeds into his creation.

 

Denise having some fun working on the aquaponics project!

                                               Strawberries growing on the room of Palo Blanco

Lettuce growing in the beds.

 

A solid group of the team has been spending time both completing concrete mixture to lay the final section of the new basketball court and continuing to lay block for the new building of classrooms.  Example number four is the teamwork near the end of the work day.  Two great assembly lines were created to unload the truck that brought more blocks.  One for a stack on the ground and another up to the second level of the building.  The use of teamwork (family) helped get those blocks unloaded in less than 15 minutes!

On a side note – there was a very competitive basketball game at the end of the day that included Luke and a group of the volunteers and a couple teachers at the school.  Luke got invited to play by the teachers and the family atmosphere continued through a lot of laughs on the court as they battled for victory.

The final chapter for the day was written as the first home visit took place with one of the sponsored children.  And nothing that has been noted in this day about family hits as close to the heart as this.  Chris Null and his wife have been sponsoring their boy, Winyer (win – jer) for 6 years and today, Chris (accompanied by Luke, Tyler and Jan, the director at Palo) got to meet him and spend time at his home with his family.  Instantly, Chris & Mary became a part of the family because of the role that he and Mary play in their support of Winyer.  Chris was able to have conversation with Winyer and his parents.  He passed on some great gifts to Winyer that he had brought along with him which included some baseball equipment, Winyer’s favorite sport.  Also, Winyer’s father had been in an accident at work and had his right arm in a sling.  The guys and Jan were able to pray for him with the family and establish the higher family connection with our great God in heaven.  An emotional, but uplifting time to be sure and one that Chris will not soon forget.  Chris can only convey his feelings on the visit by saying, “I’ve seen poverty before, but because there was no personal connection, I’ve never experienced it like I did today.  Words and emotions simply escaped me to see the reality of their lifestyle.”

 

Chris Null with Winyer

 

After returning to the team house, our family was joined by our own Karen Green as well as Kids Alive country directors Vic & Leslie Trautwein for another great Dominican meal.  Vic gave a great presentation on the overview of the ministry of Kids Alive in the DR which our new team members soaked up!

Games and fun were had as always to finish off the evening before people wandered off to bed at various times.  Farkle was especially competitive!

Another day of solid work awaits the morrow…and of course, family!  Peace and goodnight!

 

Monday

2/6/17

 

Yesterday was fun and games but today it was time to get down to work. We headed to Palo Blanco school to help wherever we could. A large portion of the group helped work on the construction project. They are still working on building additional classrooms as the current rooms are overflowing. The whole building is constructed with concrete walls. There are open louvered windows in each classroom that allow the sounds of exuberant children to seep out in the hallway and bounce off the concrete walls. The level of noise in the building is not very conducive to learning and when the classrooms are pushing capacity it makes things even more difficult. These new classrooms will allow the students and teachers to spread out.

Rachel and Joan helped Christina, the missionary, in the nursing clinic with vaccinations. A few hours were spent updating records and determining which kiddos needed some vaccinations. One of the 8^th grade students helped us get the kids from the classrooms and at times you could hear them crying as they were ushered toward the enfermaria (nurses clinic). They were all brave and the tears stopped as soon as they were offered dulce (candy) as a reward afterwards.

We spent a few hours before dinner playing with the kiddos at the Ark orphanage. As is typical there were many varied activities going on. The older kids helped supervise the younger ones. Children could be seen playing games of soccer, riding scooters, coloring, playing tag and playing on the playground. Chris Null was egged on by a 13 year old boy names Darwin and could be seen chasing him all over the campus. Amazingly Chris had some serious speed and caught him! It did take him quite some time to catch his breath afterwards!

 

 

 

We walked into town so we could connect to the wifi at Pizza Pepperoni to post this blog and connect with loved ones. Have a great night everyone!

 

 

Sunday

 

We are so thankful for a smooth travel day on Saturday. We had a super quick layover in Atlanta but were relieved to find out that or next gate was just about as close as possible. That allowed us to have a quick bathroom break and grab some quick food. We had no complications and were grateful to finally arrive. We enjoyed dinner at the pica pollo in Jarabacoa with the Griffin family, and our very own Karen Green! Everyone was in bed around 9:30pm to make up for the lost sleep from our 2am start to traveling.

We were all eager this morning to get to the Ark orphanage where church was held. Our arrival at the Ark marked our first time this trip to get to spend time with our precious kiddos. For some of us it was a reunion – an easy continuance of deeply developed relationships. For others who were on their first trip it was a moment to be remembered. That first time that you get to wrap your arms around the child whose picture has been hanging on your refrigerator is unforgettable. Randy and Denise Landis got to meet their two little sponsored girls, Kimberley and Keidy, for the first time. The girls were initially shy but by the time we transitioned from the church service to our waterfall trip they were warming up and ready for fun. It didn’t take them long to start splashing Randy and Denise and using them to help them jump higher as the leaped into the water. They also enjoyed making ‘snow’ angels in the sand. I have no doubt that those girls carried a ton of sand back to their homes in their clothes! Cheyenne got to spend quality time at church and the waterfall with Daniela, the precious little girl that our senior high youth group sponsors. Everyone had a great time, although some of us enjoyed jumping on the swinging suspension bridges that led to the waterfall more than others (Denise!).

 

Tyler with his sponsored child Darwin

Randy and Denise with Daniela and their sponsored girls Kimberly and Keidy

 

Katie and Derrick Allen, another amazing missionary couple, were gracious enough to host us at their house tonight to watch the superbowl. They have a great set up on their roof outside with a big screen and Katie made us a feast of sliders, sausages, monkey bread, buffalo chicken pull apart bread and eclairs. Those not interested in the game shared many laughs playing board games and just being silly. Derrick and Katie sure gave us a spoiled evening before we get down to business to work.

Tomorrow morning we are off to the schools – Palo Blanco and ANIJA – to help with some building projects and meet some healthcare needs. Good night all and thanks for the prayers!

And another team has launched!

It's 2:30am and another CCW mission team is on the road to O'Hare airport for our first flight on the journey to the Dominican Republic. We are loaded down with supplies and gifts for the missionaries and precious kiddos that we get the privilege of loving on this week. We ask for prayers for smooth travels, more energy than we should have given our limited sleep, that all of our luggage would arrive without a hitch, and most importantly that we stay focused on our mission - sharing God's crazy love with everyone we encounter. As we put a lot of people together under one roof who are are all used to different routines and lifestyles we also pray for team bonding and patience with each other. We are pumped up and ready for this adventure!!

Here is a list of team members so you can pray for us by name.
Chris Russell
Rachel Russell
Chris Wert
Chris Bennett
Luke Aadalen
Tyler Hager
Keith Miller
Randy Landis
Denise Landis
Silas Grossman
Cheyenne Grossman
Joan Troyer
Chris Null
Neil Boston

Thursday, May 6, 2016

Thursday May 6, 2016

Our final morning at Palo Blanco began much like the others. Our team split into their respective tasks – which by this point we were becoming pretty proficient at. The Dominican men in charge of the construction project requested that Steve, Chris B and Duane stay a little longer because they are now well trained at laying block and have proven themselves to be hard workers! Neil finished another beautiful mural on the roof next to the aquaponics project depicting the tree of life. Rose, Lynnette, and Chris W put in more hours covering books and organizing the library. Chris R went swimming with the fishes again – capturing the larger fish in a net and moving them to another tank to make room for the baby fish. The nursing crew worked with the children again to meet their health needs, while the rest of the team worked on miscellaneous projects such as painting.

 

Chris R. swimming in the (stinky) fish tank!

Meeting the health needs of the children today meant working to delouse the worst cases of lice. Little Mayori (12 years old), and her sister (8 years old) were first up. These girls were very patient as we applied the lice treatment, rinsed, shampooed, and conditioned their heads in a mop sink on the floor with cold water, and then set about to the tedious task of combing out the lice and nits from the severely tangled hair.  It was nearly impossible to get a comb through their hair and when questioned we learned that they do not have combs or shampoo at home. Their hair had not been brushed or washed one single time since they had been treated for lice by the Palo Blanco nurse nearly three months ago. Mayori then explained that they only wash their hair on their birthday. We were heartbroken and holding back tears while Mayori looked innocently up at us and then proceeded to make silly faces and giggle. The combing process became too long and painful – because if you remember these are the girls that had healing chemical burns on their heads from cockroach spray their father tried to kill the lice with. Mayori’s little sister started to cry when we got to a sensitive spot on her head and she couldn’t take the pain anymore. We tried to distract her with treats and smiles but there was no way we were going to get all of the nits out her hair. By the time the combing process was done thousands of lice and nits surrounded both girls on the ground. The task felt hopeless. Christina, the nurse, told us that the reality was that we would never get rid of the lice for these girls but at least in this moment they had some relief and felt cared for. As Christina did the final combing and braided their hair she told them “Do you know that when God looks at you he sees the most beautiful girl in the world?”  Maybe, when these girls are having a bad day they will remember those words, and this moment of being cared for and remember that they are precious.

 

Rachel, Erin, Verray and Rose removing lice from the sister's hair.

The evening was filled with laughter, play, music, and fun as we spent time with our sponsored kids from the Ark at Jeff Vandermolen’s (director of Kids Alive Dominican Republic) home. We played volleyball, foosball, jumped on the trampoline, ate fried chicken and tostones (fried plantains), sang worship songs together while Luke played the guitar (yes, the girls asked for his autograph), and passed out gifts. Everyone had a great time and it was obvious that the Ark kids had a lot of candy in those gifts you all sent down!!

 

 

Luke and his fan club!

 

Tomorrow morning we get to go on a field trip to a butterfly ranch with the kindergarteners of ANIJA. It sounds like some chaotic fun will be heading our way!

Wednesday May 4, 2016

We woke up this morning to no electricity and no water. The power was off and on all day but the water in the whole city was out due to the rainy weather. The water in the homes (not the drinking water) is supplied from the river and it was too muddy because all of the rain. A neighbor with a well filled our cistern with a hose and when the power came back and the pump from the cistern was working, we thankfully had some water for showers and flushing toilets again!

Another morning at Palo Blanco. The construction on the new classrooms continued, the rest of the flats of lettuce seedlings were planted, the youngest children received their health assessments, and a hallway was painted.

(Nedelina and Fan Fan with Chris W - eating their peanut butter and vitamins because they are malnourished.)

(Rose and Lynnette harvesting lettuce for lunch.)

 

                                                   (Not sure what Chris is doing but it was too funny to not share!)

 

                                                                   (Duane and Isaely)

Steve, accompanied by Rose, Verray, Rachel, and Chris R, got to visit the home of his sponsored child, Rosanna. The home was located down a muddy road and nestled in a little pod of houses owned by her aunts and uncles. Her mother was not home so we only got to see the outside. The house was brightly painted with solid concrete walls. While very small, the house appeared to be secure and in good condition. Rosanna’s aunt was home next door and invited us to sit down outside with her. This home was wooden slats with large gaps between the boards. There was a pot with charcoal smoldering on an outdoor cook stove and the smell of smoke wafted through the air. The cooking area was concrete block covered in hardened clay on a wooden pedestal. Rosanna’s young cousin – approximately 4 years old – was running around playing with the orange tabby cat, chasing the roosters, and riding around on a homemade scooter. While we were sitting the aunt came out of the house and presented us with small cups of Coke and club crackers. We asked Katie, the missionary who escorted us on the visit, how the aunt kept the Coke cold. She said that as soon as we came to the home the aunt sent someone to the colmado (small store) to buy the refreshments for us.

(Roberto - Rosanna's cousin on his scooter.)

(The "kitchen" at Rosanna's aunt's home.)

 

(Steve and Rosanna)

                                              

                                                       (Rosanna's home)

Rosanna’s uncle arrived home shortly after we got there. The uncle was using crutches to walk around and we learned that he had been in a motorcycle accident a year prior and he said his leg was “dead”, useless. The uncle wanted to share some teyota (a starchy vegetable) with us from his crop so, he hobbled out to the field on his crutches to pick a bag of them for us to take.  Before we left, we learned that Rosanna’s father had left her and her mother several years prior to illegally immigrate to the U.S.

Rosanna loved opening her backpack full of gifts from the Adkin’s family. She thought the battery operated light that you push to turn on was great and spent time learning the names and ages of each of the children in the family photo.  The second time that Steve was pointing to each family member in the photo Rosanna, exclaimed “Jackson!” when Steve pointed to his son without any prompting to remember his name. She was clearly thrilled to connect to her sponsors in this small way.  When her aunt suggested she leave the backpack at home when it was time to return to school she hugged it proudly to her chest and insisted on keeping it with her.

 

    

(Rosanna opening her backpack of gifts and reading the letters the Adkin's children sent to her.)

The afternoon was spent at ANIJA passing out gifts that were sent by sponsors. They put together a small program for us that included praise and worship, testimonies from some ANIJA graduates, and refreshments. Hearing the stories of how ANIJA impacted 15 year old Yolanda who felt happy to be treated well in a school who didn’t discriminate against her Haitian ethnicity and 16 year old Jennifer who proclaims her love for Jesus boldly and gives credit to the ANIJA program for introducing her to Him, helped to drive home the importance of sponsorship and the opportunities it provides for these precious children. Another young man, 23 years old, shared his story of growing up at ANIJA, and how it felt like more of a family then a school. He has now successfully graduated from the university and is a civil engineer. He pleaded over and over to us to not give up on the young kids at ANIJA so that they can have the same opportunities he had. He also stressed that the relationship he has with Jesus is the most important thing he received from his time at ANIJA and proudly stated “I love Him!”

 

                                              (Estefania, Crisbel, and Angelica receiving gifts at ANIJA.)

We all had a fun evening. We decided to split up and have a guys and girls night. The men went with some of the missionary guys to Santiago to eat dinner and watch the new Captain America movie. Derrick warned the group that sometimes the power goes out during the middle of the movie and you don’t get to see the end. As I’m writing this, they aren’t back at the team house yet so we don’t know if that had that experience. The women enjoyed going to dinner in town with seven of the missionary ladies and then out for ice cream. We are currently all taking turns getting quick showers before the boys come home and use all the hot water and water pressure!

I challenge all of you to listen to the young man who shared at ANIJA and not give up on these children. Do not underestimate the power of your sponsorship and relationships with these children. This is important work!

 

Tuesday May 3, 2016

School was back in session at Palo Blanco today! There was no mistaking that when you heard the noise level – giggles, squeals, bickering, scraping chairs, thundering footsteps, bouncing basketballs, sing-song voices counting in unison in Spanish, all bouncing off the concrete walls and floors and echoing out the open louvered windows into the hallways. Sounds of progress were heard – banging hammers, scraping saws, clinking block, voices of men in both English and Spanish working alongside each other to build new classrooms where more learning will happen in the near future.

Those with medical training on the team joined Christina, Palo Blanco’s school nurse, in assessing the children. Grade by grade the children were brought to the clinic where Erin, Rachel, Catherine, and Verray methodically weighed and measured them, checked their heads for lice and ringworm, and gave them medication to kill any parasites they may have acquired from the water. Those children who were deemed malnourished by their percentiles on the growth chart were given peanut butter and vitamins and added to a list to receive regular extra nutrition and have their homes assessed.

 

                                            

(Catherine weighing FanFan)

 

The nurses heard many heartbreaking stories of poverty, struggle, hope, and despair as we assessed the children. A young mother brought her 3 year old son in to have a rash evaluated. Christina shared with us that she loves working with this mother because of the devotion and love she shows to her sons. This mother is unable to pay the 400 peso tuition for her children – the equivalent of less than $3.00/month – and so she signs up to do service hours at the school. A short time ago she had stopped showing up to do her service hours and when the school staff checked on her it was discovered that she had sold her last pair of shoes to feed her children. Palo Blanco was able to meet this seemingly simple need for her and allow her to continue to work diligently to provide as best she can for her children.

(Erickson - the son of the women in the above story.)

 

A young girl of approximately 8 years old, Mayori, came in to be assessed and we learned a small piece of her heartbreaking story. Mayori’s mother had abandoned her and her younger sister several years before. They were left to be cared for by their father who works nearly all daylight hours which means they were left alone most of the time. Both Mayori and her sister have lice - which by our assessment ~40% of the children at Palo Blanco have. Her father tried to kill their lice by spraying their heads with cockroach spray. The spray coated their scalps and dripped down their backs. It had been on them for over 24 hours when the girls showed up to school crying and in pain. They had severe chemical burns on their heads and down their backs. They staff at Palo Blanco worked quickly to provide them with appropriate medical care. They are healing well and their father is receiving education on proper care.

Finally, we learned of a four year old boy who came back to school on a Monday. His teacher brought him out of the classroom to the nurse saying that he couldn’t stay awake and “can you just watch him for a little bit?”.  Christina quickly realized that something was very wrong – this child was barely conscious. She quickly got him to drink some Gatorade and rushed him to the medical clinic. The doctor there had lost his stethoscope so this young boy’s heart sounds and breathing could not be appropriately evaluated. There was no glucometer – a device to check blood sugar levels with results given in seconds, so a blood draw was done and sent out to a lab where it would take 2 hours for results. When blood sugar levels drop to a critical level organs shut down, the person loses consciousness, and can very quickly die. Thankfully Christina recognized the signs of low blood sugar and worked to treat it. When the blood test results finally came back, the level was 34 – a level not far from death if it had not quickly been treated. God provided Palo Blanco and Christina to save this boy’s life. The heart wrenching truth in all of this is that the only reason this child was in this position was because there was no food in his home all weekend – the prevention for this problem was simply food.

Luke, Erin, Neil, and Duane were able to go on a home visit to Luke’s sponsored child’s home. The home was partially wooden slats and partially concrete block. As the family was able to afford to be a few more blocks they would add to the home making it more secure and weatherproof. Yaily (prounounced Jie –lee) was proud to show his home to his padrino (sponsor) and his parents were very hospitable. The team learned of some of Yaily’s struggles, health problems, with no diagnosis that left him intermittently in severe pain. This young boy would go from laughing and playing to debilitating pain in a matter of moments. Though he had been evaluated many times by several clinics a definitive diagnosis has not been found. The current diagnosis is kidney stones. The Kid’s Alive staff is working with the family to receive appropriate medical care and find a cure for Yaily.

                                                 (Luke with Yaily and his family at their home.)

Each of these stories is hard. Each of these stories is full of pain. Unimaginable circumstances to most of us. However, each of these stories is also full of hope – thanks to God’s presence through Kid’s alive, through Palo Blanco, through you….

 

May 2, 2016

This morning started earlier than yesterday after a good night, (though hot) night’s sleep. Seven women in one room with one bathroom! Eight men sharing two others. We are getting good practice in sharing, taking turns—deferring to one another. These lessons are part of the experience here too. We’re doing great! God is knitting our hearts together as a team, learning more of each other’s stories, even as we serve side by side.

We’d planned on exchanging our American money for pesos before heading out to Palo Blanco to work,   but we didn’t realize that due to the holiday today (We’re told it is the equivalent of Labor Day) the money exchange would be closed. So we simply headed out to Palo Blanco instead. We met Derrick and Katie and Jan there and after showing us around (there are 8 new people on the trip) we all settled in to our jobs.

God is doing amazing things at Palo Blanco. Derrick and Katie have worked hard and there is an extensive aquaponics project under way (It is massive—the largest in the Dominican.) It’s exciting to see the fruit of their labor and to have the opportunity to pitch in. (If you are unfamiliar with what that entails, take a few minutes and look it up.) In a symbiotic relationship between vegetables and fish, they are growing lettuce, peppers and tomatoes on the rooftop of the school and raising tilapia in huge cement tanks at the front of the school. For the first time the kids at Palo Blanco are getting fresh vegetables (and very soon fresh fish) to eat on a regular basis!  They hope to provide enough for the other schools too. The fish will also serve as a way to raise money for the school when they make them available for purchase.  Since it was a holiday there were no kids at the school, so our team kept to our tasks and accomplished a lot!

(Aquaponics at Palo Blanco)

 

We all split up. Verray, Erin and Catherine planted lots of lettuce on the rooftop (with some late afternoon assistance from Rose after she finished covering books for Jan.) Tyler, Chris Russell, Luke Rachel and Lynette helped to drain the huge fish tank (with Katie and Derrick) and transfer and count the tilapia. (Keith was there to count every fish that got tossed into the new tank!) They became fish herders! I wish you could have seen them wading in that fish tank, dragging the nets as the tilapia started jumping! Chris Bennett, Steve and Duane worked on the construction of walls for some new classrooms to accommodate the extra children in this growing school. Chris Wert took great care of Derrick and Katie’s three kids who obviously adore her!

(Chris W with Ellie, Beckham, and Bria - the Allen children.)

 

(Luke and Lynnette trying to catch fish with a net. It didn't work! Lynnette, Chris R and Tyler had to get in the pond with nets!)

(Fish herding!)

                                                  (Duane and Steve building the new classrooms.)

We left there tired, a little fishy, but happy. We let the “fishy” people shower first since they didn’t smell very good. When we got home, the team house smelled great. Yes, Carmen was here and had cooked a great meal as usual.

 God is good! This is the gospel! It is being walked out in sweat, in vegetables and fish and love, in laughter and tenderhearted goodness with plain ole ordinary people. It’s been a good day.

Sunday May 1, 2016

 

 

Well everyone survived the travel on Saturday. We are all proud of Lynnette who decided to make her first flight ever an international one! We are settled into the team house and all slept well after our lack of sleep the night before. I did hear that some of the guys were woken up by our neighbor’s 2am karaoke party but no one in the girl’s room budged all night!

This morning we spent some time before church sharing our hearts and hopes for the trip with each other and praying for our week. We then went to La Vid and worshiped with the Ark kiddos and other Dominican brothers and sisters in Christ. We also had the awesome privilege of joining them in communion. It was reinforced to us again just how big our God is and how His heart for the people of the United States is the same heart that loves the Dominican people and the people in the rest of the world.  While I don’t believe that we consciously think we are loved by God in a privileged way, I think that over all the American people live in a bubble and often don’t really understand the big picture of the whole world and God’s crazy love for us all.

 

 

 

 

                                             (Verray and Rose with their sponsored girl, Genesis)

 

Carmen, our amazing cook is back with us for the week. We were treated to a delicious meal after church of chicken, rice and beans, carrot and raisin salad, arrepita (fried yucca), and mango juice. We enjoyed having missionaries Derrick and Katie Allen and their family join us for the meal – and of course our very own Karen Green.

After lunch it was time for our annual waterfall hike with our sponsored kids from the Ark. We packed everyone in the bus and set off for the Salto (waterfall).  As we were walking (or jumping in some cases) across the swinging bridges we realized that the massive amounts rain that has fallen over the last few weeks has turned the waterfall to mud – not exactly ideal for swimming. It turns out it didn’t matter much though because we got caught in a downpour and were soaked by the time we got back to the bus. We still enjoyed our time with the kids and the beautiful scenery.

On our bus ride back to the team house the streets were busier and louder than usual (which is saying a lot because the traffic in the DR is always chaotic and crazy). The Dominican Republic is in the middle of presidential elections as well and we had gotten caught in the middle of a parade to promote the current president of the country, who is running for reelection. The parade consisted of a caravan of pickup trucks and SUVs blowing loud horns and blaring propaganda, with people waving flags with President Danilo’s face on them. We had the bus windows open and were leaning out watching what was going on and all of a sudden we looked up and the president himself was standing in the back of a pickup truck about ten feet from us waving to us (Rose swears he was waving to her personally). What an experience!

                                            (President Danilo - photo credit Steve Adkins)

This evening we will get to eat dinner out on the town and Delicias Columbianos. Their empanadas and hot sauce are delicious!

The Countdown Is On

In just a mere 7 hours our 2016 Dominican Republic mission team will be gathering at the church building, doing final luggage checks, taking our team photo, and saying a prayer for safe travel and most of all open hearts. Our travel day will take us first to O'Hare airport in Chicago, then a quick layover in Atlanta GA before boarding the plane to our final destination - Santiago Dominican Republic. We are excited that we will arrive in the daylight so all of the newbies on the trip will get to experience the sites and sounds in full view.

Our team humbly asks for your prayers as we embark on the week that God has in store for us. As Rose and Verray wrote in the letter they sent out to their sponsors just a few days ago, "We are aware that the thing that qualified us for this task was simply our 'yes'. We wanted to go. We wanted to be used. The only way we know to do that is to show up - and we need Him to be present! So our prayer, for every single day of this week, Father help us to put our feet to the ground and show up!"

For those of you who will partner with us in prayer I am including a list of team members below.

Chris Wert
Chris Bennett
Chris Russell
Rachel Russell
Luke Aadalan
Rose Aspinall
Verray Chupp
Erin Castro
Catherine Dos Santos
Keith Miller
Tyler Hagar
Neil Boston
Steve Adkins
Duane Miller
Lynnette Priebe

Thank you for your support and prayers. And if you would, please consider creating a log in for the blog and commenting throughout the week. Little messages from home mean so much and we will pass them on to the appropriate team member if they are personal!

Friday

Friday, February 13, 2015

Good morning!  Today is our last full day in the DR and we got an early start as we joined the Palo Blanco staff for worship at 7:30a.m.  Neil played guitar while we sang several of our favorite worship songs.  It was amazing to hear our favorite songs in Spanish and English at the same time.  As Neil has commented before, “at times like this, it is obvious that God is not American.”

 

After worship, we got to see the kiddos go through their daily routine of singing the national anthem before running off to class.  As usual, we enjoyed the many “holas” and hi-fives from all the kiddos as they ran in to their classes.  It is heart-warming to see so many children eager to attend school.

 

As we prepared for our final Valentine lesson, Chris B and Jason took care of the finishing touches for Ramon’s guard shack.  A custom sign was made with Ramon’s name as well as a reference to a verse in the bible.  We also took up a collection to be able to help Ramon and his family with funeral expenses for his mother who had passed away earlier in the week.  Our group was able to cover the unpaid portion of her casket as well as provide necessary food items for the family.  The Dominican culture celebrates for 11 days after someone passes and on the 11^th day, the family provides a meal for family and friends (which can be hundreds of people).  Our hope was that we were able to provide a little relief to this family during their time of grief.

 

Today we got a special treat for lunch….we were able to go downtown and enjoy lunch with Derrick and Katie Allen at one of their favorite places.  Most of us enjoyed a burger and fries (yes, American food).  Throughout the week, we ate rice and beans every day for lunch with the Palo Blanco kids and staff so the burgers and fries were a welcome change!  After lunch, we were able to do a little shopping for the usual coffee, vanilla and souvenirs for family and friends.  As we walked the streets amongst the vendors we got to experience another side of the Dominican culture.  It was not unusual to walk past dozens of people trying to sell clothing, fruit and vegetables and other services on the sidewalks.  A little Dominican boy was shining shoes on a corner as another one was begging for a peso in exchange for “guarding your car”.  How sad to think that there are so many young children who have to work the streets to earn enough money to eat. 

 

After shopping, we went back to the Ark for one last visit with the kiddos before heading home on Saturday.  There were many laughs as we watched the house fathers play baseball with the young boys. Jason and Tyler grabbed gloves and bats and joined in the fun (they are kids at heart).  Even though there was an obvious language barrier, there was a complete understanding of a team and they were able to play the game without any problems.

 

Although there was laughter, there were many, many tears when it came time to say goodbye.   Although the week was amazing and life-changing, the goodbyes were the worst part (goodbye is the worst part of every trip to the DR).  We are in a place where love is not Spanish or English.  Love is not material things or gifts.  Love is what we see in the smiles and the hugs of all the children to have captured our hearts and who are now a part of our lives.   Those of us who have made this trip before have left a piece of our hearts in the Dominican with every trip.  With this trip, Jenna and Jason are now a part of the brokenness that the rest of us feel from being a part of this experience.

 

 

 

Saturday, February 14, 2015

This morning Jenna, Neil, Jason, Tyler and Keith loaded their luggage into the van and headed to the airport for the trip back to the U.S.  We pray for safe travels as they return home and attempt to find some sort of normalcy in their lives.  Please continue to pray for each of them as they process their week and re-connect with their friends and family.

 

Chris, Rachel, Chris and Chris will remain in the DR another week.  As we will not have access to the internet, this will be the last blog posted.  Thank you for following our team and for the continued prayers and encouragement during our trip.

 

 

 

 

Thursday

Thursday, February 12

This morning we started our day at Palo Blanco where we held 3 more Valentine parties.  The weather was overcast and dreary but the smiles and laughter of all the kiddos were a welcome substitute for the sun which did not shine today.  We were happy to see Luz (an employee at Palo Blanco) return to school today as she had been transported to the local hospital on Wednesday.  We ask for continued prayers for her and her doctors as they continue to run tests to determine what is causing the issues she has been having recently.

Chris B. and Jason continued their work on the new guard shack which was built this week at Palo Blanco.  Once they are finished, this will be an amazing little “casa” for Ramon who watches the gates outside Palo.  He serves a very important role as he keeps the children safe by only opening the gates for parents, staff and authorized visitors.  Because of the location of Palo Blanco, it is critical to keep the school and the children out of harm’s way.

Chris W. and Rachel were able to pass out the gifts from the CCW sponsors this afternoon.  It was heart-warming to see the curious eyes of many little children peeking around the doorway to see who was getting a gift and to inquire “is it my turn yet?”   It was so rewarding to see the huge smiles on the little faces of the kiddos who received gifts.  It is amazing to see how the simplest gifts can mean so much to these children who have very little otherwise.  We heard many thank-you’s from children to their madrinos/padrinos (sponsors).

Several of our team members were able to join Katie Allen on home visits where we got an inside look at a Dominican home and the living conditions that most of our sponsored kiddos call “home”.   Several team members were able to see a Dominican washer which consists of filling one side with water from a hose or bucket, washing and spinning.  Then you remove the clothes to the other side, empty the water, fill it back up for rinsing, add your clothes to the clean water, rinse and spin.  Imagine how long it would take to do laundry if we had to go through these steps with every load!  Not only is it heart-breaking to see, it has been a real reality-check for us and serves as a reminder of how very blessed we are. 

Tonight we had dinner at the VanDermolen’s with our sponsored kiddos from the Ark.  We enjoyed playing volleyball, jumping on the trampoline and playing foos-ball.  Afterwards, we ate pizza and handed out gifts to the kiddos.  Karen Green was able to join us and it was great to be able to spend some time with her and to hear more about her life while serving in the D.R.

This morning we woke up bright and early so that we can get to Palo Blanco early to share in devotions with the staff. We were surprised to wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking. Jason had gotten up earlier than the rest of us, set a nice table, and was taking personalized orders for breakfast including toast, eggs, ham, fruit and coffee. What a gentleman! Darla, when Jason gets home don’t let him fool you…..he can cook and provide great service! (Maybe his motivation was the big tip jar on the counter. J Actually, the tip jar is for donations the team is collecting as a donation for Ramon, the Palo Blanco guard, whose family recently experienced the death of their matriarch.)

Neil had a whole swarm of kids surrounding him within minutes of starting to play.
 



Chris R and Josue
 

Maria launched Rachel into the air on the trampoline.
 

Neil and Chris W twirling the jump rope for Coralma

Daniella loves it when Jenna is a caballito (little horse).