Off and Running

Pablo's breakfast was eggs, bacon and the freshest fruit (banana, pineapple, watermelon, and mango) served at 7:30. Devotions were led by Shawn which focused on being "missional minded".

This year's trip is different from all previous ones in that it's Saturday to Saturday but Sunday mornings are always the same: the men visiting the prison. Imagine 124 prisoners locked in a building maybe 50' by 50'. After a few praise songs led by the prison pastor Shawn, Dan, and Nataniel each shared a message similar in nature: the redemptive power of the cross.

While the men were gone the ladies were packing much of the 625# of rice, 200# of beans and 250 bottles of cooking oil that will be used throughout the week distributing to those in need.

The Compassion School where Paul, Dan, and Shawn have sponsored children was the next stop of the day. The team plays with the kids, learns about the school (for the new members), served and ate lunch with the kids (beans, rice, and pork) and visited the homes of their sponsored children. Compassion International has over 1 million sponsored children throughout the world and less than 1% are visited by their sponsors so seeing these kids every year is special. It allows us to encourage them personally in their faith.

The team split after lunch with Paul, Dean, Kristi and Brian finding some kids to play baseball with (not difficult in the DR). Minor scrapes and sunburns a couple of hours later but the DR boys had a great time showcasing their skills. Brian had brought along some used equipment which was a received with great enthusiasm.

During the split the other team members visited a four year-old girl in the hospital who was recovering from burns from a recent house fire. Kim put her nursing (and passion) gifts to work coaxing a smile out of her and tending to her injuries. The mother was present and explained they had lost everything but were planning on moving back into the least damaged room of the house. The team visited the 3 room house filled with ruined furniture amd appliances. The block walls and tin roof were sooty but sound. Any wood roof structure was charred badly, however. The sick stench of burnt posessions was everywhere. All because of a fan that overheated. The team plans on purchasing the items needed to furnish a basic house.

After a quick siesta back at the house the team enjoyed fish, chicken, rice, bean gravy, steamed vegetables and fruit for supper. While Pablo will fix anything we would like, the team enjoys traditional DR meals while here.

Every night we show the Jesus film and tonight it was in a remote area only a few miles from Azua. Called Five Star, it is a very poor region where the team is supporting the local ministry with the purchase of a roof and floor for a new church ($2000). It was attended by about 70 attentive guests who listened to Shawn share the gospel, worshipped Christ with music, and gave the Americans plenty of hugs.

Enjoying ice-cream is always a treat and especially so when strolling through a park in the Carribbean on a beautiful winter evening (humid and low 70's). The team passed out tracts while getting a taste for the busy nightlife of young people in Azua. A debrief was held back at the house and the team ended their day around 11pm.

Coming Home

The reader may be a bit confused by the title but hear me out.

Day 1 started early Saturday morning with most of the team meeting at 4:15 am in Appleton for the first flight out of the day. A quick connection was made in Atlanta where they joined Dean and Kim and then landed in Santo Domingo by 2 pm to be picked up by Dan and Paul who have been here since Thursday (ask them about their flights). Of course Genesis was driving and Nataniel was along also. An early arrival gave the team the opportunity to get a good start on their (God's) work.

After sandwiches in the Capitol the team headed for Azua. They drove through the city and stopped to look at the building under construction on "the site". (I will explain this project in a later blog). The locals welcomed us warmly as they're excited when the Americanos come to town. After inspection the team headed to the house where they were welcomed by Pablo and Ruth who once again came from Puerto Rico to share their time, talents, and truck. A rare light rain welcomed them to the house where they moved in and had a team meeting going through the coming week's agenda before turning in around 10pm.

This is the first time in the DR for Brian, Kristi, Mary, Dean, and Kim. Collectively this is 38 years for Paul, Dan, Shawn, and Chris. The veterans have experienced the smells, sounds, and sights of a seemingly chaotic culture. Firsthand they've witnessed both the worst in living conditions but some of the best of mankind. These experiences have shaped how they think of the DR; much different than those who only know the resorts along the East coast. Because this intimacy with this part of the world has always been while serving Jesus it's thus become a time a great spiritual joy and rejuvenation! In a way, to the veterans this is home. A place of spiritual peace and focus without the distractions and responsibilities of our lives in Wisconsin; simpler and seemingly closer to God.

Video Done

The 2015 video can be viewed by clicking on the link on the right side of this page. Hope you enjoy.

Epilogue

Looking back after a few days of trying to catch up on sleep, one can more easily put things into perspective. 2015 was a unique year. The team was the smallest in 7 years with only 3 men and 3 women and only 1 first-year member. While we may have had to pull-back a bit on our ministry, it turned out to be quite positive for a number of reasons.

The smaller group allowed Dan & Paul to spend much more time with the team doing day-to-day activities and less time trying to manage 14 people going 2 or 3 directions. The smaller team had more of a close-knit feeling as we did everything together. It meant greater individual participation at morning devotions. It made basic household living easier without mattresses on the floor, less food to prepare, more bathrooms per person, etc. Having fewer numbers also eliminated the need for the bus and allowed us to use just Pablo's truck and Genesis' van. It did mean Paul and Shawn driving more than usual.

This was an experienced team. While it was Deb's first year it was year 3 for Chloe, the 4th for Chris, 8th for Shawn, 10th for Dan and 11th for Paul. As the youngest member that has been on this team (15), it has been fun watching Chloe mature and the relationship she has with her dad. With the start of college this fall it will be difficult for her to return and they took that to heart and cherished every day to make memories that will last. Serving Christ in this capacity with your child is something special.

While team numbers were half of recent years, the ministry activities were only slightly reduced. There was some concern early about finances as team members are solely responsible for raising funds but our supporters have been generous with their blessings. Bibles, tracts and food was all reduced by about 20%. The following items were the major expenditures for 2015:

- 400 adult bibles
- 1080 children's bibles
- 1200 gospel tracts
- 125 wheelchairs (plus a number of walkers, crutches, and canes)
- 825 lbs. of beans and rice (plus oil) to make 275 family sized bags
- continued funding for 2 year-round feeding programs (hundreds of kids fed weekly)
- concrete floors for 2 churches
- tin roofs for 2 churches
- bathroom for church
- 5 mattresses
- other various small projects, items

The wheelchairs were unique this year. Much of our total budget (125 chairs at $200 each) was allocated to this ministry. Besides blessing people with a physical item, it allowed our spiritual ministry into homes and people's lives that we don't always see. We weren't totally prepared for the impact and response that this ended up having. The tears shed in the name of thankfulness to Jesus is something to behold and words cannot do it justice.

The Bible talks about the "body of Christ" as analogous to the human body (1 Cor. 12). Each member has a role for the entire body to be successful in caring out it's mission, all need to be functioning correctly, and every part is vital. We may have had only had 6 individuals but each one is blessed with spiritual gifts that complimented each other to allow the light of Jesus to shine.

We had a leader; someone with the ability to coordinate multiple situations at one time, have an understanding of the overall goal, how to reach that goal, and enable others to believe in that goal. We had a leader/servant; a person that worked in harmony with the leader and gives great effort with usually little recognition. Someone that is able to perform any task asked of them and is really the backbone of the team. We had a teacher; this person is called "pastor" in the DR. This is someone always focusing on the spiritual nature of our mission with the ability to speak the Gospel to the masses. We had another with the gifts of teacher, servant, and mercy. A soft heart with the ability to not only speak the native language but do it with truth, conviction, and compassion. We had another servant; always looking to get their hands dirty and do physical labor but with a touch of mercy and the ability to communicate well with the youth. And we had another member with mercy as their principle gift. While a servant when needed, always looking to the children and showing them the love of Jesus through hugs. The body was complete and functioned well.

While this blog may appear to some to focus on the team and what we did let us be clear. We want this to be about Jesus; only Jesus. Jesus is the reason we spend our own money to leave our families, jobs, and school for 9 days. This is not a vacation but the spiritual rewards are greater. We know what Jesus did for us and we cannot help but tell others and share the blessings He gave us. How much would we have to hate someone to know what Jesus did for us and not tell them? This isn't done out of a sense of duty or obligation (Eph. 2:8-9). We do this because we are called. Jesus chose us and we cannot help but follow Him and do works in His name (Matt. 5:16, James 2:26).

We are blessed. No way to get around that. Blessed with life in the U.S. Blessed with good health and safety while in the DR. Blessed with our ministry partners from the DR. Blessed by our financial and prayer supporters. Blessed by the faith we see in some of the Dominican people who live in conditions less than most of our pets. Blessed in the knowledge that Christ has saved us from an eternal punishment and allowed His Spirit to dwell in us for His glory.

Gracious Jesus!