No Condemnation

Hello All! I only have three more weeks in the Dominican Republic. I can not believe how fast the time has gone by and yet it feels like I have been here for so long.

Here are some praises from the last week when we were with the group from Minnesota:
1. It did not rain on Thursday when we built the chapel even though it had been raining all week.
2. The women of the community were so grateful for the chapel that they started to cry.
3. We built the chapel on the property where a witch or "bruja" used to live, but she passed away and now the land can be used for God's glory.
4. At one point while we were building the chapel part of the wall fell down because the wind pushed it and there was no one from our team holding the wall up. I was disappointed in myself because I felt partly responsible, but I know that God had that incident happen for a reason. Luckily no one was terribly hurt when the wall fell and we were able to complete the chapel. I was reminded that I should not condemn myself because there is no condemnation for those under Christ Jesus.

This week we have two new groups. I am working with the one from Lebanon, PA and the other group is from Orlando, Florida. Last night we did ministry in a park with the group from PA. God brought over 50 people to come watch the dramas and songs that the group was performing. Please pray that we were able to plant seeds and that people will be able to hear more about the love of God.

Also, here are a few more prayer requests:
1. That I would have joy in every situation.
2. Jesus would be glorified through my thoughts, words, and actions.
3. God would enable us to build 2 chapels this week.

my friends

Here is a picture of me using my friend Mr. Ryobi, the router. We have to use the router on a lot of pieces of wood so that they fit well together when we make the panels for the chapel.

Also, here is a picture of the chapel we built with the Illinois group. I wanted to let you guys see the finished product. Also, you can see how muddy it was around the chapel and now you can understand why our truck got stuck in the mud. I was so thankful that we got out of it. Praise God! Hopefully, I will get to help build another chapel this week with the Minnesota group!

Perseverance

Hello again everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who have been reading my blog and praying for me. It has been encouraging to get your messages and to know that people are praying back home. Things have been going well here in the DR.

This week I was inspired by Colossians 3:23-34: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." A group from a church in Rochester, Minnesota is here. Yesterday was our first day of construction. Thanks to God's help it went really well. At the beginning I had a sour attitude because I had to work at the routering station. I have been in charge of this station for the last couple weeks and I wanted to work on something else like hammering or constructing the panels. However, I knew there was work to be done. Without groves in the boards it is impossible to make the panels. So, I began routering. I prayed to God and asked that He would give me a positive attitude and He did! He also provided me with two sweet girls from the Minesota group to help me Nicole and Andrea. It ended up being an excellent and fun day. Thanks be to God! I have been learning more every day about how to serve God wholeheartedly.

A few other praises:
1. The interns and staff have started writing encouragement notes to each other every day. The notes have blessed me greatly.
2. God has given me words to say to the kids and has enabled me to use my gifts to serve Him.

Prayer requests:
1. Rafelina one of my fellow interns got her wisdom teeth removed. Pray that she would heal quickly and not be in too much pain.
2. There was recently a death in Noe's family. Pray for unity for their family. Also, please pray for comfort and peace for them at this challenging time.
3. Pray for those that have been injured or who are sick that they would be encouraged.
4. Please pray for perserverance for the interns.

love to you all!

La Playa

From Left to Right- Jack, Me, Rocio, and Andrea. Sometimes the other interns and I have way to much fun.  In the backround you can see the beautiful water and waves at this beach called Playa Carribe. We usually take groups to the beach once a week and it is a nice place to enjoy after a long day of work.

Rest and Repose

Last week we finished strong with the group from Illinois. They were so much fun and I enjoyed getting to know them all. Building the chapel on Friday went really well. It was neat because we put it up in a new neighborhood, so it is one of the first buildings to go up. One quick God story is that as we were leaving the chapel site our truck got stuck in the mud. We tried to get it out using numerous methods including pushing it out with the front bumper of the bus that we brought. Eventually, we got it out by many people pushing it and using long two-by-fours under the tires. After that our bus got a flat tire. Luckily we had a spare tire and it did not take too long to fix it, thanks to Sam one of the interns. God definitely helped us a lot in those situations.

This week the time interns and staff have had time to rest and repose because there haven't been any groups here. We had some fun adventures. For two days we stayed at a resort in Puerto Plata which was lovely. Our group enjoyed relaxing on the beach, eating yummy food, and just hanging out. One of my favorite things I got to do was play a game of water polo with the girl interns. Also, two woman from Germany that were staying at the resort joined my team and helped us win. It was super fun! Another favorite thing about this week was getting to read Philippians with the interns. Every morning we met together and talked about a chapter of Philippians and prayed together. It was really encouraging for me. This week it was nice to get to spend time with the other interns, and relax.

Tomorrow a new group comes from Minnesota. If you have time, please be praying for these things for me:
1. Philippians 4:4-9 that I would rejoice in the Lord always and pray to Him. Also, that my thoughts would be on good things.
2. Confidence in Christ, spending time with him too.
3. Relationships to be built between the interns and among the groups as well.
4. For Christ to be glorified in the things that we do.

Halfway Mark

This week is my fifth week to be in the DR. The time seems to have flown by. Now, five more weeks lay ahead. For the past couple days a group from a church in Illinois has been here. We have done three nights of ministry and also we have worked on building a chapel this week. One amazing thing that God did was provide exactly the right things we needed. On Sunday we lost the cord to connect the Ipod to the speaker. Since I was the ministry captain this week I became really nervous we would not have music. Luckily, we had a cord at each place we went so it worked out perfectly. Thanks be to God! The Dominican children responded really well to the drama called "Everything" that the group performed.  Here is a link of another group doing the drama if you want to check it out: It is one of my favorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA
Another amazing blessing this week was that I got to return to Pica Pica and see the first chapel that I helped build. We actually had ministry in the chapel and it was so neat getting to see it be used for God's glory.

Prayer Requests:
1. For the chapels that have been build that the word of God would be preached there and that many more would come to know Him.
2. For my heart that I would not become to sad when I see impoverished families and children but that I would be positive and share with them the Hope that can be found in Christ.
3. For the kids who have come on short term trips that as they return home they would share with others their experiences and grow more and more towards Christ.
4. Next week is the week off for interns and staff. Please pray that we would be able to relax and that we would take time to fellowship with each other and spend time with God in Prayer.

Love to you all! Hope your summer is going fantastic!

The Next Generation

Psalm 145:4
“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.”

This verse was my theme verse for the week. God kept reminding me how much He cares about children and how the importance of teaching the next generation about the hope of the Lord. On Sunday the children’s choir at church sang about being faithful in God’s word. It was beautiful to see them all sing together, praising God with their voices.

This week I am working with a group from Texas. I have helped them do medical clinics and Vacation Bible Schools for kids that live in the neighborhoods nearby the Time Center. We did the medical clinic on Tuesday and Wed. morning of this week. I helped translate to the patients in Spanish, and I also got to practice taking blood pressure a couple times. Praise the Lord we took care of 116 people and gave them the medicine and vitamins that they needed! I am so thankful to God for letting me be a part of the work He is doing. Hopefully, I will get to do more medical clinics in the future when I become a nurse. ☺

At the VBS God brought about 80 kids to hear about Him. The kids learned about Daniel from the Bible, did a balloon relay, and made crafts. I helped translate the instructions for the craft in Spanish, which was super fun. I have truly enjoyed getting to hang out with the kids this week and the group from Texas. God is so good!

Also, quick news from last week: our group didn’t build the chapel because of the rain/ mud. This week though the foundation was ready. So, a group that came this week from Pennsylvania built the chapel on Wednesday. Yeah!

Prayer Requests:
1.    For a really sick baby that came to our medical clinic. That he would get the right treatment that he needs. For God to provide resources and peace for his family.
2.    Pray for patience and encouragement among the interns.
3.    Pray that I would take out more time out of the day to pray.

Pictures

With some sweet girls at San Felipe church. We have done ministry there a couple nights. Also, this was one of the locations we did the medical clinic at this week. 45 people were treated.

At Circadillo doing kids ministry. They were singing the song "Celebrate, Jesus, Celebrate" I love the way that the little girls wear their hair in braids.

At Pica Pica after I helped build my first chapel. Noe is standing in the middle of the two pastors as they exchange the keys. It was a very special moment.

A view of the Dominican Countryside in Villa Mella. Many people ride motorcycles everywhere. Usually, there are a couple people squeezed onto one.