We're Coming Home!

After an amazing time in the Dominican Republic for the last two weeks, we are heading home to LAX!  This morning we were able to debrief as a team, both reflecting on our time serving here and also looking forward to coming home and how to share what God’s done in and through us. 

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support! Lord willing, we will see you all tonight a little before midnight!

A Word from Co-ed Sports and Boys' Club

Co-ed Sports

The past two weeks we have spent most of our mornings at a middle school called Cabirma teaching the basics of volleyball, playing games and sharing our testimonies.  We have done a variety of things including playing baseball, hosting a yard sale, running varsity practices (local girls’ VB team), playing in volleyball tournaments, and relaxing during siestas.  At each event, one of us would share our testimony.  

On Monday we hiked Mt. Magote (2^nd tallest mountain in the DR) and incorporated prayer for five different communities while we hiked.  We have been greatly influenced by our site leaders, Raul and Jess, and blessed by the relationships we have built in the communities we have served.  

We are sad to be leaving, but we look forward to sharing each of our stories when we return!

 ~ Jessica James, Rebecca Duncan, Rachel Ummels, Steven Phillips, Zach Stone, Jordan Campbell, Lauren Phillips, Josh Augur, and Phil Allen

p.s.  To see more pictures from this site, please click here.

Boys’ Club

We worked at the SI site with our leaders, Luis Fernando Castro and "Mr. Clinton."  Our main ministry was to boys (ages 6-15) spending time with them when they were not in school.  Things that we were able to do included giving the boys lessons in English, coloring, and lots & lots & lots & lots of soccer!!  Today the boys even cooked us lunch over the fire from supplies we brought, which tasted amazing!

A couple special days, we were also able to go with them to the river and hang out in the water, getting to take time to know them more and see their personalities so much better.  Additionally, we would use opportunities to get deeper with them and teach them lessons from the Bible.

There were many things that we learned during our time serving at Boys’ Club, but one that stuck out the most was, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  These boys didn’t care what each other looked like, instead they loved each other for who they were on the inside.  

~ Robert Eng, Alfred Porras, Dan Grozenski

p.s.  To see more pictures from this site, please click here.

A Word from Special Ed and Physical Therapy

Special Education

At the Special Education site, we make it our mission to get involved in their many activities and to focus on providing a well-educated learning environment with a strong Christian related atmosphere.  

From performing plays for entertainment and playing games during recess to teaching English, we have all played a part in the service of each student’s lives.  

The Special Education site has not only brought us closer to the presence of one another, it has made us into a family in Christ.  Nothing has brought us more joy than seeing the kids smile.

Physical Therapy

Over the last two weeks in Students International’s Physical Therapy site, we have had a blast!  Eliana Sofaer, Shane Takehara (better known as "Jackie Chan” to our leaders), and Jennifer Sands make up the students in the site.  Our intern’s name is Christina, and our two site leaders are Silvio and Cristian.

 The average day at P.T. consists of doing a combination of exercise, ultrasound, electro-shock therapy, and joint massages with Icy-Hot on patients.  None of us expected they would trust us to shock the pain out of patients!  But don’t worry, we spent a good 10 minutes ensuring we wouldn’t hurt anyone (kidding!).

 

Overall, we have really had a blast getting to really know each other and getting to know and work with the patients!

A Word from Medical & Microfinance

Medical

Our team is working with two members from other teams and an intern, Kacie, at the medical site.  The doctors we have been learning from are Fernando (an OBGYN) and Rachel (a PA).  Over the week, we have seen and learned so much!

We have set up clinics in different communities and seen as many patients as possible in such a short time.  We have also been enjoying siestas at friends of the doctors with tasty food and worship songs!  The majority of patients we see have colds and different pains from working so hard.  We have also had an opportunity to go to the special needs school that SI has.  We will be giving a hygiene presentation there on Friday, including songs about washing hands and running from moco (snot)!

 

We have all really loved getting to know each other as well as getting to know many different families and the love and joy they have in the Lord, even though they have hardly anything.  We get to see the love the doctors have for Christ and the community, helping us to fall more in love with Christ ourselves each day.

~ Jacob, Sarah, Laila, and Cassie

p.s.  To see more pictures of this site, please click here.

Microfinance

For the past week and a half in Microfinance, we have experienced MACRO fun!  This dynamic site is led by Miriam and Eric, two inspirational servants of God.  The goal of this site has not only been focused on the financial aspects of the people of Jarabacoa, but on the relational and spiritual as well.  Eric and Miriam strive to reach out to women on the social level in order to reveal the love, power, and will of God.

 

Most of our time is spent on home visits, bank meetings, and minor surface projects we do in order to support the community.  We have experienced a variety of cultural activities ranging from killing chickens to working in green houses. 

We have been blessed with the opportunity to be impacted by the testimonies, words, and love the women in these sites have shared with us.  Not only have we experienced God through them, but also through a new understanding how poor they are.  

We have truly been humbled and blessed by our time here!

~ Daylin, Breanna, Noblitt, and Newcomb

p.s.  To see more pictures of this site, please click here.