Hola from Punta Cana. This will be brief since I am writing it on a
phone, but I wanted to share some of the amazing things happening down
here. Our Bible camp finished up last night. I am amazed at how much we
were all able to connect despite the language barrier. The local teens,
or Ali Teens as they are known here, were indispensable to us. Their
English is fantastic and their willingness to work hard was incredible. I
could not believe how many of them showed up every day this week to
help build sets and prep and then stay through cleanup each night. The
children each night showed so much excitement and enthusiasm it kept us
going despite the heat and lack of sleep. Last night, we packed about
150 people into the little Alianza church for our closing ceremony. Keep
an eye out on you tube. The people here live on their cell phones and I
think every parent in the room might have been recording us.
I have
so many stories to share I am not sure where
to start, but in closing I will give a brief synopsis of our adventures
this week. So far, we have tried new food, led worship in Spanish, nearly
had a cat delivered to a hotel room, ran a VBS for kids who spoke
Spanish (have I mentioned none of us speak Spanish), refer back to nearly
having a cat delivered to a hotel room and, finally, we have been much
closer to the the biggest tarantula I have seen. Ok, so I have only ever
seen these in zoos and this one was wandering the street in front of the
church. Oh, and the others got a much closer view. I saw this from the
safety of the van; my loco compadres chased it down for photo ops.
Well, my thumbs are tired of working here so I will close for now. Que Dios le bendiga.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
And we are off, well almost (Dominican Trip 3)
It is almost time! I can not believe after all the planning and saving and fundraising we are just about ready to go! I need to start this out with a shout out to all my family and friends who supported us financially. Randi and I are fully funded so that huge burden is gone. I know we would not be making this trip without your love and support so thank you so much. Each of you are a huge blessing in our lives, and we take your love along with us.
Right about now I am just a complete ball of emotions. I am anxious about the packing and the trip, worried about leaving Hannah and Rob for ten days, and beyond excited about what we will do once we get there. Ok, so I am really just an OCD, twitchy, control freak mess. My list is long and it seems like every time I cross something off, I add something new. Not sure this is as productive as it is supposed to be. I also keep lifting my suitcase to try and determine if I am staying under the 50lb weight limit. This also might be more useful if I had something around 50lbs for me to compare it too. Randi is absolutely no help at all. Her contribution so far is to suggest all the things that could go wrong. This started with the plane crashing, and led to something about an alien attack in mid air. A creative child is not always a blessing.
There is a very special list now sitting on my coffee table. I won't be crossing anything off of it, and I can not even take credit, as I did not write it. It is a list of 44 names. They are the 44 children already signed up for VBS for this next week. Reading these precious names over and over is putting things in perspective, and I can not wait to put faces with each and every one of them.
Next time I check in here I will be one stamp greater in my passport. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support.
Matthew 28:18-20Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
Right about now I am just a complete ball of emotions. I am anxious about the packing and the trip, worried about leaving Hannah and Rob for ten days, and beyond excited about what we will do once we get there. Ok, so I am really just an OCD, twitchy, control freak mess. My list is long and it seems like every time I cross something off, I add something new. Not sure this is as productive as it is supposed to be. I also keep lifting my suitcase to try and determine if I am staying under the 50lb weight limit. This also might be more useful if I had something around 50lbs for me to compare it too. Randi is absolutely no help at all. Her contribution so far is to suggest all the things that could go wrong. This started with the plane crashing, and led to something about an alien attack in mid air. A creative child is not always a blessing.
There is a very special list now sitting on my coffee table. I won't be crossing anything off of it, and I can not even take credit, as I did not write it. It is a list of 44 names. They are the 44 children already signed up for VBS for this next week. Reading these precious names over and over is putting things in perspective, and I can not wait to put faces with each and every one of them.
Next time I check in here I will be one stamp greater in my passport. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support.
Matthew 28:18-20Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
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