Friday-Saying goodbye!

Here's the great team that I got to work with all week! Fidel and Altagracia are so amazing and I love them. Miss them too! Leo, the man in the striped shirt, helped us a lot during the week. He was the one who took me to the bus station for my bus going north to my friends in Santiago.

We gave out over 1,300 shoe boxes!!!! Praise the Lord! We'll never know the impact we made, but we do know that we helped share the gospel, one child at a time. We are helping Dominican Republic become a nation that loves the Lord.

Pray for Fidel and his work. Pray for Altagracia and her school. Pray for the Dominican pastors who are now going to disciple these children. Pray for the children who received the boxes, that they'll come to discipleship and that they will grow, accept Christ and change their nation.

What an opportunity we had! They kept saying things about us giving so much up to come. But I know that they give up so much more. Praise the Lord for the chance we had!

Thank you for enjoying our journey with us! Sorry that the days have been a little delayed, and the entries have been very long, but I hope you loved it as much as I did!

Dominican Republic Catch Up: Thursday, April 14

Our last day of distribution. Sad heart. L We’ve been pushing and pushing Sarah to get better! Forcing yogurt and bread down her, because we know she won’t want to miss the last day of passing out gifts! Dave wasn’t able to go again…which was really sad for him. He did get better enough to travel on the plane, which was the biggest praise!

    

       

We stopped by Altagracia’s school and visited the kids in their classrooms. We got to play around with the preschoolers, which was a BLAST!! I started picking up the kids and hugging them. There was this one boy who was shying away so much, and fighting it! A little girl was pulling him towards me so I scooped him up and held him tight. He was such a little boy. J

This is me pretending to be writing on "my" blackboard in
"my" classroom 

 Then we went up to the 3^rd level to see their construction. They are stopped mid-way on building. All they have right now are the cement walls up. They are waiting for other teams to volunteer to come and bring workers and money to get the supplies to continue. There is so much work to be done on the school. It needs so much help. Once the 3^rd floor is complete, the whole school can come at the same time. Right now, the kids come in shifts. It makes for a long day!

I was peering down from the 3^rd floor and happened to see kids playing volleyball down on the concha….so ya know I had to join in J So we played for awhile and it was so refreshing! Got VERY sweaty…but still so rejuvenating!

 These two distributions are close, which is nice for the van riders.  There were so many kids there that we had 2 testimonies in 2 different rooms! The girls were all in one room and Heidi King gave her testimony, and the boys were all out in the front room, the “porch” area, listening to Alan’s testimony. We each had a different job each day. Someone was the designated photographer, two other people were responsible to cut the tape off the boxes and separate them into 2-4 girls, boys; 5-9 girls, boys; and 10-14 girls, boys. Then there were runners who came to the right area and asked for specific ages. Sometimes we had to give a little girl an older box because we didn’t have one for the age. Sometimes there were mix up with labels and a boy ended up getting a girl box! We were able to fix those mistakes!  We were also able to see what were “great” gifts and other gifts that don’t do so well or aren’t as popular. Sunglasses, hats, gloves, bracelets-all great things! Playdough that isn’t bagged and lid comes off-bad gift. J And kids are kids, so it was hard for some of them to be excited about soap. They need it, like kids need clothes, but it was funny to see that kids are kids, no matter the country! During the testimony time, we are slicing and stacking boxes.  There were a lot of boxes to get out this time and the testimonies were kinda short, so I got to lead them in “Yo tengo Gozo” again! It was soooo fun. Made my heart beat fast and get full. I’m not scared to speak to them in Spanish. Now, adults and peers…that’s kinda scary. It’s humbling too…

 

I was given this little doll from my 2nd grade student.
I gave it to this little baby, who just loved it and played
with it allllll day!

 We ate lunch here with the people of the church and hung out for awhile. A LONG while. J  We played street ball with the local kids with a big bouncy ball that he got in his box. (Another great gift idea!) it was soooo hot, but the joy of playing with the kids-priceless. One of the kids noticed that I was throwing left-handed and he is told me he was too!  Small connections, big smiles.

Our last stop was at a very small small small village. The houses on the way there were so broken down, incomplete, and small. There were about 20 kids in the church and we were worried about it only being this many. The pastor went around through the village and rounded up more kids. She knew who they were-it wasn’t just anyone. You have to be selective because everyone wants one, and it’s just impossible to make that happen.  As we were waiting, the kids were singing church songs. 2 kids went CRAZY on the bongos and the guida (a metal can with bumps on the outside that works like a washboard?) They were sooo good and it was amazing to watch and listen to their rhythm, praising God. Ahhh…really touched this music lover’s heart. Then we started leading songs and they joined in. Amazing.  The kids were being smushed like bugs into this so small church. We even had kids sitting outside in the yard and we were passing the boxes THROUGH the window! Being smushed is a GREAT problem to have! 

  

Dominican Republic Catch Up: Wednesday, April 13

I missed Wednesday morning distribution because I wasn’t feeling well and I stayed back with Sarah. One of the girls on our team journaled about that day, so I’ll input it here!

Natalya, freshman in college

The first site was at a beautiful three-story church.  The first level was a sanctuary, and the third level where we were was an open room filled with about seventy children waiting for us.  The guys did a great job of bringing the shoebox cartons upstairs, where we proceeded to open and organize them and look around for the 10-14 age group for both boys and girls.  Apparently, this site had special needs children, meaning children with hepatitis A and B, HIV/AIDS, or mental retardation, or without parents.  I didn’t notice any of this, with the exception of one girl in a wheelchair, who I didn’t know needed a wheelchair until everybody was leaving.  This young girl, probably twelve years old, and I made eye-contact and I really wanted to give her a gift, so she was the first girl I gave one to.  As opposed to the first day we passed out the shoeboxes, we had extras today.

Mona gave her testimony, and the first question she asked the children after she introduced herself was, “What is different about me than you”.  The children responded pointed out that her left arm was amputated, and this was a great icebreaker for the children who listened attentively as she continued with her testimony.  At the end, Mona asked the children to close their eyes and, if they wanted, to ask Jesus into their hearts.  Some of the children raised their hands, acknowledging they had invited Jesus into their hearts.  This was wonderful and I’m sure many of them were sincere.  It’s great to know that the pastor of the church will have a follow up with the children during this discipleship program to help the sincere children grow in their relationship with God and to help the ones who just raised their hands come to understand the significance of this decision.

 After this, there was a young girl, who had a tear drop under her eye, which I wasn’t sure if it was because of the heat or because of her emotions.  I decided to go over and wipe it away.  To be honest, my motive was definitely to “wipe a tear drop from the eye of a Dominican child on a mission’s trip”, but the smile she gave me when I did was so special.  We passed out the “El Mejor Regalo” books to the children and the shoeboxes.  

It amazes me the number of teenagers, adults, and church workers who will accept one of these books and it shows how God is using them to reach the people through reaching the children. 

Singing with the kids!

Here are some pictures of the 2^nd distribution site. We had twice as many girls as boys! It was so visual with how they had the room set up.

John is explaining what the book is about.
He was such a help that week!

Boxes touching lives for Christ. Beautiful.

                                                                                                                                                                                    

The kids couldn't open their boxes til we counted. So...he's getting a sneak peek. :-)

We tried to find every box that had a letter. We took a picture of
the child with the letter, and then took a picture of the address.
We are going to mail the picture to the family!

The boys are on the left...and that's where they stop.
The girls keep goooooooing.... :-)

A group of kids going home to REALLY look at their boxes!

Catching up on days gone by! Tuesday, April 12

Well, the Operation Christmas Child part is over of my journey, but you missed out on a lot because I didn't write! So I'm going to catch you up a little bit.

Day 4 (Tuesday)-In Words

You were able to see some pictures of this trip-now, the words. :-) This was our longest journey. A very rough 1:45 ride. I was in the back of a 21 passenger van, so it was super rough! I brought my pillow this time because we experienced the roads the day before. Today was the day I gave my testimony. I wasn't sure what God wanted me to say, so on Monday night I ventured up to the roof to search Him out. I didn't just want to say, well, I got saved at 7, etc etc. So I just sat, prayed and listened to our Lord. Then, I just started writing in my journal, pen flying. I know that most of these kids are in the church regularly, just like I was. The only way the kids can

get the shoeboxes is if they have agreed to do the 12 week discipleship class. Most of them have heard the "salvation" message. I wanted (well, God wanted) me to push them a step further.I talked through a translator, John. He was great and such a help.  I wish I could have been able and capable to do it without a translator. (I keep telling myself, don't worry, it'll come someday)  I introduced all of the kids (about 215) to my friends, Chico and Chica. I explained how they were my friends who helped me teach in the states and my students wanted to see them in the DR.

Our friends found a nice looking boy :-)

That got their attention and they stayed pretty attentive-as attentive as a group of 215 kids can be! I talked about how at 7, I realized that I wasn't perfect and only perfect people can get into heaven. I then asked them, "who here is perfect?" And....kids raised their hands. We all laughed and said NO! No one is perfect! I then connected with them on the level of what "sin" was, asking questions about cheating, lying, thinking mean thoughts, admitting my sin too. Then asked if you could get to heaven in a boat? Plane? Rocket? Talked about perfection in Christ. Then I connected with them about being 12 and deciding that Jesus was going to be my boss. I asked who liked being the boss? EVERYONE raised their hands! Who liked having a boss? Nobody.... :-) I talked about how I'd rather have someone who knew EVERYTHING to be my boss than a silly human like me, who knows nothing. I told them to listen to Jesus when he was calling them to let Him be the boss of their lives.

I'm so glad God uses us in ways we never dream. I would have never dreamed that I would get to share what God has done in my life to 215 kids who NEED Him so badly. Each day of this trip is a dream. Pinching happens often. :-) I met such a sweet girl at this church. She spoke English with us and was putting her heart into serving the teenage girls.  (The girl in the blue shirt)

Stickers, smiles and shoeboxes were passed out to all the kids. And again, they had to wait til we counted to 3. I was also able to get some video of the team passing them out so I could share it with my students in the states. I was told they LOVED it! Jo Anne, my friend and co-worker, put some pictures and videos together to show Wednesday during Chapel.  God worked so many good things out. My students were so excited for me about the trip and I was able to show them God's work right away! Technology is amazing!

A 3rd grade girl at my school gave me this ball to
give to a child. This is the boy I chose! He didn't
get a box, so this was perfect! The little girl was
so tickled to see this picture!

             We then were treated to lunch by family members of the church. We had rice, beans, grilled chicken, Coca-Cola Light :-), and mangos, fresh from the trees! I peeled one with my teeth. I felt very Dominican. :-) It was soo soo nice to hang out with the people of the country.

Sarah taught this 12 year old boy how to work a punching balloon.
God totally chose this box for this boy-knowing that he'd have
a broken arm, but this toy is perfect for him!

We then drove a very long way to a little country school. The lady use to work with Fidel but felt God calling her out to the country to run a small school. These kids were very poor. As you may have noticed, you don't really see "poor" looking kids in the pictures. That's the Dominican way of life. They might have NOTHING at home, but they will find ways to make sure they look nice. Somehow, someway, they will have a nice shirt on and their hair done. So they don't "see"m poor, but they are.



The kids were soo smushed in this little area, some of the older kids were hanging out on the playground because there was no place to sit! Fidel came to this distribution and so did the TV station! Not "Samaritan's Purse" TV, but a station of the country. I don't know when or how much will air, but God's word is getting out there. I was passing out boxes and he had me pause, turned on his camera, and then gave me the thumbs up to deliver the box. So who knows, I might be on TV Dominicana! :-)

  As we were leaving, the principal of the school points to the back of Alan's shirt which says, "Traveling to the ends of the Earth" and says, "that's us. Our school is in the Bible. We are the ends of the earth. "  Kinda broke my heart a little, but also encouraged it...we are going, and making a difference. One box at a time.

Update on Sarah!

Well, yesterday was uneventful for Sarah-which is a good thing! She slept a lot and was able to eat yogurt and applesauce (which Altagracia went out special to get :-) She didn't join us for church, but slept well last night. We are strongly encouraging more food this morning so she doesn't miss out on the last day of adventure. Keep praying for her! David Dyhouse got really sick yesterday too, and is slowly recovering.

We are trying to make a connection to the food, but we aren't sure if it's the eggs, or something. At any rate, most of us are okay!

Day 5- a day of rest

Hey friends,
   Sarah and I are sitting out from the distribution this morning. Sarah was sick more during the night and I was a little too. No vomiting, but I'm afraid that's what's coming next. Good thing they have Gatorade here too! Sarah's been sipping that throughout the night. We'll use today to get a little rest and hopefully be able to go on the distribution this afternoon.

Please pray for our team. As always, personalities come out after 2 days and people are tired and patience are running a little thin. Pray for the testimonies today-our first school is a special needs school, which we just found out last night. Mona now needs to gear her testimony a little more and she's worried about that. Sharon is giving her testimony this afternoon and she's really nervous about connecting it with the kids and making it at their level. Pray for both of them today that they will be used above their abilities and that they will let God have control of things that happen today.

Pray for Heidi and Alan as they are the leaders of the team and they get to deal with everything and be the problem solvers :-)

Natalya is feeling better and will be going today. YAY!

Alright, that's all for now-I'll try to post about yesterday a little later in the afternoon!

Abby

Dominican Republic: Day 4 in Pictures

I don't have time to write much, but I thought I'd give you some pictures to see! You can click on the picture to see it bigger!

Pray for Sarah, now she's sick with the flu. I really really really hope I'm not next. Pray for that too! 

Pray that I can get good sleep tonight and that we will both be able to travel tomorrow. If Sarah doesn't go tomorrow, then I won't be going. I feel like Satan is attacking our group-at least 2 people have had to miss a day or a trip because of sickness. 

Things are going sooooo well dispite the sickness! God is good!

Fidel is translating for Sandra as she gives her testimony, and translating for us when the principal of the school was speaking. It's so great that he can go with us on some of the trips!

Peek-a-boo!

Sarah had been bitten by mosquitoes, but now she was bitten by the sleepy bug and then...the flu bug. :-(

Chica and Chico are spending time with our helpers, Leo and Pragido! Chico and Chica love it here!