Every group at the SCORE complex went to various churches today. We loaded the bus at 7:30 A.M. and traveled a little over an hour to the church at Consuelito. At 9:00 we had Sunday school. Nate took our group to explain what he would be saying in preparation for communion which is given on the first Sunday of the month. The Dominicans take this ordinance very seriously. After communion, the younger children went to children’s church while the adults had church. We were able to present 30 Spanish songbooks and a set of CDs for the sister church at Galluretta. At the end of the service we had all the people arrange themselves in front of the church and we took their picture and printed it off. I spent a few minutes taking individual pictures of the children (and many of the adults), and we were able to print them off too.

While the women went back to SCORE, the men stayed to finish the little house that we worked on this past Wednesday. They got in about 5:30, tired, but happy to have the job finished. While they were gone, we went down to the beach. Sunday is family day in the DR, so the water was full of children. It just took about an hour and we had given out all the tract packets that contained a wordless book bracelet, coloring tracts, and crayons. They were a big hit, but we were worn out from the bright sun.

We are supposed to fly back to the States tomorrow afternoon, but we understand there are some flights that got cancelled, so things could get a little chaotic. It would be a real shame to have to spend more time here in the DR. (can you feel the sarcasm?) We are having a wonderful time seeking opportunities to serve others in any way we can. Thanks so much for your prayers and support as we have taken this trip. Keep praying for us. The men are pretty tired, and everyone thinks additional days will definitely be needed to recover.

More from our group:

“This has been a great week with each day beginning with a time of devotions and fellowship at the beach, watching the power of God at work in creation and realizing that same power is at work in my life—an insignificant human being. It’s been neat to see how God has put together a group of people with varying abilities but willing hearts to step in and serve. I think the biggest challenge for me was the language barrier, being able only to communicate through smiles, hugs, and gestures. Each place we went was unique. It was great going to visit the pediatric floor of the hospital in San Pedro. There, using gestures to get permission, I was allowed to pray with some mothers—although they had no idea what I was saying. After praying with them, I had the privilege of giving them tracts that communicated the gospel in their own language.

Although I can speak very little Spanish, I can read it. So today at the church in Consuelito, it was great to use hymnbooks and be able to sing with the others in Spanish. With all these great changes to minister, my thoughts have been on how this can carry over to our own church and community once we’re back in the area of influence that God has given us.”

Bev Boniface

“The Lord has given us a great week. I especially enjoyed being able to minister in some small way to some orphaned handicapped children as we talked to them, touched them and saw peace come over their faces. Wednesday was different, trying to build benches, but what a blessing to see them being used by the children in Galluretta. On Thursday the Lord provided an opportunity for me to present my testimony to the village as we prepared to feed 78 families. Sunday was a blessing to sit outside the church on some benches—chickens walking around us—and talk about the Lord’s Supper and what it means to each one of us. It has been such a thrill to see my children and grandchildren being able to minister for the Lord here in the Dominican Republic.”

 Bill Hohneisen

“I feel a little funny adding anything else to our mission trip journal since I’ve written every day, but I wanted to say something personal: most of you know this trip was borne out of Bills and my desire to expose our children and grandchildren to the mission field and to grow to love this ministry as we have over the years. Our fortieth anniversary was just an excuse to do it. God did not disappoint; we rejoiced to see all of them use their talents in so many ways. I wept to see our three grandchildren holding little babies and loving them. There is no language barrier in love. I praise God for the opportunity to have done this, and I recommend it highly to anyone.”

We loaded the bus and made our way to the capital city of Santo Domingo. The first stop was at the Straw Market where we spent a little over an hour being pummeled by the vendors—“lookee, lookee. Cheapie—this price JUST for you, my friend.” Larry polished off his bartering skills (which are significant) and got machetes, etc. Watch out, World. Trevor has a machete! (Praise the Lord they sell wooden ones for little guys)

Joann is feeling a little better, as is Larry, so we were in full force for the day. Both of them were a little weak, so continue to pray for them. Larry met the clinic "doctor" today, and he is helping him organize all the supplies that have come in during the last two weeks while he has been gone. (Speaking of Larry, he's about to move here to go to medical school and become a doctor!)

When we couldn’t tolerate any more shopping, we got back on the bus and headed to the Conde—a pedestrian mall area where thousands are out shopping. We gave out lots of tracts; people were walking up to us and asking for them.

On the way out of the city, we swung by the handicapped orphanage to deliver some of the soft toys we had forgotten to take the other day when we were there. It was no problem to play with the children who were awake from their naps. Pam made the rounds to the care givers, telling them we were Christians from the United States, and we wanted to say thank you for taking care of these precious children. And she gave them one of the toiletry bags containing a tract.

We also went to Boca Chica where the new SCORE complex is being built. It’s a long story, but the ultimate outcome is to have a Bible institute and some other things there.

We are now back at the Training Center where there is a mob of Dominican children here for a special time of games and Bible stories. Taylor went down to assist them in a cool water balloon toss. Thanks for your prayers—especially today as it has been hard physically on several of the team. Tomorrow we will be going to church at Consuelito where we will be bringing them new hymnbooks from “their sister church in North Carolina.” While the rest of us will be returning to the Training Center, the men will be finishing the little house—they don’t want to leave with a job unfinished.

Here are some more of our team members’ impressions.

“What I have learned this week is to be more thankful for what I have. Of all the places we have been, from the handicapped orphanages to the villages—the people have so little, but they are beaming from ear to ear. The verse that constantly has come to my mind is “suffer the little children to come unto me.” I’ve had so much fun with them because I can get down on their level, and they can have fun with me. The people here do not have a lot, but they were willing to give what they have to us.”

Larry Brunson

“This week has been so tiring, but so rewarding. I have learned that age doesn’t matter when God works through you – Trevor is looking forward to seeing his friends from the village at church tomorrow, and I loved seeing him hold the babies at the orphanage; it was so touching. Taryn has held every child that is smaller than her and plays with them; she helped us paint (although she had more on her than on the walls), and has made more friends here at SCORE than all of the rest of us. Taylor has really stepped up this week and has helped so much even making a friend in one of the villages, and he gave him his e-mail address (we weren’t sure what his friend was going to do with it though). I have loved seeing my children in this environment. I didn’t know what to expect from them, but they are shining lights making friends, passing out tracts, helping when they can…

I personally have heard stories for years about the people here, but now I can speak from experience – Larry and I now have a burden and a heart for the people here. I have not missed any luxury we have at home. I enjoyed walking a mile through open fields with animals all around us to go to church. I laughed while painting an extremely primitive house while chickens were running under my feet and a very large pig made disgusting noises. My heart ached when I was explaining to the children of a village how to color with the crayons and children’s tracts that we gave them because they had never colored before. I could go on and on but we would be here forever. My heart is full to overflowing. I came to minister to the people, but I have been ministered to. I have truly been blessed.”

Cris Brunson

We’ll hear from Bev (who is too busy to stop and write) and Bill tomorrow.

After a busy week, we had a relaxing day at Catalina Island. The group enjoyed a delicious buffet meal and snorkeling on one of the world’s most beautiful islands off the edge of the island that Haiti and the Dominican Republic share. The water is crystal clear and a most beautiful color. They stopped the boat a ways out and allowed those who wanted to jump in the water. We returned in the afternoon sunburned and tired. I (Sherri) had an opportunity to share the gospel with one of the shop venders. He is Catholic and “hopes” he will be in Heaven someday. He said he only broke about five of the Ten Commandments—“it is just so hard to keep them all,” he said. I agreed and told him that was why Christ had to come—the only way we could have our sins covered was by His blood. He listened very attentively. Pray for him. His name is Peter.

Cris met a Christian shop keeper as she got the value of the day—a black coral necklace for only $10.00! They also had a great talk. There are Christians all over the world!

Please pray for the health of our team. Joann has been in bed all day with a virus (she couldn’t go with us). Then just as we got back, Larry went down with something (he thinks may be heat exhaustion). We had Taylor and Trevor looked at by the clinic doctor tonight. They both have DOUBLE ear infections which has caused their bodies to be covered in a red rash. They are now on antibiotics, so, hopefully, they will be better tomorrow.

Bev and Pam are hard at work on the curtains for the little house we have been building.
The men hope to finish it sometime this weekend.

Speaking of tomorrow, we will be going to Santo Domingo to distribute tracts, enjoy bartering at the Straw Market, and seeing some of the local sights. Taylor has been great at giving out tracts. He stays on the lookout for someone to give one to. Our little cross tracts have been a great success. They have balls and sports equipment all over them (along with the plan of salvation). The Dominicans are sports lovers, so they are naturally attracted to them.

I think the neat thing we experienced today was the fun it has been visiting with the other mission teams who are visiting at SCORE. They all have differing gifts, and it is amazing to see how they are being used, just as we have been. Keep praying for us. We want to finish strong.

We had a great day today visiting new mothers at a hospital. We took tote bags containing baby products and several of the ladies had opportunity to witness to the moms. We took pictures of the babies and moms and printed them out on our portable printers. That was a hit. The grandmothers really liked it, and soon the whole family was involved. The director called the local news station (must have been a slow news day) and they were there to interview Erica about what our mission was that day. Erica had a great opportunity to explain and present the gospel.

We stopped at a fabric shop to get some fabric to make curtains and door curtains for the little house we finished (or will finish)

This afternoon we shopped at Jumbos for the feeding of a village. We fed 78 families. Bill, Odell, and Manny--our Dominican translator--gave the gospel very clearly to the assembled adults. We took the children aside to give them crayons and coloring tracts. After we distributed the food, we organized some baseball games. Those Dominicans are something!

I thought you would like to hear from some of our group:

"God didn't bring me to the Dominican Republic to change but to change me. I am thankful that God enables us; for apart from Him, I can do nothing of value. But I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

Odell Shepard

"What a wonderful experience traveling through the country yesterday, seeing the beauty God has created, working with the people, sharing a meal with them. I am humbled. God is good."

Bobby Lamonds

"One thing that stands out to me is how as I endeavor to share the love of Jesus with these precious people, great love is poured back on me. To tell a lady that Jesus loves her, and I love her--to see her light up, hug me, and kiss me on the cheek is a blessing beyond description."

Pam Lamonds

"We have done so much, but the visit to the hospital this morning was a real blessing. I had several opportunities to share the gospel. Everyone was willing to allow us to pray for their babies and sick children. I was brought to tears many times when I would see how little these people have and how thankful they are for everything we do or give them."

Joann Braxton

"The other day we went to a village and had to paint a house for a man and his family. A couple of days before a different group had built part of the new house. They used to live in a little shack, and there were three people living in it. The house that they had built for them wasn't really even a house to us, but to them, it was everything. It was really something to see that they were happy with what they had, and it wasn't even really anything. We have so many things, and we don't thank God for most of it. You don't know what you have until you don't have it anymore.Thank God for what you have. Don't complain because it could be a lot worse. That is what I have learned so far."

Ashley Lowe

"God has blessed me with a family . The children at the orphanage had no family, but yet they were happy. The children in the village were very friendly; they were also very content. One boy named Jordan had small clothes that didn't fit him and had holes in them. We're really blessed."

Taylor Brunson

"It has been a wonderful week so far. God has blessed me so far being in the handicapped orphanage. I wanted to take one home with me. We went to another orphanage, and the kids were so loving. Yesterday we went to a village and painted a house and then had a service with the kids. Today it was good to see these new mothers and babies at a hospital. The babies were so cute. Thanks for praying for us."

  Melissa Hohneisen

"I liked it when I played with my new friend, and I liked givng out coloring tracts."

Trevor Brunson

We were on the bus by 7:30 A.M. to make our way to Consuelito--a sugar cane village. We teamed with another church group who was there to build a swing set for the church. Our men built three benches while the ladies painted the home of an older single father with two teenaged daughters. We purchased the materials to finish the house, but we were unable to get it totally finished. The materials were left for someone else to put up the rest of one outside wall.

Most of the group then make their way to Gallereta, a small Haitian village nearby. Pam played her flute while the audience sang. We took the children out for the preaching service. Taryn sang a solo for the 40 children who were in that service. We distributed crayons and a special coloring page. One of the saddest things was seeing Emilia, a little girl who had a stomach ache. She had not eaten all day and wasn't feeling well. We searched our bags but everything we had was left in the bus which was FARRRRRR away. Cris scrounged up some gummy snacks to give the poor child something to put in her little tummy. This was a very poor village. The sugar cane villages have closed so the men have no work. Erica is working with the women to weave baskets which are sold for $10-15 to feed the families of the ladies who make them.

You've heard of missionaries telling stories of how people walk for miles to attend church? Well, we saw this up front and personal as WE got out of the bus and walked about a mile because the bus couldn't go there.

Taylor, Taryn, and Trevor have made LOADS of friends who have taught them to do things such as picking mangoes. We loaded the bus at 6:00 to return to SCORE for supper. Oh, I almost forgot--the ladies of the village made lunch for all of us. We were a little nervous--all right, all right. I was nervous, but everything tasted great!

We have a special service tonight with Kids Across America, so I need to sign off. Maybe we'll get some more time tomorrow. Pray for a lady Pam was able to witness to in the Haitian village this afternoon. She's not saved yet, but the seed was sown.

Sherri

After a beautiful flight to the Dominican Republic, we arrived safe and as sound as this group can get.  The ladies got busy organizing all the ministry items so we could see what we need to take each day.  The church was so generous with gifts of toiletries, vitamins, and money.  We appreciate all the help for those who are here in the DR by way of money.

Tuesday morning we got up early to enjoy God's morning display on the beach.  It was a bit overcast, but the sun peeked over the palm trees, and we gathered for a time of prayer for our day.  What a blessing to be able to be here--not only having fun, but having an opportunity to minister to other people.

We headed off to Santo Domingo.  After making a stop at a local supermarket to purchase disposible diapers and milk (thanks to the Patch the Pirateers who supplied this need), we went to the handicapped orphanage.  We were unable to take pictures, but we recorded these in our hearts.  There's no way I can express what a blessing it was to provide sheets, crib sheets, adult sized diapers, and lotions for all.  We only took one large bag full of toiletries for the workers; I wish we had taken more.  They were blessed to have them.  Erica (one of our guides for the week) said many of them are not saved, so we have prayed these tracts enclosed in the bags of toiletries will find hungry hearts.  We each took a tiny bottle of lotion and lovingly rubbed it on the stick-thin arms and legs of the children while singing to them or praying for them. 

We didn't want to leave, but we had other stops to make.  After a lunch overlooking one of the most spectacular sights in Santo Domingo--the craggy beach where there is a lighthouse, we went to Jackie's House, another orphanage.  Although there were some handicapped children there, most are children whose parents have given them away for one reason or another.  We had a ball blowing soap bubbles, playing with beach balls and learning some of their games.  While some of the group took pictures, others helped the children make popsicle stick frames that said "Jesus Loves Me" in Spanish.  We had two portable printers, and we printed off the pictures and glued them into the frames.  It was a hit!  After everyone had at least one picture taken, we all joined in for some Dominican entertainment.  You wouldn't believe some of your fellow church members, but Bill has video to prove what happened.

We hated to leave, but we needed to get back to the Training Center.  Taylor, Taryn, and Trevor (who have been absolutely wonderful!--if I do say so) hit the pool while most of the others hit their beds for a nap.  Since today is Larry's birthday, we will be going to a local restaurant for supper.

Tomorrow we dress in our work duds and join with another church for some construction.  We will be making church benches, painting, and helping to put a small additon onto the home of a single father of two teenaged daughters.  At the end of the day the people of the village will come together for a Wednesday night service, so we will take part in that.  Hopefully I can send an update and some pictures, if I can figure out how.

Keep praying for us.  We are having a great time, and it's hard to believe any day could be any more blessed than the one we had today.