Puerto Rico Trip
Today was the perfect ending of our blessed week. We took all the kids to 7 Seas Beach, the reason it is called 7 Seas is because from the lighthouse overlooking the bay you can see 7 different colors of blue in the ocean. The kids enjoyed swimming and playing on the sand with us. The adults had a good time as well, snorkeling and getting burnt to a frazzle. Lily got up close and personal with the ocean life when a jellyfish attached itself to her armpit while she was snorkeling. In the process of trying to beat it off, there was a casualty and she lost a lenses to her glasses. The local medication was peeing in the sand and rubbing it on your wound and Mary was willing to make thee ultimate sacrifice but Lily declined. Star fish and Lily both survived. Of course everyone had a great laugh. We packed a lunch and ate a picnic on the beach that everyone enjoyed. Pastor Rich surprised us all with the red star fish he had carried back in his hands to show everyone. Isn't God's creation great? What a blessing it is to help these precious children in all the opportunities God has given us. It was hard to say goodbye to the kids. We all went out to dinner and treated the staff to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. They surprised us with a collage of pictures from our week spent here and special 'thank you' messages from each child and teacher. We are all tired but very thankful how the Lord has used each one of us as His hands and feet to minister to the kids. Leaving them all behind is hard but our hearts are full with all the Lord has accomplished in and through us. We can't wait to get back home and teach you some of our favorite signs.

Posted by: Lily & Kate

Dominican Republic Trip
A wonderful last day today—a day of rest, encouragement, and debriefing, shopping in Santo Domingo and then lunch and afternoon at a beautiful resort just down the road. Just finished a powerful time of praise and devotion with the team by the pool. God has done so much. The boys offer the update again today, staying up late to faithfully finish it! There is a catch though—some of the statements are true, some are partially true, and some are completely false!!!!!!!! So, you must guess! Answers at bottom!!

(1) A beautiful Dominican woman was struggling at sea. Her name was Olga. At the sound of her cries, Samuel D. Ginavan rushed into the waves, sacrificing himself for a better cause. And he would have saved her, too, had not a gigantic sea porcupine named Shamu plunged his quills into Sam’s foot, and then into his knees, chest, and face.

(2) While the rest of the team obediently requested drinks from the bar at the resort that were without alcohol, the rebel Sarah Taylor was secretly and deliberately and rebelliously consuming as much alcohol as possible. The “possible” came quicker that anyone could have imagined, as after one sip she began violently and profusely vomiting in and around the pool where she sat as she drank.

(3) David “Feathers” Leathers used what little chest hair he has to tame the dolphins as he was seeking Narnia. Aslan was nowhere to be found.

(4) Kristin applied so much sunscreen today that not even the guys selling all the paintings would go anywhere near her.

(5) When not getting her price while bargaining for a cute Dominican toy for her grandchildren this morning at the Straw Market, Jeanie “Meanie” Sandolfini pulled the biggest machete off of a nearby shelf and threatened to kill the goat walking harmlessly down the street outside.

(6) Pastor Mike just turned 29 two minutes ago.

(7) It rained a lot today on our tropical paradise.

(8) At the resort today, the guys had to ride in a submarine in order to get to the bathrooms.

(9) After devotions tonight, Pastor Mike performed a wedding ceremony for Ron—a handsome, young missionary who will be living in Los Montones for the next year—and a young lady from our team who will remain anonymous. She is looking forward to all that God has for her in the coming year.

(10) The water polo championships will take place in less than 8 hours (8:00AM ET/DR time). It will be the Americans against the Americans.

(11) Pastor Mike and Alex are still undefeated in foosball after humiliating Sam and Josh in a friendly, non-competitive match.

(12) (We enjoyed an Argentine BBQ on Friday night (Aby’s wife Gladys is from Argentina) with proceeds benefiting the guys being discipled in Los Montones. After an official vote, the chicken proved to be the favorite meat, slightly nudging out the pork and the steak.

(13) 22 people are battling with many mixed emotions as we prepare to leave in the morning. We will miss it much here. But we are so excited to see our families and friends!!! We are definitely counting down the hours until we are home!!!! We promise we will try our hardest not to get stuck overnight in an airport somewhere this year!!!! See you soon!



ANSWERS

(1) Partially true. There was no woman, and the sea porcupines were much smaller. But Sam did step on one and had 4 “quills” in his foot. He went to grab it and had 4 more in his finger! Kayla also had a couple in her foot. Quite painful for them but once again it was Pastor Aby to the rescue! He did some “mini surgery” tonight and all are as good as new!
(2) Partially true. She is not a rebel and she certainly didn’t do it deliberately, but she was accidentally served a drink with strong alcohol and she took a sip of it while in the pool. Within seconds, poor Sarah was throwing up everywhere! It was actually quite funny, and even she was laughing quite a bit. Her parents and youth pastor certainly do not have to worry about her drinking again anytime soon.
(3) Completely false.
(4) Completely false.
(5) Completely false.
(6) True. Happy BDAY PM!
(7) False because this is a huge understatement. It absolutely poured. And poured and rained and poured some more—all afternoon. We had fun anyway, but it certainly wasn’t paradise! Rained all night! The pool at the hotel is about to overflow!
(8) False. But the bathrooms were flooded up above our shins and we had to wade through the water to get anywhere.
(9) False, although the idea has been suggested by several people on several occasions. We have been blessed to meet Ron and he has been with us the last three days. He is called by God to live in Los Montones for the next year and to help with discipleship there. We will be in touch with him, but so far no one has married him!!!! : )
(10) True. The Americans will finally win something this week.
(11) Absolutely true.
(12) True. But according to the guys, the pork won.
(13) True.

Puerto Rico Trip
Rich and I had such a powerful day in our classroom today and I wanted to share it with all of you...

Today was the final day of VBS as we're taking a field trip tomorrow with them and won't have class time. So, instead of doing just one lesson/program today we got to do two separate ones (lesson time is my most favorite time of the day because it's really where we deeply speak God's truth to these kids and also get to intentionally speak to them the most about their spiritual lives). Anyway, all throughout the week we've been teaching them stories from David's life and some main ideas like God has a plan for their lives, God is powerful, God is in control and God is always with them. Although these ideas seem like typical "Bible lesson" ideas, they were really, really difficult for most of the kids in our class to grasp and take ownership of. For kids who have suffered through things like not having a father/family, the death of a parent, exposure to physical abuse, not having daily access to food, and in addition to all this and more, being separated from most of the world around them by their deafness, the truths about God that we've been trying to get them to embrace haven't made a lot of sense to them right away. It was so humbling to sit in front of them this week and hear all about their lives and know that these lessons that we had planned were exactly what they needed to learn. This afternoon we talked with them about what it means to put their past and current struggles behind them and to find their identity in Christ...to not let their lack of family or physical abilities define who they are, but instead see themselves as a new creation in Christ, holy and dearly loved (2 Cor. 5:17, Col. 3:12). Betsy, their main teacher and our interpreter for the day also drove home such a powerful point...That although their deafness seems like a disadvantage or set-back in life, that God really has used it to protect them...James' deafness protected him from the witchcraft that he saw practiced in his uncle's home as a young boy...he was unable to hear and understand it, therefore he never fell prey to it, and now he is a boy that although still has struggles and questions, loves Jesus so much and wants to follow His Word. The students who suffered accidents or illnesses that caused their deafness would have been in a public, secular school system had those circumstances not occurred. However, now they're in a school whose main goal is to teach them the communication of sign in order to teach them the Gospel and truth of God's love...how powerful! God really does use our weaknesses for his glory, and really does work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28). And what a blessing and honor it was for Rich and I to be a tiny, little part of them understanding this amazing truth. Thank you so much for your prayers, and please continue to pray for this school. What an amazing, life-changing, God-honoring place this is. The women and people of this school center their lives around loving these children as Christ would if he lived in Luquillo, Puerto Rico today. It's amazing that our God transcends language and life to use His followers to reach a lost world.

Dominican Republic Trip
I did not cry today for them.
I did not cry today for the people of Los Montones—
I know they will be okay.
I know they will be much more than okay.
I know this not just because they have a wonderful pastor and not just because God is rising up so many godly men in their village.
I know this because they have the Holy Spirit. They have Him in a special way.
I think of what He did today…

We loaded the bus and headed from Los Montones to Quisqueya, the nearest town. The “we” is the amazing part—“we” was our mime team and a couple extra of us, and also their mime team and a couple extra of them! They were to do the “Sin Chair” mime. Then Antonio would share testimony. Then we would do “Al Mundo.” Then their Greg would share testimony. Then they would do “Queda Cristo.” Then their Fermin would share the gospel! (Fermin, Greg, and Antonio are three of the six guys in “discipleship” who have been saved for about a year now.) We were excited about this program but God would not wait for it. On the bus on the way into town, two of the teenage girls doing mime told Fermin they wanted to become Christians “right now.” They felt that since they were serving Jesus, they needed to know Jesus in their hearts! Fermin had everyone bow heads to pray and preached the gospel and led them in the sinners’ prayer. The two girls—Gabriela and Glenis—stood to acknowledge they had just received Jesus! Pastor Aby and the others had been praying for a year for these girls to come to Jesus! Then, two more girls told Fermin they wanted to receive Jesus “right now.” Gospel, prayer, bang…Diana and Cheila stand up to acknowledge their faith. We renamed the road out of Los Montones “Damascus Road,” because it was a great road of salvation today! The mime outreach was amazing as well. We broke up into groups and invited people into the center of a neighborhood. In the end, well over 100 people gathered. God enabled everyone to do wonderful. As Fermin preached the gospel, many hands went up in response. The children all prayed out loud with him. And several teens and adults responded as well. But even more precious to me than that was just how God used the people of Los Montones. I told them on the way back: this is why we came. To help them see that they could do it. They did not need us. God was using them. And God will continue to use them. They can reach their country!

Meanwhile, back in Los Montones, a great children’s carnival was unfolding. So many children have learned so much about Jesus this week. God is rising up a generation there that knows Him!

This afternoon was the church service. There is a debate going on right now in Pastor Aby’s family—was it the best or the second best church service ever in the village? They said it is probably tied with their inauguration service, which had about 350 people. Today there were about 300 Dominicans (including all the children) who were there—not bad for a village of just over a thousand. Jeanie and Cole shared powerful testimonies. Jill and Chelsey sang beautifully. The Los Montones Mime Team performed and received a standing ovation. And somebody preached, and he looked like me, but it was definitely God. We looked at 1 Corinthians 12 and talked about “The Best Team in Los Montones.” The best team in Los Montones is that church. And they believe it. Wow do they believe it! They are ready to conquer the world in Jesus’ name!

At the end of the message, I gave an invitation to everyone to join the team, to trust in Jesus. It was amazing as at least 10 people responded. In Los Montones, when people respond to the gospel, they know exactly what it means. Many of them have been waiting, but walls fell down today, and for the last three days. And today was a great day of salvation. Today the name “Tata” was written down in heaven. She is the mother of some of the discipleship guys, lives right next door to the church. Jeanie has been very burdened for her, along with Pastor Aby, who prayed specifically for her today on his drive into the village. She is a strong Catholic who also has been involved with much witchcraft. She stood today to receive Jesus. She hugged Pastor Aby who was right in front of her and she told him, “Today for the first time I am not ashamed to look into your eyes when you talk to me.” Also, today, the name “Merlin” was written in glory. She is the mother in the family that I have been praying for throughout the past year. She would appear to know Christ, but she had not received Him personally. Her mother is the strongest Catholic in the village (the one Marlene spoke with yesterday). I have such a great love for her and her family, and many on our team have grown to love them in a special way as well. Merlin stood today and received Jesus. She told me, “Today I am finally Christian!” There were others, men and women, crying as they stood. Pastor Aby walked around the church and hugged each one as everyone applauded. He then invited anyone who had received Jesus in the last three days to come down to the front and to pray. A great circled gathered on knees as his wife sang, and everyone prayed with these new Christians. Then the church broke out into one of the loudest celebrations ever and sang “Hallelujah, Senor!”

It is so hard to explain this in words. I know that even the pictures and the videos will not do it justice. We are in awe of Jesus today. Honestly, until this report, we have not even spoken much about it. We have been in awe. “God is in heaven, you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few…Stand in awe of God” (Ecclesiastes 5). We have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in such a strong way. It has been Him because it has definitely not been us.

And so I did not cry for them today, because they will be okay.
I cried for us, for me. I cried because I will miss them so much. I will miss God’s work in and through them.

Thank you for your prayers. They were obvious today. I only hope our words and pictures will somehow help you to experience it with us.

To God alone be all glory—-

Puerto Rico Trip
It is day three of our VBS program; half way through the week and God is still at work and blessing each of us. The Lesson centered on the friendship between Jonathan and David; how Jonathon helped David to escape from King Saul. Teaching with Nicole to a group of young deaf students is an audience that took some getting used to; learning the techniques of how to keep their eyes focused on you while there are so many other things to see or play with. It is humbling to not be able to simply rely on my own words. But the women at this school are incredible, in our class with the younger children Jen smoothly translates what we say into the language that these children can understand. How thankful I am to have someone like Jen who loves the Lord and is just as excited (probably even more) to have these kids hear the truth of God's word. They are eager to learn; one of my favorite times is when we are memorizing a verse together and I am able to see a glimpse of just how intelligent they are.

Something that is very cool is that each of us within the group have the opportunity to share our testimonies at various times during the week at chapel. This gives us a chance to be vulnerable and reach out to the kids; sharing more about ourselves and what God has done in our lives. Today Nicole, Richard and Lily willingly told the children about their lives, how God has worked and how He is continuing to work in them. I confess to being a little bit nervous to share my own story tomorrow but it is His strength and not my own.

It was very encouraging last night during our “group/devotional time” to discuss the different roles each of us have within our group. Whether it is creating a bed, preparing the food, teaching the children or fixing the water system; it is incredible to see how we (as a group) paint a picture of the “body of Christ”. Each of us may do a different job but we are all working together for one purpose; it is all for God’s glory.

It's been fun for me (It's Val typing now) to work with the kids for crafts. You can see their faces light up when they complete their craft. From Perler Beads to the melted crayon mosaic pictures they made, most if not all of the students were involved and excited to be making something new. Kate amazes me with the many craft ideas she has, not to mention her Mary Kay expertise which she demonstrated to the girls today. Some of us felt a little guilty since we were being pampered in the library (the only school room with A/C), but it was fun to exfoliate and paint our nails and just be girls.

Dave and Jeff were the Mr. Fixits of the day. Dave was working on the hot roof, with Jared, on the water reservoir system, fixing pipes and replacing valves. Praise the Lord that there were no accidents while the guys were on the roof. Jeff was continuing work on the monkey bars then moved on to make James a new bed. The older boys at the school were able to lend a hand on the bed construction.

The Ladies here at the school are amazing. They are there for the kids for all things, whether just to listen to them or to teach them or to have fun playing outside. Betsy, Jen, and Laurie have a wonderful heart for the Lord and these kids. Even with such a large range of ages, from age 4 to 16, all the kids receive the teaching and guidance they need.

Continue to pray for us as the parents come tomorrow for dinner!

Posted by Mary and Val

Dominican Republic Trip
The update today is from the ladies in Jen's apartment. Another full day in Los Montones—blessing after blessing! And finished the day with a wonderful worship service and challenge here at SCORE! Everything we do here is a blessing! Update:

OUR GOD IS SO BIG, SO STRONG AND SO MIGHTY
(MI DIOS ES TAN GRANDE, FUERTE Y PODEROSO)

AND HE WORKED IN BIG WAYS TODAY – AND HERE'S HOW

1. WE PRAYED ON THE BUS ON THE WAY TO LOS MONTONES TODAY THAT IT WOULD BE A GREAT DAY OF SALVATION! GOD ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS AS MANY HEARTS FOUND CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR TODAY. MANY CHILDREN WERE RESPONSIVE TO GOSPEL, AND SOME TRUSTED JESUS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS. ALSO, EACH DAY OUR GUYS HAVE BEEN HAVING BIBLE STUDY WITH THE BASEBALL GUYS BEFORE OUR GAMES. ONLY ABOUT 6 OF THE 20+ BASEBALL GUYS KNOW JESUS AS SAVIOR. MANY HAVE NOT BEEN READY TO TRUST JESUS YET. THESE GUYS ARE THE "KEYS" TO THE VILLAGE. TODAY, TWO MORE OF THEM TRUSTED JESUS!!!!!! ONE OF THEM, MANUEL, WAS ESPECIALLY MOVED. AFTER THE STUDY (WHICH WAS IN THE BACK OF THE CHURCH), HE WAS DOWN IN THE FRONT OF THE CHURCH WEEPING (PICTURE RED SOX PLAYER DAVID ORTIZ WITH BOTH HANDS ON HIS HEAD AND TEARS STREAMING DOWN HIS FACE!). THIS DECISION MEANT SO MUCH TO HIM. HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THE DECISION MEANS AND IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO HIM. HE IS READY TO FOLLOW JESUS! PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM!

2. THE KEY VILLAGE MATRIARCH, MARYLINE WAS WITNESSED TO BY MARLENE - SHE IS THE PROMINENT CATHOLIC IN THE VILLAGE. PASTOR ABY SAYS THAT IF SHE TRUSTS IN JESUS, MANY MORE WILL FOLLOW. SHE IS THE ONE HOLDING MANY PEOPLE BACK. TODAY SHE OPENED UP TO MARLENE MORE THAN SHE EVER HAS TO ANOTHER PERSON. MARLENE WILL FOLLOW UP AGAIN TODAY! SHE WAS ON MARLENE'S HEART AFTER THE MARRIAGE SEMINAR YESTERDAY. THEY ARE ABOUT THE SAME AGE AND HAVE BEEN WIDOWS FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF YEARS.

3. LOS MONTONES CHILDREN LEARNED HOW TO GIVE BACK TO THE CHILDREN OF RBC BY MAKING THANK YOU CARDS.

4. THE PARENTING SEMINAR WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED—22 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE!—AND THE PEOPLE HAVE ASKED PASTOR ABY TO SCHEDULE VISITS TO THEIR HOMES TO FURTHER DISCUSS THE MARRIAGE AND PARENTING SEMINARS AS WELL AS THE EVANGELISM SEMINAR. ALSO, PASTOR ABY WAS THRILLED WITH HOW BOTH SEMINARS WENT. HE IS GOING TO USE OUR NOTES TO LEAD SEMINARS IN AT LEAST 4 OTHER VILLAGES. HE IS GOING TO TAKE SOME PEOPLE FROM LOS MONTONES WITH HIM TO HELP WITH THE SEMINARS!

5. THE CHILDREN SANG HARD AND PLAYED HARD AND WERE JUST AS TIRED AS WE WERE.

6. THE FIRST "OFFICIAL" MIME TEAM OF LOS MONTONES WAS INCREDIBLE. WE TAUGHT THEM TWO OF OUR MIMES SO THAT THEY CAN DO THEM FOR OUTREACH. THEY WERE SO EXCITED—AND VERY GOOD! NEVER HAD A MIME TEAM LEARN IN SUCH A SHORT TIME – UNBELIEVABLE! AFTER THEY WERE DONE WITH THEIR FIRST TRY, EVERYONE WAS CHEERING AND CLAPPING SO LOUD AND JUMPING AROUND. I DON'T KNOW IF A THIRD WORLD VILLAGE HAS EVER SEEN SMILES AS BIG AS THE ONES ON THE FACES OF THESE LOS MONTONES MIME! PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM! TOMORROW MORNING THEY WILL COME WITH US TO THE NEAREST TOWN AND THEY WILL PERFORM IN FRONT OF A CROWD THERE. THEN SOME OF THEIR PEOPLE WILL GIVE TESTIMONIES AND SHARE THE GOSPEL!!! THEY ARE DOING THE MINISTRY!!!

7. 25 OF THE MANY TEENAGERS FROM THE VILLAGE SHOWED UP DEVOTED TO LISTENING TO THE PURITY SEMINAR; AND BY THE END OF THE SEMINAR THEY WERE ALL DETERMINED TO FOLLOW GOD'S PLAN FOR PURITY.

8. MANY BOYS AND GIRLS, WHO HAVE HAD THE WORD SHARED WITH THEM MANY TIMES, CAME TO FAITH IN CHRIST AS THEY UNDERSTOOD THE CROSS TALK.

9. OUR "SPORTS TEAM" FINALLY SCORED IN TWO WAYS – THEY SCORED A GOAL IN SOCCER (EVEN THOUGH THEY LOST 4-1) AND THEY STRATEGICALLY SHARED LIFE WITH THE LOS MONTONES TEAM.

10. THE CHILDREN LEARNED TO PLAY DODGE BALL TODAY – ONLY ONE LITTLE BOY ACTUALLY ADMITTED TO BEING HIT AND PLACED HIMSELF OUT OF THE GAME.

Tomorrow we will head back to Los Montones for our final day there. There will be a children's carnival in the morning and then the Mime Team outreach in nearby town. We will play another game (baseball or soccer) with them. Then in the afternoon we will be at their church service! We can't wait! Pray for Pastor Mike as he preaches, for Jeanie as she shares testimony, for Jill and Chelsey as they sing, and perhaps for others who will be involved.

Amidst the blessing their continues to be trials. Pastor Mike is fighting through Strep throat. Jeanie and Jen always need prayer for endurance with their backs. Kayla's back has been hurting as well. Kristin was sick again yesterday. Jade came back yesterday with an eye infection. Praise God for Pastor Aby who treated her infection and expects it to be better. Also, in soccer yesterday, Josh (who scored our only goal) dislocated his ankle. He didn't have anyone look at it until we came back to the complex. Then he has Pastor Aby look at it and Pastor said it was bad. But he popped it back into place and realigned his leg in about 30 seconds. Josh is as good as new! All just part of a full day here in the DR!


Thank you for praying and for sharing in ministry with us!

Puerto Rico Trip
We thought we would change up our post for the day, and let you know many of the blessings that God has given to each one of us in the past few days...To see some photos from our adventures check out, http://esdluquillo.com/august2009.aspx

Dave Woodburn: "I have been blessed by the children here with their warm smile and making us feel welcome, and at home with them." A warm smile melts the heart!

Kate Krupp: "Everyday is a full body exfoliation with the water & the sand at the beach."

Michelle Jennings: I've been really encouraged by James, a 16 year old student here that you may have met this summer when he visited Ridgewood. This morning Richie and I were teaching our class about God's power and asked them to share how they can see His power in their life or the world around him. James responded and told us that he knows God is powerful because one day he'll be in heaven with him because of his faith in Christ and he'll actually be able to hear. It was so humbling to hear of the hope he has of being made perfect in heaven. Also, this afternoon he seemed upset because of some fights between him and his friends, and later on tonight when asked if he was still upset because he was worrying about seeing his friends tomorrow, he cut off the interpreter and said "No, I'm not upset because God's word says not to worry about tomorrow because God will take care of me". What an encouraging word and faith from this boy who has had so little in his life compared to us....

Nicole Dunbar: "The biggest blessing for me is seeing all the kids again. Seeing how much they've grown physically but also spiritually! Also, being a part of this team and really getting to know people I didn't know as well before. As many people know, the wildlife (roaches, spiders, rats) here absolutely terrify me, but on this trip the Lord has kept me relaxed about the bugs! James has enjoyed pointing to the floor, signing BUG and yelling. Of course, there's really nothing there but he loves to scare me! I'm so thankful to be here, even if that means being picked on because of my bug-phobia!

Jeff Carpenter: Today we were blessed with Puerto Rican food! It was very good. Hector, our translator from church, and his wife prepared the meal for us and the students of ESD. Those that know me know I like to eat and I eat seconds all the time. Today was one of the days that God allowed me to take some tostados to go so I didn't get caught cleaning up all the mess (left-over dishes and countertops). The nice ladies on our team did them from start to finish today as I snuck away with a tostado!

Anonymous: The food is great, the people are too. Puerto Rico is awesome and so is vacation Bible school!

Mary Jennings: Thee biggest blessing would be the kids themselves. Monday morning - our first day of VBS with the kids and only a few hours in I could already see so many of their individual personalities. It was the beginning of the week and they were already tugging on my heart. Even Criss, a boy who is alittle more headstrong and wild, came over and squatted over my leg - pointed to his butt and waved his hand over his nose. The fact that Criss felt comfortable enough with me already to fart of my leg on the first day was a blessing in itself. These children have a joy that overflows and is contagious. It is only the 2nd day of VBS and I can NOT wait for what is in store for the rest of the week. Communication is a struggle since they are deaf and I know little sign language but Christ's love is powerful enough to cross all barriers!!

Lily Schmitt: Hiking in the rain forest today and standing under the cold water as it poured out of the mountain with many of the kids from the school screaming and laughing was a really cool time. Also having charge of one of the deaf children as i helped her up and donw the steep paths and seeing how much she trusted me was a neat blessing. I learned a few more very helpful new signs that are most necessary in communicating with deaf children. The word 'poop' was not one of the signs Nicki had taught us before we came. Also yesterday the older boys got a good laugh out of the new sign i learned and shared with them in a perfect joke on their teacher Betsy.

Val Brittin: It's been a blessing to me that even though there are language barriers some things are universal. Hearing the hymns at the Spanish church and knowing the English words reminded me that we are all the same. We may use different alphabets and speak different languages, but we all worship the same Savior and he loves everyone of us no matter the language or location.

Rich Jennings: Each day holds different blessings, and i praise God for each way He has shown Himself to us. A couple of the ways that have really encouraged me is as He has given each one of us from the team a couple different opportunities to share the Gospel with different people at the beaches. This has been great because it is a stretching experience for everyone, and as a result many have heard the gospel. Second, is the teaching time and fellowship that we have had with the deaf students. Each one of us have connected, encouraged and been encouraged by the students. Lastly, our devotion time at night has been great as we all connect, worship in song, and dive into God's word. With each devo time, we all read the same few passages during the day, then come together during the night time and discuss what God has been showing us. this has been an awesome of fellowship and uniting together as a team. God has truly been amazing through these last few days!!!!

Continue to pray for us as we minister down in Puerto Rico. Your fellow servants in the Gospel!

Posted by, The Puerto Rico Team!

Dominican Republic Trip
Our first of three days in Los Montones! What a privilege to be a part of God's work there! The ladies in Jill's apartment have offered the update today, using the letters of "Los Montones" as their outline. Please do not be discouraged by the first point—we will represent better today!


L- Lost!!! The U.S. (Ridgewood Bible Church) baseball team lost to the Dominicans 7-1, and the only hit and the only run the Americans did have was by a Dominican pinch hitter.

O- Only one person threw up on the bus!! No names please. (HINT: known to have long blond hair, long legs with initials K.B.)

S- Salvation! Deb and Sue took a bus ride for fun, to the nearest tree. They came across a sweet little old lady sitting on her porch, and shared the gospel with her. She trusted in Jesus! Gospel was shared with many today!


M- Marriage seminar. Hearing for the very first time, the 50 attendees heard about what God's Word says on marriage. Awesome!!!!! Amazing interaction. They were so appreciative afterward. And many testimonies were heard during the marriage seminar by both the Americans and the Dominicans.

O- OH!!! What an awesome pastor they have in Pastor Aby (Hah-bee). Such a blessing to know him and to see God using him in this village and others. And his latest vision is to convert one section of their children's building into a preschool classroom. They want to open a school next week (Monday!) that would provide jobs for 5-10 ladies in the village. We gave enough money to them today to buy all the supplies needed to fix and furnish the room!

N- Ninos came running excitedly from all directions to participate in R.B.C.'s Dominican V.B.S program which included stories by Kristen and Sarah, crafts, and many fun games like Hot Potato.

T- Teen Americanos shared a workshop with around 25 Dominican teens about how to get into the Bible.

O- OH YEAH! And by the way, too bad for all the rest of us, who had to eat pb and j sandwiches for lunch, pastor mike got to enjoy a specially prepared authentic Dominican meal.

N- No teens' hair was left untouched by the Dominican children. Braided! Pulled! Stroked! And anything else they could think of.

E- Everyone couldn't stop praising the Lord for the glorious things God is doing in Los Montones. Hallelujah!!!!!

S- Sonya, a precious Dominican Madre, invited some of the team into her modest casa (home) and enthusiastically praised the Lord in her language for Gods provision and asked for prayer for her bambinos.

Puerto Rico Trip
Start of Day:
Everyone (well maybe not everyone) woke up nice and early and excited for the first day with all the students we would meet. We went to have our cereal, juice and coffee at 7am. We quickly ate our breakfast in anticipation of the students arriving. The first student to arrive was Johanely and we each finger spelled our names to her. She was great at remembering everyone's name. After that the 7 other students arrived and we entered the Chapel. In the Chapel we introduced ourselves to the rest of the students and then did the bubble gum skit. Both students and teachers thought it was hilarious. After sign-singing some songs we split into our groups and began our morning activities.

Work supplies:
Dave, Jeff, and Jared made their way off to Home Depot which was back in the direction of the airport (and more than half-way back). On the way there, there was a terrible traffic jam. We were wondering if it was some kind of rush hour traffic at first but then we saw that people were being directed to a side road which was parallel to the highway. While on the side road, we unfortunately saw a dead stray dog on the side of the highway and we realized just how much our Puerto Rican friends love dogs. Just as we were getting directed back on to the highway, however, we did see the remnants of an accident which was what the road was really blocked off for.

When we finally made it to home depot, we were looking for various items and slowly realized that they didn't carry the same items in this home depot as they do in the one on Transit Rd. I (Jeff) was looking for some type of vinyl C-channel to make up some frames for ceiling light covers and couldn't find any, so Dave said let's go over to the vinyl siding section. We never did find the vinyl siding section! All the buildings are concrete with steel bars. There were a few items like that which are common at home but not here so we had to improvise some things. We finally got all the stuff we needed for the day and headed on to the grocery store to pick up some things that Nicki wanted us to get for meals and such. We got those items as well and headed back. There were two exits for the school and we always take the second one. Well, we didn't see the first so we thought the second was the first and went right past. After a short while we realized we might be heading for another church service where we went yesterday so we were able to turn around and get back with no problem.


VBS:
After Jeff, Dave and Jared left for the supplies, the teens went with Michelle and me (Rich) with our translator Laurie Teel. The younger kids went with Nicole and Mary and their translator Melissa from Pennsylvania. As the younger kids perfected the art/craft of creating pictures with perler beads, the teens interacted with Laurie, Michelle, and myself on the Bible story of Samuel anointing David. As the story was discussed, Rich was continually reminded that "he does not know sign language and to stop talking with his hands because it is distracting to the kids." During lesson time the teens were reminded that God loves each of them, that He has a plan for their life and longs to do something through them to glorify His name. To emphasize this point we taught the kids Jeremiah 29:11, which is one of the verses that we all learned in sign language in preparation for this week. We also reminded them that God cares about their hearts, just as Samuel didn't anoint the son of Jesse that looked like a king, but anointed the boy named David who loved God, and had a heart for God. As the morning went on each group had a lesson time, worked on the crafts, and played outside. Then before lunch we all gathered together in the Chapel for a time of prayer, sign-singing, and recalling all that was learned during the morning.

Lunch:
Lunch was beautifully prepared for us by Val Brittin, Kate Krupp, and Lily Schmitt. Grilled cheese!

Work:
The men split up and each took on their own little projects. Jared and James (the oldest boy from the school) went off and put some light covers on while Dave went and changed out some light switches that weren't working. After those guys got done, the lights all worked well and we think there will be no problems passing the health inspection now (lights without covers would not pass). Dave also fixed a toilet that did not fill properly. Jeff set out to fix up the rickety monkey bars. Today's work for Jeff included cutting off the old rusty braces, grinding down the stubs and priming those along with the new brace steel. All in all the maintenance and work for the day went very well.

Afternoon Stuff:
A lot of great things happened during the afternoon as we all connected more with the kids from the school. Time was spent building a Palm branch tepee, painting coconuts, playing soccer, and basketball with the kids, and finally drinking coconut milk. (James taught me (Rich) how to use a machete to open up a coconut for milk, it was scary and great!!) During this time each of the students began to open up more and more to us, and God is giving each of us opportunities to encourage the students in different ways. Nicole and myself were able to talk to the teens about when they placed their trust in Christ. As the afternoon faded, the kids' parents began to arrive and we said farewell to them for the first day of VBS.

Evening:
After dinner the team plus James jumped into the van and headed to the Beach to cool off and interact with the locals on the Gospel. So after some fun in the ocean, the team broke up into groups of 3 or 4 and went out into the beach to share the gospel with our fellow beach-dwellers. Each group praised God for amazing opportunities with people that were open to discussion and willing to receive a track. The groups spoke to a multitude of different people from different backgrounds. There was a Muslim, a Jewish/catholic (i don't think he knew what he was), atheists, and universalists. Over all God gave each person boldness and opportunities. God is truly amazing!!!!

We now anticipate our full Puerto Rican day tomorrow as we get ready for a Puerto Rican lunch/dinner, an afternoon in the rain forest, and continued opportunities to connect with the kids from ESD and Puerto Rico.

Continue to pray for us!

Your Fellow servants in the Gospel,
The Puerto Rico Missions Team

Posted by Jeff Carpenter & Rich Jennings

Dominican Republic Trip
The boys were put in charge of the update tonight. In the process, they wanted you to see the starting line-up for our baseball team as we hope to play the team from Los Montones tomorrow. We have been diligently practicing : )

So, here’s the starting line-up, with updates worded carefully based upon the position of each player (key word underlined!). And along the way you’ll have some glimpses into God’s work in and through our team!

* Catcher: Ryan "the six pack is somewhere" Trombley #12 - CATCHING the spirit of God while giving his testimony at one of the local village church service. Ryan, Chelsie B, and Marlene shared testimonies during Pastor Mike’s message at church in Quisqueya this morning (where Alfonso Soriano grew up).
* Pitcher: Stephen "full of wander" Kneeland # 10- PITCHED a perfect game as he eventually brought many to watch the mime team perform along the beach (a great afternoon of beach ministry—balloon animals, music, tracts, and a mime program—several come to faith in Jesus and many seeds planted!). Also he has hit his head countless times.
* First Base: Cole "machete" Barrish #00 – Cole’s FIRST big ministry: snatching weeds during our visit to Jackie’s orphanage and fighting off the local stray dog while cowering away.
* Second Base: Sam "I AM" Ginavan #17 - The SECOND one to lose in children games during our kids’ church service while heaving hot potatoes at children. Half of our team joined Sam in leading the kids’ ministry during church this morning.
* Shortstop: Scotty "the hottie" Kneeland #3 – Scott the SHORT one who can’t stop ministering while body surfing in the ocean.
* Third Base: Dave "the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, feathers, encyclopedia, linguist, scholar, gentlemen, librarian, lumberjack, monsieur." Leathers #2, 7, 14, 34, and 53 - The THIRD attempt is always the best as Dave finds a way to speak to the Dominican People about Jesus Christ.
* Left Field: Josh "the mexi" Alberter #9- Josh was LEFT behind as he lost his lead role in the mime team to the notorious Feathers Leathers. Josh is now assumed to have hired a hit man with a machete to take him out. Josh enjoyed bringing an Italian family over to watch the mime team on the beach today. The crowd grew and grew—up to about 100 people
* Center Field: Pastor Mike "clergyman" Foster #11- The CENTER of attention as he wandered into the women’s bathroom at the airport upon arrival (the signs are the same—actually, they’re not). Also has preached the same sermon twice today, once as planned and once unexpectedly as he was invited with Jeff Hackett to visit a church service in Los Montones this afternoon and called upon to preach during the middle of the service! Jeanie and Kristin came along and were amazed at God’s work in Los Montones—about 150 people in service today.
* Right Field: Ben "the cowboy" Hand #-83.3- Felt RIGHT at home as he roped his guests with guitar and songs at the beach. His horse riding skills are unmatched as his horse galloped off into the sunset with his hair flowing in the wind. We now know Ben CAN contain the beast. Ben also had an awesome conversation with a Russian at the beach today about Jesus for almost 2 hours!

Puerto Rico Trip
Well, despite a few changes to our flight itinerary, we finally arrived safe and sound in San Juan, Puerto Rico and were greeted moments later by Betsy and Jen, the principal and teacher from the ESD (Evangelical School for the Deaf) who were our rides to the school. I knew we had the right van when the driver started fingerspelling in sign language out the window!! :)

We stopped for a quick lunch at Wendy's and then traveled to the school in Luquillo, PR. When we arrived here we were given our room assignments. I don't know how but Pastor Rich and Michelle ended up with the only air conditioned room in the whole school! Michelle woke up this morning and told us all how cold she was last night. I wasn't amused!

After dropping off our things we made our first trip to the beach where we experienced some crazy waves! We all enjoyed ourselves and it was great to see James spending time with Rich and Jared! We were blessed to have spaghetti dinner already prepared for us by Laurie and Jen. We then met for devotions in the library, the only room (not counting Rich and Michelle's), that is air conditioned!

During devotions we read some passages from the Bible and 1 Thess. 3:3 really stuck out to me. "But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one." A reminder that God is in control! We also shared ways that God had blessed us. We all agreed that our safe arrival was a huge blessing! Those who weren't feeling well were doing better and some had already had opportunities on the plane to share the gospel! We also talked about some of the frustrations that come with being in a different culture. Many of us don't know how to sign the things we want to. Thankfully James has been very understanding and I try to help when I can!

This morning we attended the Spanish church. Hector translated for us and it was a great service about surrendering ourselves to God's will and remembering He is always in control! A great message! From there we traveled to Wal-Mart (yes, they have those here) and the grocery store. That was quite the experience with busy stores and ten people trying to find the necessary groceries.

The rest of the day we have spent preparing for VBS which starts tomorrow! I look forward to seeing the kids and introducing them to the others on the team! It's been enjoyable watching both my church family and Puerto Rico family get to know each other!

Please continue to pray for us as VBS begins tomorrow and we begin to build relationships with the students at ESD! Thanks for your continued prayers!
Nicki Dunbar

Dominican Republic Trip
Iglesia de Ridgewood,

We wish you the best as you gather for worship. We hope this update gets posted in time for you to have a few more things to praise the Lord about. We have all offered one item of praise. But, you must guess the person who matches the praise! Answers are at the bottom. No cheating!!!!!

WE PRAISE OUR LORD

(1) that I survived my first plane ride and didn’t throw up from an upset stomach.

(2) for delicious rice and beans, and for sea side devotions. And for the opportunity to sing special music in church tomorrow! And for my amazing Spanish vocabulary :)

(3) for my ma not mothering me :] And for the boys in Duquesa (Garbage Dump Village) climbing all over me!

(4) for good juice, water, and sunscreen. And for God making me loud in Duquesa to share my testimony to 70 loud kids while there was loud construction going on everywhere.

(5) that Ryan didn’t bleed to death when he cut his toe on a shell. And for the opportunity to share my testimony in the children’s program at church tomorrow.

(6) that Shadrach forgot the directions to the village, so we got to go to the orphanage instead. (The orphanage is Casa de Luz, an amazing ministry founded recently by some lawyers who had been broken after visiting the government-run handicap orphanage in Santo Domingo. They decided to begin their own orphanage in the name of Jesus and are currently building it big enough for 300 kids. There are 26 kids there now and a waiting list of over 100 waiting for more staff!)

(7) for God breaking down my walls to show love to the kids at the handicap orphanage.

(8) for me remembering not to put the toilet paper in the toilet, but into the trash instead :] And for God giving me a strong voice to help lead songs at loud Duquesa village.

(9) that I got through my first plane ride and didn’t sleep through seeing God’s creation from the sky. And for the opportunity I’ll have tomorrow to share my testimony in church!

(10) God began to use me at the airport as I was able to practice my Spanish with a Christian Dominican. I praise God that he has shown me his love and compassion so that I can pour it out on the team and the Dominicans. And I led worship at the beach tonight!

(11) I am thankful for our group bonding last night when a gecko named Frank decided to visit us. And for the opportunity I’ll have to share my testimony with the children in church tomorrow!

(12) I am thankful for going to the orphanages and the dump and just loving on the kids. And for God helping me to lead the lesson on David and Goliath at Jackie’s House this morning.

(13) after we finished devos and worship by the ocean at night, I danced with Jesus in the ocean with the moon as my spotlight. And earlier today God used me at the grocery store to help lead a Dominican man to faith in Jesus (with a little help from our translator!)

(14) I praise God just for the privilege to seek him no matter where, but to be with a team all week focused specifically is an awesome experience.

(15) my blessing today was with three little boys. Andres at Jackie’s House who just wanted me to pick him up. The little boy at the garbage dump village, who took my hand just like I was his mom. Christopher, the handicapped boy, at Casa De Luz who couldn’t speak, but his eyes and smile melted my heart.

(16) for allowing us to be the “aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15) in a place that smelled like garbage and death. I pray and trust God to turn that garbage dump into a mountain of jewels, into a church of living stones (1 Peter 2:5) for Jesus! Lord put your church there! And may all the people who responded to the gospel there today be a part of it! And also praise the Lord for great fellowship already with the young men from Los Montones (and we haven’t even been to Los Montones yet!)

(17) I am continually amazed at God’s awesome plans that he has for us, and allows us to be apart of. My heart was swollen with love with the beautiful children that we loved and played with today.

(18) I’m here! Because God is great. And I got to use a machete today! We hacked away at a field at Jackie’s House so they could build a playground there.

(19) God takes us where we are, as cracked pots, and heals us so we can hold water and to top it off, we can share that water, His Spirit, with others. (Translation: God used my testimony today to touch hearts at Jackie’s House. I was burdened to share it and even though I didn’t have my notes, God spoke from my heart in a powerful way!)

(20) The roads were clear right when we had to walk across them. And God used my testimony in Duquesa!

(21) Steve Kneeland saved my shoe from the grasp of the ocean! (my poor shoe!) And God used me today at Jackie’s House as I shared my testimony.

(22) God leads to where His heart is and allows us to take part in it (even if it’s a day earlier than we think, and even if our husbands have to eat their steaks all by themselves)!!!

NO PEEKING BELOW UNTIL YOU’VE MADE ALL YOUR GUESSES!!!

1) Steve , 2) Jill, 3) Sam, 4) Jade, 5) Scott, 6) Cole, 7) Ryan, 8)Alex, 9) Chelsie B, 10) Ben, 11) Kristin, 12) Sarah, 13) Chelsey W, 14) Sue, 15) Marlene, 16) Pastor Mike, 17) Jen, 18) Josh, 19) Deb, 20) David, 21) Kayla, 22) Jeanie

Dominican Republic Trip
We are here and we are safe. And God is good—all the time, and everywhere!!!!!

Just finished a wonderful devotion time in Mark 2:1-12—the story of the paralytic. We have committed to do “whatever it takes” to help people know and follow Jesus here in the DR! So far “whatever it takes” has been a long but great day of travel. We prayed Alex and Jeanie through the airplane ride, as both were feeling sick at different points. God provided a doctor from another mission team on our plane who brought peace of mind to us and helped them along. Both ended up being completely fine! Thank you for the prayers—just underscores why we need you praying!

Arrived in Santo Domingo on time and successfully unpacked, did some “orientation” here, dipped in the pool (water polo!), enjoyed some chicken fettucini alfredo for dinner, and are off to bed relatively early! Everyone is excited for a full day of ministry tomorrow—plan is to spend the day at Jackie’s House orphanage (work projects, ministry) and to also reach out to a nearby village (program, testimonies, gospel) and to feed some children who hang out at what they call “garbage dumps” in the city there. Can’t wait to see what God will bring to pass! Do pray for us each day that God will make clear exactly what He has for us!

The highlight of my night has definitely been reuniting—sooner than expected—with some of our friends from Los Montones. Each Friday night about 8 young men from Los Montones come and prepare a BBQ with Pastor Aby (Ah-bee) for some of the teams staying here at SCORE. They do this to raise money for the discipleship program they are in, with hopes of being in full-time ministry soon. These are young men who have only known Jesus for just over a year and are already laying down their entire lives for Him! And I wish everyone could have seen the look on their faces when they saw me and remembered our team! They lit up and began getting each other’s attention and pointing to me and coming over to greet me. While these guys have seen many short-term mission teams over the past 18 months, we obviously left a great impression on them. And I felt a little like Paul must have felt when he revisited the regions where he had planted churches. The look on their faces that say’s “You came back!” is reward enough! I can only imagine what God will do in our time there in Los Montones next week! They are literally counting down the days! So pray for Fermin and Antonio and Orlando and the others!

Do pray for rest for us! We hope this update finds you well and encourages your hearts! All are in good hands—the best hands of all, actually!

We continue to ask that He would do immeasurably more than all we can imagine!

Look forward to writing again soon—you’ll be hearing from others as the week unfolds—and, don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of fun with our reports!!!!

Mucho Amor in Cristo,
Pastor Mike