February 3, 2009
Bendiciones! (Blessings!)
It seems hard to believe that it is already February! I hope and pray this finds all of you doing well, and for those who are in dealing with snow and ice, staying warm! While things may get a little “cool” here in the DR during January and February (usually only if it rains and then the temperature “drops” to the 50s), it is of course nothing like what the mid-west and northeast have been dealing with, and my thoughts and prayers have been with all of you!
January seemed to fly by – we successfully completed our move to our new home (thank you for your prayers!), we visited the church in Palo Alto where my father-in-law is the pastor, I resumed singing with the worship team at the church in Hoya del Caimito, we helped with a team that came from Real Life church in California, and Jose Luis began teaching his English class!
One of my favorite places to visit is Palo Alto (literally translated as “tall stick”). It is in the mountains
outside of Santiago, full of tall pine trees, and amazingly beautiful – you can see Puerta Plata from one side of the mountain and Santiago from the other! The picture to the right is the view from my in-law’s house – if you look carefully, you can see Santiago in the distance. However, the trip can be a bit of a grueling one, and we are not able to go very often – it takes about an hour and a half to traverse the mountain, which is mostly because the roads are in such bad shape. You have to have a four-wheel drive vehicle, or you will get stuck!
We went on this trip with the Schwulst family – Dave and Cherry are part of the GO Ministries team, providing mentoring and pastor support, and they invited us along on this church visit know
ing how much we would enjoy it! While we were there, we helped with the church service (I sang a “special” and Amaury led the children’s worship/teaching time). The service began with a series of prayers, directed by “Amado” (Amaury’s father – it is a nickname that means “loving” – which is exactly what he is!), and a devotional time shared by Amaury’s mother, Ramona, reading from the devotional she received at the Women’s Conference GO hosted in September. This was followed by a praise and worship time (during which the offering and communion were taken), and then Dave preached (with Cherry translating). It was a wonderful service! One of the blessings I always take away from my visits to Palo Alto is being wrapped in the peace, joy, and love of Christ, which is so clearly exuded by Amado and Ramona, and evident in the church!
Life in Palo Alto is not easy – there is no running water and no electricity, it rains often – a cold rain that seems to seep into your bones – and most of the people who live there are very poor. For all its natural beauty, it is not a place many people would want to go to start a church, but Amado and Ramona have been there for nearly four years now, building the church and a retreat center, reaching out to the people of the community, and pouring out love and acceptance on all those with whom they come in contact. The church is small, but as Amado says, it is not his church, it is God’s, and he trusts that God will complete the work He has started. Please pray for this church and the work being done in the community of Palo Alto as they continue to shine the light of God from atop this tall mountain in an area that is in great need of the hope, joy, and love that are available to us all through a living, growing relationship with Jesus, regardless of our personal circumstances.
“Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. … And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:11-13 and 4:19
Con amor en Jesucristo (With love in Christ),
Catherine
PS – below are a few pictures from the last month of the things I mentioned in the opening paragraph …
The team from Real Life took the kids from the "hole" - Hoyo de Bartola - to get ice cream - it was a real treat for everyone involved!
These are pictures from Jose Luis' first class - he spoke more English while teaching the class than I did! I certainly learned from him!
Bendiciones! (Blessings!)
It seems hard to believe that it is already February! I hope and pray this finds all of you doing well, and for those who are in dealing with snow and ice, staying warm! While things may get a little “cool” here in the DR during January and February (usually only if it rains and then the temperature “drops” to the 50s), it is of course nothing like what the mid-west and northeast have been dealing with, and my thoughts and prayers have been with all of you!
January seemed to fly by – we successfully completed our move to our new home (thank you for your prayers!), we visited the church in Palo Alto where my father-in-law is the pastor, I resumed singing with the worship team at the church in Hoya del Caimito, we helped with a team that came from Real Life church in California, and Jose Luis began teaching his English class!
One of my favorite places to visit is Palo Alto (literally translated as “tall stick”). It is in the mountains
outside of Santiago, full of tall pine trees, and amazingly beautiful – you can see Puerta Plata from one side of the mountain and Santiago from the other! The picture to the right is the view from my in-law’s house – if you look carefully, you can see Santiago in the distance. However, the trip can be a bit of a grueling one, and we are not able to go very often – it takes about an hour and a half to traverse the mountain, which is mostly because the roads are in such bad shape. You have to have a four-wheel drive vehicle, or you will get stuck!We went on this trip with the Schwulst family – Dave and Cherry are part of the GO Ministries team, providing mentoring and pastor support, and they invited us along on this church visit know
ing how much we would enjoy it! While we were there, we helped with the church service (I sang a “special” and Amaury led the children’s worship/teaching time). The service began with a series of prayers, directed by “Amado” (Amaury’s father – it is a nickname that means “loving” – which is exactly what he is!), and a devotional time shared by Amaury’s mother, Ramona, reading from the devotional she received at the Women’s Conference GO hosted in September. This was followed by a praise and worship time (during which the offering and communion were taken), and then Dave preached (with Cherry translating). It was a wonderful service! One of the blessings I always take away from my visits to Palo Alto is being wrapped in the peace, joy, and love of Christ, which is so clearly exuded by Amado and Ramona, and evident in the church!
Life in Palo Alto is not easy – there is no running water and no electricity, it rains often – a cold rain that seems to seep into your bones – and most of the people who live there are very poor. For all its natural beauty, it is not a place many people would want to go to start a church, but Amado and Ramona have been there for nearly four years now, building the church and a retreat center, reaching out to the people of the community, and pouring out love and acceptance on all those with whom they come in contact. The church is small, but as Amado says, it is not his church, it is God’s, and he trusts that God will complete the work He has started. Please pray for this church and the work being done in the community of Palo Alto as they continue to shine the light of God from atop this tall mountain in an area that is in great need of the hope, joy, and love that are available to us all through a living, growing relationship with Jesus, regardless of our personal circumstances.“Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. … And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:11-13 and 4:19
Con amor en Jesucristo (With love in Christ),
Catherine
PS – below are a few pictures from the last month of the things I mentioned in the opening paragraph …
The team from Real Life took the kids from the "hole" - Hoyo de Bartola - to get ice cream - it was a real treat for everyone involved!
These are pictures from Jose Luis' first class - he spoke more English while teaching the class than I did! I certainly learned from him!
