Amaury and Catherine's DR Updates

2011-12-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

Recently, Amaury offered a new class in the men’s prison called “Corazon Quebrantado” or “Broken Heart.” The class participants analyzed a book written by Roger Fernandez, a Dominican pastor from Santo Domingo, of the same name. Every week, the participants had to turn in two chapter summaries.

The following summaries were written by two students in the class, and we wanted to share them with you. We hope you are as blessed by the lessons they learned and in turn teach us as we were! English translations follow each summary.

Resumen 1/Summary 1

El corazón quebrantado reconoce la gloria del señor.

Un corazón orgulloso es un corazón que no puede ver lo hermoso y lo grande que es Dios.Y un corazón quebrantado puede reconocer que solo Dios hace hay hombre feliz.Cuando nos movemos con el corazón lleno de orgullo demostramos que nada a nuestro alrededor tiene importancia pero cuando quebrantamos nuestro corazón aprendemos y reconocemos el amor a los demás. Quebrantar el corazón es humillarse a Dios y entender que si n el nada somos. Qué triste el de corazón orgulloso porque no puede ver lo hermoso de la vida. Qué lindo el de corazón humilde porque ve todo con amor.

A broken heart recognizes the glory of the Lord.

A proud heart is a heart that cannot see the beauty and greatness of God. A broken heart can recognize that only God makes men happy. When we live with a heart full of pride, we show that nothing around us is important, but when we break our hearts, we learn and recognize the love of others. To break the heart is to humble yourself before God and understand that without Him we are nothing. How sad is a proud heart because it cannot see the beauty of life. How beautiful is a humble heart because it sees everything with love.

Amaury reviewing one week's worth of summaries!

Resumen 2/Summary 2

Cuando hablamos de corazón quebrantado nos referimos a un corazón que ha sido debilitado. El quebrantamiento provoca en el corazón una actitud que hace humilde al hombre, carente de altivez, y libre de todo tipo de temores. Eso le permite escuchar la voz de Dios.

Quebrantarse es difícil porque en el hombre implica rendir todo a Dios y depender totalmente de él. Para citar un ejemplo del quebrantamiento hablemos de “Job.” Humanamente diríamos que no tenia de que arrepentirse porque era un hombre justo que conocía a Dios, buscaba el rostro del señor día a día, y el mismo señor decía que no había otro hombre como Job. Sin embargo permitió que Job fuere quebrantado.

When we speak of a broken heart, we refer to a heart that has been weakened. The breaking process provokes in the heart an attitude that makes a man humble, devoid of arrogance, and free of every type of fear. This permits him to listen to the voice of God.

Brokenness is difficult because it means a man must give everything to God and completely depend on Him. For an example of brokenness we can talk about Job. From a human perspective, we say he did not have to repent because he was a righteous man before God, seeking the Lord’s face every day, and the same Lord said that there was no other man like Job. However, He allowed Job to be broken.

Pastor Fernandez spoke at the graduation for this class, which was a special blessing for Amaury and the class participants. He had the opportunity to congratulate them on their successful completion of the course and pray with each of them – it was one of the most memorable graduations to date for the classes in the men’s prison! There are more pictures of the graduation and of other areas of our ministry below, including pictures of Amaury baptizing Argeny - the young man who was featured in our last blog!

As we are now in the midst of the Christmas season, may we remember to completely depend on the One whose birth we celebrate, allowing ourselves to be broken before Him so that we can "see the beauty of life” around us and be “free of every type of fear” as these men have learned to do through this course!

May God bless you and your family this Christmas season!

With love in Christ,
Amaury and Catherine

Below are recent pictures from different areas of our ministry ...

From the "Corazon Quebrantado"graduation ...

    commentary given by one student and a special song performed by another ...

      Amaury and Pastor Fernandez with all the graduates and with those who received medals as special commendation for submitting the best summaries!

     Graduation in the men's prison of the "Financial Harmony in the Home" class ...

Argeny's baptism!

Our Drama Group in their Navidad Con Mama shirts and rehearsing for the production ...

The wedding of one of our Drama Group members - Amaury was the "Padrino" or "Godfather" of the wedding!

At the end of September, Catherine took her students at SCS on "pilgrimages" to Santo Cerros (Holy Hills), outside of Santiago, following the example of Chaucer's pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales. They wrote stories that taught lessons about problems they saw in society that they told as "entertainment" along the way and dressed up as "pilgrims" for the trips - they were fun days that also taught many life lessons!

Amaury taught a "Financial Harmony in the Home" class at a local Christian conference in October, and in November he taught a Protocol and Etiquette class for the parents of children at Project Manana - a Christian school where 115 children are blessed by the education and nutritional care they receive!

2011-10-12T22:51:00.001-04:00

Once again, we thought we would do something a little different with our blog! :) The following was written by a young man who is a member of 8/28 Productions, which is the name of our Drama Group. He wrote in Spanish and each paragraph is followed by a translation. Last January, we invited him and other members of the group to a Christian concert in a mountain community outside of Santiago called Lajas de Yaroa that was put on by a worship team from a church in Santiago. After the concert, a message was preached and those who attended were given the opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior. This young man and two other members of the group who were with us went forward and accepted Christ! In the next play we presented, he was awarded the Responsibility and Punctuality Certificate and was one of the members who sold the most tickets to the performance! Recently, he began visiting our church, and God is clearly working in his life! Here is his story …

Mi nombre es José Argenis Ramos. Naci en el año 1994 hijo de José Agusto Ramos y Ana Luisa Paula. Desde muy pequeño fui alguien activo me gustaban las travesura y las cosas extrema. A la edad de 10 años mis padre se separaron vivía con mi madre pero mi padre también quería tenerme. Ellos llegaron a un acuerdo que vivirías con ellos por temporada y así aprende distinta cultura de distinto pueblo. Me llamo mucho la atención la actuación porque mi madre veía novelas, y mis pasatiempos son ver tv, escuchar música, explorar e intentar cosas distintas. Quizás muchos creen que no soy buena persona pero cuando me conocen ven que soy y siempre vivo alegro buscando el lado positivo de la vida.

My name is Jose Argenis Ramos. I was born in 1994 and am the son of Jose Agusto Ramos and Ana Luisa Paula. Ever since I was very small, I have been very active and liked adventures and extreme things. When I was 10, my parents separated, and I lived with my mother but my father also wanted me to live with him. My parents came to an agreement that I would live with each one for different time periods and in this was I learned about different cultures in different towns. Acting gets my attention because my mother watches soap operas, and my hobbies are watching tv, listening to music, exploring and trying new things. There may be many who think I am not a good person, but when they get to know me they see that I am always happy and looking for the positives in life.

Al principio cuando tuve la oportunidad de integrarme al grupo producciones 8:28, me sentí un poco extraño. No sabía si le iba agradar, pero tenía una meta por delante y eso me impulso acercarme más a Amaury y Catherine lo cual me brindaron una sincera amistad. Al pasar el tiempo fueron tantas las cosas maravillosas que compartir con ellos y el grupo que ya no lo veía como amigo sino como una familia, y me siento agradecido por su sinceridad y su amistad incondicional.

When I first had the opportunity to join 8/28 Productions, I felt a little strange. I did not know if the group would like me, but I had a goal in front of me and this led me to get close to Amaury and Catherine who reached out to me with sincere friendship. As time passed, so many wonderful things happened that I shared with them and the group that I do not see them as friends but as family, and I am grateful for their sincerity and unconditional friendship.

En el grupo he aprendido muchas cosas. Sobre todos que es una experiencia única que nunca podre olvidarla. En las dos obra que he tenido la oportunidad de actuar, gracia le doy a Dios. Cada una me a enseñado algo diferente. Por ejemplo la obra Navidad: Tiempo para Cambiar fue una obra que me identifique con ella pues ahí pude ver que lo más importante no es el dinero, que el amor y la solidaridad valen mucho. Es bueno pensar en los demás y compartir con los que menos tienen.

I have learned many things in the group. Above all it is a unique experience that I can never forget. I give thanks two God that I have had the opportunity to act in the two plays. Each one has taught me something different. For example, the play Christmas: Time for Change was a play I could identify with because I could see that money is not the most important thing, that love and solidarity have a lot of value. It is good to think of others and share with those who have less in life.

En la obra La Elección pude aprender que el amor es el lazo más fuerte, no importa la diferencia que pueda a ver entre dos personas, familias, países, etc. Pero cuando el amor llega se cambia todo, trayendo paz, armonía y tranquilidad. Es importante dejar fluir en nosotros el amor. Si todos practicáramos el amor, este mundo fuera diferente y todos fuéramos iguales.

In the play The Choice I was able to learn that love is the strongest tie, regardless of the differences that can be seen between two people, families, countries, etc. When love comes it changes everything, bringing peace, harmony and tranquility. It is important to let love flow in us. If we all would practice loving one another, this world would be different and we would all be equals.

Me siento orgulloso de pertenecer al grupo de teatro. Sé que en un futuro seré un buen actor, gracia a Dios y a Amaury y Catherine. Ellos dos cayeron aqui como del cielo.

I am proud to be a part of this Drama Group. I know that in the future I will be a good actor, thanks to God and Amaury and Catherine. They both fell here as if from heaven.

Below are some picture from other areas of our ministry this past month - enjoy!

Members of 8/28 Productions learning how to work together and being instructed by our Leadership Team .

Handing out parts and rehearsing for our next play, Christmas With Mama ...

Amaury teaching a Protocol and Etiquette class at a local private Christian school ...

Visiting residents at a local nursing home and giving a Drama Workshop at a local church with members of 8/28 Productions ...

Graduates of Amaury's recent Protocol and Etiquette class in the men's prison ...

Catherine and her SCS students celebrating an Anglo-Saxon "feast" as they shared their Modern Epic Hero poems, telling stories of how they went out and were someone's hero!

Dios les Bendiga! God bless!

Con el amor de Cristo (With love in Christ).
Amaury and Catherine

2011-08-28T20:03:00.003-04:00

Wow! What an amazing summer! Words cannot express how abundantly God blessed us and our ministry, so we thought pictures might do a better job! We wanted to share with all of you some of our summer highlights! There are many pictures and comments, so be sure to scroll down until the end! Enjoy!

We are so grateful for the group from Woodland Hills Christian Church in Abingdon, VA, who came down (the team included people from 3 different states!) to offer a Teaching Week at Amaury's dad's church in Palo Alto and helped to break up the old half-court size basketball court at the church and pour a new full-size court! The Teaching Week included:

First Aid Training! Each family received a first aid kit!

Art Camp! The group provided 3 full days of Art Camp for the children in the church!

A respect class for the youth, and a special "Preparing Yourself for the King" class based on the book of Esther for young ladies!

A crochet class for the ladies, and a Love and Respect class for couples that was followed up by a Couples' Dinner in which the men served the women!

Throughout the week some group and church members painted a beautiful mural that represents Christ's love for us! Amaury's father approved the design beforehand and loved the finished result that forms a perfect backdrop for him as he continues to share the truth of God's word in Palo Alto!

Construction of the expanded basketball court ran into some delays because of weather and difficulty in transporting materials, but the finished product was worth the wait and is now being enjoyed by members of the community - especially the youth!

We are also very grateful for the time we had in the US! God gave us safe travels throughout the more than 3500 miles we travelled in the 6 weeks we were there, and we were able to see many friends and family members! Some of the many highlights from our travels were:

Our first stop at the OK Cafe with some dear friends in Atlanta, GA, for some true southern cooking!

After celebrating a dear friend's wedding in Nashville, TN, and spending some time with family in Virginia, we went on to Louisville, KY, where we were thrilled to be able to spend some time with so many friends! We were also able to have some fun at the Louisville Zoo ...

the Louisville Slugger Museum ...

and the Frazier International History Museum ...

and eat BW3s hot wings with the group that had come down in April from Fern Creek Christian Church!

By mid-July we were in Bloomington, IL, for meetings with Kingdom Seeker Ministries board and ministry partners that were a true time of spiritual refreshment and encouragement! This picture is of the missionaries who are a part of KSM. We are so blessed to be a part of this family!

After a short stop in Chicago for some sightseeing and dinner with Catherine's younger brother and his wife, we headed to Rochester, NY, where Amaury's best friend lives with his family. Nestar and Marisa have a 4-month-old named Blake Amaury, and while we were there, Blake was dedicated to God at the church with Amaury as his "padrino" (godfather)! Amaury also preached at the church and Catherine translated! Later, we took a trip to Niagara Falls! The power and beauty of God's creative handiwork was truly awe-inspiring!

From Rochester, we headed south through PA and MD to see some friends and family, and then on to Lebanon, VA! During our time in VA, we were able to take a trip over to Dollywood where Amaury rode his first ever roller-coaster!

We also took some time out for a car wash fundraiser for our ministry! We are so thankful for those who came out and helped - it was a great day!

We returned to the DR on August 9, and the last few weeks have been eventful! School started at SCS for Catherine, a new Protocol and Etiquette class began for Amaury at the men's prison, and our Drama Group began meeting again as well to prepare for our Christmas production! And in the midst of it all - Hurricane Irene! Schools across the country were closed for two days so that the public schools could be used as shelters, and there was significant flooding in some areas of the country. Here in Santiago, we had rain and some areas of the city had flooding, but overall we were not severely affected by the storm.

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and encouragement! God continues to amaze us as He works through you to help us in our ministry!

Dios les bendiga MUCHO! (May God bless you GREATLY!)

Con el amor de Cristo (with love in Christ),

Catherine and Amaury

2011-06-22T01:40:00.000-04:00

The Mission Team from Woodland Hills Christian Church has safely arrived!! Here is a picture of the group after arriving in Santiago ...

AND they surprised us by bringing my sister, Mary, along!!! What a wonderful surprise and blessing!! Here we are just minutes after the team arrived ...

Tomorrow the team heads up to Palo Alto to begin their week of ministry! Please pray for safety, open hearts and minds, and most of all for God to be glorified through everything that happens this week!

Con amor en Cristo (With love in Christ),

Catherine and Amaury

2011-06-06T19:18:00.000-04:00

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Ever since members of the Fern Creek Christian Church Youth Group came here in the first week of April on a mission trip to provide a Drama Camp in Villa Gonzalez, I have planned on writing a blog update that began with this verse about them and their time here. Then, last Friday, during the graduation ceremony for the Santiago Christian School Class of 2011, the seniors were recognizing their teachers and chose this verse to beautifully conclude that very special part of the ceremony!

At that moment, my mind went immediately to the group from Fern Creek, how special our time had been with them, and how much I wanted to get the blog updated … and then I could not help but think of the last two months with the youth in our Drama Group and with my seniors. God has certainly given us many opportunities to “train up a child in the way he should go” …

Personally, I was very excited about the group from Fern Creek coming, since several of the youth who were coming had been members of the Kidz Choir at the church when I had been the assistant director, nearly 10 years ago! They are pictured here to the left - all grown up! I had no idea back then that I would be here in the DR now with the opportunity to work side by side with them as missionaries. Being able to spend time with them, talking about future plans, hearing them share their faith, and watching them teach and reach out to others as Christ’s hands and feet in the community of Villa Gonzalez was an incredible blessing that I do not have the words to fully express! I get choked up now just thinking about them and their time here! I also did not realize how much I missed being called “Miss Cathy”!

Here are some pictures from their week here:

On our last bus ride to the airport, I shared with the group that I could see how their parents and youth leaders had clearly “trained them up in the way they should go” and their actions and attitudes throughout the week had shown they were not “departing from it” – what a blessing to see and experience!

When the group left, there was an emptiness in our hearts and our home, and we hope many of them will be able to return!

Time seemed to pass too quickly from mid-April through the end of May, and before we knew it our Drama Group had presented La Elección on May 20 at the Cultural Center in Santiago, and the SCS school year ended!

La Elección (The Choice) is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and in this version, the night before Tybalt, Mercutio, and Romeo fight, which is the turning point of the play, Tybalt gets attacked by a gang of thugs and Benvolio comes to his aid, just as the Good Samaritan came to the aid of the man attacked on the roadside in Luke 10:30-37. The play’s message is given by the Friar when he explains, “para sanar o dañar, la elección es nuestra para hacer, de la vida y la muerte hay mucho en juego,” which means, “To heal or harm the choice is ours to make, of life and death there’s much that is at stake.” The play as a whole shows that when we follow God’s word in our lives, everything changes for the better! Below are some pictures from the presentation:

We had a record attendance of nearly 170 at the performance, and everyone did a great job! They get better with every performance! As one of our newest members of the group said about the play in his “bio” for the play program, “cuando uno tiene el amor de Cristo, lo que uno quiere para uno lo quiere para otros,” which means, “when someone has the love of Christ, what he wants for himself he wants for others.” We could not say it better ourselves! There are so many wonderful opportunities to “train up” these young people in our Drama Group, and we are so grateful that we will have more time to work with and teach them and any others who will join the group when we begin meeting again in August!

More time was just what I found myself wishing for, though, as the school year ended at SCS. I have felt such a burden on my heart for this class of seniors, and while my heart skipped a beat when they read Proverbs 22:6, I could not help but long for more time with them. I wish I could say that I knew each one has a strong and growing personal relationship with Christ and they “will not depart” from the path they have been shown, and some clearly do – their faith and testimonies are encouraging to have witnessed – but I cannot say it is true for all of them. I can only continue to pray for those I know are struggling and leave them in God’s hands now. I know they have heard how much He loves them, and I know He longs for each one to come to know Him as Lord and Savior even more than I long for that for them, and now I have to trust Him to complete His work in them.

Please pray with us for these groups of young people that God has brought into our lives – they are each special to us and we know God has a plan and purpose for each one!

Thank you for praying for and supporting us in our work here! We are blessed beyond measure!

Con el amor de Cristo (With the love of Christ),

Catherine and Amaury

Here are pictures from other areas of our ministry during the last two months:

We purchased our ministry van!! Thank you to all who helped us reach this goal!!

Graduation day for Amaury's most recent classes in the men's prison! These were for Business Principles for Principled Men and Self-Esteem/Self-Help.

Mother's Day service in Palo Alto (Mother's Day is the last Sunday of May here) - Amaury preached a beautiful sermon about his mom, using Proverbs 22:6!

2011-03-07T21:20:00.000-05:00

Last month the high school principal of Santiago Christian School spoke at the graduation of Amaury's classes at the men's prison, and a comment he made afterward about how seeing each of the men made him curious to know their stories inspired this month's blog. So, Amaury wrote the blog to do just that - share one of those many stories and how God is working in these men's lives. Each paragraph is translated into English right below it.

..................................................................................

Hola
Mi gente bella, quien le escribe es el hermanito Amaury Gracesqui del ministerio de ustedes aquí en Rep. Dom. Le pedimos escusa por el tiempo que tenemos mi esposa y yo que no escribimos una nota en el blog. La verdad es que la culpa es mía pues ella me había pedido que lo escribiera, pero ustedes saben que mi mente camina con gasoil y mis inspiraciones son lentas como el Internet dial-up, pero segura.

Después de un día acalorado la temperatura a 94 F y una noche un poco fresca, nace la inspiración de hacer el blog.

Hello
My beautiful people, your brother Amaury Gracesqui from your ministry here in Dominican Republic is writing to you. Please excuse my wife and I for the time we have not written the blog. The truth is that the fault is mine because she had asked me to write it, but you know my mind runs on diesel and my inspirations are as slow as dial-up Internet, but they are real.

After a hot day of 94 * F and a cooler night, the inspiration came to write the blog.

Esto ultimo meses hemos estado trabajando fuertemente en todas las área del ministerio. El Marte de la semana pasada en la prisión, empezamos un nuevo curso, mejor dicho un nuevo proyecto, llamado Persevera y Triunfa y trata sobre debatir diferente temas y esto motivar a la persona a estudiar y aprender de la Biblia y de la vida real.

These last months we have been working hard in every area of ministry. Last Tuesday at the prison, we started a new course, rather a new project, called Persevere and Triumph that discusses different topics, and this will motivate a person to study and learn from the Bible and real life.

También, el viernes precisamente comienzo el curso de Autosuperación y Autoestimas con un nuevo grupo de estudiantes en el cárcel. Después que leemos la Biblia y hacemos la oración para empezar, yo acostumbro en este curso a darles un test de autoestimas a los estudiantes. Entre ellos esta una persona que había hecho los cursos Etiqueta y Protocolo y Principio de Negocio para Hombre Íntegros en Enero y Febrero. Cuando esta persona termina su test, comenzamos hablar.

Also, Friday began the Self-improvement and Self-esteem class with a new group of students in the prison. After we read the Bible and prayed to start the class, I gave a Self-esteem test to the students, which is something I have become accustomed to do in this class. Among this group is a person who had completed the Protocol and Etiquette and Principles of Business for Principled Men classes in January and February. When he completed his test, we started talking.

Después de un momento, el comienza a contarme su historia. Me dice que anteriormente, el había durado 9 años preso y esta no era su primera vez, y que el había viajado 12 países ilegalmente. Yo continuo escuchándolo. El no sabia porque estaba vivo. El se levanto su polo shirt y me enseña las cicatrices de las heridas que el tiene en su cuerpo y me dice que esa cicatrices son de 5 disparos, incluyendo uno que me enseño en su cabeza. El sigue hablando y yo mirándolo a los ojos. Me dice que un día estaba en una fiesta con su hermano y comenzó un tiroteo y su hermano que estaba a su lado murió de un disparo. Las familia comenzaron a llamar pensando que era a el que lo habían matado su hermano. Su hermano era un hombre de trabajo y mucho decían que por que Dios no se lo llevo a el en vez de su hermano. También, me dice que tiene un hermano preso a 168 años en los estados unidos.

After a moment, he began to tell his story. He told me that this was not his first time to be in jail and earlier he had spent 9 years in jail, and he had traveled to 12 countries illegally. I continued listening. He did not know why he was alive. He raised his polo shirt and showed me the scars from wounds that he has on his body and told me that the scars are from 5 shots, including one that he showed me on his head. He kept talking and I looked into his eyes. He told me that one day he was at a party with his brother and people began shooting and his brother who had been standing beside him was shot dead. The family began to call, thinking that it was him who had killed his brother. His brother was a working man and many questioned why God took his brother instead of him. He also told me he has a brother in prison in the United States serving a 168 year sentence.

El me dijo que tiene 11 años preso y es gastado 20 años de su vida en la cárcel. Se quedan 9 mas por cumplir. El dijo que sabe que es sido un hombre malo en esta vida por que ha hecho de todo. Pero ya se canso como dicen aquí “ya guinde los guante.” Yo lo único que le dije “¿tu sabe cual es el propósito por el cual que Dios te tiene vivo? Dios tiene un propósito en usted. Piénsalo.”

He told me he has been in prison this time for 11 years and has spent 20 years of his life in prison. He has 9 more years to finish his sentence. He said he knows he has been a bad man in this life because he has done everything. But he got tired of it, and as they say here "hung up the gloves." The only thing I said was, "Do you know what the purpose is for which God has you alive? God has a purpose for you. Think about it."

Aquí viene lo bueno. Otros estudiantes me llamaban y cuando regrese el me dijo, “Profesor, usted puede creer que yo en los años que tengo solo he ido como 3 veces a la iglesia y nunca me he detenido a leído la Biblia. Esta es la primera vez que lo voy hacer.” Me enseñaba el folleto que tiene en las manos y era el folleto de la 100 pregunta de la Biblia que le entregue para debatirla la semana próximas. En ese momento sentí una alegría grande dentro de mí por que poco a poco, Dios esta haciendo la obra.

Here comes the good part. Other students called me, and when I came back he told me, "Professor, can you believe that in all these years I have only gone to church 3 times, and I've never stopped to read the Bible. This is the first time that I will do it." He showed me the packet in his hands and it was of the 100 questions of the Bible I had given him to prepare to debate next week. At that moment I felt a great joy inside me that little by little, God is doing His work.

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Thank you for all you do to support our ministry! We would not be able to be here following God's leading into the "deep waters" without you!

Below are some other pictures from the last two months of other areas of our ministry. We hope you enjoy them!

Dios te Bendiga! God bless!

With love in Christ,
Amaury and Catherine

Amaury teaching a Protocol and Etiquette in January to the "jovencitas" or "young ladies" of the Cuerpo de Cristo (Body of Christ) church in Hato del Yaque.

Our Drama Group practicing for "La Eleccion" or "The Choice," which is Romeo and Juliet meets The Good Samaritan! We started meeting in February and the production will be on May 20!

SCS held its induction ceremony for the National Honor Society on February 18, and these are the new inductees! Several of them are Catherine's student and she is very proud of them! They all clearly show the NHS values of character, leadership, scholarship, and service!

Amaury leading a Bible Debate on Thursday February 24 between youth groups from four different local churches that he organized with plans for more to come!

2010-12-22T14:10:00.000-05:00

"Moments of joy. "

On Wednesday night, we had the joy of going to Speedway in Lights at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN, with my family, and while we were there, those were the words God spoke into my heart.

He showed me those "moments" through watching a young girl skipping to "Joy to the World" alongside of her older sister as they walked through the crowd at the Christmas village, through seeing Amaury share fresh Kettle Corn with my family, and through all of us being awed by the beauty of the lights and music surrounding us.

My favorite moment was watching the Symphony in Lights inside the speedway as the music played Handel's "Messiah" and the lights flashed and danced to the changes in the music, thinking how grateful I was to be there in that moment, listening to music that celebrates our Savior's birth, sharing this Christmas with my family and my husband - it was a moment I will not soon forget.

Standing in the midst of this beautiful Christmas celebration, I was reminded of my favorite Christmas verse from Luke 2:10,

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.'"

He is the reason we have such moments of joy in our lives.

As I thought more about this today, I realized that God has been giving us these "moments of joy" throughout this Christmas season. One of my favorite things about living in the DR is that Christmas season begins much earlier than in the states - the first decorations in Santiago went up in late September - and it lasts longer too, ending after King's Day, which will be celebrated on January 10 this year!

So, the Christmas season began for us when our Drama Group first started rehearsing their latest production, "Navidad: Tiempo para Cambiar (Christmas: Time for Change)," in mid-September. It then continued through November with the graduation for the two classes Amaury had been teaching in the prison since mid-August, the conclusion of Amaury's residency process, the presentation of the Drama Group's production, and my trip to the NCTE in Orlando, FL, with the other high school English teacher from SCS. And now, we are in Virginia, where all day today snow has been gently falling as we finalized Christmas preparations in anticipation of "Noche Buena," which literally means "good night" and is the Spanish name for Christmas Eve.

It has been a "full" season in many aspects, and many of them blessings! To share these with all of you, we have included below several pictures from the last few months. They are representative of those "moments of joy" and we hope you will enjoy them!

With love in Christ,
Catherine

Rehearsals for and the presentation of "Navidad:Tiempo para Cambiar" - a Christian retelling of "A Christmas Carol" - the Spirits are Angels, and the third Angel gives Scrooge the opportunity to accept Christ as his Savior, which he does!

Our group watching "Mickey's Christmas Carol" at our house - it was an impromptu moment as we waited for transportation for our day trip with them, and they loved seeing "their parts" being presented by Mickey and friends!

Our "pasadia" with our Drama Group - a day trip for fun, fellowship, and a time of prayer and sharing!

Graduation day for Amaury's most recent Protocol and Etiquette and Intro to Business classes at the men's prison - Mr. Lynch, the Director of Santiago Christian School, shared a message with the participants about Christian business principals, and he was impressed by how attentive and focused the class members were!

Catherine is now directing a "jovenes" (youth) choir at our church in Hoya del Caimito - they sang a special in November and one for Christmas!

Amaury's most recent Protocol and Etiquette class at the church where some of our Drama Group members attend - they are excited about him coming to teach other classes in the future!

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-09-20T18:47:00.000-04:00

Hola!!

Recently, Catherine was working with her seniors at Santiago Christian School on their personal narratives that they could use for their college applications, and we thought we would apply one of her lessons to our blog update this month. So, just as a personal narrative should "show" rather than "tell," we thought we would do just that through a "photo blog"! We hope you enjoy it!

Here is the patio Amaury was working on while Catherine was in the states - he built the fountain and swing, and he put the gravel down to create a quiet place for prayer and reflection. It has been a blessing!

Amaury gave a "cultural" orientation to teachers at SCS with Catherine translating - he was rated one of the highest presentations in the faculty review of the Teacher Orientation!

In August, Catherine was sworn in as a Dominican citizen, so she now has dual citizenship!

In late August, some members of our Drama Group came with us as we visited classrooms in a local public high school to announce that we were starting again and to invite new students to participate. From those visits, six new members joined, and we began meeting and rehearsing for our next production, which will be A Christmas Carol on November 16!

The Drama Group visiting classes, ...

doing some improvisation activities, ...

learning to work together as a team by "untying" a "human knot," ...

and receiving their scripts and roles for the production!

Recently, Amaury taught a Protocol and Etiquette class at a friend's church ...

and everyone loved the class! It's a great way to build relationships! The participants asked when Amaury could come back and teach his Principles of Business and Finance Class!

Amaury has also started teaching two new classes in the men's prison, but taking pictures there is a special privilege preserved for class graduations and other special events, so we'll have some when those classes finish!

We hope you liked our "photo blog"! We are so grateful for your prayers and support of our ministry - lives are being changed through sharing the truth of who Christ is with our students here in the DR, and we could not do that with out you!

Dios les bendiga MUCHO!! (God bless you VERY MUCH!!)

With love in Christ,
Amaury and Catherine

2010-08-06T22:31:00.000-04:00

This blog update is a little different than our others! Besides the background and layout changes, the primary author has changed as well! This time, Amaury wrote and Catherine translated! For those who want to read the update in Spanish as Amaury wrote it, it is included first. The English translation follows under each paragraph! Enjoy!!

Hola!
Hoy es un bonito día. El sol esta brillando y mi computadora esta tocando alabanza para Dios, un día perfecto para hacer el blog por primera vez! La verdad es que no tenia idea de como se hacia, pero mi hermosa esposa con su paciencia me explico en que consiste.

Hello!
Today is a nice day. The sun is shining and Christian praise music is playing on my computer, a perfect day to do the blog for the first time! The truth is that I had no idea of how to do this, but my beautiful wife with her patience explained it to me.

Un día al final de mi clase de Protocolo y Etiqueta en la cárcel de hombres en Santiago, tuve que ir a la oficina encargada de educación de la cárcel buscar el listado oficial de los estudiantes, y cuando voy entrando se acerca unos de mis estudiantes que esta acusado por atentar contra el Presidente de la Republica anterior. EL me muestra una pintura y “Wow!” me quede asombrado al verla no solo por lo bonita que estaba, sino por el mensaje que lleva.

One day at the end of my Protocol and Etiquette Class at the men’s prison in Santiago, I had to go to the office of the person in charge of education at the prison to get the official listing of students, and when I entered, one of my students approached me who is charged with offences against the former President of the Dominican Republic. He showed me a painting, and "Wow!" I was amazed to see it not only how good it was, but also for the message that it carries.

El comenzó a explicarme el significado de la pintura, y fue el siguiente..
Un hombre sentado pensando cabeza abajo, lleva dos vida, un lado bien vestido y el otro destruido. Debajo de su silla al un reloj de arena que marca el tiempo que le queda para elegir una de las dos vidas. Pero al un problema el esta encadenado a una de esa vida y el reloj sigue corriendo. A cada extremo en la mano hay ejemplos de cada vida. La derecha posee todo los tipos de drogas que existen. La de la izquierda simplemente le ofrece 4 cosas: un gorro de graduación que represente el éxito, una llave que representa la entrada al cielo, una Biblia que es el mapa para llegar a Dios, y un regalo que representa la vida eterna.

He began to explain the significance of the painting, and he said the following ... A man is seated with his head down, he has two lives, one side is dressed well and the other is destroyed. Beneath his chair is an hourglass that marks the time remaining to choose one of his two lives. But the problem is that he is chained to one of the lives and clock continues running. At each end in the hand are examples of each life. The right has all types of drugs that exist. The left simply offers four things: a graduation cap representing success, a key that represents entry into heaven, a Bible that is a map to get to God, and a gift that represents eternal life.

En el extremo derecho detrás de la mano al un mundo oscuro y Satana esta representado por un búfalos. Del lado izquierdo, al mundo es claro y se pueden ver en los cielos los ojos de los Ángeles observándolo. La pintura muestra que cada persona tiene dos opciones en la vida, una lleva a destrucción y la otra a vida eterna, y el tiempo esta corriendo para hacer la elección.

At the far right hand in the back is a dark world and Satan is represented by a Buffalo. On the left side, the world is clear and the eyes of angels watching can be seen in the heavens. The painting shows that each person has two options in life, one leads to destruction and the other to eternal life, and time is running out to make the choice.

“Wow!” es increíble verdad! Y es el mismo objetivo que estamos buscando de ellos através de los clases mios, ayudarles elegir bien.

"Wow!" it is really incredible! And this is the same goal that we are hoping to achieve for them through my classes, to help them choose well.

En esto ultimo día me eh dado cuanta de la importancia de los curso que nuestros ministerio esta llevando acabo principalmente en la cárcel. El viernes 29 de julio fue la graduación del curso autosuperación y autoestimas donde 27 hombres de los 30 que empezaron la clase tuvieron la oportunidad de graduarse. De los otros 3, a dos les dieron la libertad y el otro esta enfermo de tuberculosis. Yo no sabia nada, por que solo el había faltado a una clase.

Recently, I realized the importance of the courses that our ministry is offering mainly in the prison. Friday, July 29, was the graduation of the Self-improvement and Self-Esteem course, in which 27 of the 30 men who started the class had the opportunity to graduate. Of the other 3, two were given their freedom, and the other is sick with tuberculosis. I didn't know anything about his illness, because he had only missed one class.

El dia que el falto de la clase, que fue dos semanas antes de la graduación, uno de sus compañeros se acerca a mi y me dice que Pablo Aria esta enfermo en el hospital y haber si yo podía irlo a ver le. Dije claro que si, y cuando termino la clase camino a mi casa me detuve en el hospital. Cuando llego al área donde estaba el habían dos policías cuidándolo. Me dejaron entrar sin problemas pues ya me conocían. El estaba acostado y al escuchar su nombre, levanto su cabeza. La alegría que el sintió al verme fue grande. Era la ultima persona que el esperaba ver por allá, y su cara reflejaba los que el sentía.

The day that he missed class, which was two weeks before graduation, one of his classmates came up to me and told me that Paul Aria is sick in the hospital, and he wanted to know if I could go and see him. I said of course, and when I finished the class and was on my way home, I stopped at the hospital. When I arrived at the area where he was, they had two policemen guarding him. They let me enter without problems because they knew me. He was lying down and when he heard his name, he lifted his head. He was very happy to see me. I was the last person that the expected to see there, and his face reflected what the felt.

Comencé a hablar y el me dijo que era tuberculosis. Me conmovió al oír esto, por que era uno de los hombres mas alegre de los cursos que yo he dado, pero los que mas me sorprendió fue cuando llego una hermana de este, la forma en que el le hablaba a su hermana de mi como profesor y de la clase que estaba recibiendo un 90 % de los que decía era sobre el curso. Me sentí alegre al saber que el curso estaba haciendo su trabajo.

He started to talk and told me that he has TB. I was shocked to hear this, because he was one of the more cheerful men in the courses which I have given, but what surprised me most was when his sister arrived, the way in which he spoke to his sister of me as his teacher and of the class made up 90% of what he talked about. I was happy to know that the course was doing its job.

El día de la graduación a pesar que el no estaba presente por que estaba en cuarentena en una are refringida de la cárcel para que la enfermedad no llegue a otros. Le enviamos su pedazo de biscocho junto a su certificado. A pesar que el había rebasado su limite de ausencia para graduarse por su enfermedad, el ya había demostrado que si podía graduarse.

He was not present the day of the graduation though because he was in quarantine so that the illness would not be carried to others. We sent him his piece of cake together with his certificate. Even though he had exceeded his limit of absences to graduate because of his illness, he had already demonstrated that he could graduate.
Pero una de las cosas que mas me hizo sentir bien el día de la graduación fue ver el 95 % de los estudiantes del curso de etiqueta y protocolo graduándose también en autosuperación y autoestimas.

But one of the things that made me feel the best on graduation day was to see 95% of the students of the Protocol and Etiquette course also graduating from Self-improvement and Self-Esteem.

Thank you for your continued support of and prayers for our ministry! When we experience days like the ones Amaury described, we are overwhelmed by the blessing it is to be able to share Christ's love with those in desperate need of Him here in the Dominican!

Con el amor de JesuCristo,

Amaury and Catherine

P.S. See below for pictures from the last few months ...

Graduations - Santiago Christian School, Amaury's second community-based Protocol and Etiquette class, and our Drama Group ...

Drama Camp in Palo Alto with Woodland Hills Christian Church ...

Construction of water cistern project in Palo Alto...

2010-06-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

The team from Woodland Hills arrived safely this afternoon and enjoyed some Dominican empanadas for dinner tonight! We will be travelling to Palo Alto tomorrow. Please pray for safety as we travel and for a great week of ministry! We will be back in Santiago on Sunday night and will post another update then!

God bless!

With love in Christ,

Amaury and Catherine

2010-06-09T21:48:00.000-04:00

Just after the final words were spoken of Su Historia (HiStory), our Drama Ministry Group’s Spring Production on June 2, I led the choir that we formed to accompany the play in singing “Mi Padre Me Ama” (“My Father Loves Me”), by Juan Luis Guerra. As we came to the chorus and all the actors and audience joined in, it was a moment when I truly felt enveloped in my Father’s love, and I will hold that memory as a precious treasure in my heart. The words of the chorus are:

Mi padre me ama tanto
su amor es eterno y santo
tan grande que no puedo entender.
Me viste de ropa fine
me anhela y me dio su vida.
Gloria, aleluya, Padre fiel

Which translates as

My father loves me so much
His love is eternal and holy
so big that I cannot understand.
He dressed me in fine clothes
desires me and gave his life for me
Glory halleluiah, faithful Father

A little over three weeks earlier, as we neared the original production date of May 14, it became more and more clear that we were not ready. The choir had yet to have a rehearsal with every member present, our original lead actor had quit and his replacement was doing his best to learn his lines, our stage make-up had been held in customs with no foreseeable date of when it would be released, and because of the demands of our separate teaching schedules (Amaury had started teaching Protocol and Etiquette at the men’s prison here in Santiago as an outreach to the men there, and I was in the midst of grading research papers for my seniors), there were still several unfinished details to work out for the production to come together.

Honestly, we were not sure what would happen, but we continued to do the one thing we knew we could do – pray over the group, the production, and our schedules, and leave everything in God’s hands.

Then a call came from the Centro de la Cultura (Cultural Center), which was the theatre we had rented for the production. They informed us that since the theatre is government owned and the country’s elections were on May 16, the government had decided to use the theatre from May 14-16 for the elections, and we had to change the date of our production. They offered us May 17 or 18 and June 1 or 2 – the only dates open until September – it just seemed unbelievable! What else could possibly go wrong?

Well, after talking with our group, we decided on May 17, and when we called to schedule that date, we were told that, unfortunately, it was no longer available. That very day, the President had scheduled a nationwide holiday for May 17 because of the elections (on May 16), so the theatre would be closed. However, they had decided not to use the theatre on May 14, so we could have our original day back. This was Monday, May 11, and we had not done a final dress rehearsal that weekend with our group because of the date change, so we decided not to go with the original date and selected June 2 instead.

Almost immediately, it was clear that God had orchestrated the delay. Within the next two weeks, our make-up was out of customs, our schedules cleared up, and our group members had taken advantage of the extra time to learn their lines! Things were looking better! We would still have to wait until the actual dress rehearsal at the theatre on the day of the production to have the entire choir together to rehearse, but they handled it well, and the show went very well!

Sitting in the audience that night, watching the fifteen members of our group who had never been on a full stage nor been part of a full-scale production before put into practice all they had learned and work their way through the normal glitches that come with live theatre, I was amazed at all God had done in their lives and in ours ever since we began meeting with this group in February.

Over the course of the last few months and on the night of the performance, lives were changed, and only God could have done this work. We are so thankful for all He has taught us through this and for all He has allowed us to share with the members of our Drama Group.

Your support and encouragement are what has enabled us to be here and share the gifts God has given us, and we are grateful for you! See below for a video of scenes from the production (set to "Mi Padre Me Ama") and pictures from our last two months of ministry.

Dios le Bendiga Mucho!! My God bless you greatly!!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

Video of Scenes from Su Historia - Enjoy!

Protocol and Etiquette Classes - Since mid-April, Amaury has taught one-day seminars for the guards and staff at the men's prison as well as the 12th and 8th grade classes at Santiago Christian School, his first community based class finished with a graduation dinner, and he started a second community based class!

Graduation for first community based class:

Second community based class learning how to fold napkins for a formal place setting:

Men's Prison Graduation - 25 students started and graduated from the class - a record for a class at the prison!

One-day seminar for staff and guards and the Men's Prison:

Santiago Christian School classes - tying ties and learning how to set formal place settings:

Haiti Relief - On May 3, we traveled to Dajabon, on the Dominican border with Haiti, and met up with a friend who is a missionary at Danita's Children, an orphanage in Oanamenthe, Haiti, that currently has about 30 orphanes who were in Port au Prince when the earthquake hit on January 12. Through donations from Woodland Hills Christian Church and the Fraternal Order of Eagles of Mountain View, CA, we were able to purchase their basic food supplies for two weeks, and we were able to spend time with some of the beautiful children!

2010-04-05T14:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning we were blessed to be able to attend a beautiful Easter service at Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva (New Life Baptist Church) here in Santiago that was focused on Christ’s amazing love and then share a wonderful Easter dinner with some friends who attend there and also teach at Santiago Christian School!

During the service, a choir sang and actors presented the scene outside of the tomb that first Easter morning over 2000 years ago, and we were reminded that even in the midst of overwhelming pain and sadness, such as what was experienced by Christ on the cross and the women visiting the tomb, God has a plan that He is fulfilling, and it is all because of His incomprehensible love for us! Sharing a meal and time of fun and fellowship afterward with part of our new “family” here allowed us to experience that love in a tangible way, and as we drove home, we were spiritually, emotionally, and physically “full”! We hope your Easter was just as blessed and you were reminded of His amazing love for you as well!

This last week has been Semana Santa here in the DR, or “Holy Week,” and it is a time when schools are on Spring Break, and from Thursday afternoon through Sunday, just about the whole country shuts down. Many people go to the beach to relax and have some fun, but unfortunately, the Sunday that ends Semana Santa is better known for the number of injuries and deaths that occur as a result of drinking and drug use at all the “fiestas” than as the day to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Because of all the travelling and parties, traditionally, Easter Sunday services are some of the least attended of the year – a very different statistic than in the US. That is another reason we were blessed to be a part of the congregation at Vida Nueva this Easter Sunday as it was a full house with standing room only! We were encouraged and inspired by their ministry and outreach!

We hope that one day the seeds we are sowing today in our ministry will have long reaching results as well, and we are so grateful to be able to be a part of little by little bringing about positive change here in the DR! As Amaury puts it, the main problem in the DR is that the people only think of taking care of themselves and their own daily survival, which for some can be an overwhelming challenge – as education is limited for most and jobs are scarce for those who lack a formal education. But this problem not only affects the 80% of the population who live in poverty, making an average of $6000 (US) per year – it also affects the 20% who are wealthy as well. It is very easy to live a sheltered life here if there is money to provide it – gated communities, private schools, chauffeurs and servants can all serve to “protect” the wealthy from seeing what is reality for the majority of their fellow Dominicans.

Taking the blinders off of the wealthy and giving hope to the poor is what we are working to achieve through our Teaching Ministry, and little by little, we know that God will use our efforts to accomplish His purposes. The only way to bring about true change is to share Christ and His love using the talents God has given us and let Him do the rest – He will complete what He started – that is the promise of the Resurrection!

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. -Isaiah 53:5

Below are some pictures from our ministry over the last two months. We hope you enjoy them and will pray for those you see pictured – they have all blessed us and we hope to have been a blessing to them as well!

Thank you for all you do to support our ministry!

Dios les bendiga! God bless you!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

Protocol and Etiquette class praying together and learning how to fold napkins for a formal place setting ...

Drama Group members practicing mirroring and team work as they try to undo human "knots" ...

Family lunch in Palo Alto at the church where Amaury's dad is the pastor - Amaury preached and after lunch I shared my testimony ...

Santiago Christian School service trip to the children's hospital during Spiritual Emphasis Week ...

Thank you for your prayers for this week - they were definitely felt by students and faculty!

2010-02-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

We want to thank each of you for your prayers and encouragement over the last few months as we have transitioned into our new ministry. January started off with us getting settled into our new home (video coming soom!) and Catherine spending time preparing for her new part-time teaching position at Santiago Christian School, which officially started on January 12! We also began the planning and preparation for our Drama Group and Amaury’s first Protocol and Etiquette class, so it has been a full first month!

At Santiago Christian School, Catherine is teaching two classes of British Literature to Seniors and a Grammar/Writing Seminar to Juniors, and she has loved being back in the classroom, sharing her love of literature and writing while also sharing her faith with her students! SCS is an English instruction school in Santiago that is accredited by the Southern Association of Christian Schools and offers students both US and Dominican diplomas. Initially, the school population was primarily children of missionaries, but now 90% of the students are Dominican, and the school’s focus is “shaping the lives of those who shape the nation.” The SCS web-site is included in the “links” section to the right if you would like more information about the school!

Catherine’s first day at SCS also happened to be the day when the earthquake struck the island, and we were at home when it happened. It is a bit disconcerting, to say the least, to watch the concrete block walls of your home moving! Amaury has experienced earthquakes before, and he announced that we had to get outside, immediately! Outside, we saw all of our neighbors in front of their homes as well, and after a few minutes, the ground stopped moving, and it was safe to go back inside.

Unfortunately, as we breathed a sigh of relief and reentered our homes, we were not aware of the massive destruction that had taken place on the other side of the island. As news reports started to come in that night and over the next few days, we were shocked and saddened by the amount of devastation we saw, and we prayed. We prayed for our friends who had lost loved ones and for God’s protection and provision for those who had survived.

A few days after the earthquake, the leadership of G.O. Ministries contacted Amaury to see if he could help them as they were beginning to coordinate their relief effort, and Amaury jumped at the chance – he was anxious to get involved and help in any way he could. That meant a middle of the night trip on Friday, January 15, for him and his brother, Nico, who is a pastor with G.O., to take money and supplies to the Haitian border, and a sleepless night for Catherine, until she heard they were safe. Then, over the next few days, Amaury helped the leadership get set-up to purchase large quantities of food, medicine, and other necessary items.

As G.O.’s relief effort became operational, Amaury was able to step aside and focus on planning and preparing for our Drama Group and beginning a new Protocol and Etiquette class. Our first step was to find a location for the classes to meet, and we investigated several possibilities, including the Centro de la Cultura (Cultural Center) in Santiago, which was our first choice. However, their rooms were all full with the ongoing activities they sponsor, so we had to look elsewhere. Eventually, through one of Amaury’s brother’s contacts, we were able to secure space in a local Fundacion de Desarrollo (Development Foundation) building, free of charge! This was a huge blessing, which will allow us to utilize our available ministry money for materials for both classes, as well as props, costumes, sets, and theatre rental for our Drama Group’s production in early May!

Our second step was to begin getting word out about the classes, so during the last week, we visited two local high schools and were given permission to make announcements and hand out fliers. So far, we have handed out nearly 500 fliers about each class, and interested young people have been calling to sign-up – both classes are nearly full (there is a limit of 30 in each class)!

Both sets of classes will meet on Saturdays, beginning February 13, with the Protocol and Etiquette class meeting in the morning from 10-11:30 am for seven weeks, and the Drama Group meeting from 2:30-4 pm for twelve weeks. Please pray that we will share the light and love of Christ with these students as well as the material we have prepared for them!

Finally, we would like to share with you the three main scriptures on which our sending agency, Kingdom Seeker Ministries, is based. These speak to our hearts and clearly reflect our goals here in the Dominican, and we hope they will speak to you as well!

1 - PSALM 27:4--DWELL WITH THE LORD, GAZE UPON HIS BEAUTY, SAVOR THE SWEETNESS OF THE LORD AND SEEK HIM IN HIS TEMPLE

2 - 2 TIMOTHY 2:2--TEACH WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED TO RELIABLE PEOPLE (WHO WILL LATER DO THE SAME)

3 - REVELATIONS 7:9-10--WITNESS THE RESULTS/REWARDS--A GREAT MULTITUDE FROM EVERY NATION STANDING BEFORE THE THRONE

Dios les bendiga! God bless you!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

P.S. Here are a couple of "fun" pictures of recent "additions" to our family - On Dec. 17, our boxer, Moma, gave birth to Memo, and on Jan 1, we brought our kitten, Mimi, home from Palo Alto.

2009-12-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas and remember when God showed His love to the world by sending us His son, we hope and pray that this season will be a time of blessing for you and your family, and that you will be able to feel God’s love wrapped around you!

Throughout this past year, we have had some wonderful blessings through our ministry and our marriage, as well as some challenges and times of learning and growth! Our 2009 goals and updates are updated below along with a few pictures that show some of those blessings and learning experiences!

One area we have both felt God leading us to grow in and build upon is in teaching, and over the last six months, we have clearly seen God leading us to become more focused on our Teaching Ministry. We have a new brochure that details our ministry goals and more refined focus, and if you are on our mailing list, you will be receiving it and this letter shortly. If you would like to be on our mailing list, just let us know! We are very excited to begin following God’s leading as we work toward accomplishing these goals in 2010!

As this plan became clearer to us, it also became clear that it does not exactly fit under the umbrella of G.O. Ministries. G.O. supports nationals through short-terms mission trips, and as we have been a part of G.O., we have seen the blessings for nationals and the American team members that result from these trips! We also have been blessed to be a part of G.O. and are so grateful for Amaury’s eight years and my three and a half years with the ministry. However, as we shared our plan with the ministry leadership, they also realized that it does not necessarily fit into the structure of G.O., and this was a sad and difficult realization for us. After some time of prayer and seeking counsel from our families and close friends, we have decided to transition out from under the umbrella of G.O. We are leaving on the best of terms and will continue to be advocates for G.O. and the work they do in the DR!

As of January 1, 2010, we will be joining with Kingdom Seeker Ministries, out of Illinois, who will be mentoring us through the process of forming an independent ministry and will be handling our financial donations during this time. We will continue to live and work in Santiago in the Dominican Republic as we pursue fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. If you have supported us financially, we are so grateful for your support, and we hope that you will continue to do so via Kingdom Seeker Ministries. Please be aware that donations made to G.O. after Dec. 31, 2009, will not be forwarded to us and will be used to support the work of G.O. in the Dominican, even if they are noted to be for us. If you currently support G.O. through other forms of donations, we do encourage you to continue doing so!

Since we are beginning new with Kingdom Seekers, we will be in need of some "start-up" money to help us until our monthly donations are coming in on a regular basis. If at this time you are able to make a one-time donation to help us during this transition, that would be a wonderful blessing for our ministry!

Kingdom Seeker's address is Kingdom Seeker Ministries, P.O. Box 264, El Paso, IL 61738-0264, and their phone number is (309)310-4248. Our name can be included on the memo line of the check, or a note can be included with it to indicate it is for our support. All donations made to Kingdom Seeker Ministries in our name will be used to support us and our ministry in the Dominican Republic.

If you currently support us monthly using automatic ACH withdrawal, and you would like to continue that support, please call Cathi Christopher at the G.O. office at (502)493-9846 or e-mail her at cathi.christopher@go-ministries.org to instruct her to stop the automatic withdrawal as of the end of December 2009. Then please e-mail me at acg828@live.com and I will send you a Donor Authorization for Direct Debit form for you to complete and mail to Kingdom Seeker’s for ACH withdrawal to begin in January 2010.

Please pray for us as we begin this exciting new adventure in ministry! We are so grateful to those who faithfully support us on a monthly basis or through one-time gifts! Our brochure also shows where to send your much needed tax-deductible contribution. We look forward to sharing with you what God is doing in the lives of the Dominicans through your partnership with us!

Con amor en Cristo (With love in Christ),

Amaury and Catherine

2009 Ministry Goals and Updates

1) Amaury and Catherine will create a Drama Ministry team of young adults who have a desire to evangelize through Drama Ministry from at least five churches in the Santiago area. Work to refine and support a Drama program in those churches through Drama Camps hosted by teams or by our Drama Ministry team.
*The Drama Ministry Team began meeting in February and began with 10 members – two members from each of the following churches: Hoya del Caimito, Hoyo del Bartola, Hato del Yaque, Los Perez, and Los Guandules. We ended the year with six active team members who took part in every camp offered and participated in a majority of the meetings held.
*Four Drama Camps were held – one in Hato del Yaque in March with 18 participants, one in Los Guandules in June (working with the team from Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY) with 33 participants, one in Hoya del Caimito in August with 15 participants, and one in Hoyo de Bartola in October (working with the team from Woodland Hills Christian Church in Abingdon, VA) with 24 participants.
*Of the 33 participants in the camp in Los Guandules, 12 went forward after the service to repent and accept Christ as their savior!! The Drama Ministry team members from Los Guandules have also continued to work with the group that participated in the camp, forming their own Drama Ministry team in their church!
*No camp was offered in Los Perez due to lack of interest on the part of the two Drama Ministry Team members who decided not to continue being part of the team.

2) Amaury will teach classes in Business and in Etiquette and Protocol in area churches whose pastors have requested these classes.
*Amaury taught Etiquette and Protocol classes in churches in Los Perez and Hoya del Caimito, as well as a one day seminar in Palo Alto, and each class went very well. Several pastors have asked him to teach the class in their churches in 2010!

3) Catherine will continue offering English classes in churches supported by G.O. in Santiago and will train and support nationals who are beginning an English ministry in their churches.
*Jose Luis began his class in January with 20 students, and 2 students finished all three sessions. Catherine provided him with lesson plans and met with him before and during each session to review the plans and any questions he had over the material, and she also observed his classes regularly.
*In March, Catherine began offering a class in Hoya del Caimito for those who were interested in facilitating English classes in their own churches. Three students completed all three sessions of the class, and all three have expressed interest in facilitating a class in the future.

4) Catherine will continue advising the administration of Colegio Evangélico Isaías Emmanuel and facilitating teacher training in order to assist in creating an effective learning environment for students and supportive working environment for teachers, as well as continuing to work to help facilitate funding for the remaining 202 children who need sponsors.
*Catherine worked with the school administration in getting information and materials needed for the GO Kids program, as well as in helping to put together a new salary scale and the budget for the 09/10 school year.
*In April and August, Catherine worked with the school counselor to provide a Spiritual Retreat for the teachers to help form a more cohesive work environment.
*In June and October, Catherine facilitated teacher trainings on ADD/ADHD and using crafts in the classroom, respectively.
*In November, Amaury and Catherine worked together to provide a computer training for the teachers, showing them how to use the word processing software for lesson planning and how to use the presentation software and the internet as part of their lessons.
*Throughout the year, Catherine promoted the GO Kids program whenever possible and gave school tours to every team that went to Santiago. As of November 2009, all remaining students at the school were sponsored!

2009-11-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

October included two very special visits for Amaury and I – our friend Sarah Longest from Louisville, KY, and my mom and a team from Woodland Hills Christian Church in Abingdon, VA! The picture to the left is my mom and I on our trip to Palo Alto for the team to see the retreat center and church where Amaury's parents minister - the city of Santiago is in the background!

While Sarah was here for a visit, she helped us prepare for the upcoming Drama Camp in Hoyo de Bartola that the team from Woodland Hills would be a part of leading, and she also led a teacher training at Colegio Evangelico Isaias Emmanuel on using crafts in the classroom. The teacher’s really enjoyed the training, as you can see from the pictures, which focused on recycling common household items to use for crafts that would also aid in teaching lessons in the classroom!

Sarah was also able to spend some time with her GO Kid – Noelmy – and Noelmy’s mom. Their meeting took place the same time as my English class, so to give my students some extra practice, they helped in translating! Afterwards, Sarah came to class and we had a time for conversation, which also helped them put into practice all they have been learning in class! It was a true blessing to have her here!

The day Sarah left for the states, my mom and the team from Woodland Hills arrived! In order to keep family and friends in the states up to date on their trip, we posted some pictures and comments about their activities on this blog, which can all be seen below.

The Drama Camp they helped provide was a wonderful blessing to the community of Hoyo de Bartola and especially to the 24 students involved! There are regular events at the church for the children, but this is the first time a team came to work just with the “jovenes” – or teenagers (camp participants were ranged from ages 12-16), and it was very special for them – one even asked if they would be back the next week to lead another camp! The team from Woodland Hills is pictured here with some of the students after they received their participation certificates during the church service.

Hoyo de Bartola is a garbage dump where somewhere around 600 families live, and life there can be very dark and hopeless there. Alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, and gangs abound, and all of these can be strong temptations in the lives of young people if they do not have something stronger to hold onto. Giving them the only true rock to hold onto is what God is doing through the church in “the Hole” through Pastor Felix Abreu and his family – they work in the church daily, bringing God’s light into that dark place. Having a team come down every day to help them in ministering to the community, as the team from Woodland Hills did, encourages and supports them, and as Felix expressed about the work the group did – will always be remembered by him, his family, the church members, and especially the youth who participated in the camp!

In addition to all the team did in Hoyo de Bartola, they were also a special encouragement to us! It was such a blessing to have each of them here, and especially my mom! She was able to stay with us in our home, and having that extra time together in the evenings to talk about the day and just have her as part of our daily lives was a special treat, and we have missed her since the team left. Our time with the team as a whole was a wonderful blessing, and we are grateful for their prayers, encouragement, and loving support, and we look forward to when they will all be able to come again!

This blog would not be complete without mentioning that at the end of October, we were also blessed by being able to travel to La Romana for a few days to see friends who had gone there to provide a medical/surgical clinic, and we are so grateful for our time with them! Even though our visit was short, it was special to us, and we were inspired and encouraged by all the team did in La Romana!

We also wanted to thank everyone for your prayers and notes of encouragement about our water situation. Thankfully, the day Sarah arrived, our water service returned to normal - God is always on time!

I will be travelling to the states on November 23 and returning to the DR on Dec 15. While there, I hope to see as many of you as I can!

May God bless each of you in all you do – you are all a blessing to us!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

2009-10-10T22:46:00.000-04:00

Woodland Hills Team - Saturday

Finishing the sets ...

Group picture - Woodland Hills Team, Drama Ministry Team, and Drama Camp participants! :)

Tomorrow we will be finishing the sets and the students will be rehearsing all day. Thank you for your continued prayers!

2009-10-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

Woodland Hills Team - Thursday

Cutting wood for the drama camp sets ...

The nutrition center in La Mosca - the city landfill ...

Woodland Hills Team - Friday

Drama Camp begins ...

More work on building the sets ...

Step one of the set creation finished! They are now ready to be painted as scenery!

Thank you for your continued prayers! The week is going great! There were 24 participants in the Drama Camp today - many who are not regular church attenders. Please pray for them and for the team over the next two days!

Dios les bendiga! God bless you!

2009-10-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

Woodland Hills Christian Church team arrives in the DR!

Here are a few pics from the first day - it has been a great trip so far!

Touring the new computer lab at the school ...

Roger learning how to bend rebar that will be used in the construction of the Central Church in Hoya del Caimito ...

The group on a stop up the mountain as we travelled to see the school, church, and ministry center in Palo Alto where Amaury's father is the pastor ...

Neil handing out presents to the students in the school in Palo Alto - matchbox cars for the boys and the stuffed turtles from the VBS students to the girls ... :)

Thank you for your prayers! Please be praying for us tomorrow as we will be beginning to build the sets for the Drama Camp and visiting a nutrition center and school in an area called La Mosca, which is an active city garbage dump where hundreds of people live in abject poverty, where a GO sponsored pastor is working to bring God's light and love to people surrenounded by darkness. See the La Mosca video that is linked on this blog to see a short video and find out more about the area.

Hasta manana! See you tomorrow!

2009-09-24T21:52:00.000-04:00

Sometimes God reminds us of the blessings in our lives in the strangest of ways.

Nearly six weeks ago, the public works department of the city of Santiago began working on the streets in our neighborhood, which at some point many years ago had been paved, but had fallen into such disrepair that only in rare spots could the original pavement be noted. When we moved here in January, our landlady said they were going to be repairing the streets beginning in February, and I had nearly given up on the hope of not having to drive 2 to 3 miles an hour, maneuvering around the many potholes, in order to arrive at our house.

So, when the work actually began in early August, I was optimistic that in just a few short weeks, we would be enjoying driving on newly paved streets. However, not only did that not happen, I was completely unprepared for what did happen, and it reminded me just how much I have taken for granted in my life.

A few days after work began, it became apparent that they were going to do more than just repair the streets – they were also repairing the water and sewer system. This meant that all of the water and sewer pipes in our neighborhood were removed, without warning to the neighborhood residents. The first night we were without water, and before I knew the water had indefinitely been turned off, I was not worried. Being without water happens periodically in the Dominican because there is not a sufficient infrastructure in the country to supply water to the entire country at the same time, so water will be shut off to communities on a rolling basis (some communities more often and for a longer time than others – depending on the income level of those who live there). We were blessed to find a home for rent in a relatively wealthy community, so our water goes out less often than most, but we still try to keep ourselves prepared to be without water for a short time.

However, by the end of the second day, we were out of our “back-up” water, which is stored in a kitchen size trash can with a lid in our guest bathroom, and I had no idea what we were going to do. So, Amaury went to his family’s home in Hoya del Caimito, which is where the G.O. Ministry hub is located and a two to three minute drive from our home, to borrow 5 gallon water bottle for us to use. That night was the first unexpected blessing from God. Instead of coming home with 5 gallons of water, he came home with 15! I felt so loved, by both God and Amaury’s family. We were in need, and that need was abundantly met!

However, I have to admit, that I quickly forgot that blessing as the week progressed and we continued to be without running water in our house. We went and complained at the water company, along with several of our neighbors, and by the middle of the second week (during which time Amaury continued to go to his family’s house every night to fill up our water bottles) we did have “provisional” water hooked up to the cistern that is in front of the house, and I once again felt blessed, but not with quite the same joy I’d had the previous time.

We found that we could hook up our hose to the faucet and fill the water bottles, but since it is only a half inch tube that is hooked up to six houses and two condominium buildings, the water pressure is very low and often is so minimal that the water will not fill the hose, and Amaury has to fill the bottles directly from the faucet. Once again, I quickly forgot that God was meeting our needs and instead began to focus on the inconvenience of having to fill water bottles every day, having to do our laundry at a friend’s house, and counting every day of the six weeks that we have now been without running water. What I did not realize was the God was about to do something in my heart that I did not expect.

This past Sunday I was invited to a prayer retreat with the Dominican leaders for the G.O. Ministries women’s conference that begins tomorrow, and as I was talking to my mother-in-law about our water situation, I was suddenly convicted by my own words and lack of gratefulness for all I had in my life. Here I was complaining to a woman who never complains, despite not having running water in her home for the last 5 years, ever since she and my father-in-law decided to leave the two-story concrete block home (with two bathrooms) they have in Hoya del Caimito to move to wood house with an outdoor kitchen and bathroom in a poor mountain community called Palo Alto to serve the people there and build a church and retreat center, both of which are blessings to that community.

To Ramona’s credit, she listened and let me know she understood my frustration, and she never corrected me for my ungrateful spirit. Ramona is such an amazing example of a Godly woman and I am so thankful to have her in my life. God used this conversation to remind me that I have been richly and abundantly blessed, despite any current (and temporary) circumstances. There I was surrounded by Dominican women who regularly deal with not having the conveniences in their lives to which we as Americans have become so accustomed, and I was instantly humbled.

I cannot say at this point that I am happy to continue to be without running water in my home, but I can say that I have been convicted about my own selfishness and have stopped complaining. God has given me a wonderful husband (who continues to fill those water bottles daily), a loving family here in the Dominican and in the U.S., and great friends who support me and help me deal with the circumstances of life. What more could I truly ask for?

I can also say that I now understand in a way I have not before Paul’s instruction to us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” I will continue to pray that our streets will be finished and our water will be reconnected, but until that time comes, I will choose joy and give thanks for all God has done in my life.

Below are some pictures of recent events in our ministry that we are so thankful to have been a part of – the Drama Camp held Aug 1-2 in Hoya del Caimito and the new computer lab at the school – I hope you enjoy them!

Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

Hoya del Caimito Drama Camp!

New Computer Lab at Colegio Evangelico Isaias Emmanuel!

2009-07-24T15:42:00.000-04:00

For the last few weeks, I have been looking for an opportunity to be able to sit down and write an update, but each time either the power was out (the last few weeks have been particularly bad with power outages here) or something else happened that kept me from being able to do so. I’m not sure if that was God giving me more time to process what to write, if it was Satan trying to get in the way, or if it was just a string of bad luck and bad timing. Whatever the case may be, today I was able to sit down and write about what has easily been one of the most significant and powerful weeks of ministry I have been a part of since I moved to the DR nearly three years ago!

Last month a team of teenagers and their youth ministry leaders from Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, was here from June 23 to 30, and it was an amazing week! The team had a few challenges to overcome from the start when they arrived but their luggage did not – not one bag – they only had what they had carried onto the plane – and their luggage did not get here until June 26 – halfway through their trip! Thankfully, the ministry was able to provide them with clothes and some necessary items from the donations earlier teams had left, and they handled the whole situation with grace and good spirits that were encouraging and humbling to witness!

Thanks to the strong leadership of the team, their focus immediately became trusting in God to take care of getting their luggage to them according to His timing and being available for ministry throughout their entire time here, regardless of the circumstances – this was one of the most important qualities of this team for us and something that taught us lessons in walking humbly and loving kindness that we will not forget, just as we will not forget them.

The team’s ministry focus for the week was a Drama Camp in Los Guandules – a very poor area of Santiago where GO has built a church and a nutrition center. The week before the team arrived, the community had suffered a terrible mudslide that destroyed 70 homes. Luckily no one was injured or killed, but the devastation to the community is clear just a few houses down from where the church stands. The houses affected by the mudslide lay piled on top of one another down what was once the top of a hill overlooking the nearby river. We shared this with the team and took them to see the area, and then encouraged them that this week of Drama Camp would be an incredible opportunity to share a positive experience with the youth of this community who so desperately needed God’s light and love to be poured into their lives.

And so a youth group from Louisville, KY, took on that challenge and poured themselves into a group of youth from Los Guandules in Santiago, and the results were an amazing week full of blessings, big and small, and the joy and hope that only Christ can bring into our lives!

This Drama Camp was similar in structure to the previous one we held in Hato del Yaque, and the students took classes in Voice and Movement, Stage Direction and Blocking, and Costume Design, but this time, mixed in with the 33 camp participants were team members who helped teach and also participated in the classes! The drama they worked on was different as well – the script for this camp came from the three “lost” parables – the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son.

While the classes were going on, other team members were working with Amaury to build movable sets to be used in the drama that would be presented at the conclusion of the camp during the Sunday evening worship service. Building the sets was a new element for the Drama Camp as well, and it has been a dream of ours for a long time to be able to have sets of this type in the churches where the camps are held in order to strengthen the drama ministries that the camps are meant to “jump start.” Each set has two scenes painted on it – the center panels rotate so that the background can be quickly and easily changed during a production. Deciding to do this as a part of the camp was a step of faith, as all we had were the plans and materials but no actual experience putting them together. However, the team easily took on this challenge, and we were thrilled to find out that several of the team members were very artistic and they painted beautiful scenery! The results were better than we had imagined they would be!

The camp itself went very smoothly, and our Drama Team members and the Northeast team members worked well together, supporting and encouraging one another and the students, and when it came time to present the drama during the church service, everything came together perfectly – we did not think it could get any better than this, but God was not finished with the group yet!

After the drama presentation, the team from Northeast left the service to do children’s ministry with the children in Los Guandules, and when the time was almost over, Amaury came in and told me that I may want to come in to the service or send the team leader in, because 12 of the Drama Camp participants and the father of one of our Drama Team members had come forward at the end of the service to accept Christ as their Savior!!!

After the drama presentation, the pastor, Rafelito, preached on the parable of the prodigal son, to build on the lesson that had been presented in the drama, and God’s message was clearly heard and accepted! Just when we thought everything was coming to an end, God showed us that He was just beginning His work! Please pray for those new believers in Los Guandules, as they are now in baptism classes with Rafelito and have also become a part of the church’s youth group!

Next weekend, August 1 – 2, we will be holding another Drama Camp – this time in Hoya del Caimito with our Drama Ministry team, and I am sure we will note the difference of not having the team from Northeast here with us. We learned many lessons from them, and hopefully, we will put those lessons to good use with this next camp. Please pray that all the details for the camp come together and that God will continue to use our ministry team and the camps to reach those in need of His light and love.

There are not words to express how grateful we are for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

2009-05-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

May 28, 2009

As I reflected on what to write about for this update, I realized just how long it has been since I did one of these! So much has happened in the last two months, that I did not realize how much time had passed until I sat down to think over it all and process all that God has been doing in our lives and our ministry! One of the greatest blessings of the last two months was that on May 24, we celebrated our first anniversary! The picture to the left is from our anniversary dinner - at a beachfront restaurant in Juan Dolio on the southern coast - it was a beautiful place to celebrate!

Before we were able to get away for some rest and relaxation, though, there were many exciting events in our ministry! April started off with a Spiritual Retreat held on April 3 for the teachers at the school that was planned and organized by our school counselor, and in which she had asked me to participate by leading some team building activities. Then on April 4 and 5, we held the Drama Camp in Hato del Yaque, and it went very well! On April 9, I left for the states and was wonderfully blessed by my time with family and friends – travelling from GA to VA, then from VA to KY, then back to VA and to GA once again, flying out of Atlanta, GA, to return to the DR on May 7.

A few days after I arrived in Santiago, we had staff meetings and began gearing up for our Celebration of Partnerships, held in Puerta Plata from May 13-16, which was an incredible time of celebrating where we have come as a ministry as well as where God is leading us! Returning from the conference, we began preparing for the summer, and Amaury and I were also able to take a few days to get away together for some rest and to celebrate our anniversary!

There are so many stories I could tell about each of these events that I honestly do not know where to start! So, to do something a bit different this time around, below is more of a “photo update” with a short commentary for each set of pictures to give each of you a brief glimpse into the last two months.

Below are some pictures from the teacher retreat, which included a time to share prayer requests and praises, a message given by Eduard Gabriel, who in May became the new Carribean President of G.O. Ministries, as well as the team building activities, lunch, time for fellowship, and watching The Emperors Club together. The first picture is of the teachers trying to solve a "human knot" to ecourage cooperation, the second is of two of our teachers taking the free on-line Enneagram evaluation (in Spanish!) that I then used to do a brief session with them about the different personality types outlined by the Enneagram. The is a great tool for encouraging understanding of ourselves and one another! The teachers felt so encouraged and blessed by all they experienced that they asked if this could be something we do more than just once a year!

The next set of pictures is from the Drama Camp. The students had classes in Voice and Movement, Stage Direction and Blocking, and Costume Design, and then presented the parable of the two debtors to a crowd that was nearly double the size of normal attendance at a church service! It was an amazing weekend, with 18 students involved in the camp, the majority of whom do not come to church on a regular basis!

While I was in Louisville, I was able to meet with Jerry from St. John United Methodist who has arranged for 50 computers to be donated to the school from his company!!! He is in the process of evaluating them and getting them set up to be brought down this summer! Thanks to Jerry's work and donations from several individuals and another Louisville business, the lab will become a reality this summer - an amazing blessing!!!

As the pictures below show, the Partnership of Celebration was a great success! The first picture is of one of the several teaching/conference sessions that we attended - the green shirts are from the conference - nearly 180 Americans, Dominicans, Haitians, and Columbians attended the event - including the missionary G.O. supports in Mongolia! The second picture is of the G.O. Board praying over Gabriel and Tata and Eduard and Kendy as the change in leadership became "official." Gabriel will still be actively involved in the ministry, but Eduard is the new Carribean President of G.O. - it was a bittersweet moment.

The next two pictures are also from the conference - the first is of Luis Vargas and his wife, one of our pastors who works in a very poor area known as Padre de las Casas, and a representative from his partnering church - Nate from Reunion Christian in Boston, MA. One of our Board Members - Mike Shyrock - is also in the picture. Mike is part of the church planting organization that planted Reunion. I translated for Nate, Mike, and Luis throughout the conference, and we all had some great conversations! Once I told Luis about how Mike and Nate know each other and about how quickly Reunion has grown (the church is only a few years old and has more than 300 who reguarly attend!), he was very curious to hear their ideas on church growth and reaching out to the community! The second picture is of Romano translating for me as I interviewed our Haitian pastors for some upcoming G.O. projects.

We are getting ready for another Drama Camp, which will be held in Los Guandules with a team from Northeast Christian in Louisville, as well as for a busy summer, and we appreciate your prayers!

As always, thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support! We are so blessed by each of you!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

2009-03-19T14:14:00.000-04:00

March 19, 2009

Saludos! (Greetings!)

This is what you say every time you enter a store, an office, or a home in the DR (really any place where people are), and it is one of my favorite things about living here – to start off every encounter in such a friendly and open way is a great lesson to learn for every part of our lives!

For Amaury and I, this last month has been full of lessons taught and learned, as our “Teaching Ministry” began in earnest, and we are excited to see how this ministry will grow! So far, we have had three Drama Team meetings, and the team is bonding and learning and growing together as we prepare for our first Drama Camp, which will be held in Hato del Yaque on April 4-5. Also, Amaury began teaching his Protocol and Etiquette classes in Los Perez, and we set up a teacher training at the school that Amaury led to show the teachers how to use the new projector and laptop that were recently donated by a team member from Michigan who had come down last summer! Pictures of all of this are included at the end of the blog! Also, in addition to continuing to supervise Jose Luis in his English class, I began teaching a class specifically for people who are interested in leading English classes at their home churches – at this point the students involved are from three different churches!

One of the students in my English class is also a member of the Drama Team, and his desire to learn and his perseverance despite many obstacles are an inspiration! Marcos lives in Hato del Yaque – a community about 30 minutes outside of Santiago that has very few paved streets, no running water, and intermittent electricity that is usually only on for a few hours each day. He is a 19 year old young man who works for a company that sells fruits and vegetables, such as plantains, which are a staple in the Dominican diet.

His day usually starts at 2 am when he wakes up and then heads off to report to work, which will involve first going to a local farmer’s market to help select produce and then get his assignment for the day, which could include spending the day selling by driving around various “barrios” or neighborhoods in Santiago, announcing what he has for sale over a speaker system that is attached to the truck, or travelling to Puerto Plata to help sell vegetables there. His day ends when he has sold everything he can and then make the trip back to Hato de Yaque, which could be as late as 10 pm if he has been to Puerto Plata that day. He does this 6 days a week – only taking Sunday off to go to church and rest.

Now, however, he has added to that grueling schedule, English classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings (the picture to the left is of Marcos during a recent English class - he has not missed one!), and Drama Team meetings every other Saturday afternoon as well as Drama Camps, which will be held five times throughout the year and will last all day Saturday and Sunday (which means he will not work on those Saturdays). Additionally, he has started a baseball sports ministry to reach out to the young men of the community, offering them a positive alternative to the drugs and gangs which so easily ensnare too many, and to be a witness for Christ in their lives. Why is he doing this? When asked, he is quick to smile and then explain that he wants to help the church grow by reaching out to his community. This answer and his determination to do whatever he has to do to achieve that goal are what inspire me about Marcos. He is one who will show the love, light, and hope of Christ in a place in desperate need of them.

Hato del Yaque is a community that was created by the Dominican government nearly 30 years ago after a massive hurricane devastated the island. The first residents were relocated there from other areas on the island where the destruction was the most severe. They were promised schools, running water, electricity, paved roads – a model community – but those promises were not fulfilled. The community is now held in the grips of poverty, with limited access to education and social services, and drugs, gangs, and alcohol are rampant. It also has the highest concentration of AIDS cases in the Santiago region. These are grim facts that can lead people to live without hope.

But there is hope – Marcos found it, and he wants to share it with as many people as he can. A little more than three years ago, he found hope through his belief in Jesus and his experiences at the church in Hato del Yaque that GO supports. That church started in a cramped 150 square foot room, and is now located in a beautiful new ministry center that will soon have a feeding center, and each day grows as a brighter light in this very dark community.

This is why we decided to hold our first Drama Camp in Hato del Yaque – to support the work of the church there, and offer a program that will hopefully attract not only the young people involved in the camp, but also their parents to the church to see the results of the camp, which will be presented through a short drama during the service.

Marcos and another young man from Hato del Yaque, Christian, who is also a part of the Drama Team and is also attending the English class, are currently recruiting young people (ages 13 – 18) to be a part of the camp. Please keep them and our team in your prayers during this time. Pictured to the left are Marcos, Wendy, and Lisbeth - three of the ten team members - participating in our most recent team meeting. The Drama Team is made up of young people from five different churches who have expressed a desire to reach out to their communities through drama ministry - please pray for them as they take this step of faith, that they will continue to be committed to the ministry and that they will be encouraged and inspired by being a part of this team.

Our “theme verse” for the Drama Team and the camps is 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” We pray that this will be just one of the many lessons learned for our Drama Team members and the young people that come to the camps throughout the year.
As always, thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support!

With love in Christ,
Catherine and Amaury

Amaury leads an activity at the Drama Team meeting we held in Hato del Yaque on Feb 21.

In the second Protocol and Etiquette class, the students learned how to arrange a formal place setting and for what purpose the different glasses and silverware are used. In this picture, Amaury watches as his brother, Nico (who is also the pastor in Los Perez), attempts to arrange the place setting.

The teachers listened attentively while Amaury explained how to hook up the computer and projector - they have both been an amazing blessing for the school and are being used almost daily by the teachers!

2009-02-03T16:03:00.000-05:00

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 knowing 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!

2009-01-07T12:09:00.000-05:00

January 7, 2009

Happy New Year from the Dominican Republic!!

I returned to the DR on December 9, after what felt like a whirlwind tour of the US, travelling from GA to KY to VA and back to GA – all within the four weeks I was states! During this time, I was blessed to be able to spend time with family and friends, and I am so grateful for the time I had with each person, and I am sorry that I was not able to see everyone!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year – mostly because it is a time we so easily dedicate to family and friends. However, since Amaury was not granted his tourist visa, I returned to the DR to spend Christmas here, and this was the first time in nearly 15 years that I was not with my immediate family for Christmas. While there were moments when I was saddened by this, I clearly felt God giving me His peace, knowing that this was only a temporary separation. More than this, though, I felt God’s love surrounding me, through the time Amaury and I were able to spend together during the holidays and the time we were able to spend with his family. So, while I missed by parents, my sister and her family, and my brother and his family, I felt blessed to be with my husband and his family, celebrating Christ’s birth and the New Year He has given to us!

As this New Year begins, please be praying for us and our ministry goals. In 2009, Amaury and I will be working together in ministry, focusing on two main areas – Teaching Ministry and Team Support.

For the Teaching Ministry …

* Together, we will create a Drama Ministry team of young adults who have a desire to evangelize through Drama Ministry from at least five churches in the Santiago area. We will then work to refine and support a Drama program in those churches through Drama Camps hosted by teams or by our Drama Ministry team – our plan is to hold two camps in the spring, two in the summer, and one in the fall.
* Amaury will begin teaching classes in Business and in Etiquette and Protocol in area churches whose pastors have requested these classes.
* I will continue offering English classes in churches supported by G.O. in Santiago and will train and support nationals who are beginning an English ministry in their churches.
* I will continue advising the administration of Colegio Evangélico Isaías Emmanuel and facilitating teacher training in order to assist in creating an effective learning environment for students and supportive working environment for teachers. As well, I will continue to work to help facilitate funding for the remaining 202 children at Colegio Evangélico Isaías Emmanuel who need sponsors.

For Team Support …

* Together, we will work with G.O. Ministries team facilitators to support the work of short-term missions teams to the Dominican Republic and Haiti doing construction, offering medical and dental clinics, children’s ministry, sports ministry, as well as any other ministry focus a team may have. We will do this through, translating for groups, driving for groups, and assisting in facilitating teams in whatever ways we are needed.
* Together, we will continue working to recruit groups to come to the Dominican for short-term mission experiences!

May God bless you in this New Year, and may you feel His love surrounding you and your family!

Thank you for your continued prayers for and support of our ministry!

With love in Christ,
Catherine

2008-11-13T18:14:00.000-05:00

On November 11, I returned to the states after a September and October full of wonderful blessings and some challenges as well! One of the wonderful blessings that has also at times been a bit of a challenge over the last two months has been continuing to work with my English students in Hoya del Caimito and Los Guandules. The pictures to the left are of the students in Caimito (top) and Guandules (bottom) with their certificates for completing the classed offered.

These classes started in January, and as of the end of October, we completed 12 of the 16 lessons in the curriculum we have been using called Spoken English Learned Quickly, and my students are speaking and reading English! In fact, they have become so comfortable with the material, which is very well designed, that they are continuing to study on their own to finish the material while I am in the states (they are using CDs and photocopies of the lessons I gave them before I left), and I will be “testing” them when I return to the DR in December!

Each week, my students continued to surprise me with their desire to learn and continued attendance in class, despite dropping class numbers. However, what surprised me the most was the request of one of my students to begin to study more intensively in order to begin teaching English classes himself! This is one of the goals of the English classes, to have a student of the class become a teacher who can then start teaching and reaching out to many more people than I can if I were to continue teaching by myself, and the material we are using is perfectly set up for that!

Jose Luis has been working with G.O. for several years heading up our baseball ministry, reaching out to young men in Santiago for Christ through helping them improve their baseball skills and teaching them about teamwork, and through being an example of Christ’s love in their lives, and now he wants to add teaching English to that in order to reach out to even more people! He has been diligently studying for classes and practicing (he is pictured here to the right with his certificate for the class), and he also began taking classes at an institute (along with his wife) to learn as much as possible about the English language! His dedication to the young men who are a part of the baseball ministry has inspired many, and now his desire to teach English in order to reach out to the people of his community is also an inspiration and an encouragement to me.

Over the last two years, as I have been teaching my English classes, I have at times been discouraged and a bit overwhelmed as class sizes tend to fall from 20 or more at the beginning to 5 or less by the end of the classes. As well, teaching Spoken English is very different from teaching high school English, which I loved and came very naturally to me, and I have honestly missed it and my students at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, KY. There have also been times when I have questioned and prayed about whether or not I am to continue offering English classes here in the DR, but God has continued to lead me to offer them, regardless of the class size, showing me that He has a plan that is much bigger than what I can see and more important than how useful I might be feeling at the moment.

Seeing Jose Luis’ enthusiasm, initially for learning and now for teaching English, and more importantly for sharing the love of Christ through whatever avenue is available, has been a source of joy and encouragement to me. Now, I can honestly say that it was a blessing that the class I taught for the young men in the baseball ministry dwindled to Jose Luis and one other student, because the smaller class allowed me to focus more on these two individuals, one of whom will now begin teaching as a result! In the picture to the left, I am showing him how to access the class material on-line and using a CD of the entire curriculum that I left with him - as you can see, he is very focused and attentive!

Additionally, my last class with my English students in Los Guandules was also a very special time. After receiving their certificates, these students proceeded to thank me for the class and express what it meant to them – all in English! After the first session, which ended in April, the group had a party for the class during which they presented prepared skits, prayers, and songs, all in English as well. However, this time was even more special to me because it was unscripted – we were conversing in English – one of the main objectives of the class, and since the material used Acts chapters 1 through 9 for the lesson texts, they learned to do this through studying God’s word!!

Even more exciting, Griselda, one of the students from this class and the wife of the pastor in Los Guandules, will be leading the others through the last four lessons as a “trial run” for teaching her own class! Griselda was a student in my very first English class in January 2007, and it has been a blessing to see her skills develop and now be able to encourage her to teach her own class!

Please be praying for Jose Luis and Griselda as they continue to study and prepare to teach classes. Please also pray for all of the students in the classes as they also continue learning English and also learning about Jesus and the truth of who He is and what He wants for us.

It is only through your continual prayers, support, and encouragement that I am able to bring God’s word to the DR through my English classes, and I am eternally grateful for this! Thank you for all you do to support my ministry!

With love in Christ,
Catherine

2008-09-11T10:58:00.000-04:00

Usually when I start an update of my blog, I do it in a pretty typical style of describing all the things I have done since my last update, and I could do that this time too. My English classes are continuing, there have been meetings with teachers and parents at the school, school started on August 18, and there have also been teams for which I gave school tours and translated. I have included pictures from some of these events below. However, I want to do something different with my blog this time around – I want to tell the story of one of the events that occurred over the last month that significantly affected my life and the way I view my ministry.

The story starts in August 2007, when a team came down from Hikes Point Christian Church in Louisville, KY, and I met Sarah Longest. Sarah was one of the team members, and she was like a bright light, full of energy and a desire to reach out and help and share the love of Christ. At the time, I was actually pretty low and in the midst of a dark time. That summer had been physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually exhausting for me for many different reasons, and when this team came, I was not looking forward to another week of construction, and I was feeling the pressure of completing the planning for the upcoming week’s Drama Camp.

So, I remember Sarah for the light that she was for me during that week, when we began talking about the possibility of her coming down to do a teacher training at the school. Sarah is a teacher – she has taught all levels from pre-school to high school – and after I gave her team a tour of the school, she sought me out to talk about doing a teacher training. Her excitement was contagious, and as we talked, I could see that any training she came down to offer would be beneficial to our teachers.

I next saw Sarah in December when I was in Louisville and I went to church with her, when she gave me 50 books to take down to the school – in the form of two classroom sets of novels – Charlotte’s Web and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe – which she had because she had asked her family to donate money to buy these books for the children at the school in lieu of giving her Christmas presents (just one small example of her kindness and generosity that continues to humble me). We also met and had lunch to catch up and talk some more about the possibility of that teacher training, which we hoped might take place in February or March. I remember being surprised at how tired she looked, and she said she had been having some health problems, but with her usual smile and bright outlook, shared that a routine procedure would likely take care of everything and that she and her husband were hoping this would also then allow them to get pregnant! I left that lunch feeling blessed by Sarah’s friendship and praying that she would be healed.

But healing would be elusive – that routine procedure ended up showing that at 28 years old, Sarah had a rare cancer that would require a full hysterectomy and months of chemotherapy. Even thinking about that now brings a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. I could hardly believe what she was going through, and my heart and prayers went out to her. Needless to say, her possible trip to the DR was cancelled, and any thoughts or conversations about a teacher training came to a full stop. There were much bigger things at stake, particularly getting Sarah well – which from the DR end meant praying for and encouraging her as best as I could, and trusting in God to take care of her.

The next five months were incredibly difficult for Sarah – she kept a blog of her experiences, which kept everyone who loved her up to date and current on specific prayer requests, but more than anything else, it showed her love for and trust in God. The grace, confidence, strength, and peace she had throughout this experience inspired and challenged me in my faith, and the one thing that always seemed to remain was her beautiful smile. The results of her chemo show her cancer free – an amazing blessing!

And as a blessing on top of that blessing – on August 13, Sarah returned to the DR and on August 14 she gave that teacher training!! There is professional jargon I could use to describe what she shared with the teachers – including student motivation, teaching to the Multiple Intelligences, using learning centers, and including learning styles in lesson planning – and all of it is important and was information that was welcomed by the teachers – but mostly what she shared was her love of teaching and reaching out to help others, and her bright smile communicated more clearly than any words the excitement and joy she felt in being there to share of herself with the teachers. Below are some pictures from the training!

While Sarah was here, we also visited several ministry sites that she had either been to or heard of before – Hoyo de Bartola, Villa Cafeteria (where the church is with which Hikes Point Christian partners), Hato del Yaque, and La Mosca – and her love for the people of the DR and ministry being done here was evident everywhere we went. The picture to the right is of Sarah and a boy from La Mosca whom we met while he was taking a break from helping his father find metal scraps to sell by picking through the garbage dump that overshadows this community. At each place we visited, one of the things I saw in Sarah is also one of the things God has been working on me to do in my ministry – to see everything with fresh eyes, noticing how God is working, praising Him for what He is doing, and joining with Him in His work.

This is what we are each called to do, wherever we are called to serve Him, and this is how Sarah’s visit has affected the way I view my ministry.

Over the last two years, I have grown accustomed to life here, and the places and situations of the people in those places where GO is doing ministry had begun to appear “normal” – and though those situations may be “normal” for the people in them, they are not what God wants for His children because too often those situations are ones which lack hope, light, and the life Jesus came to give us. This has also prompted me to reevaluate my ministry focus, looking at what I have been doing with fresh eyes from a more eternal perspective. Please pray that I will see, hear, know, and respond to God’s leading and direction so that I can more effectively join Him in the work He is doing so that all His children will come to know Him and His saving love, grace, and mercy!

Thank you for your constant love, support, and prayers!

With love in Christ,
Catherine

PS - See more pics below ...

These pictures are from parent meetings we held to review changes to the GO Kids program - all the children in the school are now being treated as though they have sponsors, being given books and school supplies, which means we desperately need more sponsors!!! Please check out the GO Ministries website for more information on sponsoring a child if you are interested!

These pictures are from the first day of school - presenting the faculty and staff to the students, and students working in their classrooms - it was a great day!

2008-07-24T21:57:00.001-04:00

July 24, 2008

One of the things I love about being a part of G.O. Ministries here in the Dominican is that no two days are ever the same! So far this summer I have been involved in translating for our basketball clinic, facilitating and sometimes translating for children’s ministry, as well as being a part of our school’s graduation ceremony and continuing to teach my English classes!

Basketball week is one of my favorite times, as I have been a huge basketball fan ever since attending UK (GO CATS!!). This year was special because the week was actually a “Sports Week” that included basketball, volleyball, baseball, and aerobics – reaching over 300 Dominican children, adolescents, teens, and adults! Each morning there were clinics for each sport, which include “huddle times” where the coaches share with their players about Christ and challenge them to accept Christ or to deepen their faith, and in the afternoon the teams in each level play each other in a tournament.

In the evening there are basketball games between the Americans and Dominicans, so between working with the basketball camp and the evening games, there was a lot of basketball to watch! This year I translated for the coaches working with the 11 to 13 year old level, and it was a great experience to help the children and coaches build relationships. Sports is an amazing vehicle to reach people for Christ, regardless of cultural or language differences, and many of the lessons learned by Americans and Dominicans alike were not only about sports, but also about God, His love for us, and the life He wants to give us!

Another way teams come to share God’s love here in the DR is through children’s ministry, and these times are always fun and a wonderful way to bring light into the lives of children, many of whom live in desperate circumstances and may not experience unconditional love in any other way in their lives. During June and the first part of July I have facilitated children’s ministry with teams in Los Guandules, Hoyo de Bartola, Palo Alto, Los Perez, Hoya del Caimito, Hato del Yaque and Villa Cafeteria, and it has been an amazing blessing to be a part of this ministry.

These are all very poor areas, where families may earn the equivalent of $3000 to $4000 (US) per year and many children appear to be neglected and left to their own devices – one child in Hato del Yaque was playing with a “toy car” made from a used juice drink box with stones for wheels held in place with sticks and string. However, when the teams come, they spend a morning or afternoon with the children singing songs, sharing a Bible story, and working on a craft to help them remember the story, while also sharing hugs and laughter, and the light and joy in the children’s eyes when the team arrives, as well as during and after their time together shows how important these times are in their lives!

June 26 was an important time in the lives of our students at Colegio Evangélico Isaías Emmanuel – it was graduation day! Students in our pre-primary program graduated into first grade, students in fourth grade graduated into fifth grade (equivalent to going from elementary to middle school in the states), and our eighth graders graduated, ready to go on to high school! It was an exciting day for the students and their families that included a parade through the neighborhood of Hoya del Caimito, where the school is located, and a ceremony at the Centro de Cultural (Cultural Center) in downtown Santiago! Around eighty percent of our students will go on to high school – most to a public school setting, which is very different than our school, with an average of 50 students per classroom and classes that meet in the evenings from 5:30 to 9:30. It is difficult for students to learn in situations such as these, which is why we would love to expand to offer high school – one of the long term goals for the school!

One of the exciting events in the English ministry was having a “student teacher” work with me during the month of June. Melissa was one of our interns for the summer, and during her time here she also completed an internship for her education degree. Working with Melissa as she prepared to teach the English classes and then watching her teach was a blessing! She did a great job and had the students up and moving in the class to demonstrate concepts – they played a competitive “game” to learn the difference between “to, two, and too” and the students were very engaged and excited to participate (especially in the class for the Baseball Ministry! Her energy and enthusiasm were evident in the class and in how the students responded to her!

July has continued to be full of teams as well as working with the school to prepare for the next school year. Some very exciting things are happening at the school, and I will include more about that in my next blog!

Thank you for all that you do to support my ministry!

Con el amor de Jesucristo,

Catherine

2008-06-10T16:45:00.000-04:00

June 12, 2008

This last month has certainly been a whirlwind! While in the states I was able to visit with several supporters as well as meet with the missions committee of Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, and with potential team leaders from Woodland Hills Church of Christ in Abingdon, VA, and hopefully each church will be sending a team down this fall! As well, using gifts from supporters and ministry money I had in reserve, once I returned to the DR on May 13, we were able to purchase a 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser!! This is a huge blessing and a great vehicle for ministry opportunities we will have! The most exciting news to share, however, is that, on May 24, Amaury and I were married in a beautiful ceremony at a resort here in the DR!!!

The wedding ceremony took place at Casa Marina Beach in the town of Sosua here in the DR, and it was a beautiful wedding and a wonderful time with family and friends!!! My parents, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew all were able to come, as well as Amaury's parents, uncle and aunt, and brother and sister-in-law and most of the G.O. staff. Along with our invited guests, one of the interesting items about getting married at a resort is that vacationers are also present, so we had many more people witness our wedding than we expected! God did use this though, as our ceremony, which was done in both English and Spanish, was clearly representative of our beliefs as Christians, and several vacationers commented to our friends and family in attendance on the impact it had on them. After our vows, the first three things we did were repeat the confession of faith, take communion, and have a foot-washing ceremony to show our desire to love and serve God and each other. Everything about the ceremony was perfect, and God could not have given us a better gift to bless our wedding than the sunset He painted that night!

In addition, we had a reception in Santiago on May 25 for family, friends, and co-workers, and it was also a wonderful celebration! It was held in the house where we will be living for the next year or so, and I cannot think of a better way to bless the beginning of our life together than to celebrate our marriage in this way!

One of the things that has been a bit overwhelming since coming back from our honeymoon (which was also beautiful!) is trying to figure out how I will get everything organized at the house and be a good wife while also managing my ministry and working with teams. Amaury has been patient, supportive and helpful, but I have still felt the pressure to do everything “perfectly.” God spoke to this directly through a recent devotion that was based on Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This was an excellent reminder that I will not be able to do any of those things on my own, but if I allow myself to be led by God’s “righteous right hand,” He will give me all I need and lead me through this time. I know that if I depend only on Him, He will lead me to be a better Christian, wife, and missionary two months from now that I am right now.

One of the ways God has clearly shown us that He is providing for and taking care of us was through the process for purchasing the vehicle, which was surprisingly smooth! I fully expected problems and challenges to arise as very little happens here without some issue or another arising, and it seems that things always take longer than expected, but the opposite happened with this purchase. There were no problems with the money or the paperwork (other than a misspelled name – his, not mine – that was easily changed), and this was all definitely a blessing! Around $4000 in gifts were given as of mid-May, and I sincerely want to say “Thank You!!!” to all who gave toward the purchase!

With what was given, it was a step of faith to use money from my reserve (about half was used) to make up the difference, but doors were clearly opened, and we truly felt God leading us in this, considering the ministry and personal needs it would meet. Gifts toward the purchase can still be made – just go to the G.O. website at http://www.go-ministries.org/, and make an on-line donation using PayPal, or print the donation form that can either be mailed or faxed in to the office. Gifts should be marked "Catherine Sipperley ministry gift" in the space provided (both the on-line and print formats have a space for this). My new name is officially Catherine Sipperley de Gracesqui here in the DR, but I will be changing it to Catherine Gracesqui for my US paperwork as soon as I am able to do that through the US Embassy here.

Last week began our busy summer schedule, during which we had three teams – one team provided a medical clinic in Los Guandules, one of the poorest areas of the city, and the other two teams did construction on two different churches. I translated for the medical clinic, and it was a great experience! Most of the time I was in the pharmacy, but I did spend a short time translating for the doctor on the team, and I translated when we visited homes in the community after the clinic ended to invite the community members to church. Visiting in the community after a clinic is one of my favorite things to do! We share with everyone we talk to that even though we were there to meet the physical needs of the people, we offer that because of our desire to share the love of Christ with them who is the only One who can truly meet all of their needs. Our group met with several people who expressed interest in coming to the church and all were grateful for the clinic!

One of my English classes is held in the church at Guandules, and during the clinic several of my students were asking when class would begin again! I am excited to start teaching, and the classes will all begin next Monday, June 16! The class in Guandules will be on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 3 to 4 pm, and I will have two classes in Hoya del Caimito on the same days – one from 5:30 to 6:30 pm for the young men in the baseball ministry – and the other from 7 to 8 pm for people from the community in Hoya del Caimito and from Hoyo de Bartola. The rest of the summer I will be translating for medical clinics (we have another one this week!) and doing children’s ministry. It will be a busy schedule, but it will also be filled with many opportunities to share the love of Christ and be His hands and feet here in the DR!

Please continue to pray for Amaury and I as we begin our new life together while also managing our schedules – which will be very different at times. Thank you for all that you do to support our ministry!

Con el amor de Jesucristo,

Catherine

2008-05-10T09:40:00.001-04:00

May 9, 2008

The first two weeks of April were full of exciting events for both the English and Drama ministries! During the first week of April my English classes wrapped up with “despididas,” which are “leavings,” during which the students received completion certificates for the material we covered. Almost all of the students plan on continuing with the classes when we begin again in June! Then, on April 12, the Drama classes successfully presented their parables and scenes from Romeo & Juliet! Pictured here is the cast of Romeo & Juliet with the masks they made for the masquerade ball in Act I, scene 5 of the play!

One of the most exciting despididas happened at Los Guandules. Griselda, the pastor’s wife, who was a student in my first class and is now my assistant in this class, planned the event with presentations in English by each of the students, cake, her special homemade juice (which was delicious!), and gifts for me from the class! I had no idea any of this was planned, and I enjoyed every minute of it! Two students sang a children’s song, two others had a conversation, two prayed, two gave short speeches, and one read Bible verses! Pictured here are the two who gave speeches, and the class with me and the pictures they gave me as wedding presents!

While my English classes were finishing up, my Drama classes were working toward their production, which took place on April 12! We had two full-cast Saturday rehearsals prior to the 12th, which was complicated by the fact that only half the cast came to the first one, but they were all there for the second one and for the dress rehearsal the day of the production! It was also only at the second full-cast rehearsal when I realized that there were nearly 50 students involved in the four classes together – separate, they were great, but having them all together at one time was a new challenge I had not anticipated! To say the dress rehearsal was a bit rough would be putting it mildly, but amazingly, and only by the grace of God, it all came together beautifully! Pictured here are the casts of the parables and of Romeo & Juliet just after our final rehearsals.

Thankfully, I was not alone in this! Karen George, another American staff member, and Amaury were both there with me during the classes and rehearsals in April, and only with their help, and God’s blessing were we able to pull everything together in time for the presentation! Along with helping in the classes and backstage, Karen also organized the youth group from the church to come and help during the production with crowd control backstage and refreshments for the parents afterward! Amaury helped the students design their costumes, made wood swords for Romeo & Juliet, helped backstage preparing for the show, and ran the sound and took pictures during the production! It was a great night, and several students have asked when the next class will be! Most of these students live in our neighborhood, and hopefully they will also be involved in the Drama Camp this June with the group that is coming from Woodland Hills!

I returned to the states on April 22, and as usual, have been traveling ever since! Over the last two and a half weeks, I have traveled to or through six different states, spending time with friends and family. I also worked at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, for a fundraiser for the ministry selling KY Derby souvenirs in the week before and during the Derby. It was a great fundraiser for the ministry, and I love a reason to return to Louisville!

While I was in Louisville, I was blessed by two wedding showers – one hosted by four of my closest friends and one hosted by the women with G.O. – and by an Open House hosted by the English Department at SHA! These times were filled with love and laughter, and they were wonderful times to share the excitement and joy of my marriage with my friends!

This month I have clearly felt God pouring out His love on me, and I have been overwhelmed by my thankfulness for all He has done! From the blessings of my English and Drama classes, to my time with my family and friends who have “showered” me with their love and gifts for my wedding, God has let me feel His love through the people in my life.

Also, through my relationship with Amaury, God is continuing to draw me close to Him and show me that He is involved in every aspect of my life, and He will take care of all the details, if I just let Him. Please be in prayer for us this month as we prepare for the wedding on May 24 – we are looking forward to our new life together and to the opportunity to do ministry together!

You are each a blessing in my life, and each time I think of you I thank God for you!

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34

Con el Amor de Jesucristo,Catherine

2008-04-06T13:46:00.000-04:00

April 6, 2008

March started off with my trip to La Romana to work with the team from Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, and it was a great trip! This month, I have also been continuing to work with my drama classes to prepare for our “obra del colegio” – or “school play” – which is scheduled for Saturday, April 12!

Our first night in La Romana, we had the opportunity to have dinner in the homes of some of the church members, and I was the translator for my group! We were able to share a wonderful meal and get to know the family and all about their lives - the pastor actually had to call our host to tell him it was time to bring us back to the church, as we had stayed longer than was planned! The picture to the left is of our group and the family we visited.

While in La Romana, I worked with the dental team translating and organizing the list of patients. We worked in four different locations – screening patients at the rehabilitation clinic we were at last year, as well as at a school for the physically and mentally challenged, and those patients came to see our dentist at a state of the art dental clinic at Hogar del Niños that we were able to use, which was an incredible blessing! We also screened and saw patients at the dental clinic in Centro Mutualista, the center where the church Northeast partners with is located. Through it all, in four days, our dentist screened over 200 patients for treatment, and with the dentists from the clinics at Hogar del Niños and Centro Mutualista treated over 100 patients!

Priscilla is the same dentist I worked with last year, and I shared with the team this year, that the patience and love she shows - her specialty is working with physically and mentally challenged children - remind me of how God is with us. Many of these children cannot understand what is happening to them, and all they can see is their fear - not knowing what Priscilla is doing and that it is for their best, which is much like us when we are in a challenging situation and all we can see is our fear - not knowing what God is doing, but it is always for our best.

Hogar del Niños is an incredible organization, which first began as a school, but has become much more! There are over 1500 students at the school, which educates students from pre-primary through 11th grade (next year they will include 12th grade), but the services they offer do not stop there. There is also the dental clinic with three full-time dentists, a school for the deaf, a computer lab with 50 computers, a library that could be compared to any school library in the states (these pictures show what I hope and pray will become a reality at our school!), a day-care/nursery with over 200 beds, a full-time pediatrician, two full-time psychologists, a pharmacy, a large cafeteria that feeds the students three times a day, and a beautiful playground area that includes a full-size basketball/volleyball court!

Beyond the services they offer, our time at Hogar del Niños was inspiring to me for many reasons. We were able to work with a staff of dentists and assistants who truly wanted to help as many children as possible – they even scheduled follow-up visits with several of our patients and gave them medicine from the school’s pharmacy! On a regular basis, this clinic treats students from the school, from the surrounding community, and from the Bateys – the sugar cane fields that surround La Romana, which are some of the poorest areas in the country. We were also able to spend time with the Administrator, who shared the history of the school and their intention to do more than just educate. She was also very interested in my work in Santiago with our school, and she gave me some ideas to help find support!

The one thing our team noticed, however, was that even though Hogar del Niños does wonderful things and addresses the intellectual, emotional, and physical needs of their students, the one thing that was missing was addressing their spiritual needs. After discussing this as a team, we decided to be more open about why we were there, and on our second day at the clinic, we brought the director a copy of the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn (in Spanish), and crosses for everyone we worked with that one of the small groups at Northeast had made. We prayed with the patients before the day started, and we also prayed at our mealtimes with the staff, during which we ate the same meal as the students, which was better than any cafeteria food I have ever had! It was difficult to leave at the end of the second day, as we all felt we had shared a truly special time at this special place.

Once I returned to Santiago, I began working to prepare my drama class students for our “obra”! We learned to work together as a team – the picture to the left is of the Thursday afternoon class doing an activity called the “Human Knot,” which is a great lesson in communication and cooperation! We also began blocking the scenes – the picture to the right is of the Tuesday morning class preparing to present the parable of the “Lost Sheep.” The students in third and fourth grade will present the parables of the “Lost Coin,” the “Lost Sheep,” and the “Prodigal Son” – and the students in fifth through eighth grade will present three scenes from Romeo and Juliet! These will all be presented the evening of April 12 at 7 pm – please be praying for us! This week we will be putting the final pieces together – including costumes and props, and having our final dress rehearsal the morning of the 12th!

While putting these scenes together has been fun, it has also been challenging, and one of the things I realized through all of this is that God is continuing to teach me that only He is in control. This month, my devotions, which come from a devotional a dear friend sent me called Sisterhood of Faith, have all been guiding me to put my trust in God, be sure to spend time with Him, and let Him lead me. This book is full of stories of women, past and present, who have responded to God’s call in their lives, and their stories are inspiring and humbling. A verse that I have been encouraged by from one of these devotions is Ephesians 3:16, “From His glorious, unlimited resources God will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit.” I know that if I depend on my own strength to do what God is leading me to do, I am not truly doing what He wants – He wants us to do what He is leading us to do and to depend on His strength to get it done – in this way the glory is His, which is one of our purposes in this life – to glorify and honor Him. Please join me in my prayer that the dramas we present will do just that – glorify and honor God.

On April 22, I will be leaving the DR to come to the states for a short three-week visit – first in Atlanta, then in Louisville, and finally in Virginia before traveling back to Atlanta to fly back to the DR on May 13. Please pray for safe travel and for God’s blessings on my time!

Your love, encouragement, and support are blessings from God!

Con el Amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2008-03-03T11:36:00.000-05:00

March 3, 2008

This last month has been an exciting time in the DR! We have hosted teams from Kansas City, Kentucky, Michigan, and Illinois, and while I was not with them much due to my teaching schedule and work in the school, the service they have done has been a blessing to the people of the Dominican! I was able to attend some Women’s Ministry seminars that the women from Kansas City Baptist Temple held in a few of the churches we work with, and I was blessed by their teaching and sharing of themselves. The picture to the left is of the seminar in Hoyo de Bartola that took place shortly after one of my classes there, so I was able to stay and participate. These women came and shared their personal stories and what they have learned about God, and one of the best lessons for everyone was that we all share similar struggles in our personal lives, regardless of the country or culture in which we live. They also brought with them a “Love Letter from God” that they shared with the women, and it brought many to tears to be reminded just how and how much God loves us!

This month, we were also able to purchase 163 new books for the library, thanks to generous donations from Hikes Point Christian Church in Louisville, KY, and First Church of the Nazarene in Dalton, GA! These books were for the fiction section of the library, which the students use for the Reading Program we implemented at the beginning of the school year. The picture to the right is of our morning librarian, Aurelis, with the books as she prepares to organize and process them so that students can begin checking them out. Also, the team from Northeast Christian Church in Rockford, IL, brought additional books in fiction and another set of elementary level encyclopedias in Spanish! Some of the books they sent are from series that can be hard to find here, but the students truly enjoy them, and the afternoon librarian, Alexandra, commented on how excited the students will be because of how much they like those series!

My English classes are going well, and my students are learning from the new curriculum I have been using. I found it through an on-line Christian newsletter – Brigada.com – that is published by Doug Lucas, the president of Team Expansion. Thanks Doug! The classes are focused on spoken English and are beneficial to both beginning and advanced students, and the lessons are each based on a set of verses from the first chapter of Acts. So, I am able to teach English while teaching about Jesus! The picture to the left is from my class in Hoya del Caimito, which is one of my most diverse classes, including people from the community who do not attend church as well as some new church members. It is a fun class, as they are very interested in learning, and they continually help and encourage one another.

One of the most exciting things that will be coming up is the school play my Drama classes are working on putting together. With students in third and fourth grade, we will be presenting the parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son together as an introduction to the fifth through sixth graders abbreviated production of Romeo & Juliet! While buying books for the library, I found a shortened version of the play in Spanish, and two weeks ago, we began practicing to present it! It was fun to once again be directing students through Act I, scene 1, which I basically know by heart from my time at SHA working with actors from the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival who would come each year to introduce the play to our students! My students here are excited to be part of a production, and I am excited to see what God will do through all of this! Thankfully, another full-time staff person – Karen George – who is here with her husband for just a few months, has offered to help with the Drama classes and the presentation, and while we are just in the beginning stages of putting everything together, it looks like it should be a great experience for everyone! The presentation will be on April 12, so please be praying for us through the next six weeks!

While I am enjoying teaching, my schedule has proven to be a challenge. Please continue to pray that I will have strength and wisdom while teaching, and that I will not get too focused on “working” and lose sight of my ministry. It seems that I am constantly on the go, and I am regularly reminded of my need to find time to rest, pray, and study God’s word, so that He will continue to be at the center of my life.

Next week, March 8 – 14, I will be going to La Romana to work as a translator with a team from Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, my home church, and I am looking forward to the trip! Please pray for safety as I travel across the country on my own and for the team as they travel here, and please pray for the medical clinic they will be providing. It should be an exciting week!

Thank you for all you do to support my ministry!

Con el Amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2008-01-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

January 16, 2008

I arrived in the DR on December 31 (without any travel problems this trip – praise God!), and I have enjoyed being back “home”! It was a wonderful experience to ring in the New Year here with fire works being set off all over the city that the G.O. staff and nationals all watched from the balcony of our pastor’s home and a Christian concert I went to with a group from our church that lasted until 6 am (the picture to the left is from the concert)! After recovering from my trip here (and from being awake for more than 24 hours), I spent the first two weeks cleaning and reorganizing my apartment – it’s amazing how dirty a place can even get when no one is living there – and preparing to start teaching English and Drama again while balancing my time at the school, where classes started on January 7!

On Monday, January 14, I also started teaching English classes again in Hoyo de Bartola, where I will be every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. The picture to the right is from the first class, which had 19 students! Three other English classes will also start this week – two here in Hoya del Caimito, and one in our church in Los Guandules. One of the classes in Caimito will be for the church, and one of my former students will be my assistant, learning to lead the ministry herself! The other class is for young men who are a part of our Sports Outreach Ministry, specifically for our Baseball Ministry. The picture to the left is from the first class, which met Tuesday; some of these young men may have the opportunity to go to the States to play ball, but they will need to be able to speak English, so they are motivated to learn, and it should be a great class! The class in Los Guandules came about because the pastor’s wife was one of the students in my first class in Caimito, and she did very well in the class. She will be my assistant for this class, and I will be training her to take over the ministry in her church throughout the class!

My role at the school has changed a bit for this semester, and I will now be at the school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to continue to work with the teachers and administrators on utilizing the discipline plan and strengthening classroom management skills, but instead of doing the observations myself, I will be working with our school counselor to train her to do the observations and facilitate the discipline plan. I will also be teaching Drama classes through April that will culminate in a school play in April – the first classes were Tuesday, January 15, and they were exciting! There were 16 students in the morning class and 40 students in the afternoon class! As a result, I split the afternoon class into two sessions, and if more sign up for the morning, I will split that class as well!

As of now, my schedule looks like this:

Monday - 9-10:30 am English class at Guandules
3-4:30 pm English class at Hoyo de Bartola
7-8:30 pm English class at Hoya del Caimito

Tuesday - 8-5 Colegio – Drama classes in the morning and afternoone
6-7:30 pm English class for Sports Ministry participants

Wednesday will be the same as Monday, except no evening class.

Thursday will be the same as Tuesday

Friday – I will work with teams that come down on an as needed basis

Saturday - am free to work with teams as needed
2-3:30 pm English class at Hoya del Caimito

Sunday - am - school tours when groups are here/church/rest :)

My time will be very full, so please pray that I will have the energy and enthusiasm to keep up with everything!

As I have been planning and beginning to work my schedule and continuing to adjust to life in the DR, God continues to teach me that He is truly the only One for whom I am here to work and to please. It is in my nature to please people, especially those in authority over me, and too often I allow what someone else thinks of me to have influence in my life. So, I am learning how to balance Godly counsel with people’s personal opinions, all in light of what God is showing me through my personal quiet time and study of His word. Please also pray that I will be able to do this, as I am sure this year will have its share of challenges and exciting opportunities!

Thank you for your continued love and support of me and my ministry, these mean more to me than I could ever truly express.

Con el Amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-11-30T14:58:00.000-05:00

November 30, 2007

On November 8, I returned to the states from the DR, and since then I have spent time in four states and traveled through four others as I have attended G.O. staff meetings in Louisville, KY, and the National Missionary Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, and visited family and friends in Virginia and Alabama! The time has been fun and exciting, though I have to admit to being a bit tired from all the traveling. Now, I am in Louisville, enjoying staying in one place for a while, until December 12, when I return to Virginia (via a two day visit in Georgia) to spend Christmas with my family and then return to the DR on December 31 to celebrate the New Year there!

During my last month in the Dominican we hosted three teams (one that was there when Tropical Storm Noel hit!) and celebrated the school’s 24th anniversary, and I also finished up my formal observations and meetings with the teachers, hosted a teacher appreciation meeting for all the staff at the school, and wrapped up my English classes in Hoyo de Bartola and Hoya del Caimito, so my days were pretty full!

Celebrating the school’s 24th anniversary on October 26 with the students and teachers at the school was a great experience! The first picture to the left is of the Administration and a few teachers on the day of the celebration. Our pastor, Gabriel, who started the school in 1983, is at the center of the group. As part of the celebration, the students each drew pictures of the school, and the Administration asked me to select winners from each of the sessions, which was a challenge! It was amazing to see how far the school has progressed from the small house that Gabriel first used to provide around 30 children in the neighborhood a Christian education to the three story building that now provides 420 students a Christian education! Some of the artwork was very impressive, and one of the students who won had taken part in Jen’s art classes earlier this year! She is the student pictured to the right.

Because of my work with the school, I had limited contact with the teams, one of which went to Batey Nueve to do construction and children’s ministry, and another that was from Crestwood, KY, and offered a soccer clinic and a medical clinic in La Mosca, one of the poorest areas of Santiago. However, I was able to spend more time with the third team, which was from California and was in the DR from October 27 to November 3, because when Noel hit, all schools were closed in the DR for three days. It was an interesting experience to be with a team that had traveled so far to work in the DR with their partner church in Hato del Yaque and had left a state where wildfires were raging, that then had to wait out a Tropical Storm and was not able to “do” anything for the first part of their trip.

This experience became one that several team members said was quite a learning lesson for them, and it was one for me as well. The first day of the storm, we were all optimistic that the rain would pass over quickly and we would be able to “get to work” – it is very easy in the Dominican to not pay attention to weather reports, as just about every day is beautiful, so even I did not know that a tropical storm had hit the island until toward the end of the first day. At points the rain would break or slow a bit, and we were able to get out and visit the school for a tour and do a short tour of the neighborhood.

The second day was a different story, however, as the worst of the storm hit that day and we all realized what was happening, and that we would be staying put for a while, unable to do the work that had been planned for the week. Thus, on top of feeling a bit confined and “stir crazy” was the feeling of frustration that we all face when our plans are clearly not going to be followed, mingled with the desire to get out and help the people who were dealing with the effects of the storm. The picture above is of one area of Santiago that flooded during the storm.

That morning, though, we were challenged by the G.O. staff member in charge of facilitating the team, John Martinez, to take some time away from the group and in prayer to ask God what He was leading us to do with this time that seemed to be “wasted.” What came out of that time was an obvious calling to prayer, for the people of the DR, for people back home, and for each other. As a result, this group of 13 people, most of whom did not know each other prior to their trip, came together in a way that I have not seen a group come together since I first moved to the DR and started working with teams. Throughout the next two days, they spent time worshipping God, praying, and being open to where God was leading them to go in a way that would not have happened had they done what they were “supposed” to do according to the plans they had made for their trip.

When, after three days, the rain finally broke and it was safe to travel, instead of being frustrated or irritated about the time they spent waiting, the team members were renewed and refreshed by their time with the Lord and focused on doing His will and listening to His Spirit guide their every step, which led to some truly Spirit-led experiences while ministering to and with the pastor their church supports - he and his family are pictured to the right. It was truly a remarkable week.

Following the storm, during the first week of November, I wrapped up my English classes, having conversations in English with the students to put into practice all they had learned. It seems hard to believe that these classes, which first began in January, have ended, and it was exciting to hear my students speaking in English, some more confidently than others, but all of them having grasped the basics of the language! The picture to the left is of my students in Hoyo de Bartola after I gave them their certificates for completing the class. I will begin new classes in January, and some of the students in this class have expressed the desire to repeat the class to continue practicing their English and improve their skills.

While it was clear that they learned and have gained confidence through this experience, what has encouraged me the most is how God has moved in their lives and in mine through the course of the class. One member of this group was baptized over the summer, and God has used all of them to teach me about what is most important in life. Hoyo de Bartola is one of the poorest areas I have seen, and yet my students there have a positive outlook on life and a joy and contentment in the daily experiences of life and opportunities God provides them that I have not had in my own privileged life in the states. I have never truly wanted for anything materially, and yet I have not had the peace and joy I see in my students here in the Dominican who have so very little materially. This has challenged me in my own faith, and when I begin to feel frustrated by an experience or overwhelmed by the events of my life, the witness of their lives in spite of the challenges they face on a daily basis humbles me and reminds me to look to God, remembering that He loves me, He is in control, He knows more than I do, and He is good.

When I am back in the states, it can be easy to get caught up in the rush of “getting things done” according to plan and being overwhelmed by all that has to be done; however, I pray that throughout this time I will remember these lessons God has taught me over the last few months. I pray that He will also guide each of you to take some time away from the “busyness” of the holidays to take some time to spend with Him in prayer and to find joy and contentment in the daily experiences of your own lives, regardless of whether or not your plans work out according to schedule.

May God bless and keep you all!

Con el Amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-10-08T22:00:00.001-04:00

October 8, 2007

I can hardly believe almost two months have gone by since the last time I updated! On August 22, school started and my schedule became very full very quickly! The week before school started, I did my first teacher training for the year, and then after classes started, I began informal observations that led to formal observations and written reports for the teachers. Additionally, we took the teachers to the beach for the day on September 1, and from September 11 to 18, we had a team come down to do construction and children’s ministry and a Women’s Conference! On top of all of that, the school administration threw a surprise birthday party for me on September 6, and in mid-September I moved to a new apartment!

The teacher training was held on August 14, and in it I presented some of the same ideas from the training I had done in April to remind the teachers about the importance of strong classroom management, including setting class rules and using a seating arrangement that allows the teacher to move easily around the classroom. Many of the teachers have embraced both of these concepts, and the improvement in the behavior of their students is clear from last year to this year! The picture to the left is from the training as I presented a "sample" first day of school with some of the teachers as my "students." We also reviewed the school-wide discipline plan that we put into place last January to remind teachers of the importance of using the demerit/detention and award system, as well as to address any concerns or unclear aspects of the plan. Using a plan such as this one is a new concept here, so it will take some time for the teachers to truly adopt it, but they have been utilizing it. As well, at our “Welcome Back” meeting for the parents we explained the plan and afterward several parents commented that they liked the plan and were supportive of it!

The other main focus of the training was to introduce the teachers to the Reading Program we started for the third through eighth graders. Over the summer a group of students who went to the Church of Christ Youth Camp in Grundy, VA, raised money for the school here to buy books for the library, and with that money, 140 books were purchased. These were primarily books of fiction in Spanish, including C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series as well as several other well-known works of children’s literature. The picture to the left is of one of our librarians next to the books for the Reading Program. The teachers were excited about the concept, though books are such a commodity here that even the librarian expressed concern over letting the students take the books home! Despite their initial excitement, only a few of the teachers have begun using the program, but according to the librarian, the sixth grade students have been avidly reading the books, and this is encouraging.

One of the things that I have to continually remind myself of is that change comes slowly – “poco a poco” as we like to say here – and that all that happens at the school and in my ministry is under God’s control, not mine. God has continually been showing me that my focus needs to be on Him and what He has called me here to do, and that He will accomplish His purposes in my life. Through various situations, I have seen God working and this has strengthened and encouraged me. I have the tendency to want to control everything and think that things are not good unless they are exactly as I want them to be (essentially perfect), but God continues to show me that I am not in control, and that He does a much better job of orchestrating situations and circumstances than I ever could. As a recent devotion taught me, I am trying to focus on working toward excellence over perfection and focusing on the positives in a situation instead of seeing only the challenges.

One clear positive was the day at the beach with the teachers! One of the pastors we are connected with here lives and works in Puerta Plata and each year, he opens up his home to allow the teachers a day of fun and fellowship at the beach. This was great time of building relationships with the teachers, and I was incredibly blessed by the day which included swimming, gathering shells, and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation!

For normal days, however, my schedule at the school has me there on Monday mornings and all day on Wednesday and Friday, and during the month of September, I used my time to informally visit all the classrooms to get an idea of where to start with my formal observations, which began on October 1. I was also involved in the planning and implementation of the two parent meetings we held at the start of the year as well as an event we had for the parents to celebrate the “Dia de la Biblia” (Day of the Bible), which is a national holiday here on September 27. For this event, the students, directed by the teachers, gave short presentations about the Bible and performed dramatizations of stories from the Bible. To the left is a picture of students in first through eighth grade presenting the books of the Bible. I was excited when the sixth grade class decided to present a parable, as a few of the students in that class had been part of the Drama Camp, and they presented the parable of The Good Samaritan in a very similar manner to how we had presented the parable for the Drama Camp!

Aside from my work at the school, I am continuing to teach English classes on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and I also had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Women’s Conference that a group of women from Illinois came to do for the women here. This was the second year for the conference, which grew from 90 women last year to well over 150 women this year! While in the states we have many opportunities for conferences, prior to last year, the women we work with here had never had such an opportunity, and it was life-changing for many of them! This year, we started off hearing testimonies from a few of the women who had come the previous year, and I was inspired and encouraged by their stories! We then had a great time of fellowship, worship, and sharing – all centered around being an “Embajadora para Cristo” (Ambassador for Christ). Personally, I was challenged by the lessons I learned and renewed by my time with the women from the DR and from Illinois!

On a personal note, I was blessed and overwhelmed by the love, encouragement, and support I felt from the teachers and administrators as they helped me celebrate my birthday! The party itself was a gift and a blessing, as I was feeling a bit alone, and to top it all off, there was a wonderful cake and some very thoughtful and special presents! Through the night, God reminded me that I am not alone, and while I miss my family and friends in the states, he has provided me with a Dominican “family” here, many of whom are here in the picture!

Finally, in the middle of the month I moved to my own apartment – another gift from God! While living in the ministry apartment with my roommates was a great experience and one that I am very grateful for, I had not realized how much I missed having my own space until I had it again! My new apartment is one street over from the ministry center and right next door to Jen’s – one of my old roommates. We took the apartments because we liked the idea of still being able to share resources but have our own space at the same time. Both apartments are pretty small – mine is the bigger one with about 250 square feet! – but they are new, and our landlady is taking very good care of us! We also know several of our neighbors, and while there was some stress involved in moving, it has been a blessing overall!

I am looking forward to returning to the states in November and December, and I hope to have a chance to see as many of you as possible! One of my focuses for my time home will be fund raising for my ministry as well as for the school, so as always, if you know of any churches, individuals, or organizations I could talk to, I would love to hear from you! Also, we are currently putting our schedule together for teams for 2008, so if you would like more information about putting a team together, please let me know!

As always, thank you for your love, prayers, and support!

Con amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-08-17T21:38:00.000-04:00

August 17, 2007

The month of July was an incredible and incredibly busy one here in the DR, and the first two weeks of August kept up that pace as well! In July, we hosted eight teams, which did everything from basketball camp to construction to medical clinics, and so far in August, we have hosted an additional five more! Also, in the first week of August, we had our very first Drama Camp!

Additionally, we had a total of five interns here this summer who all did excellent work, which also meant that the three female interns were living with Jen, Jackie, and I (we each shared our room with one of them), so there were six females in our apartment! The down side to being so busy and having limited internet time (since we only have three DSL cords, and one of them randomly chooses not to work) is that I have not had a chance to update my blog in much too long!

July started off with a team of 62 people from Eastview Christian Church in Illinois, most of whom were teenagers, that split into two groups doing construction on the churches in Hato del Yaque and Hoyo de Bartola, and one group traveling to Haiti to visit the school and orphanage there. They were a great team, and each group did more work than we expected them to do! We then had two teams here at the same time, one from Oldham County in Kentucky doing a basketball clinic, and the other from Lincoln Christian Church in Illinois doing construction on a new home for the national partner they support, Marisol who works in our kitchen and has seven children and 14 grandchildren and is in desperate need of a new home!

The third week of July brought three teams, one from Morgantown Community Church in Kentucky that continued to work on Marisol’s home, another from Cross Point Community Church in Nashville, TN, that worked on construction of a church for the Haitian pastor, Moises, whom they support (the picture to the left is of the team praying for him on their last day at the site), and the third from Warrenville Bible Chapel that held a medical clinic in Batey Nueve (a community in the sugar cane fields where there is desperate poverty). July wrapped up with two more teams, one from Hikes Point Christian in Louisville, KY, that also continued to work on Marisol’s house, and the other from Northeast Christian Church in Rockford, IL, that worked on constructing the church in Hoyo de Bartola and providing children’s ministry in Los Guandules, the church they partner with here in the DR.

I worked with the teams from Eastview in Hoyo de Bartola, Lincoln Christian and Hikes Point on Marisol’s house, and Cross Point on Moises’ church, so I have been doing a lot of construction! As a result, I have lost a little bit of weight, which the ladies in the kitchen and some in our neighborhood have expressed concern over, but I have to say I’m not complaining, and I kind of like how my arms are now showing some definition! I have also discovered that shoveling is a great workout, and I enjoy it! However, more important things certainly happened as a result of the construction we did, and it was inspiring to be a part of constructing two churches and building Marisol’s home, all of which will be places where God’s love will be shared with the people of the DR! At the site of Moises’ church, I was even able to witness some cultural barriers and prejudice give way, as I introduced Moises to two Dominican women and their children from the community the church will serve who were at first hesitant about meeting a Haitian, but warmed up to him and stated they would come to the church when it was finished!

The first week of August brought a team from Hope Springs Community Church in Lexington and two people from Woodland Hills Church of Christ, my family’s church in VA! The group from Hope Springs did children’s ministry in eight of the churches we support, a medical clinic in another, and on-going training for our pastors to learn about the Celebrate Recovery program! For the first two days of the week, Neal and Andrew, from Woodland Hills, and I helped with the children’s ministry and then we did a two-day Drama Camp that prepared the children involved to present the “Parable of the Unmerciful Servant” to our church here in Hoya del Caimito!

The Drama Camp was a great success! Since school is currently on break, we were able to use three empty classrooms in the school for our camp, which provided excellent space for our classes. There were 13 children involved, ranging in age from 8 to 12, each of whom received a Bible and a beanie baby for participating in the camp, as well as two GO staff members and one Dominican young woman from our church.

During each of the days, we had classes on Voice and Movement, Stage Direction and Blocking, and Costume Creation, and we also assigned roles and practiced, and practiced, and practiced, the drama! The children seemed to truly enjoy each class and were very excited before, during, and after the presentation in church! All of the children were from the neighborhood, but only about half of them attend church, and what was perhaps the most exciting thing for me was knowing that while they clearly enjoyed the camp, they also essentially memorized a parable, and my hope is that the lessons they learned from Jesus’ story will have a longer lasting impact on their lives than the lessons they learned about acting.

It was also wonderful to have two people I know from “home” here to experience this with me! They were patient and loving with the children and more than ready to jump in and help whenever needed, and overall their week here ranks as my favorite of the summer!

The day of the presentation in church was also an exciting day for me, as my Goddaughter was dedicated at church during the same service! Godparents are a tradition here in the DR in the Christian churches, and I was honored when Kathy, our school principal, asked me to be the “madrina” for her daughter, Shanie! The picture to the left is of Kathy, me, Shanie, Kathy's mother, and Samir, Shanie's Godfather.

Throughout the summer, I have also continued to teach my classes, and they are continuing to go well! We are close to wrapping up the advanced classes, and the students have expressed a desire to continue studying, so in September and October, I will be having “conversation” classes with them to reinforce the lessons they have learned and give them more practice speaking English. An exciting new development with the English ministry is that a group of young men in our sports ministry may have the opportunity to go to the states to play baseball but need to learn English to do so, and so, beginning in September, I will be teaching this group three days a week to help them take advantage of the opportunity if it arises!

Just as I know the school year is starting in the states, it will also be beginning here. The teachers come back to school on August 21, and the students come on August 28, and this year, my role with Administration will be more clearly defined, and I will be at the school three days a week to continue working with the teachers on classroom management, school wide discipline, and lesson planning while also continuing the English and Drama ministries, so it should be a busy fall!

There is much more I could write about the school, but I will save that for my next update, which will be within the next few weeks!

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support!

Con el amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-06-27T00:33:00.000-04:00

Wednesday June 27, 2007

First, I have to apologize for not updating my blog in such a long time! I was in the states for six weeks, and I have now been back in the DR since June 6th. I had a bit of trouble getting here, with a delayed flight that led to a missed flight and a night in JFK airport, which led to a change of destination that brought me into Santo Domingo instead of Santiago nearly 8 hours later than I was supposed to arrive! Thankfully, two G.O. staffers came to get me at the airport in Santo Domingo, and I was able to relax a bit on the ride home and once I finally got here.

While I could have managed getting to Santiago by myself, it was a blessing that they came to get me and I did not have to deal with negotiating for a taxi to get me to the bus station, dealing with a long bus drive alone, and then giving another taxi driver directions to Hoya del Caimito (which they never seem to know) in Santiago once the bus arrived here. All of that would have been draining under normal circumstances, but it would have been compounded by the fact that I was worn out physically and emotionally, and I had not slept in over 24 hours! I also would not have had a great first meal back at Pollos Victorina (literally “victory chicken” – one of our favorite places to eat here in the DR) on the way to Santiago! God takes care of us in so many little ways that we do not always recognize, and though I was tired and had several frustrating experiences on my way here, I was acutely aware that God was in control of every detail of my trip and even though things did not go how I wanted them to, He was with me every step of the way.

Once I finally got here and got settled, I had a few days to readjust and visit friends, and then things got very busy! My first full week in Santiago, I began teaching two Advanced English classes and one Beginning English class. The two advanced classes are for the students who wanted to continue studying English after the first classes ended last April. One is in Hoyo de Bartola on Monday afternoons, and the other is in Hoya del Caimito on Saturday mornings. While those two classes are small, I am enjoying working with these students again and I am at a point with them where I speak very little Spanish while teaching, and the first few weeks have gone well! The beginners’ class is here in Hoya del Caimito on Thursday evenings, and I have changed a few things from the first time I taught these lessons, based on what I learned from teaching them in the Spring, and that class is going well also.

Perhaps the most exciting news of the last week relating to my classes is that this past Sunday, two of my students were baptized – one from each church! Faviola, who goes to church in the Hole, is on the right being baptized by Felix, and Rafeal, who has started coming to church in Caimito, is on the left after his baptism at our church. While learning English is one of the reasons for the class, the greater goal is that my students will come to know the love of Christ better through the classes, and I was thrilled to learn that these two had made the most important decision of their lives, and it will be even more exciting to celebrate with them one day when we are all in the Lord’s presence and He calls His own by name, acknowledging us as we have acknowledged Him! They each have other influences in their lives leading them to know Christ as their Lord and Savior, and I know the classes are not the reason for their decision, but it is exciting to be a part of their experiences!

This past week, I was also able to work with a team from Dalton First Church of the Nazarene from Dalton, GA. This is the home church of one of our Sports Ministry staff members, and the team worked on constructing the new church in the Hole. They also did children’s ministry at the church in the Hole and another local church. I was with them all week, except for when I was preparing to teach or teaching, and they were a great group to work with! At the same time we had two other teams here – one team that split up to work here in our neighborhood and at another of our churches, and another that went to Haiti, so it was a busy week for G.O. Ministries!

The group at the Hole moved three truckloads of sand and over 300 cement blocks down to the church – more than they were expected to get accomplished!! Moving all of this consisted of having lines for passing buckets of sand and the block down a flight of about 25 uneven cement steps that lead down to the Hole, using wheelbarrows to transport the materials to the church, and then having lines on the other end to pass the sand and block up to the second floor of the church. At the beginning of the week, there were no walls up for the second floor, and by the time the work was finished, the walls on each side of the church were halfway up! While I spent some time taking pictures and making sure everyone had water, I also got in line and helped pass buckets and block. It was hard work, but it was fun, mostly because during our time there members of the church jumped in and helped out, and several of them were my students. They were all also practicing their English with the team members, and I could not help but smile at hearing them speak so comfortably and ask the Americans how to say words they did not know, showing their willingness to continue learning!

One of my favorite events of the week was our last day at the Hole when they team gathered around Pastor Felix and his family, laid their hands on them, and prayed for them. They were a group gifted in prayer, and I was encouraged and inspired by my time with them. I know Felix and the members of the church in the Hole were as well, and Dominicans and Americans alike shed many tears when it was time to leave for the last time.

This coming week we have a basketball clinic here in Caimito and a medical clinic in Batey Nueve, which is about five hours from Santiago. I will be working here with the basketball clinic as a translator, so I have been learning some new terms this week, and I am very excited about the work this week! I will also be continuing to teach my classes and having meetings with the Administrator of the school regarding planning for next year.

One of the biggest projects I have for the summer is to get a budget put together for the school, which has not been done in too long, so please pray that this will come together well! One of the things that will make this easier is that to date we now have 200 students sponsored as part of the G.O. Kids! program, and we are over halfway to having all of the students in the school sponsored! This would make budgeting much easier, as often many parents cannot pay the full tuition, but Gabriel, the president of G.O. here in the Dominican who started the school 25 years ago, will not deny a child a Christian education, so the school regularly operates in the red. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, you can go to http://www.gokids.blogspot.com/ or www.go-ministries.org for more information. For only $30 per month, you can change the life of a child here in the Dominican, which will not only affect that child but also his or her family as well as his or her community!

One of the lessons God is continuing to teach me is to have patience and wait for His will to be done in my personal life as well as my ministry. This is proving to be a difficult lesson for me to learn and it has caused me to struggle some emotionally and spiritually. I am trying to wait on Him, but I covet your prayers for me in this area, as I know it is only through the Holy Spirit that I will be able to learn this lesson. Please also pray for physical and emotional strength for all of the G.O. staff during this busy summer season – as we will host 17 teams over the next 8 weeks and there is much to be done! The most important thing about all of these teams coming and all the ministry being done in the DR is that we continually bring glory to God and show His love to the people of the Dominican, and if nothing else gets done, I hope and pray that collectively we will accomplish this.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement! I love and miss you all!

Con amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-05-03T20:04:00.000-04:00

May 3, 2007

I am now back in the states for a little more than a month and trying to get rested up from the last few weeks, which were a bit busy! The first weekend of April, our church had an Easter pageant that covered Christ’s birth to His resurrection, and the children in my drama class were responsible for the first part of the presentation, which was our culminating activity and took the place of them doing a presentation on their own for the church. Additionally, both my English classes wrapped up with the students taking an exam – which they asked to take! I was also able to complete my observations and reports for the year and host a second Teacher Appreciation event on March 25!

The students in the Drama class were very interested in and excited to be a part of the Easter pageant, and it was fun, though at times a bit exhausting, to direct them! They presented the birth of Christ in silence while I sang “Silent Night” (in Spanish!), and we ended the scene with a “tableaux” of the manger scene. Casting was a bit of a challenge, since the class on that day was almost all girls and they all wanted to be Mary, and initially we had three Queens instead of three Kings, for the same reason. However, the girls did some recruiting, and we ended up with a Joseph and Mary, three Kings, four angels, and four shepherdesses (instead of shepherds) who all did wonderfully!

Behind the scenes pics: In the picture on the left, the angels in the pageant patiently wait for the program to start, and in the picture on the right, I help the three kings prepare to go onstage. My roommate Jen took these pictures, and she helped me organize the children backstage - I could not have done it without her - thanks Jen!

The students in the English classes asked me toward the end of March if they could have a test to determine their progress, and though I had not initially planned on giving one (which I am sure is a shock to my SHA students!), I prepared one and gave it to them in the second to the last class so that I could return the tests and answer any questions the students might have in our last meeting. This kept me from completing the curriculum I had planned for the twelve weeks of the class, but based on the results, I think it was a good change. In my adult class, each of the 15 students who came regularly also came to take the test, and they all passed, with half of them getting “A’s”! The results were a bit more varied in the class for adolescents in Hoyo del Bartola where 14 students took the test, but only seven passed. There were a few “A’s” in this class as well, and in each class, there are two or three students whom I think are potential assistants for the ministry in each church. At the last meeting for each class, I also had the students introduce and describe themselves to the class in English, and they all did well. This showed them that even if that had not done as well on the test as they had hoped, they had learned enough English to have a basic conversation with another person, which was the primary goal of the class.

While I love teaching and am very grateful for the opportunities I had to teach the Drama and English classes over the last few months, I also enjoyed my time working at the school with the teachers. This month I was able to wrap up my observations and reports, and by the end I was doing better on the translating, though I still had the reports checked before giving them to the teachers. When I return to the Dominican in June, I will be meeting with each of the teachers to go over the reports and make sure my suggestions were clear and see if any of the teachers have questions for me. I will be using this time as preliminary training for the next school year and to get a better idea of the needs of the teachers as I prepare future training sessions.

Before I left Santiago on April 28th, I was able to host another Teacher Appreciation on April 25th for the teachers, teachers’ assistants, and administrators at the school, and it was a fun event! I bought gifts of chalk holders, chalk, and stickers for each teacher, colored pencils and stickers for the assistants, and small gifts for each of the administrators, and I was surprised when several of the teachers brought me gifts as well! We began our time together with prayer, thanking God for all His blessing and for bringing us all together, and I then thanked the teachers and administrators for welcoming me into the school and being so open to my ideas and suggestions, and I thanked them for all the work they do for our students. I also told them that one of my goals is to help the school through working toward having every student supported through our G.O. Kids program so that we can have the financial support needed to make significant improvements in the school. If you would like more information on the G.O. Kids program, you can check out the blog that the program coordinator, Audrey, keeps updated. The address is http://www.go-kids.blogspot.com/.

Perhaps the most exciting thing for me about this part of the afternoon was that I said all of this in Spanish without the help of a translator! After I was finished, I passed out the gifts and then we all enjoyed some refreshments and a great time of fellowship with one another. The principal then thanked me for the work I had been doing at the school and asked if any teachers had anything to share, and a few of them also shared their thanks for my suggestions and said that they had helped in their classrooms and with improving student behavior.

I was grateful for all they shared with me, and even more grateful that when one of the administrators closed our time together with prayer, she gave glory to God for all He was doing in the lives of everyone involved with the school. It can be very easy to get caught up in being the person people go to for answers to problems or questions, and I hope and pray that the focus of this ministry as well as the English and Drama ministries continues to be God and that His light, His power, and His glory will shine through anything that is accomplished through them!

The next few weeks will surely be busy ones, but I will try to update my blog at least once before I return to the Dominican, and I hope while I am in the states I will be able to see as many of you as possible to share more about my ministry and life in the DR and all that God has been teaching me!

At our recent Partnership Conference that G.O. hosted here in the Dominican, I was reminded on one of my favorite verses, and I wanted to share it here as well. It is Isaiah 43:18-19, and through it God says to us:

18 Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland.

I cannot truly express how grateful I am for the opportunity to live and minister in Santiago and all of the "new things" God is doing through G.O. Ministries and in the lives of the people of the Dominican, and I thank all of you who support me in this!

Dios te bendiga! God bless you!

Con el amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-04-04T17:40:00.000-04:00

Wednesday – April 4, 2007

We have a few days of down-time right now as our last team left on Tuesday morning and we do not have another one coming until Friday, and since it is Holy Week, the school is closed and things are generally quiet in Hoya del Caimito. So, I thought I would take advantage of the time and do a quick update!

During the last two weeks we have had two groups here doing construction on the church at Hato del Yaque (tying rebar for the second floor – more on that later) and children’s ministry in the churches at Guandules and Los Perez. The first group, from Northeast Christian Church in Rockford, IL, also painted and helped with electrical work in the new church at Guandules and offered a dental clinic for the children there. This is the church and partnership I mentioned in my last blog. Ever since I joined G.O., I have heard wonderful stories about the results of this partnership and how involved Northeast in IL is in the lives of the people of Guandules in Santiago, and during the team’s time here I was able to witness this first hand. Many of the children remembered team members who had been here in the past, and every day we were in the church there were smiles and warm hugs shared by the members of both churches.

The church at Guandules is the model for all the churches we are building here in the DR – there are currently five in process – with a feeding center on the first floor and a sanctuary on the second floor. The building at Guandules in nearly complete now that the painting and electrical work are done, and the first service in the new sanctuary was held during the week the group from IL was here! It is a beautiful building, but what is even more beautiful is seeing the hearts of these people from the US and the DR as they work together to reach out to this community. One thing that strikes me every time I go to Guandules is that this community of dirt roads and ramshackle houses sits on a fully-paved, busy street in Santiago, yet it seems to have been forgotten – or simply overlooked – by the majority of people in Santiago because it is a place that has been overrun by crime, and the land is not worth much as the river that runs through the community floods (over the tops of many houses) on a regular basis. As a result, only the desperately poor live there, and each day is a struggle just to survive. However, these people have not been forgotten by God who sent their pastor – Rafelito – and his family to live and work there, or by the family of Northeast Christian in IL, as they work together to bring help and hope to His children there.

The second group that came was a special treat as they are from St. John’s United Methodist church in Louisville, KY! It is always fun when groups come from KY, and it was especially fun to have a group of basketball fans here during the NCAA Tournament – there was a lot of discussion through the week about the recent events in KY and what the future may hold for my beloved Wildcats! As many Dominicans like to say, “Vamos a ver!” which means, “We will see!” Additionally, the team watched the final game of a basketball tournament here that was sponsored by our Sports Ministry, and we all also watched the final game of the NCAA Tournament together. On a side note, I would be remiss in not telling you that yours truly happened to win our G.O. staff NCAA Tournament pool (no money was involved – just a free lunch and bragging rights until next year)!

We did more than talk about and watch basketball, though! This team continued tying rebar for the church in Hato del Yaque, finishing up that task so that next week we can begin pouring the concrete for the second floor. One of my favorite things about this week was that the group loved to sing while they worked! We sang a little bit of everything – worship, tv theme songs, country, and classic rock (and yes, we showed our ages in the songs we chose!) This made the work go quickly, and almost before we knew it, all the rebar had been tied! For those who may not know how to tie rebar – which included me prior to the beginning of this round of construction at the church – it involves using a goncho to secure two pieces of iron bar together with a thin wire. This creates a lattice of sorts that will reinforce the concrete for the floors and walls once it is poured. It is wonderful to be able to be a part of building this church and seeing each piece that the teams complete. The first time I went to Hato del Yaque, the walls of the first floor were only half way up, and now, the first floor is complete, and starting next week, we will begin to build the walls of the second floor! This is a true example of how doing God’s work is a relay race, not a sprint, and we are all called to different tasks. When it is completed, the building will serve as another hub for the ministry, and it will house a feeding center, church, and dormitories for teams, and I can only imagine the work God will do in this rural community through this church!

During the last two weeks, I have also continued doing observations at the school and teaching my English and Drama classes, and everything continues to go well with them. One area I need to get worked out is getting my observation reports translated in a timely fashion. Currently, I am using an on-line site to translate the reports, but as anyone who has used these types of sites knows, the translations are not always dependable, and it is very important that the teachers understand what I have written out for them, so they have to be checked over carefully. There is a young woman in our office here helping me, but she has other duties, and as a result, the reports are not getting to the teachers very quickly. Ideally, in the future, I will be able to translate them completely on my own, but for now I need the help. Please pray that all the reports are completed in the next week so that I will have time to meet with any teachers who may have questions for me before I leave for the states on the 28th.

My schedule when I return to the US will be a busy one! Right now it is as follows (but is subject to change!):

Virginia from April 28th through May 2nd
Louisville from May 2nd to May 9th
Virginia from May 9th to May 16th
Louisville from May 16th to May 23rd
Virginia from May 25th to June 1st
North Carolina from June 1st to June 4th
Return to Santiago June 5th/6th

I would love to see as many of you as possible, so please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to get together while I am home for this trip! This is also a time for me to continue fund raising, so please let me know if you are part of a small group or organization that may be interested in hearing more about my ministry and I will be happy to schedule a time to meet with you!

Thank you for your prayers and your support of my ministry – I thank God each time I think of you!

Con amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-03-22T13:50:00.000-04:00

Thursday - March 22, 2007

The last few weeks have been busy ones, as I started the drama ministry, we hosted the men’s soccer team from Indiana Wesleyan University for a soccer clinic for the children in Los Perez, and I traveled (by myself!) across the country to La Romana on the southern coast of the island to work with a group from my church – Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky!

On February, March 26, I taught my first drama class to 20 students in third through fifth grade, and we had a great time! Each class meeting has had 15 to 20 students, and I have a core group of 10 girls who come regularly – they even asked if the class could meet every day! So far our classes have been focusing on movement and teamwork as I am trying to prepare the students to learn a ten-minute mime presentation called The Redeemer that I am hoping a team from YWAM will be able to come and teach to them either this week or next week so that we can present it to the church in April.

The IWU Soccer Team was here from Friday, March 2, to Friday, March 9, and while they were here, they ran a two-day soccer clinic and played in games against local Dominican and Haitian teams, and they even traveled to the capitol, Santo Domingo, to play the Dominican National team! The team left the Dominican with a record of 1-2, but they played well in each game, and they kept their focus on serving and showing others the love of Christ.

I shared with the team before they left that prior to watching them play, I did not think I had ever watched a whole soccer game, and I was impressed by how physically demanding the game is. For those who may not know, a soccer field is longer than a football field (since there are no endzones, only a goal), and there is constant motion by the players up and down and across the field as they work together to score a goal. I was also impressed by how much they communicated with one another on the field. They not only encouraged one another, but they also watched out for one another and called out warnings to let a player know what was best for him to do or if there was a player from the other team approaching him that he could not see. When this happened, they called out “man on,” and this told the player with the ball that there was an imminent threat to his game. Additionally, the team members also were trained to listen for and respond to the voices of their teammates and their coach.

As I sat there watching and listening to them play, I could not help but wonder what would happen in the body of Christ if we were to apply these principles of communication to our lives as Christians. What if we were more encouraging of one another? What if we were not afraid to call out to a brother or sister in Christ when we saw him or her going down a path that we believed would lead to heartache or possibly lead away from Christ? What if we trained ourselves to listen to the voices of our “teammates” and our “Coach” so that we could hear their encouragement, directions, or warnings? How different would our lives be if we lived this way?

This team clearly led lives that were different from the norm for many. On and off the field, they encouraged one another, prayed together, spent time getting to truly know one another, and were transparent with one another. This was not a team that kept secrets or had members who tried to do everything by themselves. My prayer for them as they left was that they would continue to live their lives in this way, and my prayer for myself was that I would not forget the lessons I learned from them about what it means to live a Christian life.

The same day the IWU team left for the States, I left for La Romana. I was a little nervous to be traveling the country by myself, but I had relatively clear directions, money, my passport, my cell phone, someone waiting for me on the other end, and many prayers being lifted up on my behalf, so I figured I could handle just about anything that might come up on the trip! It was a long one – five hours total – consisting of two bus rides and a taxi ride in the capitol from the bus station to the “parada," which is a bus stop, where I caught the bus to La Romana, but it was relatively uneventful, and I had plenty of opportunities to practice my Spanish! The team from Northeast encountered a few problems, though, and was delayed for close to five hours! When we were all finally in La Romana everyone was more than a little bit tired!

Since our first day was a Saturday, things were kind of low-key as the doctors and some of the nurses began to prepare for the dental and surgical clinics that were to be the focus of the week, and those who were not setting up began the process of painting the labor and delivery room in the medical clinic of the center where our clinics were being held. It took two days to prep and paint the room that had been a dark institutional green, and now it is a pale yellow with Winnie the Pooh decorations that make it much more warm and welcoming.

During the surgical clinic, I spent most of my time talking to the patients, many of whom were children, and translating for the doctors and nurses. There were a few times when I could not completely understand everything a patient was trying to communicate to me, but each time Rick or Suzanne, the full-time missionaries in La Romana with whom the group had gone to work, would be there to help. These were times when I experienced God clearly providing not only for me but also for the patients. He knew I was in a situation I could not handle alone and that the patient needed to be clearly understood, and He made sure to take care of all our needs!

On Wednesday, I went with the dentist to a rehabilitation clinic and helped her as she worked with children who had cerebral palsy, and this is one day that had a lasting impression on me. Most of the children had never seen a dentist, and though they could not communicate clearly, their fear was clear in their eyes and through a lot of nervous crying. Also, since the children could not support themselves, they each had to be held by an adult throughout the dental exam and whatever procedures were necessary. One mother could not handle holding her daughter through the extraction of two of her teeth, something I do not think I could have done either, and I had the opportunity to pray with and talk to her (in Spanish!) through the procedure. With each patient, the dentist was patient and calm, offering quiet words of comfort and love to each one through what had to be a difficult experience for the children and their parents. Her patience and gentleness were clear examples of Christ to her patients, and I walked away from that day that had been full of fear and crying feeling calmed and strengthened by her example and all I had witnessed.

The next day, as I was preparing to return to Santiago and saying my good-byes to the team members, I was unexpectedly asked to step into the operating room and translate for the anesthesiologist and surgeon! The patient had been given a spinal, and they wanted to be sure she was ready for the procedure, so I put on a mask and cap and went in. Two days prior I had scrubbed in to watch a surgery but had only lasted a few minutes before I felt queasy and needed to leave, so this time, I focused my attention on the patient and did not watch any of the operation! After they started operating, I asked if I could stay and talk to her while they worked because I imagined that if I had been in a similar situation, I would want someone to stay with me with whom I could communicate. I have also had a spinal done for a minor surgery, and I remember the feelings of fear and confusion I experienced during the procedure. The surgeon said I could stay, so we talked about her children and her job, found out we were the same age and had a few similar circumstances in our lives, and before we knew it, they were almost finished!

When I went to La Romana, I was not sure what the week would hold, other than the opportunity to see one of my best friends and get to know others from Northeast better, and there are many more experiences – big and small – about which I could write, but these two stand out the most to me. Both were times through which I felt God telling me that I was right where He wanted me to be, doing exactly what He wanted me to do at that moment. I also learned lessons that will help me in my ministry in Santiago, and I am grateful for the experiences of the whole week!

This week, we have a team here from Northeast Christian Church in Rockford, Illinois, and we are working on construction of the church in Hato del Yaque and doing activities each day for the children in Guandules, another of our feeding centers. The church and feeding center at Guandules are an excellent example of the power of partnerships between churches in the states and the Dominican. Northeast Christian in IL supports Rafelito, the pastor of the church in Guandules, and one of the US church members (who is also soon to be our newest GO staff member!) has organized another facet of the GO Kids program to sponsor children in the feeding program there. These partnerships have benefitted the church significantly, which in turn strengthens Rafelito’s work in the community. What was once the site of a pool hall and place where prostitution occurred is now the site of a growing church that provides spiritual as well as physical nourishment for the people of the community. What an amazing testimony to the power of God and what happens when His people work together to fulfill His purposes!

I miss all of you and look forward to hearing from you and seeing you again soon!

Con el amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-02-23T18:14:00.000-05:00

Friday - February 23, 2007

Once again, I can hardly believe so much time has passed since I last updated! Last week, I completed my fifth week of teaching English in Hoya de Bartola and Hoya del Caimito, and both classes continue to go well! I am seeing definite progress in both classes, and as my students learn more English, I continue to learn more Spanish, which is encouraging! Also, since I live less than a block from the church in Caimito, when my students here miss a class, they seek me out to find out what they missed. This leads to one-on-one mini-lessons, which I believe are the best way to reinforce what they are learning in class. I also regularly meet my students when I am out and about in the neighborhood, and they are always ready to practice their English with me! The picture to the left is of the Saturday morning class for adults in Caimito.

Last week we also had a team here from Kansas City Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO, to do a baseball clinic for the boys in our neighborhood, and it was a great experience! While I will still teach my classes when teams are here, I will not be working at the school during that time so that I can support the G.O. staff who are leading the team. This also continues to teach me more about the ministry as a whole, and I love meeting and getting to know the team members!

Essentially, I spent my days with this team taking pictures for some of the team members along with one of the two women who were here with them (she's actually the one taking the picture to the right of Jen and I posing with a few of the cameras!), doing my best to encourage the boys and the team members, and cheering at the games. Each day started with chapel where we prayed as a group, and one of the team members would share his testimony. As a result of the chapel meetings and the witness this team was to the boys, almost all of them expressed a desire to know more about Christ and many accepted Christ as their Savior at various times through the week! It was exciting to see a group of people so passionate about sharing their faith and see the effects of that on a group of adolescents searching for truth their lives!

After chapel, everyone went to the field for drills and practice in the morning and a tournament in the afternoon. All the men on this team are also part of their church’s sports ministry, playing in softball leagues in the fall and summer, so in the evenings, they played in a tournament with softball teams from Santiago. Many Dominicans are very talented ballplayers, having played since they were very young and being able to play essentially year-round, so it made things a little rough for the American team, but they handled it very well. Their last game in the tournament was very exciting though, as they began to come together as a team and they won the game by a good margin – it was very exciting to watch!

Perhaps one of the best experiences of the week was on Sunday after church when we separated into groups of four to five Americans and four to five boys, and we visited the homes of the boys to share the Truth about God and His love for us, which is the reason we are all here. Throughout the week, we had been at a well-kept field in a nice area of the city that is actually pretty close to Caimito, but visiting the homes of the boys was a different story. Caimito is a lower-class area that is relatively safe compared to some of the poorer areas of the city, such as the Hole and La Mosca, but the majority of the people who live here are still struggling to survive on a daily basis, and their homes show that. We were in sparsely furnished homes of less than 800 square feet with unfinished concrete block walls and tin roofs, and these homes clearly housed more people than we would think could live there comfortably. However, we were always welcomed with the gracious hospitality and warmth that are so much a part of the Dominican people, and the families were open to talking to us. At one house, three of the boys with us and the two sisters of one of them accepted Christ! We prayed with them and took their names and addresses so that our pastor could follow-up with them, and one of the boys with us, who is an active member of our church, made sure to invite them to activities for their age group. To read more about the clinic, the week with KCBT, and our on-going Sports Ministry, check out Will and Audrey's blog at http://www.dominican-updates.blogspot.com/. Will is the Director of Sports Ministry and Audrey coordinates our GOKids program while also working with the Sports Ministry.

Wednesday of this week, I began my formal observations of the teachers at the G.O. school to continue working with them on classroom management and lesson planning. So far, I have observed in both first grade classes and one second grade class, and I witnessed the implementation of some of the ideas I presented in the teacher training last January! One teacher used the “Give Me 5” signal to quiet her students, and another rearranged the desks in her room following my suggestion, which allows her to move more freely around the room and thus have more control and easier access to her students. My students at Sacred Heart would recognize the set-up, as it is the same I used in my classroom the last year I taught there. These two things may seem small, but I am encouraged that the teachers are open to the ideas I am sharing with them, and I am positive we can work together to create a more effective learning environment!

This Monday I will begin the Drama Ministry at the church in Caimito, and I am very excited to get this started! An announcement was sent home through the school to the children in third through fifth grade about the class, and several of the students have stopped me to ask about the class and let me know they would be there. The plan is to put together a small presentation for Easter Sunday, so please pray that everything comes together for this ministry! Initially, the classes will focus on voice and movement, getting the children comfortable working with one another and being in front of an audience.

One last push for volunteers for Derby! We still need volunteers, and it would be a wonderful blessing to me to see some of you there! There is a link to the right to the blog page for Derby that has all the details – check it out and let me know if you will be able to be there! You also may want to check out the link I just added called “Kingdom of Oneness” – it is a short video by Cross Point Community Church from Nashville,TN, about the work we are doing in Haiti.

As always, I am so grateful for you prayers, encouragement, and support!

Con amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-01-31T20:22:00.000-05:00

Wednesday - January 31, 2007

I have now been back in the DR for nearly three weeks, and my English Ministry has officially begun! On Tuesday, January 16, I taught my first class in Hoya del Bartola (the area commonly referred to as the “Hole”) to 20 students. The class runs from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday, and the majority of the students are between the ages of 12 and 14. Three of them are women in their twenties who work with our ministry in Bartola, helping feed the nearly 100 children who come to the church six days a week for a hot meal as a part of our feeding center. The picture to the left is of some of my students. We meet in the new church that G. O. is in the process of building there. Teaching here is much different than in the states - a mouse was part of our class the other day - but the students are ready and excited to learn English!

I was nervous before the first class, but the students were attentive, and I truly enjoyed teaching again! The pastor, Felix, takes me down to the church, stays through the class, and then brings me back to my house every Tuesday. Felix understands some English, as does his wife Jenny who works at our school, but he wants to learn more, so that is part of why he stays with me. Our drives back and forth also turn into mini-Spanish lessons for me! However, he also stays because Bartola can be a dangerous area due to the drug and alcohol problems of many people who live there, which are some of the horrible side effects that come with the extreme poverty and hopelessness that Felix’s church and G.O. Ministries are trying to help the people in the Hole overcome.

My other English class started the following Saturday, January 20, in Hoya del Caimito, which is the area where I live. On Thursday, January 18, two G.O. staff members and I, along with four members of the church, went door to door in the neighborhood letting people know about the English class for adults that I would be teaching on Saturdays at the church. We split up into three groups, with a staff member and church member in each, so that we could visit as many houses as possible, handing out fliers and inviting people to the class. Everyone we talked to was excited about the class, and at a few colmados (small neighborhood corner stores) and at one hair salon, the owners put the flier up to let others in the community know about the class!

As a result, 22 students came that first Saturday, and since then, another 10 have signed up and started coming! What is most exciting for me with this class is that I only know 10 of the students in the class from the church and our school. The rest of them are not church members, and there are a few whom I know are not Christians, but I have shared with them in each class that I am here not only to teach them English, but also to share with them the love of Christ and let them know how important they are to Him and how important it is to God that they know Him!

Having never taught adults before, I was also nervous before the first class, but my roommates helped me with registration, and my Dominican assistant, Wendy, was also a wonderful help for me in translating some concepts more clearly to the students and in giving me feedback once the class was over. I teach the classes in a mixture of English and Spanish, and with each week, I will be using more and more English. This has led to a few funny moments. For example, I used pictures to teach vowel and consonant sounds, and did not know the Spanish work for “ox” which is one example I was using for the short “o” sound, so I said “vaca hombre” which is “male cow.” This caused more than a few giggles, but they did understand, and I learned that the word in Spanish is "toro" (which being a Hemingway fan, I should know already). Moments like these always lighten a class, and it helps students trust you more when they see that you are not afraid to admit you do not have all the answers. I did blush a little though!

At both classes, we start and end each class with prayer, and part of the homework is to find and write out Bible verses that speak of God’s love and who He is. Since my first lessons have to do with the verb “to be,” I included Bible verses where God says, “I am.” The first six were all from the book of John. Homework for the first week included John 14:6 and John 15:5, the second week’s included John 8:12 and John 11:25, and this week’s homework includes John 15: 12 and 14. We not only translate the verses, but we also talk a bit about what they mean and why they are important.

On Thursday, January 25, I also held the teacher training I have been planning, and it went very well! The training was on classroom management and lesson planning, and I essentially presented Harry Wong’s book The First Days of School, which was a significant help to me when I started teaching, and as the lessons in the book are designed for both new and veteran teachers, I thought it was an excellent way to introduce these concepts to the teachers. I presented most of the information in Spanish, which was everything I had prepared beforehand, but I am one who likes to add stories and side notes as they occur to me, and I had a translator who helped me with those! Above is a picture of the schedule and the small gift of red pencils I was able to give the teachers, thanks to my roommate Jennifer who brought them back with her from the states.

We started the meeting with prayer and the Administrator and Director introducing me and talking a little about my new role with the school, which is as the School Coordinator. This means I will be the liaison between the school and G.O., and I will also be observing and doing formal evaluations of each of the teachers during the semester. The purpose of the evaluations is to encourage the teachers in what they are already doing that is working well and to provide on-going training to help them be more effective in their classrooms. The first part of the training was solely focused on classroom management – defining the term, explaining what a well-managed class looks like, and giving strategies for how to effectively manage a class. This is one of my strengths as a teacher, and while I never imagined I would one day be conducting a training on the topic, God apparently had this in mind, and the way He weaves the events of our lives together to fulfill His purposes will never cease to amaze me!

After the classroom management section, we took a short break, and then introduced a new school-wide discipline plan, which includes demerits and detentions as well as rewards for good behavior. I wrote this with the input of the school Director and Administrator, and the Director presented it to the teachers. It is a completely new concept for these teachers, students, administrators, and parents, but it was received well by the teachers. Please pray that it will also be received well by the parents and students, and that the teachers follow through with all aspects of the plan when it is implemented in February!

The training ended with a section on lesson planning where I presented ways to include more interactive teaching methods that would help students be more engaged in the lessons, which is also another form of effective classroom management because if students are engaged, they are less likely to misbehave. I also discussed the importance of using Bloom’s Taxonomy for writing objectives, which will lead to more effective student assessment. However, of the group of 25, only one teacher had even heard of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which was a surprise to me. While that might mean nothing to non-teacher types, Bloom’s Taxonomy is essentially the guide for writing lesson plans. I did share the Taxonomy with them, but I will also do a future training session on lesson planning to elaborate on these ideas.

Today I put a schedule together for my observations at the school, and between those and my English and Drama classes, and the teams we have scheduled for this spring, the next few months will be very busy! The Drama Ministry will begin in two weeks, partially for my own sanity as I am beginning several new things at once, and partially to work in conjunction with the art classes Jennifer is teaching on Saturday afternoons for the next two weeks to the same age group. After praying about when to begin, I felt it would be best to continue their “arts education” as opposed to overlapping the ministries.

Please pray that as my work here continues to grow that I will not get caught up in what “I” can do and that I keep my focus on what God wants me to do, and that I will follow His leading each step of the way. I can have the tendency to get caught up in my work and miss out on the lessons God is trying to teach me, and I pray that I will keep the mindset that one of my students from Louisville has – each time she writes me, she signs off “always a student.” What I am finding more and more as I am here longer, is that there is much I still need to learn about God, about teaching, about living here, and about how to daily submit my life to His will and the utmost importance of praying “without ceasing,” as we are instructed to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

One last thing - I have added a few links to this page, and if you are interested in learning more about the area where we work called La Mosca, which I have written of before, check out the short video to which the "La Mosca Video" link directs you. It was made by our staff - Will Partin, our Sports Ministry Director, narrates the video, and the text was written by Jeff Rogers who is our Director of Ongoing Education and is currently working in the Louisville office but has recently lived and worked here. His insightful descriptions and thought-provoking statements of the situation in La Mosca clearly articulate the need for the work Pastor Jonas and G.O. are doing there.

Thank you for your support of my ministry!

Con amor de Jesucristo,
Catherine

2007-01-14T15:05:00.000-05:00

It was wonderful to be home for the holidays, and I had some incredible times with my friends and family, and I will cherish the memories we made! My first weekend in Virginia, one of the deacons at my family’s church asked if I would be willing to speak to his young adult Sunday school class in December because he believed that my decision to go into missions was a living example of the book they would be finishing at the end of the month, which was Bruce Wilkinson’s The Dream Giver. I gladly accepted and read the book while I was in Louisville. I saw several parallels to my life in the book, and even more became obvious when I met with the class on Dec. 31st. This was an encouragement to me on many levels, and it was exciting to share my story with these young adults and encourage them to pursue the dreams God has given them! God has big dreams for all of us, and I highly recommend reading this book to everyone - regardless of age!

Celebrating Christmas and New Years with my family also brought many blessings! It was fun to cuddle up on the couch with my niece and nephew and watch High School Musical, which my niece could not believe I had not seen :) and be able to sit and talk face to face with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law. I had not realized how much I missed them until I had that time with them again. While I saw my family more often when I lived in the states, I think these times will provide more lasting memories and help us build deeper relationships than we would have otherwise because we will all recognize the importance and value of our time together more than before.

Being in the states for six weeks also brought some challenges I did not expect, and I allowed myself to get caught up in the “busyness” of the holidays and of trying to see everyone I possibly could. This did not allow me time for a regular quiet time, and I felt that lack of time alone with God. Just as with my first experience with teams coming down, this first time going back to the states taught me how much I need time for reflection and study of God’s word, and that I cannot allow myself to be too busy to set aside a daily time with Him.

I returned to Santiago in the early morning hours of January 6th, which is a national holiday here and the day Dominicans celebrate Christmas. So, I had the day to rest a little, which I needed since my flight left JFK in New York at close to midnight, unpack and get settled. Later that night we had our first group of the year arrive, and we have pretty much been going non-stop ever since, though I have made sure to set aside time each day for reflection on and study of God's word. He continues to remind me that He is bigger than anything else in my life, and He will give me the strength to do what He has brought me here to do.

One of the things He has called us all to do is to meet the needs of the poor, and the group that was here last week was focused on doing just that. The group was primarily made up of doctors and nurses, and they provided two simultaneous medical clinics in two parts of the city – Hato del Yaque (which is also where we are building a church), and Los Salados. Right now only about half of the regular staff members are here, so I worked with the clinic in Hato del Yaque for the first two days. My official job was as the photographer for the group, taking pictures that would be used in their presentation at their Despidida (a “leaving party” held the night before the group returns to the states). I took the picture to the left - that's Nico, one of our pastors, taking down names of patients to be seen. As you can see, medical clinics are in great demand! I also helped out a little in triage and the pharmacy, both of which provided excellent opportunities to practice my Spanish!

A surprise blessing was another opportunity to go to Haiti on Wednesday the 10th! Our office needed some statistics on the children in the orphanage, so I went to get that information, with the help of Romano, one of our translators who is also a pastor in the Dominican. He is Haitian but now lives and ministers in Santiago and works with G.O. Another American staff member, John, went to pay the pastors who work with G.O. in Haiti and do some training with them. It was a one-day trip, just like the other two I have made, only this time we took public transportation.

For our trip there, we took a Caribe Tours bus, which is very comfortable and along the lines of a Greyhound bus in the states. We had a few stops to make, but generally moved along at a good pace and arrived in Dajabon, which is on the border with Haiti, in about 3 hours. However, since we did not leave Haiti until close to 5 pm, we missed the last Caribe Tours bus to Santiago, so our return trip was a bit different. We took an Expresso Linereo (“Express Line”) bus that was a little less comfortable – more like a city bus, only smaller – and it made at least 20 stops along the way, so it was not exactly an “express”! Only a few of these were official stops, with most people just waving down the bus to let the driver know to stop. It was great to experience this, though, as it gave me an opportunity to see more of Dominican culture and be blessed by the warmth and hospitality of the people here.

At one stop two women got on the bus with their dinners, and since we had not had the time to stop and eat anything more than granola bars and some cheese and crackers, the aroma was mouth-watering. John shared with them how enticing their dinners were to us, and they could tell how hungry we were, so one woman shared her dinner with us! We did not take much, just a small piece of chicken to share, but it tasted wonderful and was a blessing to us! We got back to Santiago nearly 4 hours after leaving Dajabon, and our team cook, Marisol, had left dinner warming for us on the stove, so we were able to get a good meal and then get some rest after a long day!

The next two days I worked the team again. First, they did a mini-medical clinic and then a mini-VBS for children at the "Hole" - a landfill where about 600 familes live. G.O. also operates a feeding center there that feeds nearly 120 children a hot meal once a day, six days a week, and the team took part in that as well. Then on Friday, we went back to the areas where the medical clinics had been and visited the people in their homes, inviting them to church and to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The group I was with witnessed eight people accept Christ! It was an amazing experience!

This week I was also able to meet with the Administration of the school to plan for the teacher training I had put together on classroom management and lesson planning. Before I left in November, we had talked about having the training on the 8th, however, that did not work out with the school schedule, so it is now on the schedule for the 25th. I gave copies of the presentation to the administrators, and we are going to meet again on Tuesday to review everything. Raquel, the teacher I mentored last semester, will be working with me as a translator, but I am going to try to do the majority of the presentation on my own in Spanish – please pray that the information is presented and accepted well!

Please also pray that the English and Drama ministries start off well! I will be teaching my first English class on the 16th in Hoya del Bartola, and the classes in Hoya del Caimito will start soon after. I will be using the curriculum I put together before I came, but I still have some work to do before I get started. I put my lesson plans together this weekend, and I am excited but a little nervous! It will be wonderful to be teaching again, as I have missed it immensely and teaching is such a big part of who I am, but this is something completely different than anything I have done before. However, I know that God is the ultimate Teacher, and my prayer is that I will follow His leading both in my planning and implementation of the lessons I will be teaching.

As always, thank you for your support of my ministry!

Con amor de Jesucristo,

Catherine