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!
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
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
