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!

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!

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.

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!

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

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!

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!

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!