Read along as 57 adults & students report from the DR...

Dominican Republic Missions Team DAY 4 - Tuesday, July 22nd

As I write this (Pastor Tom) - I am sitting in the basement meeting room, preparing for our devotions/debriefing. Our friends (translators) from the hospital are here - they came to join us for dinner. One of them - Marisol - just started singing. She learned "Heart of Worship" in English to sing for us. What a sweet spirit! One Body of Christ - made up of many tongues and nations. She came prepared to anoint us - and she did, with such love. Much like the woman who poured out expensive perfume upon the head of Jesus.

Catalina is an amazing place. There was a great sense of anticipation as we arrived for our second day of ministry. Momentum was on our side. Construction on Vernon's home was underway, the walls of the school were scraped and ready for paint, and those of us on the VBS team were prepared to move out into another community - Carretone. We were met at the buses by Vernon and his family, who quickly got us on our way.

Carretone is a small village about 2 miles away. We met in the yard of an older man - who very graciously makes his property available to Vernon when it is needed. In preparation for our meeting, the church people had already wheeled in the generator, set up the sound equipment and assembled all the benches for seating. When we arrived, there were several hundred children waiting for us, and more still trying to find a place to sit. It's both intimidating and exhilarating at the same time, seeing so many little faces staring up at you. We have a great team though - we work well together. This morning, several children prayed with Janet to ask Jesus in to their lives. In the afternoon, we came back for our "Teen" and "Mom's" ministry. The group of kids grew from 2 to 75 within the first 25 minutes, much like a regular Stonecrest service. This group was different from yesterday's group, especially the boys. They were much more receptive. It was a good time. At the same time, during the Mom's Ministry - another Mom gave her heart to Christ.

I want to say that we have an awesome group of young people on our team this year. They are committed to service. The teens, or should I say men, that left construction to work with us - represented Jesus well. So did the girls who interacted with the girls in the village. They actually cut enough thread for hundreds of friendship bracelets... on their own. I am very proud of them.

The construction team made great progress today. They now have four rows of block in place. Although it's hot being out in the sun all day - they have accomplished much. Vernon's wife Nancy came by today to see the progress. For Nancy, the house has been a dream since they've been dating. For the first time, they will actually have their own bathroom, as well as a separate laundry room. Seeing the joy on her face, has spurred us on. We want to see their house built. And for the next two days we will do our best to get much done.

The school makeover team is hard at work. They painted the rooms, repaired tables and chairs, and replaced a set of stairs on the outside of the building. When they came back for lunch, they all looked like they took a bath in paint, but enjoyed every minute of it. Tomorrow they are going to start the murals.

I can't believe we are halfway through our trip. So much has happened. God is good.

Dominican Republic Missions Team DAY 3 - Monday, July 21st

This morning, we made the hour long trek to work with our friends in Catalina. When we arrived, we were greeted by many familiar faces, especially "Mama", Pastor Vernon's mother who is an amazing cook. She and several women from the church prepare lunch for us every day. Her fried "Yucca" is a delicacy.

Our teams went in three different directions, one to the church for VBS, another to a local Christian school for a full scale makeover, and the third to begin construction of Pastor Vernon's new home. We were three teams on a mission.

I was a part of the VBS team. When we walked into the church, we were greeted by several hundred children, who had been sitting and waiting since 7:00am for us to arrive. The smiles on their faces were a sight to see. After singing some rowdy songs, Janet told the story of Saul of Tarsus, and his ultimate transformation to the Apostle Paul. Janet said she found the kids to be very receptive to the message - leaving the old behind, and clinging to what's new! They were sincere and mature. Open. There was a big change from last year. Many gave their lives to Christ last year - this year they demonstrated it.

We finished out our time with a simple "butterfly craft". One little boy came up to me and lifted his arms for me to pick him up. It's such a universal language. He played with my glasses and the butterfly I was holding. He was content to be with me. His smile warmed my soul. He made every drop of sweat worth it. I'm sure I speak for many on my team.

The construction team was greeted by Pastor Vernon's dad, "Papa" who already had one level of block in place. He is a humble man, who knows how to lay block. He's meticulous, and has no problem telling you to start over if the block you laid was slightly off kilter. By the end of the day, they had made their way a third of the way up the wall. Progress is being made. They have a GREAT team! Their goal is to complete the walls and prepare for the second floor. This home will house Vernon, Nancy and their children, along with his parents, and Arnold, a church worker who suffered injuries from being electrocuted. His is a great story.

The "makeover" team is stationed at a local Christian school that is run by Vernon and Nancy. It is an old building requiring a lot of work. Their goal is to repaint and create some fun spaces for the students attending there, like a "beach room". What's most amazing is God provided a blank slate for some amazing artists on this team to impact this community. What started out as simple door repairs, has become a gift of love!

During the Mom's Ministry today - Tania, Missy and Megan had the opportunity to lead two Mom's to Jesus. They had been impacted by this church - their children became Christians through their ministry. Butterflies, Saul to Paul, transformation, new life - it's what this trip has been all about. Things I forgot from the Children's Hospital. One woman with a sick child sought out our team as we were leaving. She had received a track - and unlike in America, she read it. She wanted to know Jesus. Lynn had the opportunity to pray for her. More NEW life. One touching story involved a little boy with one lung who was dying. He sang for our team about peace in the midst of a storm. How there is hope when you can't go on any longer. He sang with one lung, holding on to each labored breath - with such joy and peace, knowing what was before him. There was not a dry eye in that room. I know God was so proud of him.

Continue to pray for our work. Pray that we would complete the tasks set before us. We appreciate all you have done - we are an extension of you, the Body of Christ at Stonecrest Community Church. May God richly bless you all.

Dominican Republic Missions Team DAY 2 - Sunday, July 20th

So much for a schedule! We decided to forgo doing church on the beach in Juan Dolio, for something much more spiritual . . . an extra hour of sleep. After being awake for over 36 hours, the lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll. So, we got up an hour later, had breakfast and headed out to the veranda by the pool. It would have been nice doing church on the beach, but the pool sufficed. The music was great and the sermon inspiring, but the mini-revival that sprung up afterwards was powerful. A small group stayed to pray for our day and the needs and oppression that God began to reveal within some in our group. What followed was God ordained. The Holy Spirit walked among us, and for two hours, we wept and prayed and sought God. We left that circle feeling free - the oppression lifted. Some sought forgiveness, others let masks fall to the ground. We were free to serve at the hospital, and serve we did!

We met up with some translators at Robert Reed Children's Hospital in Santo Domingo, and broke up into five ministry teams. We've been working with a Christian doctor named Flora for the past few years. The translators were from her church. The first time I (Pastor Tom) visited the children's hospital, I must admit I was very nervous. It's hard to be around great sickness and death, especially when it involved children. It was hard - very emotional. I was hoping for a different experience this time around.

My team, led by Juan Velasco and a young med student named Rita were assigned to the pre-surgical and head trauma floor. Armed with a bag of goodies and hand puppets, we stopped at every bed and told each child and their parents of God's love for them. We also prayed. We prayed for healing, we prayed for comfort, and we prayed for their families. Several of the kids are scheduled for surgery tomorrow (Monday AM). Pray for them. I don't think many of them know what they are in for. Their families are very committed. Many sleep on hard floors, just to be near their children. They are very receptive to prayer and they actually read the tracks that you hand to them. We ended our time in the head trauma area. This was the hardest for me. Two of the babies had severe head swelling, their eyes looking ahead in a blank stare - Rita said they would probably not survive. Their Mom's sat by their beds hoping - one had a picture of her baby girl propped up next to the disfigured baby lying in the crib. As a father, it made my heart cry. I know God grieved for this little girl too. It's who He is.

As we were leaving, we met up with the aunt of a 7 month old who had just died. Some other members in our team were with the family at the end. Even though we could not speak the same language - we were able to hug them and attempt to offer comfort. Flora pulled out her bible and read scriptures and affirmed God's love for her and her family. Her baby niece was now with God in heaven. It was an emotional time for everyone - but it was good. We all saw God at work this afternoon. We left the hospital, had dinner and ended our night preparing for tomorrow's VBS craft. We leave for Catalina first thing in the morning. Some of us will be doing VBS, some will start construction of Vernon's home. Pray for God's empowering. Janet Wahba will be speaking to the kids, and Juan and Lynn Velasco will be working with the teens.

Dominican Republic Missions Team DAY 1 - Saturday, July 19th

We arrived in the Dominican Republic this morning - all 57 of us, and found ALL of our luggage. This brought great sighs of relief to everyone on our trip, especially the alumni. Last year, many were without luggage for several days, and had to share clothes in order to get by.

After meeting up with our friend, Pastor Vernon at a market in downtown Santo Domingo, we found our way to the hotel and a refreshing swim in the pool, followed by dinner. As it turned out, Vernon's church and his brother Becker were singing at a church in the city, led by a man who studied with Vernon in Catalina. Even though we were beyond exhaustion, we went for the 2.5 hour service, and enjoyed great worship. They know how to sing - even if it wasn't necessarily in key. They sang from their heart as unto the Lord - with great fervor and great joy. The songs, many of them hymns, were in Spanish. We all followed along - some of us sang, some of us just listened. They displayed their love for Jesus on their faces and through their singing! Praise God. The man who spoke was a "gringo" from the states, who has served as a Missionary to the Caribbean Islands for over 30 years. Afterwards, we had a chance to talk with some of our friends from Catalina over sandwiches and juice. The whole experience served as a great beginning to our time here.