The trip is over, but the impact is just beginning

It's been a great week. Last night, in devotions, we asked the question, "What will you do with Jesus?" Each team member answered that question in our group time. For most, the experiences of this week will continue to work in our lives as God helps us see what we are to understand from this week and the impact it has on our lives. Of the 12 teens that came on this trip, four seemed to feel God's call into full time missions! Others are very open to that and are praying that God will show them what He wants. Please continue to pray for these young people, that God will do awesome things through their lives committed to Him.

Very soon, the team will be reporting on their missions trip. Be sure to come and here what God is doing in their lives!

Kourtney's Comments

Hola Everybody!!!! Kourtney here!!!!! Wow, I don’t even know where to start. We have seen some sad and unbelievably heartbreaking stuff. The first sugar cane village we went to was really sad. They were very less fortunate compared to the other ones we visited but they were so happy and more loving and grateful then all the other villages and even us Americans. When we gave them just a balloon and a bracelet they were so happy and content. It makes me realize how selfish we are in America. If we don’t get one thing that we want (pointless things that we don’t need) then we get mad and very angry. These kids were so happy just to get a balloon and that entertained them unlike us in America where we have to have our I pods, Televisions, or computers. It really opens your eyes and makes you see how blessed we are and how grateful we should be. At the handicap orphanage that really broke my heart to see some of the conditions those kids were in. I’ve never seen some of those conditions but just like Sandy was saying last night to us that there still made after Gods own image and there like that for a reason even though we might not know that reason. Going to that orphanage and seeing all those kids and how loving they are and a lot of them were happy even though they were in those kinds of conditions. It made me really grateful for my parents and made me realize that those kids don’t have the kind of love we have from our parents. The Lord has definitely been speaking to me this week to go back to America and not forget what we have seen and not complain and be selfish. He’s definitely put in my heart to go on more missions trips and I’m very excited and can’t wait!!!!!! :]

Catalina Island

God smiled on us with beautiful weather today as we enjoyed His beautiful creation. Catalina Island required a long bus ride and an adventurous, tumultuous boat ride, but the destination was absolutely wonderful. We snorkeled, ate, played in the water, and just had a wonderful time.

Everyone is really tired from the sun and exertion, but we are gathering at 8:00 for our final devotions of the trip. Please pray for each person as they begin to sort out what God is saying to them through their experiences here.

The group leaves the SCORE complex around noon tomorrow to head back to Raleigh for a VERY late arrival time.

You might need to nudge team members Sunday morning in worship to make sure they stay alert!

Today's photos are mostly just scenery of Catalina (I did not take my normal camera) and later I will post some photos from tonight. I hope to get some of the other's photos to add later.

Thank you for all your prayers, comments, and interest in this missions trip.

Thursday

`Wow! What a day we have had. We traveled to another Christian orphanage that houses handicapped children. We spent two hours removing rock from a field and placing it in the site of future construction to help with the concrete floor later on. Lots of sweat and effort were quite fruitful. You can see the before and after photos in the photo album.

Next, we played with and loved the precious children there. They tugged at our hearts as we had time to interact with them.

We traveled back to the area of the first sugar cane village and stopped at a supermarket and bought enough food to feed the village for about two weeks. The team had taken up an offering of about $300 among ourselves to purchase food for these dear people. We also stopped by a Bible store and purchased New Testaments for every family. Then we traveled to the village and took time to play with the kids and let them see God's love for them in our actions. We convened the group, and Remy and Karissa shared their testimonies, we sang a couple of songs, then our missionary told the people that we had brought them food to show them the love of God. The people were so appreciative and we were SO BLESSED. I think this was probably the highlight of our ministry here.

All of our group was well today for the first time this week. Tomorrow will be a leisure day before the team returns on Saturday. We will travel to Catalina Island to enjoy God's handiwork there.

Thank you for your continuing prayers and your comments. We love you!

Comments from Remy

Hola amigos! It’s Remy J There is no way to describe what we have experienced down here, but I wish I could explain EVERY little detail. I fell that the things I have encountered here have taught me a lot about myself and about how selfish and ungrateful my attitude is toward everything in the US. The orphanages and villages that we have visited are eye-opening and heartbreaking to see. These kids and adults live in some of the worst conditions imaginable, yet they are still incredibly happy. We complain about not having the right cereal to eat that morning, or the right clothes to wear that day, but some of these people have only one pair of clothes and have to walk three miles just to get clean water to drink. I think that we have become comfortable in our lives and take for granted all of the things that we do have. We have been giving out balloons and faith bracelets to the kids in the villages, and they are soooo excited to get even that. If we would have been given those things back home we would think that they are crappy gifts. We have iPods and computers at our fingertips daily. What if we were giving out those things to these villages? These people wouldn’t even know what to do with them. Last night in our devotions we talked about how even down here we have become numb to the things that we are seeing. It’s like these situations are so unreal that it is hard to believe and to process in our minds. I mean our time here is flying by and we are all asking ourselves what kind of impression we have made down here. There are over 2000 villages in the Dominican Republic and we only have one week down here. It is hard to understand how we are supposed to reach all of those people. It seems almost next to impossible. When we get back to Statesville will we remember all the things that we saw, will we go back to our selfish and greedy selves, will we be as bold for Jesus that we are down here? I just pray that we all keep focus on the things we have done this week so far and that we simply never forget. Because if we forget, who is going to tell these people about Jesus?

Taylor's Comments

Hola from the Dominican! It’s Taylor! I can’t even begin to explain what we have seen this week. It has truly changed my life and the way that I look at things. We complain over the smallest things that don’t even matter. And they are here and barely have anything yet so happy. It’s so hard to process in my mind. I think that God put each village in our schedule for a purpose. The first village hardly had anything and the kids were so loving, caring towards each other, and happy just to be getting a balloon or a bracelet. My heart was broken for this village. I couldn’t even imagine going through what they go through. The second village still lived in rough conditions but we would hand them a balloon or a bracelet and they would want more. I feel like that was a great example for us to see because that is how Americans are, we are always wanting more. In the third village we were playing a game and most of the kids had no shoes on and were running on glass and rocks. It was amazing to me how they didn’t even acknowledge they were hurting their feet. Yet I complained about having to wear tennis shoes all week. The handicap orphanage didn’t even seem real while we were there but now I look and say wow that could be me but yet it’s not. As soon as we walked in the gate at the girls orphanage I saw lady the little girl I’m holding in the picture with the sunglasses and I feel in love with her. And to think her parents didn’t want her just makes me so sad. I wish I could bring her home with me. God has showed me so much through this trip and I hope I get to come back real soon.

Thursday Morning

Just a quick note to let you know that all 17 members of our team will be going out today. Praise the Lord!

Michelle's Thoughts

As I reflect back on today’s experiences of bargaining at the straw market and repeatedly hearing “Cheapy, cheapy for you my mission friend” and “Fifty percent off JUST for you!” and constantly saying, “Yo no quiero” and “No, gracias,” of passing out tracts of God’s love in exchange for fliers for body piercings and Watchtower tracts, of eating American food (Gracious, Dios, for KFC!), of seeing the first church built in the Western hemisphere where part of the Amazing Race was filmed, and, finally, of seeing first-hand extreme destitution and poverty, many emotions flood my mind. I am numb. The sights that I have seen are incomprehensible. I cannot even begin to process the magnamity of the spiritual and physical destitution of these Dominicans.

The stench and heat of the city followed me up the staircase into the government-funded orphanage. I walked from crib to crib touching each extremely handicapped orphan knowing that they were excited because the Americans had come! I was overwhelmed when I realized that I was not there for them, God placed each one there for me. I Corinthians 1:27-31 says that God uses the despised things to shame the wise and the strong. Those children posed many unanswerable questions… Who am I anyway? Why have I been so priviledged? Why is my head the size it should be instead of larger than my entire body? Why does my mind work correctly? Why have I not been tied to a bed because I might hurt myself? Why am I not lying there waiting for the Americans to come and sing to me and play with me and sit in a circle and clap their hands with me? Why, God, have You not chosen this life for me? The only answer that comes to my mind is because that’s what He wills.

It saddens me to know that when I return to the states eventually I will process each memory into the recesses of my mind and heart. I will forget the sugar cane villagers and orphans. I will forget Antania, Nairoby, Jeffrey, and my many amigos and amigas. My blessings will become common place. The Dominicans will be captured in a photo album to collect dust throughout the years. I will have dealt with all my emotions and I won’t be numb anymore.

However, when I step out of the airplane onto my beautiful, blessed country’s soil, the villagers will still be here. The orphans will still be here. My amigas and amigos will still be here. The poverty, the trash, the skinny animals, the fly-infested fruit stands, the lack of fresh water, the power outages, the stench, the chaos, the need of Christ will all still be here. Lord God, please use what I have experienced! Please help me to share and challenge others to come and see for themselves! Lord God, please don’t ever let me forget!

Comments from Whitney

This week has been completely different than anything I had ever expected. I was only able to leave the SCORE complex one day, but even that one day made a huge impact on my life. Our first day arriving and on site we visited a sugar cane village. As soon as we were pulling into the village the bus driver started blowing his horn to tell the people that we were here! As soon as the horn started to blow, children from every house came out screaming and dancing. Never in my life had I seen anyone so excited to see people of a different ethnicity. Later on during the day as we were loving on and working with those children, we found out that they had not had running water in weeks and have been living off of sugar cane as well. It hit me hard. I never really understood how bad poverty really was, and the sad thing was, that was nothing compaired to how bad it is in other places. While children were playing baseball and playing swords with their balloons, this one little boy about two years old came to me and reached his arms up. I lifted him and as soon as he was in my arms he laid his head down and fell asleep. He was exauhsted, hungry, and in need of someone to love him. To think that that poor child had not had any food or water in weeks and wanted nothing but to be held in someone’s arms simply amazed me. I left that villiage heart broken. God has a plan and I have to remember that. I know that I am in his will. Yes we have come across many many challenges, yet all of them together do not compare to half of the trials those people have to go through. I will come back to America a changed person because of the encouters I have had.

Kaleb's Comments

This week so far has been an awesome experience. The villages and orphanages we have visited were eye-opening. Today, when we visited the handicapped orphanage, I realized just how blessed we all are to be healthy and have Jesus in our lives. Also, Monday we visited a village that was very poor. These people live with almost nothing, and are still more content than we are. We fight over little things like when we don’t like the food that our parents make for us, when the people here would be happy to have one meal a day. Above all, these people need Jesus in their lives. Please continue to pray for our team as we finish off the week. Also, pray that we impact their lives as much as they’ve impacted ours.

Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

We had a great day; everyone except Whitney & Lynn were able to participate. We went to Santo Domingo and enjoyed some sightseeing and shopping. Then we distributed gospel tracts to people downtown, followed by lunch at KFC or Pizza Hut. We then went to the government-run orphange and visited children with severe handicaps. It was an eye opening experience. We spent quite a bit of time loving the children. Those memories will live in each of our lives for a long time.

Tonight we go to the beach for our devotions after supper. Tomorrow we do a work project, take food to our first sugar cane village, and visit another orphanage.

Today's photos include much of the sightseeing and tract distribution, but we were not allowed to take photos in the orphanage.

I hope to have some of our teens blog some soon.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Early Wednesday

We all had a good night last night, but decisions have to be made in the next minutes concerning whether people should go on the all day 100 degree trip with lots of walking. Many want to go that may not be ready. Doctor due soon. Will let you know how it all goes later.

Please keep our team in your prayers.

Tuesday Afternoon

The group had a great time visiting an orphanage today. A great facility housing about 100 kids of all ages--1-18. They were wonderful kids, and our group enjoyed playing with them for about 90 minutes. The orphanage was about a one hour drive each way.

They enjoyed playing baseball, volleyball, cards, and such. Everyone had a lot of fun. The orphanage is a Christian institution.

Kane is much better. We hope he can go with us tomorrow. The sick girls are still pretty puny. Now Kaleb has joined the ranks of the sick in the quarantine. His doesn't seem to be as severe just yet.

Thanks for all your prayers. We also appreciate the comments you post. I have made it permissible for you to post without signing up to do so now.

Tomorrow is a day-long journey to Santo Domingo for some sightseeing, shopping, passing out gospel tracts, and visiting an orphanage for handicapped children.

Tuesday Morning

Twelve of us were able to visit another sugar cane village today. This one was much better off economically than the one Monday morning. The kids loved the attention we gave them as we played with them, made them balloon creations and salvation bracelets, and just loved them. We had a presentation of the gospel with Katelyn and Taylor giving their testimonies. This village has a Baptist Church.

We played a great game at the end of our time facing off the girls and the boys in capturing a flag. The girls won the very close match to the boys dislike. We had a great time sharing God's love with these kids.

Last night, during devotions, Kevin gave a moving testimony of what God has done in his life this summer. He will be sharing that with the congregation later.

Kane is doing much better. The girls are no longer badly sick, but they are extremely weak. Please continue to pray for them.

This afternoon we travel to a girls' orphanage. Pray for our safe travel and our witness for Christ.

Update

Kane is doing much better. Kourtney and Whitney had a bad night. Even Sandy joined the sick group in the night but is better this morning. Please keep the prayers coming.

Quarantine?

Good news-Karissa is doing great.
Bad news - Kane is sick, Whitney is sick, and Kourtney is sick. So far, its just throwing up. We are changing around our sleeping arrangements to quarantine the sick. Please pray that these get well soon and no one else gets sick.

Monday Afternoon

This afternoon we went to an area outside of a sugar cane factory. It was quite different from the morning journey. Not nearly the poverty we saw there. Also, we had quite large "kids" in addition to the smaller ones. We played basketball, soccer, baseball, created balloon things, made slavation bracelets, and more. Check out the updated photos to get a better feel for our afternoon. At the conclusion, our Score missionary shared the gospel with the people.

Karissa is doing much better and will be joining us tomorrow. Kane returned from our afternoon feeling poorly and throwing up. We hope that it is dehydration from a hot, active afternoon. The doctor has seen him and given him something for the nausea. Please pray for his quick recovery.

Tomorrow, we visit an orphanage and another sugar cane village. Pray for all of our ministry efforts tomorrow. We appreciate all of you so much!

Monday Morning

The team went to a sugarcane village this morning--a place that has about 60 residents living in poverty beyond your imagination. We had opportunity to play with and love on the 25 or so kids for a few hours. We gave them salvation bracelets, balloon animals (and other shapes), played ball, rode burros, and more. At the end of our time together, Kaleb and Kourtney gave their testimonies and Jeremy shared the message of salvation by explaining the color beads on the salvation bracelets.

As you view the photos, be sure to notice the pictures of the "homes" these people live in. Clean water is about 20-30 minutes away. The children often go without food for days or only have some sugar cane to chew on for nutrients. The fathers of the children have all abandoned their kids to look for a better life. Only during the sugar cane harvest season do any of these people have any kind of gainful employment.

We are planning to buy a bulk of food to take back to that village tomorrow to give them some days with decent nutrition.

The kids were so loving and were so excited to have the Americans come to see them. Please pray for the residents of this village--for their physical health and their spiritual help.

Karissa is doing better today--just very weak.. Pray for her continued strength. Sandy stayed behind with her this morning. Michelle will stay with her if she is unable to go with us this afternoon.

Arrived Safely

The remainder of the team arrived EARLY. They are safely at their destination, currently eating a wonderful meal. Thanks for your prayers. You can see them at the photo album.

Morning Worship

Our five person team had a great morning as we went to a DR church and worshiped with their congregation. It was great worshiping the same God in different languages. See the photo album to get a feel for the service.

The rest of the team is to arrive about 2:20 this afternoon. I will be leaving shortly to ride along to the airport. The team had a good night in Atlanta, except Karissa has been sick. Please pray for her wellness and the groups continuing good travel.

Tomorrow will be big ministry day. We will update you later today.

Amanda Safe and Sound

Amanda made it in tonight just fine. The Atlanta crew and the DR crew are all tired from a long day of travel and are getting good rest tonight. The Atlanta group will arrive in the DR at 2:20 tomorrow if all goes as scheduled. They are staying in a hotel adjacent to the Atlanta airport. They depart Atlanta at 12:15, connect in San Juan, then on to the DR. Please pray for their safe and timely travel.

Hello Atlanta

Due to mechanical problems with the jet, 12 of our missions team was unable to connect with their flight in Atlanta to get to the Dominican Republic. They will spend the night in Atlanta tonight and head for their missions destination tomorrow. Since some of the team were flying from two other airports, four of the team (the Lamms - with Kevin already working in the DR) are already at their destination, and one other, Amanda, will make it in tonight. Fortunately, tomorrow is not a ministry day for the team. Sunday is a day to attend worship and relax. Please pray that the final 12 members get to the DR without problems tomorrow, and pray that God will use them in a special way during these circumstances.