This is our last day here in Santo Domingo. We will be loading on the bus to the airport at 4 a.m. and then hopefully flying out at 7 a.m. We should arrive in Kansas City around 4:30 p.m. and meet up with the rest of the group from Jamaica, then take another bus back to camp and should arrive at approximately 10:30 p.m.

Today we went to our last village to minister and hold VBS. I believe this was a village that has not been visited before so the people and children were much more curious and cautious than in previous villages. We tried to break the ice by handing out cookies first thing. Even the elderly ladies of the village came out to get cookies.  After the kids ran some races and won some events, Ari tried to pass out prizes to the winners but soon found herself in the midst of a mob (see the picture). Everyone wanted to receive a prize, and one little girl in particular LOVED her little stuffed animal (see picture). The cutest little kids were intrigued with our bus too and loved sitting on the front of it. Our HG students did a great job, as usual, with their skits and dances and held the attention of even the youngest ones. After we did our presentations, one of the SCORE staff interpreted, shared the gospel, and prayed with everyone.

In the afternoon we decided to do a service project instead of having free time. The HG students and staff helped at a local medical clinic by cleaning, sorting donations, washing out bins, and organizing everything on the shelves.  Our work was MUCH appreciated by the doctor who volunteers at the Clinic and the HG students had great attitudes through all of it . . . even though the temp felt like it was 110!!!

The HG students performed for all of the groups here at SCORE this evening so they could see what we do when go out into the villages. The groups cheered wildly for them and even learned and participated in our “Standing O.” It is great to see our HG kids so well accepted wherever we go. The SCORE interns said they were the “hipest” group they have ever had, and meant that in a good way. 

We will finalize our day with an evening at the Snack Shack with students purchasing food items they want for snacks (hamburgers, hot dogs, pop & ice cream). The proceeds for that event go to SCORE so it is for a worthwhile cause, or so we tell ourselves. I think everyone will be returning with a greater understanding of what it means to be a servant, how spoiled and blessed we are in the States, how to have a daily quiet time, and hopefully have made some lifetime friends. We look forward to seeing each of you very soon. Signing out for now, your daily correspondant, Robin 

Hola! What a wonderful day to serve the Lord! We have been blessed beyond measure today as we set out this morning to go back into Monte Cristy. We had a hard days work today at an “old-folk’s home” there in Monte Cristy. We began the morning with just some basic clean up around the small fenced-in area surrounding the building. Then, we spent the rest of the day scrubbing walls, floors, beds, etc. with bleach concentrate and some pesticide to kill any type of bugs that were there.The living conditions were quite rough in this place…as is most areas in Monte Cristy.  The home was established by a small church that is located right next door to the home.  We actually were able to work alongside an interpreter named “Shadrach” – whose father is the pastor of the church there in Monte Cristy. The students have had a wonderful time working with Shadrach…he’s hilarious to be around.

The day was exhausting…especially working in that heat…but praise the Lord that we were able to go in there and make a difference. The flies, mosquitoes, beg bugs, etc. were really bad. One of the older gentlemen that lives there was praising the Lord for us being there and cleaning the place up…He said the mosquitoes had especially been bad lately…but he praised God they were gone for a little while due to the cleaning and disinfecting. It has done us all good to be servants today…a reminder of Jesus’ humility and how we are to be more like Him.

After the work project, we had about 45 minutes before the van returned to pick us up…so we walked through the village handing out bible tracts and inviting the people to the local church…sowing the seed. Upon returning to the SCORE Complex this evening, Tammy and I had the opportunity to take a dip in the pool with Michael and Levi. All of the girls (Abi, Catherine, Kara, and Sidney) took baths and hit the bed to take a nap…Of course you must know that they were pretty worn-out…especially after the guys beat the girls in a game of ‘Password’ last night…ha ha J.

Our plans for tomorrow will take us into the capital city of Santa Domingo.  We will be walking along one of the busiest streets in the capital handing out bible tracts and the Gospel of John in Spanish. We will also have the opportunity to see some of the more historic places in the country, like Christopher Columbus’s museum and one of the oldest cathedrals in the world. Having Bob alongside of us is such a blessing because of his great historical knowledge of the Bible and Christianity. We hope to give out over a 1,000 tracts and a few hundred bibles tomorrow. Please pray that we will have the opportunities for personal evangelism tomorrow.

Hope everyone at home is doing well…until tomorrow…have a blessed evening…Adios!

Brad

The food and medical equipment were delivered yesterday afternoon. We had plenty of help unloading. I don’t know how we got the X-Ray machine off without someone being hurt; I believe it weighs close to 1600 pounds. God knows our needs. We will have a meeting with the pastors Saturday morning to start the distribution process.  We anticipate a 4 month distribution to over 2,000 people in the poorest villages (550 families). This food will be a nutritional supplement to what they now eat. The government sent an inspector out with the truck to check and make sure our operation was legitimate and that we weren’t going to sell the food. All is clear.

Timothy F. Wolfe
The world needs a savior.
http://www.scoreinternational.org/contact/missionaries
http://scoremedicalmission.spaces.live.com/

Palm Trees. The sight of palm trees puts a smile on our faces. If you’re looking at a palm tree, odds are you’re no where near the snow-laden surroundings of Western New York. There are many, many palm trees here…& that makes us happy!

Monday started in a hurry…like a mad dash of horses down the stretch at the Kentucky Derby. This morning we were “off & running” by 7:00 am & “on the road (again) by 8:30 am to head out to one of the sugarcane villages.  Today was our first experience working with the children in the villages.  Many were a little apprehensive at first, but the children were very friendly & approached us without hesitation. (Once again demonstrating the warmth & love of the Dominican people.) While in the village, we played with kickballs, footballs, frisbees, & fingernail polish– some of the children even painted OUR nails (& hands… & arms, etc.) But the biggest draw was a

GI-NORMOUS rainbow-colored parachute. The children absolutely loved running under it!  We also used it to play (invent) a few games. Overall it was quite the ruckus! Chris, Jake, & Shaunna shared their testimonies in between a couple of dramatic presentations. Pastor John then presented the Gospel message while Andres interpreted. At the end, Andres gave an alter call & we immediately saw God bring in a harvest. Several children (& adults) trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior for the first time! What a humbling experience to be involved in God’s work!

After lunch, we returned to the “fields” to work in another village. On our first stop of the day, we ministered to the families of hard-working sugarcane workers while in the afternoon we drove a few miles down the road from the SCORE Complex. The town was closer to the beach & definitely more “developed.” The people of this area primarily worked on or near some of the local resorts. While there we were able to minister to the children through games, skits, & crafts. After playing some basketball & playing with the parachute (a favorite with the children), we gathered the children together to make beaded Salvation Necklaces. The children enjoyed working with their hands & the Gospel was presented. Following the craft we performed a mix of fun & serious skits. Then, Jeff gave the Gospel message.  \During the altar call, many children raised their hands to accept Jesus, along with a couple of adults who took interest in the presentation. Before loading the bus, God allowed us the opportunity to pass out some Gospel literature to many of the adults waiting for the children to finish. What a privilege it was to see the Lord at work!

We wrapped up the day with a little group bonding time in the pool before gathering together to share what God has shown us through our experiences today. There were laughs, there were tears, there were hearts pouring out– it was a great time of prayer & encouragement. It is safe to say that God is at work in the Dominican…in the lives of the people & in our lives as well. It is our prayer that we grow closer together as we grow closer to God as a group!

Stay tuned…tomorrow we head out early to do a work project in one of the villages. We will be rebuilding an outdoor “bathroom/shower” for a 19 year-old handicapped believer who is being discipled by our local missionary Andres, as well as playing & sharing the gospel with the children of the village

Everyone was excited for today as we knew we would be going back to the orphanage again.  We started the day by going to another Sugarcane village.  This village was unique in that they actually had people working there.  There were men rounding up cattle into a stall while riding a horse and swinging a lasso(never thought we’d see actual cowboys over here), there were men driving trucks to haul stuff and a factory of some sort (probably coal) with lots of activity going on around it.  Some of it was pretty distracting for the games and such with the kids, but at least we knew the people did sometimes work.  We were able to do a few different things with this village as SCORE allowed us to take some items that had been donated to use as carnival prizes. The kids really loved that and crowds always gathered around the prize area.  We were also able to give away some diapers and baby clothes, and they were much needed.  There was a 17 yr. old girl there with a 2 month old baby and she let everyone hold the baby.  Many of the mothers in the villages look to be very young teenagers, so we were hoping that our sin box skit might get through to some of the people.

Then in the afternoon we went back to the orphanage and the kids were ready and waiting for us.  They couldn’t wait to do the “Get Loose” dance with the HG students again and spent hours perfecting it.  We also did carnival games with them and gave away prizes, let them draw with chalk on the sidewalks, played many games with them, did crafts and just loved on all of them.  One of the main things they asked of us this time was to paint a part of their wall inside with a mural of some sort. Someone had previously done some great paintings on the walls but this particular part was blank.  So our artistic students and counselors planned out what they would paint, bought the paint and then spent hours completing it while everyone else played. They did a great job and the mural looked great.  Hope you are able to see the picture of it.

Hola!  Wow…What a day in the DR. We all got a good night’s rest before rising early this morning for some quiet time with the Lord and breakfast. We then loaded up the two vans with all of the equipment and medication needed to set up the medical clinic. We traveled to a very large sugarcane village (appx. population of 75,000) in Consquelo. This area has been hit hard with poverty due to the primary sugarcane factory closing down a few years ago. This has left literally thousands of Dominicans without employment. We teamed up with a local Dominican Pastor who has planted churches in Consquelo to reach them for Jesus Christ. We were able to share the Gospel and provide medical assistance to approximately 70 people today, including men, women and children. We are thankful to the Lord for being able to share the Good News…and to be the salt and light. We do not know how many decisions were made today…but the seeds were certainly sown. We will pray and know the Lord will give the increase. 

The mission team did a great job…Levi was the ‘bouncer’ at the door directing traffic and keeping the peace, Sidney & Kara worked the triage taking blood pressures and temperatures, Abi & Catherine worked directly alongside Bob providing medical attention, and Tammy, Michael and I worked the pharmacy…wow…don’t tell everyone that the associate pastor and his wife were giving out drugs all day…ha ha!! We completed the medical clinic around 4:00 pm and then traveled a few miles to Monte Cristi, where we assisted a missionary baseball team (from FCA and Global Baseball) unload a tractor trailer full of food that was shipped in a container from a group out of West Virginia. The food will go to feed the village for about 3 months…praise God for His provision.

The weather was beautiful today…yet extremely hot…and HUMID. We are now settling down for the evening at the Score Complex…just had dinner actually. We’ll be doing a devotion together here shortly…then it’s time to turn in for the evening…we are all exhausted.

We miss all of you…please continue to pray for us…we’ll send another update tomorrow evening…ADIOS and good night!

Brad

Sunday we got up, put on our church clothes and headed back to Los Guido to attend the church. Who’s pastor puts on the kids program we were at on Saturday.

It was definitely a cultural experience. Hearing the pastor share the Word and having the need our interpreter so we could understand. We took communion together and following the service we headed back to the Villa.

Shortly after lunch we boarded the bus and headed to the orphanage where our group and another group from Ewell Bible Baptist Church worked together to show Christ’s love to the kids. It was a moving experience to give them two hours, which doesn’t seem like much, but it’s two hours of attention, fun, joy, and love. Check out their blog through the link above.

We’re challenged as we consider what happens to these orphans when they turn 18 and they must leave the orphanage. It’s a tough reality to face as we got to bond with these kids, break the communication barrier and play games. One child continued to say “para mi?” Which means for me? For me? In reference to a wrist band one of us had. When asked “por que?” Which means why? He would respond with “ti mi amigo.” You are my friend.

Before we left the child named Kendal… had a new Nike rubber band around his wrist and was all smiles.

Pray these kids at the orphanage will feel love and know love from a Heavenly Father. Pray that our team will reflect well on what we take fro granted, especially our families that we have. Pray for the truth that what we consider insignificant accessories is another’s treasure.

Pray for us today, as I write, we are getting ready to head to the hot springs. Where we will be in close proximity to an active volcano. Pray we do not get too comfortable. Pray we have great team time, reflecting and debriefing what God has put before us. Pray that the students do not push me (Rhett) into the volcano, like they threatened to. (This is only a joke :-).

But seriously we ask for your prayer support for this day away to still be less about us… but more about how God can meet us in a special way in some surrounding Creation. Pray for those in Los Guido who still do not have running water.

We’re blessed by your prayer and support from the US. We’re humbled and thankful.

Muchos Gracias,
Rhett

Saturday was a day that really held for us a lot of tension as a team. The sort of tension that God brings to us when we are faced with realities we have not seen before. We started the day with mediating on a verse. Proverbs 16:19.

For us we first went to is the most oppressed part of San Jose. We didn’t really know what we were in for. We knew we were going to play with some kids and assist in a kid’s ministry a church does each Saturday. But as we approached this part of town we were informed that they had not had water for a few days. And that many church neglect this part of town. In this small area 45,000 people and roughly 90% are refugees from Nicaragua. The team was led to silence and to just open our eyes and close our mouths and take in what we saw. Just off the road a bit, beyond the homes immediately in front of us, we saw hundreds of tin metal shanty’s with the beautiful backdrop of mountains. We saw one of the most oppressed areas within the beauty of God’s Creation.

Our team began the day very humbled. The students did great with the kids as we shared a story and colored pictures with them. It’s been difficult to communicate with the children due to the language barrier. However, we still were able to demonstrate the love of Christ. We were with a church who’s pastor has had a broken heart for this oppressed community and began to do a kids program every Saturday. He informed us of the various forms of abuse that these very children come from.

We left that time with much to meditate on with the Lord. His Spirit was beginning to really stir in our team.

Following lunch we we’re going to distribute Gospel tracks but plans changed due to weather. Following a brief opportunity for souvenirs we went to the grocery to purchase our goods for our evening ministry opportunity.

We prepared sandwiches, a drink in a plastic baggy, and cookies for our opportunity to go feed the homeless in downtown San Jose. Several Score reps. came along and needless to say our students were a bit nervous. We sang some favorite worship songs and hymns to prepare our hearts before hoping off the bus, which was parked half a block away from the police station.

Quickly, as we got all the goods we had for these men and women, we were swarmed by many, ready to receive the food and a Gospel track. Our students did great at standing in the line and smiling as they handed out to these men and women. We were very proud of our team for how they conducted themselves in this situation which was unfamiliar for us all.

The impact of this opportunity began to play itself out immediately after as God began breaking our hearts. Most were silent on our drive back and as we returned to the Villa we met as a team. Cried as a team and prayed as a team. Our hearts broke for what we had faced. Seeing the face of Christ in these people… whom with so little and in such margins bear the image of God and our deeply loved by Christ. We reflected on some Scriptures together upon what God says about the oppressed and the prideful. Our hearts were heavy. His Spirit was convicting many of us of how we have lived in such ignorance.

It was a powerful night. Many tears were shed. Many hugs were given. Many prayers were said. That God would not let us forget what we have seen. That through this tension we were faced with, we would see His Hand in it all and follow Him as He asks.

Pray for us and the processing through the brokenness. Pray for our leaders as we shepherd our students. Pray that we will being to see how Jesus is calling all of us to light up the darkness. And truly live out His message of Reconciliation as we read in 2 Corinthians 5.

With Compassion
Rhett

Sunday followed a long night of much needed sleep.  We rolled out of bed at 7 am (some of even before 6 am) today to get ready & head downstairs for breakfast.  After that we headed back to our rooms to prepare for church.  The buses arrived to take us to Quisqueya, a small town approx. 20 minutes from the SCORE Complex.  This was our first “official” trip into the country to minister to (& with) the people of the Dominican.  Quisqueya is the hometown of Major League Baseball All-Star, Alfonso Soriano.  (Coincidentally, Pastor John’s favorite player!)

We were informed that despite some of the professional (baseball) success of a few of its natives, the town is greatly oppressed & deep into Satanic ritual & practice.  The church was located right in the middle of the neighborhood & was nothing more than a concrete building.  Even though we were obviously outsiders & couldn’t speak their language, few of us have ever been so welcomed as we were at this church.  The people were very warm & excepting, but it was the children of the church that especially touched our hearts (& our cameras…just ask us to show you when we return!) Afterwards most of us went back to the Complex for lunch while Jeff & Andres (our “Missionary for the Week”) led Jake, John, & Eric to another village to take estimates & measurements for a work project we’ll be doing on Tuesday.  While riding in the back of the pick-up truck, we were able to get a clearer picture of what “Third World” meant while traveling through the heart of the sugarcane villages.

The rest of the day was ours to catch-up on some much needed rest.  While some napped, others took the time to fellowship & “fry” on the beach.  Later on, Heaven, Samantha, Theresa, Amy, Katie, & Eric went for a horseback ride around the neighborhood.  We then met back up for dinner, had a time of devotions (from Luke Chapter 9), & practiced our skits for the week.  (We also took the time to sort through an assortment of donated goods that we brought to distribute to the people. So far, the Dominican is hard to explain: the sun is so much hotter, the people so much warmer, & the moths are so much LARGER!  But how many of the thousands of tourists who come through here will ever see the world that we have only yet begun to see?  Beyond the beaches & resorts are a loving people who need Christ in their lives.  Pray for them & us.

P.S., Thanks for your continued prayer support…Heaven is feeling 110% better today!

Hola!  Today has been a blessed day from the Lord indeed.  This is the first opportunity I have had since we arrived to give you an update…but over the course of the next few days, please check back at this website for daily updates on our mission trip. We had a wonderful experience flying down Saturday.  The non-stop flight to the Dominican Republic (DR) was excellent…thanks Tina for hooking us up on the non-stop!  We flew Delta and had a lot of fun watching Michael, Kara, and Levi…it was their first time ever flying.  But we are here…praise God for the traveling mercy.  Bob and Anna greeted us at the airport in the DR.  After loading the bus full of luggage, we drove to the SCORE Complex for a quick layover, before going on to the Embassy Suites just down the road.  SCORE is extremely busy this week and has many groups here.  There was not enough room “in the inn” for the Pumpkinheads on Saturday night, so we were so graciously put up in three suites for the first evening’s stay.  The rooms were unbelievable…the Lord blessed us richly for our first night…Tammy and I certainly enjoyed the accommodations and the refreshing rest for the first evening.

This morning we got up fairly early for some breakfast at the Embassy Suites, then Bob picked us up as we headed into San Pedro for church.  This is the third time Tammy and I have been able to worship with these Dominican believers in San Pedro, and it was once again a blessing to be in the service with our DR brothers and sisters in Christ.  Pastor Tollentino was so gracious – as was the church members.  The students had the opportunity to do a drama to “the Potter’s Hand” before the church– they did an awesome job.  Bob translated for us during the service…the message was wonderful.  The Pastor preached out of 1 Timothy on the subject of the love of money.

No work takes place on Sundays out of SCORE…so after church, we have just been settling in our rooms at the SCORE Complex (we checked out of the Embassy) and resting for a week full of ministry opportunities.  In the morning, we will be traveling to one of the largest sugarcane villages in the DR and setting up a medical clinic.  We will be there all day.  Please pray for us as we will have the opportunity to share the Gospel in the morning and in the afternoon before anyone receives any medical attention.

Please check back at this website every day for updates of our trip…I will be updating each evening.  God bless you and thank you all for making this trip possible.

Brad

Today, the Lord’s Day, the HG family joined a local body and worshipped with them. There was also another SCORE group who attended so the visitors far outweighed the members. Thank goodness for our SCORE interpreter or most of us would’ve been lost as to what was even going on. It was a great service and an inspiring sermon. The pastor preached about the fact that we Christians are in a battle and we are the target that the enemy is after. Therefore, we need to be prepared for the battle by using the armor of God as our protection and weapon. The HG girls also performed their praise dance and it was well received.

The rest of the day was an “off” day (they let their bus drivers and some of their staff have the day off) so after lunch half the group went horseback riding, and the other half went to the beach to tackle the Caribbean Sea again. For some of the kids, this was their very first horse ride, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We only had one little drama . . . One of our girls’ horse decided they were going to go their own way and the particular girl didn’t understand how to make the horse go the way it should, so she ended up going down the wrong road and then into a field. The trail boss went galloping after her and after several minutes rescued her and brought her back. No harm done, although she was scared for a few minutes. It was quite an experience having 10 people on horses with 2 men, neither of them spoke any English. So we all pretty much communicated by sign language, or they would say, “Hey, lady, hey lady” until we figured out what they meant.

Then the evening was spent preparing skits, crafts, games and an art mural that will be painted at the orphanage we are returning to tomorrow. Everyone is holding up great and attitudes are still fantastic. Parents, thanks for sharing your kids with us for these two weeks. We are truly blessed.

Friday we headed to the Rainforest. There we encountered Fossil Land. It was a great adventure for our team as it held a number of of spiritual truths along the way.

After our formal introduction with the Costa Rican style chicken dance… we got our equipment, got our instructions and got our comic relief from our guide who was also a super hero, in his own right.

Our first obstacle as a team was the hike. We had a portion of the hike where we needed to work together, depend on one another, and physically assist one another as we ventured through the slipper rocks.

Follow our water adventure, we had another long hike to the top where we needed to get before we could zip-line all the way down. As we got closer, members of our team were getting a bit tired and short of breath due to the steepness of the climb and altitude. Finally, we made it to our first line.

The next challenge came as most of the members were very worried or afraid of going on the line. It was a bit intimidating, but our team came together to encourage and inspire and support one another to overcome our fears to take the plunge and zip-line several hundred feet, and several hundred feet in the air over seeing a beautiful scene.

We’re proud of the students and adults who overcame the fear and faced it. Taking literally a leap of faith that they would make it to the other side. And they all did. In fact you can see from some pictures that many got a little creative before the day was done.

We got to see some beautiful fossils in the rock formations as it was evidence at one time this mountain range was covered by water. We got to praise God for His beautiful Creation. It was a great morning and our guide did a fabulous job at keeping things light, humorous and exciting.

We had authentic Costa Rica lunch with beans, rice, meat and a drink of fresh fruit base.

In the afternoon our plans got rained out so we adjusted and did some service to the Villa in which we are staying. The students are constantly challenged to remember that they are a testimony of Christ at all times. That even in their joy of being together, they must be sensitive to those around them, seeing outside of themselves. They were challenged at night with the power of their tongue and whether they mouth being open is helpful to people to experiencing God better. We closed with about 20 minutes of silence to listen to what Christ wanted to say.

Pray for us today (Saturday) as we go to one of the most oppressed areas of San Jose to do a BBS. Also, this afternoon as we head downtown San Jose and distirbute Gospel tracks to people. Pray for hearts to be sensitive to the Gospel. Pray that our team will be quieted and take in the truth of God around us. Pray that we will be a strong testimony of Christ to the Costa Rican people and our hosts at Score.

With Love,
Rhett

For updates on Ewell Bible Baptist Church in Costa Rica, please visit www.youth.ewellbaptist.org.

Well, Day One is officially in the books…& what a long day it was, indeed!  After several long hours “flapping our wings”, we were ready to collapse…then we got slapped in the face with a heat wave unfamiliar to the friendly (yet chilly) confines of Western New York. After “touching down” in the Dominican Republic, & winding our way through the customs lines, we were driven to the SCORE Complex to “settle-in” & make ourselves familiar with our new home-away-from-home.  Naturally, the first thing we did once we unloaded our belongings was to either, (a) head for the pool or, (b) head for the bed…for a little siesta!

After enjoying a home-cooked spaghetti dinner & fellowship with our fellow “partners in Christ” from all over the United States (& beyond), we headed to the shores of the Caribbean Sea for devotions.  We were challenged to “see things through the eyes of Christ” — always making ourselves available to Him & always being aware of the situations & people He places in front of us…& all around us.  We know that God has BIG things in store!  Sometimes it takes getting past ourselves & moving where God is moving!

We are anxious to get started with the work that God has prepared for us.  We pray that God will use all of our unique talents & abilities to “reach one more” for His Kingdom.  We ask that you pray for each & every one of us as God moves us out of our little “comfort zones!”  Also, pray for Heaven– who was not feeling well after all of our extensive traveling.  With a good night’s rest she’ll be ready to go in the morning!  Right now, I think it’s safe to say, we could all use a good night’s rest (& the AC cranked up all the way!)

Stay tuned…God’s ready to do a mighty work!