DR Day 4 Monday March 16/15
In the past three days, so much has happened. This is our perspective of how we have seen God moving in the DR.
Earlier today we were privileged to visit the CBOQ school that began being built by our 2011 teams and now has over 100 students. We had a wonderful opportunity to interact with the children of the school, playing sports, making crafts and teaching Bible stories. We also were able to give Spanish Bibles, school supplies, sports equipment and the hand made teddy bears from the ladies in our church. The youth recognized the DR children’s respect for peers, adults and visitors alike. Teachers and volunteers also showed their love and passion for helping educate these children. They prayed for us! We continue to see how gracious these people are.
The compound where we are staying is finally finished and is very nice. We continue to see and hear about God’s abundant provisions for the ministry here. The Lighthouse School project is highly respected in the community by all and is a living testing to God’s presence here. On our way to the work site we were given a lot of appreciation and respect by the locals and smiles by the children as they call out “Americanos”. They are happy to see us because they know we work hard and they may even get some candy. They truly are people who appreciate all they have even if they do not have much!
God has given us energy needed for one and a half days of work, a community sports day, an ESL class with children, and today’s half day at the school. We are on target to finish the cement floor at the community church just in time for the Wednesday night celebration. We have been challenged to see God in our midst and without a question, we have. God is so good and partnering with Him here is truly a blessing!
Submitted by Becky and Nathan with contributions from our whole team!
Harmony Road Baptist team debrief and prayer
Week day schedule of morning worship 7 am. Today on the roof of our building with the team standing as the sun already hot was rising with our songs of praise. Personal devotional time after worship and breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham with the usual fruits – pineapple, Papaya and bananas (and of course bread and peanut butter) at 8 am.
Morning rooftop worship
The walk through the community to the church started at 9 am. The work today continued reducing those once 10 foot piles of yellow gravel into the increasingly becoming level church sanctuary floor. Local workers begin laying the concrete blocks across the sanctuary stage front as more and more wheelbarrows of finer and finer gravel are wheeled in dumped, raked and stamped by our teams. This continues from 9:20 am till 12 noon enough so that the rebar is beginning to be put in the gravel ready for the concrete.
Lunch is sloppy joes, vegetables and salad. I am beginning to think some at our team table are adding peanut butter sandwiches to break a record or annoy me. Lol.
At 2:15 after ” siesta ” the teams split up into various activities with CBOQ Youth dividing the three smaller teams back to the church sanctuary floor and the larger group (Harmony Road) taking a bus the the CBOQ “Sharkey” school we built in 2011 for crafts, recreation and table activities.
CBOQ “Sharkey” school (founded in 2011)
The CBOQ school is a two room school (divided into three rooms) for 3 -12 year olds from the community who do not meet the educational requirements for the government school programs. There are 95 children in this program. Approx half come in the morning 8-12 am and the others in the afternoons 2-5 pm. This afternoon there were 38 children here.
It is a recognized school and even through the children have started the schooling system late and are somewhat behind they can eventually catch up in life. Without CBOQ Youth committing themselves to this compassion experience project in 2011 there would be 95 children just playing in the streets all day without any opportunity for an education. These Compassion Experiences do make a difference for them and for us. Thank you for your support in sending teens and adults here to make this difference for them and for us.
The children left, some with parents and some on their own, after 5 pm all with large smiling faces because of the treasured balloons bracelets and hand knit bears they were clutching tight as the ran up or down the dirt and stone streets to their homes.
We did not leave. Apparently our bus was somewhere with a flat tire. He arrived at 5:30 pm and we did arrive back in time for supper – chicken in gravy potatoes sprinkled with cheese, broccoli , green beens, avocado kernel corn, carrots, and a chicken and cheese patty and pineapple with ice cream for dessert.
The other teams completed 1/6th of pouring of the concrete floor in the Open Walls Church sanctuary.
Evening worship in the basement
Worship at 7:15 was in the basement room followed by our team debriefs.
Time here goes so fast. We are at mid point of the experience already. Three very full days complete and three more very full days until we head home on Friday.
Thank you again for your support.
Submitted by Ron Ferguson
So glad to get your daily updates….praying for you all.