I hope these short stories of our time in the Dominican have been a blessing to you. Although this team has completed its time in the DR, Christ continues his work in and through his body there.
I encourage you to continue to pray for Christ to be glorified in the lives of the Dominicans and Haitians. You can continue to read about his continued work through Makarios by clicking on the Makarios blog link on this page.
To Christ be the glory!
Ryan King
Missions Associate
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Last Night Here
There is so much to talk about and I only have a couple paragraphs. Dang… Today we visited two farms near Santiago and heard some amazing stories of God’s provision and faithfulness. Ruben, one of the farmers and a former Franciscan monk, explained how he lives a life of simplicity detached from abundance. One particular thing he said while telling his story that many people did and will remember is that “luxury is food for the poor.” His story convicted me and many others to live a life of simplicity. This does not mean to sell everything and become a missionary, although it may. But, in a more practical manner, we should love God and use what we are and what we have in obedience to God. For, as Samuel says in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,” and Jesus says in Matthew 22:37 that the great commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” By the way, I’m really good (or bad?) at run-on sentences.
As a brief summary of the awesomeness of this trip, here are a couple pretty cool things. First, our group, consisting of 23 students, united incredibly quickly sharing a strong community and having a solid team mentality. The Lord proved His faithfulness over and over again, answering prayers and moving with and through our team. Thank you everyone for praying for and supporting us. God is and will forever be faithful.
-Alex Griffith
On Sunday afternoon, our fifth full day here, the three of us experienced first-hand the equality we share as brothers and sisters in Christ. But when we woke up that morning, the three of us (including many others) were really sick with stomach problems. After church and after lunch we re-visited Chichigua even though we were still feeling under the weather. There we were touched by an older woman named Maria. Norma was super excited because she noticed that her and Maria were wearing the exact same shoes…crocs. After talking to her for a while, Maria asked her why she wasn’t playing soccer with the rest of the group. So Norma explained that she and Kristine weren’t feeling well, but that I was feeling worse. Maria immediately insisted on taking the three of us to their church to pray. By church we mean tool shed. They sat me down on a chair, put their hands over me and Maria prayed in Creole, the Haitian native language. After praying for me, we sat Maria down and all prayed out loud simultaneously. It was an amazing experience. We walked out of there with the biggest smiles on our faces. It’s crazy how we thought we were going there to pray over them, and ended up having Maria pray over us. It’s also assuring on how great our God is, that people from all tribes and nations declare Christ as their savior. As Revelations 7: 9-10 says, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.””
-Aaron Hayslip, Kristine Allcott & Norma Saldivar
Monday, January 7, 2008
Day 7
Today is January 7th and I do not think that I could feel more blessed. Just before the trip a few of my friends asked if they could pray for me, and they asked if they should pray for anything specific. I told them to pray for whatever was on their heart and whatever the Spirit was telling them to pray for, but to specifically pray for group unity and for my Spanish so that I would be able to better communicate with the people we would be serving and hanging out with. I forgot about those prayers until just now, as I reflect on how faithful God is and how He truly hears our prayers.
As far as group unity goes, I really don’t think we could have much more of that. We have been a group filled with joy and laugher, and have been quick to pray about anything that has come in our way. I am very thankful for that.
More importantly, praise God that when they prayed for my Spanish, they also prayed for the Spanish of all the people on this trip. Even with the little knowledge that most of us had coming on this trip, we were able to communicate amazingly well. However, I am convinced that the communication was not of a result any Spanish study or practice on our part, but because the Holy Spirit was speaking through us to the Dominican and Haitian people.
While it has truly been a blessing to be here in the Dominican, I will be sad to be leaving so soon. After playing soccer for a very long time in a Haitian village called Chichigua, I was speaking with a Haitian man named Francisco. After telling him “good game” (they beat us pretty bad, so I had to swallow some pride to say that – just kidding), I said that I wish we could play soccer with him everyday. He got a sad look on his face, and said, “but you can’t.” It was a tough moment for me, and made me feel bad that we could only hang out with them for a very short time. But then I became very thankful for our brothers and sister in Christ that are here all the time, and are able to love these people almost everyday. I also became very thankful that while I may not be able to be with them all the time, if they receive the Holy Spirit, they will be able to have Him with them for all of eternity – an infinitely much sweeter gift than my soccer skills.
After the sad moment with Francisco, I became very encouraged. I want to praise God that Francisco knows Jesus, as he said to me and a few other guys right before we left, “Go with God.” Give God the glory for the power of prayer and His faithfulness, all of the time.
Michael Conrad
Yesterday, while in the village of Chichigua, God was so good to allow me to meet a girl named Yaina. Since the last time we visited Chichigua, I was so interested in this one building (by building I mean a house that in the states would be classified as a run-down shack) with a wooden cross on the outside. As soon as I got out of the van yesterday, I felt God leading me to that particular cross, that particular home. Right under the cross sat a girl between the ages of 12 and 14, emaciated and clearly malnourished. As soon as I saw her condition, my heart started to race and part of me was frightened by seeing her body and behavior (later I learned that she had cerebral palsy), things I have only seen in pictures and learned about in school. Despite my fear of the unknown, God continued to tug at my heart as the Holy Spirit led me to sit with her. As soon as she noticed me, the biggest smile came over her face and the sweetest laughter that came not from her mouth, but from her heart. After hugging on her and praying with her, she was able to come out to the soccer field to watch our game. Praise God for her joy, and for humbling me after seeing the joy overflowing from her. As God has shown us all time and time again on this trip, His love is what satisfies, and God greatly blesses those who literally have very little else to satisfy them. It is my prayer that we may all, especially myself, learn to depend on Him for the fullest satisfaction.
Samantha Lingamfelter
As far as group unity goes, I really don’t think we could have much more of that. We have been a group filled with joy and laugher, and have been quick to pray about anything that has come in our way. I am very thankful for that.
More importantly, praise God that when they prayed for my Spanish, they also prayed for the Spanish of all the people on this trip. Even with the little knowledge that most of us had coming on this trip, we were able to communicate amazingly well. However, I am convinced that the communication was not of a result any Spanish study or practice on our part, but because the Holy Spirit was speaking through us to the Dominican and Haitian people.
While it has truly been a blessing to be here in the Dominican, I will be sad to be leaving so soon. After playing soccer for a very long time in a Haitian village called Chichigua, I was speaking with a Haitian man named Francisco. After telling him “good game” (they beat us pretty bad, so I had to swallow some pride to say that – just kidding), I said that I wish we could play soccer with him everyday. He got a sad look on his face, and said, “but you can’t.” It was a tough moment for me, and made me feel bad that we could only hang out with them for a very short time. But then I became very thankful for our brothers and sister in Christ that are here all the time, and are able to love these people almost everyday. I also became very thankful that while I may not be able to be with them all the time, if they receive the Holy Spirit, they will be able to have Him with them for all of eternity – an infinitely much sweeter gift than my soccer skills.
After the sad moment with Francisco, I became very encouraged. I want to praise God that Francisco knows Jesus, as he said to me and a few other guys right before we left, “Go with God.” Give God the glory for the power of prayer and His faithfulness, all of the time.
Michael Conrad
Yesterday, while in the village of Chichigua, God was so good to allow me to meet a girl named Yaina. Since the last time we visited Chichigua, I was so interested in this one building (by building I mean a house that in the states would be classified as a run-down shack) with a wooden cross on the outside. As soon as I got out of the van yesterday, I felt God leading me to that particular cross, that particular home. Right under the cross sat a girl between the ages of 12 and 14, emaciated and clearly malnourished. As soon as I saw her condition, my heart started to race and part of me was frightened by seeing her body and behavior (later I learned that she had cerebral palsy), things I have only seen in pictures and learned about in school. Despite my fear of the unknown, God continued to tug at my heart as the Holy Spirit led me to sit with her. As soon as she noticed me, the biggest smile came over her face and the sweetest laughter that came not from her mouth, but from her heart. After hugging on her and praying with her, she was able to come out to the soccer field to watch our game. Praise God for her joy, and for humbling me after seeing the joy overflowing from her. As God has shown us all time and time again on this trip, His love is what satisfies, and God greatly blesses those who literally have very little else to satisfy them. It is my prayer that we may all, especially myself, learn to depend on Him for the fullest satisfaction.
Samantha Lingamfelter
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Day 4
Today was such an amazing day. I got to see, yet again, God’s faithfulness and His unyielding love for His people. We picked the children up for a fiesta at the school and got to see what goes on inside the classroom. Before all the children enter the building they line up for songs. I love (absolutely love) hearing the children sing in Spanish and many of them love to sing walking through the streets. So when they lined up for songs I was so excited. They began singing in Spanish and my heart was stirred. I speak very little Spanish, so I was enjoying just seeing the joy on their faces. My heart smiled when I recognized words such as Father, love, and Jesus. Then I heard one of the teachers ask a question to which a precious boy answered and then they started singing their song. Norma (who has been such a blessing to me) translated and said, “He said….then we can move mountains.” When I gave her a blank look she let me in on the fact that the teacher had asked……. what if we have faith in God. This little boy’s proclamation of truth struck me. All around me the children were singing in Spanish, Creole, and then in English. “I could sing of His love FOREVER. I could sing of His love FOREVER. I could sing of his love FOREVER.” God’s presence was definitely there. He is at work here in the Dominican Republic. His faithfulness overwhelms me. He is changing the lives of these children! He deserves all the praise these precious little ones can give him, all the praise we can give him, and exceedingly more!
Holly Crim
It is the end of our fourth day in the Dominican Republic. Each and every day here has been so amazing and I have fallen in love with the people of this country. Every morning I am so excited to see the children in the villages that we have played with for the past couple of days. Their beautiful brown eyes, huge smiles, and tight hugs make me never want to leave them. Getting to hear and see the kids sing about Jesus today was such an encouragement. It was so evident to see the how God is working through Makarios. God is so faithful!
I wanted to write about something that happened a couple of days ago in the village of Chichigua. This village is very calm with only about 100 people and they are so sweet. Two other girls and I were playing with three of the young boys. It is so evident that these kids crave attention. They love being chased or swung around or even just held. Our group was about to leave so we started walking back to the bus. One of the boys, called Bob, came running up to Chelsea and leaped into her arms. Right away, God urged me to ask this little five year old boy about Jesus. I was filled with so much love for this child as I asked him three questions, “Do you know Jesus?” “Do you know He is your Savior?” “Do you know He loves you?” I give God the glory for the three sincere nods he gave me. God orchestrated the whole situation and reminded me again of His great faithfulness. I stand in awe of our Savior who can save anyone and who can use anyone to proclaim His Holy Name.
Bonnie Young
Holly Crim
It is the end of our fourth day in the Dominican Republic. Each and every day here has been so amazing and I have fallen in love with the people of this country. Every morning I am so excited to see the children in the villages that we have played with for the past couple of days. Their beautiful brown eyes, huge smiles, and tight hugs make me never want to leave them. Getting to hear and see the kids sing about Jesus today was such an encouragement. It was so evident to see the how God is working through Makarios. God is so faithful!
I wanted to write about something that happened a couple of days ago in the village of Chichigua. This village is very calm with only about 100 people and they are so sweet. Two other girls and I were playing with three of the young boys. It is so evident that these kids crave attention. They love being chased or swung around or even just held. Our group was about to leave so we started walking back to the bus. One of the boys, called Bob, came running up to Chelsea and leaped into her arms. Right away, God urged me to ask this little five year old boy about Jesus. I was filled with so much love for this child as I asked him three questions, “Do you know Jesus?” “Do you know He is your Savior?” “Do you know He loves you?” I give God the glory for the three sincere nods he gave me. God orchestrated the whole situation and reminded me again of His great faithfulness. I stand in awe of our Savior who can save anyone and who can use anyone to proclaim His Holy Name.
Bonnie Young
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Day 3
This is my second trip to the DR with Austin Stone and I am overwhelmingly blessed to be back in this beautiful country. On my first trip in March, I met a precious girl named Carolina who lived in the small Haitian village of Chichigua. Only 3 years old at the time, Carolina and her baby brother captured my heart. We spent a couple of days together and not once did she say a word to, or smile at any one of us in the group. She clung to her brother, out of what seemed to be fear and was reluctant to any form of touch. For several months I had Carolina’s picture on my computer, and prayed for her often.
Last night, I was catching up with my sweet friend, Kate, who is now a teacher here in the DR and when I asked about her kids, she mentioned one of her favorite preschoolers, a beautiful girl named Carolina. I was filled with joy when I learned that Carolina is enrolled in Makarios’ school and looked forward to visiting Chichigua today. As we pulled up in the vans, Kate turned to me and said “Are you ready for Carolina?” The minute we jumped out of the car a beaming girl in a bright blue shirt came running around the corner and dove into Kate’s arms. This was not the same Carolina I met 9 months ago.
I am so thankful for the way God’s love, through his hand and feet here on Earth, breaks down walls around our hearts, so that we may know Him.
Caroline Tigner
Today, I and three others played with some of the local children while the rest of the group was hard at work on the Makarios school house. We went to a nearby field and played a game of baseball, Dominican style of course. Tennis ball, foam bat, and pieces of trash used for bases, this was just another normal day in the children’s lives. After finishing the game, one of the boys invited us to his house. Like many of the sights seen thus far, I cannot even begin to explain what we found. A small ‘house’ made from tree limbs and scrap metal, Moses’ mother and younger sister invited us, along with about ten kids in. We gathered, or at least attempted to, in a room that was no larger than 10 feet by 6 feet.
The fact that she was so welcoming and accepting of complete strangers was amazing, but definitely just the beginning. She immediately began preparing a space for us and sent her son to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola and ice, both of which are luxuries here. While sipping my drink, I was overwhelmed by God’s love and his faithfulness. The night before, I had prayed that God reveal himself to me for I longed to know him more and fall completely in love with him. Needless to say, my prayer was answered. Moses’ mother gave of herself and what she had without a second thought and did so cheerfully. I witnessed her display of unconditional love and was completely captivated by God and infinite love for us.
God has opened my eyes on this trip to see that it is not where you are or what you have, it’s what you have in your heart. Jesus is in my heart, and to Him be the glory.
Lauren Hughey
P.S. That was the best Coke I have ever had, and wish each of you could have been there to see/feel the love!
Last night, I was catching up with my sweet friend, Kate, who is now a teacher here in the DR and when I asked about her kids, she mentioned one of her favorite preschoolers, a beautiful girl named Carolina. I was filled with joy when I learned that Carolina is enrolled in Makarios’ school and looked forward to visiting Chichigua today. As we pulled up in the vans, Kate turned to me and said “Are you ready for Carolina?” The minute we jumped out of the car a beaming girl in a bright blue shirt came running around the corner and dove into Kate’s arms. This was not the same Carolina I met 9 months ago.
I am so thankful for the way God’s love, through his hand and feet here on Earth, breaks down walls around our hearts, so that we may know Him.
Caroline Tigner
Today, I and three others played with some of the local children while the rest of the group was hard at work on the Makarios school house. We went to a nearby field and played a game of baseball, Dominican style of course. Tennis ball, foam bat, and pieces of trash used for bases, this was just another normal day in the children’s lives. After finishing the game, one of the boys invited us to his house. Like many of the sights seen thus far, I cannot even begin to explain what we found. A small ‘house’ made from tree limbs and scrap metal, Moses’ mother and younger sister invited us, along with about ten kids in. We gathered, or at least attempted to, in a room that was no larger than 10 feet by 6 feet.
The fact that she was so welcoming and accepting of complete strangers was amazing, but definitely just the beginning. She immediately began preparing a space for us and sent her son to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola and ice, both of which are luxuries here. While sipping my drink, I was overwhelmed by God’s love and his faithfulness. The night before, I had prayed that God reveal himself to me for I longed to know him more and fall completely in love with him. Needless to say, my prayer was answered. Moses’ mother gave of herself and what she had without a second thought and did so cheerfully. I witnessed her display of unconditional love and was completely captivated by God and infinite love for us.
God has opened my eyes on this trip to see that it is not where you are or what you have, it’s what you have in your heart. Jesus is in my heart, and to Him be the glory.
Lauren Hughey
P.S. That was the best Coke I have ever had, and wish each of you could have been there to see/feel the love!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Day 2
Today was our first full day in the Republica Dominicana! Makarios has constructed an education center in the middle of Tamarindo, one of the towns outside of Puerto Plata. I was here over the summer for a while and helped start construction on it, and seeing the finished product was so amazing. These kids finally have a place to go to school where it’s not over-crowded or extremely hot. We helped clear out some land next to the school for a garden, painted some new tables, and organized supplies for the forthcoming school year. We also took some of the restless local children down the street to place some baseball and soccer.
It’s so good to be back here and with a group of such awesome people. Seeing everyone interact with all the local kids is so sweet. I love seeing our group communicate with the locals- especially the ones who don’t speak a lick of Spanish. Aside from the fact that it’s funny, it reminds me that the Holy Spirit transcends language. I’m so pumped about what God’s already doing in the lives and relationships in this group…and we still have another week!!!
We won the baseball game. We won by a lot.
Barrett Raven
Preparing for the DR trip, I had heard that there was conflict between the Haitians and the Dominicans and the existence of a great amount of prejudice the Dominicans have towards the Haitians. Today in Tamarindo while we were working at the schoolhouse, children of both Haitian and Dominican decent were all around us and we had opportunity to interact and play with them. I was unable to tell the difference between a Dominican child and a Haitian child. This got me to thinking about how God looks at us, His children, and how he sees no difference in us based on color, affluence, quantity of good works, intensity of sin in our background, or anything else. God looks at us and all he sees is His children, His beloved creation. I’m so thankful to be in the Dominican Republic and having the opportunity to love on children and to have God teach me such valuable spiritual lessons.
Michelle Brown
It’s so good to be back here and with a group of such awesome people. Seeing everyone interact with all the local kids is so sweet. I love seeing our group communicate with the locals- especially the ones who don’t speak a lick of Spanish. Aside from the fact that it’s funny, it reminds me that the Holy Spirit transcends language. I’m so pumped about what God’s already doing in the lives and relationships in this group…and we still have another week!!!
We won the baseball game. We won by a lot.
Barrett Raven
Preparing for the DR trip, I had heard that there was conflict between the Haitians and the Dominicans and the existence of a great amount of prejudice the Dominicans have towards the Haitians. Today in Tamarindo while we were working at the schoolhouse, children of both Haitian and Dominican decent were all around us and we had opportunity to interact and play with them. I was unable to tell the difference between a Dominican child and a Haitian child. This got me to thinking about how God looks at us, His children, and how he sees no difference in us based on color, affluence, quantity of good works, intensity of sin in our background, or anything else. God looks at us and all he sees is His children, His beloved creation. I’m so thankful to be in the Dominican Republic and having the opportunity to love on children and to have God teach me such valuable spiritual lessons.
Michelle Brown
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Safe and Sound!
Get everyone to the airport at 4 a.m. . . check
Travel to the DR without losing anyone on the way. . .check
Arrive at the Makarios house where we will stay for most of our trip. . .check
Enjoy a good time of prayer and worship with a beautiful mountain/ocean view. . .check
Well, we're here and everyone has made their way to bed after a long day of travel. There have already been opportunities on our flights to share the reason for our joy in Christ with others and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for our group as we prepare for tomorrow. We will be spending our day around the new Makarios school working on various projects and spending time with the children that attend classes there.
There will be many stories to follow as the week continues. Please continue to pray for us that we might delight in Christ and have opportunities to tangibly express his greatness to those around us.
Serving for the gospel,
Ryan King
Missions Associate
Travel to the DR without losing anyone on the way. . .check
Arrive at the Makarios house where we will stay for most of our trip. . .check
Enjoy a good time of prayer and worship with a beautiful mountain/ocean view. . .check
Well, we're here and everyone has made their way to bed after a long day of travel. There have already been opportunities on our flights to share the reason for our joy in Christ with others and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for our group as we prepare for tomorrow. We will be spending our day around the new Makarios school working on various projects and spending time with the children that attend classes there.
There will be many stories to follow as the week continues. Please continue to pray for us that we might delight in Christ and have opportunities to tangibly express his greatness to those around us.
Serving for the gospel,
Ryan King
Missions Associate
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