What a great week we had! It was amazing to see God provide in every way possible. With it being Holy Week, campus closed and we were not able to have English class from Wednesday on. We also had to say goodbye to some of our new friends because they were going to
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March 2013
Update from "Frio Frijoles"
For more information on THAT story, ask any of us. (Don't worry, it was a funny one)
We had a sweet opportunity to witness a baptism in the ocean today - which was awesome! Many people were able to witness it. La Guibia, the local beach, has been such a blessing to us—for the baptism, for awesome sunrise views while spending time in the Word, and for many opportunities for the gospel to go out to the people there, especially as the University was closed for half the day today.
Although we did not have English classes and Bible studies today due to the closing of the campus, we were able to meet up with quite a few people to disciple them. The discipleship booklets have been very helpful for that!
There are a few people on our hearts that we would like prayers for: one guy that has been around our group year after year, but is still hard to accepting Christ in his life, but is very intellectually knowledgeable of the Gospel, and another two that are Christians but do not have a good church and do not know what fellowship and accountability look like.
Laura was blessed by a girl who was trying to get together with her (usually vice-versa) and was able to share the gospel to both her and her friend; they were very receptive and wanted to make professions of faith, but at their own homes. We have been reminded of how much the Gospel is needed not only here, but also at home. Please be praying for our last day here and that the word would go out powerfully, and especcialy for discipleship and fellowship to continue and grow after we leave.
Thanks!
Update
Update
This week has been incredible so far and we have been able to see the Lord work in so many ways. His provision has been abundant and His hand of protection so evident. We have been given many opportunities to share with hearts the Lord has already softened. The Holy Spirit it is
Update from "Grupo Santo"
Hola from Un Grupo Santo (a.k.a. "One Holy/set apart Group"),
Terry, Tony, Paul, Sara, Coco, and Kayla
We've experienced God's faithfulness as a group-consisting of both veterans and newbies. Divine appointments, grace with the language barrier, and God-given boldnness have been hallmarks for us so far. Here is a sample of how we've spent our time and what the Lord's been doing in the DR:
- Jason, a Dominican friend Paul made last year, showed up at the hostel on Monday to help translate and has being doing so faithfully every day. Paul and Sara have been able to go over a discipleship book with him, and he is growing a ton in the true knowledge of God every day.
- Sara has also been able to spend some time with Joell, another Dominican our missionaries connected with last year. He's been really thinking about the Lord, but has not trusted in the Lord for his salvation at this time. Please pray that any barriers in his life keeping him from God would be broken down.
- Tomorrow our group will be going to Leidy and Carolin's home for a meal. Sara shared with these girls, but they are having a hard time understanding forgiveness of ALL sins. Pray they would understand that Jesus' death was the full payment for all.
- I believe (and I think the group agrees) one of the most encouraging times thus far has been our time spent at the San Pedro church's camp. We worshiped with them on Sunday (in the middle of nowhere-talking about some serious off-road action here) and witnessed 4 baptisms afterward. I (Kayla) was able to talk with two of the people being baptized as well as a friend of one of the others being baptized who was not a Christian. It is tremendously encouraging to see the Dominican believers faithfully reaching out to others with the message of salvation and to hear how much God has changed their lives.
Thank you all for your prayer and support for us.
Update from "Team Wombo Combo"
Team Wombo Combo reporting in for briefing:
Wow, how time flies! Half of the week is down and we barely feel like we have even touched the surface of seeing how the Lord is working in Santo Domingo. Today was another great example of God’s great power at work here in the Dominican Republic. We thank you all for your prayers.
The Lord works out crazy opportunities for us to meet up with people. Back story: when Loren was here 2 years ago, she spent basically the whole week with a girl named Jessica. We were not able to contact Jessica at all so it was up to the Lord to bring us together with her. On Monday, we went with some of our new Dominican friends to the University Cafeteria, where the meals there are ONLY 5 pesos (approximately 12cents) a meal. The place was packed. One of the girls led us to the table where we were going to sit – it was the only table with enough seats open. In a school of 180,000 students, with probably 1,000 sitting in the cafeteria, we ended up sitting right next to Jessica. This was the only day that Jessica was on campus for the whole week. Wow, God made a play!
On Tuesday, Greg, Becky, Taylor, and Loren had a picnic lunch at the Embassy (a popular park) outside the library. We had so many people that wanted to talk to us about why we’re here and had many opportunities to share the Word with them. Jess met with a girl who prayed to receive Christ as her Savior last week to go over Primeros Pasos (a discipleship book for new Christians). It was so encouraging seeing another sibling in Christ, assured of her salvation in the Lord.
We wrapped up the day back at the hostel. Tay prepared dinner for us and for some of the people we spent time with the day before. It was a great meal and a great time in fellowship. This has been an encouraging trip.
Our prayer requests:
Wow, how time flies! Half of the week is down and we barely feel like we have even touched the surface of seeing how the Lord is working in Santo Domingo. Today was another great example of God’s great power at work here in the Dominican Republic. We thank you all for your prayers.
The Lord works out crazy opportunities for us to meet up with people. Back story: when Loren was here 2 years ago, she spent basically the whole week with a girl named Jessica. We were not able to contact Jessica at all so it was up to the Lord to bring us together with her. On Monday, we went with some of our new Dominican friends to the University Cafeteria, where the meals there are ONLY 5 pesos (approximately 12cents) a meal. The place was packed. One of the girls led us to the table where we were going to sit – it was the only table with enough seats open. In a school of 180,000 students, with probably 1,000 sitting in the cafeteria, we ended up sitting right next to Jessica. This was the only day that Jessica was on campus for the whole week. Wow, God made a play!
On Tuesday, Greg, Becky, Taylor, and Loren had a picnic lunch at the Embassy (a popular park) outside the library. We had so many people that wanted to talk to us about why we’re here and had many opportunities to share the Word with them. Jess met with a girl who prayed to receive Christ as her Savior last week to go over Primeros Pasos (a discipleship book for new Christians). It was so encouraging seeing another sibling in Christ, assured of her salvation in the Lord.
We wrapped up the day back at the hostel. Tay prepared dinner for us and for some of the people we spent time with the day before. It was a great meal and a great time in fellowship. This has been an encouraging trip.
Our prayer requests:
- The Christians we’re spending time with – that they would be encouraged and spurred on
- Salvations and new disciples
- Soft hearts for the people we will meet for the rest of the week
- The fiesta on Thursday
- Travel back to the US
Thanks and we love you all.
Greg, Becky, Loren, Jess, and Tay.
Update from "Team Pedos de Conejos"
We have had an exciting time so far on our trip. Most of my group (Bianca, Pat, Kirstie, and I) had a smooth flight down on Friday and arrived by the afternoon. It worked out perfectly because we were able to go to the end of the week party for the first week teams and meet many of the people they had led to the Lord or invested time into during their trip. It was encouraging for me to see that there was already way more Dominicans worshipping the Lord and hanging out with our group than at the end of last year's trip. God has been doing wonderful things during the year.
Our team was finally all together when Audrey arrived with the second wave of flights on Saturday night. Sunday we went to the camp of Sabino’s church just outside of San Pedro. We had a nice bus ride along the ocean and then into the Domincan countryside. The camp was gorgeous and we had a beautiful afternoon worshipping with Sabino’s church, listening to a message from Sabino, and sharing a meal together. It was a great opportunity to encourage the saints in our sister church there, which supports the ministry on the University of Santo Domingo campus that we have focused our mission trips around.
Monday and Tuesday have been almost entirely spent on campus. I have been so proud of our team and the way they have worked hard and worked together. They have already passed out hundreds of gospel tracts and have been very bold in responding to the Holy Spirit’s prompts to initiate Gospel conversations. Our group specifically is praying that we can sow the Gospel into hundreds of lives and get to build lasting relationship with three people who can get plugged into La Vid on campus. Thanks for your prayers and support! We have had spotty Internet access, but hopefully we will post another entry in a couple of days.
Our team was finally all together when Audrey arrived with the second wave of flights on Saturday night. Sunday we went to the camp of Sabino’s church just outside of San Pedro. We had a nice bus ride along the ocean and then into the Domincan countryside. The camp was gorgeous and we had a beautiful afternoon worshipping with Sabino’s church, listening to a message from Sabino, and sharing a meal together. It was a great opportunity to encourage the saints in our sister church there, which supports the ministry on the University of Santo Domingo campus that we have focused our mission trips around.
Monday and Tuesday have been almost entirely spent on campus. I have been so proud of our team and the way they have worked hard and worked together. They have already passed out hundreds of gospel tracts and have been very bold in responding to the Holy Spirit’s prompts to initiate Gospel conversations. Our group specifically is praying that we can sow the Gospel into hundreds of lives and get to build lasting relationship with three people who can get plugged into La Vid on campus. Thanks for your prayers and support! We have had spotty Internet access, but hopefully we will post another entry in a couple of days.
Update from "Frio Frijoles"
Yesterday we were able to worship and fellowship with La Vid in San Pedro - it was so cool to hear Dominicans being very honest about their Christian walk. We got to see three baptisms and were reminded that the love of God through fellowship transcends all language barriers!
The weekend was a really great opportunity to embrace and learn about the Dominican culture, from learning new slang to surviving crazy road trips and enjoying the delicious food. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know the locals and students better before heading to campus today.
When we got on campus, we were all were so pumped at how willing the students were to talk. We were refreshed to be able to share the gospel after a weekend of fellowship with not as much evangelism. The opportunities exploded today.
Laura was blown away - her first conversation the girl accepted Christ! We made many friends today and hope to follow up with them tomorrow.
Tim had some great conversations and we frequently met people that knew the basics of the gospel, but didn't know you could know FOR SURE that you are going to heaven. Many had an intellectual understanding of Christ, but hadn't accepted Christ into their life yet because they felt unworthy, unwilling to change, or were waiting for the "right moment".
Tonight at our tie-down, Carla really hit home telling us how she reminded the people we talked to that fellowship is so important and getting them hooked up with the bible study there, La Vid. We are praying for more opportunities to go deeper with the students throughout the week and are blessed to have someone in our group who can communicate so clearly with the Dominicans.
Thank you for your prayers!
Frio Frijoles: Japheth, Tim, Laura, Nicole and Carla
The weekend was a really great opportunity to embrace and learn about the Dominican culture, from learning new slang to surviving crazy road trips and enjoying the delicious food. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know the locals and students better before heading to campus today.
When we got on campus, we were all were so pumped at how willing the students were to talk. We were refreshed to be able to share the gospel after a weekend of fellowship with not as much evangelism. The opportunities exploded today.
Laura was blown away - her first conversation the girl accepted Christ! We made many friends today and hope to follow up with them tomorrow.
Tim had some great conversations and we frequently met people that knew the basics of the gospel, but didn't know you could know FOR SURE that you are going to heaven. Many had an intellectual understanding of Christ, but hadn't accepted Christ into their life yet because they felt unworthy, unwilling to change, or were waiting for the "right moment".
Tonight at our tie-down, Carla really hit home telling us how she reminded the people we talked to that fellowship is so important and getting them hooked up with the bible study there, La Vid. We are praying for more opportunities to go deeper with the students throughout the week and are blessed to have someone in our group who can communicate so clearly with the Dominicans.
Thank you for your prayers!
Frio Frijoles: Japheth, Tim, Laura, Nicole and Carla
Final update from "Semillas de Mostaza"
Hey everyone!
Hola from the Semillas de Mostaza (the “mustard seeds”). Tonight was our final party at Quebia (the beach-front hangout area). There were probably 60-75 Dominicans at the party tonight to see us off and have an awesome night of worship, fellowship and fun.
To start off the party, we all gathered on the beach to sing a few worship songs and then Caleb Thompson gave a short messege of encouragement to the Dominican people. Following the messege, we all went up to play some volleyball, eat food and hang out together.
Probably the biggest answered prayer for our group came on Monday when Kristin and Caleb shared the Gospel with a guy named Felix and his friend Dalton. Felix soke decent English but Dalton hardly spoke any. After speaking with them for a few minutes, we found out that Felix was a Christian, but we weren’t sure where Dalton stood with the Lord. The next day, Kristin was praying that we would be able to see them again during the week. And the very next day, who do you think were the first people we ran into? Felix and Dalton! After talking with them for 20 minutes, Dalton told Caleb that he wanted to accept Jesus Christ into his heart! We were also blessed enough to meet Felix’s girlfriend Elius and their friend Katt. We were also able to go through a discipleship booklet with all of them, along with a really sweet guy name Caesar, for the last two days!
Hola from the Semillas de Mostaza (the “mustard seeds”). Tonight was our final party at Quebia (the beach-front hangout area). There were probably 60-75 Dominicans at the party tonight to see us off and have an awesome night of worship, fellowship and fun.
To start off the party, we all gathered on the beach to sing a few worship songs and then Caleb Thompson gave a short messege of encouragement to the Dominican people. Following the messege, we all went up to play some volleyball, eat food and hang out together.
Probably the biggest answered prayer for our group came on Monday when Kristin and Caleb shared the Gospel with a guy named Felix and his friend Dalton. Felix soke decent English but Dalton hardly spoke any. After speaking with them for a few minutes, we found out that Felix was a Christian, but we weren’t sure where Dalton stood with the Lord. The next day, Kristin was praying that we would be able to see them again during the week. And the very next day, who do you think were the first people we ran into? Felix and Dalton! After talking with them for 20 minutes, Dalton told Caleb that he wanted to accept Jesus Christ into his heart! We were also blessed enough to meet Felix’s girlfriend Elius and their friend Katt. We were also able to go through a discipleship booklet with all of them, along with a really sweet guy name Caesar, for the last two days!
This past week has been such an encouragement to all of us, even though it has been physically, spiritually, and mentally exhausting. Thank you everyone for your prayers throughout our trip! God bless!
Kristin, Jocelyn, Ben and Caleb
Final update from "Las Tortugas"
Hey friends,
This is the Tortugas again. (Josh, Liz, Emily, Taylor, Allison, and Nicki) We just got back from our final party at Guibia! It was pretty neat. Probably 75+ Dominicans came to the beach to enjoy some food, fellowship, volleyball, and praise & worship.
After we sang some songs, (in multiple languages) Caleb proceeded to share some from Acts 2:42-47. He challenged the local Christians to band together to pursue Christ and introduced a few of the leaders of La Vid, which is the Bible study on campus that has formed as a result of our trips.
There were about a dozen people who are on the second leg of the trip that were able to come to our party as well. They got to meet a number of the individuals that we have built friendships with this week. Please pray that momentum would really be built through this effort in La Vid and that laborers would be added.
God has answered many prayers over the last few days. We had a little bit of a run-in with the university administration. They claimed we didn’t have authority to hold our English classes, even though we had received permission from a faculty member. After about a full day, Caleb, Moncee, and our friend Steve were able to get everything sorted out and even met the president of the university! We got the green light to continue doing everything we wanted to do to spread the Gospel.
One of the cooler stories of answered prayer involves a young man named Javier. I (Josh) met him and was able to share the Gospel with him on Tuesday. He is an agnostic, but is pretty interested and was willing to discuss Christianity in-depth. After the conversation, one of Javier’s friends requested that I should be praying for Javier since he isn’t a Christian. I did, but didn’t really think anything of it.
The next evening, we were out to eat at Sbarro for pizza. I realized that the guy sitting across from me looked incredibly familiar. He was with another friend that was a Christian though and is involved in the local Campus Crusade group. I figured the reason he looked familiar was because of that. I didn’t connect the dots until he mentioned a book he was reading that this was the same Javier from the day before!
Nicki had shared the Gospel with him again just earlier that afternoon and challenged him with the truth of the Bible. She then invited him to come out to eat with us. I thought about how incredible it was that out of a campus of 100,000 students I was sitting across the table from the same person that I had prayed specifically for just the day before! He also came to the party we had at the beach and discussed his beliefs more with Nicki. Please be praying for his salvation and that he would get connected with the next group. Remember that God does answer prayer!
This is the Tortugas again. (Josh, Liz, Emily, Taylor, Allison, and Nicki) We just got back from our final party at Guibia! It was pretty neat. Probably 75+ Dominicans came to the beach to enjoy some food, fellowship, volleyball, and praise & worship.
After we sang some songs, (in multiple languages) Caleb proceeded to share some from Acts 2:42-47. He challenged the local Christians to band together to pursue Christ and introduced a few of the leaders of La Vid, which is the Bible study on campus that has formed as a result of our trips.
There were about a dozen people who are on the second leg of the trip that were able to come to our party as well. They got to meet a number of the individuals that we have built friendships with this week. Please pray that momentum would really be built through this effort in La Vid and that laborers would be added.
God has answered many prayers over the last few days. We had a little bit of a run-in with the university administration. They claimed we didn’t have authority to hold our English classes, even though we had received permission from a faculty member. After about a full day, Caleb, Moncee, and our friend Steve were able to get everything sorted out and even met the president of the university! We got the green light to continue doing everything we wanted to do to spread the Gospel.
One of the cooler stories of answered prayer involves a young man named Javier. I (Josh) met him and was able to share the Gospel with him on Tuesday. He is an agnostic, but is pretty interested and was willing to discuss Christianity in-depth. After the conversation, one of Javier’s friends requested that I should be praying for Javier since he isn’t a Christian. I did, but didn’t really think anything of it.
The next evening, we were out to eat at Sbarro for pizza. I realized that the guy sitting across from me looked incredibly familiar. He was with another friend that was a Christian though and is involved in the local Campus Crusade group. I figured the reason he looked familiar was because of that. I didn’t connect the dots until he mentioned a book he was reading that this was the same Javier from the day before!
Nicki had shared the Gospel with him again just earlier that afternoon and challenged him with the truth of the Bible. She then invited him to come out to eat with us. I thought about how incredible it was that out of a campus of 100,000 students I was sitting across the table from the same person that I had prayed specifically for just the day before! He also came to the party we had at the beach and discussed his beliefs more with Nicki. Please be praying for his salvation and that he would get connected with the next group. Remember that God does answer prayer!
Last update from "Los Pantalones"
Hola!! Es Los Pantalones – Caleb, Moncee, Chris, Meredith, Tiffany, and Ellie!
We are sad that Los Pantalones will be serving in different places now, but we are so thankful for our time together. The unity in our group has been such a blessing! You can pray for Caleb’s and Chris’ final week in the DR. A few words of motivation: Viva Panama! Una Aplausa Fuerte! Si se puede! Y viene el gol! MOTIVATE! Swipe n’ pass. Go hard or go home. Don’t die. We appreciate you.
So much has happened in the last few days and we are blown away by the power of the Gospel to change lives. 2 Corinthians 3 says that there is a veil over the minds of unbelievers, but “whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away… so all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.” We have witnessed this transformation in many lives this week and we praise God for new brothers and sisters!
This Thursday, the campus Christian group “La Vid” had Bible study, led by their pastor Sabino. He shared the Gospel through the parable of the prodigal son and then asked if anyone would like to receive Christ that day. Several students raised their hands, including Eva and Miguelina, who then prayed with Meredith and Ellie. These women accepted Christ that day!! You can pray that they become connected with the body of believers and live their whole lives for Jesus.
We talked with two cousins, Emi and Shamel, several times during the week. On Thursday evening, Shamel talked with us for a while. For 6 years, Shamel has had vivid dreams about the weight of her sin and God’s desire for her to turn to Him. God is so patient and faithful in His pursuit of people, as she finally accepted Christ. The following day, she was already sharing the Gospel with others! Her cousin Emi prayed to receive Christ the following day. Emi has spent much of here life trying to find love in guys, and it was exciting to see her find a love that will truly satisfy. You can pray that these women become part of the La Vid community and grow closer to God each day.
Although most of Los Pantalones are currently on a bus back to Des Moines, Caleb and Chris will be in the DR for one more week. Caleb is praying for opportunities to meet with Juan Carlos, Jeremy, Carlos, and Clieber for more conversations about discipleship and fellowship. You can also pray for follow-up with Kelvin, one of Moncee’s strongest connections in the DR. These men could really make an impact in their communities as they surrender their lives to the Lord.
Those of us who are leaving said good-bye to our friends at a worship service and hangout at the beach Friday night. We also got to see all of the kids we’ve been able to meet during the week. As mentioned in earlier blog posts, there are many kids basically living on the streets. It was so hard to leave them, but we praise God for an answered prayer in our friend Sheryllin. She has committed to bringing the Gospel and food to those kids every Friday night with her friends. Please pray for their safety and salvations.
This Thursday, the campus Christian group “La Vid” had Bible study, led by their pastor Sabino. He shared the Gospel through the parable of the prodigal son and then asked if anyone would like to receive Christ that day. Several students raised their hands, including Eva and Miguelina, who then prayed with Meredith and Ellie. These women accepted Christ that day!! You can pray that they become connected with the body of believers and live their whole lives for Jesus.
We talked with two cousins, Emi and Shamel, several times during the week. On Thursday evening, Shamel talked with us for a while. For 6 years, Shamel has had vivid dreams about the weight of her sin and God’s desire for her to turn to Him. God is so patient and faithful in His pursuit of people, as she finally accepted Christ. The following day, she was already sharing the Gospel with others! Her cousin Emi prayed to receive Christ the following day. Emi has spent much of here life trying to find love in guys, and it was exciting to see her find a love that will truly satisfy. You can pray that these women become part of the La Vid community and grow closer to God each day.
Although most of Los Pantalones are currently on a bus back to Des Moines, Caleb and Chris will be in the DR for one more week. Caleb is praying for opportunities to meet with Juan Carlos, Jeremy, Carlos, and Clieber for more conversations about discipleship and fellowship. You can also pray for follow-up with Kelvin, one of Moncee’s strongest connections in the DR. These men could really make an impact in their communities as they surrender their lives to the Lord.
Those of us who are leaving said good-bye to our friends at a worship service and hangout at the beach Friday night. We also got to see all of the kids we’ve been able to meet during the week. As mentioned in earlier blog posts, there are many kids basically living on the streets. It was so hard to leave them, but we praise God for an answered prayer in our friend Sheryllin. She has committed to bringing the Gospel and food to those kids every Friday night with her friends. Please pray for their safety and salvations.
We are sad that Los Pantalones will be serving in different places now, but we are so thankful for our time together. The unity in our group has been such a blessing! You can pray for Caleb’s and Chris’ final week in the DR. A few words of motivation: Viva Panama! Una Aplausa Fuerte! Si se puede! Y viene el gol! MOTIVATE! Swipe n’ pass. Go hard or go home. Don’t die. We appreciate you.
Update from "Team Son" and "Bellas Pies"
One of highlights of the last couple days was on Thursday. Our groups got to take the metro to Mama Tingo, where we got to share with high school students why English is important but also why knowing Jesus is important. We also asked if they had any question about Jesus, English, or America. One of the students asked if we could sing, naturally Jon Schreiner rapped for them instead. The whole class was clapping and shouting along! In all seriousness, it was really cool to go to the different classrooms and tell them why knowing Jesus was important and why they should learn English. In total, we spoke to around 250 students.
Another highlight from Thursday was that a lot of people came to our English class. It was fun to see so many people have a desire to learn English, but also to learn about Jesus. Renee met a girl at English class named Samantha. Samantha said she was far away from God and Renee had the opportunity to tell her about Jesus. Samantha also met a Dominican Christian and after meeting this Christian, broke down in tears from talking to her. Renee got to tell Samantha her story about how she became a Christian and encouraged Samantha to think about what they talked about. It has been a great week and I’m sure I can speak for all of us in saying we are sad to go. Keep praying.
Please Pray:
Another highlight from Thursday was that a lot of people came to our English class. It was fun to see so many people have a desire to learn English, but also to learn about Jesus. Renee met a girl at English class named Samantha. Samantha said she was far away from God and Renee had the opportunity to tell her about Jesus. Samantha also met a Dominican Christian and after meeting this Christian, broke down in tears from talking to her. Renee got to tell Samantha her story about how she became a Christian and encouraged Samantha to think about what they talked about. It has been a great week and I’m sure I can speak for all of us in saying we are sad to go. Keep praying.
Please Pray:
- For Samantha, that she would come to know Jesus and get connected with La Vid.
- Pray for the group coming next week and those who are staying from week one to week two.
- That we would clearly communicate Jesus to the Dominicans.
Team Son: Jon, Renee, Sarah, Mike, Kassie, Sara M.
Team Bellas Pies (a.k.a Team First Class): Alex, Michelle, Dustin, Molli
Team Bellas Pies (a.k.a Team First Class): Alex, Michelle, Dustin, Molli
Update
Update
Kerry Poucher, Grant Kellogg, Erica Windust, Colleen Bragg's team: Please pray for our friend Josh. Our team has been depending on Josh to translate as we share the gospel with people. He does not have a relationship with the Lord and is counting the cost. Reiterating the gospel has been great for him
Update from "Bellas Pies"
Bellas Pies - a.k.a. Team First Class
Alex, Dustin, Molli, Michelle
Our travel to Santo Domingo couldn’t have been anymore smooth. We arrived early Saturday morning. We are staying at an apartment 20 minutes away from everyone else. It has a really cool view in the morning even though it is not in the nicest of areas. After catching up on some sleep, we went to the beach area and played sand volleyball with some people we met there. We attracted a big crowd, and played for about 2.5 hours. We went out to eat at Adriana Tropical Saturday night with everyone on the trip. Sunday Morning we went to church with Evelyn and her daughter, Yonairy in their brand new building. It was awesome to witness the new building and how nice it was and how far it had come from last year. Later that afternoon we toured the UASD campus, and spent more time at the beach playing volleyball with some Dominicans. One of the biggest challenges we knew coming into this trip would be being able to talk with people who spoke only Spanish and so far we have run into a majority of people who speak it, so we have been learning some Spanish along the way!
Our first 3 days of English classes and sharing on campus have gone great. Dustin and Molli talked with Eric and Gabriella. Eric had a lot of questions about sin and the trinity, and although the language barrier makes it difficult, they were able to make things a little more clear for him. It has been really cool to teach people English and have them be so excited to learn. It is a totally different culture over here and they get really excited about learning. Not only is it awesome to teach them English, but just talking with about Jesus has been going very well so far! They have a desire to become the best at everything they do, and it is so crazy because that is not us at most of the things we take for granted back in the United States.
We got to spend time at an orphanage as well. It is so sad to see kids without parents, but at the same time it was so awesome to play with them and see the smiles on their faces. It brings joy to not only them but for us as well to just share love with them and bringing them things they can play with. When we are walking the streets at night or on campus it is also sad to see kids 5 years old carry around a wooden box with materials to shine shoes. It puts things into perspective of how much we have back in the United States and a lot of the things we take for granted. Things such as food and clothing and maybe having a job that we make money at, even if we don’t like the job, is something these kids struggle with every day. We live in a broken world and the only hope is in Jesus and the day when we will live with him forever. Being over here has definitely put that mindset into our lives more and more each day.
Prayer Requests:
Alex, Dustin, Molli, Michelle
Our travel to Santo Domingo couldn’t have been anymore smooth. We arrived early Saturday morning. We are staying at an apartment 20 minutes away from everyone else. It has a really cool view in the morning even though it is not in the nicest of areas. After catching up on some sleep, we went to the beach area and played sand volleyball with some people we met there. We attracted a big crowd, and played for about 2.5 hours. We went out to eat at Adriana Tropical Saturday night with everyone on the trip. Sunday Morning we went to church with Evelyn and her daughter, Yonairy in their brand new building. It was awesome to witness the new building and how nice it was and how far it had come from last year. Later that afternoon we toured the UASD campus, and spent more time at the beach playing volleyball with some Dominicans. One of the biggest challenges we knew coming into this trip would be being able to talk with people who spoke only Spanish and so far we have run into a majority of people who speak it, so we have been learning some Spanish along the way!
Our first 3 days of English classes and sharing on campus have gone great. Dustin and Molli talked with Eric and Gabriella. Eric had a lot of questions about sin and the trinity, and although the language barrier makes it difficult, they were able to make things a little more clear for him. It has been really cool to teach people English and have them be so excited to learn. It is a totally different culture over here and they get really excited about learning. Not only is it awesome to teach them English, but just talking with about Jesus has been going very well so far! They have a desire to become the best at everything they do, and it is so crazy because that is not us at most of the things we take for granted back in the United States.
We got to spend time at an orphanage as well. It is so sad to see kids without parents, but at the same time it was so awesome to play with them and see the smiles on their faces. It brings joy to not only them but for us as well to just share love with them and bringing them things they can play with. When we are walking the streets at night or on campus it is also sad to see kids 5 years old carry around a wooden box with materials to shine shoes. It puts things into perspective of how much we have back in the United States and a lot of the things we take for granted. Things such as food and clothing and maybe having a job that we make money at, even if we don’t like the job, is something these kids struggle with every day. We live in a broken world and the only hope is in Jesus and the day when we will live with him forever. Being over here has definitely put that mindset into our lives more and more each day.
Prayer Requests:
- Continued grace with our Spanish, meeting English-speakers, and meeting people who can translate for us.
- Safe travels home
- People would accept Christ
Update from "Las Tortugas"
Hola Amigos!
This is the Tortugas! (Josh M, Liz V, Niki W, Taylor R, Emily C & Allison Y). We have had a great few days in the Dominican so far.
Saturday we were all pretty exhausted from our travel. It took just over 24 hours from the time we left Des Moines. After arriving, we unpacked, rested, ate, and went to bed! Sunday morning we visited a church with Evelyn, who helps host our teams. It was a great experience to worship with 500+ Dominicans. After that, we toured the campus and got into several great conversations.
Monday and Tuesday we hit the campus hard with the gospel. We have spent most of our time the last two days sharing the good news about Jesus with university students. We utilize Spanish tracts and Bibles, along with the help of some translators, to communicate relatively effectively despite our limited Spanish.
Yralissa was one of the first people we had met. Praise the Lord for a fluent English speaker!! She told us that a few years ago she was an atheist who had frequent, demonic dreams; each dream, she prayed, asking the Lord to stop them. And He did. After going through the Spanish track with her, and explaining the good news of Jesus Christ, she prayed to receive him in her heart with tears rolling down her cheeks. Yralissa told us how amazing it was to have a God who could forgive her sins.
Monday, while at the library, we were sharing with two girls, who knew ZERO English. Ronny was sitting next to these girls and scooted on over to help translate the conversation. After going through tracks with these girls, Ronny asked us why we were in the Dominican. He wanted to know why this university. And we told him we came to talk to him about Jesus Christ. As he left, he said this message must be really important to come all the way to the Dominican Republic from America to talk to people. Today, we ran into Ronny once more. Again, he translated the gospel for us, but this time for one of his best friends. As the gospel resounded in his friend’s life, he pleaded with Ronny to listen to this message. We sat down and discussed everything from creation to morals. Ronny said how he is searching for the answer, but just doesn’t know what it is yet. The conversation had to end, as Ronny had class, but he insisted that we meet again tomorrow. Same time. Same place. Same topic.
This is the Tortugas! (Josh M, Liz V, Niki W, Taylor R, Emily C & Allison Y). We have had a great few days in the Dominican so far.
Saturday we were all pretty exhausted from our travel. It took just over 24 hours from the time we left Des Moines. After arriving, we unpacked, rested, ate, and went to bed! Sunday morning we visited a church with Evelyn, who helps host our teams. It was a great experience to worship with 500+ Dominicans. After that, we toured the campus and got into several great conversations.
Monday and Tuesday we hit the campus hard with the gospel. We have spent most of our time the last two days sharing the good news about Jesus with university students. We utilize Spanish tracts and Bibles, along with the help of some translators, to communicate relatively effectively despite our limited Spanish.
Yralissa was one of the first people we had met. Praise the Lord for a fluent English speaker!! She told us that a few years ago she was an atheist who had frequent, demonic dreams; each dream, she prayed, asking the Lord to stop them. And He did. After going through the Spanish track with her, and explaining the good news of Jesus Christ, she prayed to receive him in her heart with tears rolling down her cheeks. Yralissa told us how amazing it was to have a God who could forgive her sins.
Monday, while at the library, we were sharing with two girls, who knew ZERO English. Ronny was sitting next to these girls and scooted on over to help translate the conversation. After going through tracks with these girls, Ronny asked us why we were in the Dominican. He wanted to know why this university. And we told him we came to talk to him about Jesus Christ. As he left, he said this message must be really important to come all the way to the Dominican Republic from America to talk to people. Today, we ran into Ronny once more. Again, he translated the gospel for us, but this time for one of his best friends. As the gospel resounded in his friend’s life, he pleaded with Ronny to listen to this message. We sat down and discussed everything from creation to morals. Ronny said how he is searching for the answer, but just doesn’t know what it is yet. The conversation had to end, as Ronny had class, but he insisted that we meet again tomorrow. Same time. Same place. Same topic.
Update from "Team Son"
The theme of this trip so far has been loudness. The minute we stepped off the airplane, people were talking and car horns were beeping. Loud music is usually blaring, sounds of construction can always be heard, and we got to hear people celebrate Dominican Republic winning the world baseball classic.
It was disappointing because half of our group got to the Dominican Republic first, while two of our members got here Saturday afternoon and Sara M, got here late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. But now, our entire group is here!
It has been a crazy trip so far! The first day we got here, after we tried catching up on sleep, went to the local beach to play volleyball and meet people. We had the opportunity to play volleyball with Dominican people and had opportunities to talk with people about Jesus. Then next day, on Sunday, we went to church with Evelyn and her daughter, Yonairy. It was really awesome because they sang parts of worship songs in English because they knew we were visiting. After church, we toured the University of Santo Domingo campus and then went to the beach to play more volleyball.
Since Monday, we have been going to the UASD campus everyday to tell people about Jesus and to teach English classes and we have had some really sweet conversations. Jon and Renee, who both speak broken Spanish, shared with a girl named Chanel, who only spoke Spanish! She read through the entire gospel tract out loud in Spanish. She answered the all the questions in the tract and was surprised by the answers. She was seemed genuinely interested in what the tract was saying and seems like she wants to know more. Renee and Sara Madison are going to meet up with her again. Kassie got to meet up with a girl named Diana, whom she met last year. She is a Christian and it was exciting to see her again to see how she has grown. These are only two of many stories that could be told so far!
Our English classes are going well and people have been coming! People have also been coming to Bible study, which is also exciting. God has been working here, so please keep praying.
Prayer requests:
It was disappointing because half of our group got to the Dominican Republic first, while two of our members got here Saturday afternoon and Sara M, got here late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. But now, our entire group is here!
It has been a crazy trip so far! The first day we got here, after we tried catching up on sleep, went to the local beach to play volleyball and meet people. We had the opportunity to play volleyball with Dominican people and had opportunities to talk with people about Jesus. Then next day, on Sunday, we went to church with Evelyn and her daughter, Yonairy. It was really awesome because they sang parts of worship songs in English because they knew we were visiting. After church, we toured the University of Santo Domingo campus and then went to the beach to play more volleyball.
Since Monday, we have been going to the UASD campus everyday to tell people about Jesus and to teach English classes and we have had some really sweet conversations. Jon and Renee, who both speak broken Spanish, shared with a girl named Chanel, who only spoke Spanish! She read through the entire gospel tract out loud in Spanish. She answered the all the questions in the tract and was surprised by the answers. She was seemed genuinely interested in what the tract was saying and seems like she wants to know more. Renee and Sara Madison are going to meet up with her again. Kassie got to meet up with a girl named Diana, whom she met last year. She is a Christian and it was exciting to see her again to see how she has grown. These are only two of many stories that could be told so far!
Our English classes are going well and people have been coming! People have also been coming to Bible study, which is also exciting. God has been working here, so please keep praying.
Prayer requests:
- Pray for Chanel and that she comes to know Christ
- Pray for our conversations and that they would be would go well.
- Pray that our group would be united.
- Pray for the students we already talked to and that we could see and talk to them again.
Team Son
-Jon, Sara M., Renee, Mike, Sarah B., Kassie
-Jon, Sara M., Renee, Mike, Sarah B., Kassie
Update from "Equipo Madera"
Hello from Team Wood (Equipo Madera)!
We are having a wonderful time so far in the Dominican Republic. The days have been very hot and very full but we are thankful for all that the Lord has done! Instead of giving you an overview of what we have done, here are some highlights from our group members:
From Jon Heggestad: I was able to finish a conversation with a friend from the Dominican that I began last year. We had started talking last year about some questions that were really holding him back in his faith, but we weren’t able to really get anywhere before I had to leave. Being able to jump back into our conversation was a huge blessing for both of us.
From Dane Hopwood: This is my first time on the mission trip and it is a different experience than being back home in many, many different ways. I have been blessed to get to know a couple different people in our English class who have a big heart to know God and study his Word. It is very exciting to witness people accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and helping people get connected with different ways in which all of us can grow closer to God.
From Stephanie Brandstatt: I have loved being able to be a part of teaching an English class that our group is holding. The people in our class have such a desire to learn more about the English language and we have a lot of fun together. It is such a great way to get to know people better by getting to spend time with them each day. We also got to go to an orphanage today and spend a couple hours playing with the most wonderful and precious children. God has been so faithful to provide opportunities for our group to spend meaningful time with many different people!
Our other three members, Hillary, Rita, and Jason will write our next post! Thank you for praying for us!
P.S. What did one wall say to the other wall? Meet you at the corner!
P.P.S. We have included the super funny Laffy Taffy joke at the top because today in our English class I thought it would be a good idea to pass out Laffy Taffy to help us learn more about English idioms. The Dominicans were thoroughly confused by the jokes and probably have never eaten taffy before as most of them ended up with it all over the front of their teeth. It did not go exactly as planned but resulted in many laughs for us later!
From Jon Heggestad: I was able to finish a conversation with a friend from the Dominican that I began last year. We had started talking last year about some questions that were really holding him back in his faith, but we weren’t able to really get anywhere before I had to leave. Being able to jump back into our conversation was a huge blessing for both of us.
From Dane Hopwood: This is my first time on the mission trip and it is a different experience than being back home in many, many different ways. I have been blessed to get to know a couple different people in our English class who have a big heart to know God and study his Word. It is very exciting to witness people accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and helping people get connected with different ways in which all of us can grow closer to God.
From Stephanie Brandstatt: I have loved being able to be a part of teaching an English class that our group is holding. The people in our class have such a desire to learn more about the English language and we have a lot of fun together. It is such a great way to get to know people better by getting to spend time with them each day. We also got to go to an orphanage today and spend a couple hours playing with the most wonderful and precious children. God has been so faithful to provide opportunities for our group to spend meaningful time with many different people!
Our other three members, Hillary, Rita, and Jason will write our next post! Thank you for praying for us!
P.S. What did one wall say to the other wall? Meet you at the corner!
P.P.S. We have included the super funny Laffy Taffy joke at the top because today in our English class I thought it would be a good idea to pass out Laffy Taffy to help us learn more about English idioms. The Dominicans were thoroughly confused by the jokes and probably have never eaten taffy before as most of them ended up with it all over the front of their teeth. It did not go exactly as planned but resulted in many laughs for us later!
Update from "Juistica Estrana"
Hello all!
This week our group has been incredibly encouraged by what the Lord is doing in the Dominican Republic. We went to our friend Evelyn's church and it was wonderful to see so many people in a foreign country who love the Lord and want to see us succeed in our mission to UASD (that is the name of the campus we are going to each day).
This week our group has been incredibly encouraged by what the Lord is doing in the Dominican Republic. We went to our friend Evelyn's church and it was wonderful to see so many people in a foreign country who love the Lord and want to see us succeed in our mission to UASD (that is the name of the campus we are going to each day).
At the campus, we met a few Christians who said that they would translate for us and go sharing with us, which has been a blessing. That Sunday our group met two individuals who have gone sharing with us almost everyday since; these two brothers (we will call them R and K) love the Lord and are excited to be advancing the Lord's kingdom with us.
On Sunday, Michaeline, K, and Erin shared with a man and he became a Christian! What is even more encouraging is that right after this happen, he went with the group to go share with another person. It reminds me of Paul right after his conversion; he just went into town and started to preach.
Yesterday, Gavin was able to talk to someone about the gospel and he was encouraged by it because it included some very heavy questions. We are all very glad to have him in our group because he knows a lot about the Bible. Something that my group has also been encouraged by is that many of the Dominicans are excited to live alongside us. We have gone sharing with them and been having many meals together. Some of our favorite memories have been eating lunch or dinner with them; it is so awesome to be able to love God together.
Today R, Virginia, and I read the Bible with some individuals and saw some individuals from last year during that time. The Bible Study has been really amazing; many people have been coming to them and hearing the gospel. My group has been focusing a lot on Isaiah 55 which talks about how God's word always goes out fulfilling the purpose for which it was sent. Our prayers are that God would continue to unify our group through the Word and His love, that people would see our love and know that we are different, that we would able to encourage and raise up the Christians in the Dominican, and that La Vid would grow in faith, boldness, and love.
Group members: Matt, Gavin, Michaeline, Virginia, Erin, and Mel
Third day in the Dominican
Third day in the Dominican
Today is our third day in the Dominican, and our first day on campus doing what could be considered our normal routine, but more on that in a moment. On our arrival we met a few of the brothers who the team connected with last year and who helped us translate when sharing
"Semillas De Mustaza" Update
The Mustard Seeds consist of Kristin Johnson, Jocelyn Kleinschmidt, Caleb Davis, and Benjamin Van Walbeek. We just finished our first full day of sharing the gospel on campus. Our group was able to talk to at least 23 people and share the gospel with them. We were also able to spend time inviting people to the English classes and the Bible Study. Tomorrow we will be starting prayer groups. The prayer booth will give those at the university an opportunity to pray with us and will be a good conversation starter.
People can be praying for the ability to communicate through the language barrier and that we would be able to build relationships with the people we meet. A few people that you could be praying for are Emmanuel, Felix, Dalton, Raul, Fabio, Hector, Katty, Evans, Jose x 2, Bolivar, Yody, and Alberto. These are some of the people that we were able to share the gospel with today and yesterday. We were also able to meet up with Joanna that we saw last year. She has been growing much in her relationship with the Lord. It was encouraging to see fruit from the past year.
May the Mustard Seeds be growing!!!
Luke 17:6
Ben, Kristin, Jocelyn, Caleb
People can be praying for the ability to communicate through the language barrier and that we would be able to build relationships with the people we meet. A few people that you could be praying for are Emmanuel, Felix, Dalton, Raul, Fabio, Hector, Katty, Evans, Jose x 2, Bolivar, Yody, and Alberto. These are some of the people that we were able to share the gospel with today and yesterday. We were also able to meet up with Joanna that we saw last year. She has been growing much in her relationship with the Lord. It was encouraging to see fruit from the past year.
May the Mustard Seeds be growing!!!
Luke 17:6
Ben, Kristin, Jocelyn, Caleb
First update from 2013 trip
First update from 2013 trip
Our group is loving the Dominican Republic! We have been so thankful for God's provision and faithfulness. Even though Sam and I speak very little (basically no) Spanish, our group has been able to share the gospel with many English speakers. God is answering our prayers for soft hearts, new friends, and opportunities
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