A Day for Giving

Kioskea, Dominican Republic; Thursday, April 1

Before we left Mirquea's school on Tuesday, Dale got a list of things to stock the pantry with. So we went to the store and got it all, in order to deliver it to her on Thursday morning. The reaction on her face and the cheers of the children were incredible! The whole trip would have been worth it for just that moment.




A Surprise for Cindy
Danielle and I spent Tuesday with Cindy and her baby while we were at Mirquea's school. During this time, Cindy really attached herself to Danielle. And Danielle felt deeply for the situation she was in. It must be really rough to raise a baby in this neighborhood at the young age of 16. So Danielle surprised Cindy with a bag full of baby supplies, a pair of shoes (she wasn't wearing any!) and some new clothes. You should have seen the look on her face! She was so excited she went to get her mom who lived down the street. She wanted her to meet Danielle and show her all that she had been given.



Monte Christy

I have seen some pretty terrible things in my time in the third world, but nothing compairs to what I saw at the Haitian Elderly home that we visited on Thursday afternoon. I decided I can't bring myself to show it online, so I wanted to share about a man a few beds down instead, named Enoch (in the green pants).

Enoch is 85-years old. He grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His daughter dropped him off at this Haitian elderly home and told him she’d come back for him soon. That was four years ago…But he doesn't seem to let that discourage him. He is still very proud of her. A group of us gathered around him as he told us stories of his life through his broken English. He made us all laugh a lot, as he talked through his big smile. He stepped out of the room for a minute and came back with a small photo album full of family photos. He flipped through the album, pointing out snapshots of his daughter and son and grandson. He was so proud of them. And then he pulled out a photo of him and his wife on their wedding day. His face lit up. I could tell he really loved her. Standing there with Enoch made me smile, even though I felt like crying.

The House of Light

San Pedro, Dominican Republic; Wednesday, March 31

La Casa de Luz (The House of Light) is a special needs orphanage that was started by an American couple living in Florida. There are 3 nurses and 1 doctor that live there and care for the children. It costs about $8,500/month to run the facility, but lately the funds have been quite hard to sustain. They usually consume 200lbs of rice a month, along with beans, sugar and flour. Chicken is rare.

I met a very extraordinary five-year old girl here, named Elisa. She is smart and sassy and extremely independent. Although her limbs don’t function correctly, she has taught herself how to get by; like when she blew bubbles. She uses her leg to hold up her arm which brings the wand close enough to her face so she can blow.

Elisa & Me

Joy & Rachel Blowing Bubbles with Ruth

Sandy

Bobby

Kristen & Lauren have both worked with special needs children back in the States. These two children in particular need to be held close, or else they can't sit up.

Mr. Smith

Nate

Claudia

Sam


Los Montones
We visited a new church in Los Montones. DJ led worship, Dale spoke and the Dominican pastor named Greg gave the sermon. He is 19-years old.

Danielle and I with the young women from Los Montones.

Life in Kioskea

Kioskea, Dominican Republic; Tuesday, March 30

We spent the morning at a day-orphanage in Ki0skea. The children from the surrounding neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo come here for education. This neighborhood is known for its theft and voodoo practices. All of this activity with no education is a bad equation for the children. So a women named Milkea started this day-orphanage in order to give these children a chance to rise above the statistics. God has blessed her efforts with several dedicated and loving teachers who come, regardless if they get paid that month or not. They labor day in and day out because they realize that these children are the future. These children, when empowered with knowledge and love, can change the Dominican Republic. These children can be the future leaders of their country.

Last year, the students at The Rock raised money to renovate Milkea's school. They stocked the shelves with food before they left, but upon our arrival, the shelves were bare. Milkea has to send the children home during lunch time because she has nothing to feed them.

But what they lack in supplies, they make up for in love. The teachers know that God is in control and will give them the strength to persevere. And they do. Their love is strong and their faith carries them forward. It is times like this, when God brings them encouragement. Here, DJ sings with the children about the love of God; their little voices fill the small school room.

Danielle and I met Cindy and her 1-year old daughter at Milkea's. She is 16-years old. She helps out at the school and has grown up in Pueblo Nuevo. We got to hang out with her for the rest of the morning.

Although 70% of the world is made up of water, 80% of the world population doesn't have access to it. The water problem in this community is huge. So where do they get their water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, washing? As we visited different houses, we didn't realize we were walking through it...the little stream running through the street...that is it...

Mani explained to us that this community has hacked into the main water pipe underground that runs to the city. They made their own faucet by connected this hose to the pipe.

If the children don't have running water, they have to spend each day going to get it which means they can't go to school. This cycle can't be broken unless someone decides to invest time and money to dig a well. Most governments in developing countries don't make clean water a priority due to the long list of other priorities already pending. This issue not being addresses is taking its toll on the people, both in the DR and worldwide. As we walked through the neighborhoods, we found out several students from Milkea's school sick from this unsanitary water.

La Duquesa

Duquesa, Dominican Republic; Monday, March 29

There is a community of Haitians that live and work at the dump outside of Juan Dolio in a place called La Duquesa. The women fight for rotten food and second hand clothes and anything else the dump trucks bring from the outside world in order to provide for their families. If they find something good, they take the chance of getting beaten up by the men who work there until they hand it over. It is a battle for survival every day.

Jackie goes to see them often, bringing food and clothes and special gifts from her orphans. She took us to meet them today. We stopped by the local grocery store and filled up about ten shopping carts. We bought enough food for 40 hungry families that will last them a few weeks. Their smiles said it all.

The House of Miracles...

Santo Domingo; Dominican Republic; Monday, March 29

Some people wonder if miracles still happen; if God still reaches out and touches lives. I can tell you twenty-two times over that He does. Under the shade of a tin roof in a courtyard scattered with toys and running children, I listened to a woman named Jackie who told me so. Her whole life is a testimony to it. And now her twenty-two orphans are as well. “Look around, God has done a great miracle for each of them.” She went on to tell me some of their stories…

Rosemarie is four months old and the newest addition to Jackie’s family. Her entrance into the world was met by a grievous injustice, which will greatly impact the rest of her live. You see, Haitians in the Dominican Republic are considered worthless. They are the lowest class in society. When Rosemarie’s mother was pregnant, she refused to go to the hospital. She knew how she would be treated. But when it was time to give birth, she decided to go. Upon her arrival, she began to hemorrhage and lose a lot of blood. The doctors did nothing. She lay there on the floor, completely helpless. After much time had passed, someone said, ‘Help her or else!’ It wasn’t until then that the doctors assisted in the delivery. As an outcome, Rosemarie’s twin brother died. Her mother was sent home to the dump, only to die a few days later. With all odds against her, this beautiful little girl was brought to Jackie’s House where she now has another chance at life.

Laura, Naomi, and Angelica came to Jackie’s House from different neighborhoods at different times, but their pasts are devastatingly similar. These little girls were rescued from lives as sex slaves, sold by the people who were supposed to be taking care of them. While we were there, they surprised us with a dance they choreographed. The words of their song told of how the Lord had restored them to health and carried them through their suffering. These little girls have been healed by the love of Jesus and by the peace he promises; a miracle only Christ can claim.

Israel is full of life. Hope resonates from his being and is confirmed only further when he speaks. But he wasn’t always at peace. His physical condition is the result of incest, which left him helpless and hopeless. When Jackie found him, he was on the floor of his parent’s house, severely crippled and too weak to hold a bowl of food. With his parents consent, Jackie took Israel and his sister (who has the same condition), to live with her at the orphanage. There, Israel grew in his relationship with Jesus and gained strength and confidence. He is getting surgery in a few weeks, which will straight out his legs and allow him to walk for the first time in his life. He told Jackie, “As soon as I can walk, I’m walking out of here to go tell the world about what Jesus has done.” Through all of his pain and suffering, Israel found his hope in Jesus and he wants everyone to know.

Jackie and her husband own an old truck that they use to take the children to and from the hospital. “The truck hurts our bones when we travel.” And they can never go anywhere as a family because there is not enough room to fit them all. Two years ago our High School students at The Rock raised enough money to buy Jackie a 16-passenger van. Unfortunately, it has been sitting in customs for nearly two years. We found out that after 11 months, the customs officials are allowed to sell items that have not been redeemed. So a special lawyer was hired to make sure that didn’t happen to the van. To our surprise, the van finally cleared customs and was ready for pick up the EXACT day that we were at Jackie’s House. Jackie’s children have been praying for this day for so long and we got to watch it unfold. And we got to listen to Jackie pour out her heart in thanksgiving to God who continues to provide for this very special family that he loves so much. This day the miracle from God was meant for all of us…

I looked at this amazing woman of God sitting in front of me and took in all she had to say and my faith was strengthened. Her faith and love seems endless. “It is because of how much God has done for me. It wasn’t the nails that held up Jesus to the cross…It was His love for me.”