Partnership

As we board an early flight this morning here in Santo Domingo, I have so many different thoughts. It's a bittersweet departure, as I really miss my family but feel I am leaving new family. I'm reminded of a few truths that grant clarity and freedom from these opposing thoughts. 

The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.  - Psalm 97:6

The most amazing truth that's been revealed to me during my time working with the beautiful Haitians of SA was the Glory displayed to all people. On Sunday, our team had the opportunity to worship in a small batay church. Pastor B reminded us that the Church of Jesus is not separated by land, sea or language. As we sang and cried out to the Lord, our differences didn't matter. We gathered together to proclaim his righteousness and Jesus' name was glorified. This community that was displayed during that time was a shadow of the day coming when every tribe and tongue will stand declaring the Glory of the Lamb. 

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, - Revelation 7:9

The second truth washing through my mind is our new established partnership in the gospel. For a few years I have listened to my brother, Zach, share of two amazing people living a life worthy of the Gospel. You see, Julio and Mercy don't view their lives as radical, but obedient to the call placed on all who follow Jesus. They simply love people, seek justice and share hope with all they encounter. They open their home to all who will come and partner with them in the work Christ has placed in their path. The love and patience they showed our team was so special. Their desire for the people of the Dominican impacted me greatly. I found myself praising the Lord as I listened to Mercy describe the culture of the island. Her passion was so evident that the Spirit used it to grow and stretch me in ways I could have never imagined. Julio shared big gospel centered dreams of stopping injustice facing the people. They shared the beautiful story that the Lord is leading them through and invited us to partner. Partnership! This is the truth that allows me to leave my new friends. Our call as followers of Christ is to lock arms and partner with other believers. The Church is so large and reaching it can't be separated by land or sea. Our partnership with our new friends is permanent. Will you join in this partnership? Will you pray for these dear people? Will you send teams to serve alongside them? Will you be obedient and go?

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. - Philippians 1:3-5

This trip has left me forever changed. The obedience of two precious people has sanctified and humbled me. I thank my God in all my remembrance of them, praising the Spirit for the work He is doing in their lives. I commit to locking arms with them and "holding the rope" as they dive deeper into their journey. 

Blessings,

Kris

End of Day 5: no catchy title

As we woke this morning at last everyone was rested. Spirits were high and Mi Americans knew we were on a mission.. Trouble is its already almost over! Over the last few days relationships have grown, prayers have been answered, and joy has radiated from our pours..( or maybe that's the Deet). Whatever it is, bitter sweet I believe is the taste of the hour.
They asked me why I came down here a few days back and then I couldn't give them an answer.. I thought for sure bye today I'd be golden and know exactly why the Lord has brought me here. Truth is I still don't know... Yet I'm 100% at peace with my utter undeniable unknowingness!
This trip has been difficult for me as meeting new people is definitely not my strong suit.. And I structure my life in such a way as to ensure I am never uncomfortable. Yet here, I'm constantly meeting new people bye the day, and I'm miles away from my comfort zone.. Forced to convert;) it is a little easier.. I mean when all your options are ..A.. Then ..A.. is the easy answer.. The trouble is at home there's tons of options.. I guess my point is there are people everywhere back home whom I've yet to meet. Even more troublesome there are people in our church whom I haven't been blessed with meeting.
For those who have read this help me to be more interactive when you see me.. Push me to move forward when you see me standing still. And if it's a little awkward for you remember it's 10Xs as bad for me.
Idk if missions are my calling but I know I don't want to waste time and be OK with not knowing people. We are brother and sisters, who enjoy tremendous blessings, as part of Christs Body at "The Branch" .
Thank you for growing my spirit, and my family over the last year!!! I love you all;)

William Phillips

Being a Light

Friday was filled with a million blessings. Smiles seem contagious when you're with the Dominicans. My focus was different than Thursday. I saw the little girl in the corner who was shy and had eyes that were filled with sadness. She was the girl that you pass by and don't give a second look to. So I smiled at the girl named Madaocome and said hello. I grabbed her hand and started playing with her. There was immediate change. I saw that what these kids really need to see is love and encouragement. They need to see God's amazing love! Their faces completely light up when you tell them they did a good job. So after a little love and encouragement, Madaocome was completely filled with joy. God has truly blessed me just because He has allowed me to see her smile.

I go through everyday life and don't even acknowledge the people around me. What if I simply smiled at people, like I did with Madaocome? Maybe I could light up people's faces and show God's love. I definitely know that God wants me to be a light for Him. My life is already changing from this experience and it's not even over yet. All I know is that this has been a blessing beyond measure, and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store!!

~Bailey, 14 yrs old

Rebecca looked on while Madaocome braided Bailey hair.

Loving Beyond My Germaphobia

I can't even describe the excitement we felt leading up to this mission trip. Nor can I explain the bickering and frustrations we experienced beforehand. Doesn't it always happen that way? Or is it just our family who always seems to have these silly arguments and time restraints before monumental spiritual journeys? I can look back now, three days into this trip, and recognize it's just that... a monumental spiritual journey for our family. God has already done such a work in the hearts of the four of us that I can barely see the keyboard through tears.

Bailey & Brayden at the Santo Domingo Airport. (Looking pretty excited in front of the Coca Cola sign, I might add.)

But this isn't about us, right? We are here to serve the people of the Dominican Republic and share the love of Jesus. That's part of the beauty of this whole thing. We came to serve and bless, yet there is nothing we have done for these precious people that could compare to the way they've blessed us.

Those of you who know me well, know that I might struggle a "tad" with germaphobia. You may wonder how I could possibly allow my family and myself to be immersed in this culture while we love on the people of the Dominican Republic and the immigrants from Haiti. I will tell you: faith in being called here for a purpose and lots of prayer! (Oh, and shots, preventative medications, and a few pieces of antibacterial materials.) Yes, I'm working on this.

We began the first two days bright and early. After dropping our team off at the new church site, the bus driver would drive the bus towards the Santa Alicia batay. A couple of volunteers were able to drive along each day, and I was one of those volunteers Friday morning. Because of recent rains, the roads were too muddy, so the bus wouldn't go past this gate.

Look near the top of the picture. The homes back there are about a mile from the gate, and the children had to walk down to us to get on the bus.  

My lap and my heart were full!

After about 20-30 cuties loaded onto the bus, we were ready to head to the church for snacks and games.

The bus was only about halfway full here.

Just as we were about to leave, I happened to spot a tiny gold speck at the top of the hill. "Uno mas! Uno mas!" I yelled to the front of the bus. I'm pretty sure that means "One more." Whether I said it correctly or not, it got the attention of the teacher and driver. This sweet little child would've walked about 2.5 miles to the church had we left her there.

The little girl is the gold dot on the right of the road.

All smiles in front of the church's new floor (in progress here.)

Upon our arrival at the church, the kiddos poured out of the bus, screaming and jumping with excitement. These people are so full of love, joy, and acceptance. Adults and children alike were so happy to see us. They greeted us with hugs and handshakes for the second day in a row. They have amazing manners and make sure everyone feels welcome.

Bailey and Rebecca

These beautiful boys and girls cannot wait to grab the hand of one of us and declare, "Mi American! Mi American!" ("My American.") Bailey's tender heart drew so many children to her, but one particular girl didn't want to leave her side. From the moment we stepped foot onto the church property on the first day, Rebecca claimed Bailey as "her" American. They were inseparable, and it made my heart swell to see them walking around holding hands. Bailey tried to "share the love" a little more on Friday, and made it her mission to make everyone feel included and special.  

Brayden with several of his new amigos.

As some may know, Brayden is quite shy. He is also extremely talented as an athlete. The cool thing about boys is that once they find out they have a sport in common, they are instantly friends-no matter if they're shy or not. Brayden never stopped playing with his new friends. We had to remind him to take water breaks. (Unfortunately, I did not have his nonstop energy, nor did anyone have to beg me to drink water in this heat!)

Chris, Kris, Pastor Bona, and Zach mixing concrete for the church floor. Sorry for the time/date stamp on these. It's off.

My idea of a Selfie!

What I enjoyed was hanging around, loving on these kiddos. Look at all of those faces and smiles. I am definitely leaving a piece of my heart with these children!

He is a mute neighbor, and will benefit from having the loving church near his home.

"...Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Matthew 25:40

See what I mean? Aren't you in love?! Love, Angela "Not Quite As Much of a Germaphobe" Cox

Finding comfort in discomfort

Sharing from my brother, Zach's blog. http://www.zachsnow.org/2015/06/day-3-santa-alicia-part-2.html

Day 3 - Santa Alicia part 2

The truth is that I structure my life in such a way that I spend very little time doing things that are am not ultimately confident in my ability to do. What I mean is that I fill up my days doing things I'm very comfortable with. They are the things that partially make me who I am.

One of the things I love most about coming to the DR is how often I find myself in the middle of something that makes me completely uncomfortable. At times it's trying to communicate with someone who does not speak the same language as I do. Other times it's setting out to accomplish something I've never done before. Today was a perfect microcosm of that struggle.

We returned to Santa Alicia today to continue the work on the new church building. I spent a lot of time shoveling concrete and pushing a wheel barrow. I've never mixed concrete before, at least not in the sheer amount that we mixed it today. We mixed up two different piles of concrete today. One included 8 bags of cement mix and the other included 13 bags of mix (each bag of mix was 95 lbs). This was a BIG pile of cement. It was very intimidating trying to get this stuff transformed into something that could be used in the floor of this church. There was one guy out there with us who really seemed to know what he was doing and how he wanted it done...however, he could not tell us what he wanted us to do and HOW he wanted it done. So we watch and mimicked the best we could. When we were not doing it the right way, we were gently corrected (by someone coming and taking our shovel or pick ax away from us). I'm not sure how that guy was able to be so patient with us while he was working but he deserves a medal for it.

At the end of our work day we had moved about 2,000 lbs of concrete and while we did not get the job done completely it was so neat to see the church continuing to come together. I'm so grateful that the Lord has provided this church to these sweet people. And incredible humbled to be a small part of the process.

(The team with Pastor Bona and Bernardo)

Oh, I also had the opportunity to reconnect with my little friend Ariel. Cannot believe how big he is getting. It always blesses my heart so much when he says that he remembers my face (whether he really does or not, I'm not concerned with).

Better Than I Deserve,
ZS

We Were Floored Today

As day two of mixing, shoveling, wheel-barrowing, and pouring concrete took place at the Church in Santa Alicia I was reminded of many things that relate to our lives.  #1- If God has asked you to do something and you feel completely under-qualified, do it anyway.  There will be others that have done it before you that you can watch and learn from, all he requires is effort and not expertise.  #2-  If you really understand what it takes to create something, you will be less likely to take it for granted or criticize it.  I'll never look at a concrete floor the same way and I wonder how I would look at people differently if I understood how and why they were made.  #3-  God will take you past your comfort zone because that is where all growth happens, but the view is amazing when you get there.  The wink God gave us this afternoon as we recovered from the most taxing physical labor I've ever experienced on a beautiful beach was a humbling moment.  As we look forward to what the next days hold you can rest assured that I'll be cashing in the promise of my favorite verse each day which is Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

-Will "Concrete Coma" Cagle

End of Day 1

Warning: Not a Writer!!

Today was amazing. Idk how else to put it really.. Being down here is awesome.. Emphasis on the Awwwwwe!! The connection you get to share with the people here is so wholesome. There is substance behind every interaction which your soul feeds on urging you to keep going when all you wanna do rest. Today was definitely difficult after the adversity we faced making it down here, but that's what makes it so special. I look forward to waking up and serving the Lord however that may be... Goodnight:) 

William Phillips