Early Thursday morning, our team arrived at morning devotions to learn that George DeTellis, founder of New Missions, had passed away earlier that morning. Pastor George was an amazing man. He was dedicated to showing God’s love to the people living in Haiti and Dominican Republic. Please pray for George’s wife Jeanne, the entire DeTellis family, and all of the New Missions family at the home office in Orlando, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The residents here in Sosua are saddened by the passing of such a great servant of God. Pray that God will continue to work here in Sosua, Dominican Republic.

Here is a link to the New Missions website and further information about Pastor George: http://www.newmissions.org/

We are home now in Orlando safe and with our families, but all of us feel we have a new family of 34 friends that we have grown over the week. We had such an incredible week in the DR! Yesterday we put the chapel all together and it was an awesome day. All of the kids and parents worked so hard and worked together. It was wonderful. And afterwards some of the guys went back in the chapel and found the pastor of the church all alone on his knees on the dirt floor, face into the dirt thanking God for the chapel we had built for him and his congregation. He was so happy to have a building to worship in. It is amazing to take raw lumber, work hard all week, and at the end of the week put together a house of God, a place to worship and glorify him! We sang one of my favorite songs all together with the Dominicans there in the chapel when we were all finished - it goes “, Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia, Gloria Dios!” There were so many Dominicans and Americans together in the chapel and we were all singing it at the top of our lungs and it was so good to praise his name in this new place we claimed as holy ground. What an experience. To God be the glory for everything we did and learned this week! Please pray that this new chapel would continue to be a true and genuine place of worship. Please also pray for the children of the area - there were so many - that they would come to know Jesus personally and that they would be a light repesenting Jesus in their part of the world. Thank you for praying!

Brenda Davidson & Ann Sanders write of their PB&J & Juan Carlos:

Friday morning, we headed back to the church tent/clinic to make a million PB&J sandwiches for our block parties at Playa Laguna & Plaza Europa. With an awesome assembly line to expedite the process, everyone, including kids who were not playing baseball, pitched in to do their part to spread peanut butter, spread jelly, fold, insert into plastic bags with a cookie treat. Then we jumped into our open-air bus and bounced all the way to the tiny village out in the boonies. Many smiles and waves came our way as we bumped through the streets and rocky lanes. The word was out that we were coming! The kids met us in a grassy field with smiles a mile wide. Tables were set up for the Polaroid photo shoot. In the beginning, orderly lines were in place, as the children waited their turn for their picture to be taken. They then framed it into a brightly-colored foam frame and decorated it with Christian decals such as crosses and fish. Then, order was a thing of the past as they converged on the photographers boldly requesting more pictures of themselves along with their best friends.

We played frisbee, soccer, and other games. While the teens performed a puppet show, the kids enjoyed their PB&J sandwiches. Most asked for a second or third lunch to take home to their family.

As we pulled the truck away, the DR kids tried to jump onto the back and hang on to go the hotel with us. They are such precious little lives with beautiful faces and bright smiles.

During the sorting of the previous day, Lana, a Lab Tech/Doctor-In-Training (just kidding–really just a wannabe–yes, we love her!) asked for some quick assistance from anyone who had any medical experience as she looked at a little boy with a huge goose egg on his forehead. Of course, Brenda was highly qualified with her 31 years of Dental Hygiene experience; Ann and Roxanne served as cheerleaders and prayer warriors. We originally thought he had just fallen and hit his head, but it wasn’t an accident at all–it was a huge lump of infection which needed to be lanced, drained, and stitched, along with antibiotics.

With our Southern accents, somehow we thought his name was Miguel (?)–Hey, that’s not so bad–Chuck  understood it was Ricardo–who knew his name was really Juan Carlos?? As Dr. Lana tried to lance the area without any topical anesthesia, Brenda held him in her arms and prayed to try to keep him calm during the procedure. Three of his new “mothers” hovered over and cried with him. He melted our hearts with his huge smile and huge tears as his courage faltered. We fell in love with him instantly. We were unable to drain the lesion because it was too painful. The staph infection was evident in other visible parts of his body–the other side of his forehead and areas on his legs were showing signs of the infection. The “beautiful doctor” from the DR, still in training, was due into the clinic the next day, Friday. All of his new mothers wanted him to be treated by her so that he could receive the antibiotics necessary to cure the infection.

Little Juan Carlos has now received some antibiotics after we finally were able to contact his father, and he wears a protective bandage. When we met the father (the mother disappeared when Juan Carlos was 3 months old) he said he had no money to pay for the antibiotic prescription and no food in the house. His new mothers and the team bought his medicine and $100 of groceries for little Juan Carlos, his dad Julio, and several brothers and sisters. Several team members proudly delivered the food today, Saturday a.m., as the joyous and thankful expressions on their faces brought all of us to tears. We prayed with the family, and our interpreter gave them instructions as to how to join the New Missions school to receive monthly support for his schooling and personal needs. Sweet little Juan Carlos/Miguel/Ricardo will be forever embedded into our hearts. We are encouraged for his future when we remember the message over his front door saying, “Our home will serve God” in Spanish.

On Thursday, one half of our team spent the day playing baseball using equipment donated from various sources. Realizing that about 40% of foreign professional baseball players who play major league ball in the US come from the DR, you can certainly see how we can build some relationships with these young people to affect their eternal lives. The four teens and three grade school children on this team have amazed everyone with their selfless and generous hearts. One even asked for his June birthday gifts to be money for supplies to take with him to the DR. His $200+ was used for crafts, Polaroid film, and many, many more things to show Jesus’ love to these precious children of DR.

The other half of the team (who are athletically challenged) sorted craft items, shoes, and other supplies.

The afternoon was spent in Redemption Village, a community of extremely poor Haitians. After generator problems and computer/projector difficulties, we were successful in drawing pictures on the walls of the school. A Tag Team will arrive shortly to complete the painting of the drawings. A small group went into some homes in extremely squalid conditions. Our hearts were moved as we realized how blessed we are in the US. We want to take them home with us to give them a better chance for a secure future. The sweet people were receptive to us, appreciated what we are trying to do for them, and hospitable, gracious, and thankful for the prayers offered. The children are starving for more than just food and supplies–they literally “leapt” into our arms with energetic “Holas!”  Using our best hand signals, we communicated “I Love You” as huge smiles appeared.

Matthew Fogle, 8, shares his experiences of sponsoring a child he personally got to meet:

Hello, my name is Matthew. I am 8 years old. I have been sponsoring a boy named Josentonio who lives in the D.R.  During my mission trip, on the 2^nd day, I was able to meet him! We got to play together, we also sorted donated school supplies together, and had lots of fun together. I hope that he gets baptized soon and realizes how much Jesus and I love him. – Matthew Fogle

On Thursday, our team had an amazing first day of experiencing life in the DR. Kim Fogle shared her experience below regarding the afternoon activities in a place called Redemption Village.

This afternoon  I experienced a “moment” like a photograph which will forever be implanted in my mind and heart.  Our group went to a desperately poor village called “Redemption Village”  inhabited by Haitians.  We went into the classrooms which were drab and dirty.  We managed to locate a generator, since there was no power, to hook up a projector to draw murals on the classroom walls.  Many people pitched in to help, but at one point only the youngest children, Branson(10), Brooke (9), and Matthew (8) were there tracing the picture onto the wall.  I realized that long after we are gone, many children will look at those pictures and smile.  They will have no idea that 3 kids from the US worked on it, but God knows.  And that is the way a lot of our efforts our as Christians tend to be.  We don’t received  awards or praise but God sees that we have been faithful.   -Kim Fogle

We are having a fantastic week ministering here in the DR. It has been an awesome week of ministry and working hard to build the chapel panels and the benches. This afternoon we went to Cercadillo and had such an incredible time of ministry. We played games in a field with the kids afterwards and it was amazing the time of fellowship we shared. The joy in that place was so evident on every face - Dominican and American. Yesterday we did our ministry in a backyard bible club that usually has 15 kids there and they had 50 and 7 kids received Christ for the first time. Two nights before there were 11 kids that came to Christ for the first time. God is so good and real and present! Tomorrow we will get up at 5am and go to La Caleta to put up the chapel. The foundation team already laid the foundation. It is on rocky coral ground! Please pray for our team. We have had 8 people get sick - luckily it is a 24 hour thing but we need your prayer because we need everyone there to put the chapel up tomorrow. Please pray we would put up the chapel and that our presence would be a blessing in the village as we represent the Lord and construct the chapel. Also, please pray for each one on our team that they would leave this place different, that the Lord would work in their lives as well as those we hope to touch here. God is so good and he blesses ministry here in the DR every day. Thank you for praying for us. Please pray all day Saturday because we will have the banquet and sharing time that night and I really pray that the kids and parents are willing to share what the week has meant to them. Thank you. God is so good.

We are happy to report our team is having a great time in Sosua, Dominican Republic. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and rode in the back of the mission trucks to our hotel. After orientation and dinner, we worshipped at “The Tent” at the Wednesday night Spanish service. We enjoyed getting to know the local residents and watching the children sing during an “open mic night.” They sang praise and children’s songs.

We had a great first day in the DR! We worshipped with the Dominican people in the Iglesia Bautista de Quisqueyana in the morning and then in the evening we went to the park and did our children’s ministry. The jazz band did a great job and drew alot of attention. You should have seen Davis on the bongos!! They were all awesome! The kids sang the songs with the joy of the Lord on their faces and Kathy shared the gospel and a couple of boys prayed the prayer of salvation with Argenis. We ended the day up on the roof with Tim leading us on the guitar. Halleluia!