Hey everyone. This is Pastor Mike. We made it to the DR! Everyone is safe and excited about what God is going to do this week. Our heart is to always try to partner with a local pastor to help him build his church and to help him impact his community. We are in a little run down community called La Cuaba. It has a few shops but most of the people live in shacks. The Church of God has established a camp were we are staying. I must say, it is really nice. And the food is amazing. Our bunks are nice as well. They hold a church service here several nights a week that we will have a chance to be a part of as well as help in the community. This week we will be visiting the local basketball and soccer area to play with kids. We will be handing out rice. We will be going on prayer walks and praying for people. We will be doing a two day children’s crusade at a local school across the street. We have a chance to do some construction work as well. So, we have a full week and we are really excited about getting started. I am hoping to have internet service so you can follow along. I also am hoping to send up some pictures. Hopefully we can do that. I have asked the MC’s to talk about what they have been doing through out the week. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us and have helped us make this mission trip a reality. You share in our experience!!!
Today we split into two groups (you will see a common theme here.) One group started construction on a new 30 x 30 concrete block kitchen for the church’s school across the street. The other team went into the community and handed out rice and prayed for people as we went door to door. We invited everyone to a special evening service. During this service, PJ spoke, and we did several dramas.
 Hey guys, this is Teddy. We are now in Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic. I’m glad to say that we got into the country without difficulty and we are being treated very well by the people here. Shortly after arriving at the airport we drove for about an hour and a half to reach the camp where we are staying, and we were able to see much of the city of Santo Domingo during this drive. Time after time I was astounded at what I saw. I never realized exactly how different things are here and how resourceful they are to make do with what they have.
We started our ministry this morning as we split into three groups and went to different places in La Cuaba, the part of the city where we are staying. One group went to a local park where there is a basketball court and a baseball field; they got to play with the kids there for several hours. Both the MCs and the kids had a great time there and they invited the kids to a children’s outreach that is being held on Thursday and Friday. Another group went out on a prayer walk, praying with as many people as they could. They prayed for many sick people and even saw one lady accept Christ. God be praised! I went with a group that went first to buy rice and beans for an outreach that we will be doing tonight. We also met as many people as we could, inviting them to come to one of several church services that are being held later this week. We did our best to speak with them and build relationships with them despite a significant language barrier. We were able to pray for two sick people while we were out as well. One of the people we prayed for was a lady who was suffering from blood clots in her brain and needed a surgery which she could not afford. Our translator, Tony, reminded her that where two or three were gathered in the name of Jesus, we are promised that Jesus will be among us, noting that we had brought eleven people to her home to pray for her healing. I believe God that He will indeed heal her to the glory of His name.
We have a bit of free time now and soon we will begin preparing for tonight’s outreach where we will distribute the rice and beans that we bought today and speak with them about Jesus Christ, sharing both the love of Christ and the gospel of Christ as well. I trust that God will draw more people in this country to His name and shine His light through us into this place, and I am privileged that He has chosen to do so through me.
Pastor Geraldo, pastor of the church we are working with this week, says that He is excited for this week because he is certain that God wants to work powerfully through us. He desires that the youth of this community become more connected to the church here and that the many children and youth in the community here develop a relationship with God through our ministry this week. He expects a significant real change in this community after this week. This is a tall order to fill, but we trust God that He is mighty enough to do whatever work He chooses through us if we are willing to follow His lead.
Please pray that we would be equipped by God in every way to carry out the work that He has for us to do this week and that by His Spirit, He will work in the lives of the Dominican people, drawing them to a relationship with Him.
“More than this, I consider all things loss in view of the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, that I might gain Christ” –Philippians 3:8
Teddy Tompkins
1st Year Student
 Hey this is Kate and I’m so excited to be in the D.R. It’s been such a great experience so far and I believe God has many great plans for us this week. So far I’ve got to experience my first plane ride and the best part was flying over the D.R. because of the beautiful land that God created. Sunday evening, we met the Pastor we are going to be working with and we had a church service with his church.
Today after breakfast we split up to go evangelizing in the community. We had many opportunities to pray. The first women we prayed for was suffering from arthritis and her hand and feet were deformed so we prayed for healing. She was very sweet. She kissed and hugged us as we left. Next was a women and her baby. Her baby had a high temperature so we prayed for her. The woman then asked to accept Jesus into her heart. She is now part of the kingdom of God and a new sister in Christ. Praise God.
Now we are on break and enjoying the weather and what God has done and pray for His will in what he wants to do with the rest of the day. So at 6:00 pm we are going to be delivering rice to the community and doing some more evangelism.
 Hey guys, this is PJ, and I want to share a little bit about what I have done so far this week. I have been playing soccer with some of the locals, and it has been great. I have had so much fun with the little kids. It is a perfect time for me to share Christ’s love with them even though they don’t understand English. On Tuesday night, I have a chance to give a message to the local congregation about being re-built. I know that God will move on my behalf. I have seen so many things through the city “La Cuaba.” God has blessed me in ways that I could never have imagined. In the states, everything is so cluttered with buildings and attractions, but in the Dominican Republic, all I can see is God’s beautiful creation everywhere I look.
 Hey this is Peter/Pedro, and I can’t tell you how much at home I am here en la Republica Dominicana. It’s been great meeting kids and people all over and trying to speak Spanish with a Spanish accent clashing with my Nigerian/American accent (Pastor Mike just cried Ay Chihuahua! for whatever reason). We did some house to house evangelism today, and to the glory of God a young man got saved today. There is a lot of love for this community over here, and it is an honor to be here and being a part of it. I’m not coming back to America, because I’m in love with the Dominicans. I’ll have to devise a plan fast. Till then, Dios le bendigan.
 Nick Cirino: Today we split into two groups. One group went to the church’s school and did construction. They reach out to over two hundred children through their different ministries, and they are hoping to reach all the children in this village, La Cuaba. Our group was helping to lay the cinderblock foundation for a kitchen addition to the tin-roofed schoolhouse. The group I was in went out into the streets with Pastor Geraldo and handed out bags of rice to needy families. The culture here is so much different, where everyone wants to meet you and talk to you, so we had a lot of opportunities to reach out to people.
We gave a bag of rice to a young man named Jovanni and then prayed for him, that God would heal his diabetes. After praying for him, he told us he read his Bible and prayed, but he didn’t consider himself a Christian and that he didn’t go to church. Peter and Kate each talked to him (translated by Tony) telling him about how God wanted a relationship with him and so on, and the young man decided to recommit himself to Christ. Hopefully he will come out to the church service tonight. I hadn’t expected the trip to be very effective, but in this culture it was a really good way to meet people and be able to share the love of Christ through relationship and meeting their physical needs through given out the rice to needy families. I look forward to going out and talking to everyone again.
 Hello to all at home!! Well, what used to be home anyways. This is Belinda. It’s funny, when I read my name now, I automatically hear it was a Spanish accent…. I am one of those devising a plan to stay here. I think I may have a start to said plan… it involves lots of children…. I’ll figure out the rest later.
Of course I love it here; I think I was made to be in a warmer climate. It’s perfect at night here as well; we have a fan going so it’s not too hot.
If I do have to come back, I think I have to confiscate a few of the children to take with me, they are so adorable and open. There was one boy especially who was very young and could probably fit in a side pocket of my suitcase. His name was Edison and I think he was about 1 year old.
I was on the work crew and I was mixing cement today to make the walls of the rooms we were adding on to the school. It was a hot and sweaty work, but completely worth it considering what it will be used for. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here and speak to the people. It’s amazing how at times; difference of language is no longer a problem. In fact, I am going to have the opportunity to speak at one of the churches on Thursday night and that is what I am going to speak on. How through Christ we can be one in worship and we can be unified because of how we see each other’s hearts. Gracias to all who love and support us and Dios le Bendiga!!
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