Link to 2008 Weblog

http://drcouples2008.wordpress.com/

March 27, 2007 – Goodbye until next year…

This morning we enjoyed breakfast together followed with the final couples devotion, which was about Aquilla and Priscilla. 

The devotional time transitioned into a time of ministering to the couples by emphasizing the need for God to be at the center of the relationship, and as they each are obedient to the Lord, they will draw closer to each other.  Noe expressed a need for ministering to other Dominican couples as well … so we are pondering this for next year’s trip.

Anyoly & Noe:

 

Miosotti & Russell (they are expecting their first child in about a month):

March 26, 2007 – Goodbyes and off we go to the Resort

This morning we said our goodbyes to Fefa, Sonya and Ina after breakfast… and then went off to the Capella resort.  Noe, Anyoly, Russell, and Miosotti joined us at the resort. 

We had lunch during an amazing downpour of rain that continued through the early afternoon.  We actully waded through the diningroom… well it was ankle deep in some spots. 

 

 After lunch some of us rested and others played outside, since the rain stopped.

We had a nice dinner with fellowship as Noe & Anyoly and then Russell & Miosotti each shared their testimonies and how each couple met.  This was such a special evening for us all.

Throughout our stay we have been up early in the morning and staying up late to absorb as much as possible in our short time here.  Dominican coffee has become our mainstay to help with the late nights and early mornings.

March 25, 2007 – Banquet

This evening the Time staff had a banquet for us where there were special decorations and an abundance of several delicious food options. 

 

Anyoly sang a beautiful song for us in Spanish.

The youth performed an interpretive dance.  

 

The Packards performed a Swing dance number.

During the sharing time we each spoke of what was on our heart and how the Lord used this week in our lives.  These times of sharing have become precious to us as we become closer brothers and sisters in Christ. 

March 25, 2007 – Church and a visit to Pastor Albertos house

 Church with Pastor Rudy

Pastor Alberto and Lilian invited us for lunch as a token of gratitude for the building of their chapel.  They shared how they each came to know the Lord as well as how they met (Noe translated).

Their specific prayer requests are for: a job for Pastor Alberto, for the church reaching the community, for good health as there will be four services each week and for the lot to be sold to them, as they are currently renting the lot.

This is an updated picture of the Time Center!  Much work has been done since our visit last year.

March 24, 2007 – Assembling the Chapel

This is the chapel site before being cleared.

The chapel pieces enroute to the site…

Pastor Alberto and his wife Lilian on the cleared lot where the foundation has been prepared.

And the building begins…

 

Praise the Lord for providing everything that we needed to build His chapel… special thanks to all those who supported this mission with their generous gifts and prayers.

The chapel is completed and the keys are transferred to the Pastor for his use.

In the evening we showed the Jesus Film for children and the response was overwhelming. 

 

This was the initial group that were waiting for the gates to open… but then they kept pouring in.  We estimate 80-100 people (children, men and women) stayed to watched…

March 23, 2007 – Date Night

For date night we went to Nora Rosa Italian restaurant.  We dined in a private upstairs room where the table had fresh flowers and candles.  The room overlooked the city streets through a big glass window and had a large wine selection that we were not allowed to indulge in…. the sacrifices of ministry.  We did enjoy delicious filtered Dasani water and Pepsi.  The food was very good.

After dinner we blindfolded the men so they would not know where we were going since it was a familiar house.

The house, also known as Ocho Bay, was transformed into a romantic hideaway, with dessert, romantic music, dancing, and decorations to create ambiance.  The desserts included a chocolate swamp, that was supposed to be a chocolate fountain…. but was loved by all anyway!  The atmosphere was perfect with the soft music and lighting.

March 23, 2007 – Chapel Pieces Complete!

This morning we completed the remaining parts of the chapel pieces and are prepared to assemble the chapel tomorrow!

This afternoon we went to the beach for a couple hours.  It was raining when we got there… but then blue skies followed and some played in the water (great waves) and some rested. 

Tonight we are having a date night, planned by the ladies (since the men planned date night last year).  We can share no details of the evening yet… since it is a surprise for our husbands.  Noe and Anyoly & Russell and Miosotti will be joining us as well.

 Saturday will begin very early for us… as we must begin loading the chapel pieces at 5:15am.  The day will be spent erecting the chapel!  Please pray for dry weather for us tomorrow, to allow for a smooth building process.

 We thank God for His timing, His faithfullness, and for allowing us to be a part of what God is doing in the Dominican Republic.

March 22, 2007

This morning we continued building the chapel pieces and have completed the bulk of the work.  We have 12 trusses, 4 gables, many window louvers, 2 door panels, 11 window panels, and roof panels.

This afternoon we met Pastor Alberto and visited the chapel site.   The chapel site is located in a busy part of town.  Businesses and homes surround the area and we saw many children in this area. 

 Pastor Alberto took us to visit two women in his congregation… a 120 year old women and her 83 year old daughter.  We will spend more time with Pastor Alberto on Saturday and Sunday.

We will assemble the windows tomorrow, and then assemble the chapel on Saturday!

March 21, 2007 PM – Cercadillo

This afternoon we visited Cercadillo, however due to the rain we decide to go casa por casa (house to house) instead of carrying water to the village.

  

 At each house we shared a verse of scripture and prayed with them (as Russell translated), and then we handed out toothpaste, toothbrushes, and Tootsie Roll pops.  Several people invited us into their homes and everyone was genuinely excited to have us there. 

… and the kids followed us everywhere.

 

March 21, 2007 – AM Chapel Building

Morning came fast… up by 6am for devotions at 6:30, then breakfast and then to work by 8am!

The chapel building area has moved to the lower level of the Time Center building and we are the first group to work in this area. 

The team divided up into four couples, each with a different task.  The Sawyers assembled the roof panels, the Packards assembled the wall panels, the Sheffers cut the window louver pieces, and the Abels assembled the trusses.  We are on schedule with what we have completed so far, which is good, since our trip was shortened by a day.

  

  

March 20, 2007 – ARRIVAL in Santo Domingo

We safely arrived today around 11:30am!  Praise the Lord for getting us here in His timing on the day He intended.

The morning started very early with a departure from Grace at 2am. Everything from the drive to Newark, our check-in of our bags, the flight, to going through Dominican Republic customs went smooth and swift… which thrilled us!    We are minus one bag, which was left behind in Newark due to the flight being weighed down with excessive luggage (most likely catch-up from the previous weekends travel woes).  The  bag is to be delivered in 24 – 48 hours and has a total trolley, sandpaper and painting supplies.

We were greeted by Noe and Russell and arrived at the Time Center for a wonderful lunch and fellowship with our friends. 

We have settled in and this afternoon prepared small packages of toiletry items to give to the ladies at Cercadillo tomorrow afternoon.

The Time Center

 

Here is a picture of where we will spend a great deal of our time. On the ground floor is the chapel workshop, dining hall on the second floor with dormitory on the third floor. This picture is from last year and is now nearly completed. Our time will be divided into segments of work, ministry and leasure time. We will be building a chapel as previously shown. TIME Missions is the organization that we are working under. More information can be found at www.timeministries.org .

The time we have been waiting seems strange. We all will be going to work tomorrow but our bags remain packed, just waiting for our 2 AM departure for Newark Tuesday morning.

We Have Regrouped

 

We have new reservations for Tuesday March 20 and returning Tuesday March 27th. After being on hold with Continental for almost 8 hours, Tuesday was the best we could do. Everyone was able to adjust their schedules here and in the DR so that we could extend out stay. One of the lessons we have learned working in the DR is to be flexible.

We are ready to go and can’t wait to serve God and the DR people, ones that we have a love and compassion for.

Storm Collateral

I failed to mention that two members of our team, Rene and Cheryl were involved in an accident about a half mile from home yesterday afternoon. Another driver lost control and hit them. Praise the Lord they are OK.

Duane