New Ministry Launched in Higuey

Last Sunday, May 22 the new church in Higuey met for the first time for Sunday morning services.  The city of Higuey is located in the middle of La Romana and Punta Cana.  It is a city that is full of religious tradition much surrounding the catholic church. but very few know Jesus as their personal savior.  The new church plant is located on the edge of town where a more rural area meets the motorcycle filled streets.  On Sunday 230 were counted present during the service.  We celebrated the first service with brothers and sisters from the congregations in Punta Cana, La Romana and even a three brothers from the United States. It was a wonderful experience to worship together through singing, dancing and even mime! The minister Victor Hernandez shared a message about his dream for God to transform the community of Villa Cero in Higuey.  I pray that is your dream too. 

Pray for the people in Villa Cero, Higuey.  Pray that God prepares their hearts to accept the word of God.  Pray that God will touch the community and transform lives.  Pray that Satan will be powerless against those spreading the truth.

Please pray for Victor Hernandez and his family, wife Heidy, daughter Abigail and son Cristian as they are just beginning a new ministry.  Pray for the oldest son and his family still living in Costa Rica as they anticipate the arrival of a second child in January.  Pray that God will bless the entire family with friends. Pray they will continue to burn with a passion to reach the people in Higuey.  Pray they will have the discernment to know when to rest and when to press on.  Pray for perseverance to endure difficult times that are ahead.   
Pray when ever you think of it and about whatever God lays on your heart.
Pray. . .pray. . .pray!  
We rejoice in the beginning of a new church plant and can't wait to see how God will amaze us!

(Thanks to Greg Sexton for the photos.  My camera died right before the service began!)

A new start. . . kinda

I have been such a bad blogger! I have intended to back track and to share what has been going on (see last blog in Feb).  But I have been a bit overwhelmed so I am just going to start anew.  Sorry for what I failed to share in the past few months.  I PROMISE I will be better in the future! Starting today!

Back tracking a bit

When I first began blogging, I was much more faithful in sharing with you all our experiences as new missionaries.  Since I began blogging, we have left to the US to attend language school, completed language school, returned to the US before heading off to the Dominican Republic, headed off to the Dominican Republic, settled into our new home, hosted many teams, had a baby, celebrated Christmas in the DR for the first time and we are only into our third year as missionaries.  (Just to mention a few of the highlights.)  I have tried to blog along the way but have gotten terrible about doing it more regularly.  So I am going to do a little back tracking.  There are a few things we have experienced in the past months that I would like to share.  So please don't be confused as my posts will be about happening in December and January.  You're not behind, I am.     

Family pic (with Josiah)

Josiah's arrival

On September 23, we welcomed Josiah into this world.  His arrival started in normal way.  Around lunch time I went into labor, things progressed normally through the afternoon and evening and around 9:30pm we headed to the hospital.  While I was pushing, I was experiencing a lot of pain even though I had an epidural.  (Yes, we have epidurals here.)  And then Josiah's heart rate dropped.  I was rushed into surgery for an emergency c-section.  Once in surgery the doctor discovered a tear in my uterus originating from my previous c-section scar.  Then when removing the baby my uterus ruptured, a rare but potential life threatening complication when attempting a vaginal birth after a cesarean delivery.  Josiah emerged a bit sluggish but after 30 minutes or so of oxygen,  he was fine.    My doctor, and also great surgeon, was able to repair the ruptured uterus after a couple hours of surgery.  I lost a lot of blood during the surgery and so the following morning I received two pints of blood (one pint from my loving husband).  After four days in the hospital, I returned home with my new baby boy.  A couple days after that I returned to the hospital for a outpatient procedure to treat the spinal headache I had been having.  In the following days, I began to feel sick and called my doctor and let her know I thought I had a bladder infection.  After a few days of antibiotics, I felt worse and returned to the hospital.   I was diagnosed with a bladder infection, as well as an infection of the endometrium and anemia.  I was admitted to the hospital for a few days during which time my mother-in-law returned to the US leaving Ryan alone with the two boys.  I was anxious to get better to return home to my family but once I was home, I still was not well.  At the time I did not know that I had an abscess growing inside of me.  After about a week more, the abscess ruptured causing my c-section scar to open.  So once again I returned to the hospital.  Upon admission, I was diagnosed with severe anemia as well as the ruptured abscess.  Due to the anemia I received two more pints of blood (one pint from Victor Jimenez, the pastor at La Romana).  During my hospital stay my mother arrived from the US.  After a few days, I returned home again.  After all the complications, I am enjoying being at home enjoying my family.  Josiah is a precious baby and I am thankful for his health and good temperment.  In general, Micah has done very well adjusting to a new brother during all this other craziness.  And Ryan and I have been blessed by seeing God's love for us through the body of Christ here in the DR and those in the US that have lifted us up in prayer.  It has been a long, difficult couple months.  But I have been encouraged to see God's faithfulness in action and in a personal way.                              

Great Summer of Teams

We have had a great time hosting work teams over the summer.  Here are just a few pictures from Colonial Heights, Plum Creek, River Valley, Central Christian and New Hope.  To see more pictures, check out Eastern Dominican Christian Mission on facebook. 

 

Alisa from Central Christian Church with some children from Punta Cana

Colonial Heights work team in front of the clinic in La Romana

Youth from La Romana and Plum Creek leading games at Punta Cana

Jessica from River Valley providing dental care in La Romana

We've had a crazy end of summer. Keep posted for updated blog soon!

Father's Day

Father's Day is celebrated the last Sunday in July here in the Dominican Republic.  The Saturday evening before Father's Day, the ladies group of the La Romana church had a special dinner for fathers at the York's home.  Then the youth of the La Romana church planned and carried out the Sunday morning service.  Here are a few pictures from the morning service.

Ricardo Luis shared a touching message about God's greatness as our heavenly father as well as a few musical specials.

Many dance and musical specials were shared in honor of our earthly fathers, glorifying our heavenly father.

Link to Father's Day photos on Eastern Dominican Christian Mission on Facebook

Mother's Day

RL and Sharina singing a special  about mothers

Some of the girls recited a poem 

 

Mother's Day is celebrated in the Dominican Republic the last Sunday in May.  The church in La Romana had quite a few special activities during the service to celebrate Mother's Day.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.

A panel of mothers entertained questions from Victor and Ric as well as the church members

Mother's Day Beauty Salon

To celebrate Mother's Day, the Ladies' Group at the La Romana Church offered a free beauty salon to the women of the church and nearby community.  The ladies offered pedicures, hair color and cuts and of course new styles.  A few professionals helped but most services were offered by the women of the church.  It was a great way to make moms feel special for their special day and reach out to the community.

Mangoes!

Before we left the US I probably could have counted on one hand the number of times I had eaten a mango.  While in language school in Costa Rica, we bought mangoes at the local market.  I would make a mango salsa that was a variation of a recipe from my dad.  When we moved to the Dominican Republic in January, someone pointed out to us the mango trees in our yard.  Since we share a yard with two other families, I had hoped that there would be enough mangoes for us to have a few when the season came.  Well, the season is here and we are up to our eyeballs in mangoes! I had no clue how many mangoes a tree could produce! So we have enjoyed mangoes in many shapes and sorts over the past week.  Our 3 year old son enjoys eating them chilled and then peeled.  He usually takes his shirt off first as the juice runs all over his hands and down his face and neck.  I have made mango juice, mango salsa, mango cobbler and a mango oatmeal breakfast drink (my least favorite recipe).  I suppose I'll keep trying new recipes as the mangoes keep coming.  The tree is still full of mangoes that aren't ripe yet, so I think we might have a few more weeks of mango madness.

This is progress

This large dirty, rocky area once was a pool.  If you have even been to the community center where the church in La Romana meets, you've seen this HUGE pool.  The shallow end was over six feet deep and I have no clue how deep the deepest end was.  It was deep enough that a tree had gown in it.  The pool was closed after the first season in use due to numerous deaths.  So the empty pool has sat behind the center for decades now, still a major hazard.  A few previous attempts have been made to fill the pool but because it was SO deep a concerted effort was needed to get the job done.  After 25 truck loads of dirt, the pool was finally filled!  We now can make plans to use the area behind the center to serve those using the clinic and the community around it.

We celebrate new believers! May 2, 2010

On May second following the morning worship service at the Christian church in La Romana, six people dedicated their lives to Christ and were baptized. Due to the logistics of it all, we are unable to keep a baptistry filled with water at the church. So a large kiddie pool was brought in for the special occasion. Before the service, the pool was inflated and set up outside on the front lawn of the church building. During the service a large water truck arrived and filled it. After the service the congregation moved outside for a time of devotion and prayer before the baptisms. Then together, the pastor and two elders of the church baptized our new brothers and sisters. Following the baptisms we sang songs of praise as we welcomed our new believers into the body of Christ. My heart always rejoices when people come into the saving grace of Jesus.

 

 Want to see more pictures from the baptisms? Check out our album on facebook by clicking this link.

Camp

April 1-4, 33 youth and young adults from the Christian Church in La Romana met up with hundreds of other Christian brothers and sisters at a camp in western part of the country. Together we worshiped, studied and just had a good time. Ryan had the opportunity to teach a class to the youth on worship. And to fill a unexpected need, I translated a class for married women. Minta, a sister in Christ from Virginia, taught about marriage one day and prayer the next. We were blessed by the work team from Winchester, VA that offered activities for the children while the adults and youth had our morning classes. Our son loved the attention and enjoyed making new friends that speak English. Throughout the weekend, we enjoyed meeting new people that are from our home state as well as people from all over the country of the Dominican Republic. The final night, some of the youth from La Romana cooked up a traditional Eastern Dominican Easter dish of dumplings. However, these dumplings were NOT like any I had eaten before. These were served up with sardines and tomato sauce. It was a "cultural experience" for sure. Overall, the extended weekend was a great opportunity for all present. Ryan and I got to know the youth better and see many of them demonstrate their great strength as leaders. It was exciting to see the youth in action as many of the youth at camp are those we hope to become leaders in the churches as the Word is spread throughout the country. Easter morning worship at camp.

For more camp pictures, check out our album on facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=12937&id=123951010973093&l=191da2f9f4

Leadership Graduation

To wrap up a busy weekend, on March 21 a group at the La Romana church celebrated their completion of a 12 week leadership course. The minister, Victor Jimenez taught the class "Purpose Driven Leadership". The celebration took place during both the Sunday school and church hours. It was a VERY big deal. All participants dressed in official graduate cap and gown and were issued a certificate for their completion of the course. Their first responsibility as new leaders was planning and carry out the Easter weekend services. I am sure that God has plenty more in store for these leaders. Congratulations Leaders! The class of graduates with their teacher, Victor Jimenez (pictured to the right in a suit), and minister of the church in Punta Cana and event MC, Franklin Francisco (pictured to the right in a white shirt)

Check out more pictures from graduation on facebook by clicking on this link