Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Well, first I want to thank God for getting us home safely (11 of the group, as Chris and Scott will arrive today). Safely..yes, quickly..no.

Due to the storms in the area (Chicago down to Louisville), our flight out of Miami was delayed 45 minutes, which meant our arrival in Chicago was at the same time as our departure to Louisville. When we landed, they announced that our flight had been delayed 1 hour. We were indeed relieved. That was short-lived, as when wede-planed we saw that the flight had been cancelled. The later flight was full as well as the morning flight. They booked us on a flight leaving Chicago this morning and arriving into Louisville at 1:00pm. (going through Pittsburgh) Rob, Michael, and Jerry started burning up the phones looking for alternatives. Could we get a van, a couple of cars, how about a hotel? We opted for the "other" option. We booked tickets on the last flight out on Southwest. That meant a 1 hour ride on the "L" from O'Hare to Midway. Though delayed, we arrived safely in Louisville at little after midnight.

A big thanks to Joe Costephens for driving down as well as for Diane Belt and Ellis Batson.

We're looking forward to sharing our weeklong experience with you all. A tentative count has us with over 1000 pictures and some video. (We won't make you look at all of them!)

God Bless you all and thank you so much for the prayers and other support.

Please keep Chris Smith and Scott Bartelt in your prayers as they travel today.

Scott W

Sunday in the D.R.

The Palm Sunday service at church yesterday was great. As Rob Jr. pointed out yesterday, not much could be understood from the message, but we could indeed pick out certain parts. It was interesting to put our (at least mine) limited Spanish to the test as we thumbed through the Bible to find the book of Juan and get to the specific chapter and verse. And then to read along silently as it was read aloud. Scott B graced the service with a great solo in Spanish. Though he didn't have his mic turned on, he could still be heard and I must admit, being one of the taller attendees in the service and having the speaker at my ear level, it was welcome relief. They like their music loud. They really get it going.

Besides the obvious of lifting Christ up, the men of the group have another theory for the volume level. In our dorm Saturday night, we had the pleasure (sarasm) of having a group below us enjoy their music (I used the term VERY loosly) at very loud levels Saturday night starting at 11:00pm. Couple that with what sounded like a sidewalk being jackhammered at 11:30 and then the "24 Hours of Santiago" moped/motorcycle rally with the pits being below us (I heard my last wine of the moped engine at 2:45am), our theory is that the Church is giving those late nighters a reason to get up and get going on a Sunday morning. God is indeed good! ;)

Our trip to the beach was a little more eventful than most of our trips. The President of the Dominican Republic has been in this area of the country starting on Friday. We passed his motorcade as we were heading to the beach and they were coming back from that area. It seems the folks up here have a little more moxie on the mopeds/motorcycles than in the city. They don't necessarily heed to the horn of the bus like the city folks do. Other than that, we're settled up here and relaxing a bit while we prepare for the trip home. We'll leave here at noonish to head back to Santiago. We'll pack up and head out first thing tomorrow.

No pictures today, as we have very limited access to the computer.

We can feel the prayers each day that are lifted up for us and we thank you for those. I often reflect to looking at the sign-up board for the prayer vigil for the trip and a big smile comes to my face. We have a wonderful family.

If any of my fourth grade boys are following this, thank you for your prayers and I look forward to sharing my trip with you. Cornerstone Class...a personal thanks for praying for me.

I think I speak for the entire team when I say that we miss our families. Jennie/Luke/Nick, I can't wait to see you tomorrow night. I miss you and love you.

Please keep lifing up those prayers for this team and the folks of the Domincan Republic.

In Christ!
Scott W.

Domingo de la manana Palm Sunday

Good Palm Sunday morning from Santiago. We have the opportunity to worship this morning at Will & Audrey's church and are looking forward to it (although we'll struggle to absorb the message in espanol). It will be great to worship with those who we've been sharing with. All week, we've talked about our part in the process of growing the kingdom and our specific efforts in the various areas we've spent time. Our construction effort in Hata del Yaque won't necessarily bear immediate fruit this Sunday as the church obviously is not finished, however, we have seen the final product in other neighborhoods and it is exciting and inspiring to know we're one of many who has helped in the process. Literally having a hand in helping a community build a church home (their St. John) is exceptionally humbling.
After church and lunch, we head north to the beach until tomorrow afternoon. There we'll share, relax, and begin the process of getting ready to return home.
We're praying for our St. John family today as you celebrate Palm Sunday and its significance in the greatest week in our history.
We love you and look forward to sharing with you upon our return.
Rob jr.

The attached video was taken this morning before breakfast. We've adopted the Emmaus tradition of singing grace before our meals....how do we sound?!?

God Is Here In a Big Way

Hello family,

We read in a book I brought that missionaries must know that they don't have to take God places. He is already there and they just need to open their eyes. Boy have we seen God here this week in so many places and ways. I have so much to share with you when I get back home. I wish you were all here with me, as I know you would fall in love with the Dominican people as we have. I have tons of pictures and even though Ellis thought 500 would be enough, I only have 110 left.

Today we went to the Hole which is the poorest part of the city. We went to the feeding center there. The children just come running to you. A couple of times I started to choke up but prayed for God to give me strength and not let them see me cry. They are so happy to see Americanos. Before the feeding center we went to another church and put on a play about Jesus being nailed to the cross and then the resurrection. I wish you could have seen their faces. We then passed out one Easter egg with jelly beans and a Bible verse in each egg and handed out the "Jesus Loves Me" blankets that our precious St. John's VBS kids made. What a treat for them. You made them happy. Our team was proud of what our kids did for these kids!!

I cannot say enough about the "GO Ministry" and the staff here. They all have such hearts for God and it makes me feel good knowing the family that Will and Audrey have found here in this ministry, are such loving servants. Everything is so organized, and the wonderful thing about this ministry is the way they strive to make the Dominican people own these ministry programs to better their lives and the lives of their people.

Well I need to get ready for dinner. You all would be envious Ellis and Miles, as we have beans and rice everyday. And this wonderful chicken dish that I will prepare for you when I get home. Yes Ellis, I am going to cook for you for once!

Loving and missing all of you, Mom (Tara)

Buenas Noches familia y amigos... God has blessed us with a perfect selection of weather for working at our construction site. A little rain, great breezes and much sun, allowing us to complete our work there today. As we drove through the community for the last time (this trip) I was overwhelmed with love for these people who had captured our hearts in three short days.
If you are in the Wednesday night bible study you will appreciate this: There was a mountain that was covered by a cloud every day, reminding me of our present study. Today as we were bringing our work to a close the cloud moved on. . .leaving the top of the mountain in full view. I don't know what that was about, but I had requested you pray that I wouldn't miss a detail of God. He is so cool!
Yes, we are the hands and feet of Christ. Yes, we are seeing how big God is. Yes, we are partnering where God is at work. And yes, we are getting to better know the people we worship with at St. John. The fellas are doing 'guy stuff' in the dorm; Herb and Robbye are in an apartment with warm water; and Tara and I are staying with Audrey and Will. Every night we meet for a meal, go out for a dominican treat of ice cream or empanadas and then gather for devotional time. We really need it to process our day. We always pray for you all and talk about how this experience will translate back to our home church.
Some of the best parts of the days are watching the men interact with the children, knowing they are thinking of their children at home. Before we left the construction site today, Jerry Taylor had made and intoduced the horse shoe game to some of the children. It will probably take the community by storm!
Tomorrow is a full day with a morning VBS visit to a church where we will be presenting a drama of the resurrection story, complete with Michael Belt as Jesus; serving lunch at another feeding center in Hoyo de Bartola, "The Hole"; and then the championship game of the 'Claude LaMaster' memorial basketball tournament. What an honor to represent Barbara and the children for this special event.
God is messing with all of us. . . and it is a good thing. It's late and tomorrow comes early. . .the roosters are confused and begin crowing around 3:00a.m.
Dios le bendiga, jennifer

What is rebar tieing

For those that might be wondering what exactly we're doing, I think this video clip might explain it to you. Here you have Chris Smith going against Will Partin in a little Friday afternoon "tie off"

It was another great day at the job site. There were no children in school today, as today was a holiday. During the afternoon, the kids yell "Americano!" at us as we're on the 2nd floor. A wave back and a "Hola!" is always met with a smile. A kind of smile that's hard to describe. These kids are so beautiful. During our lunch hours (actually, 2 hours), we didn't pass up the opportunity to walk through the neighborhood. Before we headed back to the job site, we stopped at the existing church. When the doors were unlocked an opened so we could look inside, the kids poured into the church. Before it was over, they sang a few songs with us and shared those smiles.

Enjoy the video.

God Bless you all!!

Scott W and the rest of the DR Mission Trip #1 team.

Thursday evening

Greetings from Hoya del Caimito! As expected, we had another great day! We continued our work at the construction site and really enjoyed the opportunity to share and fellowship with the G.O. construction staff. We're working alongside roughly a dozen men who are employeed by G.O. and have committed their lives to furthering the kingdom here in the D. R. via their profession. Even the obvious communication barrier has not deterred us from being inspired by their faith. One of the men, Bienvenido, was willing to share his testimony with us (via Will translating) and open his heart and love for Christ. Bienvenido has a passion for Jesus that is an incredible example for us all.
We also experienced an amazing opportunity at a feeding center in a nearby impoverished neighborhood called Los Guandules. The feeding center and church was just completed and is an absolute jewel of the neighborhood. We helped feed about 125 children who otherwise wouldn't be guaranteed a meal each day. These children receive 6 hot meals each week via the generous contributions of G.O. and thier supporters. Obviously, feeding hungry children is a very rewarding, humbling experience. We were able to hug and love on them as well and get to share the love of Christ with them. Given their unimaginable circumstances, we were all surprised at their happiness and hope they have been given from God. This event was extra special knowing our tangible construction work in Hata del Jaque will eventually result in a similar feeding center and church.
Personally, we're all being tugged and moved in many ways. It is so very special to share with your loved ones and understand the Christ driven men and women that are your husbands/wives and fathers/mothers. We can't wait to return home to share our week with all of you!
Please continue to pray for us as we pray for our family and SJUMC congregation each day. We're working diligently to represent you well and all are excited for future opportunities we all may have as the body of Christ.
Dios les bendiga!
Rob jr.

Hi Batson family and St Johns family

we had an incredible day and went to a feeding center where the children all yelled and clapped as we entered. We prayed with them and then passed out the plates and they are color coded for size of serving. If you take them the wrong one, they will say no and point to an older or younger child. It was so heartwarming o be with all of them. And this feeding center is one that is like thechurch and center we are working on. I miss all of you and pray all is well. I know God is there with you as he is here with us. We are off to dinner. I love all of you. God bless!! Mom Tara

Estamos aqui!

Greetings from Hoya del Caimito (Will and Audrey's neighborhood and our home base for the week) Santiago, Dominican Republic! We arrived safely last night and have one full day of experience under our belt. Travel here was great - no delays, easy flights, and only one lost bag (out of 26...not bad). After breakfast this morning, we traveled roughly 20 minutes to Hato del Yaque to begin our contstruction project. The sun was hot and the work was plentiful, but we already feel tremendously blessed. We worked alongside the G.O. Ministries construction staff mostly tying rebar to prepare for the second floor foundation scheduled to be poured next week. We also were afforded the opportunity to spend time with a number of folks from the neighborhood - specifically the beautiful children!!! We shared in fellowship and song and our hearts melted knowing we are helping build a church home for them. We're already officially exhausted and very much look forward to what the coming days have in store. Tomorrow (Thursday), we'll continue at the construction site and work at a children's feeding site in another community.

We've included a picture of us at the construction site looking over the community into the nearby mountains.

Dios les bendiga (God Bless You)!

Rob jr.

Departure!

The Mission Team had a great send off at Louisville International Airport this morning. The group was very busy checking through all the boxes of materials, VBS supplies, and personal items needed for the trip. The joy on their faces told of the joy in their hearts.

We're Ready!

Today is the day we've been looking forward to for months! We're so very excited to arrive in Santiago and begin working with the G.O. Staff and D. R. Nationals. We depart Louisville today around 1:00 and layover in Miami before arriving in Santiago just after 8:00 tonight. Our group has been extremely humbled by the tremendous support the Saint John family has generously provided - thank you, thank you, thank you. Please pray for us today for safe travel and smooth entry into the D.R. We are taking a number of items, including the SJUMC VBS blankets for D.R. children, and the in country customs procedure has proven to be inconsistent. Please also pray for protection and provision for our families while we are away.
We can't wait to meet and work with the people of the D.R. and represent the hearts and faiths of SJUMC!
Dios les bendiga! (God Bless you)
Rob jr.

In preparation...

As we prepare ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually to embark on our trip to the Dominican Republic, we would like to thank all who have included us on your prayer lists. A special thanks to the Sunday School classes who have "adopted" each of us for the week.

Please check back to this blog often as we'll post updates as we prepare, as we travel, and while we 're spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the D.R.

God Bless!