Games, Parties and Car Washes

This past weekend,  Victor and Freysy (2 of our AIM staff) planned and organized a charity volleyball tournament for a young girl here who was hurt during the February 27 parade.  It was a beautiful day, turn out and cause and has motivated the coaches and players after sharing something like this.  They were charging RD$10 (US$0.25) to enter the games and people began giving more than the required amount to help with the cause.  The teams are looking to create more events (tournaments and otherwise) to reach and help the community!  A coach from Puerto Plata who attended the games is actually planning an event for one of his teammates who has been bed ridden for several months now due to an illness.  We will see how God continues to use this excitement and drive for His glory and His children here in Sosua.

Rafael preaching before the games started.

Also on Sunday, we attended a surprise birthday party for Alfre's athlete who recently signed a big league contract.  He has been in another city practicing with his new team but is back in Sosua for awhile.  It was a great opportunity to remind this young man and his team of the family and base he has in La Cienega regardless of what happens in his future career. 

(sorry for poor photo quality- we don't have a flash)- This was the cake for the party and Alfre's older son (about 10 years old) drew this baseball player.

 

Some of the team waiting for the party.

 

And because we had the tournament planned during the same time as Financial Peace, Alfre taught the entire thing by himself.  J literally set up the technology and we left for La Union.  We are so proud of Alfre for his willingness to get outside his comfort zone and lead this course.  And several of those attending have already shared how their life is changed.  Praise the Lord for the growth and knowledge gained from this course!

Last week, we got to spend a beautiful day in La Cienega.  J preached about 1 Corinthians 1:18 and the importance of carefully choosing your examples for your life.  As many of the youth here dream for the "big leagues" they look at the baseball players with a reverence for their life.  We as adults know this "perfect" picture of a life is rarely (never) the truth, but to these youth who dream of this lifestyle, who practice day in and day out to get signed and some who are currently getting "sniffed" by the big leagues, these "perfect" lives are the ones they want.  Please continue to pray and lift up the youth here.  Pray for Godly men and women to continue laying a strong foundation based in Truth.  Pray for our AIM staff as they continue pouring into these men and women and the youth.  And pray for us to continue growing and raising our AIM staff.  It's not always easy pushing people and saying the "hard" stuff, but it's important and necessary for continued growth.  Praise the Lord for continued growth.

 

 

At home, things are going well.  The girls are growing and Aubrey is really starting to pick up for Spanish.  There are some things she will only say in Spanish and will pretend to be one of our friends from the street and will only listen/respond to Spanish.  Ryann is crawling now and pulling up on everything.  She does not want to be left behind, so I would not be surprised if she starts walking in the next few months. 



 

One day J was going to wash the car but we ended up getting busy and did not have time to finish, so our friends decided to finish it for us.  We are so blessed to have so many loving people around us!





Showing off the shiny, clean car.

 Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14