Novel #2 (it's a great read!)

We are in the crux of camp planning, so life has been very busy.  It seems no matter how much you plan, prepare, and organize beforehand, these last few weeks before camp are CRAZY!  A good crazy but still crazy.  We are very excited for the team to arrive and have been meeting with our staff, the coaches, Freysy and Salomon's solidarity clubs, art and music coaches and other leaders in the community.  We completed VBS (which I am really excited about) and J actually drew the sheep and lion we will be using this year.  (My husband is so talented and amazing.  He worked on these things the past 2 nights until WAY past our bedtime without muttering a single annoyance.  I am so blessed!) 
So, as most of you know our big group and big camp happens in the Summer.  (Our becoming missionaries happened in reverse from the norm- AIM sent a big group to host a big camp for several years before we moved down here whereas most missions send people down to build relationships and find needs and then send groups.  This is just par for the course for AIM- we do everything a little different!)  We will be in Sosua from June 16-23, Las Terrenas from June 23-27, and in San Luis from July 7-14.  A crazy but God-willing amazing few weeks.  Our brothers and staff have been planning and organizing and doing a phenomenal job preparing for camp.  We hosted a big meeting on May 29 to include all the coaches, pastors, VBS ladies, cooking help, translators, art and music and dance coaches and anyone else involved.  We wanted (Disney movie moment- so imagine touching theme music) every leader involved to look around and see that this sport and artistic outreach is not just in their community or even one part of Sosua but is throughout the area.  To witness all the men and women who are serving and pouring into the youth throughout the year by leading, discipling, praying for and with, playing and loving.  To remind the Dominicans that this ministry is theirs and we simply come alongside them to facilitate what they started before we came around.  It was a GREAT night and one of our community leaders came to us after describing the effect the meeting had on him.  As he said, he didn't completely understand the ideas and movement this type of outreach could and does have until he saw all the other people involved.  This man didn't realize the changes that are happening in Sosua because of the Dominican coaches work here and the vision for the future.  Praise the Lord for His work and movement within the community.  I pray we continue to see this understanding happen throughout camp and next year!

Julio Juma leading us in a song to start off the meeting.

Freysy and Victor leading the coaches portion of the meeting.

Rafael speaking with the Pastors and Pastoral outreach.

J closing the meeting.

 

We met with both Freysy's and Salomon's solidarity clubs on Wednesday to prepare for camp.  Both these groups will be participating in camp as missionaries helping cook, play, teach and pray with the kids.  We are very excited about these groups and their continued desire to outreach to their local community in Sabaneta.

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In other news, we participated in a 1 day camp in Las Espinas on May 24.  It was, let's say, an adventurous day (We drove into a river and did not drive out... if you want the details you have to come on our trip...muahaha).  But worth all the adventure and fright as 30 youth accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior!!!  It continues to be very exciting to see the people we've been pouring into learn to be missionaries.

Quite the adventure... don't you want to find out more... come to the DR... :)

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The past few weeks, Rafael has been leading our staff meetings.  As he is the one we foresee taking on this role, J and I started having him draw up the agendas and lead the meetings.  This has been exciting to see Rafael take lead with the group and watch the interactions slowly transition to him as "boss".  He is great at keeping everyone on task (something we admittedly struggle with) and helping organize thoughts and ideas.  We also continue to see Freysy's strength as secretary and organization.  (Everyone knows if you want something done, you ask Freysy.)  Our other staff continue to grow and mature and even though our individual meetings sometimes are a little more tough on them, I pray God continues to grow and mature these men.  God has hand picked a phenomenal team and we are blessed to continue working alongside them. 

It's always important to celebrate birthdays (and Alfre tends to lie about when his birthday is to get extra cupcakes), so here is Alfre's cake of cupcakes for his actual birthday on May 25.

 

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A few weeks ago Checo started a softball tournament with AIM coaches.  It has caught on very fast with the coaches (who doesn't love to play?) and we have participated for 3 weeks.  Throughout this time we have gotten to meet and talk with a missionary family from the States who moved here last November.  It has been a blessing for us to be the vessels God is using to encourage and minister to them.  I understand the look on their faces and their questions and their wariness about living here.  As with anywhere, there are good days and bad especially at first when you miss so much about home.  Please be praying for this family as they continue transitioning to life here and the mission God has placed in their hearts.  It's always nice (even now) to see and meet another American who speaks English and comes from a similar background!

J with Grande and Matt.  Matt is the husband/father of the missionary family.

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Please be praying for our continued preparations for camp.  Please be praying for the Americans who will be joining us and those who have yet to sign up.  Please pray for the youth and leaders of the Dominican who we will pour into and work alongside this Summer.  (We still have room, want to come with us??  Visit http://www.aimissions.net/ for more information.  Or email or facebook me.) 

I will stop now because, what, another novel?  I know, blogging more often would cure this... something I am working on. :) 

Our brothers surprised me this past Monday with a cake for my birthday.  Checo sang, the guys sang and we ate cake.  It was excellent!

Just one more photo of the girls.

Much love!!  (and someone please go eat a Whataburger for me!)

 

Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.  Jeremiah 15:16

The Final Countdown (for camp)

Although I really enjoy blogging and getting to express how God is moving in our lives, it can sometimes be a daunting task (especially the longer I wait in between posts).  It's one of those things that I am always wondering what I am going to talk about or what have we been doing.  I can tell you we have been very busy lately but those day to day tasks simply add up and at the end of the day you are exhausted but not exactly sure what all was done outside of the usual meetings and organizing and discussions and emails and such.  So here is my attempt at a rundown of what has happened in the past 2 1/2 weeks...

Just as I mentioned a few posts ago, God has been moving in regards to women's ministry.  Following our march through La Cienaga, Mercedes planned a march through Cangrejo proclaiming that their women and girls were not for sale and are not to be abused nor used.  We marched throughout Cangrejo with Pastor Quirico who blared his music and preached through his van during the march.  (It is very common here to have HUGE speakers in their cars to blast music and messages, he has a microphone and everything set up for this.)  It was followed by a culto (a worship and message delivered outside of Mercedes's house).  It was a beautiful experience, and we are very excited to continue seeing God move in this way.  Please continue praying for this outreach and how we are supposed to move forward.

The van and the speakers.

I am blessed to have a man who will stand up for what he believes.

Mercedes and Aubrey during the march.

 

Through the work Rafael has been doing and the coaches he has been mentoring, we were invited to a professional basketball exhibition game in Montellano.  Puerto Plata (the big city about 15 minutes from Sosua) has a professional basketball team called the Hurricanes.  They played a group of men from Montellano benefiting a man with cancer to help cover his medical costs.  Rafael prayed before the start of the game and we got to meet several people involved in this league.  From that event, we were invited to a clinic the Hurricanes were hosting.  Every year, the Hurricanes pick 10 young kids from 5 communities in Puerto Plata for a morning of practice and skills with the team.  The kids all receive a t-shirt that allows them to enter into any Hurricanes game for free.  We spent a good deal of time talking with the manager and owner of the Hurricanes and met a few of the players.  We are praying and watching to see how God is going to use this relationship in the future. 

 

The Hurricanes and all the kids participating.

 

Thanks to God's provisions, one of our brothers, Alfre, has started construction on his house.  Ultimately they are adding dividing walls for true bedrooms and raising the roof level to help combat the heat.  (Essentially, the bigger the box, the more it takes to heat that box up.  Also, because it is a tin roof, the closer you are the hotter.  So by raising the roof- no pun intended- you increase the distance between yourself and the heat.)  Here are some pictures of this.  They started a few days ago and it will take about 2 or 3 more weeks.  We are very excited for Alfre and his family and this opportunity!!

J participated in a softball game this past Saturday with several coaches and several of our staff.  It was a great day having fun with them and simply spending time with them (mixed with the fun of softball).  They are hoping to have another game tomorrow (if the weather allows).

And we are currently T-minus 4 1/2 weeks until our first camp in the DR this summer!!  The camps in Sosua and Las Terrenas are coming so fast.  We are beyond excited but trying to organize and plan for everything.  Although we did a good majority of the planning, costs, numbers, sports, etc. in February and March, this is the time for changes and organization of translators and preachers and American missionaries and Dominican missionaries, and well you get the picture.  This week especially has been great and full of preparations.  We had a fantastic 2 hour Skype meeting with the States on Monday which helped streamline and organize camp plans.  Praise the Lord for Fred, Brittney and Tessa in the States who help us and allow our work to be done here!

At home, Aubrey and Ryann are growing like crazy.  I don't think it will be too long until Ryann is as big as Aubrey (Aubrey got J's family genes, Ryann got mine).  :)  They are really starting to play together now which is always fun (and a relief) as they can entertain themselves for a bit now.  We are working on Aubrey's letters often (I really need to pick this up to daily) but she recognizes almost all of them.  We are working on counting and singing and all the fun stuff that comes with an almost 3 year old.  Ryann is "talking" more and laughing and has 5 teeth.  I love this time when their smiles are all goofy because their teeth are spread out.  She has started blowing kisses which melts my heart and waves to everyone and everything (even our neighbor's dog- Rambo).  We still regularly play with the kids (almost every day) and Aubrey loves it.  J has taken on a role as "big brother" for the entire street so he ultimately messes with and harasses whoever is around.  Keeps me laughing though so I love it.  And J and I are good.  Enjoying life and loving where God has placed us.  We are blessed to be able to spend so much time with our girls (we eat 3 meals a day together every day and get to teach them and play with them).

Aubrey and Ryann were invited to their first birthday party in the DR last weekend.  We had a lot of fun primarily watching, but here is Ryann eating an empanada.  She loves to sit in kiddie size chairs.

 

Aubrey and J were making a train from toilet paper rolls.  She is hard at work here.

Ice cream.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers and love!
We are blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing team.

Obedience

Sometimes our work here is difficult to put into words.  We disciple.  We pour into our staff so they can outreach to other coaches and leaders.  We train and teach and raise up these men.  And more importantly, these men, women and God pour into us.  As J and I continue reflecting on our time here, we realize how much growth and change we have seen not only in our staff but ourselves.  As J says, it's like throwing a pebble into a lake... you see a few ripples but don't know what has been stirred and transformed underneath.  You don't know how the ripple affects other waves and ripples.  You don't know how far the ripple travels and changes and likely never will.  What is amazing about our work here is that we don't know exactly how God has used us.  I can tell you about our meetings and the progress we have seen.  I can tell you about budgets and projects and Financial Peace courses.  I can tell you about outreach and increased time spent with coaches.  I can tell you stories of appreciation we have heard from our staff, but ultimately I cannot tell you (nor will I ever be able to)  the total changes and impact God has used our time here for.  And this is part of what makes our journey in the Dominican so amazing!  We are not in charge of these changes- God is!  We are not in control of this ministry- God is!  We are in control of our own obedience to God's calling.  God called our family to the Dominican through AIM.  Through this time our lives, futures and paths have been forever changed.  We are not and can never be the same "J and Candace" that would have been had we never moved.  Our girls and God-willing future children will not be the same.  One of the most amazing things God granted me tonight was that although our work may not be "sexy" with huge numbers of decisions for Christ or records of those healed, our work has been good because God called us and we obeyed.  I don't mean we have always made the right choices, but rather God calls us to obedience and the rest is left up to Him.  His grace is sufficient to erase my errors and wrongdoings.  His grace is sufficient when I lose my patience.  His love covers us for our failings.  What an amazing Father! 

As we continue reflecting on our staff, Sosua, on ourselves and this journey, we can only express complete joy because God called us here.  Our prayer is that He would continue to use us as He sees fit (whether to victories or losses)!

 

 

"God has called us to live for a cause greater than ourselves- A life that is dependent on His grace and power to achieve things we never thought possible through our lives."  Os Hillman

Created in His image

What a great weekend!  Fred, Christina and Julie flew in on Friday for a crazy few days... 

We started off our time together with a fantastic meeting including all Dominican staff (from Sosua and San Luis).  We are all very excited about how God continues to lead us and the opportunities He continues to present us. 

The team starting with Christina, Alfre, Fred, J, Victor, Checo, Pastor Joaquin (walking), Luis Chingping, Freysy, Salomon, and Rafael (clockwise).

 

Saturday morning started with the first ever tournament in La Grua, proceeds supporting the local coach and his desire to purchase a working backstop.  The entire tournament was organized and planned by our brother, Victor.  Victor has a heart for reaching the coaches in this area (La Grua, Bella Vista, Maranatha, Villa Betania) and has been discipling several of the coaches in La Grua for several months.  When the coaches mentioned to Victor their need, Victor immediately suggested holding a tournament to raise funds.  As our staff and we continue to pour into these coaches, we are trying to change their mindset from ask, wait, and receive to go, act and serve.  And then to top it off, Victor's Pastor joined us at the field and preached to the teams.  This is a big deal because as more and more Pastors get on board with what we do, the more support our coaches will have in reaching the youth!  Praise the Lord for His continuous provisions and His changing hearts in the culture to recognize that each field and court may be the only church a youth steps into.  To understand that reaching the youth may require us to "go" to where they are. 

After La Grua we visited Cangrejo.  Checo was finishing practice and Christina was given the opportunity to express her passions and desires against human trafficking.  (AIM has seen an opportunity to work with someone who has fought against human trafficking around the world.  Our primary goal is to work in prevention by teaching an entire generation the value of women so they will say, "we are not ok with what's happening in our city.")  This actually wound up being a large part of our trip.  We visited with Mercedes to speak about the girls and women in her community.  We participated in a parade in La Cienaga with Pastor Johnny inviting girls and women to a conference Saturday evening.  Christina spoke at the conference on Saturday night sharing her testimony and again expressing the vision God has given her for the future.  The conference was followed by a craft time planned by Julie.  (And I must say she was amazing when the number of people attending was much higher than anticipated and the ages of those attending was much younger than anticipated... remind anyone of our camps?!)  :)  Then, Fred got to speak into this more on Sunday at Luis Chingping's church sharing the hope and goals and desires to reach the youth with the importance of standing up for daughters of Christ.  With the importance of fighting against prostitution (which is legal here) and human trafficking.  Taking a stand for these girls and saying, "No, you cannot have our girls here in Charamicos.  You must go somewhere else."  And then the boys in La Union saying, "No, you cannot have our girls here, you must go somewhere else."  And then the boys in Montellano saying, "No, you cannot have our girls here."  And the boys in Puerto Plata standing up and saying, "No, you cannot have our girls either."  Teaching these boys that these girls were created in the image of God, and that they themselves were created in the image of God.  So who is our God?  Our God is a protector and a defender, and they need to rise up to be the protectors and defenders of women.  To recognize the value of every woman whether they are their blood sister or a sister in Christ. 
We are very excited about how God is going to use this and move forward.  We are praying fervently for this outreach and for the changes that will happen here in Sosua and then across the island.  Please join us in praying for this and the outreach and the communities!

Praying with Checo's team in Cangrejo.

Fred getting a famous "Mercedes Hug".

Organizing for the parade in La Cienaga.

One of the orphans in La Cienaga holding one of many signs during the parade.

Mercedes and several youth traveled to La Cienaga for the parade.

J starting the conference in the evening in La Cienaga.

 

Julie teaching a boy how to make an origami heart.

 

Beginning of craft time.

Nothing warmed my heart more than watching Dr. Duncan and Fred and J surrounded by kids teaching them how to do origami hearts.  (I am blessed to have a Godly man who is willing to do anything for God's ministry including making origami hearts!)

Fred working on hearts.

Julie was amazing with the youth.

J translating for Christina on Sunday morning at Luis Chingping's church.  Her heart and passion for reaching the youth (boys and girls) is absolutely beautiful.  I think I cried every time I heard her talk about the vision God has given her to not simply help people out of prostitution and reintegrate them into society, but a vision to stop it before it even happens.

On Monday, Fred and J had several meetings before Fred's flight back to the States including a very exciting one with the Mayor of Sosua.  God continues to open doors and push boundaries!!

What a blessed weekend and start of the outreach for women!  I am humbled to be here and continue to thank God for this opportunity.  May He continue to mold us and use us as He sees fit.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27