wish you were here

What we wish you could see, hear and experience with us:

• The singing in room 422 each night, led by Lennox, each voice raised in worship. "Oh, how He loves us..." "I give myself away so You can use me..."

• The laughter and talking on the bus as we travel from place to place, and the laughter in room 422, especially after our meetings, when we play "Four on a Couch," "Fishbowl" or "Signs." (This is the same group who sat silent in our basement during our pre-trip meetings.)

• A house transformed from top to bottom, primed and painted, with a brand-new concrete floor, ready for furniture to be moved in tomorrow, all by teams working tirelessly and happily together.

• The smiling Dominican little girls, with nails freshly painted by some of our girls.

• The guys running down the street, each with a laughing child on their shoulders.

• The walls of Cielo's new church growing taller with rows of blocks laid by students and parents armed with spades, hammers, buckets and shovels.

• The happy reunion at Pura's house. One year ago, we laid the foundation and started building the walls of her house. Other teams worked on it after us, and Pura and her family moved in last spring. She welcomed us into her new home, and showed us around so we could see the completed walls that we had a part in building. Pura prayed Philippians 4:13 over us. She told us that God turned her crying into dancing, and she prayed that the strength God gives us would help us to build homes for more people.

• The visits in other homes throughout Cielo and neighboring Nazaret, as students and families visited their sponsor children, the homes of the Haitians we work with during the day, or just friends we've made in the village. We're always welcomed with smiles, invitations to come and sit, cups of strong Dominican coffee, and even fresh pineapple or coconut water.

• The streets of Quita Sueno, a village that looks like Cielo 15 years ago, before Mission Emanuel began its ministry. We brought 150 bottles of water to give out to the people of Quita Sueno, as well as puppets and crafts for a Vacation Bible School in the street, attended by children, parents, grandparents, teenagers, and one large pig grazing on the hill.

• The voices of the students in room 422 right now, which is adjacent to our room, hanging out until it is time to go to church in Cielo tonight. It did not take long for us to become one big family.