like the winter rains

"He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains..." (Hosea 6:3). 

A winter storm descended on northern Illinois yesterday, unleashing rain, sleet, ice and snow on our city and causing us to reschedule our last team meeting in the United States. Tonight, we regroup, gathering in the library at Rockford Christian High School to pack Christmas gifts for the patients at the leper hospital, practice puppets one last time, make our final travel plans, and pray for our week of service in the Dominican.

We are so thankful for the team that God has brought together for this mission trip. We are praying that every team member knows and understands God's personal word to each one of them: "I've singled you out, called you by name, and given you this privileged work" (Isaiah 45:4, Message). God has called us, according to His plans and purposes, and we look forward to what He will do in and through us in the Dominican Republic and beyond.



A few pictures from puppet practice...

last day in cielo

Our morning began at a service with the church of Cielo. We worshipped in Spanish in an open air building with the mountains in the distance. After lunch (our 7th meal of Dominican chicken, rice and beans) we walked to the new house for Andrea's family, which our team completed this week. A pickup truck arrived with furniture for the family and after it was unloaded, we dedicated the house with the family. Prayers in Spanish and English filled every room of the house, thanking God for the house He provided, with a roof that will not leak every time it rains. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the community, visiting with new friends in their homes and playing with children in the streets. The goodbyes were long and tearful; many friendships were forged this week between Dominicans and Americans. On our way out of the village, we stopped to dedicate two of the other home sites where our team worked this week. The foundation and walls that our teams laid will be continued by future teams until both of these families are living in new homes as well. 

After dinner tonight in Santo Domingo, we will gather as a group to thank God for countless answered prayers, play a few silly (and noisy) games, and sleep well knowing it's been a good week of serving our new friends with God's love. We look forward to seeing family and friends Monday night after a long day traveling home. 

block by block

After a good night's rest and another hearty breakfast, our busy Saturday kicked off with tons (literally) of bricks and cement. Walls at Augustine's home steadily rose as rooms began to take shape...brick by brick. Just three days ago we were filling the foundation trench with buckets of cement. By this afternoon some walls were four feet high. The other half of our team was also doing cement block work. Their project is a gymnasium inside the Mission that should be competed this summer. God again answered our prayers as He kept both groups safe.

In the evening we visited a local market to shop for souvenirs and gifts before our walking tour of the historic "Zona Colonial" and an Italian dinner of pasta and lasagna. 

on the streets

This morning our team visited the village of Quita Sueno, a place where Mission Emanuel is just beginning to minister. Most of the people in this community have no running water or help from other organizations. We distributed bottles of pure water door-to-door, and invited families to a program of puppets, music and crafts. More than 100 people came, sat in the dirt street and, on a hill where pigs grazed, heard about how much Jesus loves them. 

In the afternoon we returned to the village of Cielo. One team primed and painted an entire house, preparing to move a family in on Sunday. Another team laid cement block walls for a new house. The afternoon ended with countless hugs and smiles as our students spent time playing and chatting with children on the streets.