Bob and Judy Kay

December 2011 Newsletter

2011-12-31T19:33:00.002-05:00

¡Llegó tu diciembre! (Your December has arrived!) This is currently my (Bob’s) favorite phrase, taken from a popular Dominican folktale and merengue song. In the tale, the turkey has been mocking the burro all year long for working so hard carrying firewood and food, while the turkey has fattened himself on that same food. However, in December the burro has brought all the supplies needed for the Christmas feast except the meat. When the turkey asks, “Where’s the meat?”, the burro gets the last laugh as he tells the turkey, “¡Llegó tu diciembre!”

Unlike the turkey, we welcome December. Cooler days replace the heat of the long tropical summer. Shoppers buy roasted pork—a favorite this time of year (makes the turkey happy)—and other provisions for endless parties and family gatherings. Our church family gathers into groups for special year-end dinners. Judy volunteered to make dessert for the women’s ministry dinner—160 lemon squares and brownies for almost 100 people. She says to remind her not to volunteer next year!

The Tuesday night Bible school just completed Old Testament Survey. Many of the students read through the Old Testament for the first time. Others said it was the first time they read it with understanding. We learned from Job and Jeremiah how to respond to suffering. Moses and Nehemiah taught us how to lead with integrity. After studying about Moses, the women’s ministry president spoke to the leadership team about the need to delegate.

The 65 students represent six different churches in Santiago. One church is using the course to groom two younger leaders as lay pastors. Some of the students have started Bible studies to teach the material to others. Pray for Bob as he teaches New Testament Survey, the third of 10 courses, beginning in January 2012.

At a recent dinner for the church leaders, we rejoiced as the elders shared their vision for the coming year—a church that moves “outside the walls”, making Christ’s love visible in the community and city. Taking that to heart, we gave Christmas gifts to all of our neighbors at our new apartment. Since some are hard to catch at home, one morning I knocked on a neighbor’s door while I was still in my sweaty jogging clothes. Imagine my surprise when they invited me in for coffee! (I accepted and prayed that I would spread the aroma of Christ, and not my own.) As we live out life here—building relationships and developing local church leadership—our purpose is to motivate people to live and love like Jesus.

We thank you for partnering with us as we serve the Dominican church. Our prayer for you this Christmas is that you will experience even more deeply God’s love and the abundant life that comes through Christ.

La Yaguita and Bible school

2011-09-16T21:22:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone, Judy and I just took two days off at the beach to r&r. We feel refreshed.

A week earlier, the Freedom Fellowship Church of Montpelier VA, including PM, DonDon, Sheryl and her two daughters, came and did two children's clubs in the streets of La Yaguita. Their second club was excellent and many (50 or more) children and about 20 adults heard the good news of Christ.

They also built an audio visual room out of plywood and painted the church wall. Now, that doesn't sound like much until one realizes that they also built the nicest, heaviest and most sturdy 10-foot ladder in Santiago out of 2x4's. Slanting the steps in sideways allows plenty of safety climbing up. The ladder cannot be easily stolen because it's so heavy, two men are required to lift it.

Pray for us--I have two Bible school lectures to prepare, a sermon in Habakkuk, and two more Bible school lessons to leave with the pastors, all in a 10 day period before we go to Virginia to attend my nephew's wedding October 8.

May God bless you richly!

Ok, This Post Is Real

2011-07-13T18:45:00.002-04:00

Ok, guys, sorry to be away for so long. I couldn't figure out how to make the shift, but we're cool now--it was pretty hot at 3 PM today, but rain here in Santiago has cooled things off.

We have 80 students in our church-based Bible school in Spanish which is at Central church. Students come from six churches, and we are praying the school will help train the next generation of pastors/leaders for the Dominican Bible churches here in Santiago.

We pray that the school motivates the students to plant a church.

We just finished teaching Bible study methods; I feel that God used the course to change the thinking of people, encouraging them to study and mediate on the Word through observation, interpretation, and application.

One lady shared that she now understands Ephesians 1. Another student said, “I now read the Bible with different eyes. Now when I read a verse, I apply these methods and feel that my spiritual life is enriched.” Another wrote of how that he’s able to avoid being fooled by false doctrine resulting from faulty interpretation.

Pray for me as we start Old Testament Survey July 19. Meeting once a week on Tuesdays, that course will take us to Dec 13—just in time for Christmas.

I preached this Sunday at Central for the first time. That went well, as I preached on “How to live a holy life”. The quick response is “I love you more!”

We're counseling a couple in a custody battle. God dissuaded them from going to court. It took us three hours to get to that point. We were exhausted, but it was worth it.

We have a team coming July 30, 7 adults plus a one-year old for the La Yaguita children’s center. The one year old will be a challenge, but we have small children as neighbors, so I know they’ll spend a lot of time together. Also I’m sure that little Jay will be a hit at La Yaguita! Pray for us that we will have strength to reach up to 150 children with the gospel the first day—the first of four days of kids’ clubs in the streets.

We started a Extension Bible school at the Haitian church this past Sunday afternoon. We had a good talk on how God gave us His Word and had six students. Switching between Spanish and Creole doesn’t bother me like it used to, although I do use a French/Creole word when I don’t know a particular word in Spanish.

Finally!

2011-07-13T18:35:00.002-04:00

After a three month absence, I finally figured out how to reset this blog to add new posts. My late grandmother complained of how life was going too fast. Amen, Granny!

I'll be back in a few minutes...more complications with the computer. Remember the Bee Gees song, "Somebody help me"? I feel that way with these computers! Ugh. Bob

April 2011 newsletter

2011-04-09T10:14:00.003-04:00

In her 90’s, mostly-blind, and living alone (her choice), Granny used to say, “Life is moving too fast.” She just couldn’t seem to accomplish what she wanted in a day’s time. Granny died in March at the age of 96, having impacted five generations.

We agree with Granny. Life seems to be moving too fast for us, too. God keeps kicking us out of our comfort zone and putting new challenges in front of us. Doesn’t He know we are getting old?!

Living 20 years in Haiti in mission-owned housing, and then renting in the Dominican Republic meant that we never had to buy a house. However, leaders of the Dominican church encouraged us to buy here to facilitate long-term ministry. I have always been uncomfortable spending large sums of money; so this was a stretch for me.

We set a price that we thought we could pay, and prayerfully began a two-month search throughout Santiago. One day a realtor showed us a new apartment with a wonderful view of the mountains. It “happened” to be located across the street from one of the pastors of the Central church. Judy loved the view, and I liked the idea of living close to the pastor. But the price was too high.

Nervously, we went to Cristina to ask for her lowest price. It was still too high. We presented our dream to live and minister in Santiago long-term. We shared that our church, Central, is our family here in Santiago. She responded that she knew of the church. In fact, her former mother-in-law, Mercedes, the grandmother of her 10-year-old son, “happened” to attend our church. Now it just “happens” that we had had a Bible study in Mercedes’ house for a year, plus we were witnesses to Mercedes’ other son’s wedding. After we shared that, Cristina excused herself. Returning a moment later, she asked us, “How much can you pay?” We made an offer considerably lower than her asking price.

As Cristina began talking to the realtor, we realized that they were talking as if this were a done deal. We cautiously asked, “Ok, so what is the price?” And she responded, “Your offer.” We could not believe it. The realtor later said, “This is amazing. They NEVER lower their price that much!” We responded, “You just saw God at work!” We moved in February 5.

The next day, our first full day in the apartment, we received an email. Can we host a team of four for a week? A friend’s daughter wants to serve the LORD instead of partying during her spring break. She is discipling a fellow classmate. The two daughters want to know if they can work at the La Yaguita children’s center for a few days. They have invited their dads along for the adventure. I’m not sure, I’m tired, the apartment’s a mess, etc…
…and then my friend says that the other daughter’s dad is someone very well known. Now I think, “You have got to be kidding me, no way we can do this.” I’ve never related well to well-known people. I’m too self-conscious around them. So I try to think why we should not invite them.

But my mind goes blank. And then God nudges me, “Don’t be afraid. Invite them.” And we did. And they came. The two daughters and two dads played basketball, painted the church, distributed shoes, shared Bible stories and crafts, and best of all, loved the kids. Pastor Ramón Jorge commented as he watched one of the daughters, “She has something in her heart that attracts kids to her.” And God worked in my life—I had a great time.

Just before the team came, we received the phone call from my sister letting us know that Granny would not make it through the night. We flew to Virginia. And despite my anxiety over giving one of the two eulogies, God comforted the family as I quoted Granny’s life verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, Philippians 4:13.

In late March—still readjusting after the move, the trip to the states, and the work team—we pushed ourselves to prepare for Central’s new adventure—a church-based center for leadership training. As I prepared to teach formal Bible courses in Spanish for the first time, I thought, “We’ll have 20 students, similar to what we had on LaTortue, Haiti.” Wrong. The Dominican pastor graciously invited all six Bible churches in Santiago to attend, and we mushroomed to 74 students. No panic. After learning my lessons from Granny, the team, and the apartment purchase—I relied on the promise of Philippians 4:13. I knew if I prepared well, I could teach the course.

We began April 5. The electricity and enthusiasm matched my preparation. Several students commented on how much they enjoyed the class. We divided them into small groups, led by the local pastors, to facilitate discipleship and learning. Judy led the Central women’s group.

As I sat in on one small group, I was impressed with the young pastor’s introductory explanation of how to study the Bible using observation, interpretation, and application. I can see that I will need to prepare well for the course each week. No doubt life will continue to move too fast. But “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Bob & Judy Kay

Eulogy at Granny's funeral

2011-03-20T16:28:00.003-04:00

On March 5 my Grandma Sadie went to be with the LORD at the age of 96. Judy and I flew home and the family asked me to give a short eulogy.

The year is 1933. The country is in the midst of the Great Depression. A young family is trying to make a living from their vegetable farm selling produce. God blesses the couple with their first child, a daughter. And then the baby gets sick. Deathly sick. She gets pneumonia, and despite the family’s best efforts, the baby is expected to die. The old-timers said it like this, "They laid her out to die."

A young Sadie Galyen does not give up on her baby. As the baby rests, she prays, asking God to heal her baby, trusting Him, begging Him for a miracle. She later told me that when the rest of the family expected my Aunt Helen to die, she knew that God would heal her.

And God answered her prayer, God healed baby Helen, and 77 years later, God rewarded Granny’s faith in Him with 5 other daughters, and allowed her through my Aunt Rosemary's family to see five generations.

Granny had the gift of faith. She trusted God for the impossible, and saw God provide for her. Granny’s faith was so strong that when I was a little boy, I thought that my Grandma Sadie would live forever. And even though I later realized that I was wrong, I thought she would live to be at least 100. And she almost made it to 100.

And so to me it does seem unusual to be here.

However, Granny is living forever. 80 years ago, Granny became a follower of Jesus Christ, publicly confessing Christ as her Saviour at Carmel Baptist Church. In fact, according to my Aunt Judy, Granny remembered the song that was playing when she responded to the call to receive Christ, “LORD, I’m Coming Home.”

Granny is truly home now.

So how did she live out her deep faith? How did she follow Jesus Christ? How did she follow His footsteps? Well, she followed Christ with her boots on, that’s for sure.

Granny’s favorite Bible verse was Philippians 4.13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

And she recited that verse as she kept her yard clean. Yes, at the age of 96, living in that 80 year old house near Chilesburg—do youall realize that my mom was BORN in that house!—how she did all that is beyond me. In talking to my Uncle Karl and Aunt Patsy, when she put on her boots to drag a heavy limb out to the brush pile, she would ask the LORD for His strength, remember that verse, and even though it took her awhile, she dragged that old heavy branch out to the brush pile!

Granny was a very generous person. She loved to give and gave to several ministries, including a children’s ministry in the Dominican Republic where Judy and I live and minister. When I told her that her giving was enabling the children ages 4-10 to get an education and to get fed, Granny replied, “Giving to those children gives me a purpose in life.”

She followed Christ by loving her family. She had a deep love for her children, and if you’ve seen the pictures on the TV monitor in the next room, you’ll see her in her mid-90’s caring for my Aunt Paula’s grandson Trevor.

And I’ll add that she even loved her sons-in-law. She once said that she had the best sons-in-law in the world although my dad said that I could tell you, “At times Grandma Sadie could be really feisty.”

My family, your lives are a result, a testimony to the deep faith, the love, and the generosity that Granny lived and practiced.

Let's remember Granny by living out her life verse, "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."

God provides an apartment!!

2011-02-26T13:27:00.002-05:00

Remember the story of "Bob and 84 Women?", when last June I went with Judy to Central church's ladies' retreat? The male church leader who went to rest advised us that we should buy rather than rent an apartment especially since we want to minister here long-term. After our parents gave us their blessing, we began looking. We found a beautiful new apartment close to our pastor’s, fourth floor, with a wonderful view of the mountains which Judy loves; however, the price was too high.

Our pastor and the real estate agent encouraged us to visit the construction company who was selling it. We went and met Cristina. We then asked for her best price; she responded with 103K (3.82 million pesos), 10K too high for us. The apt started at 107K (3.95 million pesos). She stated that she could not go any lower.

We then presented our dream to live and minister here in Santiago long-term. We shared that our church, Central, was our family here in Santiago.

Christina responded that she had been married to the son of a mattress maker (Mercedes), a friend of ours who attended our church. Her 10-year old son attended our church when he stayed with his grandma.

We had a Bible study in Mercedes’ house plus we served as witnesses to her other son Miguel’s wedding. She had also made a bed for Prosper, the Haitian man that we were helping, and sold it to us at cost. After we shared all that, she excused herself.

She returned and asked us, “How much can you pay?” I was dumbfounded. I wasn't expecting this kind of question. I told myself (I believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding my thoughts), “Be honest with her. You can trust her.” So I responded, "Honestly, we can pay 3.5 million" (93K).

She then began talking to the agent as if this were a done deal. A couple minutes later, we cautiously asked, “Ok, so what is the price?” And she responded, “El precio de ustedes son 3.5 million.” (Your price is 3.5 million).

We could not believe it. After making a verbal agreement, we left with the agent. When we got outside, he told us, “I don’t believe this. They NEVER lower their price!” His statement confirmed to us God's hand in this purchase.

She even gave us the choice of either third or fourth floor. We chose the third as the view is still great plus it will be easier for us to climb the steps as we get older. Third floor apartments are also worth more.

The whole above process has convinced us that God is indeed guiding us and we give Him glory for this.

The last three weeks have been ones of moving, saying good-bye to our old neighbors (we won’t miss City Hall’s noise—it’s a lot quieter here!), and completing the process of buying the apartment. Being next to the pastor, an engineer has been immensely helpful as he has installed protective ironwork for doors and windows, closets and an inverter/battery backup system in case of blackouts.

We also took 10 days to visit my parents and Judy's mom. All are doing well, and we praise the LORD and continue to be amazed at their good health.

We praise the LORD for His goodness to us.

El Burro Y El Pavo

2010-12-24T13:56:00.003-05:00

Recently the guard here at our apartment told me this enchanting Dominican story that just about everyone here knows: El Burro Y El Pavo (The Donkey and The Turkey).

The donkey labored long hours carrying firewood, vegetables, and meat to and around the farm. Part of the food was for the turkey, who instead of expressing his gratitude, mocked the donkey with cries of "Work, work, work!" In fact, the donkey often labored with tears while his beneficiary laughed at them.

As the hot summer months rolled around (and the heat can be brutal here), the donkey labored day and night, soaked in sweat, almost losing his sanity while the turkey ate under the comfort of his shade.

Then December rolled around. And while the donkey still labored, this time his load was lighter because he didn't bring any meat.

The turkey noticed this and said, "Hey, Burro, where's the meat? I don't see any meat! Where's the meat? Where's the meat?"

The donkey replied, "YOUR DECEMBER HAS ARRIVED!!" (Dominicans eat turkey meat for Christmas.) The turkey began to scream, crying while the donkey laughed, enjoyed Christmas, and lived to see another year.

Central recently had its Christmas ministry dinner last week (we ate chicken instead). During our testimony time, I shared the above story. I wasn't sure if I should, but I did, and everyone laughed, not knowing that I knew the story. In fact, the pastor's wife gave me a high-five after I finished speaking. I applied the story to us, stating that in serving the LORD, sometimes we have to work very hard, sweating in the heat while others mock us. But unlike the turkey, we can celebrate with joy the eternal life that we have in Christ.

I then shared the story with a couple of guys at the basketball court last Monday. A brother from Central was there and restated my points, sharing the gospel of Christ with the guys. To hear William speak up, share, and apply the story to the gospel filled my heart with joy.

End of Year Thank You

2010-12-24T13:49:00.002-05:00

As the apartment began shaking last January, I thought, “We’re having a tremor, it will stop soon.” Twenty-five long seconds later, the shaking finally stopped. Cell phones were out, but landlines still worked. I looked at the internet to check the news, and discovered that Haiti had suffered terribly. As reports trickled in of thousands dead in Port-au-Prince, we worried about Vila and Erline, an engaged couple who we mentored. Both were in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake. We were overjoyed when both finally called to let us know that they were fine.

At the time we were helping Erline with her college tuition, but after the quake we discovered that we were her only means of support. Her uncle in Florida couldn’t find work, and her mother and grandmother were living under a tarp in Port-au-Prince. So, Judy and I decided to see her through to her graduation and wedding, both in November. When we told her that we would completely support her for 2010, she cried tears of joy.

After we suggested making a budget, she prepared and followed it. In addition to finishing her degree in business administration, she tithed, saved 10 percent, helped her family back in Haiti, and even helped another Haitian student here. As we gave to her, we rejoiced to see God using her to help others—a confirmation that helping her was the right thing to do.

Erline and Vila were married on November 16 in Santiago. During the ceremony there were no tears, only smiles. God gave us an overwhelming sense of joy of a job completed, and completed well, helping to see one chapter in two young lives successfully close and a new chapter open. We thank you for helping us help Erline. Vila and Erline have now begun a new life in Port-au-Prince. God has provided Vila with a job in Haiti’s cement factory.

During the quake, Prosper, who had already suffered a stroke, was injured when his home collapsed, trapping him and his wife. She did not survive. He was pulled from the rubble a few hours later. His daughter Valerie, who had attended our Bible study, brought him to Santiago. Because of your gifts to us, we were able to purchase clothing, food, beds, a fan, a small refrigerator and, most important of all, medicine to control his seizures and high blood pressure.

Though he struggles with the effects of the stroke and the earthquake, his eyes are alive with a new-found faith and love in Jesus Christ. Prosper recently received a solar-powered talking Bible in Creole. The other day I read to him the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Thanks to the talking Bible, He knows the story so well that he was finishing the Bible verses and the story.

Your support also enabled us to assist two other Haitian families affected by the quake. One gift is helping a young doctor complete his internship; the other gift is enabling the reconstruction of a house near Port-au-Prince. We purchased food, water, and medicine to send to Haiti. We also taught about post-traumatic stress syndrome in two Haitian churches in Santiago.

In the Dominican community of La Yaguita, a mother tries to enroll her child in the one public school, but the school has no room for more students. She hears of the child development center at the La Yaguita Bible Church. Hoping against hope that the school will accept her child, she walks up the stairs to Pastor Ramon Jorge’s office. He says that he has no room either. She begins to cry in frustration. Moved by her tears, he reconsiders, “Can we make room?” The church allows him to use the sanctuary as a third classroom. The lady’s child now attends the center which currently hosts 140 children, double the number from last year.

Your support helps the school to pay teachers and provide education, food, and clothing for the children, including Orly. Orly is a street kid, all of 6 years old. His mom is a prostitute. Orly has shown up at Pastor Ramon’s barefoot, hungry, filthy, and even naked on two occasions. As Ramon was talking to a group of visitors from one of our supporting churches, he said, “I see Ramon in Orly.” Ramon remembers going to school without shoes and leaving quickly so that the other kids would not notice his feet. Orly now has a safe haven at the center.

Imagine having Lydia in your church. Yes, Lydia, the business woman mentioned in Acts 16 who helped the Apostle Paul start the Philippian church. We have her in the Central Bible Church, our home church here in Santiago. Our Lydia has gone through a painful divorce. When she shared her struggle to forgive, Judy and I gave her a book from Neil Anderson called Beta, which has an extensive section on forgiveness. Lydia read this, applied the principles, and God is doing a work in her life. She calls the book “a precious jewel” (a high compliment from a lady who really likes jewelry!). Your support not only enabled us to share the book, it also enables us to minister to and alongside Lydia—I’m her small group Bible study leader, Judy works with her in the women’s ministry.

As we look forward to 2011, we are excitedly gearing up for more intensive leadership training. A Haitian church here has requested that I start a Bible school by extension program in order to train their young leaders. In addition, Central has asked me to help them train their second-line leaders with a more structured Bible curriculum. Please pray for us as we juggle ministry to these various groups with their different languages and cultures.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas from Santiago—where the hogs are roasting over open flames, in preparation for the traditional roasted pork dinner on Christmas Eve!

Erline's wedding

2010-11-18T16:00:00.002-05:00

We went to a wedding Tuesday night. Villa was a leader in the Bible study that we started several years ago. We had the joy of mentoring him and Erline for three years. We were helping her financially; however, after the earthquake January 12 we discovered that we were her only means of support as her uncle couldn’t find work in Florida. So Judy and I decided to see her through financially to her graduation and wedding (both this month). When we told her back in January that we would completely support her for this year, she cried tears of joy.

After we suggested a budget, she followed it, showing us how she spent everything we gave her. She tithed, she saved 10 percent, she helped her family back in Haiti and helped another Haitian student here as well as finishing her university studies. As we gave to her, we rejoiced to see that she didn’t waste money and didn’t spend it all on herself.

Monday we gave her our final month’s gift as a wedding gift; Villa thanked us up-and-down and said, “Don’t worry, with the LORD’s help, we can make it now.”

And Tuesday night there were no tears. Instead God gave me an overwhelming sense of joy of a job completed, and completed well, helping to see one chapter in two young lives successfully close and a new chapter open. A sense of joy due to Erline’s perseverance, we were able to help her finish school and prepare for marriage—and helping her was the right thing to do, the right way to spend that money, the right way to invest especially as we saw that as we helped her, God used her to help others. A sense of joy knowing that even though their road will be rocky (literally, the roads around Port-au-Prince are that bad), still, God will provide for them—especially since they BOTH have jobs waiting for them in Port-au-Prince, a miracle in itself!

We're Going Bananas!!!

2010-11-18T15:44:00.002-05:00

Yes, you read that right! We’re going bananas! Lampeter Church of the Brethren sent three people to visit us November 5-9, arriving Friday night.

Saturday morning/afternoon we went to Jaibon, about 90 minutes west of here to measure for a playground for that orphanage. The last 3 miles of the trip was extremely rough where the road has not been resurfaced; it has a washboard effect and reminded me of the roads that we traveled on in Haiti.

I then took Pastor John to the leadership training study that I have with a Haitian church. The university students in the Bible Study Methods course participated with many good observations about Ephesians 1.3-4. John gave a few pointers as I translated for him into English from Creole.

Sunday morning we attended church at La Yaguita. We then had lunch with Pastor Ramon Jorge and his wife Alicia; he shared his heart about the children’s center that their church started. Orly is a street kid, all of 6 years old; his mom is a prostitute, and he doesn’t get cared for. He said, “I see Ramon in Orly.” Ramon shared that he remembers going to school without shoes; he tried to leave school as quickly as possible so that the other kids would not see that he was barefooted. Orly has shown up at Pastor Ramon’s both naked and hungry. Another time Ramon had to hose him down and give him new clothes since he was so filthy.

The next day, the three attended the center and did a Bible story and songs for each of the three classes, including the banana song, which became the hit and highlight of their visit. After a late lunch, we then visited several places getting info on buying materials to make the playground for Jaibon.

Pastor John then did a Bible study on forgiveness at my Monday night small group that the group translated. The group appreciated what he had to say and they spent quite a bit of time talking to each other afterwards since several people in the study speak some English.

We got up the next morning at 2:30 am to catch their plane. The van driver slept in; when I called him, I woke him up! However, he got up, dressed quickly, and arrived at the apt at 3:05!

On Calories and Confidence

2010-10-17T19:15:00.001-04:00

Friday afternoon: Auri just called between classes at the university. She’ll stop by after class to continue our study of the book of Ephesians. I know she’ll come with pages of written observations from the text—she’s an overachiever! I pull out my notes to review the next chapter, wondering if I’ll be able to answer her challenging questions! As we study, munching on almonds, we talk about how she can teach what she’s learning to the church youth group.

Monday night: Jackie, Josefina, and I stand around the kitchen table, chatting and snacking on bowls of tropical fruit and yogurt after our weekly small group meeting. Tonight, half of the ten people present are teenagers (who are sad that we’re having fruit instead of nachos). Bob is taking a few weeks to cover biblical prophecy—teaching this week about the Tribulation. The questions continue to flow as the group gravitates toward the table. Jackie suddenly turns to me and asks, “Can we study the Bible together?” Those are words I have been waiting to hear!

Tuesday: Bob and I are invited to lunch—a long-promised lasagna—at Alex’s apartment. Alex is the younger “elder” at church. As the lasagna finishes baking, Alex and Bob are searching the Internet for Spanish resources (after checking the NBA statistics of course). They are both excited to have 15 men in the church who want more biblical training.

Wednesday night: Henry and Blanca join us at a local restaurant to make long-range plans for the couple’s ministry at Central Church. We’ve been working as a team for three years now. As the conversation takes a turn, Henry asks, “Why don’t you consider working with us for the next 20 years?” Food for thought!

Thursday evening: We meet with a young couple who are unhappy and stressed in their marriage. As we share a pizza (comfort food), we gently explore with them what causes them to feel unloved or disrespected in their relationship. Over the course of the last few weeks, their anger and defensiveness have decreased in intensity. They have actually followed some of our suggestions!

These and other opportunities to build others up are coming our way more often now that we are beginning our sixth year in Santiago. We are tasting the sweet fruit of trust—trust built over shared day-to-day experiences (and an unhealthy consumption of calories!). It takes time for people to know these two “foreigners” in their midst—time to see if our words and actions match up; time to see if we can keep a confidence; time to see if we are teachable ourselves and willing to serve the national leadership.

We realize that this time—the time it has taken to earn confidence—is a gift from those of you who pray and give so that we can minister here. Just as confidence builds over time, spiritual growth also takes time. Thanks to you, we have the joy of seeing God transform people—starting with us. We appreciate your prayers that God will continue His work in and through us, and that we will be worthy of the trust that people place in us.

Earl Turned North and Psalm 19; Our Vacation

2010-10-04T15:30:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much for your prayers for us as we traveled from Santiago, DR to Richmond VA and then Dallas. Earl gave us no problems and we arrived at Reagan Washington National Wednesday afternoon Sept 1. We had more trouble with I-95's traffic in Fredericksburg VA than Earl--the backup at Route 1 Massaponax exit was two miles in the right-hand lane. I winced at the commute. I helped dad take off a few things from the oil truck he wrecked last year. Helping him was pure joy especially since he could have been easily killed in his accident.

We flew to Dallas Sept 4 and took Judy's mom to Colorado. We visited Denver and the Rocky Mountain National Park outside of Estes Park. Trail Ridge Road gave beautiful mountain vistas. The road runs 12,000 feet above sea level and above the tree line. Due to the cold wind, we even saw snowfall Sept 10.

As I write, I'm reading Psalms 19.1-6, "The heavens declare the glory of God!" AMEN!! They do just that in the Rockies!

We flew back to Richmond Sept 18 and then took my parents to western North Carolina. My mom's family comes from Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain, NC--my grandmother told me that my great-grandfather was born on GF mt. In my case, GF mt is well-named. Continuing Psalms 19.1-6, God gave us a group of butterflies that had landed just below the Blue Ridge Viaduct Bridge at GF Mt, along the path under the bridge. Judy got good pictures of them.

We visited the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte NC the next day. The Spirit of God is at work there as I came away touched by a man who in giving his life totally to Jesus Christ has touched millions with his message and humility.

Many years ago he struggled with the Bible's claim of inspiration (meaning that God spoke it) and inerrancy. He made a faith-based decision that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. Remembering that, Psalm 19.7-14 states, "The law of the LORD is perfect."

Now that we are back in the DR, how can I apply what I've seen and heard? First, due to Mr Graham's life and ministry, I must be bolder in sharing Jesus Christ, taking every opportunity to do so. Second, Psalm 19.14 states, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." AMEN!!

Convergence

2010-08-30T16:57:00.001-04:00

I have a men's discipleship study on Saturdays with the Central church. We'lve been studying a Life Development Planner book from The Center for Church Based Training. It's a church development movement out of Gene Getz's churches. The book takes a chapter out of Bobby Clinton's book, The Making of a Leader. Dr Clinton traces a life development timeline meant to span one's life. The steps are 1) Sovereign Foundations 2) Inner-Life Growth 3) Ministry Maturing 4) Life Maturing 5) Convergence 6) Celebration.

Though used for church leaders, in my opinion, the timeline can be used for anyone. In steps 1-3, God is primarily working in the person, and not through the person, bringing about circumstances that enable him to grow. Step 4 is when God begins to use that person in the lives of others. Step 5 is convergence, a very satisfying step where God matches a person's gifts, abilities, circumstances, and his ministry/work situation. The book states, "The role not only frees the leader from ministry for which there is no gift, but it also enhances and uses the best that the leader has to offer."

We thank you so much for your help because both Judy and I feel that working with Central, we are in step 5 now. We really enjoy ministry here; we are grateful for the opportunity to work at Central. We feel that we are working towards our gifts and abilities esp as we disciple, counsel, and run small group Bible studies.

We look forward to vacation with our folks (see next post about the Earls in my life).

Earls In My Life

2010-08-30T16:38:00.005-04:00

This is one for the old-timers and hurricane watchers. Any of you old-timer NBA fans remember the Baltimore Bullets(now the Washington Wizards)? Earl the Pearl Monroe, a good shooting guard? I remember watching him as a kid.

Or how about the old timey ice plants, where they made ice in 300-pound blocks? I worked in one in college with my dad in the 70's. No kidding. I learned how to set the blocks up, walk them around, and lay them down. The plant, built in the 1940's, was antique even back then. I remember my dad and Earl, our co-worker, keeping that thing running with bailing wire. I don't think they hadn't heard about duct tape or plastic ties, the things we used to keep things together when we lived on La Tortue.

The ice plant had a retarded little boy whom we named "Turkey" as a neighbor who would come over and say, "Hey, Earrrrlllll!" Earl was a good co-worker, friendly, and that old-timer still drives a logging truck in Virginia.

Judy and I are flying to the USA to visit my parents Sept 1, and her mom Sept 4. Except our plans could change--Earl is on the way. No, not my former co-worker, but the hurricane. Right. It's over Puerto Rico right now, and next in line is our island, the Dominican Republic. Chances are that it could affect our travel both to Virginia Sept 1 and Texas Sept 4. It is projected to go close by the DR tomorrow and Virginia Friday evening.

We covet your prayers as we travel....

Bob and 84 Women??!??

2010-07-12T11:22:00.001-04:00

The ribbing from the guys on the basketball court was relentless after they discovered that I had signed up to attend the Central Church women’s retreat. The ladies’ leadership team, the directiva, invited me to go along after a doctor had asked them if he could go in order to take a short break. Since we help him run the Central couples’ ministry, I felt that this would be a good chance to spend some time with him.

Judy, a member of the directiva, had been preparing for this two-night retreat for months. Since Dominican women love to dress up, the second night would be a gala event with everyone dressed in red. The theme that night would be Daughters of the King—a part of the overall theme, Breaking the Habit of Worrying.

As the preparations advanced, being a bit dense and cheap, I complained when Judy sat down in front of the computer and placed an order for 84 plastic princess tiaras. I wasn’t sure what a tiara was, but it sure seemed to be just fluff—an unnecessary expense.

The evening before we left for the retreat I packed the car with tiaras and more girly stuff. The president of the directiva was there, and she handed me $80 for the crowns, but I couldn’t take it. I knew this retreat was costing them a lot more in both time and money than they had anticipated. However, I still wasn’t sure why we had to buy the crowns.

At the hotel, I carried in the sound equipment and helped to set up the conference room. I even went to a few of the sessions, when I wasn’t talking to the doctor. The ladies were attentively listening to how to trust in God—the God who is our Peace in the midst of difficulty.

On the second day of the retreat, Judy gave an early morning devotional. She spoke to the ladies about trusting God to slay the giants in our lives, using Numbers 14 as her text. She shared how almost 20 years earlier, God had used those verses to convince her to marry me. While Judy prepared for a Haitian Sunday school class, she sensed God speaking to her. She noted Joshua and Caleb’s exhortation to the Israelites to enter the Promised Land without fear of the giants. The land was good, and God had given it to them. Through this passage, God encouraged Judy to set aside her fear and enter the good land (of marriage to me!).

Even though the ladies had stayed up late, all the fatigue was forgotten as they listened to Judy’s story of trusting God. They began clapping, praising God, and cheering for Judy and me! The Dominicans love the romantic stuff—more so when God works to make it happen.

The evening of the gala, I saw red everywhere. It made me wish that I had on a bright red Kurt Warner Arizona Cardinals’ jersey so I could at least blend in with the ladies. As the ladies entered the room, they were greeted warmly as daughters of the King. We sang praises to the King of Kings, followed by several surprise videos—affirming interviews of husbands and children. The loving affirmations resulted in cheers and tears.

And then, they brought out the crowns. As they crowned each other, a foretaste of the day that we will be crowned by our LORD Jesus Christ, they projected verses on power point that spoke of the crowns that He will hand out. James 1:12 was the first, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

And I was touched. Finally, I understood the importance of the crowns, and the power of their symbolism, in the lives of these ladies who are joyfully serving the Lord in spite of difficult circumstances. Looking at their smiling faces, I thought of their day-to-day lives. As Judy has worked with the women, and the two of us have counseled a few of the couples in the church, we have become aware of their struggles. Some live with the on-going pain of divorce; others live daily in unhappy marriages. Some have faced cancer and live with the fear of its return. Others live in economic uncertainty because of unemployment.

Yet this preview of heaven’s reward created in them a tremendous sense of joy and unity, and a sense that even though they may suffer for awhile, God has tremendous rewards for them.

The Sunday before the retreat, our pastor had preached on “Fireproofing Families”. During the sermon, he stated, “You need to enter into the world of your spouse.” Right before we left the retreat to return home, I saw his wife and repeated that line to her. At that point she called her husband on her cell phone and said, “Bob has something he wants to say to you”.

I told him over the phone and later at the basketball court in front of the other guys, “I have entered into the world of my spouse, and God has been very good to me.”

April Newsletter

2010-04-09T17:21:00.001-04:00

Not so long ago Prosper, a middle-aged Haitian man, was living up to his name. He had steady employment (a rarity in Haiti), had built a nice home, married and had a family. He was even able to send his children to college. We came to know his daughter, Valerie, when she came to the university here in Santiago. Then high blood pressure and a stroke left Prosper partially paralyzed and dependent on his wife’s care. With difficulty, he learned to walk again with a cane. He still has occasional seizures and suffers from an enlarged heart.

During the January earthquake, Prosper’s home collapsed, trapping him and his wife. She did not survive. He was pulled from the rubble a few hours later, bruised but breathing. Valerie brought him to Santiago. Prosper’s world has now shrunk to an unfurnished, one-bedroom apartment that he shares with Valerie. His possessions are buried in Port-au-Prince. The little that might have been salvaged has been stolen by others in need.

Prosper feels like he is in prison—unable to descend the stairs of their second-floor apartment unaided, unable to visit with lifelong friends, unable to speak the language of this new country, totally dependent on his daughter. Yet, within the confines of his prison, he welcomes us with a wide smile. Although there is sometimes fear in his eyes when a tremor passes, there is no defeat. He is learning to prosper in different ways. He tells us that God saved him from the wreckage of his home, and now, for the first time in his life, he is entrusting himself to God.

The apartment is still small, his heart is still damaged, but he is learning of the hope that is his in Christ. Valerie, who came to know Christ in Santiago, is studying the Bible with her dad. She, too, is learning to persevere through the pain and the difficulties. Together they are experiencing what it means to be a part of God’s family. We connected them with Dominican believers who provided free medical care for Prosper. And because of your help to us, we were able to purchase clothing, food, beds, and medicine for them.

When the earthquake occurred, within a couple of days many Haitians crossed the border and arrived in Santiago. So, instead of going into Haiti, we remained in Santiago to help those in need and to continue our ministries here. We anxiously awaited news of our Haitian friends, university students who had gone home for the Christmas break. As they made it back to Santiago, we rejoiced and worked with them to purchase food and medical supplies to send back into Haiti.

We thank you for enabling us to serve here in Santiago. Our contact with two different Haitian congregations has opened the door for us to minister to many earthquake survivors who were (and still are) suffering the emotional and psychological effects of such a traumatic experience. Prosper’s smile confirms to us God’s promise of hope in the midst of suffering.

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:2-5

Snapshots

2010-04-09T17:12:00.003-04:00

We love living here in Santiago because we see God at work at every turn, and he lets us be a part of it! Here are some snapshots of our experiences in the past few months:

Robinson is the pastor of the Haitian church that was launched from our Haitian Bible study two years ago. He invited me to preach there last month on “If God is all-good and all-powerful, why is there evil in the world?” Of the 200-plus there, more than 30 were in Port-au-Prince during the Haiti earthquake. This month I will preach on overcoming post-traumatic stress syndrome. Your support will help us make copies of helpful materials for those struggling with the after effects of trauma. We were also able to equip Robinson with a good Bible dictionary and concordance to use in his sermon preparation.

Erline, a Haitian university student, was in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake hit January 12. She survived it, watching buildings pancake and vehicles get overturned, as she was walking down the street. The next day she walked 5 miles one way to see about relatives. Judy and I called and emailed her and her fiancé for five long days, hearing nothing. We feared the worst. When Erline showed up in Santiago and at our home the next week, we were so grateful that we decided to enable her to finish her last year of university here. Before, she was struggling to make ends meet on $150/month (from us, but we didn’t realize that we were her only sponsors—an uncle lost his job in the US). Now we provide complete support for her from our personal and mission finances. When we told her of our decision, she cried for joy (we almost did too!). She volunteers every two weeks to help Judy do her ironing!

Prosper, a 58-year-old man who survived the quake and came to live in Santiago with his daughter, Valerie, smiles broadly when we visit him. He suffers from an enlarged heart, but he now confesses that Christ died for him—something Valerie said he had not done before. They lost everything in the quake. Your support purchased new single beds for the two of them, as well as medicine for Prosper, who takes 7 different meds which total $200/month. (By the way, we received gifts to help both Erline and Prosper!)

“Mi panaful!!” (My good buddy!!) Our apartment guard Francisco greets me enthusiastically every morning. He is living proof that “The joy of the LORD will be our strength.” We love sharing our food—my pancakes (that’s right, Bob does cook pancakes!), sandwiches, etc.—and praying with this dear friend, our panaful, during his 12-hour shift. He has made living at Las Bromelias apartments a joy with his love for the LORD. He obeys the LORD as well—after we gave him a study on Biblical financial principles, he reduced his $2000 debt to $100 over the last 15 months, on a salary of only $300/month!

Central Bible Church has started a new men’s ministry, declaring as our vision statement, “searching and impacting men from the community for Christ.” Eight men who really love God met last week—I am honored to be a member of this group. But I better get to work fast—we have a camping retreat scheduled for April 30, and I’m supposed to teach on companionship and mentoring.

Al, a youth leader at Central, struggled with his upcoming assignment—to preach on Easter Sunday. He called me for help. I met with him three times to help him develop a sermon on the importance of the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15. He did an excellent job, explaining why our faith is in vain if Christ did not come back from the dead.

Our Monday night small group Bible study from Central trails the other groups in the lesson book that the church gave us. However, now I understand why. A godly lady, Luisa, joined our group right before we studied forgiveness. She confessed that she struggles with forgiving her ex-husband. We gave her a Beta study guide from Neil Anderson. She said that Beta “is like a precious jewel.” Your support enables us to help our brothers and sisters here fight fierce spiritual battles.

Judy is planning the annual Central women’s retreat with the ladies’ leadership team. They are a group of committed women; yet their personality differences sometimes result in conflicts. Judy is planning to invite them all to supper to teach a short seminar on how each personality type can work well within the team (I’m campaigning to cook pancakes for the ladies; I’m not sure if Judy will let me.)

Judy also recently put her nursing skills to work, helping to care for a terminally ill patient. Don Reynaldo passed peacefully in his sleep after a battle with Alzheimer’s. The family gave him around-the-clock care. Judy went every other day to change his dressings.

We meet regularly with Henry and Blanca to plan the monthly Central couples’ meeting. This month we will discuss the permanence of marriage. God created husband and wife to stick together through thick and thin. In fact, the Hebrew word in Genesis 2:24 for “cleave” or “be joined” has the idea of two pieces of wood glued together—if you try to separate them, you will destroy the wood.

“Why is this guy even here?” I asked myself last Saturday when Eddie showed up to play basketball. Eddie is better than the rest of us—a group of guys who like to play together in a local park. Sure enough, Eddie was killing us. But, Jose showed up too. After we quit, Eddie shared the gospel with Jose. The good news penetrated Jose’s heart, and when Eddie invited him to accept Christ, Jose immediately responded with “YES”. Eddie asked me to pray with Jose, enabling him to confess his newfound faith relationship with Christ.

Miles of Smiles :-)

2010-03-25T19:21:00.000-04:00

Orly, the La Yaguita Children's center posterchild had to evacuate his home last month. His 16-year old uncle stabbed a guy after a drug deal. The victim's family retaliated by destroying Orly's house and all its possessions although the house was leaning on a neighbor's house for support. Orly and Lenny escaped the carnage by only a few minutes. Orly now spends all day at Ramon’s.

The other day, I visited Pastor Ramon, While praying for me, he said, “Thank you for Bob and Judy who help us feed the kids here at the center.” When Ramon said that, Orly looked up at me with the biggest smile on his face! That snapshot—precious!

We thank you for praying for and helping us support the Children’s center at La Yaguita.

Prosper, Valerie's dad, continues to do ok; he did have a slight seizure a couple weeks ago. You will recall that he survived the earthquake; his wife perished. She was the breadwinner in the family and had returned to Haiti to care for him after his stroke. I talked to Prosper about Christ last week. He stated that he knows that Christ died for him on the cross and that he believes in Christ. Valerie told us that this is the first time he has ever said anything like that. So we praise the LORD for this recognition.

Today I went by to see him. We had purchased two single beds for them. The beds look good in their room, and Prosper sleeps better. Both pairs of hand-made shoes that we had purchased for him now fit nicely. We thank you for your prayer and financial support that enables us to help Haitians displaced by the quake. And when I walked in the door to visit him, he greeted me with a big smile and said, “Where have you been?”

Thank you for these above smiles!!

Intense Week

2010-02-27T21:53:00.001-05:00

Ok, ok, so it’s not as bad here as it is say in Port-au-Prince where co-workers are dealing with a refugee camp of 4000 people sleeping in their front yard.

Yet we’ve had a hectic week. I even told dad over the phone that I’d like to re-join him on the truck (just kidding; dad has now been cleared by the doctor and is back to work).

Last Sunday night I spoke on post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS). I had good eye contact with the 60-plus people, mostly Haitian university students. I think that they were really paying attention, and I'm hoping that what I shared will help them.

Judy spoke about her brother committing suicide years ago. She admitted that since she didn't properly deal with it by stuffing her emotions and pretending that everything was ok, she became depressed about 3 years after his death. The PTSS doc stated that rejecting the emotions, and refusing to deal with the event head-on at some point results in a loss of emotions and feelings which leads to a depression.

God used His Word to lift Judy out of her depression. This all happened before I met her in Haiti.

Orly, the La Yaguita Children's center posterchild had to evacuate his home last Saturday night. His 16-year old uncle stabbed a guy after a drug deal. The victim's family retaliated by destroying Orly's house and all its possessions although the house was leaning on a neighbor's house for support. Orly and Lenny escaped the carnage by only a few minutes. Orly's aunt took them to another aunt's house where they are now sleeping.

Pastor Ramon Jorge continues to house and feed the boys during the day; the last time I was there, I pitched softball with Orly and became his donkey—I took him on my back and walked him around.

After I told dad all that, he said, “Be sure to take care of those little boys.”

Judy continues to help our pastor’s terminally ill father-in-law even though she was fighting a cold this week.

Oh, and did we mention that the plumber had to come this week to fix a leak in a couple pipes. He had to break the floor in the hall to discover the four leaks that were getting through to the downstairs’ neighbors ceiling.

Yet that gave me the opportunity to share Christ with two of the guys who were working here.

Thanks again for praying for us.

2010-02-27T19:10:00.001-05:00

2010-02-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

We are staying busy with our regular ministries, plus reaching out to Haitian university students—helping a few pay their university tuition and rent, but mostly helping students buy food. Some of them have lost their homes and their parents, so there is a lot of need even here in Santiago. Many of the students’ surviving relatives and friends have come over from Haiti. So an apartment formerly shared by five students, now houses 11 or 12. As well as feeding those who are here in the Dominican Republic, many of the students are trying to send food back to their family members in Haiti.

Elva is a Haitian friend who teaches French at Santiago Christian School. Since she has a good job, she's sending everything she can back to her family who lives in Port-au-Prince—their house was flattened, but they survived. Their neighbor’s house also collapsed, killing a man and three pets. Since they couldn't get the corpses out, Elva’s family is putting toothpaste under their noses to try to tolerate the smell. Elva is trying to buy plywood and roofing materials to build a temporary shelter for her family before the rains come. We sent boxes of food to her family in Haiti. They haven’t received any help from international aid organizations.

We also took food to Valerie—a fine, young Christian lady who just received her degree in Marketing at the university here. When we gave her an $80 gift that Judy's mom had given us to give to our Haitian friends, Val was so grateful she cried. Her mom, a successful business lady in the USA, had recently returned to Haiti to care for her husband, Val's dad, who suffered a stroke a couple years ago. He is partially paralyzed, but able to walk slowly with a cane. Their house in Port-au-Prince collapsed during the quake. Valerie’s mom was killed. They pulled her dad out of the rubble a couple hours later—being next to the house column saved his life. Valerie then brought her dad to Santiago. We have asked some of our Dominican friends who are doctors to help provide the medical care he needs.

Do pray for Val. She doesn’t have a job now because the quake destroyed the family business in Port-au-Prince. She is grieving for her mother and caring for her father, but at the same time, she is ministering to others. She asked for copies of the study NEW LIFE IN CHRIST so that she could share Christ with two of her friends.

David is a medical student/church leader who lost his brother in the quake. Many of the students are grieving the loss of family and friends, as well as experiencing post-traumatic stress. They are not sleeping well and find it hard to concentrate on their studies. Thanks to fellow CrossWorld missionaries who serve in France, we have gathered some materials in French on recognizing and dealing with post-traumatic stress syndrome, and will be presenting this to the students in the coming weeks.

More Haitian Students Returning to Santiago

2010-01-22T19:55:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, we welcomed Vilardeau back to Santiago. It was so good to see him. He had been working in Port-au-Prince after graduating in industrial engineering here in Santiago last July. Before he left Santiago, Bob had spent a lot of time with him, studying the Bible and talking about life. He will be here until the plant where he works can reopen. He is a real leader. His presence here will be an encouragement to the other Haitian students in Santiago, especially to Erline, his fiancee!

The building in which he worked in PAP shook incredibly hard during the quake, but did not collapse. He was able to walk the few miles to his home, which was also spared.

More students are returning each day to Santiago. This morning we took one of the students to get a new pair of glasses. She fell trying to get outside during the quake. Her glasses were broken. Her new glasses were donated by a Dominican doctor who is a friend of ours. This afternoon we visited with a friend whose mother died when their home collapsed. Her father survived, although he was badly bruised and scraped. She was able to bring him with her to Santiago.

It just seems like we have had a year's worth of experiences in the last month! Please keep praying that we can encourage the students here and help them heal from the emotional trauma they have experienced.

Update for Wednesday, January 20

2010-01-22T19:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday, five tense days after the earthquake in Haiti, we shouted for joy as we finally heard from two Haitian friends, Vilardeau and Erline, who were in Port-au-Prince (PAP) at the time of the quake. Both are ok physically but emotionally shaken by the horror of it all. Erline’s home collapsed. Her mother and grandmother were sitting beside a wall. Instead of falling in on them, the wall fell away from them; so they are alive.

As we listened to Erline’s story, she amazingly thanked God that she was in PAP that day. She had gone to the bus station to get a bus back to Santiago, to begin the next semester of classes at the university. The bus was full and she had made no prior reservation; so she began walking away to catch local transportation to go home. The quake hit as she walked, the earth heaving back and forth like a giant see-saw, buildings collapsing on her right and left. She walked at least two hours to get to her family, hearing wailing for the dead and cries of the injured and trapped all along the way. She kept repeating to herself assurances that her family would be okay. They all slept that night out in the street, fearful with each successive aftershock. Because she was there she was able to help her mother and grandmother find a bit of shelter in a nearby garage.

Erline made it back to Santiago and we helped her gather clothes, soap, food—anything she could grab quickly to send back to her family with a friend who was going into Haiti with a group of young doctors.

When she first arrived, Erline was not sleeping or eating well, had trouble concentrating, and often woke with a start in the night. We are keeping daily contact with her and helping her with basic needs here so she can begin classes. She will complete her degree this year, LORD willing.

That Sunday night, after we heard Erline and Vilardeau were okay, the relief was immense, but we were still tense as we headed for a Haitian church service where Bob would preach to 50-60 young Haitians, mostly university students. Some had just returned from PAP. Many of their families’ homes had been destroyed. Of the group that came that evening, no one had lost immediate family, but everyone knew somebody who had lost somone.

We were expecting a grief-filled service. What we saw and heard were a group of strong and resilient young people. Their faces showed the fatigue and strain of the past five days, but their voices were strong as they sang praises to God. As we hugged many of them after the service, I couldn’t help but think that Haiti still has a future because these are the young men and women who will help rebuild.

The needs within Haiti are immense and if you would like to give to relief efforts through CrossWorld, you can do so at www.crossworld.org. You can see updates there as well on the situation in PAP. There is a “refugee” tent camp of more than 4000 people camping out on the seminary campus where two CrossWorld families live.

We have been continually asking the Lord what our personal response should be. We do not sense that we should enter Haiti at this point in time. More of the students who study here are returning from Haiti. We have been spending time with them, helping with immediate needs. We want to be sure that they have food, shelter, and someone to listen to their stories. Many who are arriving are afraid to sleep inside their apartments. So far all of the students that we know personally have survived without serious injury. One good friend lost her mother.

Looking ahead to the future, we would like to help those students here in Santiago who have lost family and/or homes to be able to continue with their studies. The university in Haiti will not reopen this year. Buildings collapsed and many students died in PAP who were in class at the time of the quake.

Good News

2010-01-17T14:27:00.002-05:00

We have just heard from our friends, Vilardeau and Erline. They are fine, praise the Lord! Erline is now back in Santiago to start a new semester of college. Vilardeau remains in Haiti. Erline's family is camping out in the streets of Port-au-Prince because their home is unsafe. There is nowhere to go for shelter, no place to even rent a room.

Our CrossWorld friends at the seminary campus in Port-au-Prince, with 2000 or so neighbors camped out on the grounds, report today that helicopters are passing overhead. We are hoping that means that supplies will soon be available.

Late posting of December newsletter

2010-01-16T15:44:00.000-05:00

The low rumble of an early morning snowplow clearing the roadway reminds my foggy brain that we have left the 90° December temperatures of the tropics and entered the cold, white winter world of Virginia. As I pull the blanket closer, I thank the Lord for this opportunity He has given us to spend Christmas with Bob’s parents.

Returning to the states for Christmas was not part of the original plan. However, Bob’s dad had a serious accident October 12 in which the fuel truck he was driving rolled over several times. The first responders to the accident were sure that he could not possibly have survived; yet, God miraculously protected him. After two days in the hospital, he left with a few scrapes and stitches, wearing a neck brace and a back brace to support three cracked vertebrae. Now, two months later, Bob’s dad has started driving the truck once again. And for the two weeks that we are here in Virginia, Bob is helping his dad and brother-in-law stay caught up with the home-heating fuel oil deliveries.

This is also a time to pray and plan for the ministry challenges facing us in the New Year. Please join us in praying for the following challenges:

1) Strengthening the marriages within the Central church family
Juan and Lila are an extremely talented couple. As we walk through their home, the beautiful paintings on the wall are all signed by Juan. In the sewing room of their home business, Lali’s amazing designer clothing creations hang on a rod. But the stress in their home is palpable as we sit down to chat. This is the second marriage for both of them. To avoid constant conflict, Juan is withdrawing. Lali is exasperated and ready to give up. They have asked for help.

Working alongside a Dominican couple, Bob and I have served in the Central couple’s ministry now for two years. Lately, each time there is a couple in crisis, the church leadership asks us to help. They feel inadequate to the task. Guess what? So do we! However, we’ve discovered that just talking with a couple—sharing our own struggles and the things we have learned—can help a younger couple regain perspective and the will to keep on loving.

Pray for us as we facilitate a 5-week, small group experience for couples this year. We’re hoping to provide an environment that encourages sharing and growth, and at the same time begin to identify couples who can be trained as marriage mentors. In addition, we’ll be focusing on “fireproofing” our marriages in the monthly couple’s meetings—now attended by 40 couples.

2) Training men and women to study, teach, and preach God’s Word with integrity and practicality
Daniel steps up to the pulpit and warms us with his wide smile. His rich words focus our minds on worshiping the Lord. This is Daniel’s Sunday to lead the praise team. He has a double workload since Central started a second service to accommodate new growth. This expansion has fueled the desire of the elders to develop more leaders. Daniel is one of six men who are studying preaching methods with Bob on Sunday mornings. On Saturday afternoons, a larger group of 12 studies the biblical qualifications of a leader. Pray that these men grow in their desire and ability to be servant leaders.

Each major ministry at Central has a Christmas banquet specializing in great food and words of encouragement. During the women’s ministry banquet, we ran out of plates and silverware due to more than 100 women attending. As part of the women’s leadership team, I (Judy) watched as two of our team led a recent meeting—one younger and vibrant, the other graced with a kindly and mature wisdom. Their teaching gifts are evident, but they lack confidence in developing their own Bible studies. Please pray with me as I work with them and others this coming year.

We had quite a few Christmas celebrations before we left for Virginia. In the Los Girasoles church, we joyfully sang carols in three languages in a joint Dominican-Haitian celebration—a rarity for these two so-different cultures. The singing group Pecha—comprised of nine Haitian young men studying at the university in Santiago—harmonized in an acapella praise song. Within this group are the core leaders of the Sunday evening Haitian congregation, which has recently doubled in size to 50-60. Pray for their spiritual growth as Bob continues to train these men.

3) Learning how best to help the LaYaguita church impact their community for Christ
This small church, led by Pastor Ramón, continues to minister daily through their child development center to more than 70 children. Most of the children come from difficult family situations. Some of you have said you want to bring a team in 2010 to minister in this poor neighborhood. As you work with us, we’d like to help the church clearly define their mission and recognize the resources they have at hand. Pray for us as we work with Pastor Ramón and his leadership team to plan healthy ways that US churches and the LaYaguita church can minister together.

We’re actually looking forward to these challenges, and whatever else the Lord brings our way in 2010, realizing that our adequacy comes from Him. Edward Everett Hale once said, I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. And what I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the Grace of God, I shall do. So pray that we will do what we ought to do by God’s grace.

As you encounter your own challenges in the New Year, we pray for wisdom and strength for you. We return to the Dominican Republic on January 1, Lord willing. And for the first time, my (Judy’s) mom will be flying from Dallas to meet us in Miami and travel with us to Santiago. Please pray for good health for her during her stay. We live on the 4th floor—no elevator!

Update on Haiti

2010-01-16T15:39:00.000-05:00

Waiting for news is difficult. We have no news of our friend, Vilardeau Vilfranc, or his girlfriend, Erline. Erline and I (Judy) were meeting weekly for Bible study before she left for Haiti for the Christmas break. One of our Haitian friends here, Rubens Vieux, is waiting for news of his sister. Slowly, some of the Haitian university students here in Santiago are able to make contact with their families by cell phone. Some are rejoicing that their families were spared. Others are mourning the death of loved ones. Two of our friends have gone into Haiti to be with their families.

Please pray for us as we reach out to comfort those around us. This Sunday night Bob will be preaching at the Haitian church service at Los Girasoles. It will be a very emotional time.

Continue to pray for CrossWorld personnel in Haiti. All are safe, but in difficult situations. The STEP seminary campus is now “home” to about 2000 people, sleeping on the ground, from the nearby neighborhood. Water and food are in low supply. You can see updates on CrossWorld’s website at www.crossworld.org.

Earthquake

2010-01-12T21:16:00.001-05:00

You may have heard about the strong earthquake that just hit Haiti. The quake registered 7 on the Richter scale. That quake lasted up to 90 seconds depending on location. The quake measured 6.1 tops in the DR near the border with Haiti.

Here in Santiago, we felt a tremor for about 20 seconds. After spending the day visiting Puerto Plata, we arrived home about 4 PM. About 5:30 (we are 1 hour ahead of the US Eastern Time zone), we felt our fourth-floor apartment swaying. We have felt tremors before--but since this one didn't stop, both Judy and I went and stood under the main support beam of our apt. Then we called Judy's mom, who was still in her bedroom, to come out and stand with us (uh, we didn't give her an earthquake drill when she came!) I then began to move the dining room table under the beam. We remembered that in a major quake, it's best to get under a solid object like a table. But before I had finished moving the table, the tremor stopped.

Our Crossworld personnel are fine here in the DR; we have temporarily lost cell phone coverage, but we still have landlines.

However, we have no word on CW personnel in Haiti. We understand that the airport is closed and that all communication is cut off around Port-au-Prince. Only satellite internet and ham radio operators who have generators are getting out. Public power is down--except for the occasional generator, the city has been plunged into darkness right now. With a low front from Miami, it is cloudy, rainy, and in the tropics, when we have those conditions, it gets very very very dark. We also hear that in some areas, every other building has collapsed or been severely damaged. With the combination of darkness and rain on people who don't have shelter, we are concerned for those living in Port-au-Prince which is close to the epicenter of the quake.

Please pray for Haiti, for CrossWorld missionaries there, and for a young man named Vilardeau that we had the opportunity to disciple while he was studying here in Santiago. He now works in Port-au-Prince.

By the way, even though she is now 80 years old, this is the first time Momma has ever experienced an earthquake. We are grateful that for us, it wasn't worse.

A Special Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T11:49:00.002-05:00

He naps on the easy chair, mouth wide open as the chair is fully extended. While we have just exchanged gifts, ate breakfast with mom, my sister, her husband, and my nephew, still this Christmas with my dad is perhaps the most special.

Monday October 12, an oncoming car got too close to Dad on a very narrow part of Jericho Rd in Virginia. When Dad moved over to miss the car, his right front wheel hit soft pavement and then dropped into a deep ditch. The resulting swerve turned the home heating oil truck completely around, rolling over NASCAR-style onto a soybean field coming to a stop about 100 feet off the road.

With the driver's side laying on the ground, Dad was suspended almost upside down for about an hour. What is more incredible is that dad was partially thrown out of the truck on the last roll and the cab actually RESTED ON THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD, his feet suspended up in the cab. Yet between the soft ground and the ladder on the truck tank's driver side, dad suffered no skull or head damage.

First responders to his accident told him that they thought that he had been killed. Rescue teams had to cut the truck with metal jaws and saws to get him out. He was airlifted to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg.

Result? One small crack in one neck and back vertebrae. A neck and back brace for six weeks. A few scratches on the head requiring 6 stitches. Two nights in the hospital. Later the doctors discovered a crack in his lower back that is healing on its own. And that's it. 77 years old--wait, he turned 78 November 21, and that's the extent of his injuries. He has a little tingling in his fingers, and walks bent-over a little, favoring his neck, but otherwise he is well. Judy is working with him to exercize his neck.

We are indeed grateful for God's protection of Dad during this ordeal. Dad said that he knew the LORD was with him. He said that God really made his presence known to Him and he is indeed grateful for God's protection. With no airbag, and with the seatbeat having been unloosed during the roll, I feel that God's hand kept dad in place, protecting him and especially his head. He remained conscious throughout the accident and rescue, and even explained to the police how he wound up in the field. And despite Judy's concerns (Judy is a nurse and worked at Parkland Hospital in Dallas years ago), he turned out to be a very nice hospital patient--the nurses really enjoyed him. Judy had told dad that he had better be on his best behavior with them--and he obeyed Judy!

Dad is now AT home, and as a result, we didn't have to GO home to care for him, although we are now here for a Christmas visit. We return to the DR January 1. In fact, Judy's mom will brave airport security and flying at 80 years of age and visit us in the DR from January 1 to 19!! So this Christmas, we will be able to spend time with BOTH sets of parents!!

The truck was totaled yet God interviened there too--the truck lost no fuel so there was no fuel spill (and no further mess to deal with!).

The miracle continues--Dad was able to return to work December 17. None of us wanted dad to end his truck driving career with an accident, so he drove and I rode with him, doing the heavy work of dragging the hose and filling up the home heating oil tanks. While he is still not able to lift anything, still helping him return to work was a thrill for us. He did fine and showed no ill effects from the accident. Oddly enough, our first delivery took us up Jericho Road, right by the accident site.

I told dad, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

September 09 Newsletter

2009-10-29T19:57:00.001-04:00

Five years ago we traded our rural Haitian lifestyle for the big city of Santiago, Dominican Republic (DR). Now we have the best of both worlds—discipling Haitian university students, while working with a fast-growing Dominican church at a time when the Dominicans are receptive to the good news of Christ.

After four months of home ministry—14 different states (not counting emotional ones), two summer camps, one Vacation Bible School, countless visits and ministry presentations—we return to the DR October 3, Lord willing. Bob thrives on marathon visiting. I tend to wilt after awhile. However, it’s a paradox. Those same visits that drain my energy have refreshed me, so that I’m eager to return to the DR. What energizes me is seeing you—God’s family—honoring Him, faithfully serving Him, and inviting Him into the difficult messes of life to do His gracious handiwork. These are some of the God-things that we’ve witnessed these past four months:

--Parents who let you move in, fill their closets, upset their routine, and double the mileage on their vehicles.
--Teenagers who actually hang around to talk to graying and wrinkling missionaries when they could be out with their friends.
--A mother’s testimony of her faith in a loving God, as we tearfully watch a video of her youngest daughter who recently died in a tragic accident.
--An entire family using their vacation time to run a Bible camp for junior highers.
--Two women voluntarily working in the camp kitchen for two weeks—cooking three meals a day for 30-100 campers.
--Teenage boys arriving at church before 9 a.m. on their summer vacation to help corral high-energy kids during Vacation Bible School.
--A 10-year-old girl running excitedly to get her journal so she can show me what she wrote that morning about her love for Jesus.
--Three good friends living with cancer (make that four—the list is growing) whose hope is in the Lord, even when it hurts and He’s not telling what’s around the next corner.
--Pastors who teach God’s Word and shepherd his people season after season.
--Emails from young campers asking, What can I do to grow as a Christian?

This list is incomplete. Every conversation where you’ve honestly shared with us what God is doing in your life—every example of practical, Christ-like living—has encouraged and challenged us.

Please pray as we return to a people-intensive discipleship ministry in the DR. Bob looks forward to helping young leaders of two Haitian congregations become solid, Christ-like leaders. We also go back eager to mentor new believers in the Dominican church, and teach others to do so, so that each one can be complete in Christ. Thank you for enabling us to have this privilege. Pray that we, and those with whom we work, will learn to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col 1:10).

Here Am I, and the Children God Has Given Me...

2009-09-15T18:17:00.002-04:00

…even if He does take them away temporarily. Part 3

We left Texas July 20 after living six weeks with Judy’s mom. Saying good-bye to Judy's mom never gets any easier, especially since she's 80. Yet she remains in excellent health and spirits, and her love for the LORD expressed in plain-spoken common sense-wisdom continues to amaze me.

One of the reasons that momma’s faith in Christ is so strong is because she has had to weather a number of storms in her life, especially the death by suicide of her son and Judy’s brother Roy. Momma told me after I married Judy, “The hardest thing in life is to have to bury your child, no matter what age you are.” Years later, I asked her what God did to enable her to cope with Roy’s death. In essence, she said that she felt that God spoke to her some months after Roy died, letting her know that he was ok.

We visited the second North Highlands Bible Church family on July 12. Sarah, their articulate adult daughter introduced herself, then introduced her two daughters. She added, “We also had a third daughter, Audrey, but she is no longer with us.” Two- year old Audrey was killed in an accident, when a repair truck backed over her while leaving the driveway. Sarah had not realized that Audrey had run out the door, and the driver did not realize that she was behind his vehicle. Audrey died some 20 months ago.

When someone shares their grief that openly, you don’t know whether to duck, run for cover, or dive in. Changing the subject looked like a good option especially with someone with whom I had just met. Yet while I will never understand this kind of tragedy or grief, Momma’s perspective on Roy’s death has helped me. So armed with Momma’s wisdom, I dived in.

Dr Ken Quick of the Capital Bible Seminary, Lanham MD once stated 90 percent of all couples who lose a small child to death wind up getting a divorce. Bryan and Sarah have been able to weather this tremendous storm so far and they now look to share publicly with others how to cope with such a tragedy.

As we talked, her mom showed us a DVD of Audrey singing “Jesus Loves Me” with enthusiasm, singing her heart out for our LORD. (Hang on, even now I can’t seem to keep typing, and my throat is getting tight). She sang that song TWO DAYS before she died. Both mom and grandma said that Audrey’s song was preparing her to see Jesus.

The other touching scene that God gave me was of their two daughters, one seven, the other six. Both girls played together like normal girls. I have heard that if the parents do not properly cope with the loss of a child, the children will reflect that with bad behavior. One child responded to his little brother’s death by urinating in the house.

That day NHBC allowed us to get to know some real heroes.

While Bryan and Sarah would not agree with the last statement, still…in giving us permission to share this post, Sarah writes, “There is certainly nothing heroic about the way Bryan and I or our family and friends have handled this loss. The thing I have taken away from it all is that God’s grace is absolutely sufficient to meet all of our needs when they arise, whatever they are, no matter how painful. And, the promise of Heaven has captured my heart like never before and has taken root in my life. It is this hope that now fuels my passion for telling others about Jesus and for living each day with strength in the face of great pain…and we continue to face other pain…God has not spared us of dealing with life’s other struggles, too!

You see, I think many Christians live knowing and believing and standing on only half of the truth: that Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, and died for our sins. While we need to focus on his sacrificial atonement, we will miss God’s big picture perspective if we do not finish the story. Jesus AROSE, and we too will be resurrected when Christ returns to rescue us once and for all. His other promises have been fulfilled, and we can count on this one as well! With the full picture, we can live in real victory, no matter what we face here on earth. We await perfect bodies in a perfect world without sin and death…the physical and spiritual realms as God intended them to be.

Now, that is something to get excited about!”

"O death, where is thy victory, o grave where is thy sting?"

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.” Part 2

2009-08-17T14:36:00.002-04:00

HMA in Texas was a fast-paced time of ministry, visiting friends and family, vacation Bible school, and helping out with our two supporting churches. One of our churches, North Highlands Bible Church scheduled us to visit a number of families for Sunday dinner after church. Two families stand out and blessed us immensely. We’ll present one here now, the other in a later post.

A few families, like Judy and me, are OINKS (one income no kids). We don’t know why God didn’t give us kids, but in His grand plan, He chose not to. And we have accepted that. I will admit the term OINKS makes me want to “pig out”. Excuse me while I take a break to eat some pork chops (seriously, right after I wrote this, I had pork chops for supper!)

The Sunday we visited Trey and Kristen after church, Kristen and her daughter greeted us and cordially invited us in. Another young lady came and said hi, introducing herself. And then another kid came. And another. And another. I thought, “It seems like the kids are coming out of the walls here. They must have a lot of company.” WRONG! God has given Trey and Kristen (and they have lovingly accepted) EIGHT kids. Wow! Twelve strong gathered at the dinner table, and please accept my apologies for not remembering nobody’s names! There were too many!

In Isaiah 8, Isaiah went to the royal courtyard in Jerusalem. Since he was a prophet to the kings of Judah, they were used to seeing him there. However, that particular day, he went to publicly rebuke the Judean king and nobles for making an alliance with neighboring kings against Assyria. Judean kings confirmed the alliance by participating in idol worship, rejecting the protection of the LORD God of Israel. Isaiah had the nerve to even take his two sons and pronounce the judgment as they stood by his side (8.18). Imagine the dirty looks the kids received as their dad rebuked the nobles!

Later, I got up the nerve to ask them later how people responded to them when they went to public places. Some have been very encouraging. Others have not—and yes, they have received a few dirty looks. Yet their kids love the LORD, they were very well behaved while we were there, and we had a fun visit in large part because of the kids!

In fact, a couple of the girls told us of their trip to New Orleans to help an inner-city church do a vacation Bible school. I was impressed at the way they spoke to us--it was like we were talking to adults! Their experiences eerily reminded us of Haiti—the way witchcraft and superstition can destroy a culture while the one thing that can lift a culture out of its misery is the good news of Jesus Christ.

I have every reason to believe that these kids will grow up to become Godly, responsible members of our churches and society!

"Here am I, and the children that the LORD has given me."

2009-08-07T17:34:00.001-04:00

Furlough. Ok, that’s the old fashioned term. Now, the hip expression is Home Ministry Assignment or HMA, using initials like hundreds of other entities both profit and non-profit. At least typing HMA is easier than repeating furlough.

We spoke at a camp in south-central Missouri working with a couple of our personal supporters. Paula is Judy’s best friend; Lance received Christ at this camp and has come back for years since then to share Christ to some 30 junior highers and some 15 counselors.

The locals at camp told us that they saw a bear about a mile away, but the bear never showed up. I guess he decided to stay in the woods. Good thing for him, we had junior highers at our camp! Our JHers would have been too tough for that bear to handle!

Lance also told us that he kills about one copperhead a year at camp. We didn’t see any this year (and I am VERY grateful!) I guess the JHers scared them off too!

Located deep in the Mark Twain National Forest, The Hammond Mill Bible Camp's cool weather gave us a much needed break from the Dallas heat which hit a high of 108. We donned jackets and rejoiced at the rain and the high of 66 degrees.

Despite being JHers, we were impressed at how receptive the kids were. They were very well behaved and I think five of them prayed to receive Christ during the week. Three were baptized.

The camp cost the kids only $30 for four days. It’s that low because the workers volunteer their time. Even the cooks who came from Kansas City, five hours away, came at their own expense. And despite the low budget, the food was great!

We are in Virginia now and will return to the Dominican Republic October 3.

Heading for the States

2009-05-22T13:25:00.006-04:00

Bob is practicing piano for his last performance with the praise team at Central this Sunday--at least until we return from home ministry. We fly to Virginia on Monday the 25th to begin 4 months of visiting with family and with those of you who partner with us in the work here in Santiago.

It's not easy to leave. God is really at work in the Central Church, and it's fun and challenging to be a part of it. On Friday, Bob and 30 of the young men (and a few not so young men) from church camped out on the beach, talking around a campfire until the wee hours of the morning! They dragged in on Saturday in time to rest up for Sunday's activities. Eight men and women were baptized after church on Sunday--one of them was Juan Pablo, a young man in our Wednesday night small group who came to the Lord through the basketball ministry. Central has no baptistry; so after church we all piled into cars to go to another church across town. Tuesday night, Bob attended a meeting of the small group leaders at Central. He came home rejoicing after hearing all that God is doing in the various groups.

Please pray for continued unity in the church and for us while we are in the states. Pray that we will be an encouragement to the churches we visit. Thanks.

Family Dynamics--May 2009 Newsletter

2009-04-30T17:10:00.001-04:00

It seems like the whole family gathers at the church on Saturday afternoons. Earlier in the afternoon, Margarita, petite and elderly, shared her artistic skill with a group of children who are learning how to draw and paint. At the same time, Jonathan was keeping an eye on his roaming little ones while editing and printing tomorrow’s bulletins. Upstairs, Dyan just led a group of 30 youth in an animated discussion on seeing difficulties as opportunities for blessing—who knew Jacob and Bartimaeus had so much in common? In the office, 12 new believers gather around Marino, learning what it means to be born into the family of Christ. In a nearby classroom, I hear Bob’s laugh rise above the chorus of men’s voices who are studying about sanctification—all six are sanctifi-edly talking at once.

As the youth filter out, the members of the praise team stay for practice as Alejandro gives a pep talk on perfecting tomorrow’s worship songs. Bob will soon join them to share keyboard duties with Jose. I’m sitting here waiting for Bob, and reveling in the mystery of Christ’s body. I love seeing the body of Christ functioning as a healthy family—individuals giving of their time and using what God has uniquely given them to build up the whole.

Ironically, Bob and I are in the midst of co-teaching a series in the monthly couples’ gathering (now attracting almost 100) on how to parent. What do we know about family?! We’ve never had children. Bob has never changed a diaper. I’ve never sat up all night with a feverish child. Yet God has placed us within His family in Christ, and more specifically in the Central Church family of believers in Santiago. The church’s vision is to be a loving family, living God-honoring lives. We are by no means a picture-perfect family, but we are learning…

…to drop what we are doing and come alongside a family member when illness
or death or disaster strikes.
…to patiently pray for a struggling, newly-married couple, even when they choose
not to follow advice.
…to accept and try to understand those family members who are different—who
just don’t relate well socially and seem to have excessive needs.
…to call and encourage a brother who isn’t participating like he used to.
…to let go, but keep on praying, when a family member decides they don’t want
to be a part of this family anymore.
…to continually seek and welcome newcomers into the family, realizing that
the family dynamics will change (18 new believers joined the family in March).
…to meet regularly—even at the end of a long, tiring day—to sing and laugh
and pray and figure out how to put God’s Word into practice.
…to be transparent with each other, admitting our struggles.
…to rejoice in what each generation offers—the exuberance of youth, wisdom of
age, and steadiness of those in-between.
…to neither ignore nor exaggerate problems, realizing there is a purpose
in the struggle.

As we learn to love each other, the learning curve sometimes looks like the nearby 4000-foot peak that we just hiked with the youth, but we persevere. It’s worth it. It’s eternal. And we are eternally grateful to you who offer your prayers and gifts to make our presence here possible. Lord willing, we will be on home ministry in the states June – September this year to thank you in person, and tell you more about what God is doing in the Dominican Republic.

First Anniversary Celebration

2009-04-30T16:33:00.003-04:00

As I look over the blogs, I realize we haven't said much lately about our ministry with Haitian university students. A year ago, the core group of students who attended our weekly Bible study in Villa Olimpico established their own church, with the help of a Haitian pastor from New York. Robinson, a young man who studies at the university, is pastoring the church. In the course of a year, this church has grown to almost 200--in spite of having to change locations! They now rent space in a local school, ideally located close to the university. This month they celebrated their first anniversary as a church.

Bob is occasionally invited to preach--he just did a study on eternal security for two Sunday evenings--but his major role is mentoring and encouraging the leadership. Pray for Robinson and for Vilardeau.

When we first started ministering to the Haitian university students, they adopted us as their parents away from home, and we spent a lot of time together as they were adjusting to life in the Dominican Republic. Now, we're like parents with grown children who have established a life for themselves. We're here, and we connect at crucial moments, but they don't need us quite as much. It's a joy to see what God has accomplished in and through them!

Bob and All Those Women?!?!? (Part 2!)

2009-04-13T15:59:00.004-04:00

Ok, ok, like I said, the ladies don't play attention to me. They're cooking. A couple weeks ago, we had the biggie--cheesecake. (You can see why I stick around). Cheesecake is served only at very formal and/or fancy meals here. It's not something that Dominicans eat on a regular basis because cheese here is very expensive. It shouldn't be, they produce it here in-country, but it is. And so Judy makes it only for special occasions.

The ladies enjoyed making it--and even though it's expensive to make, in the battle of the budget, we did fine :-) And even though it's fattening, so far in the battle of the bulge the waistlines remain the same! We gave away most of the cheesecake we made, to the ladies who came (20 each for both Thursday and Friday nights), to a deacon in the hospital, and to two elder ladies--one named Margarita, who does this cutest painting class with about 10 kids on Saturday afternoons. And their paintings are really good--they did one with a sailboat in the water with an island behind it (reminded me of La Tortue!)

By the way, the deacon is now out of the hospital. He had hemorrodes. The operation was successful, and he's been back to church a couple Sundays. We were sure glad he came back too. We laughed because every question after, "Is Santiago well?" was followed with, "Was he able to go to the bathroom successfully?" (I'm translating the general sense. The questions were FAR more explicit than that!!)

Back to the cheesecake, three other really neat things happened. One, one of the younger ladies who come on Thursday night has just started coming to church. I overheard one of the older ladies in the group talk about God’s love with this younger lady during the cooking class, a wonderful application of the 1 Timothy 5 passage where the older women are commanded to mentor the younger women. Two, Judy invited an unchurched lady to church who came for the Friday night class. Three, our unchurched neighbor came again to the Friday cooking class. She had attended the first one.

Pray that the fruit of these classes will be more than excess calorie intake. We're hoping that the ladies will develop closer relationships, and that some will be able to help their families financially. Plus pray for the ladies mentioned above.

Bob and All Those Women?!?!?

2009-03-16T14:35:00.001-04:00

What in the world am I (Bob) doing with all these women in my house?!?!? Actually, they aren't paying much attention to me. They are all crowded around our dining room table which is covered with utensils, bowls, and an ample supply of flour, sugar, and other ingredients.

My job is to simply greet them at the door--and try to help Judy anyway I can while she teaches a cooking class with the Central church ladies. Judy is teaching them how to make desserts that they can sell to bring in extra income for their families; plus, it's an opportunity for us get to know them better.

We praise the LORD for Central's growth. The last time I counted, we had 235 seats in our sanctuary, and since I play the piano for the praise band, I can see that almost every seat is filled--and that does not include the workers and children who are downstairs in children's church, which accounts for the 300-plus people.

So when Judy announced the cooking class to the ladies, over 50 ladies signed up! Yikes! Our apartment isn't THAT big! So we split up the group, offering the class on two separate evenings, Thursday and Friday--and picked up seven more ladies. We also had several guys inquire, but Judy told them "ladies only" (except for her luvy dubby hubby :-) Sorry guys!

Twenty-six people attended the first class (including one older man who drove his wife); each subsequent class has had a very manageable 15-17. The class gives us an outreach to neighbors as well; one came last Friday. The March 12 and 13 classes made over 100 brownies and lemon squares that Judy took to the Women's Ministry meeting March 14. Even though we had only 40 ladies, the youth group who meets downstairs got wind of the goodies and helped the ladies finish them all up! (And yes, Judy is VERY popular with the youth group now!) The week before, the classes made carrot muffins. Next week will be cheesecake. (You can see why I stick around).

Pray that the fruit of these classes will be more than excess calorie intake. We're hoping that the ladies will develop closer relationships, and that some will be able to help their families financially.

February '09 Newsletter

2009-02-06T18:48:00.001-05:00

Being married to a long-suffering Arizona Cardinal fan, I have become aware of the phrase uttered by the Cardinal coach in 2006, after losing to the Chicago Bears, “They are who we thought they were.” Cardinal foes and fans have since created many variations on this theme, culminating in “We are who nobody thought we were!” after the Cardinals won the NFC championship this year.

I have my own variation on this theme which has absolutely nothing to do with football, but everything to do with ministry here in Santiago. Here it is: “We are where God thought we should be.” You see, we have a joyful sense of being in the right place at the right time, ministering alongside the Dominican believers of the First Christian Bible Church of Santiago (a.k.a. Central, due to its location). We have always enjoyed the fellowship and the worship times at Central. Yet, over the past 4½ years we would sometimes ask ourselves if we were where we should be.

When we arrived in the Dominican Republic, the Central church was the least “needy” of the churches that our CrossWorld team was working with in Santiago. There are two godly Dominican co-pastors leading the church. But we needed this loving community as we learned the language and culture. Integrating into the life of the body in many small ways, we became part of the family. As the church grew, Bob became a small group leader, and I participated in a weekly prayer group and the women’s ministry. This was the “Dominican” side of ministry, while we were also discipling Haitian university students across town.

Currently, God is blessing Central with growth that has the leaders scrambling to buy more chairs and seeking God’s wisdom for what to do next. In these uncertain times, people are responding to their neighbor’s invitation to come and hear what God says in His Word. As a result, there are many new believers needing coaching in this new life in Christ, and older believers with a renewed hunger to study the Bible. The “small” groups don’t fit in anybody’s living room anymore. They are ready to divide as soon as more leaders step up to the task.

Benefiting from the relationships of trust that we built during the years of wondering if we were where we should be; we are now being asked to teach, mentor, and train others to do so. We work with two small groups each week, one with mostly new believers, whose questions are both a delight and a challenge as we sit around snacking on cornbread and cheese. More than half of the group members are young men, struggling to find employment and living in strife-filled neighborhoods. Please pray for Antony, Sandy, Miguel, Juan, and Michel.

Pray as well for the next line of small group leaders, a group of 8-12 men who are studying the Bible with Bob on Saturday evenings. We love it when people ask us to study the Word with them! Alberto, a university student, enthusiastically leads the youth group at Central, and is studying 1 Peter with Bob two to three mornings a week, after they play basketball for an hour. They don’t seem to mind studying while dripping with sweat—must be a guy thing!

There’s other good stuff going on as well, but I think you get the picture that God is at work in and through this church; and we’re glad to be here at this time in their history. Thank you for making it possible. Pray that we, together with the church body, will be the salt and light that God intends for us to be.
Looking forward to being what God knows we are,
Bob and Judy

Psalm 126 and the Miracle In Glendale, AZ

2009-01-27T10:07:00.004-05:00

Warning--you may not believe what you read below. I'm finding it hard to believe too. But it's all true.

"We were like men who dreamed...our mouths were filled with laughter...the LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!" (Ps 126.1-3) In 536 BC, after 70 years of captivity in Babylon and Persia, over 40,000 Israelites returned home to Jerusalem, to rebuild the city and to re-establish Israel. Psalm 126 records their joy as they arrived, the celebration of a miracle that no one thought possible.

Imagine their joy arriving after a dangerous journey up the Euphrates River and then across the desert. Having to travel by foot and animal, the 700-mile trip could have taken more than a year.

Imagine their joy at the miracle of returning home to Jerusalem. History reveals that captives are either killed, enslaved, or dispersed. They do not return home. Also, Jerusalem had no temple, no walls, and only a cluster of houses. The Babylonians had destroyed the city 50 years earlier. The city needed to be rebuilt.

Yet the Israelites rejoiced because they had returned home. And although they had needed a miracle to return, God provided just that.

The following will NOT compare, I know, I know, I know. But for me, the miracle in Glendale, AZ recently stirred in me the same emotions described in Psalm 126.

The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC championship on January 18. I cannot believe it. It does not seem true. But it is, a miracle of sorts in the NFL.

Back in the 1970's, I began rooting for the then St Louis Cardinals because I felt that then quarterback Jim Hart was a good role model. Even after Hart retired, I continued to root for the Cards throughout the '80s and '90's.

However, those teams became synonomous with futility and losing. I never talked much about the Cards, because with the teams going mostly 6-10, 5-11, and 4-12 for over 20 years, there wasn't much to discuss.

I kicked the habit of rooting for the Cards and began rooting for Kurt Warner due to his outstanding testimony for our LORD Jesus Christ and Warner's Super Bowl victory in 2000 with the St Louis Rams.

But after being benched twice, Warner signed with the Cardinals in 2005. I became a Cardinal fan again.

Even with Warner, the Cards continued losing, going 5-11. And worse yet, Warner was benched twice more. He talked of retiring after the 2006 season.

However, he won his job back, had a record-breaking year in 2008, and led the Cards to their first division title in 33 years (I remember the last one, in 1975, when I was a freshman at the Washington Bible College!)

The Cards were given no chance to advance in the NFL playoffs. After all, with their history of losing, they did well just to get there. Yet, they beat Atlanta, upset Carolina, and set the stage for a showdown with favored Philadelphia for the NFC championship.

They jumped out to a 24-6 lead, only to see Philly rally to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Warner then led the Cards on a long, tense drive completing it with his winning touchdown pass. The win completed the miracle and touched off an amazing celebration.

I saw tears rolling down Adrian Wilson' face during his interview with Foxsports. Other players cried as well. Warner called out his wife from the stands, and embraced her. He later choked up twice in his post-game interview. Other fans, even grown men, cried. Long-time Cardinal fans congradulated their sons, and sons their fathers. I read on a blog where strangers actually hugged each other celebrating near the stadium.

I admit, I got a lump in my throat. And then I just started laughing. In fact, I'm laughing right now as I type this. I still cannot believe it. And yet because it's true, I feel this crazy sense of joy, like a dream come true kind of joy--joy for me, joy for the Cards, joy for Kurt Warner, who was benched four times in his career, and then comes back and leads one of the worst teams in the NFL to the Super Bowl.

And joy too because as the Cards advance, Kurt is getting more attention for his outspoken testimony of his faith in Christ. His boldness with the media has encouraged me here in the Dominican Republic.

The Cardinals play the Pittsburgh Steelers for the NFL championship Sunday Feb 1. Again, the Cards are expected to lose. But that's ok.

If they win, I'll laugh and joyfully celebrate the miracle described Psalm 126 all over again. And maybe get another lump in my throat.

Bob's Piano Story

2009-01-20T16:52:00.001-05:00

When I was young, I mowed the lawn for my folks. I had this habit of talking to myself (and to God) so loud, they could hear me over the mower. Years later, on January 15, 2004, I had an engaging conversation with myself. And while I kept it inaudible, this time God talked back to me. And I’m glad He did.

Judy and I had just returned from Texas to begin our second semester as missionaries in residence at the Washington Bible College. I was a line monitor at evening registration, but since most everyone had registered, only I and the professors were left in the gym. A few guys were playing basketball at the other end—I found myself wishing I could play with them.

And then a thought hit me like a ton of bricks. “Bob, aren’t you going to take piano?” I had talked to Judy briefly about it, but hadn’t given it any though since. I had taken piano lessons as a WBC student years earlier, but had abandoned it in Haiti. On La Tortue Island, with no running water, electricity, or even a telephone, I had no piano teacher, and no way to get a piano there.

But this time we were not returning to Haiti. We were going to Santiago, Dominican Republic where we are now. And I thought, “I should take piano again. If I take lessons now, and stick with them, where could I end up in 20 years?” But the next thought was, “No way, man, you are crazy, you’re too busy….” And I began to list excuses why I couldn’t take piano again.

But a thought inside me kept at me, “Bob, go for it! You’ve got an excellent chance to improve if you simply try. But you must take that first step. And don’t wait! It’s getting late!” I remember the time being about 8 PM. Registration was to close at 8:30 or 9, but some of the profs were already standing around as if to leave.

So I countered, “Ok, how many men do you know who are 46 years old, haven’t taken piano for more than 20 years, and then all of a sudden decide to take lessons again?”

There! “Gotcha”, I thought. I’ve made my decision. No piano.

WRONG! The very next thought was, “Bob, you are a young 46. Your health is excellent. You play basketball with kids half your age, and you are able to keep up with them. There’s no reason why you can’t take piano. Think of what you could become in the next 20 years if you go for it. But you must start NOW!”

I was beginning to sense that the pro-piano thoughts inside me weren’t really me. I was sensing that I was engaging in an argument with Someone else using my thoughts—and I had a growing realization that that Someone else was the Holy Spirit in me—and that my anti-piano thoughts were wrong. I knew that WBC had an excellent music dept despite being a small college, and I knew that this was an opportunity that I should not miss.

Then God brought to mind 1 Peter 1.2, “Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ.” The Greek word for “obedience” in that verse is hupakoe, meaning “to answer a knock at the door.” When that verse ran across my mind, I thought, “I have preached this sermon to many people in Haiti. God is knocking at my heart’s door and I’d better answer!” So I began to register.

During registration, the music department told me that even though I was a faculty member, the school had a rule that I would be required to pay for my lessons. “Okay”, I thought, “That’s my out—it will cost $400 and we really shouldn’t pay that much.” But the assistant registrar overheard our conversation, came to the music chair, and stated that due to another arrangement we had made with the school, the school would waive the music fee.

Remember your first day of school? I do. I remember being in the back of the bus, watching my parents following me in their car, wishing that I were home. I got that same feeling going for my first piano lesson (and this was 40 years later!) Walking to the music room, I remember my legs taking me to a place that the rest of my body didn’t want to go to!

Yet God provided. He gave me an excellent teacher, changed my attitude, motivated me to work hard, and I left WBC four months later determined to continue.

About a year later, as a birthday present, Judy asked our Dominican church’s pianist to give me lessons. The talented Adonis taught me how to play beautiful Spanish praise songs written by Jesus Adrian Romero. English praise songs that I had heard in years gone by, longing to play but couldn’t, God was now giving me the ability to play them. God filled my heart with joy learning these songs, a joy that I had lacked in Haiti. It’s as if God rewarded me for all those years spent in the desert, so to speak. I felt like that I was drinking from an overflowing fountain of joy,

Recently Adonis and his wife moved to Santo Domingo, leaving our church praise band without a pianist. And this time I (maybe?) thought, “Why don’t you play? It’s wide open.” I hadn’t played in public in years, but mustered the courage to volunteer.

I play with four guitarists and two drummers. Since Dominicans love their music LOUD, and I sit right next to the drummer, sometimes I can’t hear myself play, giving new meaning to “We walk by faith, and not by sight….” Yet I love playing, and I feel like I’m swimming in that fountain of joy now!

The first Sunday I played, a number of people came up and thanked me for playing. Judy said that the piano sounded fine, that it complements the group. But we both wondered if I’m being heard at all! Maybe it’s not all bad not being loud especially when I hit a wrong chord—to which I say out loud, “Sorry guys!” (in English no less. But then again, they don’t hear that either!) Judy has also remarked, “Bob, sometimes you play so slow, the people could actually fall asleep singing.” One Sunday she told me that she could see the music director motioning me to actually SLOW DOWN! (I did by the way—I can still see!)

In the booklet Real People, Real Faith, John Kasay, kicker for the Carolina Panthers encloses a quote from Charles DeBox, “The important thing is this…to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become….”

I’m grateful that He got my attention five years ago on that cold night at WBC.

May God grant that we become all that He wants us to be.

Christmas at La Yaguita Center

2008-12-26T17:22:00.004-05:00

Another highlight this month was celebrating Christmas with the kids at the La Yaguita Child Development Center. It was especially fun because we didn't have to plan it! The youth group from Central Bible Church here in Santiago did all the work. It was their idea to collect gifts for the kids and put on a party. There were about 60 kids there. Orly did not want to leave when it was over.

Silent Night, Holy Night

2008-12-26T15:38:00.004-05:00

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were two wonderfully quiet and relaxing days for us! It's not just that we're getting old--we've always enjoyed the quiet. However, tranquility is not one of the core values here in the Dominican Republic. We live behind City Hall, directly across from the special room that they rent out for parties. In addition to the usual parties, this year, in a gesture of good will, the city manager transformed a flatbed truck into a rolling stage with huge speakers to broadcast Christmas cheer in the wee hours of the morning to the neighborhoods of the city. After an hour or two of practice behind our apartment, the band rolls out about 4 a.m. each morning during the holidays. Thankfully, the Lord provided us an escape--an opportunity to house-sit across town for fellow missionaries.

So we're grateful for the peace and for a slower schedule the last few days. December has been a month of nonstop activities. In the weeks leading up to Christmas we attended four special dinners--each celebrating a different ministry of the Dominican church we attend (women's ministry, couples' ministry, a celebration for everyone involved in ministry, etc). For each group it was a time of rejoicing and thanking the Lord for what He had done throughout the year. It's fantastic to hear people tell about how they have changed and grown in the Lord. Church just keeps growing as people invite their friends and family.

The basketball tournament is finally over--Bob's team lost early. The Yellow Team won. (I forgot about the special dinner celebrating the basketball victors--that makes five.) We were thrilled to see three of the players, along with five other new believers, be baptized this month. Please pray for these young men--Miguel, Antony, and Ezequiel.

We also had a special dinner with several of the Haitian university students, before the last crew turned out the lights and left for Haiti for Christmas. Two Haitian couples are to be married in Haiti during the Christmas break. We enjoyed doing pre-marital counselling with both of these couples.

As the New Year approaches, may the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

Thank youall for your help this year!

2008-11-28T11:37:00.002-05:00

To all of you who have given, prayed, visited, wrote, encouraged us, etc etc etc,

We want to thank youall for your help to Crossworld for our ministry this year which has encouraged us! We really appreciate the way you have stood behind us and supported us. While things appear so uncertain in our world today, still we have had a good year of ministry and we praise God for His blessings.

Here are the ways God used you to bless our ministry in 2008...

...due to your help, we were able to help the La Yaguita Bible Church start its Children's Development Center this fall. The center enrolls 64 children now, 32 in the morning and 32 in the afternoon. The kids are between the ages of three and nine. These kids receive tutoring, classroom instruction, supervised play time, a meal, and a Bible story time.

Your support enabled us to give the center a large start-up gift, plus buy various supplies.

We have talked about the school's impact on four-year old Orly. A child of a prostitute and an unknown father, living at his grandmother's, he was making a few pesos telling dirty jokes or singing filthy language songs in order to eat. Now when people ask him to sing, he says no, because "I go to the children's center at church now." At the ripe old age of four, this little boy is learning that God is Holy and is to be feared.

Orly not only attends school there, but he also shows up 2-3 times a day to eat! Pastor Ramon Jorge, director of the school graciously feeds him. Due to Pastor Ramon's compassion, this little boy is learning that God is love and is to be loved.

...due to your help, we were able to help a number of Haitian university students with various financial needs. We were able to give food to students who had run out of food trying to balance rent, water, electric, and tuition payments. We found out that when bills are due, the kids will forgo food in order to make their other payments. We helped a young man get his Dominican residency so that he could get a job here in Santiago. He has been working for an internet company for over a year now. Another young lady was able to rent an apartment. Others received help paying their tuition at school. In one case, a young lady was able to stay in school; she is now doing her medical internship. We also help on a monthly basis one Christian young lady who is studying business administration. Haiti desperately needs skilled and educated young people to effect change in their country.

With your gifts, we were able to make copies of various Bible studies to help the students grow in their faith in Christ. We are teaching a Bible study methods course in two Haitian churches. One young man so enjoyed the course that he will teach the same course to his friends in Haiti over the Christmas break. Due to your help, we are giving him 12 copies of the booklet to give to his students.

....due to your help, we were able to buy books and Bibles for new believers in Christ at Central, the Dominican church we attend on Sunday mornings. Yes, these are the same guys that have come to Christ due to the basketball ministry. One young man has encouraged his whole family to come to church--his brother just invited us to his wife's baby shower next month (and thanks to your help, we'll be able to buy a gift for his wife who is expecting in January!)

...due to your help, we are able to live and minister here in Santiago. We currently lead a small group study for believers from the Central Bible Church on Monday nights. This next year we have been asked to also lead a group study with the some of the new believers and their families who are hungry to learn more of Christ. Thanks to your prayers, our Spanish is improving. As a result we get more requests for teaching and discipling within the Dominican church. At this point in time, Dominicans are very receptive to the gospel. Some Sundays several people receive Christ. So the needs for discipleship and mentoring are great. To develop others as disciplers and church leaders, Judy works with the women's ministry team at Central and Bob currently is leading 12 men from the church in a theological study.

We are grateful for your gifts that help supply our needs here in Santiago. When we think of Orly and the Haitian university students, we cannot take it for granted that:
1) we have food; (Judy's hamburgers and home-made pizza are good!)
2) we have electricity (most of the time--we do get 2-4 blackouts per week for an hour or two, but we have an inverter-battery backup);
3) we have water (most of the time--2-4 times a week, the water gets cut off for a couple hours, so we store buckets of water as a backup);
4) we have paved roads (ok, the last road to La Yaguita is not paved and reminds us of the "roads" we traveled on in Haiti--not to mention that the paved roads here have open man holes, so we have to watch out!);
5) we have a car that continues to run well and enables us to travel to several Bible studies in both Haitian Creole and Spanish (Our car has been more reliable than the city electric or water--we haven't had to walk anywhere!)

Thank you so much for your help to us. May God bless you richly as you serve Him!

2008-11-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

The Snowball Effect

2008-11-02T13:03:00.003-05:00

I know some of you have had threats of snow already this year. I think it must be snowing here in the Dominican Republic as well, in spite of the continuing heat and humidity. At least there's this snowball that keeps getting bigger as it rolls along.

It's called the snowball effect. I stole the term from the study on finances that we are doing with the couple's from the Central church. In fact, this coming Saturday we'll be showing them how you can pay off your debts quicker by paying off the smaller debts, then rolling over what you were paying on them to add to your monthly payment on the larger debts. As each debt gets paid off, you have more to pay on the remaining debts. The concept is a bit hard to visualize without a graph, but finances isn't really the focus of this post.

The snowball that's blowing us over here is the basketball ministry. Bob loves playing basketball. Some time back, he started just getting a few guys from the church together to play for fun. Those guys invited others, and we began to see some new faces in church as the guys got to sharing their lives with each other. The snowball stalled for awhile and seemed to be melting, but now it's rolling downhill, picking up speed and growing like crazy.

The guys started playing again in the gym across the street from the church on Sunday afternoons. Then they really got organized into teams and decided to have a tournament. This tournament seems to have a lifespan equal to that of the NBA season, and is just as serious, believe me. Now there are more new faces on the court and in church. And three guys are getting together weekly with Bob and other leaders to talk about what it really means to be a Christian. One of the guys is so excited that he asked the leaders to come and talk to his family so they could hear about Christ. Bob had the joy one night this week of visiting in his home and sharing with several family members.

And the snowball keeps rolling. As a result of playing together, the guys in the church are developing stronger friendships and encouraging each other. Our small group had prayed that the guys would love the Lord as much as they love basketball. Last week Bob was asked to teach a Bible study to the men. They want to develop as leaders. Saturday evening, it was a thrill for me to see Bob sitting around a table with 11 men from the church, studying and discussing how to apply God's Word to specific situations in their lives.

You just never know what God will do with a small start and a lot of prayers.

The rest of the story and a recap of our visit to Orly

2008-10-16T19:11:00.003-04:00

“Did you see the marks on his feet?” Pastor Ramón asks me in a low voice as we leave Orly’s house. No, I had been focused on his eyes and on coaxing a grin for the camera. It’s no wonder the grin had been long in coming. When Ramón greeted the family and poked his head in the door, Orly’s feet had been tied—to restrain him from roaming the neighborhood streets, looking for food.

Ramón had led us through the outer streets of La Yaguita and up a crooked concrete stairway to Orly’s house—a poorly-put-together jigsaw puzzle of a house, propped against the wall of the house behind it. Earlier that morning, the roads had been blocked by protestors—teenagers piling trash and burning tires in the road to protest poor road conditions in the neighborhood. La Yaguita is often the left-out, left-behind stepchild of the city of Santiago. For a population of 9000-10,000 children there is one public school that can serve 2500 students. There are a few private schools, but most in this neighborhood can’t afford that. Children attend the public school in shifts, half in the morning and half in the afternoon, with about 60 kids to a classroom.

That leaves plenty of free time for children to roam the streets, often unsupervised while mom works 12-hour days in the city. Orly’s mom left to live in a town near the beach resorts, earning her living by selling herself. Orly and his 3-year-old brother, Lenny, his constant companion, live with their grandmother and a confusing assortment of relatives coming and going. Orly is street-wise at the age of four.

The morning protests meant that the church’s recently opened Child Development Center was closed. Orly and Lenny showed up anyway. They left devastated that there would be no hot meal from the Center that day. Their grandmother has no income. They eat when generous neighbors offer the family food.

Orly is a bit of an extreme case, but he’s not the only hungry child roving the streets of La Yaguita. Drug pushers promise a few pesos to some to deliver their packages. Sometimes Orly earns a few pesos entertaining the teens who prompt him to say bad words. After a month of attending the Center, Orly says he doesn’t want to say bad words anymore.

The Center, birthed by Pastor Ramón and the La Yaguita Bible Church, runs both morning and afternoon, with a total of 65 children attending. The goal is to receive these at-risk children into a loving and safe environment, nurture them, teach them, and hopefully enable them to become young men and women equipped to handle life’s challenges.

Some individuals and businesses in the neighborhood have given to the Center. The over-taxed public school applauds the effort. Bob and I have agreed to help serve as a channel whereby those in the U.S. who are interested can give. If any of you would like to support a child in the Center, let us know. We’ll be giving updates on its progress and on other aspects of our work here in our blog.

Saturday nightlife

2008-10-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

Last night, just about the time when I'm normally thinking about winding down and getting ready for bed (yes, I know I'm getting old!), I drank a cup of coffee instead--to keep me going for a few more hours. Then Bob and I headed across town to the Felix I restaurant. Once-a-month the couple's of the Central Bible Church meet there for a meal and a program. Henry and Blanca, a Dominican couple, head up the couple's ministry, and graciously invited us to teach with them this year. The restaurant is a neutral place where husbands who are uncomfortable coming to church feel at ease. The free meal is also a draw. The usual crowd is 70-80 people.

We're in the middle of a series on finances at present. The two-hour program last night included a video, a PowerPoint presentation, and group discussion. Group discussion is lively among Dominicans. It's a challenge for us to teach in Spanish, but it's slowly getting easier. (Thanks for your prayers!) We try to bring in humorous stories about our personal conflicts. We talked last night about the peace and freedom we have in our home because we have a budget. Bob, who will wear his clothes for 20 years--until I throw them away--often used to complain when I would buy new clothes. Now it's in the agreed-upon budget. He can't complain as long as I stay in the limits!

Finally, we ate about 10 p.m. --not an unusual dinner hour for Dominicans. The monthly meetings require a lot of preparation, but the interaction is great. Today we are a bit tired, but Bob is not too tired to play basketball this afternoon. I'll tell you about the basketball ministry in another post.

Orly and his brother, Lenny, at home in La Yaguita

2008-10-03T15:22:00.000-04:00

Perspectives on an 800 point Dow drop

2008-10-02T15:39:00.000-04:00

A Dominican brother visited Judy and me last Monday (9/29). After exchanging greetings, he stated, "Did you hear what happened to the Dow today?' "I heard it dropped about 500 points", I replied. "NO!" he exclaimed, "It dropped more than that!" I looked online and saw that it had dropped 777 points. Most of our meager life savings are invested in mutual funds. Yes, we are concerned, but the following story puts the drop in perspective.

We went to visit Orly earlier that same day. He goes to the La Yaguita Children's Center, an afterschool program that ministers to 60 children in a drug-infested slum area of Santiago called La Yaguita. The center--an outreach of La Yaguita Bible Church--provides love, care, tutoring, playtime, and a meal. You can say that the center is a practical demonstration of Jesus Christ's love for that community. The center was closed yesterday due to a local strike in the area. Not knowing about the strike, we ran into a roadblock on our way there. Youths were blocking a main road to the church, throwing rocks and burning tires, so we had to turn around and enter another way.

Orly lives with his grandmother in a wood house that's about ready to fall down. I admit I've seen worse in Haiti, but this house is still pretty bad off. Pastor Ramon Jorge, the center's founder told us that Orly hadn't had anything to eat all day. He does get something to eat when he comes to the center. When he found out that it was closed for the day, he cried, "Where will I find something to eat?"

That puts a 777 point drop in the market in its proper perspective. Max Lucado said something like this one time, "I can't fret over spilled champagne when others go hungry." So, I'm thinking, "LORD, thank You for what we have left."

Still, I feel that much of the Dow's troubles are due to MORAL problems. The government, plus too many people, have taken on far too much debt, disregarding the Biblical principles that command us not to go into debt (Romans 13.8). Lawrence Harrison was right--values do determine economic levels. And right now, the USA is in danger of a bad economic downtown due to forsaking basic moral values.

Hopeless looks on the faces of investors in the face (no pun intended) of a free-falling Dow reveals to me that ANY community without the good news of Jesus Christ and His righteousness, be it Wall Street OR poor La Yaguita, simply does not have any hope.

La Tortue after the storms

2008-09-30T19:05:00.000-04:00

Many of you have asked us how La Tortue, Haiti, faired during the recent hurricanes. We finally heard from our friend Antony who runs the Christian radio station, 4VET, and a local trade school on the island. Here's part of what he had to say, translated from the Creole:

"We had a lot of problems here with the two hurricanes that passed through. There's a lot of damage. Almost all of the boats, large and small, that were anchored in the port were destroyed...around 40 boats in all. Lots of schools lost their roofs; homes were destroyed...Lots of trees are down...All the banana gardens are gone...The radio station antenna and two solar panels are broken. The wind generator, too, isn't working, and almost all of the diesel generators in the area are broken down...As for the trade school, we're helping the young people so they don't have to sit out the year doing nothing. They have no money to pay, but we'll still have some special classes for them because things are tought here. The regular schools won't even open until October."

Please pray for their situation there on La Tortue. Life was incredibly difficult there before these latest setbacks.

Summer vacation

2008-09-26T20:57:00.000-04:00

Yogi IS Smarter Than the Average Bear!!
I watched Yogi Bear as a kid--that was one of my favorite cartoons. Years later, Judy's mom advised us that if we ever got a chance to visit his home at Yellowstone Nat'l Park, go. God provided that opportunity during the summer.

After we left here August 21, we vacationed in a friend's cabin in Wyoming. We invited two couples and together we had a great time--one of them took us up there in their car, which gave us much precious fellowship and also enabled us to get there without having to rent a car!!
We went to Yellowstone and also the Grand Teton mountains--simply beautiful!! The jagged Tetons rise majestically to almost 14000 feet. Imagine our surprise when a local told us that skiers climb up and then ski down the tallest peak!! That's extreme--no, VERTICAL--skiing!!

Yellowstone had its share of surprises--Inspiration Point, the picturesque YS canyon, with the YS lower falls at the head of the canyon, a waterfall of over 300 feet. We saw Old Faithful, and she blew water up about 100 feet, right on schedule. OF is in the middle of a seeming inferno of hot springs spewing steam--it's actually a part of an active volcanic region.

We noticed that bison like the hot springs--we saw a whole herd of bison right next to the road (and dutifully got good pictures of these monsters!) They are very big, ugly (sorry, they just look ugly!), and make this snorting noise unlike anything I've ever heard! We also saw the Mammoth Hot Springs that form snow-like cakes of sulphur (right?) from the springs. They are all over the place and spread out--the park provides boardwalks to get to the springs.

We did eat a little bison meatloaf at Old Faithful, and it was really good! We looked for bear and moose, but we didn't see any. Yogi didn't show up--neither did BooBoo. So I don't know if Yogi's smarter than the average bear, but I didn't get a chance to say hi (maybe I didn't want to either!) Rafting down the Snake River, we did see several bald eagles and their HUGE nests. The largest ever recorded weighed over 1800 pounds!

We did visit Virginia five days and got rain from tropical storm Hanna--dad said that we received 5 inches on Sat 8/30. So we cozied up, enjoyed the rain--central VA needed it--and thanked the LORD that we still had power and that the wind hadn't hit us hard--we had one gust of 20 MPH (?). One caller on VA's northern neck region said he had a gust of 40 MPH. We missed Gustav and Ike--we flew over Gustav from DFW to Richmond and Ike turned east of Dallas, giving us some rain but little else.
Back here, we are getting a lot of visits from our Haitian students who are glad to see us!I'll download pictures as soon as I get a chance.

Life and ministry in Santiago

2008-09-26T19:32:00.000-04:00

Vira and Bethany—Sept ‘08

On September 14, 1979 I pulled into the parking lot of the Gratiot Avenue Baptist Church in Detroit MI. Newly arrived in the city, I was to begin working as a Missionary Intern, a staff member at this church for a year. At that time--22 years old, green-behind-the-ears, with no experience living by myself, not knowing how to cook, and with little experience working in a local church--I remember driving through Detroit thinking, “Ok, if I can just GET there, I’ll be ok.” I made it.

After I arrived, the church secretary called Vira. Vira came and met me at my first home, a duplex that the church owned. Vira showed me around; what she didn’t tell me is that she had purchased some food, filling the cabinets. She also showed me how things worked. Vira had a mother’s heart—and God motivated her and her husband Charlie to adopt me as one of their sons that year. They raised four children in a Godly home; I’m a year older than their second son Ken. They helped me in so many ways that year. Once, when the furnace went out, they invited me to sleep at their house and helped the church get it fixed. When I went home for Christmas, they let me store my car in their garage. I lost count of how many meals they fed me—and I want you to know, I probably tested both their patience and their budget because I ate a LOT when I was young! And I will add, Vira was an outstanding cook! One time the family got together for Sunday dinner and they invited me to join them.

And just before I went to Haiti in 1982, Charlie and Vira went to South Carolina (I think). Knowing that I lived in Virginia, they stopped by and visited. They gave me a quilt among other things! After Judy and I got married, we were able to visit them on our trips to Detroit, so they got to know and love Judy as well.

God called 90 year-old Vira home in early July. This blog is a memory of the legacy of a Godly lady who shared Christ’s love in very practical ways. However, the legacy does not stop with Vira. Knowing Vira, she would want me to pass it on and help someone else—even if I can’t cook!
Well, God gave us the opportunity to host Bethany—in fact Bethany was here when Vira went to be with the LORD. As you know, we "adopted" Bethany as a daughter. We did this to give her a home away from home while she taught English here in the Dominican Republic. But you don’t know this about me--when I host people, I do great with them for about a week, and then after that, I want them to leave. Bethany’s visit would be six weeks. Could I really last that long?

Well, I must say, adopting a daughter has its moments (especially when young Dominican men called!!!), but adopting Bethany was such a neat experience for both Judy and me. For Judy, Bethany provided a shopping partner!!!! Bethany also gave us the opportunity to give back to the next generation what Vira had shared with me years ago in Detroit—Christ’s love in very practical ways. Even though Bethany and her parents offered and even brought money down for it, we did not ask anything for food or hospitality because we knew that Bethany has college expenses—and we wanted to do what we could to help her with them. After all, years ago, Charlie and Vira helped me without asking anything in return. I will add, Bethany eats a LOT LESS than I did when I was her age!

Never having been a parent, I don’t understand the emotions that parenting involves. It seems to me that parenting, among other things is very very risky!! There’s a lot of stuff that you simply do your best and trust the LORD to motivate your kids to make the right decisions, right? You see, that kind of stuff, Judy and I have missed out on. To be honest with you, even with Bethany, we still missed out on that kind of stuff.

Bethany, being 21, is from a very Godly home in PA. We became very very impressed with her love for the LORD and also with her desire to see her friends come to accept Christ as their Savior and have Christ change their lives. She taught a summer school session at Santiago Christian School. We noted that her work ethic was excellent; she prepared well for her classes and really loved the kids even though it was a difficult assignment for her. And we were really impressed with her decision making ability here—she has a lot of wisdom.

So Bethany, Judy and I were grateful to host you partly because years ago, a Godly lady and her husband shared Christ’s love and care to a very green-behind-the-ears 22-year-old who had no idea what he was getting into when God called him to go to Haiti via Gratiot and Detroit.
And the six weeks went by TOO FAST--anytime you want to come back, you are more than welcome to stay with us!!
And thank you, Vira, for sharing Christ’s love and care to me during that time.
Judy and I promise you that LORD willing, we will continue your legacy.

Wyoming, Here We Come!!—Aug ‘08

Here's an update from us: our Saturday night Bible study with Haitian university students averages 25. Currently, we are studying 1 Peter. The Sunday night church that the Haitian leaders started in April is now up over 60. With their growth, we are praying about the possibility of turning our Sat night study into a leadership training center, studying courses such as How to Study and Teach the Bible.

I'm preaching 1 Peter at Los Girasoles on Sunday nights in Haitian Creole as well. God has given me eight guys; I'm teaching them how to preach--they are learning fast. One of the guys preached in church, and several people expressed appreciation for his sermon. I'm teaching them how to preach expositorily, explaining the Bible verse-by-verse within the context of both the chapter and book. I also have a small group Bible study on 1 Peter in Spanish!! Three guys and I meet on Tuesdays. Pray for a university student in the study, that he will appreciate and obey his parents.

And finally--despite now being 51 years old, God is allowing me to enjoy playing basketball with guys young enuf to be my kids. Central Bible Church recently started a basketball ministry. We are seeing unchurched guys attend church. They seem to really appreciate my testimony about Christ, and prayer before the games. With church leaders serving as referees, the games are clean, fun, and well-managed.

On August 21, we will vacation in Texas and Wyoming. Friends have offered us a cabin; we are traveling up there with other friends. We praise the LORD for the opportunity to visit Yellowstone Nat'l Park for the first time (I wonder if I'll run into Yogi Bear! I sure hope not!) We will be in VA but only for 6 days, a whirlwind trip to see mom and dad. We'll return to the DR Sept 15 LORD willing.

Interesting People—Aug ‘08

Francisco is the guard of our apartment complex. A man who loves God deeply and shares the good news of Christ openly, he rejoiced when we purchased a large print Spanish Bible for him. He had been praying for one for some time. Francisco is also a very practical man. We have a pigeon overpopulation problem in our complex. But he has a plan for helping us to get rid of them. His plan is to feed the pigeons corn meal soaked in rum. The pigeons get drunk, and cannot fly. He then gathers them up and takes them home to eat them. We’ll let you know if it works!

For the last four months, we’ve interacted daily with 6th-12th graders at a Christian school. As a favor to a friend, we filled a vacancy, teaching English in the mornings until the school year ended in mid-June. It was a great learning experience, but not one we will repeat. Interacting with 6th graders is not for the weak at heart! Francisco told us to just tell the students, Cállese bichitos!—which we later found out means, Shut up, you little bugs! It was a good thing we weren’t allowed to speak Spanish in class.

Socrates is our newest acquaintance and our washing machine repairman. While tearing out the transmission from our washer, he likes to discuss topics such as whether or not Moses talked to extraterrestrial beings. (I think God may qualify as such.) Bob is praying for opportunities to share Christ with Socrates. Since he hasn't shown up to collect what we owe him (about $100), it looks like Bob will have a chance to share more. Bob has attempted to visit him twice in order to pay him, but he wasn't at home either time.

Osiris, a Dominican taxi driver, is a key leader in a small church across town. His blue van is our preferred means of transportation when we have visitors. He chauffeured two work teams for us, one in February, and one in May. While riding with him, Bob discovered that he has a heart for planting churches, and has been able to encourage him. The two teams stayed in our home for a week, and worked in the community of La Yaguita, alongside Pastor Ramón and young people from the La Yaguita Bible Church. La Yaguita is a neighborhood scarred by poverty and drug trafficking. You would not want to walk the streets there at night. However, the teams led children’s Bible clubs both in the church and on the neighborhood streets. They also taught English to some of the local believers. We discovered that balloons and face paint bring children running from all directions.

During the day in La Yaguita, hundreds of children play in the streets. They are unsupervised and fend for themselves while their parents work long hours to scrape by. Pastor Ramón grew up in this neighborhood and understands the pitfalls that await these children. He has a vision for starting a child development center at the church—a safe haven where children can receive a hot meal, and extra attention and teaching. He would like to see these children become leaders and change agents in their community.

Up the road from La Yaguita, at the Los Girasoles Bible Church, Moïse (Moses), a Haitian believer, is participating in a course on how to study and preach the Word, which Bob teaches on Sunday afternoons. This industrial engineering student has a heart for service, and organizes a group to visit and pray with folks in the neighborhood each week. Bob has been discipling another Moses as well, Moises, a new Dominican believer, who was just baptized.

In February, God also brought Pastor Michel our way. Like us, this Haitian pastor from New York has a love for helping Haitian youth grow in Christ. He helped several of the Haitian university students, who attend our Bible study, to plant a Haitian church near the university. With the new church plant, we may change our Haitian Bible study to a more formal Bible school. This would enable us to concentrate on developing leaders for the various Haitian congregations in the area. Pray for wisdom for us as we consider these changes.

Once a month we co-teach biblical principles for marriage to the couples in the Central Bible Church. As an off-shoot of this, we did pre-marital counseling for one couple, and are in the process of counseling another couple who are having difficulties. We were pleased to hear at our last meeting that God is doing a restorative work in their marriage. Please pray for them, and keep praying for increasing fluency for us in Spanish.

Currently, we are hosting Bethany, a university student, who is teaching English in the summer program at Santiago Christian School. She is with us for six weeks. As we sent her off to school that first day, it felt like we were sending our first child off on her first day of school—only she was the teacher! Her parents also visited us earlier in the year. They painted the roof of our apartment with white paint which reflects the sun’s rays. Our top-floor apartment no longer feels like an oven on these hot summer days.

Sometimes it seems as if we’ve been going in too many different directions; yet, God graciously brought about good things as we crossed paths with each of these individuals. Pray that we will continue to seek Him and seize the opportunities He puts in front of us.

New Daughter, New Washing Machine, New Church –July ‘08

Bethany is staying with us for six weeks. She's from the Coventry Church of the Brethren near Pottstown PA. She is teaching summer school at Santiago Christian School, an English school. For us, it's like having a newly adopted daughter which would make her our first child (ok, she's 21 and her parents are wonderful Christians. They were the roof painters in March). So for her first day of school, I had the same emotions as a parent would, being apprehensive, wondering how she would do, is she going to be alright, etc etc--but in this case, she was the teacher!! On Father's Day, she asked, "How do you like your first Father's Day, Bob?" That was touching.

Socrates came last week to fix our washer. Our washer had been throwing grease, leaking, and walking all over the washroom on its spin cycle. We thought about buying another one ($600), but Socrates said he could fix it for under $100. Fast forward a week. The repaired washer works great! It runs a LOT quieter now. It still walks a little when we have something heavy, but no leaks and no grease! Socrates re-greased the transmission, resodered the tank, and put new belts and gaskets on the washer. I got to talk to Socrates about Christ as well. He has a lot of weird beliefs, but not in Christ. Pray that he comes to Christ. We really enjoyed having him in our home, not just to fix the washer, but also to talk.

The leaders of the Saturday Haitian Bible study have planted a new Haitian church in Villa Olimpica. They had 80 people their fourth Sunday! Judy and I will not attend this church since we continue to work at Los Girasoles on Sunday nights. Still the new church helped us move our Saturday night Bible study to Colegio Genesis where we now meet. We also purchased concordances for the young leaders. The books will help them in their study and sermon preparation. There's more good stuff happening here...I'll share more next time.

Touching.... June ‘08

We're tired (evidence of getting old--I can prove it too--I just turned 51) since we just hosted the Broadfording Church of the Brethren, Hagerstown MD workteam here in Santiago. We had six extra people in our apt. Unlike our former home on La Tortue Island in Haiti, Santiago has a lot of restaurants and Pastor Ramon's crew gave us our main meal, so Judy didn't have to cook much! We've done all the wash and finished cleaning the apt, so we are back to "normal". The team served for a week at the La Yaguita Bible Church (LY), located in one of Santiago's poorest neighborhoods, and as recently as 10 years ago, its most violent. We had a lot of touching moments...

...Many of you prayed for cooler weather, including team member Becky. God responded by touching the weather, giving the team rain three times, which kept the weather much cooler.

...The team gave generously to Pastor Ramon's dream of starting an after school program for 50 kids--a safe place where they can learn the Word of God, study, and get a hot meal. As Greg, Pastor Ramon, and I prayed for God's blessing for the offering, Greg stated, "I was really touched." The two men embraced after they prayed, one thankful for the gift, the other thankful for the opportunity to give.

...The team brought a guitar for Alice, one of our church guitarists at Central. She surprised the previous team when she told them that she didn't have a guitar. So after they left, they bought one for her. The BF team brought it down. Last Monday night, the team surprised her with the new guitar. She responded, "I think I'm going to cry!" (She didn't). She played it for our small group Bible study, and it sounded very good.

...The team did four days of Bible clubs in four different parts of LY. They touched over 300 kids. Their ministry included a Bible story, songs, balloons, face painting, and games. Brother Max translated for the team. The team also encouraged locals from the church to help them with the work involved; many times I saw the team and locals working together! Again I saw in a real way how the cross of Jesus Christ destroys racism by bridging the races.

...Two kids with sickle cell anemia needed meds to help them fight their condition. Trouble is, the needed med costs $1.30 per pill here. However, one of the team members is a nurse practitioner and has this uncanny way of coming up with the right meds either free or at cost. Through her contacts and her church, she found them for 50 cents a pill; God provided enough money to buy over a year's supply for both kids. Both parents are stunned and grateful for a miracle provision. To which the nurse said, "God continues to do miracles"; He continues to touch lives here. Amen!!

Team's a coming!!—June ‘08

The six member team from the Broadfording Church of the Brethren near Hagerstown MD will do a kids' club and an English class with our church in La Yaguita May 24-30. A drug-infested slum, Pastor Ramon Jorge has a vision of reaching LY children with a new after-school program which will educate and feed kids while encouraging them to become followers of Jesus Christ. The team will also paint and prepare one of the classrooms. They will stay with us; Judy has already prepared all the beds and cleaned the house, so I think we are ready for them!

After seven months of mild weather, May has turned brutally hot for us. Our in-house temperature is 88 degrees by mid-afternoon. And who knows how much hotter this would be if Mark and Wendy had not painted the roof with white sun-reflectant paint in March? If you recall, our apartment is on the fourth floor and our cement ceiling doubles as the roof. And cement absorbs heat. The paint job has taken away the "oven feeling" in the apartment.

Also, the team will walk to various locations in La Yaguita to do children's clubs. This may get difficult if the heat continues--not all the clubs are accessible by vehicle. Pray for wisdom and strength to serve the LORD in this situation. Thanks for praying for us!

Just Show Up!!—May ‘08

I read somewhere about the importance of just showing up. Just get there. Just be present. Just show up. I think that played a big part in our Bible study we had last Saturday with our Haitian students.Several times over the years God has shown me that if I just show up, He takes care of the rest. If I just respond and begin serving, God has this wonderful tendency of rewarding.

As you may remember, our Haitian Bible study was closed by the church where we were meeting in March 2007. When we returned from our six month furlough last fall, we resumed the study in Brother Villa's apartment. We met at the apartment for eight months. At times I thought the study would die. From an average of 50 in the church down to 10 at Villa's, I wondered at times if we shouldn't give up it and let it go. But Judy and I continued to simply show up. And continue the study. And ask God for direction.

After the students returned from their Christmas break, we started with 18, then 20, then 22, then 25, then 30. We hosted 37 in our apartment Easter Saturday. And we prayed for another place to meet. Villa's apartment was rapidly becoming too small. We looked at a church that was willing to host us, but their building was located in another community. The kids would have to cross a dangerous major street. The security of the area didn't feel right to me. However, that prompted Villa to check out a nearby school. The school had already agreed to allow a new Haitian church service to meet there on Sundays. The pastor and Villa went back to the school and asked if our study could meet there on Saturdays. The school agreed--at no cost to the study! I wasn't even involved in talking to the school. Villa and the pastor did that. So all I had to do was just show up to the study last Saturday! 30 Haitian students showed up as well! And the study now has a new permanent home. And just in the nick of time. Villa's owner told him that he had to vacate the apartment May 13. Pray that another apartment shows up for Brother Villa.

Early school and late meetings—April ‘08

Our lives seem to be dominated by school. Teaching from 8-10 AM doesn't sound like a whole lot, but the preparation is taking up a lot of time--there is always something to prepare for. Those of you who teach understand this so well! Still, we enjoy teaching at Grace Baptist High School, because we really enjoy our contact with the students and faculty there.

Meanwhile, the Haitian Bible study on Saturday nights at Villa Olimpica has grown back to 30 people--we hosted 37 in our apartment for supper recently! We don't know how everyone got it, but they all made it in, found a place to sit, got enough to eat, and enjoyed the movie The End of the Spear, about the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians back in 1956. We weren't sure if we had ordered enough food, but the LORD seemed to stretch it so that the apartment guard even got a plate!With the growth of the VO study, we are looking for a new place to meet. Pray for God's provision.

Several of the VO Haitians are helping us with the ministry at Los Girasoles. The Sunday night meetings there had been running very late, as late as 10 PM because people don't come until 8 PM for a service that starts at 7. Add an hour of music and an hour preaching, and it makes for a long evening. We old folks can't handle the late night and then school the next morning. I also believe that has kept some people away as we average about 20 after running 35 earlier in the year. So we have made changes to encourage meetings to start promptly at 7 PM--mainly, encourage the music leaders to start on time. If they don't, we start anyway and someone else leads music. We also advised the speaker to end at 8:45. If he doesn't, I start waving T signs at him.

LG started with a very traditional Haitian worship service, long, formal, and non-relational. Last week for one Sunday, we changed the style of the service doing an informal Bible study like we do at VO. This format has singing, a discussion Bible study, group prayer, and then refreshments afterwards. I noticed that unlike the long formal meetings, almost everyone stayed for refreshments and had a good time getting to know each other. One lady remarked that she learned the names of several people. Please pray that the LG Haitians become a family like the ones at VO did.

Back to school—April ‘08

We have a man here, a friend of our landlord, who just replaced a guest bathroom door that was so crooked that we could hardly shut it. I also shared my testimony of my faith in Christ with him and told him about our lives in Haiti. We helped to fix another kind of "crooked" door recently. A teacher quit Grace Baptist Christian School’s English department two weeks ago. The desperate school called a parents' meeting. One of the parents, a doctor who we work with in our church's couples' ministry, asked us to consider teaching to finish out the school year. (He's the same guy that asked us to teach Latinos on Biblical romance!) Despite our reservations, we now teach 3 classes from 8 to 10 AM. (Maybe we need to start saying no to this guy!)

The 10 sixth and seventh graders amaze us with their fluent English. Judy and I split this class and teach five apiece as they are different levels. We have had no discipline problems and frankly don't expect any (can you believe I'm taking about sixth graders?!?) Luis is a very happy boy who loves to talk and we really appreciate his friendliness and outgoing nature.

Our seven 10th and 11th graders are actually the best-behaved class, quiet, but at the same them their English lags behind the sixth graders. One young man shared in a prayer request to pray for his mom--he knows Christ, she does not. Our seven seniors are a little more restless but still very good. One young lady plays the drums at her church which meets on Sunday nights. Another young man wants to get a scholarship to play soccer at a Christian college in the USA.

Last Friday, we asked each class to listen to a Christian song and try to figure out the words. The 12th grades had "I Will Worship". Not only did they figure it out, but we had a good time of worshiping the LORD as we closed our class by singing the praise song (The kids sang well too!) Pray for us as we build into the lives of these kids. Pray that we love them as Christ does. Pray that God enables us to do this without neglecting the Haitian university ministry that He has given us.

Hearts Rejoicing at God's Surprises!!—Mar ‘08

As we turned the corner, I saw something that made me stop—and made my heart rejoice, singing praises to our LORD Jesus Christ for His provision of wonderful surprises. We had arrived to the upper Jimenoa waterfall, a good 100 feet high, near Jarabacoa, an hour from our apartment in Santiago. We had visited the lower falls several times, but had never attempted the steep climb to the upper falls. The climb, through thick vegetation gave me sore legs and a sore back, but with an assist from vines to pull us up (and ease our way down on the return), our guide, and a couple strategically placed ladders, we made the climb in less than 40 minutes. The upper falls enabled us to kill two birds with one stone—visit the falls while enjoy the small beach there. (IF I FIGURE HOW HOW TO INSTALL THEM, CHECK THE PICTURES ON OUR PHOTO ALBUM!!)

The Cornerstone Baptist On Belay class (a good name for the hike, don’t you think?) sent six of their finest to visit us here in Santiago, Dominican Republic February 16-23. The team hit the ground running as they got off the plane and went straight to the Central Church couples’ meeting. To help me teach on romance in marriage, they did two wordless mimes. A Dominican couple read Song of Solomon 7 to each other at the beginning—that got EVERYONE’S batteries charged!! While we were not sure about teaching Latinos on romance in marriage, the Dominicans really appreciated our teaching, accompanying it with lively discussion and laughter.
After the suitcases arrived (an exercise in patience for all of us), they began painting our apartment. Our hearts rejoice as our apartment now looks lovely and very clean now! They painted one full day and parts of two others.

They also painted the La Yaguita Bible Church’s pastor’s house. The pastor’s wife, normally a quiet lady who I don’t know very well, called me after they finished and shared how much she appreciated the job the group did. Her heart is rejoicing at the new-look house she has now.
Between paint jobs, the group did an English class, have a kids’ club, play basketball, and visit the LY community. We were amazed at how the teachers in the group overcame the language barriers and connected with their students. We were amazed how the old men in the group (and I) could still play ball. We were amazed to see wood-slat houses crammed together in crowded LY. These activities enabled the group to connect to the community, rejoicing their hearts as well.

And our hearts rejoice at God’s provision on getting the group home. They had booked their return flight home from Santiago to New York (JFK Airport) to Washington DC to Detroit on two different carriers. At 8:45 AM Saturday morning DR time, we prayed together for God’s blessing on their trip. When they arrived at the gate for the JFK to DC flight, they asked the attendant to check the DC to Detroit leg since it was on a different carrier. Oops!! The attendant found out that it’s overbooked and the group had been kicked off. The agent then began calling, and in 20 minutes she arranged a van to take them to Newark to catch a flight to Detroit on a third carrier! Had they gone to DC, they would have had to spend the night there. Not only was the flight overbooked, they would have missed the flight anyway due to a delay in NYC. The group discovered that the computer booted them off their DC to Detroit flight at 7:45 AM that morning. Since we in the DR are one hour ahead of the East Coast, they got booted off at the same time we were praying for their trip. Yet thanks to a caring and alert attendant at JFK, they got home the same evening.
And our hearts continue to rejoice at God's surprises--and His provision!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!—Feb ‘08

Ok, ok, I'm a day late and I know that, but look, folks, I'm getting OLD and I move real SLOW now! Yet we had a good V-Day yesterday......that's because... (drum roll) I have bought a flower for my love! I bought her an orchid from the local flower shop and then paid a little extra to have it put in a pretty basket and have a red ribbon tied to it. Judy of course is very happy. I didn't tell her that when I asked about the ribbon, I didn't understand the sales lady's response. The lady figured that out real fast, then said, "Give me $1.50 more and I'll take care of it." And she did! And it looks great! Sometimes IT'S OK!!! not to understand everything that's going on! Judy later returned the favor with a Snickers' bar and a coke!

Of course our continued thanks to all of you who help this ministry with your prayers and gifts! Your giving enables us to be romantic!! We're preparing for both a team and a couples' presentation in Spanish on ROMANCE Sat night. The team gets here at 6, the meeting starts at 8. Pray that the plane comes in on time (and that they and all their luggage is on the plane!) Pray too that our presentation goes well. Of course, one would think, "Do we have anything that we can share on how to help supposedly romantic Latinos?" We'll see. The elders are asking us to speak because they told us that they know our marriage is not in disarray.

The team, from Michigan, will work at the La Yaguita Bible church, in the middle of a slum, painting a house, doing an English class, a kids' club and visiting. Pray for our time there that God will choose to work in the lives of everyone involved.

Judy and I were counseling an engaged Dominican couple, Richard and Priscilia who will marry Feb 23. We've had two meetings with them. In the first, I explained to Richard that headship does not mean "I do want I want" but it actually means, "I support and serve my wife!" I found out that the Greek word for head of headship and headstone (we call that cornerstone) are the same. In first century construction, the cornerstone supported the building. In the same way, I explained to Richard that headship means he must support and serve his wife. I then pointed out that the Greek word for submission, hypotasso, means just that and obedience. It's used of Christ obeying His Father. But look where Christ is now--seated at the right hand of God! So I explained that submission expects the leader to honor and glorify his follower--now if I could only practice what I preach in my own marriage!

The second meeting we discussed the source of conflicts and how to resolve them. We suggested not using "you" in an accusatory way, not saying, "You don't do this, that, etc" but instead saying, "I sense that..." or "I feel that...." At the end of the session, Richard told us that he appreciated our time and felt that he learned a lot. I was grateful to hear that esp since we were doing all this in Spanish. Thanks for your prayers for us as we talk about ROMANCE this Saturday!

"Pray That God Will Open a Door"—Feb ‘08

Each Saturday evening as we conclude the Bible study with the Haitian university students and they head for the table of refreshments, index cards are there on the table for them to write down things they want us to pray for during the week. We often find out what they are really struggling with as we pray through these cards. A recurring request that we encounter is, pray that God will open a door.

Jackson regularly attended our weekly study. We would smile at each other as he requested that we sing his favorite Créole song entitled I’m Walking A Hard Road. He always sang with feeling the final lines, “Lord, I have no one but you.” Last semester he had to drop out of his studies and return to Haiti. Those who were helping him pay for school could no longer do so.

Erline’s eyes fill with tears as she tells me about her uncle in Miami. He lost his job and can no longer send support. She still owes last semester’s tuition and last month’s rent. The bill has to be paid before she can continue her studies in administration.

Emmanuel knows that his mom in Haiti cannot help him financially. He’s trying desperately to find a job so he can finish his accounting degree. The last two jobs didn’t pay much and didn’t last long. For non-citizens here in the Dominican Republic a resident visa is needed to obtain a better paying job. He has no resources to pay for the cost of the visa.

Rattling the knobs of closed doors to see which one, if any, will open has become a way of life for these students. Sometimes the lack of opportunity brings on overwhelming discouragement. The opportunities for study and employment in Haiti are few and are dependent on having the right connections. So there are currently close to 4000 Haitian students in Santiago alone. It has been our joy to help open a few doors for some of the students—sometimes with gifts, sometimes with a word of counsel or recommendation, always with prayer.

Along the way on this hard road, we also have the privilege of introducing some to the One who says, “knock and the door will be opened to you.” In December, Michel talked to Bob about the need for some changes in his life. Bob led him to Christ—the greatest change-agent! Our prayer is that each of the students will fall in love with Christ and trust in His sovereignty and for His provision when all doors seem closed.

Personally, we are grateful for two new doors to ministry that have opened to us. The Los Girasoles church (a church plant of fellow CrossWorld missionaries) has asked us to shepherd the Haitians attending their new evening service in French and Créole. Together we meet weekly with the Haitian leaders for training. Bob is enjoying the opportunity to put out a few fires and start a few others as this new service takes shape. There are 25-30 Haitians now attending.

In addition, the leadership of the Dominican church we attend on Sunday mornings has asked us to join with a Dominican couple to encourage and teach the couples of the church biblical principles for marriage. As in most places, families here are often in crisis. Pray for wisdom, and clarity of speech in Spanish, as we co-teach monthly meetings and do some premarital counseling.

Thank you!—Jan ‘08

The other day, Judy answered the phone and was informed via my sister that my mom fainted in Sunday school class. Mom was enduring painful teeth and dental work. That kept her from drinking and eating; plus the blood pressure medicine she was taking dehydrated her. She spent one night at the hospital, but she was still a little weak. Thanks to your generous support and cheap airfare, we have purchased tickets and will spend two weeks this Christmas season with my folks in Virginia! We’re praying that we will encourage them with our visit. Judy will also visit her mom for a few days in Texas.

We appreciate your prayer and financial support of our ministry this year! You have helped us in so many ways! We would like to take this opportunity to share with you how your support has enabled us to serve Christ here in the Dominican Republic this year.

Our stepdad, J. W. Franck passed away suddenly on February 23. God answered his prayers by allowing him to pass peacefully in his sleep. God then answered our prayer by enabling us to buy tickets to leave the next day for the viewing and funeral. We thank you for sufficient support that enabled us both to go at a moment’s notice.

Because of your good support, we live comfortably in the Dominican Republic. We have a spacious fourth-floor apartment that we were able to keep while we were on home ministry. We have electricity and water (we did have a 14 hour blackout yesterday, and the water’s off now). An inverter/battery backup and reserve buckets of water cover the outages. The apartment complex offers good security. We have internet and telephone service. And our 2000 Nissan Sentra runs well because we have a good mechanic nearby.

While we were in the US, your support enabled us to buy a new Dell laptop computer. Among other things, MS Word 2007’s program is helping us translate sermons from English to Spanish.
Your support enabled us to help Haitian university students here in various ways. We have given money to these kids to help them buy food and books, pay rent, utility bills, and tuition. In one case we shared so that a young man could apply for a resident visa so that he can get a job. All this is done with the idea of empowering future Haitian leaders to make an impact for Christ wherever they go, be it Haiti, the DR or the USA.

Your support enabled us to purchase books for evangelism and leadership training. One study is motivating people in a poor area to serve Christ instead of simply being served. Another study provided basic discipleship materials to our Haitian students. We continue to share Bibles, books, and tracts as we share the good news of Christ to both Haitian and Dominican.

Although we do not live there anymore, we still use your support to penetrate Haiti with the good news of Christ. Your gifts helped us fund scholarships for future pastors at STEP, Crossworld’s seminary in Port-au-Prince. Your support also enabled us to purchase a new laptop for 4VET Christian radio. The computer is helping them with email and telephone communications and recording. We sent two new solar panels to 4VET enabling the station to run without buying very expensive fuel for generators. Being on remote La Tortue Island, 4VET must produce its own power in order to stay on the air.

For all this, we thank you. We appreciate you so much, and trust that God will continue to bless you for your generosity.

Mwen Pale Twop!!—Dec ‘07

Ok y'all, I couldn't think of a good English title, so this Haitian Creole title means "I spoke too much." We had a busy weekend November 9-12 where we did ministry in English, Haitian Creole, Spanish and (even) piano (yeah!!!) Here goes....

Friday, I had the opportunity to disciple a Haitian brother on Bible study methods and preaching. Dieuseul (that's his name) is very hungry to learn the Word and it's a pleasure working with him. We meet once a week at a local restaurant.

Then Judy and I taught a Leadership course to the Haitian leaders at the Los Girasoles (LG)church. We had a wonderful time discussing the qualifications of leadership from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The university students really engage, talk, ask good questions, and it's a great group to work with!

Saturday we taught our Haitian Bible study at Villa Olimpica, using 2 Timothy 3.16 as our text there. Despite the small crowd (14), we had a good time of discussion with them, getting the kids to look at a passage and then applying the four benefits of scripture stated in 3.16 (teaching, rebuke, correction, and training) to 2 Timothy 2.22 (Flee youthful lusts).

Then the toughie--at 8 PM, after the Haitian Bible study in Creole, we switched to Spanish and taught a session on love and respect to the Dominican church's couples' meeting that we attend. Dr Emerson Eggerich wrote a book, LOVE AND RESPECT, explaining that men need their wives to respect them and wives need their husbands to love them. We explained some practical ways of doing that. Despite our occasion stumbles, we had a great time (and were very relieved to get that done--yet, we want to do more of this! Gluttons for punishment!)

Sunday morning, we returned to the scene of 2007's heartbreak--the Villa Olimpica (VO) church. You may recall that the young VO Dominican leaders suddenly and without explanation cut off our Haitian Bible study after we went home on furlough. God had given us 40-plus a Sunday, and several Haitians were active in the VO church. We also had arranged with our leaders to continue the study in our absence. Despite all that planning, the leaders shut it down.
After LOTS of prayer, I decided to take a salesman approach with them, asking (in Spanish), "Do you have a lot of Haitians in the church?" (which they still do) and then offering them anew a Bible study. They were very glad to see us and very open to talking with us. Pray that they do meet with us and agree to re-open the study. Incidentally, we went there because one of our Haitian leaders got baptized at VO.

Sunday night, I preached on Philippians 4.2-7 at the Haitian worship service at LG. I pointed out that the passage is not a group of isolated, disjointed commands like I used to believe, but actually ways to resolve conflict as Paul addresses Euodia and Syntyche in verse 2.
Then, after preaching, I played the piano and Judy and I sang "In His Time" in Creole (THAT took me back to the days of my piano recital, especially when I was the Missionary in Residence at the Washington Bible College back in '04!) It's the first time that I've played in public for a couple years, and the first time EVER playing and singing at the same time in public. Judy would never do a solo, so I HAD to sing--and it went fine. The 35 Haitians applauded us (maybe because I was done?)

Then today, I met with a Dominican young man in Spanish, and we went over Bible study methods today. We'll begin preaching methods soon.
So if I act confused, please forgive me...sometimes I don't know what language to use!

This sure wasn't the Noel that we know!—Nov ‘07

Noel is a family friend in Virginia. We've been going to the same church (Carmel Baptist) for 35 years. Over 90, he was a POW in Germany during WWII. One day while visiting him, I asked him about his WWII experience. He held me spellbound for the next two hours, talking about serving in the infantry, explaining how he was captured, and eventually freed to return home to Virginia and his wife Hazel, now with the LORD.

Last Sunday we met another "Noel" as tropical storm Noel snuck into the Dominican Republic. Ok, how does a TS "sneak" into a country? From what I understand, then tropical depression Noel had been projected to hit SW Haiti and miss the DR. However, it spun north at the last minute and picked up wind speed, high enough to become a TS. Apparently it caught some authorities off-guard.

Once here, large, lumbering Noel took several days to move on, pounding the southern coast with winds up to 60 MPH and heavy rains. Rivers all over the country flooded, over 60 people have died, scores more are reported missing, and over 60,000 are homeless. Over 50 communities are cut off from ground transportation. Over 1/3 of the country's electrical circuits remain off, and over 20 bridges have been washed out or severely weakened, including two major bridges on the two main roads that link the DR and Haiti. (Thank you to dr1.com, CDN TV news, and AP news for the stats).

Judy and I are fine. Santiago is almost 100 miles inland from the southern coast and has mountains on two sides, which weakens storms. We had a light drizzle Sunday, then woke up to dark clouds, rain and wind Monday morning. Figuring something was up, we found out about Noel when we checked the worldmag.org website! Rain continued through Wednesday.Since we live in a fourth-floor apartment, next to City Hall and the electric company, we suffered only a couple of blackouts. With a leaky cement roof in the stairwell (not in the apartment, praise the LORD), we emptied several buckets of water.

Our Haitian university students received an unexpected vacation from the rain as schools were closed, some all week. However, many of them were counting on returning to Haiti this Christmas for vacation. With those bridges out, they may not be able to return.I have been talking to Francisco, our apartment complex guard, a fine Christian man. His brother lost over 600 head of cattle, wiping out his entire savings. They had been grazing near a river. (And I ask myself, how would I react if we lost all our savings? It reminds me of Job!) In the same area, the river leveled over 50 houses. And several of this brother's workers are reported missing (and I thank God for the life that I have, savings or no!)

Lessons From Kerby About Grace—Nov ‘07

Gazing into the sweet face of five-month-old Kerbens (Kerby), I am overwhelmed by God’s grace and His ability to turn disappointment into joy. Initially, we were puzzled when Rubens, a key leader in the Haitian Bible study, became more silent and withdrawn. Although Bob spent time with him weekly, he was not opening his heart to us. Finally, shortly before we left for our time of home ministry in the states, Rubens sat on our couch and confessed that his girlfriend, Farah, was pregnant with his child. We were disappointed in them both. For a brief moment Bob contemplated calling fire down from heaven. However, we figured we might all get scorched by the flames with that approach! Grace seemed to be a better alternative. As we talked with Rubens about God’s forgiveness, you could see relief easing out the tense lines of anxiety in his face.

We left for the states, knowing the coming months would not be easy for them. Yet God’s lovingkindness surrounded Rubens and Farah, sustaining them both through a semester heavily loaded with classes. Both are studying medicine. Farah finished her semester exams on a Friday afternoon, and delivered Kerbens that evening—the final exam! Now as we talk to them both, we see in them a new maturity and a desire to please God. They ask you to pray that they will be able to be married soon. Of course, there are still the consequences to deal with—life is more costly and complicated. Farah confided to a friend that even if she has to go hungry, she will see to it that Kerbens is well fed. For us it is a joy to see God working in their lives and also to see how the other students have pulled together to help them.

We were also disappointed when we heard from the students that the Dominican church elders had shut down the Haitian Bible study after we left for the states. We had planned and worked with the Haitian leaders so that the study could function well in our absence. When the study was closed without warning or explanation, we felt our efforts to promote unity between Haitians and Dominicans had been in vain.

Yet we have seen good come out of this. When we re-gathered the students, a core group of 20-25 remained. Not meeting for a few months had created in them a hunger for fellowship. The intensity of their worship brought tears to our eyes as we sat sandwiched into one of the student’s apartments. At present, we continue to meet in apartments. With the smaller group there is a greater openness and intimacy. As they share with each other, we see God creating in them a passion for Himself. Thanks for praying for them!

Our Three Ministries—Oct ‘07

Did you ever hear about the old TV program "My Three Sons"? I guess we now have "Our Three Ministries." We work in a Dominican church, Central Bible Church; Judy serves on the leadership team of the women's ministry. I'll resume a youth basketball ministry soon; pray that I'll be deliberate about sharing the Word with these kids (and dads too).

We continue the Bible study that we started two years ago in the Villa Olimpica church. After the church disbanded the study, we now meet in an apartment on Saturday nights and average about 20 people. These 20 have become very close, like family, and we are grateful to see the way God is using them to help each other. The girls enjoy taking care of Kerbens, Rubens and Farah's four-month old boy; We are doing marriage counseling with them on Sat mornings--and we get to hold Kerbens!

Another church, the Bible Church of Los Girasoles asked us to come help them with their Haitian ministry. I preached there last night; we had an attendance of 30-plus. I preached on Jeremiah 29.1-7, where Jeremiah encouraged the Jewish refugees in Babylon to pray for that city--as they pray, God blesses Babylon, God would bless them too--and He did. I applied that to their situation in Santiago, encouraging them to pray for the city and get involved with the Dominican church here. One advantage of this ministry is that it's already started--a good committee is in place running the Haitian ministry. Judy and I will come alongside and work with them, giving them counsel as needed. I'll also serve as pastor for the Haitian flock.

The Electric Company Just Called... Oct ‘07

....they said via a recording that if we didn't come pay our bill, they would cut off our electricity. Now, that did not set well with us, since I absolutely hate debt and we had just paid our bill. We briefly considered calling down fire from heaven on them, but since our electricity has been nearly 24/7, we figured we should try a gentler approach!

Before we left for the USA six months ago, we prepaid our electric bill to keep service. We then left our home in Santiago, Dominican Republic, thinking all was well. According to the electric company, it wasn't. When we got back, they claimed that we owed them over $100. Since we didn't use any electricity during the summer, they thought that our electric meter had broken and they estimated usage, which obviously wasn't correct, but jacked up our bill.

We went to the electric company to adjust the bill. That visit seemed to have worked when we received an adjusted bill, which we thought was a little high, but tolerable. We paid it, and when we asked the receptionist our balance, she said that we owed nothing and were paid up. She was looking right at our account on her computer. We pay our bills in person in cash. Apparently, the right hand didn't know what the left was doing. We just got word this morning that our electric would get cut off. It's my understanding that if you suffer that, you have to go through you-know-what and high water to get power restored plus pay a hefty fee even if it wasn't your fault.
Did I tell you that we're renting a bus to take our Haitian university students to Santo Domingo Friday. Judy called the company; the lady said that we would have to come across town to charter the bus and pay the deposit. When we asked for directions, in essence she said, "I really can't explain it. I'm new in town." Grrrrrrrrr.

Oh, and remember City Hall? They are up to their old antics again, running that rascalous loud generator I wrote about earlier in the year. They ran it all day yesterday and at 7:30 this morning fired it up again. Did someone tell THEM that the electric company has been providing 24/7? (Did they pay their electric bill?!??!) Of course the noise permeates the apartment (and yes, I would LOVE to call down fire from heaven on them!!)

All the above, plus that good old language barrier (trying to do all this in Spanish) makes us feel lost here (just like that mini-series on TV--by the way, is that still on? Did they ever get those characters off that weird island? Or did Lost get lost?)

Well, sometimes we simply need to reach out and get some help instead of trying to do it all ourselves. Philippians 4.6-7 states, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I taught these verses in our Haitian Bible study Saturday, noting that when I pray, God DOES give me His peace--and how He does it, I can't explain it--but He just does! And yet too often I forget to pray when I am stressed!!!

We called a friend at the electric company who goes to our church. She told us to go to the office and pay a dollar for the "mediador" (mediator?) to keep from getting cut off. We just got back from the office. They confirmed that not only did we not have to pay the mediador, we didn't have to pay anything--we have a $3 credit there! I recently told the elders at our church, "The reason we attend Central is not because you need us, but we need you." Amen.

Instead of going on a wild goose chase (did you read Gangster Geese?) we call a co-worker with Crossworld who recommended the bus company. She said, "The owner picks up teachers at school at 3 PM everyday" (and yes, we know where the school is--it's also a lot easier for us to get to). We called him, and we'll meet him today to pay the deposit. Amen again.

And as I type, City Hall is quiet. They cut off the generator at 10:30 this morning (they paid their bill?!?) Amen thrice! Uh, LORD, by the way, the fire from heaven request, would You please hold off on that? The prevailing breeze is from the east, and the generator is east of us, and if You did grant my request, the smoke would fill up our apartment....

Returning to the DR—Sept ‘07

In less than 48 hours, we will return to the DR. Judy and I look forward to going back and resuming our ministry with the Haitian university students whom we call our kids and increasing our ministry with Dominicans especially at our church and in our neighborhood. As I type, co-workers Darlene Rimer and Mary Wyllys are cleaning our apartment for our arrival. We appreciate their help immensely.

We thank you so much for your prayer and financial support. This furlough has been richer than previous ones partly because we've been able to click with our parents better than previous furloughs. Judy's mom is a healthy 78 years old, and we praise the LORD for her health and her trust in the LORD. My dad and mom are younger and also in excellent health. Judy and I have often said that we cannot do what we do without the help of our parents. They raised us, loved us, cared for us, sacrificed for us, and allowed us to fly the coup all the way to Haiti no less, resisting the urge to cling to us or try to keep us in the USA. And when we are in the USA, they are willing to be "stuck" with us, providing us places to live and vehicles to drive. I'll note that while we didn't live with my mom and dad in VA, they found us a nice place to live very close to the house, so we were there often.

So, as we return to the DR, please remember to pray for our folks. I'm sure our departure is not easy for them. Pray too that as we are welcomed by our Haitian and Dominican families back in Santiago, we will be bold to continue to present God's truth to people that we meet.

Geese and Gangsters—Aug ‘07

The five geese stopped and stood in the middle of the bike path, eyeing us like a group of gangsters. Judy and I were riding bicycles on the C&O canal southeast of Cumberland MD when we approached the gangster geese crossing the trail. Recalling the now famous turkey encounter where that fowl chased me on a trail in WV, we stopped a safe distance away. I then motioned to the geese to move, waving my hand. After staring at me, the geese then finished crossing the trail, and we were able to continue.

The geese encounter provided a few laughs during a recent working vacation where Judy and I spoke at four churches, visited a ton a people, and spent four days and over 100 miles riding bicycles. Along the way, I joined in a chorus of bullfrogs (but none responded to me croaking at them), tipped my cap at dozens of deer, saw turtles slip-sliding away off tree branches into the algae-filled waters of the C&O canal, and followed critters such as beavers, squirrels, and chipmunks. And of course we saw turkeys several times, but none of these were of the Bob-chasing variety (I guess I'm cool with them now).

We rode a new bike trail from Meyersdale PA to Cumberland MD, and then the old C&O canal trail from Cumberland to Oldtown MD. Along the way, we rode through the Big Savage Mountain tunnel (all 3300' of it) and enjoyed vistas from the southern end of the tunnel. We discovered that the new trail is wonderful riding downhill, but VERY hard riding uphill (we know--we rode six miles of VERY hard uphill up to Frostburg MD) so Judy and I took turns shuttling each other so that we could both ride downhill without having to ride up the toughest part between Frostburg and the tunnel. Judy went downhill first from the tunnel to Frostburg, while I returned to Meyersdale to get the pickup.

And meanwhile God spoke to me...when we set out from Meyersdale, we heard a couple kids talking on their front porch, talking like gangsters, using the F word quite liberally. Troubled, I prayed while riding, asking God how to combat the evil. He gave me an idea...about five years ago, while riding from the other way (Rockwood PA), we arrived at Meyersdale. We began talking to a little boy there who told me about a uncompleted viaduct (a bridge) on the side that we were now riding on. I remembered that conversation, deciding that ok, if the kids were still out on the porch, I would go over to them, thank them for their recommendation five years ago (even if it wasn't the same kid), and share a tract about the good news of Jesus Christ to them--but I would need God's help--He would keep them on that porch until I got back to Meyersdale.

When I got back to the pickup, the kids were still there. I got a tract, went over to them, said hi, thanked them for their help five years ago (even though it wasn't the same kids) and shared the good news of Christ with them via the tract. I also said that we would ride the trail again and would stop and say hi to them next time we were thru. They thanked me and said that they were Protestants (odd--reminds me of John 4, where the woman told Jesus, "Our fathers worshipped at that mountain"). We return to the DR August 29--even though we won't be able to ride bikes there, pray that we keep listening to and obeying God's voice!

The Crazies Forgot Their Clothes!!—Aug ‘07

We have been called crazy. OK, we've been called other things too (including obscene stuff), but yesterday at a supporting church, Concord Baptist, we were called crazy--for Christ. I must say, I don't feel worthy of being called crazy for Christ, but we were--and we are grateful.

Here's more proof that--while living in Virginia until our return to the Dominican Republic--we may be crazy (or going crazy!!): One of our supporting churches, Ladysmith Baptist, has a Hispanic church that meets nearby. The Spanish church has about 40 people attending it. Judy and I were crazy enough to agree to speak there July 8. Judy began by presenting who we were and then gave an update of our ministry, all in Spanish, and did an excellent job! I then preached in Spanish on Ecclesiastes 2.3-11. The sermon was going well until I felt this tremendous rush of fatigue coming on. I felt like I wouldn't make it, but prayed, continued on, and finished fine. The rush was mental fatigue from having to work in another language, as we had been doing for the last three hours. We had a wonderful time with the Hispanic brothers and sisters, and all the Spanish we heard really helped us with our Spanish. One encouraging note--we understood nearly everything, because the Puerto Ricans and South Americans speak slower than Dominicans.

Then we visited Coventry Church of the Brethren, near Philadelphia, the next week. Winnie, a member of their missions team, graciously hosted us. Friday evening she was showing us our bedroom, and said, "And here's the closet where you can put your hanging clothes...." At this point Judy looked at me and said, "Oops! We forgot our hanging clothes!" That meant we had no clothes for Sunday. The next morning we discussed from whom we thought we could borrow clothes. We first called Jim and Maggie. We know them, but hadn't seen them for some time, and knew they would not be expecting a call from us. So, when Maggie answered the phone, I took pains to identify myself, and of course she remembered me. Then my mind went blank...and in a moment of panic, I blurted out..."Maggie, we don't have any clothes!"

Fortunately, Maggie is made of good stuff and she did not hang up on me, nor call the police! She invited us over to see if they had something that could fit. I borrowed Jim's shirt and their son Phil's pants. Judy borrowed a skirt from another lady. The next day at church, I started our report with, "We forgot our clothes!" and told the story of my call to Maggie. Phil was playing in the praise band, at the front near me, and wearing short pants. As I finished the clothes story, I looked over at Phil and said, "And Phil, I want to thank you so much for wearing shorts today--because I'm wearing your pants!"

Some people may think that missionaries have it all together. Let me tell you that we are just as crazy, and are struggling like the rest of you to get it together! We're grateful for the love and grace we find in the Body of Christ.

TurKay Strikes Again!—July ‘07

I once played a turkey in a high school play; from that hilarious and embarrassing event, my best friends in HS nicknamed me Turkey or TurKay. 35 years later, turKay struck again. We had a wonderful trip back from Michigan after visiting a supporting church, the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Roseville MI. We stopped in Morgantown, WV, riding bicycles 65 miles on their bike trails in just two days—and had a great time.

While we were riding towards Fairmont WV on a beautiful, wooded, isolated part of the trail, we heard turkey calls which were quite loud. We rode to the end of that trail and turned around to ride back to the pickup truck. On the way back, at that same place, a turkey started running after me. I pedaled for all I was worth and got away from him. He stopped, and so did I. I turned around to talk to Judy, who was riding behind me. She had stopped, but then started riding again towards the startled, angry turkey. He wobbled in front of her, but then oddly enough staggered out of her way when she went by.

I had felt bad for a moment that I had left Judy, but she was far enough behind me that she got a good laugh watching me ride away from the turkey! We figured that the turkey was trying to protect its young which we didn't see. I did not clearly see whether it was male or female, but from what dad described after telling him the story, it was probably a male! We'll be careful on bicycle trails!

4VET Update And Brainstorm—June ‘07

La Tortue Christian Radio Station Going Strong: In spite of having no public power, 4VET now broadcasts from 5 am to 10 pm daily, doubling the time the station was on the air when we were there. A small diesel generator and solar panel-battery system provide power. Since its debut in 1998, Antony Sanon and his group of volunteers have kept 4VET on the air, disproving those who predicted 4VET’s demise after we left La Tortue in 2003.

In a recent email, Antony stated (translated into English):
"I installed a telephone in the radio station for listeners to call in. Some callers say the station is their only encouragement. Through these calls we are coming to understand the ministry we have through the radio. Truly, God is at work. Other stations have had to close due to various problems, but God is sustaining 4VET. I don’t understand this miracle from God, but I just do what He asks me to do. God has never neglected me in this work. I do it heartily and God is blessing me because of it."

Dominican Departure Fast-Forwarded: Judy’s stepdad, J.W. Franck, passed away in his sleep on February 23. He was 83, and had been married to Judy’s mom for nine years. Having planned to begin six months of home ministry in March, we had already handed over the reins of the weekly Spanish Bible study to a Dominican brother. We had also prepared lessons and leaders for the Haitian Bible study so that they could continue in our absence. We arrived in Texas in time for the funeral, and were able to spend the next three months there with Judy’s mom. She is doing well, staying active with supportive friends and family. Bob worked as the clean-it-out-and-haul-it-away-man—organizing the attic, garage, and storage building.

Travels to Colorado and Oregon allowed us to visit friends and bask in some stunning scenery. Driving down the Oregon coast, we arrived in northern CA to gaze in awe at the majestic redwoods as they soared into the sky. God is an amazing creator!

We are now in Virginia where Bob’s parents found us a great apartment to live in for the summer months! We will be here through August, sharing what God is doing in the Dominican Republic. Via email, Dominican friends just informed us that a friend whom we often visited and prayed for has placed his faith in Christ. We rejoice in God’s grace!

Brainstorm For Future Ministry: Working with university students is a new thing for us. This is a time for us to step back, evaluate, and consider new ideas for the future. To this point, we have been mentoring the students within the context of the local church. While we will continue to integrate students into a church family, we are exploring how we can reach a wider range of students. As we consider hosting activities and Bible studies directly on campus, pray for open doors and the courage to walk through them as God directs.

Scenic Overload!!—June ‘07

We're getting old. Here's proof. One evening while talking to Judy's mom (we are staying with her), we asked her what are the must-visit-places, the can't-miss places in the western USA?
For years I have dreamed of visiting the West but haven't done it because, well, we are missionaries--we don't have the time, we don't have the money, we don't have friends in these places, etc. But now that our step-dad JW Franck is gone, I thought, "If we are ever going to do this, we'd better start soon while we have the opportunity."

Since momma and JW had traveled extensively during their nine-year marriage, she gave us her list. I began working and figured out how we could visit each place over a five-year period. And yes, I realize now that we can make the time, we do have the money if we are careful, and we do have friends in these places. We started our latest five-year plan May 3-11, 2007. We flew to Portland, Oregon from Dallas to visit John and Bev Heath. Judy and Beverly were nursing school classmates and remain best friends. John is a pastor and hospital chaplain.

They co-ordinated for us a trip that kept us on scenic overload the whole week. My oh my!! Start with the flight--we flew over the Colorado Rockies! Columbia River Gorge and Multnomah Falls, 543 feet tall! Mount Rainier, the experience of a winter wonderland on May 5 no less (and for missionaries in the DR, COLD COLD COLD!!!) Snoqualmie Pass and falls at the Heath family condo (we can't get away from snow out here!) Mt St Helens, an awesome experience of God's power reminding us that "We're not as strong as we think we are" (Rich Mullins). St Helens exploded on May 18, 1980, losing its top 1000 feet, blowing smoke and ash 80,000 feet in the air. Yakima was plunged into darkness by the ash at 3 PM that day, and the resulting flow of ash, lava, trees, and water not only jumped several nearby ridges, but also blocked traffic on Interstate 5 some 40 miles away.

Then we rented a car and went on South US 101 down Oregon's Pacific coast. Wow. View after view of mountains falling into the sea, miles and miles of beautiful coastline. Cape Blanco, regularly with 40 MPH winds (yes, I had trouble walking upright and the car shook--the folks that worked there shrugged as if it were another day at the office). Cape Girardeau, with its stunning view of 12 miles (?) of coast.

And then my first time in California. We drove into the Redwood National Forest, turned a corner, and drove--into another world. Majestic Redwood trees stood silently before us, some with trunks 25 feet thick and over 300 feet high, offering a silent testimony to the majesty of our LORD God Almighty Who created them (and then as now, the grand hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy is ringing in my head).

A final swing around Mount Hood and home the next day, getting another glorious view of the Rockies beneath us. And so as we get old (Bob turns 50 on May 24!!), we are on scenic overload.
And if we can ever get over being old and tech challenged, we'll download our pics off our computer!

Answered Prayer On a Deep Night—May ‘07

We've known them for only three years, but Joel and Nancy Faulk have already become family to us. We met them in language school in Costa Rica, then worked with them in the DR. They since have moved on to Colorado Springs (COS). Joel, a construction foreman, is reconstructing a church building destroyed by Katrina in his wife's hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana. He planned to return to COS in April to visit the family--and graciously extended an invite to us to travel with him. Since Judy and I LOVE CO and love them, we said yes!

Joel came by on Tuesday night, April 17, stopping at the Lake Dallas (LD) TX exit to pick us up. He called and I went in the car to lead him to our house. But when he got in to start his truck, it wouldn't. The positive battery cable connection had rusted out. But because it happened in LD instead of on the road, we went to Wal-Mart, purchased a battery, and installed it. We left LD at 11 PM, Judy driving.

New glasses allowed her to drive at night, since her contacts create too much of a glare. Had we left the night before, she would not have been able to drive. She drove until 1:30 AM, getting us past Wichita Falls, doing an excellent job. I took over, allowing Joel to sleep. Since he's an early bird riser, he would take over at 5 AM. We took US 287 towards Amarillo. For those of you who go this way to CO, 287 west of WF is pretty desolate. About 3 AM, I started feeling drowsy. This brought back a scary flashback. Years ago, I drove to Florida with my folks when I first went to Haiti. We drove into the night, where I got really drowsy (and may have nodded off?) while going through South Carolina. God protected us--I never swerved, but I remember that event and wonder, "How close did I really come?" I managed to fight off drowsiness for about 30 minutes--and then God gave me an idea--pray and ask Him for help. (We should START with prayer, but sometimes I DON'T!)

I prayed, "LORD, I need Your help. I remember how you protected me 25 years ago, but I may have been pushing the limit. I don't want to drift off here--please keep me awake and alert." A short time later, seemingly out of nowhere, we caught a RV. He was running only a mile or two an hour slower than me, but I didn't notice him right off. I decided to pass him after following him for a couple miles. That rascal sped up, and I did too to get around. It took awhile to get around him, but I finally did. I kept up my speed to get away from him, leaving him slowly but surely. The pass got my adrenalin up, effectively chasing away the drowsiness. I drove through Amarillo to Dumas, giving the wheel to Joel at 5 AM--I could have gone at least another 30 minutes, I felt that good. "Oh give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good, for His mercies endure forever." And we are having a great time in CO!

JW's gone—April ‘07

On Friday morning, February 23, we received a phone call from Judy’s mom, Anna Franck. Her husband and our stepfather, J. W. Franck had passed away in his sleep during the night.
J.W. had complained of weakness and dizziness, but obviously his passing caught everyone by surprise. Still, he had asked the LORD to take him in his sleep, so we are grateful that the LORD answered J.W.’s prayer in this way.

We were planning to go to Texas for home ministry in March, so we were wrapping up our first term in the Dominican Republic. We were able to wrap up and leave the next day for Dallas.
We were able to attend the viewing and funeral Sunday February 25. At his funeral, J. W.’s pastor, Dyan Dietz stated that she kiddingly called him “a sorry old dude”. Dyan’s relationship with J. W. was such that her comments about him drew laughter several times.

We are staying with Judy’s mom for the next three months and continue home ministry. We will then visit Virginia for three months and then return to Santiago in late August. We thank you so much for your prayers for Judy’s mom. She is doing remarkably well. Obviously she admits to us that she really misses J.W. She and J.W. were very close, having shared a number of camping trips together. They were married almost nine years. Her first husband and Judy’s dad, Billy White, passed away in 1993.

Judy’s and my memories of J.W. are very sweet and we can say that we loved him and that he loved us as if we were one of his children. In fact, I do not remember anyone saying a sweeter grace at the table, a sweeter blessing for the food then our stepdad. As he said each blessing, he confessed Christ as his Savior. While J. W.’s past was rocky in places, to me he illustrated God’s grace as he finished well. He was 83 when he passed away, and served as a Navy Seabee during World War II.

Family!—Mar ‘07

Family! The emotions the word stirs, whether negative or positive, touch the core of our being. We all crave the love, comfort, security, and support that a healthy family provides.
The family bonds in Latin culture are very strong. In the Dominican Republic, holidays and vacations are spent with the family—so much so that churches often have rows of empty seats on the Sundays closest to Christmas because people are with family.

At first it seemed like that would be the case on December 31st at Central Bible Church, the Dominican church we attend. But slowly the chairs filled as we spent the morning sharing praises and testimonies of God’s faithfulness during 2006. Repeatedly we heard words of thanks for the love the family of God had shown during a time of trial. As we listened, the church’s vision statement glowed on the screen behind those giving testimonies—We are a great loving family that honors God, developing lives faithful to Jesus Christ.

This year we grieved together as a family. Yairo, a young man of 25, recently baptized, was diagnosed with leukemia. He died two weeks later, a month before he was due to be married to the daughter of one of the elders. But we found strength in his final words to those caring for him: If this is God’s will that I die, I go happily into the arms of my Father.

Two months later we took turns sitting at the bedside of Felix, 75 and dying from cancer and complications of diabetes. We sang his favorite hymns as he lay in a coma. No doubt both Yairo and Felix are enjoying now the experience of an even greater loving family in God’s presence.

We prayed together as a family. Three women of the church are undergoing treatment for breast cancer and others are dealing with serious illnesses.

We played together as a family. During the testimony time, several spoke of the weekly basketball games arranged by Bob. Fathers saw their sons grow in both skill and character on the court. The informal times together gave one man the freedom to confide in Bob about the problems he faces in his marriage. A few weeks later, after reading a book given to him by Bob, he shared that his marriage is now the best it has ever been.

We shared together as a family, helping those throughout the year who faced months of unemployment. We also responded to Angela’s need. She lost everything when her house burned down two days before Christmas. The first thing she wanted was a Bible to replace the one she lost.

We didn’t know when we purposed to become a loving family, faithful to Christ, that God would develop that love and faithfulness through suffering. But we praise God for the beauty He is bringing about through difficult times. Even in the best of families rifts and divisions can occur if our foundation is not sure. So this year Central Bible will be studying together as a family, reaffirming what we believe. Please pray that this body of believers will be nourished on sound doctrine (1 Tim 4:6).

We heartily thank those of you who faithfully give and pray so that we can serve the church in the Dominican Republic. Although you don’t get to hear the testimonies first-hand, you are a vital part of our extended family. And now it’s time for a family reunion! Bob and I will be in the states for home ministry mid-March to mid-August, first in Texas and then in Virginia.

Despite their fear...they built the altar... Jan ‘07

Ok, I CAN'T fight City Hall! BUT God can. And here's what He's doing with them...and to me in His continual attempt to conform me to the image of Christ.

December 9 to 23 seemed to be the worst of times. Constant concerts, loud power tools and a truck running at night that filled our house with a nasty odor kept us wondering what could happen next. Fortunately, a good industrial fan circulated the air out and we were able to sleep (safely, I hope--we're still alive at this writing.)

My attempt to encourage the billing company to return to public power and close off their building seemed to fall on deaf ears, and from all that we were pretty frustrated. Even the appeal turned frustrating and the lady in charge named J, well, let's just say I decided that I wasn't going back.

So here's what God did...
...first, the billing company did return to public power December 9--the same day all the other ruckus started. They have run their generator one time since--for one hour.
...second, after our Christmas Eve service December 24, we invited 10 of our Haitian kids over for Sunday dinner. We had a wonderful time with them. After all the stress from the noise, the kids will never know how much they encouraged us that day.
...third, later the same day, we began house-sitting for co-workers while they visited their parents in the USA. The house was quiet and we got caught up on some needed rest both physically and mentally.
...fourth, we decided to invest our break into getting together with the Haitians who stayed due to the unrest in Haiti. In years past, they had gone back to Haiti over Christmas. And our Dominican friends go either to the USA or to another part of the country to visit relatives.

So instead of painting, cleaning, playing basketball, and getting together with missionary friends, we are tutoring several guys in English. They all speak a fair amount of English, so we are able to have long conversations with them. I also am going through a preaching course with one of our leaders (I started with three, but two of them dropped out). I'm very grateful to share that my one student has learned how to correctly outline a Biblical passage plus determine its subject and complement then turn all that into a sermon.

We returned to the apartment January 4. Since our return, City Hall has been quiet. No generator, no trucks, no power tools, and no concerts. Oh, yes, and one other thing. I wasn't looking forward to this, but I decided (or did God decide for me?) to go back to the billing company and thank J for her work with the generator, and in doing so, give her a bracelet, a Bible, a Christmas CD, and The Purpose Driven Life in Spanish. I wasn't sure how she would receive me, but I figured the gifts would help (remember Jacob and Esau?) plus in the three times I had talked to J, I never told her that I was a Christian...

...when I arrived at J's office, she wasn't in--probably a good thing for me as her secretary greeted me--and recognized me instantly. I told her that I wanted to thank J and I had thank-you gifts for her. She replied, "You don't have anything for me?" "I'm sorry" was all I could think of. However, the secretary got J. While the secretary was out, I sat down and recited, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." She must have told J why I came because J came in all smiles. I thanked J and gave her the gifts, explaining to her that I'm an evangelical Christian and pointed out the Bible and The Purpose Driven Life book. She received them graciously. And then I told the secretary, "Give me two days" before leaving.

The Israelites returned to their home in 536 BC after a 70-year captivity in Babylon. When they returned to Jerusalem, they built an altar to the LORD. Ezra 3.3 states, "Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD." Despite their fear of people, they did what was right. God grant that we may choose to do right despite our fear.

"You Can't Fight City Hall!!" (I WISH!!)—Jan ‘07

I've heard that "You can't fight city hall!" We live next to Santiago's city hall. And we are visiting our neighbors more often these days! They have given us two noise problems: one, concerts on occasional Saturday nights from their conference center where they blast loud music until 1 AM or so. That keeps especially me (Bob) from sleeping. Judy does a little better with it (could it be that Bob is a control freak too!?!?)

So Monday, November 13, we visited the office responsible for renting the conference center. The office was sympathetic to our request of banning the loud music. They stated that they tell their renters not to play it, but the renters don't always listen to them (Dominicans are notorious for loud music). They gave me the local number of the police station to call if we had problems. They also said that they will not rent the Hall publicly beginning in January. If this is true, this is very welcome news.

The second problem is a large, loud generator installed by a billing company who rents space from city hall. The generator faces our apartment and its shed has no door or sound barrier of any kind between us, so we get a direct hit from both the sound and the smell. They said that they called their headquarters in Santo Domingo, and hope to have doors installed in a week. They also said that the connection between them and city power was damaged so now they have to run the gen. I believe that they are dragging their feet. We had a similar problem last year where our apartment had to threaten legal action before they would move. Santiago has many electricians who could fix that problem. Also, the shed should have had doors installed when it was built.

We do ask for prayer, that God would move city officials to resolve the noise problems. We like the apartment where we live and do not plan to move. And while I look at City Hall as an indifferent government structure, there are individuals who need Christ, His love, His care, and His comfort. Pray that God gives us wisdom in sharing.

American Fads—Nov ‘06

October is Rosary Month at the local Catholic High School just down the street from where we live. As we walked through the halls, we saw rosaries displayed on bulletin boards, drawn on posters by third graders, etc. In addition to their use in Catholic prayers, rosaries are sometimes used as magical symbols in Haiti and good luck charms here in the DR. As I passed the displays, I thought, "I'm glad I don't need the rosary; I can pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ and He hears me because I'm His child."

Our former Spanish teacher, who also teaches advanced English, had invited us to present a talk on American culture to his class. Since we were able to do the class in English, we readily accepted. Judy began the hour presenting fun American fads from various decades--bouncing a superball, throwing a Frisbee, and trying to do the hula-hoop (ha! I can't do it, yet one of the Dominican students did it with ease!). Oh, yes, and the Bee Gees. It seemed like EVERYONE in class knew the words to "Staying Alive"! We were told that in the '80's, the Bee Gees were the most popular group HERE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Twenty years later, the children of that generation still know the words.

The fads got us off to a good start with the kids. They are from middle and upper class families. Most of them can speak English, and some spoke very well--having visited family each year in the US. Even those who were hesitant to speak to us in English could understand us, and we were having a blast.Then the turning point. We presented some of the negative ideas that have penetrated American culture, such as the postmodernistic belief that you can determine your own truth. I shared, quoting John 14.6, that Jesus Christ is The Truth, that His truth is absolute, and that His truth is revealed in the Bible, the Word of God.

I then explained how postmodernism promotes the "if it feels good, do it" attitude toward sex in our culture--sex with anyone, anywhere, anytime--that they see portrayed in American movies and television. I contrasted that to God's truth, explaining that God created sex, reserving it for husband and wife only.Then we showed Focus on the Family's hard-hitting video, "No Apologies: The Truth About Life, Love and Sex." The video interviews teenagers who have suffered because of engaging in pre-marital sex, and explains that there is no "safe sex" apart from abstinence. We weren't sure if the video was too explicit for the group, but we figured, if we have only one shot with this group, let's give it all we got--let's seek to make an impact. After the video, I spoke briefly again, giving my own testimony of the benefits of abstinence, how that Judy and I were virgins at the wedding altar, and because of that, we have no regrets, no flashbacks, no skeletons in the closet, no diseases, and we are happily married because of our purity.

The kids applauded when I finished. The school librarian asked us to return another day for coffee and wanted to know if we could order the same videos in Spanish (they're available and yes, we ordered them). And our friend said he'd like for us to come back to do an hour on our experiences in Haiti. Ok, especially if we can present it in English!

Jairo's Death—October ‘06

We returned to the DR on Wednesday October 4. Jairo (pronounced hí-ro) died Thursday October 5 at 8 AM. Jairo was one of our growing young leaders and led a small group Bible study at our home Dominican church. He had been discipled by Marinito, another of our young leaders and ran an excellent Powerpoint program at church (the graphics are super!). He died of leukemia after just one week in the hospital.

But what really really hurt is that Jairo’s wedding date was October 28. Yes. Three weeks before he was to marry, he died. His fiancée, Mery sobbed uncontrollably. She called out his name over and over and over.And I think, "Oh, isn’t this unfair! Why? I was thinking about what to give them for their wedding, and here I am attending his funeral! God, why?" And yet, I hope I learned a lesson today. I hate to get ripped off, to get taken advantage of. And in this cruel world, devoid of morality, it’s easy to get ripped off. Put yourself in Mery’s place. Three weeks before she was to marry a Godly young Dominican man (and they are hard to come by), he dies. He’s gone. There’s no wedding. There’s no chance of having a family. There’s no chance of sharing a life of love.

And yet, Jairo’s last words beg me not to think that way. Just before he died, he spoke to the doctors and the nursing staff, thanking them for their hard work, and asked God’s blessing on them. And then he told them, "Don't worry about me. If this is His will, then I will arrive happily in the arms of my Father."What a testimony. He doesn’t sound like someone who got ripped off. Reminds me of a quote (who said this, I don’t remember), "Be sure that you live your life in such a way that when you die, all you have to do is die."

The church had Jairo’s viewing Friday October 6. Alejandro Espejo, one of the church's elders and also Jairo's boss on a construction job did an excellent job speaking. He talked about Jairo’s daughter who died and was raised back to life by Jesus (Mark 5.22-43). Mery, Jairo’s broken-hearted fiancée, stood at the head of the casket while we were singing. Unbelievably, she sang with us and lifted her arms toward the sky. To me it was if she were saying, “LORD, Jairo belongs to you. I give him to you.”A week later, we had Jairo's memorial service. In both Dominican and Haitian culture, mourning lasts a week and is climaxed by a last memorial service. Despite the tears and sadness, Mery thanked everyone for their support and thanked the LORD for Jairo's life.

Dominican ministries, Sept '06
We still get a little nervous the first day of school. However, our Spanish instructor—slightly balding, slightly bulging around the middle, and extremely gregarious—soon sets us at ease. His eyes widen slightly upon hearing that we are evangelical missionaries. With a quick glance toward the door, he lowers his voice to softly proclaim, I like your religion!I thought the secrecy a bit strange, but then realized that he wanted to protect his job at a Catholic high school.

God had brought us together in a local language institute. We primarily speak Creole when relating to the Haitian university students, and we needed to improve our Spanish for ministry with the Dominicans. We covered the material in the book, but our conversations ranged far and wide. Together we discussed how beliefs and morals influence a culture, how a loving God could allow tragedies and evil in the world, and how God showed us His love in Christ. It was a workout for us in Spanish, and for him in theology! He began to read daily with his wife the books we gave him about faith and life in Christ. When he had to return to his regular job, he told us that he wanted to stay in touch and wanted to learn more. Please pray that as we meet with him in the near future we can deepen our friendship and God will draw him and his wife to Himself.

Pray for us to be bold and always ready to share the hope we have with those whom God brings our way.Our neighbor on the second floor is past the age of retirement, but continues to work at the local hospital. She is devoutly Catholic in a society which increasingly views religious holidays as play time at the beach. Shortly after we moved here we gave her a copy of The Purpose Driven Life in Spanish. Yesterday we talked as she waited for a taxi. Once again she thanked us for the book. She is reading it for the third or fourth time now and has given copies to her grown children and also to co-workers. Pray that she and others will understand what it means to trust Christ alone.

Dominicans are increasingly becoming more open to the gospel. Last Sunday the church was full as we clapped and sang praises to the Lord. Many come because they have seen something real—a genuine transformation in the life of a friend or family member who now has hope and strength in the midst of difficulties.Every Monday night 15-20 people squeeze into our apartment. Bob leads us in Spanish as we learn together how to live out this transformation that God has brought about in our lives. We range in age from 13 to 58—each facing the challenges that life brings—the challenge of raising teenagers, of being teenagers, of career choices, of infidelity and divorce, of economic struggles, of serious illness, etc.

Back to School

This next Tuesday it's back to school again! We would appreciate your prayers as we participate in conversational Spanish classes at Berlitz here in Santiago. We'll have two hours/day of class, four or five days/week. We can easily minister here in Creole to the Haitians, but we need to move up a notch in our Spanish in order to be able to teach Dominicans. This is a large city and expectations are higher here than they would be in the country. I see so many needs for discipleship and areas of training (in missions, women's ministry, how to manage finances, etc.) that could benefit the Dominican church here. It's frustrating to not yet be able to contribute. Pray that we will be patient and study hard! Thanks.

Workteam Texas style—July 06

For us, WORKTEAM has been the key word, the controlling factor, the tail that wags the dog, the last two weeks. On June 17, we added six people to our family of two by welcoming Irving Bible Church's team to the Dominican Republic to paint, preach and teach English as a second language. I won't say that they became our kids--after all, three members are older than me (one with a successful heart transplant)--but we felt at times that they were.

They painted all of the remaining Sunday school rooms, bathrooms, and kitchen at the Villa Olimpica Bible Church here in Santiago. They also painted a two-wall-wide mural of Noah's Ark. When the kids walked in their classroom and saw it on Sunday morning, they all said WOW!!! (and I did too--that qualifies me as a kid, right?). And the Salvadoran-American pastor preached five times, for both our Creole and Spanish Bible studies.

But this team's richest contribution was the relationships that they built with both the Dominican and Haitian Christians, unifying them in the English as a second-language course they taught. JOY doesn't even begin to convey the emotion and warmth the team generated studying the Gospel of John in their various classes. A number of students asked me if and when they could come back! We also arranged with Villa Olimpica Church to eat our noon meal in their church members' homes. This also built relationships and successfully took both Judy and me off our diets! The lasagna we had the last day was made in and sent straight from heaven!

The team not only encouraged the Dominicans, but helped us as well to build and deepen friendships at Villa Olimpica--so much so that we feel more a part of that church. Please check out the photos of the team.

Transitioning to normalcy in the Dominican Republic

2008-09-26T18:31:00.000-04:00

Ma and Pa Kay, June 06

From my favorite perch on the end of the sofa, I can clearly see the gold-rimmed clock that newly hangs on our dining room wall. The clock itself is not tremendously valuable. I’m sure you could buy one similar to it at Wal-Mart. But the slow moving hands mean more to me than the passing of time—they are a reminder of my continuing responsibilities as a mom.

You see I have 45 children at present! They range in age from 20-25; and I confess I sometimes call them by the wrong names! These young Haitians, attending university here in Santiago, couldn’t be with their mothers on Mother’s Day; so they honored both Bob and me as their spiritual parents with the gift of the clock. To make the occasion even more special, in true Haitian style, they recited French poetry by memory. And shy (so we thought) Agnes sang us a special song in front of everybody. Several expressed their gratitude for our investment in their lives. So we pass this gratitude along to you who make it possible for us to serve the Lord here in this university ministry.

Like most college age children, they sometimes ask for money. Because of your generosity, we can help them with urgent needs—antibiotics for an infection, dental work for an aching tooth, an advance for the rent because the money hasn’t yet been wired from Haiti. As parents we pray for and with them, teach them the Word, occasionally give advice, and provide plenty of snack food! (But we don’t hand over the car keys!)

We are thankful for the Lord’s grace in our lives. Not having children of our own has not been the emotional burden for us that it is for some couples. Although we haven’t been blessed with children bearing the Kay genes, we do have a quiver-full wearing blue jeans! Our desire for them, and we ask you to pray toward this end, is that they walk in the truth. Some are new to this path. Others have been on it for awhile, but are easily side-tracked. Six of the Haitian students have been baptized in the last two months. In our studies lately, we’ve been trying to clarify for them what Christ did on our behalf on the cross and the eternal security available to those who believe in Him. Pray that they will understand the reality and the applicability of Christ’s finished work for them.

Pray also for wisdom for us as parents as we teach and counsel. Pray that we would openly share our lives with these special young men and women.Thanks for your prayers as we strive to create one community from two cultures in the Villa Olímpica church. The number of Haitians attending the morning worship now equals the number of Dominicans, and the church is running out of space! What a delight it was this past Sunday to see six Haitians and five Dominicans singing together in a men’s chorus. Only in Christ is that possible in this culture.

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 1.8

Moving Mano in one carload, Mar 06

Sweating heavily as he moves down the court, Bob realizes he no longer has the moves of a 20-year-old. However, even if he’s a little slower than the teenagers guarding him, his aim is sure as he steps back and sinks a 3-pointer. In slow but sure moves, lives are changing as relationships are built. Because of the Saturday afternoon basketball games with the men and their sons from Central, the Dominican church we attend, three teenagers now come to church.

The Haitian Bible study we lead at the Villa Olímpica Bible Church has grown to 45. We are currently training five small group leaders. Two weeks ago we had the privilege of praying with two of the students as they received Christ as their Savior. They had been coming for several months and were basically loved into the Kingdom by others in the study. The Haitian students have seen God’s loving provision as he has answered prayers for housing, jobs, and basic necessities.

Bob helped Mano move this week. It took one carload to move him. Despite the shared bathroom, his new private room has a bed, chair, table, and closet. Some of the other students aren’t so fortunate—they have to buy furniture while sharing small dorm-style rooms with people they hardly know. Mano was a little upset because he had paid this month’s rent at his old place. But our Bible study group leaders counseled him to let it go, since neither former Haitian roommates nor Dominican landlords will easily refund rent money. We praise the LORD for this Godly counsel (1 Corinthians 6.7) and the spiritual growth it reveals in our group!

Building trust from mistrust, Nov 05

Maneuvering down four flights of stairs to the car each Sunday afternoon while juggling gallons of juice; bags full of chips, cookies, and crackers; song sheets and Bibles isn’t easy. But I realize that it is well worth the trouble as I look at the university students talking casually to each other while devouring every morsel of food. (These kids are hungry!) Providing snacks for the Haitian Bible study is helping to develop a sense of community within the group.

Satan’s legacy in Haiti is a people who do not trust each other. Even among Christians, Haitians are reserved with those they don’t know well. We never quite realized the depth of that reserve until coming here to the Dominican Republic. The contrast in cultures is evident after the Sunday service at the Villa Olímpica church, where more than 60 Haitians now attend. The talkative Dominicans stay to greet one another, while most of the Haitians are already out the door on their way home, without even speaking to each other.

We praise the Lord that the Bible study in Créole is beginning to break down this reserve. Agnes—shy, with beautiful eyes and long, beaded braids—is studying nursing at the university. Her first three months here she felt very alone. She hardly left her apartment except to go to class. Now, after attending the study for several weeks, she has friends who greet her on campus. She feels like she has a family here. In addition, a few brave students are venturing out to join weekly small groups with the Dominican believers. Some will participate in the upcoming church Christmas program as well.

By the time you read this, Christmas will be fast approaching. It’s still quite hot here during the day, but Santa Claus is already swinging from the large tree outside of the electric company. My neighbors started decorating for Christmas in October. If you want to celebrate Christmas Dominican style, have the whole family over on Christmas Eve. Roast a pig in the back yard or out in the parking lot. Visit, party and exchange gifts until the early hours of the morning, and then sleep in on Christmas day.

Comfort, the god of all? July 05

The breeze has died down to a whisper in the early hours before dawn. The distant sound of waves lapping the La Pointe, Haiti shore is now drowned out by the insistent buzzing of mosquitoes in my ear. It's too hot to cover up with a sheet, and the itching of multiple bites tells me the insect repellant I liberally sprayed on earlier has not lived up to its name. Oh for electricity and a fan at this moment!

I confess I like comfort. I know that God is the God of all comfort. But as I lay here in the dark wondering if it was worth it to come back to chaotic Haiti, I have to ask myself, "Has it become comfort, the god of all?" However, in Haiti pwomès se dèt—a promise is a debt. Bob promised to return to teach the book of Hebrews in the La Pointe summer Bible school, where six La Tortue church leaders and 43 others from Northwest Haiti are completing their fourth and final year of study. So, after a two-year absence, we are back in Haiti for two weeks.

As we crossed the border on a bus from the Dominican Republic, the roads became rougher, the crowds of people more intense, and the poverty more palpable. The political situation in Port-au-Prince is precarious as gangs terrorize neighborhoods. Each day several people are kidnapped and held for ransom. At first, the victims were members of the business class. Now even market ladies and shoeshine boys may be taken for the meager amounts their families can pay. The effect has been widespread fear and paralysis of most business activity in the capital.

Times are hard financially. There's a growing sense of hopelessness as people wonder if Haiti has a future. Already the shutdown of businesses in Port-au-Prince is making it difficult for the hospital here to find supplies and medications.But was it worth it to come back? YES!! In the midst of the insecurity and physical discomfort of life in Haiti, our hearts have been comforted and encouraged by good reports from several of the La Tortue churches. Elice, a homegrown seminary graduate, is working at Montry and teaching Bible classes. The radio station, 4VET, has been faithfully maintained, and now airs 10 hours of evangelical programming each day. And the 49 leaders had a great time studying about how God comforts us in difficult circumstances in the book of Hebrews.

One happy family? Mar 05

HUMILITY 101—Bob cheerfully tells a new friend that we’ve been tired for 13 years, when he meant to say that we’ve been married for 13 years. Perhaps there’s a correlation there?! —My heart is pounding and my palms are sweaty after being asked to pray aloud in front of a group. I’m wondering if I really understood the requests that were given. I find new meaning in Romans 8:26, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us.”

ONE HAPPY FAMILY? How can I describe this society? Dominicans are a very warm and emotional people. Family is very important. However, families are becoming more fragmented through divorce and estranged relationships. Indebtedness and living for momentary pleasures result in heavy drinking. Many struggle with depression. Among the relatively small group of people that we know, three families have had loved ones attempt suicide in the last five months. In the midst of these suffering families, God raises up His family, the church. We’ve seen God working in and through the church family here to restore relationships, heal emotions, and lead friends to Christ. The church recently had to buy 60 more chairs to accommodate the increased attendance at the worship services. Currently, the church is preparing for a 40 Days of Purpose campaign.

Comparing the DR and Haiti, Oct 04

“Their right-of-way ends where my skin begins,” I commented to Bob as we threaded our way through the traffic of Santiago, Dominican Republic. There must be a required course here on aggressive driving. Drivers run red lights, cut each other off, and go the wrong way on one-way streets, all the while using the horn liberally.

As it was in Haiti, the Dominican approach to personal space is, “Take it!” Bob’s response to all this? Go with the flow!! He has adapted quickly to Dominican driving, claiming his right-of-way along with the rest. He sings and laughs while dodging other cars. Although my sense of humor is not so well-tuned, I am grateful that our Nissan Sentra is small enough to get through most traffic snarls. And we are delighted to have paved roads.

We arrived in Santiago September 20. After a week of unpacking boxes and arranging the apartment, we began studying Spanish. Our ears are trying to tune in the Dominican accent, while our tongues are limbering up to try to match their speed. Afternoons are also for adventures—like searching for hardware stores that sell faucets, windowpanes, and screens. We find that, away from the steering wheel, Dominicans are very patient and kind! Although we have to search though several stores, we are amazed at how much is available here compared to Haiti.

We can’t help comparing the DR to Haiti—two very different countries on the same island. We still see an occasional lady astride her donkey, straw saddlebags full of vegetables to sell. Only now the donkey seems out of place trotting along the sidewalk next to four lanes of traffic. The rice and beans, fruits, and vegetables are the same as in Haiti, only more plentiful, and I can now shop for these in an air-conditioned supermarket!

Yes, our life has been modernized. The telephone has replaced our ham radio. A cell phone takes the place of the 2-meter radio. DSL-speed email has definitely increased the speed of our communication to the states. Bob can now get news and SPORTS up to the minute, instead of waiting for weeks! In place of mountain trails, we now walk up four flights of stairs to our apartment. Piped water from town has replaced gathering rainwater in water cisterns. The sweet sound of flushing toilets has replaced our LaTortue outhouse. Although we still have an inverter and batteries for blackouts, solar panels and generators have given way to almost 24 hour/day electricity. A washing machine has replaced the wash lady who washed our clothes by hand.

Glimpses from our last 3 years in Haiti (2000-2003)

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Leaving Haiti, June 03

Wou lib! Wou lib! The cry floats on the air as we roll by on the ATV. Young boys run behind us, hoping for a ride, though having nowhere in particular to go. Their toughened bare feet are heedless of the sharp rocks in the road. To ask for a wou lib is to ask for a free ride or lift. Giving a wou lib has another meaning as well. After visiting a Haitian friend in his home, he will give you a wou lib by walking part of the way back with you as you leave. It's a sign of friendship and respect.

In April, the Cayonne church gave us a royal wou lib after Bob preached there for the last time. The Cayonne church is a group of 90 young believers who are hanging tough in a hardened neighborhood, where drug trafficking and usage is the norm. Bob has helped to train three of their leaders, worked with the church committee on difficult issues, and preached there on many Sundays. For a few years, we hiked down the trail each week for me to teach a ladies' Bible study.After the service, the church asked us to stay for a special fête. Each choral group donned their uniforms and sang special numbers in our honor. They are a relatively poor congregation; yet we were given beautiful parting gifts. Then as the rain clouds menaced and the sun drew close to the horizon, we started the climb for home. A group of 20 climbed the hill with us. I had changed into tennis shoes, but some of these ladies climbed the rugged trail in high heels! After arriving at the road on top, they escorted us all the way home! Together we paraded down the road, singing and chanting, arriving at our home at dusk. In the tropics, dusk lasts about 10 minutes! The group did the return 2 ½ miles in the dark. We praised the Lord for this wou lib, displaying their gratefulness to us.

You have also given us a wou lib. I recently read this quote by Judith Dupree: I am carried on the shoulders of those who cannot see the landscape I describe. I owe them far more than my weight. Though a few of you have made the trek to La Tortue, many of you have never seen this landscape. Yet you have consistently prayed for us and supported the work here. You have carried us on your shoulders, and we are grateful.

Walking next to a cliff, Mar 03

The mile-long descent is steep, with a 20-foot drop to one side along one stretch of the trail. My eyes are glued to the narrow path, as I carefully place each step. One slip on loose gravel could result in a bad fall. As always, my prayer as I descend is, "Lord, please don't let our feet slip or our ankles turn." I figure no one is going to be able to carry me back up this hill if I turn an ankle! In my 12 years (and Bob's 14) of hiking the paths on LaTortue, we've never suffered a fall. God is faithful!

Our destination is the Mahé church on the southern coast of the island. Today believers from several churches join us on the trail to this Saturday morning training seminar for Sunday school teachers. Although Bob and I will lend a hand in the teaching, the great news is that we did not plan or sponsor this event. Mahé's new pastor is the principal teacher of the day.By May there will be three seminary graduates working on the island—-one homegrown and two transplants from the mainland.

In addition eight LaTortue men, currently working in six different LaTortue churches, will cross the channel in June to attend their second summer of theological training at LaPointe. Bob will be teaching a three-week course there on the Historical Books of the Bible. Certainly, the need for training and discipleship will never end, but our part in leadership training on LaTortue is rapidly coming to a close. In May the last nine of our 22 Extension Bible School students will graduate.

Fighting for water, Jan 03

Nan Zòl is a busy place these days! Each day people come from as far away as five miles, carrying their buckets and plastic gallon jugs, in order to jostle for the one place where the small stream of water flows from the cleft in the rock. Actually, jostle is too nice of a word. Fights often erupt over whose turn it is to get water.

The Nan Zòl water source is where most people in our area get their water for drinking, washing, cooking, and bathing. Some bathe right at the source while waiting to fill their gallons. Young women walk straight-backed down the steep rocky trail, loads of laundry poised on their heads to wash at the source. Boys lead cattle to drink at the muddy pool that forms near the spring. Donkeys idle nearby, resting before the uphill trek with their makout (straw saddle bags) filled with sloshing buckets and plastic gallons. The constant traffic makes a smelly, muddy bog of most of the area around the source. Young children, as young as six or seven, climb the trail with a two-gallon jug of water perched on their heads. I labor on the incline with no burden to carry!

With such a circus at the water source, many get up at 2 A.M. and walk the trail by moonlight to avoid the crowds and confrontations. The problem with this circus is that it's supposed to have already left town, along with the dry and dusty summer months. Yet here it is mid-December, our normal rainy season. By now most people should be collecting rainwater in either cisterns or buckets as it runs off the roof of their homes. So far this year's rainfall has measured half of what it usually is. Crops planted at the first hint of rain in September, to be harvested after the first of the year, have withered. Those with remaining seed are tilling their gardens by machete and hoe, ready to plant as soon as the rains begin in earnest.

Most conversation focuses on the rising cost of a cup of rice or a bag of beans, as the Haitian dollar continues to devalue. Families that ordinarily live on the edge of hunger are tottering over the precipice. My eyes were opened to a neighbor's plight when she told me her seven-year-old son refused to go to school last week. He said he couldn't go to school because he was too hungry to make it back home. She told him, "You can't expect to eat every day."

Yet there is water of a different kind. For five years now, FM radio station 4VET has been a stream of water, carrying life-giving words to those living in arid Northwest Haiti. Our neighbor, Antony Sanon, has faithfully kept the station on the air, cranking up the generator each morning and evening at five o'clock. He, his sons, and other volunteers from the church, man the control table. They choose the music and mix and monitor the broadcast as others teach the Word. It's a small laidback station with a definite local flavor, but those in our listening audience often write to tell us how they have been encouraged as they wake up and go to sleep with its programs. Callers call in by CB radio on the 5 A.M. program, Manna in the Morning (10-4 Good Buddy!). Most popular is the half-hour prayer time at the end of the day, where people write in their requests and hear them mentioned in prayer before the Lord. Although Bob and I have our regular weekly programs, we've been pleased to see that the station functions independently of us. Pray that it's programs will continue to nourish others in Christ.

The GATE, Mar 02

The GATE. Mere rotting wood and rusty nails, the GATE is the thin boundary separating our rocky yard and the rocky dirt road beyond. It is our point of contact with the community. Our task on LaTortue is to train leaders for the churches. But all tasks here are done in the context of the community in which we live. In such a poor country as Haiti, the community views us as wealthy (and so we are in the LORD). Individuals often come to us with requests.Those on friendly terms with our dog come directly to our door. Others must get our attention by banging on the boards of the GATE with a rock (there being no shortage of rocks on LaTortue). If we are busy, we may be slow to answer. Most of those knocking follow Churchill's admonition: Never, never, never, never give up!

The knocking begins as the sun rises over the hills and sometimes continues after dark. Mealtimes are sure to be interrupted. Rush hour comes at dusk as people are returning from gathering their animals from the field or working in the garden. We have no answering machine or caller ID to screen the calls (other than looking out the window). Bob and I share the load of answering the GATE. (It's your turn sweetie!)The requests vary. Early in the morning a young girl knocks, hoping to sell me bananas from the tray atop her head. Later, an elderly neighbor stops by for me to check her blood pressure. Mothers come carrying babies with fever, rashes, and runny noses. Young men come sporting cuts from machetes, or scrapes from a recent bike crash. The frantic call "pa gen fren!" (no brakes) is often heard as a biker careens down the hill.

Because there is basic medical care available, two miles down the road, I've been able to avoid turning our home into a clinic. However, there is no way to see a doctor or nurse without money in hand—a luxury many here do not have. So, to demonstrate Christ's love, I give out health advice from the front porch and a few basic supplies (Band-Aids, ointments, and simple medicines for relief of pain and fever).

People also come to the GATE asking for money or food. (I have 13 children at home. My husband left us. We haven't eaten in 2 days.--- My mom is in the hospital. I have no money to buy the medicine she needs.) Such requests we try to channel through the local church. We have proven too gullible, believing stories we later find to be untrue. Often people knock to purchase Bibles. Thanks to your gifts, we are able to keep a stock of Haitian Créole Bibles on hand, and sell them at an affordable (subsidized) price.

Is there ever a convenient time for an interruption? The knocks often come as I'm cooking food on the stove or cooking up a Bible lesson. The frequency of knocks varies from day to day. I've noticed a direct correlation between the number of knocks on the GATE and the level of impatience in my voice as I respond. (Ah, how the GATE reveals our weaknesses!) As a much-needed reminder, I placed a small slip of paper near the door with suggestions from an article on life-style evangelism: 1. Take people seriously. 2. Express genuine concern for their needs. 3. Always listen with love. 4. At God-appointed moments, tell about Jesus.

Rain, rain, go away! May 01

This is not rainy season! I keep repeating this to myself as the fine blowing rain turns into a downpour. The dull roar of rain on our tin roof mutes all other sounds. Thunder growls in the distance as white mist shrouds our home. Clothes washed two days ago hang damp and limp across a wooden rack. Mold and mildew are taking over! We've had more than 13 inches of rain in the last two weeks.

A friend from Virginia came to visit us last week. She waited three days before the weather cleared enough for her to cross the channel. The Lord drew the cloud curtain back long enough to allow us to introduce her to our mud-splattered existence. Two days later she left, and the rain returned.

Church folks are trying to gear up for the annual Harvest Festival this week, but the rain keeps interfering. Services have been rained out. The bright Caribbean-blue paint is still in the buckets, waiting to spruce up the church. Schools close. Boats don't sail. The outdoor market becomes a mud pit. However, the local bakeries do great business. It's too wet for cooking fires; so more people buy bread. Vendors carry tin washtubs full of bread on their heads, clanging the handles to announce their passing.

As long as the lightning is not close enough to fry the antenna, 4VET stays on the air with its usual programming. Faithful Mme Davilma signs off each evening after her half-hour prayer program. Her husband picked her up tonight on his motorcycle. He drove, and she held a large umbrella over them.

NOISE!!!, Mar 01

The 4 A.M. trumpet pulls us from a sound sleep, calling our neighbors to early morning prayer. I nestle deeper into my pillow. (Now, don't get me wrong! I'm all for prayer. Our lives depend on it! But I don't pray well at 4 A.M., in the dark, in another language.) However, those few extra winks elude me. Now, from the opposite direction, comes a crescendo of singing as a group from another church jogs by our home. As they pass by, the leader preaches with a megaphone. It's a favorite form of evangelism here—running down the road by moonlight at 4 A.M., singing choruses and preaching. The idea is to catch everybody still in bed—-a captive audience more or less. I'm a bit skeptical of how well the gospel is received when blasted by a megaphone at 4 A.M. But then, as already noted, I'm just not a 4 A.M. person.

As the singing fades in the distance, John Tess is up and clearing his throat. He sleeps at the radio station, to thwart thievery. John Tess loves to sing at the top of his voice. (He also loves microphones, but we try to keep him away from those.) This morning his nasal voice leads the small band of prayer warriors gathered inside the church next door. Blending with the singing is the sound of dogs barking, donkeys braying, and roosters crowing.

Our neighbor across the street has 15 fighting roosters. Cockfighting is a popular sport, involving gambling and voodoo rituals. Added to the barking, braying, and crowing is the metallic thump of my dog's tail against the iron grillwork covering the window. That's his plea for me to get up and feed him. Noise!! Haiti is a noisy place. Anytime you pack in over 600 people per square mile the result is noise, especially in a society that lives outdoors.

In the growing light, people call out greetings to each other as they walk down the road. Old Brother May trudges slowly by, going to his garden, loudly denouncing the faults and rudeness of the younger generation. He'll repeat this litany as he returns home in afternoon. Small motor scooters, devoid of mufflers—-the local taxis—-roar past him and then slow, their engines complaining as they climb the hill.

As the sun rises higher, so do the decibels emanating from our neighbor's radio. He originally put a half-mile hailer up on his roof, so the whole community could enjoy his radio. However, after a year of coaxing and prayer, he took it down. The radio blares now from inside his roadside store.

Since everyone else is being noisy, we contribute as well—-broadcasting a joyful noise to the Lord on the church's FM radio station, 4VET—The Evangelical Noise (Oops! I mean Voice.) of La Tortue. The station operates seven hours a day, and celebrates its 3rd birthday on April 12! After three years, we continue to get feedback from many areas that the broadcasts are meeting needs for solid Bible teaching and encouragement through prayer. Radios are common in spite of the poverty. The poorest man, sleeping on a straw mat, may have a Walkman under his pillow!

By early afternoon, the students in the nearby professional school are warming up their trumpets for music class. As beginners, their efforts are barely distinguishable from those of the unhappy cow tied on the hillside behind our house. The notes warble across the ravine, to be answered from the opposite hilltop by school children rhythmically reciting their lessons at the church school.

This time of year the wind blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean provides constant background music of swishing palm branches.Continuing into the night, the wind howls around the house and then suddenly dies down around midnight. The beat of voodoo drums in the distance fills in the void. Another all night voodoo ceremony is in progress, as those without the Lord seek peace, prosperity, and protection in all the wrong places.

By the way, you may have heard a strange noise in January. It was Bob, shouting for joy, at the annual assembly of UEBH churches. There five La Tortue preaching points officially became churches, fulfilling the La Tortue 2000 plan envisioned nine years earlier. We now have eight UEBH churches on the island.

When Haitians pray in church it's not unusual for everyone to pray aloud at the same time. I often wonder how this cacophony sounds to God; but I'm sure that, unlike me, He distinguishes each and every petition. Throughout the states, there are many of you praying for us continually. Don't stop! God hears and is blessing the work in Haiti in response. Though we may not always be at ease in this noisy culture, we rejoice to be a small part of what God is doing in the world.

Thug roadblock, Nov 00

Astride our ATV, we alternately splash through mud and rumble over sharp rocks on the road to O'Plen. Jolting along, I remind myself that people in the states do this kind of thing for fun! Today bright flutters of orange grace our path. The monarch butterflies are migrating south. Their orange wings contrast with the dark green branches reaching out to us from both sides of the road. Their beauty is a gentle reminder to me of God's presence.

We need that reminder today! After a last minute flurry of answering knocks on the gate and fielding requests, we left home later than usual in a "grouchy" mood. A mile farther down the road we were stopped by a fallen tree. Actually, as it fell the huge old tree had left an archway over the road—passable if we ducked. However, the young men chopping away at its branches this morning blocked our path and demanded money for passage. (They were obviously unconcerned that we were already in a mood!) We rarely carry money when travelling and today is no exception. After enduring some unpleasant rhetoric, we were allowed to pass. Still, the experience was frustrating. So the monarchs today are a welcome reminder that we are beloved children of the One and Only True Monarch.

Each week we trek to O'Plen where four students await our Bible school class. They are all leaders in their churches—well worth the rough trip out. My class is first, to give Bob a rest after wrestling with the ATV. Later, as Bob takes over, I move on to a small group of ladies from the O'Plen church that meets weekly for Bible study. Unfortunately, we can't seem to gather a quorum today. Heavy rains the past two days have sent the women scurrying to plant beans in their gardens and wash their laundry, both necessary tasks after a hard rain in November.So, instead of teaching, I sit and listen to stories of the "old days" from the grandmother of the family whose home we use as our school. Her name is Madame Dimèsi (Say Thanks). And that is what she does! Tall, and too thin from recent illness, she has had a difficult life. Her husband left her long ago. He also left the eight children for her to raise by herself. Yet, she recounts to me how God has been gracious and faithful to her through the years! (What do I have to be grouchy about?!)

A day in Haiti, Mar 00
The light in our living room blazes on earlier than usual, shining into our bedroom and disturbing my dreams. The light serves as our alarm clock, being connected to the radio station generator. The station begins airing at 5 AM each day. Bob likes to get up then to hear the sports scores on ham radio and then begin a time of prayer (priorities!). But this morning is dark and cloudy, and we pull the covers closer and snooze a little longer until the snooze alarm comes on.

The snooze alarm is Saintilia, a local lady with mental problems. Lately, she has taken to pacing the road in front of our house each morning before sunrise loudly denouncing the evils of the world and singing. She sings the same song each day. Today, as I roll over to get up, I decide I need to teach her a new song. So begins our day. Bob is already pacing and praying as I pull on my jogging clothes. I read my Bible as I wait for the sun to rise enough so I can evade the rocks in the road and the mud puddles from last night's rain. Normally, we start out together, but today I go alone. Bob has a 7 AM radio broadcast on 4VET, a study in the book of Acts. I don't know how he can be so animated at 7 AM!

As I pass, I greet my neighbors who are sweeping the dirt road in front of their homes and tending their cooking fires. Ladies are walking to market with basins full of goods balanced on their heads. One balances a large basin full of second hand shoes, another sacks of sugar and cornmeal. Today's market is 3 miles from here.

It's Tuesday--the only day I have no class or Bible study to teach. It's a day to prepare. A health lesson and Bible study are awaiting my attention. But after breakfast, the siren call, "Men poul la! (Here's chicken!)", pulls me out to the road with a ziplock bag in one hand and 100 gourdes (that's money) in the other. The chicken lady is passing by with her large blue and white cooler on her head. God's grace, and the preferences of American diners for white meat, have made chicken legs available to me in Haiti! Detecting no offending odors or greenish hue, I purchase a bag full of chicken legs. Madame David will be here later to cook lunch.

To get things going I begin boiling the chicken legs, next to a pot of homemade dog food, next to a pot of pumpkin soup (to feed visitors from Port-au-Prince expected later). At the same time I begin making brownies, but every egg I crack has gone bad. Finally, I find enough good eggs, pick the ants out of the sugar, sift the weevils out of the flour, and just as I'm ready to stir, I hear a plaintive cry for help from the porch.

It's Bob, having trouble with the refrigerant used to charge our ailing refrigerator. Some leak we can't locate, and don't have the equipment to fix, has necessitated a weekly charge of refrigerant. Today the octopus of hoses and gauges isn't doing its job. Bob hates it when things break down. There are no servicemen who make housecalls to La Tortue! I try to be philosophical about our dying refrigerator. Obviously, God is more interested in shaping our character than providing us with cold food storage. After 15 years in Haiti, we still need lessons in handling frustration gracefully.

Did I tell you this is wash day as well? While juggling the brownies and 3 pots of food on the stove and helping Bob, I gathered the wash for Madame Wilson. She sits in our depot and washes all of our clothes by hand in 5-gallon buckets and then hangs them on the line. It takes about 5 hours! Her patient smile brightens my day. Because of Madame David and Madame Wilson, I have time available to get out and teach the Word.

Time to prepare those lessons is, however, another matter! First, I take a bowl of milk to the 5 hungry puppies next door, sired by my hungry dog. Then the familiar sound of a rock banging on our wooden gate lets me know someone needs Tylenol for a headache; followed by a young lady with a swollen jaw and itchy skin and "what can I do for her?"; followed by a chat with our pastor's wife, Madame Aine, about a mutual friend who needs surgery. The surgery has to be paid for in advance before they'll do it.

In the early afternoon, Bob returns from helping a neighbor install his new propane stove (no more charcoal fires for them!), and we cross the road to share a cold Coke. Our neighbor across the road has a tiny store and a newly opened "restaurant" with two tables and four chairs. Business is booming. Today's special is chicken legs!

The beep of a horn and dull roar of a 4x4 truck pulling up the hill from the coast mean that our visitors have arrived. The road to the coast, about 3 miles long, is in the final stages of completion after 5 years of intermittent work by pick and shovel. Trucks have just started using it. There are about 7 vehicles now on the island. Soon we'll be having traffic jams! We have supper with Madame Aine and the two men, who are from the Compassion International office in Port-au-Prince. We share laughter over some of our island "characters" and commiserate over the rigors of traveling to get here.

From 5-8 PM, station 4VET is back on the air, broadcasting music and Bible teaching and giving us electricity. Now we can check our e-mail. Because it operates by radio frequency instead of a phone line, our e-mail system is a bit touchy. If you try to send us pictures, it blocks the whole system. Overly long letters can be a problem too, taking forever to receive. Any little glitch in transmission means we have to start over from scratch. However, e-mail is a wonderful thing for us. Regular mail takes 2-4 weeks. By 9 PM I am ready to hit the hay, resolved to carve out some time tomorrow to prepare those lessons. But first there will be breakfast to fix for the visitors, followed by feeding the puppies, and there are the lizards to chase out of our outhouse, and. . .zzzzzz.

Switching over

2008-09-26T16:29:00.000-04:00

We've just closed out our website and will be updating you now on this blog. More to come!