Eyes to See

One of my friends, who had prayed for me during the trip, asked me on Sunday if I had "eyes to see" while I was in the DR.  I had asked for prayer before the trip for eyes to see God at work on my trip, because often times, I think I miss that in my busyness.
I shared all of the stories I have on this blog because I see God's work in them.  That God uses Rod and Nancy and the pastor in Bavaro as his hands to reach out in love and  give those people a chance.  And those people are in turn being given the opportunity to be God's hands and feet to other people who cross their path.

One story I forgot to share about our trip down: we were delayed on the ground in Chicago due to lightening, we were certain we would miss our connecting flight.  Sue asked the passing flight attendant, who was walking by with connection information, what the status of our flight was.  The woman turned to us and said, "God must be with you, because honey, we're the crew for that flight!"  So the flight couldn't leave without us because it couldn't leave without them!  And I loved that she put it that way.  God must be with you.  Romans ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

I was working in my garden today.  I have this humungous  butterfly bush that I trim the dead flowers off of every week.  And it gets kind of annoying because there are so many and I start thinking, it would be much easier to cut the whole branch off and forget this.  So why do I trim all the dead flowers off weekly?  Because I'm trimming those off, new ones are growing.  I'm sure Rod and Nancy and all those who are in missions get tired of working to eliminate the ugly stuff that they see, because new ugly stuff pops up every time they're there.  But because they work, one situation at a time, one relationship at a time against that ugly, new beauty appears.  It takes time. 

Some of those kids come from a great family who loves them and provides for them the best they can.  Sponsorship can help them out in providing an education and an opportunity to learn more about Jesus through their school.  But some of the kids, don't know what love is.  They don't know what it means to be loved and have never seen love modeled for them.  God's love can be made complete in you, if you can invest a little time and write them an encouraging letter.  Or a little more time and money and go for a visit.  Sponsorship, is about giving, yes, but it's about giving of yourself as well.  Please invest in these children.  I know translating is hard, I'll help you if you want.  It doesn't even have to be long, just a little note to show there's someone out there that cares.  Someone that thinks they're special.

Karina and Food Sponsors

Karina on her moto.  She cooks the food at home
and brings it in to the school

Karina is a special lady who works at the school.  She has 6 kids, 5 boys and 1 girl that go to the school.  At first she started at the school as a janitor and she sold food on the side.  Rod tried some of it and liked it so they started having her cook homestyle healthy food at the school.  150 kids, those who need it the most, get food each day.  2^nd Mile is looking for food sponsors who want to help the kids, but aren’t interested in writing letters.

Karina is a good mom and a hard worker.  Now she is the social worker for the school, visiting the homes of the students to make sure they are taken care of.

Cintia's Story

Cintia, a young girl living in Monteverde with her parents and 6 siblings, was at the school from the beginning, always smiling, always helpful, always special to Rod and Nancy.  And then they found out her background, and that her father had died.  Some time after that, a new stepdad moved in who didn’t like Cintia.  He picked on her and accused her of stealing things. 

In November, on my trip, she wanted to meet with Rod and Nancy.  She told them that she needed a new place to live because her stepfather was beating her,  because she would not give in to his sexual advances.  She felt unsafe and that he might try something more.  They suggested she live with an older married sister.  They didn’t have anywhere for her to go.

The following week, Cintia was beaten and raped by her stepfather.  Flabia (a friend of 2^nd Mile) found out and took her to the city to a safehouse and helped her press charges against him.  Because of the charges, her mom and stepfather left, but Cintia stayed for 2 or 3 months at the home in the city.  She was afraid to go back to Monteverde. 
When Rod and Nancy were back in March, she came back.  She tried to live with a sister and her husband in a one room house but ended up living with Pascual (the pastor) and his family for several months so she could finish school.  This school year she does not yet have the papers necessary to go to school.  But when she gets them, she’ll attend the adult school.  She is 16.  In the meantime, she’s working at the 2^nd Mile school and living with a different sister and husband.  Cintia was kind of the push for exploring the safehouse/orphanage idea.

Things We Take for Granted

• Open yards and houses not surrounded by gates or bars

• Kleenexes

• Child Protective Services

• Running water all the time

• Clean water you can drink

• Water pressure

• Flushing toilet paper

• Traffic laws

• Laws against grown men sitting on a wall outside of a school watching kids

• School attendance

• Paved roads

Avoiding the Storm

So on Wednesday night we heard the report that a tropical storm was coming our way.  High winds and heavy rain.  We got all worried that we would not be able to get our work done because the kids don’t come to school in the rain.  That night, we went to church and Sue Vercauteren ended up giving the message!  It was great, she had a translator and did very well talking about transformation.  During the service someone also prayed about the storm.  After the service a little girl came up to Sue and wanted to accept Christ.  And Robinson, a friend of 2^nd Mile who translates, just happened be there to be able to translate between them.  It was very special.  And Thursday ended up being a beautiful day, no rain or wind except for the morning and we were able to go to the school and accomplish most of what we came to do.

House of Hope

The church and the school in the distance

The trade school

The high school

2nd Mile has purchased 610 sq. meters of land to build an orphanage.  Today we're going to look at other orphanages in the DR. Pray for wisdom for Nancy and Rod as they make decisions about the future.



The future

More photos for sponsors!

Jeremy remembers you Ross!

Oliver

Claribel and Nicole

When Claribel was 13 and Nicole was 3, they lived with their grandmother because their mother was a drug addict and prostitute.  Their grandmother was a member of the church here so 2nd Mile went to fix up her house.  When they broke into the crumbling concrete, cockroaches came scurrying out from underneath the floor.  And then tarantulas followed.  Termites were eating the wood of the walls and roof.

Because they made the house nicer, Claribel and Nicole's mother's boyfriend decided to move in.  So the 5 of them shared two rooms.  Their mother was strung out on drugs and prostituting herself in the same room where her 13 year old and 3 year old slept. 

One night the grandmother and the mom's boyfriend started fighting and the grandmother ended up dead.  Claribel ran to the church to get the nightguard and he called an ambulance and took the girls away from the home to stay at the pastor's house.  Where else would she have come if the church wasn't here?
 

The next day, a 2nd Mile trip arrived and they were there and able to spend time with Claribel for the week.  Do you think that's a coincidence?  That a young girl

who would need the love and care of a mother after witnessing the death of the closest thing she had to a mother, would be sent 8 mothers! 

Later they took the girls from their mother and took them out to a farm about 6 hours away in the mountains to a grandmother and grandfather who were very poor coffee and tomato farmers.  Rod says that he had the best coffee ever there.  They had many cousins also living there.  2nd Mile paid for Claribel to go to a Christian school there. 

After a year of  both of them living there, Claribel moved to Santa Domingo with her father and Nicole moved back to Bavaro with an

aunt and lived across the street from Karina who works at the school.  Nicole was quite wild, now she is much better as she has more structure.  The aunt she was staying with got sick and went to the hospital.  Nicole lived with Karina for a few weeks.  Claribel, who is very protective of Nicole, moved back to help take care of her and they both moved back in with their mom. 

Now at 16, Claribel is working at the school and going to the adult school on the weekends.  Her mother attended church with her Sunday when we were there and accepted Christ. 

Claribel helped us today with passing out gifts to the kids at the school and she was amazing.  She is a young leader, willing to help.
I asked Nicole the other day what she wants to be when she grows up and she told me she wants to work at the school.  Like her big sister.

Roger's Story

 

Roger is the one in the white shirt

Roger and his mom came to Bavaro from Haiti and lived in Monteverde (Haitian village nearby) and at 11 years old he had a job working in the tourist area selling items on the street.  Everyone in Roger's immediate family left and moved back to Haiti leaving Roger with an uncle.  After a month, the uncle ended up in jail, leaving Roger on his own at 11 years old.  A friend of his told him to go to the 2nd Mile School.  He said he couldn't afford school and the friend told him it was free so he ended up working in the mornings and on the weekends and going to school in the afternoon.  He was living in an 8x8 tin roofed apartment with no windows, only a door, sleeping on the floor. 

His generous sponsor donated money to get him a bed and a cook stove.  He was so happy to have those things because when it would rain during the night, he would get wet on the floor. 
Roger learned English on the streets as well as Spanish, French, and a little German. 
He recently lost his job selling on the streets when the business he worked for closed down.  Roger is now 16 and works for the church and goes to school in the afternoon.  He's still a kid, but he's very smart and wise.  He has good character and wants to be a pastor.  He sometimes translates for 2nd Mile.  He  helped me today- some of the sponsors wrote letters in English so I've been trying to translate them to Spanish and he went through and double checked them for me.  Extremely respectful kid.
Last November when I was here, I ran across Roger without knowing anything about him.  He had a nice looking Bible on his desk and I touched it.  He said "That's an English Bible."  I said, "Oh, you speak English?" and he said, "A little."  and then I found out he does translating!  And he could read those letters today as well as I can! 

Leana's Story

Leana moved to the DR from New Jersey after finishing 8th grade because of family problems.  She didn't know any Spanish and didn't have any friends. She was hanging out at the school offices and Rod ran into her and she said hello and spoke to him in English.  He got her to sign up for the school, despite her protests that she had already graduated from 8th grade, and she has stuck with it and now knows Spanish, English, Creole and some French.  She translates for 2nd Mile sometimes.  Wants to use her language skills in the resorts.  Once in the car, Rod talked to Leana and said something about  talking to her like a father and she said, "I've never had a father."
It seems like a coincidence doesn't it?  She's a friendless, lost teenage girl wandering around Bavaro and she ends up in a place where Rod runs across her and takes the time to invest in her and her future.  What if he hadn't?  Where would Leana be?  If you're familiar at all with the DR you probably know where she'd be.
I wonder if we have these opportunities to impact lives.  And I wonder if we take them.

Christopher's Story

Christopher is in blue

I think the truth in God's work here can be seen in individual stories and lives.  It's often, when we talk about how great one of the kids is, that Rod or Nancy will say- "Have you heard their story?" Many of these stories are of teenagers who have been nurtured through 2nd Mile and who are truly changed as a result of someone showing them care.  There will be new stories as children are sponsored and feel your love and learn of God's love for them. 
Christopher (now 20) came from Haiti after the earthquake when he lost most of his family.  He didn't have anything  He showed up at the missionary house here, next to the school and the church, one night in the pouring rain when Rod was here alone.  He came back the next day and was given a job, food, schooling and a place to stay. 
He stayed here for a year and then went back to Haiti to see what remaining family he had.  But when he tried to return to the Dominican Republic, he couldn't get back in to the country.  He was gone for  4 or 5 months.  2nd Mile and Pascual (pastor at the church) helped him sneak back in.  He came back changed, with a bad attitude and got into

trouble at school.  They had to remove him from the school for stealing. 
He disappeared for 4 or 5 months and when he did show up he only asked for money.  But they didn't forget him here.  Didn't give him the money but paid for his schooling at another school and told him to show them his grades until he could prove he was able to be responsible.  He ended up graduating 8th grade from the other school with good grades about a year ago.  So he was able to return and go to the adult school in the 2nd Mile school building and started working for the church.  Now he is in charge of two others, Roger and Cale and is becoming a role model for them. 
The Christopher I see today is respectful and works hard- we saw him hauling trash today in the rain covered with plastic bags.  And the first time he saw Nancy, he ran all the way home on his moto to get his grades to show her and he's so proud. 

A few photos for special people

Ross and Lana Deatsman's sponsored boy



Cathy Laker's sponsored boy

Nancy with a few of her many fans

Meet 2nd Mile Missions

I had the privilege of visiting the  2nd Mile Missions outreach in Bavaro, Dominican Republic last November.   I met many amazing, sweet kids growing in the knowledge of their Creator. 

Belki's family here is a special group  and I'm excited to see Daliza (in pink) again and quiz her on her English flash cards.  I'm glad to be going on August 31 back to the DR to help with setting up sponsorship info for the new school year.  We'll take photos, translate records about the kids, and hopefully ask the kids a few questions to help their sponsors get  to know them better.

There are only four of us, so it's a small group.  We've been practicing our Spanish to prepare!  I'd like to ask for prayer again against getting sick and for lots of energy as we have many plans for what we'd like to get done.  But mostly for God to guide us in what will be most effective in growing his Kingdom.

2nd Mile Missions is a ministry focused on providing educational, spiritual and nutritional enrichment for children in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 2005, the ministry is partnered with a local church in Bavaro, a large but very poor community outside the gates of the beautiful beaches and resorts of Punta Cana. The town is made up of underprivileged Dominicans and Haitians seeking employment in the resort development areas.

Pastor Pascual Borrell and his church, Church of God for the Nations have a passion to reach the lost and provide hope for the searching. 2nd Mile Missions has worked alongside the church to provide a preschool, elementary and high

school for over 500 children in poverty. A trade school is also available for students wanting to learn a specific skill for future employment. 

A sponsorship program helps unite individuals from the U.S. with a specific child in the school. Sponsorship provides this child with education, a hot meal every day and school supplies. 2nd Mile Missions has also provided two school buses and is currently building a safe house for children who are abused, neglected or abandoned.  The goal in 2nd Mile Missions is to continue providing opportunities for children to grow spiritually and academically so they can help them break the cycle of poverty in their world.


While the financial portion of sponsorship is necessary, I think it's only half of what is needed.  These kids need prayer and encouragement and love from their sponsors.  Some of them come from a background and an environment that most of us can't even imagine.

Robinson translating a letter from Wandi's sponsor for him.

More about First Love Kenya, they're now upping their feeding program to 5,000 kids!

Take Aways

Someone on the trip asked me what my biggest take away was.  At the time, I said I needed to think about it still.  And I still do.  But one take away I have is Humility.  I wasn't really very good at anything, even the things you'd think I would be, given what my passions are.  My photos really weren't very good, I didn't really know anything about the gardening, I never helped in any of the cooking, I wasn't the kids' favorite and then I got sick and I was even less good at everything.  And my sponsored boy didn't even like me!  But it wasn't really about me.  And I have to trust that even though I can't see it, God had me there for a purpose.  And hopefully, instead of worrying about not being good enough, I was usable at the moment or moments He wanted me there for.  Maybe I'll never know.

I think in short term missions it is often those who go to serve who are more impacted
than the ones being served.  Those kids were so loving and affectionate and welcoming and open to being loved on.  I will miss them more than they will ever miss me.

And I think of those who have given their lives to serving and loving "the least of these" and who are committed to these children as they grow and I'm in awe of how they've allowed God to use their lives and the amazing things they've been able to accomplish through Him.









While we were there they were able to find sponsors for all the children.  But that opens the door to accepting more.  So if you're interested in sponsoring a child please contact either me and I can get you the information or  firstloveinternational@comcast.net.  You can write letters and you'll get photos and see them grow.

Now I really loved the song the kids sang for us the last night I was there.  And I posted a video but it's hard to understand the words so here they are: 

I dreamed I went to Heaven, you were there with me.
We walked upon the streets of gold beside the Crystal Sea.
We heard the angels singing, then someone called your name.
You turned and saw this young man, and he was smiling as he came.
"And he said, 'Friend, you may not know me now,'

And then he said, 'But wait…you used to travel to First Love
When I was only eight.
You helped to build a home for me
To learn and play and grow.
And now because of your great love
The Lord I've come to know.'

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,

I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

Then a woman stood before you.
She said, "Remember the times
You fed me, drove me, loved me,

You always were so kind.
You gave to me a family.
You trained me in God's way.
Jesus took the gift you gave.
That's why I'm in heaven today."

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.
One by one they came, far as your eyes could see.
Each life somehow touched by your generosity.
Little things that you had done, sacrifices that you made,
They were unnoticed on this earth
In Heaven now proclaimed.


Chorus

Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.
And I know up in Heaven you're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand and you stood before the Lord
He said "My child look around you,
Great is your reward."

My Last Night in Africa

Well, I'm writing this on my last night in Kenya.  It is really hard to believe.  I have been sick for a few days (a cold, nothing like malaria or anything dangerous) and I'm getting better just in time to go home.
We got to visit the kids at their school the other day, it's much nicer than Raila, thankfully. 

But the teachers are on strike.  So they all stayed home today.  Which is nice because we get more time to play with them.

We walked home with them from school. 

A lot of people walk in Kenya.
The sun finally came out today too! 

We have been gardening, sorting clothes, painting the dining hall, building and varnishing desks for Raila and making signs. 

God placed people on this team that had great skills for just what was needed.
One of the guys from Arizona is a sign maker and he made several beautiful signs for the property.  A couple of the ladies are very skilled at flower gardening and redid the gardens.

We went to visit Kazuri bead factory, were 200 some single mothers are employeed to handcraft these beads that are sold all around the world. 

The other day I asked one of the older boys,15, I think, how he liked having 60 brothers and sisters.  He said "It is a gift from God."  And these kids don't quarrel, they share well and the older ones take care of the younger ones.  It's amazing.

Luchi and I made a little progress this evening.  He allowed me to get a photo taken with him and sit by him at dinner. These kids can eat!  A whole plateful and they eat everything off the bones of the chicken. I couldn't eat it all, but these stick thin little 6 year olds clean their plate!

They did some presentations for us this evening and they were beautiful.  Singing and dance.  This was one super special song that made us all cry, and I almost sobbed.  I hope you can hear the words and their beautiful voices.  Even some of the kids were crying so you know it's heartfelt.  Wow, heart wrenching stuff, but totally what it's about.  This mission isn't just here to save them from the poverty they were in, but is here to bring them hope for their future through Jesus Christ.

And here, for your enjoyment, is a baby dressed up in a Care Bear outfit in June.

Another fun example of God at work- I had 4 princess pencils and I was wondering who I could give just 4 pencils too because there are so many kids here.  And we thought the little girls would be good but there are 5 of them.  But then Meg was like- wait, what's that, under your bed?  And it was a 5th princess pencil.  Just the right amount for the babies!

Beautiful Kids

This is the quilt I'm going to buy, and the ladies who are working on it 

Here is Felicsta in a good mood.  Someone donated all these beautiful dresses and hairbands.

Here are the younger girls.  They were so proud of their new outfits.  Aren't they beautiful!?

 Here I am with Dickson and Godfrey- if you read their story from a few days ago, they are so sweet now.

"When first arriving at First Love, Dickson was very aggressive with his twin brother, Godfrey.  They are from the Meru tribe and are used to displaying their emotions in a physical manner."



All the kids hug us everyday when they come home from school.  They're so nice.

Here's my Luchi again with his brother James.  Here is his updated bio.  He still needs $90 in sponsorship.

Luchipereti, or Luchi, as he is known, is from the northwestern part of Kenya called Turkana.  He is the youngest of four siblings.  His mother passed on, leaving Luchi at the age of 6 months.  His father was not able to take care of the children and took them to the grandparents.  Unfortunately, during the many skirmishes that were in the Turkana area, the grandparents were shot, along with an aunt and 2 uncles.  There was no one left to care for Luchi and his siblings, as the violence in the area left many families in poverty.  Luchi's father decided to relocate to another part of Kenya for the family's safety.

Luchi's father is illiterate and can only, therefore, get low paying casual work.  In Turkana education is not valued.  The people are herdsmen, and children are forced to look after livestock from a young age.  They travel with the herds for many miles looking for water and have no time to attend school.

The father had struggled a lot being both the father and mother to the 4 children.  Even though Luchi had reached school age, he was not able to enroll him.  We decided to take Luchi and his brother Ekalele (James) into our home on January 11, 2012, so as to give them an equal chance like other Kenyan children.

At first Luchi had difficulty understanding how to cooperate and respect authority.  He was not used to rules, and he had learned to fight early in life.  Now, however, he is adjusting to life at the home and learning to cooperate.  He has had to make some big adjustments in his young life.  

Records of Luchi's birth tell us that he was born Dec. 30, 2008, but we are certain he is older than this.  We are investigating to see if we can find more accurate records.  

So Irene was telling me that if the children have any sort of living guardian (remember 85% of them are complete orphans but may  have aunts or uncles living) they come to visit them in August and April and the children go home to them in December.  Well last April Luchi's dad didn't come.  And she said to me "He cried."  And that just breaks my heart, poor little guy.  To wait months and months to see your only living relative and to have him not come?  Isn't it crazy, in America, if a parent dies, it's a big deal.  Here, it is very rare that a child would have  both parents. 
I'm so glad these kids are here and safe and cared for. 

The Weekend!

 So as I said a little before, the kids spend so many hours in school, getting up way early, some at 4:30 a.m. and leaving for school at 5:40 a.m. and then not getting back until after 6:30 p.m.  That's the older girls.  Next time your kids complain about school, tell them at least it's not the WHOLE day.  And then when they get home they bathe, and wash their clothes and polish their shoes.  And then they have devotions and then dinner and then homework until bed.    Well on the weekend it's not so structured.  Here the girls are dancing on Friday night with Meg.

And Ashley taught them them to make friendship bracelets- I had to relearn too.

 We had them tie the bracelets to their toes.

 I just thought Franchesca looked beautiful in this picture.

The girls braided our hair a little bit this weekend.  They told me there were some gray ones.  They're crazy!

Little Helen here built this tower out of extra pieces of wood laying around.