This past week has been an amazing array of connections and introductions. I want to post an overview of them all for you.
Holy Week - Having just finished talking with Jose Abreu (Habitat for Humanity officer at the national headquarters here) the week before about a possible trip to Santo Domingo to present our community to their office, I sat in front of a gentleman on the bus with a habitat hat on. Being the inquisitive one that I am, I asked him about the hat. Turns out him and his wife had just done a habitat trip here and are friends with Jose...Imagine that!
Denice Colson - She pioneered a type of therapy that we use at our school. There is little/no empirical data to support it (other than testimonials) so I wrote her asking if there was any research to support the therapy. She wrote back the same day and basically offered to:
1. Work with us/me on a research project to collect data, which could lead to published research!
2. Come down to our school and do a training. It turns out that her brother-in-law is Dominican. Imagine that!
Community Meeting in La Quebrada - Tonight we had our long-anticipated community meeting in La Quebrada, more of an introductory thing to get to know the community better. Two days ago, I got the idea to invite Martin and Noemi, two Columbians who live and work here. Their church is connected with my contact in the community, so I thought they might want to be involved. The meeting went splendidly! The community is excited to get to work and eager for the groups. They have a burden for a preschool, as there are approximately 35 young children (under age 5) who just run around all day (some of them without real families.) It was almost scary how quickly the pieces started falling into place: Noemi getting excited about the project, buildings available for the short-term to run the school, people in the community with education backgrounds and the desire to get teaching certificates. We will see what God does with it!
Rick Mackey - So about one month ago, my cousin Dan mentions that he knows this guy who will be a missionary in the DR and I should get in touch with him, here's his e-mail address, etc. I forget about it for a month, but finally write him back. Guess where he's going to be living? In Jarabacoa working as a pastor and will be here this fall...Imagine that!
The God we serve is a great and powerful God!!!
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Saturday, April 15, 2006
"Chance" Encounters of the God kind
What we think of as funny "coincidence" or "chance" encounters are nothing of the sort in God's eyes. Our perspective is so limited, yet at times we (well, at least I) float along resolved to have a general idea of what is the big picture. This past week I have had two "chance" encounters of the God kind. You can read about encounter number one at my Dream of 50 blog.
Encounter number two began mid-morning yesterday. I was enjoying a leisurely morning, goofing around on the computer, reading the Bible, etc when the doorbell rang. Not expecting anyone, I was inclined to ignore it. However I tossed that notion aside and went to the door. There were two young (late teens to early 20s) Dominican ladies saying something about them being Christians, and having a service tonight in a house nearby. From their description it sounded like a house that I knew, but I was still pretty tired which made my mind a bit more hazy. I half-listened to what they were saying, said yes at times, took their invitation and said good-bye. Julie and I decided it might be fun to go, so at 6:30 we called them to confirm the directions.
Turns out the house is right across the street, and is affiliated with a man that I have met on two past occasions. His name, I believe, is Ron and works with, again I believe, World Gospel Missions. I met him when coordinating an activity for the missions group who came in January. There is a missionary family from Curacao here that has a literacy mission. Their son, Rovian (age 14) took it upon himself to start a "kids club" with the children in his neighborhood. The goal of the club is to give them activities to do that are positive, and teach them the saving love of Jesus! It's a wonderful goal, and a wonderful club. Ron's mission has been helping them, and he was here on two trips the two times I "happened" to go to the kids club - once in Christmas and also in January when the ND Missions group ran the kids club.
So there we were at the house. The group is from a church called "Iglesia de Dios" (Church of God) in Santo Domingo, that is starting a Christian church in Jarabacoa. This is an exploratory trip for them to learn more about the community. At the meeting they played Spanish praise music, did some wonderful dance routines to a few songs, preached a message, then had games and supper. Julie and I ended up staying until 11 p.m., having been there over 4 hours!
I had been looking for a video to keep the kids busy tomorrow while staff hid the Easter eggs. It looks like God had something better in mind, that is to have this group perform for the kids! Please pray that this idea is approved, and it builds a bridge in the hearts of men that already exists in the eyes of God.
Encounter number two began mid-morning yesterday. I was enjoying a leisurely morning, goofing around on the computer, reading the Bible, etc when the doorbell rang. Not expecting anyone, I was inclined to ignore it. However I tossed that notion aside and went to the door. There were two young (late teens to early 20s) Dominican ladies saying something about them being Christians, and having a service tonight in a house nearby. From their description it sounded like a house that I knew, but I was still pretty tired which made my mind a bit more hazy. I half-listened to what they were saying, said yes at times, took their invitation and said good-bye. Julie and I decided it might be fun to go, so at 6:30 we called them to confirm the directions.
Turns out the house is right across the street, and is affiliated with a man that I have met on two past occasions. His name, I believe, is Ron and works with, again I believe, World Gospel Missions. I met him when coordinating an activity for the missions group who came in January. There is a missionary family from Curacao here that has a literacy mission. Their son, Rovian (age 14) took it upon himself to start a "kids club" with the children in his neighborhood. The goal of the club is to give them activities to do that are positive, and teach them the saving love of Jesus! It's a wonderful goal, and a wonderful club. Ron's mission has been helping them, and he was here on two trips the two times I "happened" to go to the kids club - once in Christmas and also in January when the ND Missions group ran the kids club.
So there we were at the house. The group is from a church called "Iglesia de Dios" (Church of God) in Santo Domingo, that is starting a Christian church in Jarabacoa. This is an exploratory trip for them to learn more about the community. At the meeting they played Spanish praise music, did some wonderful dance routines to a few songs, preached a message, then had games and supper. Julie and I ended up staying until 11 p.m., having been there over 4 hours!
I had been looking for a video to keep the kids busy tomorrow while staff hid the Easter eggs. It looks like God had something better in mind, that is to have this group perform for the kids! Please pray that this idea is approved, and it builds a bridge in the hearts of men that already exists in the eyes of God.
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