Saturday and Sunday

                                   The DR - Haitian Border...an interesting experience

 We went to the border to take Ruth's sister to meet her husband for her return to Haiti

                     After a long bus trip, Moise believed this group deserved a treat!  Ice Cream!!!

 Posing for a group shot in the courtyard in front of our painting.

 We were able to visit the homes of a few of the families from the church.  They shared their testimony, and then someone from our group shared theirs!  Marisa was Numero Uno!

 This is a little out of order...but here we are arriving at the border. The water is rising from the nearby lake, and they are not quite sure why.  Roads are flooding over and it is creating an even bigger problem at the borders.  This was an intense moment...we were following that school bus.

 Jovanny was a man from the church that touched everyone's heart.  A former gang member who gave his life to Christ.  After his testimony, Emily shared hers.  And then he presented us with a card that he made for us...all the ladies cried.  Maybe even a few of the guys!

 Dalia and Nahomi helped us in the clinic all week.  Here we are at their house.  What a blessing!

                                      Sunday morning church!  These girls are the dance team

 We introduced our group to the congregation.  They were each able to introduce themselves and say a bit in Spanish.

 Laura played the piano for them.  She played As The Deer, and the congregation recognized it and began to sing along!

 This was Jessica's home, and Chelsea got to share her testimony.

 After walking through the batey, neighborhood, we stood for a picture in front of the newly painted wall at the preschool

 In the evening service, Scott shared from Psalm 37, and Ruth was translating to both Creole and Spanish after Moise lost his voice!

 Chelsea and Brandon made a special friend this week.

 Celebrating with the children after the service.

Jovanny with Emily,. Brandon, Chelsea and Stephanie.


   It is now Monday afternoon, and we have arrived safely to Santo Domingo.  We have a few moments where I can write about our Saturday and Sunday experiences.
   Saturday and Sunday we were able to have the unique experience of visiting the homes of some of the church members, which has never been done before by a group.  It was awesome to hear their stories, and get a glimpse into their daily lives. 
   Sunday was an amazing day of worship!  The day was special because it was a celebration of the 2nd anniversary of the Ebenezer 2 church, which is a Creole-speaking sister church. Both morning and evening services were done in Spanish and Creole, and even some English for us northerners!  The translations took longer...but nothing was lost in translation! God was glorified.  I had the privilege of speaking in the evening service. It was a little more difficult to get my complete thought across, because it was being translated by Moise and Ruth in both Creole and Spanish.  I have the feeling Moise was adding his own thoughts, not thinking I knew that!!  But it was a gift to be able to share God's Word with these people I have come to love.
    We are looking forward to a good shower, cool sleeping arrangements and a nice meal this evening. Hello to my girls, and looking forward to seeing you soon!        
    Scott

Hi this is Gregorio, that is what I think they call me. Went to Haiti today. I cant figure out where any one gets any water around here. It is so barren even the Haiti sea is barren. The border is quite a cluster. A lot of coming and going, just not sure who was coming and going. We had to literally drive the bus through the Haiti sea which has mysteriously been on the rise. I sensed some of our team was a little apprehensive thinking what if we stall out and have to push. Kept it too myself that Moise told me there were crocodiles in the sea. Coffee is good. The security guards certainly have a better time in the DR than they do say at the Findlay Mall. I love the Creole music and was dancing in my head and on my feet all Sunday long. TremendousiO!

PS Sophie we miss you so much and cannot wait to see you tomorrow.
Greg


Hi Mom, Dad, Alex and Trevor,
Happy Father's Day Dad. Sorry I missed it two years in a row.  Everything has been going great here. On Saturday we had a chance to go sightseeing for awhile.  We were able to drive to the Haiti border because we had to drop someone off at there so she could go back to Haiti. On the way there we drove by some of the most poor areas of the Dominican Republic. This is where the people that work in the sugar cane fields live. The Dominican people and the Haitian people are on opposite sides of the main road so we could see the segregation. It was sad to see these kids that don't even have any clothing to wear. It is hard to believe that they can still be happy living like this but I guess they don't know any better.
After this we continued on to the border. It was not really what I expected to see. There is a lake near the border and lately the water has been rising very quickly and they don't know why. This water almost completely submerged the immigration offices and there was also craziness with so many people trying to cross the border and only one lane to cross the border. The military men were everywhere and they were pretty intimidating carrying around their huge guns.
After we returned back to the school we walked around the community and visited different families from the church. They invited into their homes and we shared testimonies with each other. Then we got together and prayed for them to stay strong in their faith. Then we went back to the school and had dinner and relaxed for a short while. Hope all you guys are doing well back home.  See you soon!
Braden Distel