Abiding Presence Mission Team Updates

Construction Tuesday was about 100% more successful than Monday! The power saw for cutting the thicker rebar was working again, and we were off and running. Tying rebar in different configurations to reinforce different parts of the structure, breaking up and removing rock in the ground with pickaxes to further prep the trenches for the foundation, bending rebar into the shapes needed for tying, manually cutting the thinner rebar, carrying those things to where they needed to go, etc.... we did things we never imagined doing! More construction pictures from Zoraya B. Stern Photography ! That afternoon after another amazing lunch from our host Frano and his wife and helpers, we continued on to Iglesia Bautista Luz Divina’s current site for VBS there, day 1 of 2. The children were so happy to see all of us, but especially the puppets most. The puppets sang, Dave led more songs, and Lynn and the puppets shared the story of the Good Shepherd. At one point, the puppet stage curtain co...

These pictures from Zoraya B. Stern Photography tell the story better than my words could. Click below to explore the galleries. https://zorayabsternphotography.smugmug.com/Dominican-Republic-Mission-Trip/n-GnXC5r

We're exhausted after a long day in the sun, but VBS at Batey Bermejo was a successful adventure! The construction site? Perhaps a bit less so. We succeeded in tying some steel rebar to prepare for concrete pouring, but a piece of equipment (a special circular saw for cutting thicker pieces of rebar) failed and had to be taken back to the equipment rental place to be replaced... which in turn held up the rest of the work. Still, some of us got to do some helping break up rock in the foundation area with pickaxes. When we arrived at Batey Bermejo, it was after a bus ride through countless sugarcane fields, stretching as far as the eye could see. The village nearby is little more than a few buildings and ramshackle huts, but the batey itself is even more basic in terms of accomodations, sanitation, technology. They did however have a decently loud PA speaker connected to a portable gas generator (which was also charging a number of cell phones at any given time). That amplification...

A short sample of a freestyle jam on 'Amazing Grace' after worship on Sunday Night June 25, 2017 ...with Craig, Dave, and the Musicians of Iglesia Bautista Luz Divina in La Romana, Dominican Republic

What an amazing time getting to worship with our brothers and sisters at Luz Divina! Craig, Dave, Zoraya, Nathan, Judy and Magalie visited, learned from, and worked with the musicians and children of Luz Divina earlier in the day while the rest of the team visited the construction site where we'll be working tomorrow. That evening at 6pm, we all reconvened at the church for the Sunday service. The current church facility is little more than a plain tin roof attached to the the back of a building, with a cement floor and some drapes hung on the thin walls, but it's a place filled with a lot of joy, fervent prayer, and family love. Translator, trip assistant, blogger, recent college graduate, and future Emmy-winning filmmaker Gia learned to play music by one of her favorite groups (Twenty One Pilots) with Dave and a touchscreen piano.   At the site of the new church building. The walls you see to the sides are from the adjoining property, also under construction....

¡Buenos días desde La Romana! (Good morning from La Romana!) If you look at the last photo from yesterday's post, it's hard not to notice the infectious joy written all over Estella's face. She was born in the D.R., and her husband (Pastor Mede) was born in Haiti, and it was so beautiful to hear their story of finding each other as an answer to their prayers, of how God has given them the dream of a thriving church that serves the needy, and how their differing backgrounds give them language skills that balance each other out: he stronger in Creole, she stronger in Spanish! She works as a teacher, a job much in need here. Speaking of language skills, it's certainly impressive to see the way Pastor Mede and Estella switch freely between Spanish and Creole, but it's nothing short of amazing to hear our translators and PPM ( Praying Pelican Missions ) Assistant Trip Leaders translate both languages in fluent English! Meet Gia (right) and Magalie Joseph (left). ...

We are here in La Romana, Dominican Republic! After connecting with our local missionary, Scott, we piled into a bus and drove along the coast to La Romana where we checked in to our hotel. Our evening was filled with a warm welcome, fantastic food, some impromptu multilingual music-and-puppet jamming, and an inspiring introduction to Pastor Mede (of the Luz Divinia church we are partnering with here), his wonderful wife and our intrepid translators. More details to come tomorrow... ...In the meantime, many thanks to all who have prayed for us, helped us with a variety of resources and logistics, and inspired us to work and serve alongside our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ here in the D.R.! -Dave Chávez, Music & Worship Minister, on behalf of our entire 18-person-strong D.R. team