This trip was amazing, and while we were there I couldn't stop thinking about how for a moment in time our life stories intersected with the life stories of the people in DR. It is amazing to ponder the possibilities of that. Our lives overlapped for maybe a moment, or a while, or even a week...what will God do with that? After coming in contact with these people, our lives have become forever changed and I believe that their lives are too. I pray that somehow God will use that moment when our lives intersected to leave lasting positive change, and that somehow it made as much of a difference in them as it did in us. We may never know. I do know that I am much more aware now that the way I live my life can greatly affect others when God allows my story to intersect with theirs which happens all the time. It's exciting to think about how we all get to be part of the greatest story of all; God's. How will he use us, where will he take us, and who will we meet? What an amazing adventure....are you ready?

Ken Potter

So yesterday was an amazing day. We started the day off with driving up the mountains towards the waterfall that we were going to hike down to. The hike was about 800 feet from the top until you reached the waterfall, it was all down hill on the way there, which means we eventually had to hike uphill 800 feet, that wasn't fun. But anyway, the waterfall was gorgeous. Something that Coach G said when we got to there, and I'll never forget, "How can people think this comes from evolution?" It was so true, it's beyond anything I've ever seen before. While we were at the waterfall, everyone was climbing all over the rocks and having an amazing time, until the hike back up mountain. It was probably the worst physical thing I've ever done. It was worse than basketball conditioning, and that's hard to beat. It was such a good feeling when I reached the top though, it was almost like I had a huge level of accomplishment. After a couple hours of free time, we all got ready for church. We went to a full out Spanish church, we barely understood anything. It was such a cool experience though. People at the church weren't scared to show how the spirit was moving them. Singing was my favorite because I could read Spanish. And they had the words put up on the board for us. It was fun to jump around and clap with them! When we got back from church we had dinner and than we had our last meeting. It was an awards meeting. I got the award of encouragement. I don't really understand why though, I've probably complained the most out of everyone on this trip. It was so cool though because people would say why they like each other and why they appreciate each other. It was good for some people to get some encouragement, it is the last couple days of the trip and everyone is getting homesick and irritated with each other. It was an all around amazing day. I'll never forget this team!!!!!

~ Steph

I'm writing my blog on the last full day here in Jarabacoa. Were hiking to a waterfall then going to church at 4 o'clock. Nothing has really happened this morning except breakfast so I will write about my favorite experience here so far. On one of our many excursions out in the community we stopped to play at this red clay field and to give away balloon animals and sombreros. At first Brianna and I were playing jump rope with one little girl and then a mob of about 20 little girls joined us. There is nothing in the world like 20 girls screaming in Spanish to one another. It is udder chaos. I felt a tug on my shorts and I turned to see the cutest little girl standing behind me. She rattled something off in Spanish and I had Sheryl (the director's wife) translate. She wanted me to chase her. After about 15 minutes of chasing this little girl in front of all these Dominican guys I might add. I told her I was tired. Since I wasn't chasing anymore and I asked "Como se llama?" For those of you who don't speak Spanish I asked what is your name. She answered Escalina. She held her arms up to me and I picked her up and she just laid her head on my shoulder. When I held her I was thinking, Wow I might be the only person who will show her love this week. She then rattled off something again. Sheryl translated again and this time I almost cried. She said "Can I keep her?" She wanted to take me home with her. This made me feel so incredibly special. I couldn't even communicate with her and we formed such a special bond that I will never forget her face or the time we shared. There is the old cliché actions speak louder then words, and we as Christians know this is true. God has taught me so much that I can't even describe what I am feeling. This has been such an amazing trip.

Dad if you are reading this Happy Father's Day and I love you so much (you to Mom)!

Were about to leave so I'm signing off. . .
- Taylor

P.S. Did anyone know that Mr. Neil can do "The Worm" and Dolphin tricks, well I do now!

Aside from a few computer setbacks, I´d say things are going great. As you can see from the testimonies of these students, God continues to be at work in their lives. I am trying to get each of the kids to write a paragraph for me to publish here, so hopefully you will hear something from everyone by the end of the week. I have to steal them away from their fun to get them to sit at my computer and reflect about their day.

Today we are winding down our last day of work, and unfortunately it is raining. The team will come into town this evening for a chicken dinner and maybe ice cream again. Woo Hoo! Tomorrow we will hike to a waterfall, and we will attend church in the afternoon. It is hard to believe that our work here is beginning to wind down. It has been such a great week. As always, I thank you for your prayers and for your part in making this trip a success.

God`s peace,
joe

Hey everyone back at home!
So far it's been an amazing trip. It's been a lot of fun getting to know the people in the group that I didn't even really talk to at school, but now I'm hanging out with them all the time. Well, today the group went on a walk to Los Corrales (which was about a 15 min walk). Jake H did his magic tricks again which every time the kids always love and we also did crafts and balloon swords. I helped with the craft for a little but I soon got pulled always by a little kid who was poking me with a sword. As I was playing with the kids there was a little boy sitting by himself and I said hola to him but he didn't say anything. And all of a sudden a little girl came up to him and gave him her sword. The little boy all of a sudden had the hugest smile on his face. When the little girl did this it reminded me of when Jesus comes into your heart. You're all sad and lonely, when everyone else is happy around you and you want that special thing that makes them happy. Once you receive that special thing which in this case was that little boy receiving that sword, you are happy and have gone from bad to best in just a second. Well, the little boy ran off and started playing with the other kids b/c he had the same thing as they did.
Also, at the community we were at there was this girl I ended up holding till we left. It's amazing how that can have so much fun with just a balloon and back home Americans have to have so many things. Well, the little girl (Catlin I believe her name was or something like it) went around attacking people from JCS. I loved holding her and causing trouble with her because she loved causing trouble just like meJ I would say "alli" (which means there) and then her hitting people with balloon swords and she never would hit me while I was holding her. It end up being her birthday and she turned 5 today. So today was an amazing day just all the other days and it's all going by so fast.
Signing out and member of Team Mango,
Emily Bowman


I don't know where to start so I guess I'll start with today. We walked to Los Corrales to spend time with the local kids there. Playing with them is such an amazing experience. Even though we don't speak the same language we can still communicate with smiles, hugs. There was one little boy that I had so much fun playing with. I don't know his name but I will never forget his face. I'm so thankful we have this opportunity to show these kids a little bit of God's love.
On a different note, getting to known all the team members and spending time with them is an aspect of the trip that I have really enjoyed. One day when we were working on the roof, Brent, Em, Mer, Alyssa, me, and Coach Knight decided to form Team Mango. We even have a secret handshake. At school, I might say hi to some of the people on the missions team but here it feels almost like a family. I believe God has given us unity so that we can accomplish His work here.
Adios amigos! Abbey Barney

It is hard to believe that this is already the 5th day of our trip. In some ways it seems like we were boarding the plane just yesterday; but in other ways, it seems so normal to be here. I'm missing my family very much. Hope you all are doing well.
God is so awesome. I'm just trying to absorb as much as I can while I'm here. Everyone on the team has worked so hard. I feel so blessed to be with each and every team member. We all did various work around the base this morning. My group mixed cement. Some of the guys took on digging ditches, while a different group went back onto the roofs to paint a second coat. Later this afternoon we ministered to children at the base. A group went out and invited people and then we made crafts with the kids and played around. Jake H. also performed his magic tricks again (which are always a big hit with the kids).
I find these children so easy to love. I enjoy them so much. They are so accepting of us. For instance, today I helped a little girl with her craft and then she went on her way and played around on the basketball court. Then all of a sudden she ran back towards me and leapt into my arms and gave me a big kiss on the cheek, which actually made me fall backwards. It was so funny. Then she was off and playing again. Right after she left, the girl I had been talking to gave me a huge hug around my neck and I just held her for several minutes. It was very special. I hate to have to say goodbye to them every day.
Today we also learned a little bit about the history of Dominican Republic from Brian (the director). It was so cool to here him speak about the Dominican and Haiti with such passion. He has such awesome wishes for this island. It was a really cool time to just listen while he explained some of the history and culture. God is using this base in the Dominican to reach people in China, Brazil, Haiti, etc. Anyways it's been another great day. I can honestly say that I have loved every day that I have been here. I've had so many different experiences and learned some very different lessons. God is definitely using this trip to remind me how much I need/want to follow Him the rest of my life and I want to use myself as God's tool in any way that I can.
Adios por ahora
Meredith

P.S. Wow! We had a crazy ending to our night. Never let Christians loose late at night with bongo drums. It's a hilarious combination. Ha ha the rest you will have to ask about when we get home.


Many of us have had a moment so far this week where they have had a God-sighting or realized something about themselves. Mine occurred today while some of us were hand-washing some clothes. Kelly made a comment that really struck me. She said, "Thank God for washing machines!" That remark got me to thinking about how there are so many things that I use without thinking about how many people don't have that luxury. I usually just throw my clothes in the clothes hamper and know that they will be washed by an easy-to-use, very convenient washing machine. It was great to be able to catch a glimpse of life in someone else's shoes. Adios!
-Josie J

Hey, it's Jake Hendrick from the DR! The week has been awesome so far, and we have all been growing closer to God and each other over the trip. This morning I had a very interesting experience at the brickyard. Let me begin by giving you a little background information. In this last year, Mr. Neill had a section of Bible class that focused on international injustice. He showed several video documentaries of injustice in India. Among the different forced slavery and prostitution were two different jobs, making matchsticks and making bricks. The videos showed very clearly the process of making the bricks, a backbreaking job.

After breakfast yesterday morning, Mr. Neill told us that Brian (the director here) was asking for volunteers to run into town to get bricks that we needed for the sidewalk. Since I had already done my devotions and other things, I volunteered to ride in into Jarabacoa. We rode down the mountain for about twenty minutes until we arrived at the brickyard. Up until this point, I had not even thought about the videos that I had watched over the last year. The first things I saw when I hopped out of the truck were piles of bricks. There were thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of bricks just piled on top of each other. Brian told us we could walk around and soon someone would be out to give us a tour. As we walked around, I saw what was obviously an oven of some sort to bake the bricks. I saw hundreds of trees that were sitting to be chopped up to fuel different machinery. I also noticed two men who were only shoveling ashes out of the bottom of an incinerator and carting them away. Then I turned around and chills went up and down my spine. The hair on my arms literally stood up. Two men were putting wet clay into brick molds, scraping off the excess clay, smoothing it out, taking off the molds, and repeating the process. They did this over and over again, their hands constantly moving, and they never stood up. They were working under a tin roof, under which it was at least ninety degrees. They picture was exactly that of the slaves in the injustice documentary. I later found out that those men made about $150 a week, working ten-hour days with a two-hour siesta (rest) each day. They get two weeks vacation for the year. Now these men chose to work in conditions like that. Sure in India, Africa, and even probably places in the DR, there are people stuck in slavery making bricks, but it just gives me chills to think that those men were at the point in their lives that they would work in a brickyard. The slavery of making bricks goes back as far as the Israelites and Egyptians. And yet after all those years, it still happens in the world. What makes me thinks even more than that is that in this country, those men in the brickyard have it better than most. It is going to be difficult to go back to a country where everyone has a chance to succeed. I am learning that God has a will for everything and sometimes I'm not going to ever see it. I just need to trust in Him and try to impact these people's lives for the better while I am here.

In Christ,

Bones

In the afternoon on Thursday, we all loaded up into the vans and took off to do some ministering to the people in the community around us. Everyone was excited and looking forward to making some new friends; the vans were packed with balloons and basketballs and soccer balls to share with the kids. We arrived at the first village tucked away in the back roads of Jarabacoa. We piled out of the vans and while some of us started a game of soccer on a makeshift soccer field, the others of us brought out the balloons. Soon our group was surrounded by children with fistfuls of balloons crying out in Spanish whether they wanted a "sombrero" or a dog or a fish or any twisted shape we could possibly come up with. As the commotion from the balloons died down, other activities took their place. The bigger boys went off to play a game of soccer, a few girls formed a circle to play volleyball, while others started playing with the jump rope we brought. It was a great evening of fun and games, but telling you about the things we did cannot even begin to explain the entirety of our experience. The members of our group felt things within their hearts that they could not understand as the connections between the children were deepened. An overwhelming love swept over our group, and as the time neared for us to head home, we dreaded the challenge we would face when we had to put the children down and say goodbye. I don't know about the rest of the group, but I know that I was overcome with a feeling of helplessness as to what I could do to help these children grow up in a loving, safe, and clean environment, and to always remind them that there is hope, and there is Someone who loves them so much that they could never comprehend it. As we were preparing to leave, I was giving hugs and saying my goodbyes to the girls I had played with. Each time I said goodbye, I would add in "Jesus te ama" which means "Jesus loves you." When I hugged one little girl and told her that Jesus loves her, she looked at me with a sparkle in her eyes and told me that she also was a Christian. I could feel the same spark go off in my eyes as we held each other's gaze for a silent moment in time. That moment may have been for only a few seconds, but I will never ever forget that little girl and the joy she had within her as she shared with me the love of a Savior. I may never interact with that little girl ever again here on earth, but I look forward to the day when I can look her in the eyes in Heaven and remember the moment I shared with her in a village tucked away in the back roads of Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic.

-Rachael

Hello, it's Jake Fox and Brent. Yesterday was the toughest day so far. We went running at 6 am with a couple of the staff members. It was challenging with all the hills and elevation changes. We then had to start working after breakfast. Brent had to use the power washer on the roof and Jake dug some stones and gravel to make way for the cement. It was a hot day too. We also went to a couple of schools, one of which was English speaking, and shared our testimonies. We had a good night sleep last night; it gets cool at night, that's a plus.
We got up and had French toast for breakfast. We went to work right after that. Brent went to town to get bricks and found out how they make them. Jake started painting the roofs and later went to town and bought a knife from the hardware store, Brent is going to buy one later. Brent was power washing another roof till lunch, which just got over. See ya later it is time to swim.
~ Jacob Fox & Brent Malone

Hi, I'm Glyn - here's what I've been up to and seen since we arrived. The students and leaders are doing an amazing job - working so hard and serving God so faithfully, even though it's really hot. We've had the chance to share in a number of schools through a magic show by Jacob H - he's does such a good job and several of the students also share testimonies - it was so cool to hear my daughter Bron share. (Beckey she did great job - ps love u and miss u)
So our time is split between work projects and schools / evangelism ministry. But for me the lasting memory will be the people and their lives. They are seeking to find purpose and meaning like the rest of us, they are just further challenged because of the tough financial and living situations. Some of the homes that I've seen most of us wouldn't consider suitable to store our lawn equipment in, yet a family calls that home. But more than financial needs are the obvious spiritual needs that are equally evident, every body doing their own thing trying to fill a void and purpose only God can. I don't think I will ever be the same again following this trip. In closing if you're reading this as a parent or a spouse I want to encourage you that your family member is doing an amazing job, God is using them and they are encouraging others.
~ Glyn Knight

Wednesday was an awesome day! We went to two different schools. I love spending time with the kids! They're so much fun. On our way home from the schools we stopped at a river, and it was so beautiful. When we got home we worked really hard. As hard and frustrating as is was we had so much fun doing it, and we accomplished so much! It's been a great first 3 days, and I can't wait to see what else we do throughout the week!
~ Kasey

I had an amazing day Wednesday! We went to two schools and Bones did his magic tricks and a few people gave their testimonies. The kids really seemed to enjoy it and hopefully our witness changed their lives. Hanging out with the kids is so much fun. It is so amazing when you talk to them in Spanish and start playing games with them and they understand you. We have made so many new friends. After we returned from the schools, we did some projects. I will admit that I was scared to death of the hard work and working with people I barely knew, but I had a blast!! I have made so many new friends and it was amazing serving the Lord by scrubbing roofs for a few hours. I am having an amazing time and God is teaching me so much. I miss you guys and I am praying for you! God bless!
~ Alyssa

We started off Wednesday by going to 2 schools, a bilingual and a Spanish school. It was quite fun, Hendrick did his magic and a few people gave their testimonies. You can never tell if the kids are getting anything out of it or not, but even if they looked like they weren't listening, they may have got something out of it. And if one person got something out of it, it's worth it for me, because they will share what they heard. The work projects were a little bit tougher than Tuesday. I think that was because we were all tired, but we still got a lot done. The view is awesome behind our cabin, I wish you guys could see it, and at night you can see so many stars, it's amazing what God created. Traffic laws are more suggestions than rules here, which makes things interesting, but fun at the same time. Well to wrap things up, I'm having a wicked sweet week and I appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
~ Sammy P.

Hola! Como estas?! Well today started off at a slower pace. with major manual labor! And let me tell you, you think it's hot in Michigan right now, you should feel the humidity here! You never stop sweating. We did get a lot accomplished today starting with moving a lot of stones, bigger rocks, wood, and stone bricks. By the end of the week we will have built a new sidewalk within the compound. Some of the others, myself included, worked on the flat roof sweeping and clearing away dirt and debris. After the sun burn set in we called it a day. We then went to exchange our American money for pesos. The exchange made me realize just how much we have as Americans especially when a little boy came up and asked us for money. Next, we took a tour of the coffee plant and had amazing frappacinous which were more sugar than coffee, but that's ok because we all needed a sugar buzz. And Mr. Neill was happy about that oneJ Then on to my favorite part of the day. We went to a elementary school where Jake H. did his magic show and Kasey and Meredith gave their testimonies. The kids were so excited that we were there. Even as soon as we pulled in, we could hear screams of excitement. The kids were so excited to have some one-on-one fun time with us. It was hard at the same time because there were about fifty kids and they all wanted our attention at once. My favorite part of being there was interacting with the kids and seeing them smiling and knowing that we had made them smile. Today really made me realize that I need to be a lot more thankful for what I have. I know we've all heard this a million times that we need to be thankful for what we have, but until you actually live it, we will never understand the complete meaning of this. It's hard to explain to you how much these kids need. It was really touching for me to see that they have so little, yet they're so happy. It was like they had no care in the world. If you think of it, say a little prayer, thanking the Lord for what He's given you. Well, that's my challenge for you! I'm starving. Time for dinnerJ PEACE!!!!!!
~*~*~Stephanie

Wow, so much to say and so little time to say it all. Upon arrival at the compound I was so exhausted and unable to fathom how I would be able to get up the next morning and function on four hours of sleep. Thankfully, God provided me with a second wind and I am thoroughly enjoying myself :0) Today was an amazing first day. Like Stephanie said we did some manual labor around the base trying to survive the intense heat and humidity. It's like you're breathing water here, no joke! I have been one of the lucky ones to not get bit by a no-see-um yet so I'm extremely thankful for that! My favorite part so far was going to the school today and working with the kids. I thrive on that. To those kids we are the world and it is the most amazing feeling ever. I am one of the few in the group who can speak some Spanish and so I spent a lot of my time translating. It was amazing! Once I got over my nervousness the words just flowed off of my tongue and it was so great to be able to communicate with the kids in their own language. These kids are so precious and I love working with them. I wish that everyone had the opportunity to work with kids such as these because it totally changes you. I can't even explain to you how I feel because it's something that has to be experienced for oneself. God is so good and I am so thankful and blessed to be here.
~ Kelly

When we create the schedule, we don't use the term "Travel Day" lightly. We really did travel all day! The Check-in process at school went smoothly, and we really appreciate all of those who came to see us off, especially Doc Bracy. The bus ride, Airport ticketing, flights, layovers, changing planes, and luggage claim were all without incident. Thanks for your prayers. We arrived at the airport here around 9:00 pm and then loaded the vans for a three hour bus ride that somehow took us four hours due to some extremely heavy rain. We arrived here at the YWAM Base, settled into our dorms, and. well. some of us slept.

I really can't stress how smoothly things went yesterday. Thanks be to God for His "Traveling Mercies".

This week we are focusing on the concept of surrendering ourselves to God. Keep praying that God would not only work through us, but also work in us during our time here in the DR. Thank you all for sharing with us in this adventure through your love, prayers, and encouragement.

God's peace,

- joe neill