Food, Fun and Fellowship with Outreach

We want to share the fun time last night enjoyed by the jovenes (youth group). We partner with Isaias, the youth minister here, and enjoyed hosting a spaghetti dinner and domino night in the dorm. We were planning to have it outside of our house but have really experienced tropical rains this past week...more about that in next paragraph. So we had it in the dorm and actually, as God would know best, it was much better that way, easier to cook for 50, more room and light and the thing that was best is that all the folks in the neighborhood (and especially all the bored kids hanging out on the corner) could hear all the laughing and fun they were having! Ken spoke for a few minutes between eating and playing about how the first shall be last and last shall be first using the passage in Mark 9:33-35. Just as the disciples argued about who was the best, these kids argue in the street about who plays the best ball, dominoes, etc. In the spirit of the verse, Ken awarded the WORST 2 scores the first pick of prizes. Only half the kids there were Christians, these others were kids from the hood", who normally hang out on the street corners, watching whatever is happening. Ken and I had suggested a BUNKO version of dominoes which switched up the players after every game. It was definately a hit and everyone loved it! The food prep starts. Biggest wooden spoon I've ever seen! The serving line AFTER the rush. No time for pictures DURING the rush! Gathered up for information about Valentine's Day activity and then Ken did the Devo... Ken directed the table setup and began the games... Table number one, actually it's the table that Ken and I got the first week we were here back in December of 2007... At 11:00 pm they were still hanging around. Most walk home, so staying late wasn't really an issue. Some had already left.

It has rained everyday for a week. We had blue sky 8 days ago, but haven't seen the sun since. As the Bible says, it rains on the "just and the unjust." However, it is tougher on the poor when it rains than the rich because most of their houses leak and many of them have dirt floors, therefore, when it rains, they have mud floors and then have to wait for them to dry out. The only pieces of furniture many of them have are plastic chairs and tables. Of course their beds get wet and mildew when it rains. We are seeing more and more how we as Americans are blessed way more than we can even begin to realize. Even in our dry house here, all of our clothes feel damp until we get a sunshiny day. (We would post a picture, but just imagine gray with rain.) Another encouraging thing...the men here have been having a men's class on Authentic Manhood once a week. Last week there were 35. It's a class on DVD that's been dubbed into Spanish. http://www.mensfraternity.com/ Here's a shot from last week's class. Ken is running the computer and projector, surprise, surprise! In our last POST, the couple we were having dinner with and his brother have been coming and are really wanting to improve their lives and their marriages. That's really what it's all about, helping the nationals improve the quality of physical living which opens doors to improving areas in their spiritual walk. Both of these guys have worked in our yard last year and this year but this year we have really seen them blossom. It's a fine line to keep our Dominican relationships as friends versus employees and whether they are genuine or just wanting money, but it has been very rewarding to watch these men gain trust in us, to hear about their childhood and what has made them who they are today (could be a whole post within itself) and to start asking questions. Ken is studying with both of them. Isaias got them Bibles. Of course, it is all in Spanish, so Ken is soliciting help at times to make sure they are understanding each other. Reading the passages together is helping with the communication. Bendigos/Blessings, Karina UPDATE from earlier in January........ (we didn't talk about this in previous post, so Ken is posting it here.) Posting from KEN: Earlier this year, we hosted Caleb Norkus for a Soccer Camp in a Haitian Community here in Santiago. Dozens of kids came out and worked out with the Carolina RailHawk professional. Helping with the clinic were Casto Fernandez, himself a former college soccer player and two of his daughters, Danielle and Alexis. Alexis played soccer for years and Danielle served as a translator. On day two of the camp, shoes were distributed, many of which came from Caleb’s CASL team members. What excitement to receive soccer cleats in a country dominated by baseball. Here's a link to the article that ran in the News and Observer along with a picture I took: http://www.newsobserver.com/print/sunday/other/story/1372007.html Caleb gives testimoney about his journey back to God. Head drills... Here’s a video of their trip which sums it up better than I could with words… http://vimeo.com/2794306 About 2 weeks later, Lifepointe’s Donnie Williams and his daughter, Molly, came down on an exploratory trip. They went to feeding centers, church sites as well as touring the dorms available to prospective teams. The feeding center is next to the old building with the kitchen. Plates are passed through the window. Casto is helping... The Dominican children in the Hoya del Bartola (the HOLE) love to be held. Eight years ago when GO started working there, they ran when they saw "white people". What a difference eight years a feeding center and hundreds of Gringos coming to build a feeding center/church building has made in the lives of these people. Donnie couldn't resist giving this little boy a ride on his shoulders.

As you can see the kids just come up to see the Americans. They aren't asking for money, or things, only attention.

Karen is introducing the children to the new "gringos".

Casto was remembering his Cuban roots when he saw this pig. Well, I don't know what he was thinking, except that he did ask before he got close, "Is it safe?"

This is a view of the HOLE from the top. It is a garbage dump. It used to be official, now folks from nearby just bring trucks of trash to throw over the edge.

The initial sight of the garbage, just causes you to stop and stare.

More later.... Stay tuned.

In Him,

Ken