Bibles given in Los Calabazos

Recently Calvary EFC from Rochester, Minnesota sent a team to work in Buenos Aires.  12 people came and when they arrived, they found that NONE of their checked bags had arrived.  They had paid the extra $$$ so they could all bring an extra bag of things to give away.  Thankfully, the next day their bags did arrive.  In those bags were many Bibles that are being given out in the churches we work.  

Los Calabazos was the first church plant to receive Bibles.  Pictured here are some from the church with their new Bibles.  

My Beautiful Wife

Guess we will see if she let's me keep this up here!     - Rick

Building Families in Boma

Each Wednesday morning, we head out to Boma to meet with a few of the key leaders in the church there.  Our goal is to help support them as they lead the church.  One of the needs they have expressed to us, is to learn how to teach their children.  Right now, the church has very little Biblical education directed at the children and they know they need to change that.  We have given many resources and taught on different topics to address this need.  Lately we have been using a course on Christrian Education from a seminary in Uruguay.  Other missionaries from our mission helped start this school.  We have found this course to be excellent.  It lays out important concepts for education to all ages, not just children. 

We hope the tools in this course will help young Jonathan and other kids in the neighborhood.  

On the page the title says "The Home is a place of Instruction."  A regular theme of ours is that parents need to be an example in their home and community.  Children rarely follow someone unless they respect them and so as parents, we need to  be worthy of that respect.  And even when we fail, we can model to our children how we take responsibility and make things right.  

While we would like to think that just teaching a course will make a change, we know it takes much more than that.  Teaching is the first and easiest step.  The second step involves walking with the people, being there for them when they have questions, helping them to build confidence to stand up to the pressures of going against the flow.  We are in a battle.  And we need your prayers.  

In each community, our desire is to strengthen the churches.  These last few years, that has involved focusing on families.  We pray for God to grow families that can be an example to others in the communities.  Please pray with us!

Building Bathrooms!

Buenos Aires is a small community about 10 minutes from Jarabacoa.  It's a church of about 20-30 adults.  About  two years ago they started a ministry to supplement the education of the children living in Buenos Aires. They wanted to teach these children about the Bible as well. The idea was formed after they when house to house asking their neighbors how the church could help them.  So they started the ministry and found their "bathroom" wasn't built for the use it was getting.  After some discussion, plans were made for the property and they started praying for better facilities as well as other needs.   

Calvary EFC in Rochester, Minnesota started coming here and helping these church in 1991.  They have ministered in many ways.  This past summer, a youth team came and ministered.  Now they were looking for a 1-week construction opportunity that would give church better "facilities" for ministry.  Building a bathroom may not be as appealing as some things but if you had used their previous bathroom, you would place it high on the priority list.

Before the team arrived, the church started working.  They dug footings, poured them and had the first run of blocks laid.  

Don Chucho started this church about 20 years ago. 

Church members worked alongside the team.  They have continued the work since the team left.  Pictured above are the new bathrooms just after the ceiling was poured.  In future weeks, the building will be skim coated, the floor will be poured and the fixtures installed.  

Beyond construction, the team shared testimonies in services.  One special night was when they attended the church service in El Montaña. They were able to share with the church a little of its history.  20 years earlier, Calvary EFC had sent a team and they built the church building.  Some of the adults leaders in the church remember it.  They were children at the time and they helped in the construction and attended Vacation Bible School.  The team also visited homes.  One woman attended Bible studies with Becky.  They also brought many needed supplies.  Some will be used in Buenos Aires and some in the other church plants.  At times in the evening, they met with Dominicans friends and were able to catch up.  Many on the team had been before and had friends they hoped to see from their past trips.  

God has used Calvary EFC in significant ways.  And while many of the teams "projects" have been in the area of construction, they have always been about ministering to people through relationships.   They were a great blessing to us and to our churches.  We praise God for them and our relationship with them.  

Santo Cerro & Christopher Columbus' Fort

Recently Rick and Ben took off on the motorcycle to try to find Santo Cerro and a Fort built by Cristopher Columbus in 1495. The story of the Sacred Hole of the Cruz (pictured below) is an interesting story. We don't exactly know what happened there but the legend and current beliefs are written in the following link:  http://www.centrelink.org/Guitar.html It's well worth reading and will help you to understand the pictures below.

This picture was taken in the church up on the hill of Santa Cerro.  

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot left of this fort.  Time has done it's damage.  Earthquakes have added to that.  And at one point, they were taking block from the fort to use in the construction in present day La Vega.  

Excavation and restoration of the ruins began in 1976 and today, the ruins are located in a national park.  There is still more to be done, but it appeared that all work has stopped for now.

Ben enjoyed climbing all over and exploring the ruins.

Campesinos Wear Boots

I sometimes tell Americans that we live in Dominican red-neck country. Another way to put it is we work with hill-billies. I mean not to insult to my Dominican friends by this. It is just a short-hand way of communicating the culture here in relation to some other parts of the country.

We live in the Jarabacoa Valley in the Central Mountains. It is a favorite vacation spot for wealthy Dominicans because it is cooler in the summer and there are two major rivers through the area with waterfalls to enjoy. But really, this area is agrarian. Vegetables and flowers are the main crops. Many of the folks we know have a bit of land that they grow vegetables and some fruit on and some goats, pigs, chickens or cattle. The dirt is red with areas of clayish or sandy soil. When there is rain, there is plenty of mud and dirt roads are become nearly impassable.

So rubber boots are common.  Recently our niece, Abi, visited us from upstate New York.  She bought a pair of boots while she was here since hers were getting worn out and she told us they were "in" where she lived.  Since they didn't fit in her luggage going home, she thought it would be fun to wear them home.

As she was walking away to go through security, a Dominican man pointed to her and said,  "Look at that girl in boots!  Why is she wearying those boots?"

So I said, "That's my niece, she bought them here.  She lives in the country in New York and her old pair are worn out."

He said, "She lives in New York?"

"Yes, in the Adirondaks, the mountains in northern New York."

"There are mountains in New York?"

"Yeah, not in the City, but north,"  I explained.  Many Dominicans think of New York as just the City of New York.

"Really??  Does she know the kind of people who wear those boots here?"

"Yes, campesinos (hillbillies)"

He laughed and said, "Yeah, hillbillies, the farmers."

"I live in Jarabacoa.  I know a lot of campesinos."

"I can't believe she bought those boots, hehe.  Do you like it up there, it's cold in Jarabacoa isn't it?"

"No, it's perfect.  I love it."  I said.

This interchange reminded me that the people I know and love in this country are often looked down on.  Campesinos are poor, ignorant, uneducated.  They aren't up with the times, they ride burros, they wear old clothes and rubber boots.  They are a lot like Jesus' disciples and the early Christians, not the people the world would pick to start a movement.  They are humble, genuine, poor people.  Jesus loves them and chose them for His own.

Let me take you to Los Calabazos!

A favorite place for everyone who visits is Los Calabazos.  Imagine driving up into the mountains.  The road weaves it's way along the side of a mountain ridge.  There are incredible views to the right.  You are able to see another mountain range that follows alongside the one we are on.  Way down between these ridges is the river Yaque de Norte.  At one point along this river is a small community called Los Calabazos (also called Majaguita).

After a 20 minute drive from Jarabacoa, we park the car along the road.  We stop in a colmado (small neighborhood store) to get something to drink for our little hike.  You ask "where is the commity?" and I tell you "It's below us."  That might seem crazy but it's true.  We leave the colmado and descent down about 200 steep steps to Los Calabazos.  The walk is hot because for all but a small part, you can feel the sun beating down you.  But the views are great as we approach the community below.  Once in the community, you are surprised to see what you find...

Los Calabazos is a community that has learned how to work together.  They are camposinos - farmers, not very educated in a formal way.  And yet, the more time spent...you realize they are very smart.  They know how to live, to survive, in ways that "formal education" tends to ignore.  Here in this community they have a number of businesses.  They all work together to run a small hotel, a restaurant, and a farm.  They have worked hard to beautify the community - flowers are plentiul and some trees/plants have signs telling what they are in 3 languages.    If you look around, you may find they use the river water to power the community.  Or you may see that they are building a fish hatchery as well as other things.  It is a very interesting community.  

The church in Los Calabazos was started in the 90's and it struggles.  When started, there were two communities involved.  The church was built up on the road, a spot that was thought convenient for both communities.  Today, few people attend.  A typical Sunday will see 10 adults in the church.

I, Rick, go to Los Calabazos every other Sunday.  I alternate with Nicolus, an elder from the central church in Jarabacoa.  At times, it is discouraging.  I wonder if I am making a difference.  It's so easy to relate success with seeing greater numbers at the church.    

As I have prayed about Los Calabazos...a few things have consistently come to mind -

1.  Strengthen the believers that are there.
2.  If he is willing, spend more time with Nicolus, investigating how we can help one another.

For this, this is our focus in Los Calabazos.  We see other opportunities but feel that what we are doing now is necessary to build a foundation for new ministries in Los Calabazos.

Pray for this community.  Pray for Nicolaus.  Pray for us as well!

Now we get to climb back out of Los Calabazos.  About 200 steps...take your time!