Up-date pictures and report.

We received the pictures and the following up-date from Steve today.


Hi all! I wanted to send you all a quick update on Pastor Durand, his house
and all.
I was in Esperanza yesterday holding a workshop on Project Phillip (Bible
League cell group ministry), which had very good turnout and response. I
also got to attend the Esperanza church for part of Sunday School and it was
packed as usual; I saw and greeted lots of people and many sent greetings;
same at the house. It was a quick stop at the house due to a heavy schedule
and although I saw quite a few neighbors, there were a number that I didn't
see. It was great to see so many people.

Anyway, I am including some photos of the house as of yesterday: note that
the roof is on, and that they added another row of block above the bond beam
for additional height. Also, they stripped the stucco off the original
walls due to its deterioration, and even broke up the old floor. They also
filled and poured new floors in the two back rooms; put finished edges on
all door and window openings, and stuccoed the porch roof, beams and column.
So they are making a lot of progress. Obviously they have not moved in but
I attribute that to the fact that they are trying to do a lot of details,
extras, finishing touches, etc, and doing things right even if it means more
money and delaying moving in. Probably a wise choice in the long run.
Also, they apparently have a Canadian contact that has offered to help pay
for finishing the house, so no doubt they are counting on that and
therefore, working on the quality instead of rushing to move in.

We trust that all are well!

Blessings in Christ.

Steve

A few traveling home pictures.

We made it safely home this evening. "Thank You!" everyone for your prayers and support.

Worshiping at the 2nd CRC of Esperanza.

The beginning of the end.

Where to begin? Today was wonderful, amazing, long, hard and so many more things all in one. We started the day by packing all of our luggage, the tools and other supplies into a van that headed right away back to Santo Domingo. The team, Steve and driver Manuel, 16 total, packed into the other van, a very tight fit. We first dropped off a few extras at pastor Duran's home then headed to the church. The building is more than twice the size of the buildings we have helped to build. Steve told us that they had started with a smaller building, built with the help of a team like ours. The congregation has been growing to over 200 members. They more then doubled the size of their building without any outside money. When we arrived, Sunday school was in progress, 7 classes all meeting at once in the sanctuary. Every class was learning bible verses, studying a lesson and singing songs all at once. Very different from our idea of Sunday school. We, of course, were ushered to the front of the church to sit behind the pulpit. Very uncomfortable, like being on display, but the honored guest seats. We soon discovered that four of the Dominican kids we had meet and played with this past week were there. We gave and received a large number of hugs and kisses. This was a big deal, the church is completely Haitian, the service is in Creole. They had come because we had invited them and they wanted to see us one more time before we left. As some members of the church setup for the service, we mostly watched as Sunday school finished. With everyone already in the sanctuary, the end of Sunday school seemed to flow into the start of the church service.

It is now after 11:00 pm here, we have to be at breakfast at 5:00 am and ready to leave the ministry center at 5:30. The rest of this post will have to wait until later.

A few site seeing pictures from behind the pastor's house.

Pictures from Esperanza, last work day

Pictures from Esperanza, day four

Report from Flora

Today brought some rain and some cool weather that we are so grateful to God for. My experiences are a little bit different because I have the privilege of knowing one of the languages that is spoken here. I was asked to visit a home of one of the neighbors of the Pastor today after lunch. I don't know her name but she was willing to invite me into her home and to meet her Great- Great grandmother who is 100 years old. She was happy to see me and I talked with her a little bit. I asked her if she knew Jesus and she said that she did and I told her that she did not need to fear death. She smiled at me and then we sang together. What a joy to see God's people caring for each other and sharing the concerns that they have with me.

The family that I spent time with consists of a Great-Great- Grandmother, a grand mother, two grandchildren and various other sons and daughters. The mother of the small children left and the great grandmother is living in New York. Part of the devotion for today is John 10:27-29. It says "Your sheep hear your voice and You know them and they follow you. You give them eternal life and they shall never perish: no one can snatch them out of Your hand. The Father who has given them to you, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of the Father's hand." I am so thankful about that today.

Pictures from our trip to Monte Cristi.

We have returned.

The group had a good day. We missed Kristin who was not feeling well today. While we were looking around Monte Cristi for a beach to spend the day at, a lady with a boat tour company approached us with an alternative. We took a boat ride to a small island off the coast after we had ordered food for lunch. We spent a couple of hours swimming and exploring the island before they brought our lunch to the island. We spent another couple of hours after we ate lunch lounging on the beach, exploring and swimming. The boat picked us up and we headed back to Moa, we safely arrived around 6:30. Kristin is feeling a little better than this morning but still not close to 100%. We thank you for your prayer for health and safety, God is good. Pictures will be posted soon.

We are off to explore a little today.

The block that we laid the last two days needs time to setup before we build forms and pour the lintel beam. The local workers are also working to finish up the rebar cages for the lintel beam. So we are off the explore Monte Cristi on the north west coast. We have been informed that with our trip to Higuey on Saturday, we will be the first CRC mission team to essentially cross the entire country in the span of one trip. We are looking forward to a little R&R before the heavy work of the last two days. The heat and the long days are taking a physical toll on everyone, but we are in good spirits and really enjoying the whole experience. Please pray that we have safe travels today and that everyone is refreshed and ready to go Friday and Saturday. Thank You!

Today is Wally's birthday.

A few pictures from the ride back to the hotel tonight.

Pictures from Esperanza, day three

Report from Brenda

Hello from the DR! Notice my American greeting since I am kinda lost in the language here. I have however, made many friends already. Jenny, especially comes to me numerous times throughout the day and taps me on the shoulder and rattles off something....pleasantries I'm sure. The kids are great, they come home from school around 1:00 and come to the worksite. The Dominican people are extremely friendly and hospitable.

The work is hard. We have been setting block for two days and it is very hot. Occasionally, there is a good breeze. To give you an idea of how hot it is and how hard we are working, the neighbor offered to let us use their bathroom and I don't think anyone has had to use it yet even though we are consuming large quantities of fluid. It is a beautiful sight to look over the site and see Dominicans and Americans working side by side, to hear multiple languages going all at once.....spanish, english and rooster.

Thank you for your continued prayers. All of us were working today. Not everyone is feeling 100%, but we are all here today. It is good. God is so good. This has been an incredible experience for me to help build a house, relationships and character.

Brenda
(And Tim......you know me so well!:)

Specific prayer requests.

Today was a long hot day. Two members of the team were not feeling well today, stayed at the hotel and slept most of the day, they really needed to do that. This was not a big burdon on the rest of the team as we really have more than enough people for the work we are doing and we are working with some local congregation members. A couple of other team members are feeling as though they may be coming down with something. Please pray and thank God that the two members who stayed back today are feeling better and will probably join us tomorrow. Please also pray that he will protect the other two from whatever they feel is coming on and that he will keep them healthy to complete the work that we have set out to do. But most of all pray that in everything we do, that God will be glorified. That is the number one goal of the team and we are doing our best. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Pictures from Esperanza, day two

Today started out very hot, no clouds, very little breeze. The clouds rolled in about 2:30 with a nice cooling breeze. An answer to prayer and a nice way to finish a long day.

Morning pictures from the hotel.

Report from Dan and Kristin

Hola from the Dominican Republic! It is quite warm here today; a small breeze here and there, but there is not a cloud in the sky. The mountains and surrounding rice fields make for beautiful scenery when we step outside of the walls we are building. Yesterday when we first got to the worksite, we had the opportunity to take a walk around the area. A couple of the local Domincans wanted to show us what was around and they pointed out numerous beauties. The rice fields, people making bricks by hands, a butcher hut, and banana fields. The agricultural diversity is very evident. We even saw some Holstein (black and white cows, which we often milk in the U.S.) cows walking down the path behind the worksite. This morning on the way to our worksite, we saw a crop duster spraying the fields and even some John Deere tractors. (It felt like Kristin was at home).

In our devotions this morning, one of the passages was from Romans 12. It talks about using the various gifts that we have been given by God. It has been evident today to see the various gifts being used on the worksite. New gifts are even being revealed and discovered. It's beautiful to see teammates stepping out of comfort zones to complete a task or build a relationship. We are excited to see these gifts continue to develop through out the week, whether they be physical labor skills or building a relationship. Whatever those gifts may be, we are excited to take them home with us and apply them to our lives at home.

Please continue to pray for health and strength as the heat is taking a toll on our arctic acclimated bodies. Also pray that God will continue to reveal Himself, which He has done in so many ways already! Thank you for the continued support, prayers, and love that you have shown us; it is felt!

Dan and Kristin Sterk

Pictures from Esperanza, day one

Pictures of all the work we did, the fun we had and some of the beautiful scenery.

Report from Aaron Mead

Hi, everyone!

I'm writing on Monday afternoon (Happy Valentine's Day) at the work site in Esperanza. We've got areas framed for pouring concrete and have started the bucket brigade to do it. It has been a very full day. We'll all be sore and tired by the end, but very happy. The neighborhood kids have amassed and are playing happily with some of us and posing for photos. The Dominican congregation members are very hard-working and gracious people.

The Scripture readings we were assigned for today lend a good perspective on the building project we have just begun. It is a perspective of humility because we will never build as well as God has built (Psalm139:13-16, John 1:3-4), and because we must be willing to take advice and correction (Proverbs 12:1, 13:10). (I've experienced this firsthand today; I have no knowledge of framing at all.) But as our church's study on obedience this month reminds us, we need only be faithful with the few things we have been given (Matthew 25:21), particularly with our own households (Joshua 24:15) and the needs of others (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:16). I am proud to have one of my household with me (though I miss the rest of my family) and to see him engage fully in both the work and the fellowship. Thank you all so much for your prayers, cards, and support. You are a very important part of this team. Please continue to pray for us, and especially for health for one of us who is struggling with a cold or something similar. God bless you!

Aaron

A special greeting for Robyn Cook.

Good day, good things!

We had a good day today. We had a wonderful time at the church in Duquesa. Pastor Francisco was so happy to see us and he loved the photo albums that were sent, Thank You Debra. The drive to Mao was a little shorter than we had thought it was going to be and the scenery was beautiful. We drove up into the mountains and down into the valley where Mao is located. After a delicious meal at the hotel, we went to explore the town. We soon discovered the local Bon ice cream shop. Our driver for the week, Manuel, is staying with friends in Mao at night and driving us around during the day. He found us hanging out at the ice cream shop. He showed us around town a little and showed us where there was an ATM machine. We all had a good laugh when one team member discovered that when the machine says $100, it means 100 pecos, less than $3 US. With all the fees, it probably cost more than $3 to take out 100 pecos.
One of our devotional passages today talked about God's promise to give good things to his servants. We talked about the many good things that he has given us on this trip. The gift of fellowship and relationships with our team members and with those we know here in the DR. Yesterday's trip to see our friends Julio, Julia and their family was long and hot. But we really had a good time of fellowship during the drive and were then treated to the warm, loving hospitality of our friends. God has given us good things. We also remember the good support that he has given us, thru all of you, that has brought us here.
After our discussion and a time of prayer, we finished the night's devotional time with singing. A special request was made to add the song "Knowing You". The best gift of all is knowing Jesus, "there is no better thing". It is what binds us together with you, our supporters and families back in the states and with our friends here in the DR. It is the best gift that we have ever received and so many blessings flow from that gift. Thank you Father for the gift of your Son.

Pictures from the trip to Mao.

We have arrived in Mao.

We have safely arrived in Mao. The trip took about 3 hours thru some very beautiful scenery. The hotel is VERY nice and we have access to wireless internet connection. We will keep you posted on our progress and adventures this week. Pictures of the trip to Mao will be posted soon. Mao is a very beautiful city.

We are off to Mao!

We are about ready to leave for Mao. We are not sure of our internet access there. We hope to be able to report to you this week. If not, we will report again next week Sunday when we return to the ministry center here. Thank you again for your prayers and support.

Duquesa two years later.

Dinner and fellowship time at the Brauning home.

Our friends Julio, Julia and their family.

They are living in their house while they are having a cement roof put on their house. They were so happy to see us and we were so happy to see them. We have know them from our very first trip in 1999.

Saturday road trip.

We are off to explore and see friends. The church in the pictures is the very first church that we worked on in 1999.

Ministry center tour.

This is one of the two projects we worked on two years ago.

A few traveling pictures.

We have arrived!

It took a little longer than expected. Our layover in Miami was about 6 hours instead of 4 due to airplane maintenance. And then as we were leaving the gate, the pilot popped the clutch and stalled the airplane :-). Other than being very tired, everyone is in good health. Please pray that we all get a good nights rest and that we are ready for more traveling tomorrow. Thank You again to all of our supporters. May everything that we do here in the next ten days bring glory to our Heavenly Father.

p.s. We will post pictures ASAP

Pre-trip project pictures

Received the above pictures and the following explanation from Steve today -

I finally have some photos to send. Please circulate them to the rest of the team so that everyone has an idea of what to expect.
Casa-Duran-1: shows the lot surrounded by a fence made of metal sheets.
Casa-Duran-2: Pastor Duran is on the right and Adrian, the builder who is also a church member, is on the left. The structure behind them is what we will be building on.
Casa Duran frente: is a front view of the building
Casa Duran atras: is a back view of the building
Casa Duran atras 1 - 2: are some scenes out back of the lot. It's a nice view out the back, as long as you don't have to think about crossing that bridge...
The plan is to build on top of the exisiting blocks, as well as adding about 10 feet on the back of the existing structure.

As you can see, it is a rather small project that we will easily be able to complete. That will give us an opportunity to be involved in other activities in the local church and the community.

See you all soon!
Steve & Sandra Brauning
Christian Reformed World Missions
Dominican Republic

Dancing with an Elephant.

This year, more than in the past, we are working on improving our cross cultural skills.

We would like to present the song "Poderoso" at the church services that we attend. This is a big deal because we will be singing in Spanish, the native language of our brothers and sisters we have come to work and worship with. How do you feel when someone, who's first language is not English, tries their hardest to learn and communicate with you in English. Singing in Spanish is more difficult for some of us than others, language skills are not a necessary prerequisite for our trip.

We have also been reading two books that were recommended to the team - "Foreign to Familiar" and "Serving with Eyes Wide Open...". And as a team we have been watching the video series - "Round Trip". Why do we spend so much time working on our cross cultural skills? After all, we are "just" going to do a construction project, to build a pastor's house. This is great work to do, we have a good time preparing to go, then traveling to, then living and working together in the DR for a week. Surely our brothers and sisters can see our love for them and for God thru our actions. Imagine how much more they would see and experience that love when we attempt to relate to them where they are at and in their language. We are ALL created in the image of God and he is the creator of culture and language. We may never fully understand each other's culture/language until we reach heaven and see each other there, but that shouldn't stop us from trying. We have so much that we can teach each other about God because we are all different segments of the image of the same God.

We also want to make sure that our time in the DR isn't doing harm. Harm? How could our trip cause harm. We are excited to serve God and our brothers and sisters, surely we couldn't/wouldn't do harm. The following story is from the book "When Helping Hurts". The story is told by an African Christian.
Elephant and Mouse were best friends. One day Elephant said, "Mouse, let's have a party!" Animals gathered from far and near. They ate. They drank. They sang. And they danced. And nobody celebrated more and danced harder than Elephant. After the party was over, Elephant exclaimed, "Mouse, did you ever go to a better party? What a blast!" But Mouse did not answer. "Mouse, where are you?" Elephant called. He looked around for his friend, and then shrank back in horror. There at Elephant's feet lay Mouse. His little body was ground into the dirt. He had been smashed by the big feet of of his exuberant friend, Elephant. "Sometimes that is what it is like to do mission with you Americans," the African storyteller commented. "It is like dancing with an Elephant."
We spend the time to work on our cross cultural skills because we do not intend to do harm, but we could if we don't understand the effect we are having on the community that we enter.

Please pray with us and for us that as we serve in the DR, our brothers and sisters do not feel as though they are dancing with an Elephant.

Less than a month to go.

Less than a month from now we will be traveling to the Dominican Republic. We have a team, we have the finances, we have our airline tickets, we have a project, we have wonderful supporters and it appears we have a bus and a driver for the trip to and from the airport. We still have several things that we must do or must be arraigned. We have less than a month and two meetings to finish our preparations. We have done so much already and we have come together as a team in so many ways. We want to once again thank all of our supporters for everything you have done and ask that you continue to pray for us. Most of all we want to thank our Father in Heaven for all that he has done for us and for calling us to make this trip. We trust that he will continue to be with us and use us to further his kingdom here at home and in the DR.