Divine Design

Saturday evening was the big night of the marriage conference, held in the courtyard of Caritas Felices.  Kevin spoke about God's design for marriage, while Mark and I each shared a session specifically for men and women.

Naomi and Johnathan loved helping serve dinner to everyone.

At the end of the conference, we joined hands to pray, and several couples rededicated their relationship to the Lord.  It was humbling to be a part of what God is doing here in Barahona.

More Smiling Faces

On our way back from Lake Enriquillo, we stopped for a short, steep hike up the hillside to see some Taino Indian petroglyphs carved into the limestone outcroppings.

The view from the top of the trail of the lake was breathtaking.

I asked if archaeologists know what the petroglyphs mean, and Pedro said it was probably that the people were happy.  Looks like a good guess to me!

Iguanas Meet You in the Parking Lot

We told Naomi and Johnathan before we left that flexibility is an important trait on a missions trip, and Saturday we certainly got to practice it.  When the marriage conference we planned needed to be moved to the evening, we found ourselves with an open day, so Mesa and his son-in-law Pedro took us to Lake Enriquillo, a salt-water lake below sea level that is close to the border of Haiti.  We were told the national park had a lot of iguanas, but we didn't know they would form a greeting committee and come running when we pulled into the parking lot!  

The park is home to hundreds of rare iguanas, as well as the American crocodile, so we took a boat ride and were treated to lots of crocodile sightings and birds of all kinds.

Basketball in the Batey

Basketball in the Batey, a Haitian community near the sugar refinery in Barahona, became legendary the last time Kevin came.  I've heard the story of how he fell off the raised court from the perspective of others on the team that went last November.  This afternoon we loaded up on tracts and bought a new basketball and pulled up to find a crowd of boys already playing... with the same ball that the team gave them last year!

While Kevin and Andrew did their work on the court, the rest of us attempted to visit with the kids gathered around.

And after the games, Mesa and Andrew shared the gospel with the crowd that had gathered.

I won't soon forget the way the smoke from the sugar refinery burned our eyes, Johnathan's determination to make sure every kid got a gospel tract, or the exuberant kids who asked us to "Come back manyana!"

At Caritas Felices

We were all excited to visit Caritas Felices School today.  Services and education for special needs kids in DR are rare, so this school fills a desperate need.  The school moved this summer to a large campus after running out of space.  Vanessa and Andrew were part of a team that painted at the new location to get ready for the students before school started.  So today they got to see the school filled with students!

We toured the classrooms, buzzing with activity.

Then Vanessa, Andrew, Naomi and Johnathan did a program that they prepared for the kids.

They sang and Andrew shared a message about being thankful.

Naomi explained how to do the "Thankful Hand" activity and the kids colored and wrote what they are thankful for.

Johnathan really wanted to share his testimony and the gospel with the kids, so he and Dad got ready in the hallway.

It was an unforgettable moment to watch him share his faith story for the first time with others.

 And Kevin went back to his Hoops days to do a little ball tricks show for the kids.

 What an amazing day, seeing the thriving ministry that Maritza and Pastor Julio have to students and their families in Barahona.