We found the perfect van!

By the grace of God, we have found the perfect van for us! At the Santo Domingo location for the International Hyundai Dealership, we were given what feels like a miraculous opportunity to purchase one of their fleet vehicles.  It's not very often that a fleet vehicle with guaranteed mileage and maintenance comes up for purchase.  However, the timing was right and we were able to secure a 2020 Hyundai H1 passenger van with 12 seats for $29,900.   They are only selling this vehicle because they are upgrading their service fleet (something that only happens every 2-4 years).   After looking at soooo many scams including imported vehicles with altered mileage and re-built engines on the brink of disaster -- we gladly put down $3,000 on this H1 passenger van. 

The next big hurdle is to sell our current Diocesan vehicles quickly and for as much as possible.  We have had many people look at the cars but no offers yet.  This process is stressful and is consuming a lot of our time this month.  Since we likely will not net $20,000 from the vehicle sales like we had planned, we must continue to push forward with the Vehicle Fundraising too.  

We are so grateful to everyone who has donated!! Reliable transportation is vital for our work here. 

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The H1 has three rows of three seats (9 total). The drivers row also seats 3 (making 12 total). The cup holders pictured flip up, providing the middle third seat. The last row is slid forward here for the sake of a picture that views all 3 passenger rows.

​We need your help to bring this van home!  
​We still need to raise $8,000 to complete payment.  Please consider making a donation via PayPal here or sending a donation to 54 Coyote Court, Pinckney MI 48169.  

Thank you to everyone who has donated to make safe transportation a reality for us.  We are forever grateful. 

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June was a busy month!

The last month has been full of spring/early summer events here in the DR.  At the end of May we had the end of year Dance Recital for Olivia's dance school.  It was so wonderful to see how much the students have grown as dancers and as young women.  This year Olivia added in a lyrical dance class and a boy's hip hop class to her schedule.  One of the catechetical themes was the rosary - each student learned every single mystery of the rosary! 

Dance Camp Leaders

2024 Dance School Photo

We are so proud of Olivia and her commitment to the youth of El Llano.  We are thrilled that her continued discernment has led her to commit another year to this ministry.  Dance classes will resume in September for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Immediately following the recital, Olivia and these four special volunteers ran dance camps for two weeks.  These were long, sweaty days of dance mixed with VBS activities.  As the temps here in the DR are rising for summer, these volunteers gave it their all and brought so much joy to the students in El Llano.  We are grateful for their hearts to serve alongside Olivia in this ministry. 

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Our two daughters, Emily and Rosi, both made their first communion this month (and 3 of our Godchildren too!).  Rosi was also confirmed.  Here in the DR, the Catholic Church practices the restored order of the sacraments which means that kids typically receive Confirmation before First Communion.  In our case, Rosi received both sacraments and Emily was given permission to receive just First Communion.  Next year both Emily and Ben will make their Confirmation.  Needless to say this was a beautiful day of celebration with our community here in the DR. 

First Communion Mass with our godchildren, Dr. Angel and Yudy's family and Rosi's family

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We continue to work on the upcoming water project for the community in Rosa la Piedra.  The planning process is longer than we anticipated but it will be all be worth it to provide clean water for the clinic and the larger community.  We still plan to break ground this summer!  Adam will be heading back to Michigan for about a month at the end of July into August.  He has to refine the special orthopedic shoes that he uses and re-up on his prescriptions.  Thanks be to God he has no issues with his feet - they are completely healthy and problem free!  We will miss him immensely for those few weeks, but it's important to stay on top of his health appointments and special shoes.  

This month we also continued to facilitate healthcare for some special cases.  We have been walking alongside these special cases by consulting with specialists and facilitating care. A couple of weeks ago, one sweet little patient was diagnosed with an eye tumor and several others continue to recover from surgeries.   

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Thank you for your continued support of Building Bridges of Hope and our missionary vocation.  We would be so grateful if you could pray for the following intentions: 

-For the sale of our current vehicles and for the Vehicle Fundraiser, that we will have the new car in our possession soon, alleviating stress in our day to day life.
​-For our special patients, a little one with eye cancer and several others facing recoveries for varied issues. 
-For the ache in our hearts when a patient doesn't make it, that we can see the Lord's hand in all things - even the unimaginable. 
-For safe travels as our staff is going to be traveling throughout the summer - Olivia, Kailey and Adam will all be in the States for different lengths of time.