Vivant Jesus!

July was a busy month with lots of events: a youth retreat, preschool graduations, camps and construction on our rental house.  

New Mission Vehicle 
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED!!!  We are so blown away by the response from our supporters and friends! We are thrilled to report that both of our old vehicles have sold and the paperwork process is complete.  Though we didn't net as much as we had hoped, we are so thankful that they sold after 2 months on the market. 

 Here are the current totals for our Mission Vehicle Campaign:
Total net from sale of two vehicles:  $13,447.15  (We had to pay over $1,200 USD on the taxes/fees for our imported Jeep *sigh*)
Total funds raised to date: $12,625.17
This means we have already paid off $26,082.32 of the new van!!!  An incredible feat that we could only have accomplished together! 

Since we didn't make as much as we had hoped from selling our older vehicles, we still have some funds to raise.  Our final fundraising goal is:  $3,917.68.  Please consider making a donation to provide safe transportation in the Dominican Republic.  Online donations can be made here. 

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Adam with the Supreme Council Knights of Columbus in the Dominican Republic

Knights of Columbus 
Back in June, I reached out to the Knights of Columbus in the DR to obtain current info for memberships in our region. As a member of counsel 11761 Pinckney and 4th degree assembly 2050 Howell,  I had met with some knights on the DR-Haiti border many years ago.  Unfortunately, that council isn't operating anymore. In Comendador, on the Haiti border, Fr. Mike told me there’s some knight brothers but they’re not formalized. They meet still, only casually.  So I was happy to hear from the supreme counsel of the DR in mid July when Jose  Jimenez responded to my email.  He was at a meeting with Manuel Tejeda for their quarterly meeting in San Juan de la Maguana (the city where we live) of all places. He invited me to join them and speak about what Jessica and I are doing with Dr. Angel and FUMSIL within the Diocese of San Juan. Both of these brothers are from Santo Domingo (about 3 hours away from us). The timing was incredible that on the day he responded to me, he was visiting the town where we live. They were surprised as well not having a clue as to where we were serving. I think their assumption was that we lived in the US off of my initial email for further info about the region. I eagerly accepted the invitation and met them at a restaurant in San Juan. I met all of the knights serving in San Juan de la Maguana. Many of them already knew who I was and had knowledge of our work with Dr. Angel. It was humbling. I expressed my interest to develop the programs for El Llano and Comendador by bringing those back to full status and recruiting new knights to join the brotherhood. I also explained that Dr. Angel has a vision to build a series of Catholic Chapels in our communities we serve, including a new church up near our medical clinic.  Dr. Angel had sent me photos prior and I was able to showcase his visions. I would also love to see some Knights of Columbus Council's from North American come down and work, hand in hand, alongside the Dominican Knights councils.  I am hoping to launch the first week long trip with 11761 for a group of men to come down and serve potentially in 2025.  This would be a beautiful partnership of brotherhood and faith. 

As we send out this update, I am in Michigan for a few weeks while Jessica holds down the fort in the Dominican Republic.  My home Knights Council 11761 invited me to speak about what a week long service trip would look like.  A group of generous people came together and donated to help me pay for the airplane ticket to get there for the presentation to happen -- you know who you are and I am so grateful for your support.  While in Michigan I am also taking care of other health appointments and getting a new pair of orthotic shoes.  I am happy to report that my appointments have all been good news, no health issues at all - Praise Jesus!  I will be here through the month of August and I would love to catch a coffee or lunch with as many of you as I can! 

Looking forward
Heading into the school year we will have two big things on our plate.  The first is the construction of the Clean Water Project in Rosa la Piedra (where the clinic is located).  This project is a long time in the making and we have just transferred the first installment of funds.  Ground will break on the project this month! They will be replacing pipe and running the clean water to several pre-identified community locations.  More to come as this unfolds!  The second project is launching the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program.  Jessica will be setting things up, training some key teachers and then replicating the model to provide this program in multiple communities along the Haiti border -- all with the goal of fostering a relationship with Jesus for our youngest community members.  Please keep both of these programs in prayer. 

Moving
​We have rented the same house in San Juan for coming up on 5 years.  It is a beautiful home but it has always had some minor structural issues due to water infiltration.  At this point the owner is ready to fix the issues but the remodel now requires that we move out.  We are heartbroken as this house has turned into our home.  We've loved our time here.  And it's the only home here in the Dominican that most of our kids have known/remember.   Please keep us in prayer as we look for a new home -- rentals are few and far between.  Prices have also gone up drastically since we last moved.  We are looking at a potential $200 per month increase.  If you feel called to help with this additional expense, monthly supporters can sign up here or by contacting us directly. 

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Prayer requests: 
-Safe travels for Adam, Kailey and Olivias as they finish this month in Michigan and then head back to the DR
-For guidance and wisdom as we break ground on the water project, plan for fall catechism classes and upcoming mission teams
-For health and safety for our entire team