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All moved in. Peace and blessings! I hope this blog finds you all doing well, enjoying the fall! Since there is no Halloween or Thanksgiving celebrations here in the DR, Christmas decorations and trees are out already in stores and some homes! 😂🙌 Downsizing. So as many of you know, the house we called home for nearly 5 years was no longer available for us to rent. The owner, living outside the country (Germany) visited in July. She took note of many things she wanted to change (water filtration repairs) and decided that while she was going to have to spend money on the property, she would like to get a full renovation done all at once. We began our house search in August and after looking at a dozen or more houses, we walked away with sticker shock. Homes that previously were at budget are now $150-200 over budget per month. Yikes! In the end we settled on a house knowing that while it isn't going to work long term, it is a safe place for us to be for the time being. It is on a quiet street with good neighbors. Unfortunately, the first month has been fraught with problems. Move in day came, we realized that the hot water heater did not work. The tank on the roof was billowing water when the pump was on. There was water seeping in almost every wall of the house onto the newly painted walls. We called the leasing agent and they began to correct the problems immediately. The reason the downstairs wall was wet was because the new toilet was not actually sealed to the black water pipes. They cut a hole into an existing pipe and affixed the toilet on top of the hole like an outhouse. So, it was wet downstairs from the raw sewage we had been flushing for a week. They tore up the new tile and discovered the problem. It took a week to rectify it. Finally, we have a correctly installed toilet now. The men that came to check out the water infiltration on the roof said it wasn’t sealed. The last person who sealed it, painted over everything from electrical lines to garbage that was in top of the house. They spent two days clearing it. They will complete the new sealant job Monday. While we’re grateful that we have a roof over our heads and the kids have friends on the street; it’s caused a lot of stress. Please join us in prayer that we can learn to love this new house and find all of the positives in this big change. And that God willing we will find somewhere to call our long-term home. Catechism Classes in Full Swing Jessica and Olivia have 6 weeks of catechism under their belts and it has been a huge success! They have about 20 students in each of their classes (Jess is with ages 3-7 and Olivia is with ages 8-15). The turn out has been really impressive - the kids are enjoying it and learning a lot! The goal is to prepare those students interested for baptism by the end of the semester. One week Ben went up with them and helped with classes - as a surprise they brought home a pine tree! We are hoping it takes root and grows well here in the valley with hotter temps. Water Project The water project continues to move forward. At the end of this month we will receive a group from the funding organization who will come see the progress and help consult on aspects of the project. We are looking forward to hosting them for 3 days. Cost Increases Across the Country While the cost of living rises around the globe, we are caught in its crossfire. Recently the Dominican government has been discussing tax reform that will dramatically change the cost of food here in the DR. One of the most debated proposals includes tax increases up to 28% for most foods. This new tax reform is being looked at due to the excessive tax evasion from the upper end of society in part; but also the government's inability to pursue these tax evaders. All of this discussion about tax increases has everyone here up in arms. Everywhere we go there is anxious chatter about how people are going to make ends meet should some of these new changes come into effect. It's a daunting thing to contemplate. This will affect the poor the most, causing families already experiencing instability to go without more often. As a missionary family we are also concerned about what the future might look like. If you are able to partner financially with us, online donations can be made via PayPal or mail can be sent to 54 Coyote Court, Pinckney MI 48169. We cannot understate our appreciation for you all. It is thanks to your generosity that we are here continuing to serve full time. Many of you have been with us since the beginning and we cannot do this calling without you!! Having monthly supporters means we can budget our needs. Whether that’s $10 or $100 a month it all comes together to feed and shelter our family as we lead BBOH and serve here in the DR. We love you all!! Prayer requests:
-Peace in our family's hearts about the housing change (lots of tears shed and even our dog ran away and was later found back at the old house!) and that we would find a good long term solution. -For the current Dominican administration, that they will make informed decisions in favor of those most in need. -For continued health, safety and protection of all BBOH and FUMSIL staff and volunteers.
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BBOH Ministry Van - 2020 H1 Passenger Van We are so honored to share that the new van has been paid in full -- thanks to YOUR generosity! Thank you to each and every donor for your financial sacrifices that allowed us to purchase this vehicle. Safe transportation here on the island is of the utmost importance and we couldn't be more grateful. THANK YOU! New Projects - Clean Water and CatechismThe clean water project has officially begun! After preparing contracts and finalizing details, the clean water project for the community of Rosa la Piedra (for the residents, the school and our clinic) is underway! This project entails taking the clean water from the mountain spring (tested and confirmed that it is potable), installing clean pipes and running new tubing all the way down the main road of the community. This will be a gravity fed system, allowing the community to access the clean water at pre-determined access points. Our project's new tubing system will run straight through the community of Rosa la Piedra and also improving water quality for additional communities downstream. The construction is estimated to run 3 months with a visit from the donor team in October 2024. After an abrupt stop during COVID, Jessica has re-started the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for children ages 3-6. The new classes will have two locations: a class for preschool in El Chivo and then a secondary class in Rosa la Piedra. The class in Rosa la Piedra will be combined with additional catechism and literacy classes for the residents of Rosa la Piedra. This is an exciting adventure that has been a long time coming! More details to come in the following weeks as this project begins classes for the 2024-2025 school year! Special shout out to the St. Mary Pinckney team that built the furniture necessary for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program several years ago! New Missions TeamsAdam is back in the DR after spending the month of August doing routine appointments and BBOH meetings. We are excited to continue planning the Knights of Columbus Mission Team and continue developing this idea by talking with additional councils. If would like more info about how to set up a missions team with BBOH or how to join one of our teams, please reach out to us ([email protected]). Holy Spirit Catholic Parish in Brighton, MI will be sending a team of people to come serve with BBOH in January 2025. If you are interested in joining this team, please reach out! The dates of the trip are January 4-11, 2025. This is a particularly special trip for us as Holy Spirit Parish is where the entire mission of BBOH began and where Jessica would go for mission trip planning meetings - making this a sweet full circle moment! School here in the DR started the first week of September. Our family has children in 3 different schooling arrangements: homeschool, public high school and a local preschool/primary school. Prayers please for a safe, productive and fun school year! Prayer requests:
-Safety and health for our family and everyone with BBOH/FUMSIL -Spiritual safety for our team as we bring catechism and the name of Jesus into the mountains where there are many conflicting beliefs -Success of the clean water project, that the coming rainy season won't delay construction -For our housing in San Juan, that God would make it abundantly clear where we should move and will provide the resources to do so 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.  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. 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  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.  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. 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! 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.
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. 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. Things are busy around here! In the blink of an eye another 6 weeks have flown by since our last blog post. We spent April gathering together the needed documents to renew our Dominican residency status. Since we were in the States last year, our residency status had expired and we were nervous that there may be some unknown charges or hoops to jump through in order to bring it current. Surprisingly, the whole process was very straightforward. After submitting all of our documents to the Migration online platform, we had a couple weeks of waiting and then we were assigned an in-person renewal appointment on May 13. Thankfully the appointment was quick. We renewed last year and the current year all at the same time. We are valid Dominican residents through May 2025! After renewing this for 5 years (we are now in year 3), then we will be permanent Dominican residents. Thank the Lord for having legal residency status. May has been a month of surgeries. We had several patients with surgical or specialty needs that we have walked alongside. I accompanied one little girl and her mom to a surgical consultation. This case was especially close to my heart as the little girl has a colostomy (exactly what our daughter had). Though it has been almost 2 years since our Cami first got sick, the circumstances surrounding this new patient are eerily similar. There I was standing in the same hospital complex, in the same consultation room, with the same surgeon that had actively saved our sweet girl’s life. Somehow I kept my composure as I silently thanked God for His endless mercy and prayed for the momma who is still in the middle of such a long journey. Lord, have mercy. Please pray for this family as well as three other pediatric patients that had surgery this month (for a cleft palate and severe burns). As the school year draws to a close, the Youth Outreach Ballet classes and the El Chivo Preschool are also wrapping up. Olivia’s ballet school will have their end of the year recital on June 2. The very next day we launch into dance camps that will run for two weeks. We have four interns coming down to help with the recital and day camps (think VBS meets dance camp!). These interns are all close with Olivia, three of them are her sisters! Please keep us in your prayers as we host the interns and work with the campers. The clinic in Rosa La Piedra was painted this month. We went with an eye-catching blue shade that is often used by medical clinics here in the DR. We are also working with private donors to do a water filtration project for Rosa La Piedra. The clean water source comes out of the ground at the top of a hill, not far from our clinic. This water project will provide new tubing from the water source down the mountainside. As the new tubing delivers water down the mountain, there will be four community spouts where people can access fresh, clean water. It is an exciting project that will break ground this summer and be completed by the end of 2024. More updates to come! By far our most significant challenge since coming back to the DR has been our ability to efficiently travel about the country. Our vehicles are what one might affectionately call “clunkers” and can only transport 7 people at a time. They are older (2008 and 2012) with their own sets of quirks that often seem to flare up when we are relying on them the most. The St. Mary Pinckney Mission Team experienced this first hand recently. The 2008 Mitsubishi Montero wouldn’t start after picking them up from the airport. Thankfully, the team was very gracious and simply grabbed some food from inside the airport while they waited. However, our mission drivers and staff were left sweating bullets while they tried to resolve it quickly and safely without a mechanic or full set of diagnostic tools nearby. This is one of many examples demonstrating how our current vehicles are impacting our ability to work effectively. Adam made a trip to the capital (Santo Domingo) to investigate all of our options. After selling both vehicles, plus our savings, we will have USD $20,000 to put toward a new vehicle. Our best option is a recently imported Hyundai Grand Starex model years 2019/2020. We are launching a fundraising campaign to raise USD $10,000 to purchase this new vehicle that will serve a dual purpose: providing reliable transportation for our family in-country and supporting the varied needs of the mission. Please consider coming alongside us and investing in the mission through this unique opportunity. Online donations can be made via PayPal here. Donations can also be sent to 54 Coyote Court, Pinckney MI 48169 (checks made out to BBOH Missionary Support Fund). We are forever grateful for the partnership and support that each one of you have shown us. Together we can continue to make a difference here on the Haiti - Dominican border.
Prayer intentions:
-For health and safety of our family and staff (we recently were plagued by another round of amoebas/parasites, so emphasis on the health part please!) -For peace and guidance through ongoing transitions -For a successful fundraising campaign for a larger, reliable vehicle  Carlile family after first mass back at their home parish We made it back to the Dominican Republic! We are back home! After 12 months spent in varying degrees of medical crisis, we have finally made it back to our home in the DR. From March 2023 – March 2024, we were living in limbo in Pinckney, MI. During this time both Camila and Adam had surgeries. Both of them are doing remarkably well – living life as normal – thanks be to God. We also had another little one join our family. Martin Randy Carlile was born on November 3, 2023. This brings our total to 7 kids (including Rosi, our local Dominican foster teen). Returning to our home in the DR was bittersweet. It was exciting to see friends who are part of our Dominican family and to feel so embraced and missed by our church family. But it was also hard to say goodbye to our loved ones in Michigan, not knowing when we will be able to come home and see them again. Our departure from Pinckney was a bit stressful as we were trying to return before a team of 12 from St. Catherine of Siena Academy was scheduled to come work with BBOH and FUMSIL. We had to balance moving out of a house with packing up all of our possessions and preparing for a long day of travel with little ones. We didn’t get to see nearly any of the people that we would have wanted to hug tight before leaving. So please know that we deeply desired to have a longer drawn out goodbye with ample time to see people, but it was literally impossible with the tight timeline we were managing. Thankfully Adam’s orthopedic office was able to fashion a temporary shoe for him to use until his specialty shoes arrive in early April. Thus far, we have no problems with the temporary shoes! And no issues with his feet at all. It feels as though this is the end of a 7+ year battle with ulcers and infections. Praise Jesus. The St. Catherine team was a HUGE blessing. It felt good to get “back in the saddle” so to speak and work with teams again. They spent time at our preschool in El Chivo, participated in 3 medical clinics and visited with community members through our youth dance program and home visits. It was a beautiful exchange to witness – these American youth who came to embrace and learn about Dominican culture while serving along the way. Now that the dust has settled from our transition home, we are tackling two big obstacles. The first is renewing our Dominican residency. While we were gone our residency cards had expired. To renew them it is a couple weeks worth of running around collecting paperwork and paying fees. This culminates with a residency appointment at the National Migration office in Santo Domingo. Please pray for us as this process unfolds and we renew our papers. The next obstacle is selling our vehicles (2008 Mitsubishi Montero and a 2012 Jeep Patriot) to purchase a vehicle that serves both our family and the mission more efficiently. We talked about starting this process before we left, but the paperwork involved meant that we needed to wait until we were back in-country. We plan to purchase a Hyundai Grand Starex. This is a 12 seater diesel van (cheaper than gas here! and much cheaper/easier to have maintained). A stock photo of a Grand Starex, the vehicle we plan to buy new-to-us This vehicle is a people mover! It looks like a minivan but has a third row of seats. Fortunately, there are many Grand Starexs on the island because they are often used by resorts for airport transfers of tourists. However, unfortunately, our cars have further depreciated in value over the last year and the costs of newer vehicles have risen. After we sell our vehicles we will likely be almost USD $10,000 short. Please be praying for this process as well, that we can find a new-to-us vehicle and that God would point us in the direction of where to sell our current vehicles. The used car industry here is well known to be a scammer’s paradise so it can feel overwhelming. But we are confident that it will be worth it to have a vehicle where each person will have a seatbelt, both for the safety of our kids and for the safety of our mission teams who will use the vehicle during their time serving with us. If you would like to donate for this specific expense you can donate via PayPal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=SNJM7AHADVZGJ&source=url&ssrt=1711808673795 As always, thank you for your love and support. Please continue to pray over our family as we head back into ministry and life in the Dominican. Prayer intentions:
Thankfulness This has been one heck of a year. Thankful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about all of us being together - alive and healthy - after multiple crazy traumas. Over the course of a few months it felt like everything that could go wrong did: Adam’s foot had gotten worse so he wasn’t able to fly back to the DR, I continued to hold things together in the DR along with having a newborn, Emily broke her arm, our water pump kept breaking and flooding the yard (which meant we had no running water inside either), and ultimately the worst - one of our children became very, very sick almost didn’t make it - twice she faced emergency surgeries, and the doctors prepared me for the worst both times. When it rains, it pours… right? This fall I spent a month with Camila admitted to various hospital (first in San Juan and later in Santo Domingo). She had a severe bowel obstruction that should have caused a fatal sepsis. God was merciful. Our sweet and spunky little girl had the odds stacked against her but she made it. As Camila continues to recover we have settled into a good routine for taking care of her colostomy. At first it was challenging due to the tropical climate here. Not only were flies attracted to her but she would also sweat which caused the base of the bag to not stick the right way and then more flies would be attracted to her - a vicious cycle to say the least! However, we’ve jumped those hurdles and she has completely adapted to life with a colostomy bag. She is back to jumping, running and bossing all of us around - the sassy Cami we all love! Her next and final surgery will be March 8, 2023 at Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan. This should be the final surgery, they will remove the colostomy and reconnect her colon. Afterwards, she needs to stay in the States for 6 weeks for recovery. So, as a family we are going to take advantage of that time to come home. By then it will be close to 2 full years since we’ve all been in Michigan. We are embracing that gift of time - even though it comes at the cost of a 3rd surgery. Though it’s been a doozy of a year personally, it’s also been a very fruitful year for BBOH. We hosted two teams (one from St Mary in Pinckney and one from University of St Francis). We’ve started a new Youth Outreach program with Olivia Kumke, our new long term volunteer. Olivia is doing Christian ballet classes and helping with youth programming for the parish in our small town. She has been such a blessing! Later this month we have an Advent Family Night where her classes will perform and we’ll do family centered reflections in preparation for Christmas - a first event of its kind for the area! We also have a short term volunteer, Rob, who came to work for 3 weeks. His program fee allowed us to get back to remote communities (other than Rosa la Piedra) and provide medical consultations (something we haven’t had the funds to do since before COVID). The medical team visited Manyaya, Dos Bocas and Juan Cano, among other communities. Another huge blessing! Looking into 2023 we have a few more teams scheduled than last year, but we would still love to have more! If you know of anyone interested in serving - individual people, parishes, youth groups or anything in between - please get them in contact with us! Our home parish, St Mary in Pinckney, will be doing a spaghetti dinner hosted by the Knights of Columbus to raise money for our family. As a missionary family finances are typically very tight, but with all of the medical bills plus upcoming travel to the States, they have become overwhelming. We are VERY grateful to the Knights for hosting this event and to the parish for their help. We literally can only keep serving with your help - and we take your many sacrifices seriously. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! ❤️❤️ Blessings and peace to everyone! I pray that this post reaches each of you doing well and enjoying the beginning of 2022. The end of 2021 was a roller coaster of health concerns and balancing the many moving parts of family life and ministry. Since November Adam has continued to endure open ulcers on his feet. There WAS an infection in this foot, but thanks be to God the infection is completely gone. He is focusing on staying off of the foot so that the wound can continue to heal. As you can imagine, that is a tough thing to do in our family with small kids and many responsibilities. Please pray that his wounds close up and he is able to start moving around more. We found an incredible doctor in the capital who speaks English and most importantly whom we trust. It has been an immense blessing to be able to have his feet continually trimmed and seen here locally. This fall we focused on showering our foster teen with love. It was a season of sweet "firsts" and some hard conversations. She is doing extremely well with homeschooling and tutoring. We are planning to transition to a local night school later this spring where she can continue to catch up on her studies. An older couple from our parish offered to help with her schooling and have been tutoring her twice a week - a true gift of their time and talent. She also got some long-awaited health tests and was also evaluated by an optometrist. Armed with new glasses, her reading pace and comprehension have taken off! We are very proud of all of her hard work, both in her studies and in embracing so much transition. Spending time with her and pouring into her has opened our eyes even further to some heartbreaking local realities. Please continue to pray for her as we manage emotions, expectations and past traumas. December came and went quicker than we could have imagined. We celebrated Dominican Nochebuena (Christmas Eve dinner, a uniquely special meal that has the sentiments of American Thanksgiving mixed with Christmas) with Dr. Angel's family. Unfortunately, in December we also battled head lice and COVID19. Thankfully we are on the recovering side of both of those issues. Please continue to pray for health and protection for our whole family as we continue to live and serve abroad.  Camila, Benjamin, Emily and Nico - Christmas 2021 We were finally able to get the sea container pulled through customs and all of the furniture was brought up the mountain to the clinic site. It is such a beautiful thing to see! THANK YOU to everyone who donated, organized and moved donations so that these items could reach their final destination in Rosa la Piedra. We are so grateful for your sacrifices! The BBOH-FUMSIL Medical Team (Dr. Angel, Kailey and a crew of helpers) continue to do medical clinics once a week at the new medical center. Once we have finished the security wall and the electrical system, we can start planning to offer more regular services Monday through Friday.
Our preschool and child development center opened during December 2021 for a trial season of classes. We are working toward opening full time this month. Please continue to keep these littlest ones close in prayer and that we are able to continue instilling hope and the love of Christ through hands-on learning. We are also preparing to host our first group of volunteers since the pandemic began. St. Mary Parish in Pinckney MI is sending a small team in February. We are so excited to return to our regularly scheduled mission teams! Please pray for continued good health as we prepare for the team by getting the Mission House up to par and planning all the details of their trip.
Though time has passed quickly, please be assured of our gratefulness for your love and support. We are only able to be here serving full time because of YOUR sacrifices and gifts that make this mission possible. Thank you for supporting our family, for supporting the mission and for covering us in prayer! We are praying for each of you as we enter 2022 with hearts full of hope for the future! Happy fall everyone! I hope that each of you are enjoying the cooler weather. Though it's not at all cold here in the Dominican, the weather has shifted to cooler breezes and dare I say it - chilly nights! The last couple of months have been a whirlwind. I apologize we missed last month's blog. In our last post we asked for prayers for a sibling set that has had extremely difficult family dynamics. Due to even more complicating factors (including human trafficking allegations) we started September by adding a teen foster daughter to our home. After working closely with a Diocesan priest from her neighborhood, it was determined that the best solution for her complicated situation was to be in a home that would oversee her education and prevent the trafficking situation by providing a safe, stable environment. We initially planned for this new home environment to be in a Dominican household. We knew this would be ideal (and we still believe this would have been ideal) but we were unable to find a willing household. With the impending situation becoming more urgent, and with the blessing from the Diocesan priest, we opened our hearts and our homes to this sweet girl. Though the last month hasn't been without challenges, God has confirmed over and over again that this was the right decision for her and for our family. She has joined our homeschool and is slowing learning to read. Our goal is to be reading and writing with enough proficiency to go to the local Catholic school in January 2022. Please cover her in prayer! Pray that she continues to study hard, that she remains open with us, that her heart would be receptive of God's love while also struggling with big life questions. Early in September we were able to go to the Department of Migration for our residency appointments. It was a long day, beginning with our 9 am appointment and not ending until 6 pm with our medical evals. But I am thrilled to report that everything was accepted and we are moving forward to the next phase! Now we wait 2-3 months for our final appointments. Please keep this intention covered in prayer as well. Construction on the clinic continues to move forward. In all transparency, we are extremely frustrated with the foreman of the project. His responses to our questions and concerns are less than receptive and his attendance at the worksite has been extremely minimal. Things are still steadily moving forward, even if not at the pace that we would prefer haha. Pastor Ryan and his mission group with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in California raised $30,000 for the solar panel system for the clinic!!! This is a HUGE blessing as the cost of the solar system has been a priority for awhile now. God has been exceedingly generous through His people and their heart for the people on the DR - Haiti border. In lieu of our annual auction fundraiser, we are planning to do an online fundraiser (similar to the one that we organized in August 2020). More details to come! We are also looking at doing a small Christmas shop so people can buy BBOH merchandise for gifts this year. All items will be available for a short period of time only, so keep your eyes open for that launch soon! The sea container arrived here in the DR in mid September but we haven't yet received it. After a long customs-clearing process and inspections from various government departments, we are hopeful to get it released this week. Here are some photos of the container loading in Michigan
THANK YOU to everyone that made this possible!!!! It took many hands to load the container, lots of storage locations and sacrifices of time, talent and treasure. We are forever grateful to each of you! A couple of weeks ago we had to make the very difficult decision to put down our guard dog, Thor. He was a German shepherd from a litter that was born to our friend's dog. He was just barely 1 year old. After a horrible accident (he tried to jump a high gate and got stuck on the iron spikes on the top) he was suffering from paralysis in the back part of his body, leaving two legs unusable. Fortunately, our good friend Jenn is a vet in the capital of the DR, Santo Domingo. She was an immense help after the accident and in the following weeks as we waited for signs of movement in his legs. We wouldn't have been able to give him the care he needed without her and her generosity of time and talent. Thor will be forever missed. <3
As I currently write this, Adam is in Michigan for more maintenance on his feet. He still has one pesky callus that needs to be trimmed regularly and a problem area on the other foot. Please continue to pray for this intention - it is always in the back of our minds and requires monitoring. Adam returns on Saturday. Though his trip was short and to the point, we have missed him terribly and look forward to having him back! Prayer requests: -For our foster teen as she continues to adjust to life in a house with many littles and new expectations. For her studies but most especially for her heart - that she may comforted as she processes all of her life experiences. -For our residency status, that we will be officially approved as soon as possible. -For the health of our whole family and for complete healing in Adam's feet. -For all of our projects: the new medical clinic, the preschool, the nutrition program, etc. For all that goes into keeping these programs afloat - both behind the scenes and in person with our community members.
While Adam was in the States, our new-to-us vehicle had major repairs done. The engine (which was supposed to be new) had failed and we needed a new one. Luckily, the seller of the vehicle was responsive and agreed to help us fix the situation. Though it was a large unexpected expense, we were able to get a new motor with the seller paying for half of the cost. Used car sales can be tricky in the US, but especially so in a developing country. God surely was watching over us as the seller went above and beyond to help with the situation instead of simply not returning our calls. Everything was fixed by the time Adam was back in the DR! As many of you know, years ago there was a season of life when we took care of malnourished children in the Mission House in Palo Seco. Though that was a very tough season for many reasons (many kids, lots of sicknesses, stress, etc.), it was also a period of time that I will forever cherish. It was a season that taught me so much about local culture, parenting and family dynamics. There was a set of siblings that came into our care during that time. For their privacy, I'm not going to name them or share photos. However, I want to ask for your prayers for these siblings. All these years later, the kids have grown and so has the severity of their family dynamics. We are working with the parish closest to them in an effort to "build bridges" (see what I did there? hahaha) and meet their needs as best we can. But please, please, please pray for them. Pray that their physical needs will be met and their hearts will be protected - and that ultimately they see God's hand in caring for them. And also pray for us as we have meeting after meeting, attempting to fill the gaps and aide as some sort of hybrid CPS/social services/education intervention. During July I was able to join Dr. Angel and Kailey for consultations in Rosa la Piedra on two occasions. It was surreal to be serving the community from inside the walls of the Clinic of Hope. A dream come true! Y'all know that I teared up (surprise, surprise!) multiple times during those visits. It was so refreshing to see familiar faces, even from behind masks. Being in the actual building brought such a sense of hope and accomplishment... I found myself visualizing all of the ways that we can lift up those villages with long term change and eternal hope. I am looking forward to the completion of the clinic and serving Rosa la Piedra through education and catechesis alongside the medical clinic. Pastor Ryan and Good Shepherd Luthern Church in California contacted us about raising money for the clinic through their annual missions fundraiser. We were so honored to be chosen as a receipt of their efforts. Through their one day event they were able to raise $30,000 for the electrical system, polar panels and batteries for the clinic! AMAZING! I had been worried about the cost of a good solar system. But just like many times before, God provided what was needed for HIS clinic. Preparations for the sea container continue to push forward. So many people have come together to make this shipment happen. We are forever grateful for each of your sacrifices! We have two major moving dates - Aug 13 & Aug 25. On Aug 13 all of the donations will be moved from the Stutzky's house to Grand Rapids Transport (Jenison, MI). Then on Aug 25, the sea container will arrive at Grand Rapids Transport and all donations will be moved from storage onto the container. We need as many strong people as possible to help with all of this moving! If you or someone you know are able to help, please reach out to us. The only items we still need are appliances: refrigerators, generator, stove and washing machines. If you have any of those items, please contact us right away to arrange for transport to the sea container.
Prayer intentions:
-For the sibling set and their family, that as a community we can wrap them in love and protection. -For our pending residency status and the appointments in September -For our family, that we remain healthy (we had a short bout with amoebas recently) and safe while we serve here in the DR. Good news!! After weeks of searching and debating the pros and cons of various vehicle makes and models, we finally settled on a new-to-us vehicle both for our family and for work in the mountains. Thanks to the generosity of our support team, we were able to purchase a 2008 Montero, 7 seater with 4x4. Though the Montero is on the older side, it is a workhorse that is easily serviced locally in San Juan. Parts are fairly easy to find and the cost of repairs is relatively low. Bad news: After having the Montero for only 4 days we began to see signs of motor problems so we took it to the Diocese mechanic here in San Juan. It quickly became clear that something was seriously wrong. After speaking with the seller, the Montero was towed back to Santo Domingo. Many tests later, it was deemed that the vehicle needs a new motor. We are so grateful for the seller who has assumed the lions share of this cost and the time it takes to find skilled labor and new parts. Though this is a very frustrating issue and the timing feels particularly sour, in the end it will be a good thing that we have a newer motor, bringing it even more up to date. I am grateful for the mobility that this vehicle provides but also for the example of God's divine province over the mission, always providing for what we need. This mission has always been sustained by you, our mission team, and there is no better example of that than this new-to-us vehicle. Thank you from the deepest part of our hearts.
One of the first ways that we will put this vehicle to good use is by going on a trip with Bishop Tomas of the Diocese of San Juan. He invited us to go with him on a visit to a Diocesan Medical Center in the Cibao region of the country. Bishop Tomas previously worked closely with the center (perhaps even started it? I don't know all of the history yet) and he has dreams of opening similar centers in the south (where we live). We are just getting to know this new bishop, but so far one of my favorite things about him is his true appreciation for children and families. After joking that we would need a small bus to travel all together, I was quick to say that we would find a way for the kids to stay home. But Bishop Tomas insisted that we bring our kids with us on this trip and encouraged us to involve our kids in the mission as much as we can. He emphasized several times that children are not a burden but a blessing and by bringing them along we are living witnesses and testimony of family life. It is refreshing to feel supported as a lay missionary family striving to both serve and be open to life simultaneously.... we'll see if he feels differently after 6+ hours of cheerios flying and siblings arguing in the car. Haha! Planning of the sea container shipment is coming along well. Thank you to everyone who has donated items, medical furniture, their time and resources to make it possible!!! We've been reaching out to companies of all kinds and sizes in search of donations, everything from solar panels to bed sheets. I am BLOWN AWAY by the support that has come out of the woodwork - people buying items on auctions, organizing pickups and drop-offs, finding exam beds, dentist chairs, etc. This is only possible thanks to our amazing volunteers -- you are the best of the best!!! The container is set for pickup on August 27 and will take less than 20 days to make it to the Dominican port. Please continue to pray for the success of the container, that it may be filled with the vitally needed supplies and will arrive without problem to our location near the Haiti border.  Camila getting ready for her trip with Adam After lots of back and forth with the Office of Migration, I am so thrilled to say that our residency applications have been approved!!! We can now move onto the next step which is a set of in person appointments and medical evaluations for everyone. Thank you for praying for this intention and please continue to pray us through the rest of the process. Our first in person appointment is on September 20, 2021. Once that goes well, we will wait another 2-3 months for final evaluations. Once everything is approved we will be temporary residents (temporary for 5 years, then granted permanent residency). The littlest member of our family, Camila, was not yet born when we first began this process. We applied for her visa earlier this year but it wasn't approved yet when we returned to the DR in May. Last Friday I got a call from the Dominican Consulate in Chicago. Our contact there explained that the visa was approved and advised that we should come asap to get it put into Camila's passport. Most of the consulate positions are by political appointment and now is the season of turnover. Once the office is full of new staff we will be at their mercy if they honor her approved visa, require more documents or ask us to re-apply for her visa altogether. Adam's foot needs to be seen by his podiatrist in the States anyway, so we quickly prepared for a short (4-5 day) trip to the States for Adam and Camila. They fly out this afternoon. Please keep them in your prayers as Adam travels solo with Cami and for me while I hold down the fort here in the DR.
Prayer intentions:
-Safe travel for Adam & Camila, that all that needs to be done is accomplished (doc appointments, visa appt, prescripton refills) -For continued healing in Adam's foot!! -For safety and health of the whole family. Adam had shoulder surgery at the end of January. It was a slightly longer recovery than anticipated including several months of PT. But, thanks be to God, he is good as new! After such a long season of being displaced and moving from home to home, we are finally back in the Dominican Republic! Thank you for your constant prayers! We returned to the DR on May 5, 2021. It some ways it feels like we never left and in other ways it's remarkable how much has changed here over the last year. Since our rental house had been empty throughout the last year, we had lots of critters that had taken up residence. We also had a fair amount of mold to contend with. Most of the plants in the backyard had died, leaving behind a big ant hill that was thriving in our absence. During our first couple of weeks (when we tried to stay home and away from people, just in case we had come in contact with COVID), we set to work on fixing up these aspects of the house. We also had to get the fridge fixed twice! Always an adventure! But now that we are settled, it feels so good to be back. During the last year Monsignor Grullon, the Bishop of San Juan, retired and a new Bishop was appointed. One of our first tasks was to meet with him, share who we are and what the ministry of BBOH entails. Though I was very nervous, especially because we had to bring all of our kids to the meeting (we don't have childcare here). But, the meeting was fantastic. Bishop Tomas Alejo is very supportive, even promising to come visit our new clinic. He shared his hope of starting large medical centers in the three provinces that comprise his diocese. Needless to say, our hearts are very much aligned on our focus to provide access to healthcare for the poor. Bishop Alejo is also extremely supportive of families, young children and getting them involved with the mission. He made us promise to bring all of our kids along for the visit to new clinic -- I agreed as long as they ride with him!! haha. Our residency status continues to take baby steps forward. It has been a slow process that was complicated by COVID lockdowns. The first visas that Adam and I had expired while we were in the States, so we had unexpected costs and steps to re-apply and update all of the paperwork. Working with the government of a developing nation has proven to be as challenging as it sounds haha. Our residency applications are complete and through the first step of approvals. The next part of the process is a medical evaluation and a series of appointments in the capital (I spit coffee across the table when the Office of Migration explained the post-COVID process and cost!!). Please pray for this process! The kids visas will expire in August and we are trying our best to get residency approval before then (once we have residency we no longer need the visas, so if it's approved before August we can avoid the cost and delay of reapplying for children's visas). Though the whole process is frustrating, it will be worth it to be considered residents and avoid all taxes/fees/legal issues in the future. Almost two weeks ago we got word that Sr. Roselyn Nichols, the co-founder of FUMSIL, wasn't doing well and Dr. Angel got a call that she had asked to speak with him. He tried his best to get to Wisconsin to say goodbye in person, but she passed the night before he got there. (Thank you to the sweet angels that helped with his travel costs, you know who you are!!!) Sr. Roselyn passed on May 31 and was laid to rest in Osh Kosh, WI on June 4, 2021. It's difficult to put into words how much Sister meant to us, to the community in El Llano, to Dr. Angel and to so many people around the world. She was a true servant, spending her life to improve the lives of others. She will never be forgotten. Her passing provided an opportunity for us to catch up with former volunteers who knew her from mission trips (2006-2011) before she retired. Talking about our memories with these people allowed me to process and reflect in a unique way. There were so many moments where Sister showed us grace and love, despite our inexperience with the world. As early 20-something kids, we didn't appreciate her wisdom or her advice as much as we could have. What I wouldn't give to be able to have conversations with her now! Her grace and grit continue to inspire me. Our greatest challenge will be living up to her example and carrying her legacy. It is also our greatest honor.
 As the clinic construction is more than halfway complete, we are preparing to send a sea container full of furniture and supplies for both the clinic and our mission house. To review the list of items needed you can click here. Grand Rapids Transport is donating storage space in an empty container, which will then be moved to be side-by-side with the international shipping container on a dock. On shipping day, we will move all donations from the storage container to the shipping container. We are SO GRATEFUL for this space. Storage has been our biggest obstacle to sending a shipment. With the help of Grand Rapids Transport, we are finally able to begin the process! Learn more about Grand Rapids Transport here. Recently, Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Brighton, MI did a collection of over the counter medications for our pharmacy and for supplies for mobile clinics. Over the last year, we have had few donations come down in suitcases and these vital supplies are so appreciated. They were able to collect three large boxes of medications and monetary donations we well. We are so grateful for their support!!! A special thank you to Char Curtis, Joanie Jones and Kate Braciszewski for organizing and executing this collection! Our search for a reliable family vehicle continues. We have funds saved from before the pandemic that are designated for a new vehicle, but finding a reliable one here on the island is proving to be tricky. The lawyer for the Diocese is extremely helpful in doing searches for all potential vehicles, checking on past accidents, assessed value and bad tickets tied to a vehicle. Please pray for that we are able to find a good, reliable vehicle that fits our family and is 4x4 for work in the mountains. As always, we are grateful for the sacrifice that each of you have made to allow our family to serve here in the Dominican Republic. We know that your gifts to our family are true sacrifices and we do not take them lightly. Thank you for supporting and praying us through these many seasons of change and ministry. Be assured of our prayers for each of you as well. Please let us know if there is a specific way we can be praying for you. Love, Jessica, Adam & kids Prayer intentions:
-For the repose of the soul of Sr. Roselyn Nichols and for our hearts as we continue to mourn this loss and walk alongside the community who is also mourning this loss -For a reliable ministry and family vehicle -For God's favor and blessing for the remainder of the residency process, that He will provide both in patience and in finances. -For continued wisdom and direction as we step back into ministry amid COVID precautions and closures Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our supporters and friends! I pray that this update finds each of you healthy and doing well. As fall turned into winter, not much has changed for our family. We are still staying at the cabin up north (no cell service is starting to get to me! If you've called it is likely that we never even got a missed call, my apologies for lags in responding). Adam's foot has completely healed, praise God. The surgery was successful and the recovery was speedy (compared to the 6+ months he battled with the open wound). Mid December he was discharged from the podiatry follow up appointments with a completely healed foot! This was joyful news! Though his shoulder is still in pain, things feel much lighter without having to bandage and care meticulously for an open ulcer. Adam continues going to PT for the shoulder pain. Imaging on the area doesn't show any damage or problems which is confusing for the physicians (and us!) given the amount of pain and the loud clicking anytime he moves the shoulder joint. After the holidays they are going to look more into the collar bone/sternum areas to see if the problem originates further down the line, so to speak. Despite these setbacks, Adam has been picking up hours as a contractor for a company that he worked with previously. This extra support has been helpful with our prolonged stay in Michigan...the difference in the cost of living from the Dominican to the USA is a form of cultural shock all its own. Despite all of the inconveniences construction continues to move forward on the Clinic of Hope in Rosa La Piedra. Just before Christmas the roof went up on the house side of the project - a true Christmas miracle!
The Public Health office in the DR continues to have the mobile clinic sector closed. We are praying for a re-opening soon so that we can send a medical team to see our many patients that have gone without care for 9+ months. We have continued to work for the mission as best we can remotely. BBOH Board Meetings have moved to zoom allowing us to keep up with the admin side of running the organization. 2021 will be the start of new things behind the scenes: a new board member and updating our quickbooks skills. If anyone with experience in quickbooks is able to help us wrap our minds around a few things, please do let me know! The kids are doing well and have completely adjusted to being in Michigan. Snow began falling here a long time ago and they have enjoyed playing outside, building snow men and snow angels. Ben especially enjoys looking for animal prints in the snow and looking up which animals have been in the area. We continue to homeschool and soak in all of this family time together. Some days we soak it all up by playing games, doing activities and baking... other days we all sink into our own corners of the house and beg for personal space. I think many of us can relate to the ups and downs of living through a time such as 2020. We try our best to take the good with the bad and focus on our many blessings. As the year comes to a close, we want to thank you for all of your prayers and support during this time. The community that God has provided for our family and for the mission continues to blow us away with spiritual support and generous giving. Thank you for being part of our team! We wouldn't be able to do this without you. <3  Prayer intentions:
-For complete healing in Adam's shoulder, avoiding surgery if possible -That the Public Health Dept in the Dominican Republic would allow us to resume mobile medical clinics and care for the hundreds of patients that have not had access to healthcare. -For a successful fundraiser in 2021 to finish the clinic timely As the weather in Michigan continues to get colder we are embracing the fall colors, sights and smells. There's nothing like apple cider and doughnuts to cure a little homesickness for the DR. :) Everyday it's becoming clearer and clearer that we will be in the States through Christmas. We are currently renting an AirBnB in Alger, MI (near West Branch). We found this place online and after talking to the owner he agreed to rent to us on a month to month basis while we are living out this strange time of displacement due to COVID-19 and health concerns. This has been a huge blessing! Though we are anxious to get back home to the DR, it is comforting to have a place to land for the moment. Our days pass quickly with homeschooling, doctor appointments and working remotely to support the mission from here. We were able to get our dog, Zelie, from the Dominican with the help of a generous American who was traveling back to the midwest. Our family pup has brought a lot of comfort to all of us during such a transitional time. Adam's health has improved in some ways but taken hard turns in other ways. The hole in his foot took a turn for the worse after we moved from the cabin on [empty] Wixom Lake into the AirBnB we are in now. After consulting with his doctors it was determined that in the interest of his long-term foot health they should remove the knuckle of the toe (opposite foot from his other foot surgery a couple of years ago). Yesterday he had the surgery and it was a success! The surgeon gave a great report - including that the bone looked perfectly healthy! So we have every reason to be hopeful that his healing process will be quick and relatively painless. He is still battling shoulder pain and may have surgery on that at some point. The mission in the Dominican continues to move forward. Construction of the clinic is in motion. The online fundraiser we did at the end of the summer raised over $24,000 for all of the interior pieces of the clinic (windows, doors, tiles, etc.). We are honored to put a plaque in each room with a dedication from the person who sponsored the space. It truly was amazing to see our community come together and sponsor these costs! Thank you to all those who donated, allowing us to open the clinic timely! We are planning another online fundraiser for later in November in lieu of our annual auction. More details to come. As of right now, the Ministry of Public Health has not fully re-opened all of the sectors that fall under their jurisdiction. This means that our mobile medical clinic program is not yet allowed to see patients. Please pray with us that they re-open timely. Many of our patients are suffering from this decision - patients that rely on blood pressure medication, severely malnourished children, women who need pre-natal care and many other needs that are left unmet. We have already received word that several children and adults have died directly related to the lack of access to healthcare. Please pray for this special intention! Over the last couple of months there have been storms that came through Elias Pina. One of the storms took off the roof of the Mission House in Palo Seco! Completely gone! Thankfully the owner of the home was very quick to respond and it has now been repaired. For those anticipating coming down to work in 2021 - you will see a brand new roof in Palo Seco!
Looking ahead, we are thoughtfully and thoroughly planning for the return of our mission teams. We look forward to having people return to work with us in 2021 with revised protocols and procedures that keep them and the people they serve as safe as possible. If you are interested in coming, please reach out to us for availability. 2020 has been a crazy year that no one anticipated. We want to thank you for all of your prayers and support during this time. The community that God has provided for our family and for the mission continues to blow us away with spiritual support and generous giving. Thank you for being part of our team! Ways you can pray for us:
-For the health of our whole family, especially for Adam's foot and shoulder, that he may heal and be ready for return to the mission in mind and body. -For the re-opening of mobile medical clinics in the province of Elias Pina -For the continued health and safety of Kailey, who is currently in the Dominican Repulic, along with Dr. Angel, his family and all of our Dominican staff and local friends -That the construction of the clinic would continue to push forward, even in the face of obstacles related to COVID-19, so that we can open and serve those who need it the most As the summer continues I am happy to report that we are all safe and healthy. We are currently staying at a family cabin near Edenville, MI (where the dams broke earlier this year). We will be here until September 1st. We are so grateful for this space. It is truly beautiful up here with beautiful scenery and peaceful atmosphere. While we are here in the States we have been enjoying as much family time as possible. We've been visiting grandparents, enjoying the outdoors and soaking in all of this time together. Toward the end of last school year we changed up our homeschool curriculum and the kids have loved it so much that we've continued some of those studies. I find that it keeps all of us occupied and feeling accomplished in our day to day routine. We had a virtual BBOH Board Meeting recently and enjoyed time catching up with each of the members. It is a gift to be supported by them. Adam's foot continues to heal extremely well. Previously there was some talk about a possible surgery but because his foot is healing that isn't necessary anymore. Praise God!! Adam's passport was sent in to be renewed in June but due to COVID there is a long turn around time. We recieved news that the kids (everyone but Camila, we haven't applied for her yet) are approved for their Dominican visas! This is a joyful step toward residency in the DR. We've sent their passports into the Dominican Consulate and we are awaiting their return. Adam also renewed his passport in June because it was set to expire within 6 months (we cannot travel on a passport that will expire within that timeframe so we had no choice but to send it in for renewal). So as it sits today, 4 out of the 6 people in our family don't have their passports! Both of these tasks have been complicated by covid19 and we are praying for quick turn around times. Come September we will be at yet another fork in the road. We will either be traveling back to the Dominican Republic or transitioning into a missionary housing opportunity in Ada, MI. To be honest, I am torn about what is the right thing to do. COVID numbers continue to rise in the Dominican and our teams are most likely canceled through the end of the year. My heart aches to be home, to be in our house and resume some level of normalcy (I am especially missing our dog). But going home to sit primarily in seclusion as social distancing and curfews are in full swing isn't ideal either. Please cover us in prayers for wisdom as we continue to discern where it is that the Lord wants us to be during this in-between time. One thing is certain: He wants this clinic in Rosa la Piedra to be built. A few weeks ago we started planning a small scale online fundraiser specifically for the cost of the interior items like windows and doors. We have been BLOWN AWAY by the response from our community!!! Less than 24 hours after announcing it online ALL of the rooms were sponsored, less than 24 hours after that and ALL of the 'plan B' rooms were also sponsored. Here we are a week later with only tiles, the lower price item, left to be purchased. The only explanation is that His plans are greater than our own. Thank you for joining us on this mysterious, never know what will happen next adventure. Thank you for supporting us financially, spiritually and for walking this journey together. Be assured of our prayers for you and your families. Love, Adam and Jessica Carlile
Our apologies for the overdue blog post. I sat down and tried to write this blog many times this spring, eventually becoming frustrated with myself for not having the proper words to sum up all that has been going on. This time of COVID19, quarantine/social distancing and travel restrictions has brought more anxiety to the surface than any other period of my life thus far (maybe you can relate?). We are so appreciative of those who have reached out to us and asked how we are doing. Like the rest of the world the Dominican Republic has been practicing social distancing and other precautions since mid March. They also have implemented a curfew. At first it was from 5 pm to 6 am but has now relaxed a bit to 7 pm to 5 am. When all of this began to go down it was unsettling to hear the ramifications of big changes: international borders closing, groups canceling left and right, fear sinking in about if/when should we leave the DR and head home. Would there even be flights to take? If we go, how long until we can come back? How will this impact a delicate economy like the tourism dependent one where we work and serve? How will the children in our campos be impacted? All at once I remembered a conversation I had in 2008 with my dear friend Mai and Dr. Angel. We were driving down a mountain side with multiple children on our laps, dust filling the air as we tried to beat the clock and get to the Sisters of Charity in time (they have a specific closing hour and we try to respect that as best we can). Mai and I were on the brink of tears as we held tighly to children, supporting necks and trying our best to soothe scared little faces. We knew these kids. We recognized their faces. These weren't the outlier or stranger or even desperate families who came from miles away. These were local kids who had been relatively healthy in the months prior. Why was this happening now? Though not a scientific statistic backed by data, I can tell you without a doubt the clinic that day and in the weeks following had some of the highest numbers of severely malnourished children that I've seen yet. In an attempt to understand what was going on, we asked Dr. Angel, "What just happened? Why so many people? Why so many sick children?". He shared several possible reasons but the one he believed to be the root cause was the difficult economy due to the economical state of the United States and other developed nations. He began to explain complex international economics and how they may be applied to the situations of the children we were holding through a snowball like effect. I must admit, at some point my eyes glazed over as my brain and heart just couldn't process anymore. The anxiety I felt during that conversation 12 years ago came rushing back to me as I watched President Danilo of the Dominican Republic announce that all borders would be closed by land, air and sea due to the COVID19 pandemic. Will these beneficial but drastic measures cause similar (or worse) outcomes for our area? And just like that - our ministry was put on hold. Schools were closed for the remainder of the year, mobile medical clinics are not allowed to resume and airports have not yet opened. For months now I have flip flopped between praying and dwelling on the possibilities. With all of these unknowns, nothing is certain. The effects remain yet to be seen. But too much dwelling or discussion about all of the potential outcomes just ramps up the anxieties and tears. Instead I have had to actively choose hope. Our good, good Father will be there with us no matter what the outcomes may be. He was there in 2008 and He is here in 2020. Initially, Adam and I made the decision to stay in the DR and hunker down, self quarantining and doing our best to "flatten the curve" from where we were. We spent April enjoying family time. We planted a small garden and built a very humble fire pit (turns out construction isn't my gifting, haha). Somehow isolated life with 4 little ones seemed busier than our regular schedules! In the beginning of May things changed abruptly. Adam's foot developed another ulcer due to some pesky bone formation (opposite foot this time). It appeared to be getting worse and we decided it was best to return to the States sooner rather than later, especially given the uncertainty of international relations. We had to make a quick decision about returning to the States as the only available flight for 3 weeks was set to depart in 48 hours (leaving from a city 6 hours away!). We packed up the essentials and prepared to say goodbye to people we love dearly not knowing when we would be allowed to come back home again. We have been in Michigan for about a month now, currently awaiting results of an MRI to determine next steps for the foot ulcer. There is a possibility of minor surgery to remove the problematic portion of bone. Please pray for this special intention! Pray for health, wisdom and a resolution to this ongoing concern. Please also keep our kids in your prayers. Thus far they are champions and doing well, but I think often about their little hearts. Emily asks for San Juan the most, wanting to see her friends and go home to "her house". Ben earned his yellow belt before COVID hit, lost two teeth and learned how to ride a bike. Nico still loves baseball more than anything else in the world and has a heart of gold. Cami is a very happy baby, a complete joy to be around... at least when she's not hungry. And we all miss our dog (we adopted a small terrier -- that we thought was a mini doodle -- which is a story for another day!). Thank you for your love, support and prayers! We have been so blessed by your commitment to our family and in turn to the villages that are along the Haiti - Dominican border. <3 “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and you shall have hatred for your enemy.' But I say to you: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you.”
Matthew 5:43-44 Love. It’s the first and simplest commandment in terms of rules. However, it’s also one of the more difficult to follow. Not for reasons people often assume. It’s easy to love your children, your spouse, your parents and relatives. Sometimes it’s not though. Sometimes, it’s the most difficult to love the most obvious. Ourselves. Even more so, going a bit further, our enemies. With social media being the modern propaganda arm for any would be radical group or government ideologist, groups in control often seek to divide the masses. Perhaps because united as one, we are unstoppable. Divided we fall. You see the social media posts, “so and so is a nazi” “so and so is a racist” etc. Most of us roll our eyes and know a shill when we see it. Don’t fall into the trap. I see life in memes now since we have kids under the age of 7. I can no longer look at an article and give it proper attention since my life is filled with bathroom breaks, snack breaks then lunch, then dinner, dishes, trash etc. I can’t forget to mention all the wonderfully amazing snotty kisses and spaghetti sauce-laden hugs. Thank the Lord Jess handles most poopy diapers that are horrific. (thanks Jess, you’re a lifesaver). I assume most people are entirely too busy to give any real research into any given subject that may be an important topic of the day. They look at memes. I look at memes. For those who may not know, a meme is typically a photo that sums up an idea with a text based message scrolled across it. Or a gif with text. I. E. “My life right now...” and it’s a picture of a raccoon in an attic with 9 babies. Which is funny because the author had 4 kids in less than 7 years. . The meme is and will continue to be a powerhouse of attracting and spreading misinformation, ideas, truths and also, unfortunately, lies. What the point of all of this? Well time. Attention to things is less and less as our lives become more filled with technology. It almost seems like part of a grand plan to overload us, then easily distract us making us forget our purpose here. It’s to love! If anything we’re doing is anything but loving one another, it’s not of God. As most of you know, we were slated to return December 28th to the DR. Our newborn daughter (Oct 5th) was diagnosed with bronchiolitis making it impossible to travel that day. We decided to put off travel and change our tickets for Jan 2. This fall and winter while we were home we sent out a mailer detailing what we’re doing, what we’ve done and what we need to keep doing the things. We are humbled and honored by the huge response. We’re much closer to our goal for a utility vehicle for our family/mission in the mountains. We have a ways to go still, but it got me thinking about how we can communicate more effectively as a mission. If you know me personally, then you know I LOVE memes. So I put this out there as a pseudo poll. Would anyone want to see a monthly meme from BBOH? It would be via Facebook because that’s what we use mostly. I know all the cool kids don’t anymore, but we’re older now so we aren’t as hip as we once thought we were. This would be a meme that’s pertinent to the topic for the month in order to draw conversation or ideas from. They would be uplifting, funny, or a tear jerker. I would love to hear your thoughts. These memes would either revolve around our family as a missionary family, our organization etc. One thing we never do, nor will ever do, is political memes or memes that hurt people in any way. That’s our rule. So send us your thoughts! ! Also, remember to love your neighbor, enemy and yourself!! Keep us in your prayers! Have a great 2020!! PS. In typical Carlile fashion, this blog was written before the New Year but we got tied up caring for a sick baby Camila (she's better now, praise God!), traveling to the DR and receiving an awesome team from Rockhurst University that it is just now being posted. We have settled into life back in the DR somewhat chaotically but we are thrilled to be back! Please check out our social media for photos from last week's team and to be updated on the teams coming down soon! 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says it perfectly. The Clinic of Hope Gala was a huge success! We raised just over $20,000!! We cannot thank you all enough for your giving spirit, your faith in us and your incredible love for others. Giving to others in need, to the point of where it hurts is a hard concept. I can’t say I’m proud of the fact that it took me, well into my mid twenties, to figure out what, so many of our collegiate volunteers have already figured out. At the ripe old age of 20 something to boot! We know that it’s in God's nature to give. When I learned that if I had my palms open all the time, not just when I need something put in it, the amount of things that flowed through those palms, always open, astounded me. I let the Lord put in my palm, then take out joyfully for someone else's needs. And while still open, usually more is put back. The idea applies to much more than just monetary purposes. Sharing feelings, joy and love with others can also work this way. When we close ourselves emotionally to others, we lose out on a rich experience that is what it means to be human. People cannot connect joyfully with someone who has their emotional palms closed shut like a safe. Holding all their shame. It takes time to allow yourself to be that vulnerable. I’m definitely not perfect at it either. I am always work in progress though. As are all of you! Residency We had a visit to Chicago last week for a meeting with the consulate of the Dominican Republic. Jess has made a friend there through asking all the things one would need for a residency process. Which, in case you were wondering, is a total paperwork nightmare. I don’t have enough time to explain the seven visits to various Secretary of State offices to find someone to apostille documents... that was just one step that took several days. However, all the steps were completed and we submitted them with our passports for everyone except new baby Camila. She didn’t get her passport until yesterday. The Missionary Visas that will allow us to be residents of the Dominican Republic should be approved this week! The kids' will take a little longer as they need to be sent to the Dominican Republic for processing rather than done in-house at the Chicago consulate. Please pray for them to be expedient with them so it is all handled this month! Life things Everyone got a stomach bug that tore through our house. Emmy had it worst. It was just a 24 hr deal, but how difficult. It makes me appreciate the fact that by and large we’re healthy. Being here in the States allows me to participate with the Pinckney Police Dept. One of the events we did was the Cram the Cruiser Food Drive of Livingston County. The donations went to local food pantries just before Thanksgiving. Another I have coming up is Shop with a Cop. Kids with special circumstances are selected every year to partake. It’s an incredible event with some heartbreaking stories. I’ve done it the last 4 years and I cannot say enough about its impact on the community. Jessica is doing amazing. She’s the glue that binds us together. She singlehanded organized our residency, homeschooling for two of 4 kids, preparing catechesis training for when we return and so many other things. I often wonder if I was like that 7 years ago. So full of energy and drive. Camilla is doing really well! She’s gaining weight! She eats like she’s a part of the family and sleeps a bit better and more consistent at night. We are gearing up here for Christmas and to leave for the DR on the 28th of December. We were blessed by my parents allowing us to borrow their 8 passenger Ford Flex to acomódate our growing family when Camila was born. We now need to figure out a solution for a vehicle in the DR. Our Jeep Patriot, on it’s last leg, will no longer hold all of us. This is scary, but we have faith that the Lord will provide!! Jessica did some online training in fundraising via good old fashioned mailings. If you aren't on our mailing list please send us your address and we'll be sure to send you the forthcoming letter. Please keep us in your prayers this month!! We need them! As you all will be in ours!! We would love to catch up with anyone who would like to. We love hearing about how you all are doing and updating us on how to can continue to pray for you all. Many blessings on each of you! Love Adam, Jess, Ben, Emmy, Nico and of course, Camila Life is so delicate, the balance must be perfect for it to work. Think about it. Perfect ratios of water, air, minerals and amino acids among many other things. If even one component is out of balance you get at the very least genetically flawed specimens. Or, just lack of life. In August I lost my childhood best friend of 32 years. He had some imbalances that were unsustainable. Jessica and I came home earlier than expected due to this loss and ended up setting us on a path that I actually am quite thankful for now. Not long after we got home Jess started having a lot of itchy symptoms on her feet and hands. This is a symptom of Cholestatis, which is a condition that can cause infant demise if taken full term. Cami was not due until Oct 24th, so being that we were home almost 3 weeks early, we decided to take the advice and get induced at 37 weeks to avoid any risk to Cami. The month of September was very stressful in regards to the pregnancy. We had multiple trips to the ER and doctor appointments to monitor Camila’s heart rate. It had dropped to dangerous levels a couple times which is scary. By the end of September week 37 couldn’t come fast enough. We wanted to wait to make sure her lungs were developed enough to survive without the NICU. On Saturday, October 5th at 8:45 exactly 24.5 hours after being induced, Camila Jean Carlile was born at 5lb 6oz and 17” long. The amazing thing was, she was born with a true knot in the umbilical cord. It was white in color suggesting it was being pulled tighter as she grew. This also, if baby goes full term is likely to end in infant demise. We had all the cards stacked against us. However, in John 14:6 Jesus said “Jesus said to him: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” Life is of God. JESUS is life. Even, in the worst case scenario, had Cami not made it, as many children do not make it every day, Jesus is still life. We must have faith and trust that this little life is what the Lord wants in this moment in time. If He chose to take her home before she was born, however heartbreaking this may be for us, ultimately, it’s His child. We’ve dedicated, and will continue to dedicate all of our children to the kingdom of God. I do have faith that the Lord almighty has our families interest at heart. No matter how bleak or devastating life can be, we always have to remember that. We may never understand, but that is the essence of faith. My heart sings with joy that we were blessed with the outcome we were given. Now, being a family of 6, we start our journey of into the balancing act of ministry and family. At the top of our to-do list is raise money for a new vehicle. Our 2010 Jeep Patriot is on it's last leg -- a dying transmission and leaking oil -- a dangerous combo on mountain terrain. We've been talking with MATS international, a nonprofit that helps missionaries find good vehicles for significantly reduced prices, about the type of vehicle needed for all of our responsibilities: the volunteer program, medical clinics and our family. More to come soon about what we find out! Here in the States we are blessed by my parents allowing us access to their second vehicle. Knowing that our family no longer fits in a traditional 5 passenger vehicle, they traded in theirs for a 7 seater - talk about blessings! Please continue to pray for our family as we settle into our new normal with baby Cami and prepare for our return to the Dominican Republic. --Adam
We have officially closed our Summer International Volunteer season! Over the last month we hosted 3 more teams (all BBOH Ambassador groups!) and a second intern. It was a great month spent in medical clinics and doing vitamin distributions in campos both large and small.
Since our preschool in El Chivo is closed for summer vacation, we organized our Monday's and Friday's with the volunteers a bit differently. Instead of going to the preschool we took them to various communities where we did a vitamin distribution (not a full clinic). These were typically in smaller rural areas. We weighed the kids, checked for indicators of malnourishment and gave each family multivitamins, vitamin A (thank you to Vitamin Angels in CA!!!) and anti-parasite medications. Vitamin deficiencies and parasites are the primary causes of malnourishment in this area. Therefore, by providing vitamins and anti-parasite meds, we aim to clean out the gut and restore vitamin balances. In the long run, this motivates children to WANT to eat vs. combating parasite symptoms daily and remaining undernourished. (This is the reader's digest version of Dr. Angel's explanation to families, if you want more info send me a message!) We also used this new-found time in the schedule to do home visits with the elderly. Groups took their blood pressure, blood sugar and in many instances also took urine samples. This is a HUGE service to elderly community that we otherwise can't get to without the man power of volunteer groups. THANK YOU to everyone who came to serve this month!!!! Below are some photos of these programs in action. Clinic of Hope Construction Construction site Kailey Stutzky, our Medical Coordinator, went back to the States for a few weeks of rest in July. During this time she spoke at two parishes in the Diocese of Grand Rapids as part of the 2019 Missionary Cooperation Plan. We are AMAZED and THRILLED to announce that an incredible $30,000 was raised to help us complete the construction of the new medical clinic!! This is a HUGE blessing and once again proof that the Lord will provide as long as we continue to follow the path He has laid before us. This donation will allow us to finish walls and the roof, bringing the clinic into a very basic but functional phase. We are meeting with the engineering team to carefully plan the use of this precious donation and expect construction to resume in the next two weeks. Please keep this project and all of it's beneficiaries in your prayers! New Addition to the Carlile Family!We are also excited to announce the blessing of baby #4 to our family! We are due with a little GIRL on Oct. 29, 2019. I had Pinterest-like hopes of taking an adorable picture of the kids to announce this new little one but alas, real life happened and no such picture was taken. While we are all thrilled with this addition, it is especially exciting for Emily who has been actively praying for a baby sister for a long time now. Both her and Ben are already wonderful big siblings, we know that they will embrace this new little one with lots of love. Nico on the other hand might take some convincing as he gets kicked out of the youngest position in the family.... haha! We will be returning to the States on Sep. 16th to spend the last 6 weeks of pregnancy close to Jessica's OB and family. Please pray for a continued healthy pregnancy and for a safe delivery. With this new addition comes some new challenges. Most notably that our whole family will no longer fit in a standard 5-passenger vehicle. We are need of a mini-van or something similar to borrow while we are in the States. We will need this vehicle from Oct - Dec 2019 as our planned return to the DR is just after Christmas 2019. If you or someone you know would be willing to help us with this special need, please reach out and contact us! Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support! We remain very humbled by all of your support, kind words of encouragement and prayers! THANK YOU! Prayer Intentions:
-For balance and stability for the Carlile kiddos as we prepare to be in the States for 3 months. That they will embrace life in Michigan and transition from one culture and language into the next with ease and grace. -For a safe, reliable mode of transportation both in the Dominican Republic and in the States as we become a family of 6. -For unity as a team during this time of transition from the end of summer volunteer season into a fall of Medical Clinic construction and fundraising (Gala Auction Nov. 9!) -For the El Chivo preschool that is preparing to open for a new school year with 40+ students. For patience, patience and more patience as we continue to work toward a Montessori approach to education. -In thanksgiving for interns and friends (shoutout to Cassie and Olivia!!!!) who have supported the mission and our family in countless ways by serving unconditionally with groups and by taking care of our kids. We are so appreciative of their hearts and that they followed the Lord's call to serve with us this summer! As the temps steadily rise into the mid 90s we've been busy with visitors, teams and interns this summer. Our Volunteer Coordinator Intern, Cassie Herrington, has been here for over a month now helping the mission teams by living in the house with them and leading all evening activities/reflections. The truth is that she is much more than a Volunteer Coordinator. She has also re-vamped our website with a fresh look (check it out here!) and supported our family by loving our kids well. We are grateful for her presence this summer! Grandma Coffelt, Jessica's mom, came to visit in June, helping us with the kids while we had a team here and doing "Grandma Camp" with the kids. It was a true blessing for us all to be able to spend time together. The kids especially benefitted from some one-on-one time with Grandma having tea parties, baking, doing crafts, etc. We are so grateful that she took the time to come and visit us!
In June we had a team come down with BBOH Ambassador Lindsay Nelson. It was was an awesome blend of people and personalities! We really enjoyed getting to know this group and being able to see old friends like Lindsay and Mo. We had 3 medical clinics and 2 Nutrition Programs & Anti Parasite Distributions. It was a VERY busy week.
 Prayer before beginning a mobile medical clinic. At a recent clinic in Rosa la Piedra (where we are building the new clinic) we had an AMAZING turnout. Over 150 patients showed up and even more children were brought to be weighed. These patients walked from many different rural villages to make it to the clinic site. 6 severely malnourished children were brought to Las Matas for around the clock care and monitoring by a religious order there. Unfortunately two of the children have since passed away.... a very hard reality that we are once again faced with. The loss of a child to the complications of malnutrition is heartbreaking. I don't know that we will ever become accustomed to this aspect of medical missions. Please pray for our hearts and minds as we remain flexible to the will of the Lord. Please pray for those little ones, their families and for our staff as we navigate the emotional stress of these situations. There is third little one from the same area who is also very sick and in the hospital, please pray for his full recovery, in Jesus' name. This month we will be hosting 3 mission teams and a second intern. We have 9 medical clinics planned and 6 Vitamin and Anti-Parasite Distributions. Our good friend Olivia is also coming down closer to the end of the month to participate as a volunteer but then also to stay and help us with the kids for 3 weeks.... a HUGE blessing!
Please keep a look out on the new website and BBOH Facebook page for continued updates as the month goes on. We remain grateful for each of you and for your heart to support missions through supporting our family. In Christ's Peace, Adam & Jess To our supports, friends and family: It’s that time again! We get to do the will of God! What a time to be alive! There is something about following (or attempting to) the will of our Lord and Savior. Knowing that you’re on a mission from the most high. Of course, it’s not easy. It’s not without its hardships, difficulties and problems. However, it is full of incredible grace that allows us to push through those barriers. When we jump out of the boat like Peter in Matthew 14:29 (“And he said, "Come." And Peter, descending from the boat, walked over the water, so as to go to Jesus.”), we get to ask to come to Jesus. No matter the physical realm. No matter what state the world is in. No matter what the laws of physics say are possible. When we do this, we’re stepping out in faith. That’s why we’re here. With that said, amazing things that defy physical reality have happened in the last month. We have been presented the opportunity to film a short documentary for the Knights of Columbus “Everyday Heros” campaign. As a knighted 4th degree SK of Assembly 2050 in Howell, Michigan, we have had an incredible base of support from my fellow Knights. Both at Assembly 2050 and Counsel 11791 (3rd Degree at St. Mary’s in Pinckney, MI). The Knights of Columbus hired the production company Spirit Juice to spend a week with us here in the Dominican Republic. It was an incredible experience and very humbling. They filmed myself as well as bits of our life over the course of the week. I was able to speak to why we do what we do here in the DR, what drives us to keep going, and what we need to continue moving forward. One of the topics discussed was our vehicle situation. Vehicles are the way that we reach people so far outside of our area. They’re an essential part of moving our volunteers up the mountain and moving our family around. We currently have a 2012 Jeep Patriot. We shipped it in 2016 and received it in Jan of 2017. Due to import laws, we aren’t able to sell or transfer the vehicle for 5 years after the receive date (which would be 2022). The problem is, we have put so many miles on this vehicle and put it through so much, that we are now encroaching upon repairs that cannot be done in the Dominican Republic (CVT transmission, 'Continually Variable Transmission', that cannot be replaced and the repercussions of an electrical fire that occurred behind the radio - luckily I put out the fire and the entire vehicle wasn't set ablaze). So we find ourselves again in the spot of needing a vehicle for the mission. Without it we can't get to work, easily transport volunteers or accomplish the mission at hand. We’re currently using it sparingly to preserve the life it has left in it. Please keep us in your prayers on this major point. Dominican law dictates that a vehicle cannot be imported if it’s over 5 years old by the time it’s received. This means if we were to start the process tomorrow, we wouldn’t be able to import a vehicle that’s more than 4 years old due to the shipping process timeline. This is a tall order we know. Not too big for God though!! It was encouraging to share these types of mission needs through the filmed interviews. The rest of filming the K of C documentary went amazing! We were able to do a sit down interview with Alè, one of the children who lived with us. He came to us at 2.5 years old, unable to walk weighing just 10 lbs. Although he was nervous, he did great! His family was also enthusiastic about being interviewed.
The video will be available soon! We will be sure to share it when it is made public. On May 23rd we will be receiving a new group from the University of Saint Francis consisting of 14 people! This is a group that planned a trip to Haiti, but had to back out due to political disruptions and protests. They were referred to us and we planned a 5 day trip with them! They’re going to offer many exciting things for our programs with the inclusion of a livestock veterinarian. I, however will be in Michigan from May 23rd to June 4th. The entire duration of their trip! So please keep Kailey and Jessica in your prayers during that time! So far May has brought us many opportunities to step out of the boat....and it's only May 13th! Though it is uncomfortable, we ultimately desire for God's will to be done regardless of our comfort. We know He won’t let us sink into the raging sea. God bless all of you for your unwavering support! --Adam Prayer requests:
-For our vehicle, that the Jeep is able to hang in there while we pray through what the next move/opportunity may be for transportation needs. -For Adam as he prepares to go to the States for 10 days and for Jess and Kailey who will be holding down the fort both at home with the kids and in the field with a new group of volunteers. -In Thanksgiving for our health!! All three kids got a nasty fever virus with high temps, but they've pulled through, thanks be to God. -For continued construction of the new Medical Clinic in Rosa la Piedra. Kailey is diligently applying for grants to help cover the next phases of construction. -For all of the students and staff at the school in El Chivo as we begin to prepare for the end of the school year and graduation for the 5 year old students. -Last but not least, for our family, that we may continue to be united in mission with our hearts turned toward the Lord as we live out what has been asked of us. <3 Good afternoon everyone! I hope that this post finds all of you doing well. We have been busy here in the DR keeping up with our International Volunteer Programs, construction of the new clinic and slow (but steady) progress with Montessori curriculum in El Chivo. First up: International Volunteer Program We hosted two college teams this March. The first was from the St. Mary Student Parish at the University of Michigan. And the second team was from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. Both groups were wonderful to work with, ready to serve and embrace life along the Haiti border. We were able to accomplish 6 medical clinics in total, serving hundreds of medical patients and children in the nutrition program. These groups also brought down important donations for medical clinics and for the preschool in El Chivo. For example, the preschool now has all the folders we need to make a portfolio for each child (folders are hard to come by here) AND we have new workbooks in Spanish for each student as well. These are immense gifts to the school that will help us do our job well and finish the school year strong. Some very kind and generous friends also sent down special items to make our Mission House more comfortable, small gifts for the kids and I even got new nail polish (#winning). All in all it was a busy March hosting teams, but a month well spent. Our next volunteer team doesn't come until June, allowing us to focus on the next big project... Construction of the new medical clinic! Thanks to donations from the K of C council at Kailey's home parish and other donations, we have another $5,000 ready to be invested into the construction of the new medical clinic. Construction began last week and we are all SO EXCITED to see the walls of the clinic go up! To give you an idea of construction costs, $3,000 USD purchased truck loads of cement, sand, rebar and cement blocks (4,000 cement blocks to be exact!). Dr. Angel reached out to a local avocado farm operated by Dominican business the Macapi Group. They have owned and operated the avocado farms in the region where our clinic will be for generations now. After several conversations and a site visit to the new clinic, they agreed to help us with the transportation of our building materials. This will save the project thousands of dollars in the end as each individual truck charged close to $400 USD for delivery to the work site. So instead of paying for transportation, Macapi has agreed to assist with the transportation of the building materials with their own vehicles which are capable of climbing the mountain. If you have a moment, please check out Macapi on Facebook/Instagram/and in the grocery store... they are an international company with a big heart, genuinely caring about the communities where they grow their produce.
As we continue to push forward with fundraising, we have two exciting announcements! 1. Building Bridges of Hope was selected as a partner organization for the 2019 Mission Appeals in the Diocese of Grand Rapids!!! Kailey will be speaking at 3 parishes in the Diocese of GR about our new medical clinic and taking up a secondary collection at each location. This is a DREAM of ours to participate as an official partner in the Mission Appeal. Please keep this intention in your prayers, that the appeals will be successful and provide for the next phase of construction. 2. We have had an AMAZING turnout with an online t-shirt sale! We've already raised nearly $3,000 by selling t-shirts online. THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased or donated!! We are blown away by your support and encouragement! To check out the shirts, click here. The sale runs until April 9, so there is still time to order if you'd like.
Enough "thank you's" can't be said to communicate how much we truly appreciate the support of our team back at home in the States. We wouldn't be able to be here without you all. THANK YOU! <3
Prayer intentions: -For someone trustworthy to help us with our kids during the day. It's becoming stressful to balance work needs and family needs. Please pray that someone comes into our life to love on our kiddos while we are at work. -For peace and patience while teaching in El Chivo. Things are going well overall, but progress is slow and steady which can become tedious. -For true rest during the coming month, Time to rest, recharge and refocus on Him. Hello everyone! We pray that this update finds you doing well. The last couple of months have been a whirlwind for us here in the DR. January was busy with two groups. First we hosted Rockhurst University who returned to our program after several years off. It was SO GOOD to see them again! The group was a wonderful blend of personalities and servant hearts. We appreciated their time and talent immensely. Up next was the St. Catherine of Sienna group of 27. With so many volunteers the week looked drastically different from our normal volunteer program. This large group stayed at a retreat center in Las Matas and we had a group of returning volunteers assist us as Work Site Leaders. The week was PHENOMENAL and we accomplished SO MUCH together! So far in February we have only hosted one group -- and they were from our hometown! The St. Mary Pinckney group is always a pleasure to have here. And as a special treat, my mom came as the group leader. It was a phenomenal experience and the kids also LOVED being able to see Grandma. This semester Jessica has been teaching in El Chivo as we transition into a Montessori school. It has been a challenge to say the least but the children have adapted very well. We start the day off with more traditional oral teaching and book work, followed by the Montessori work trays focusing on fine/gross motor skills, pre-writing skills and hand-eye coordination. Please keep the school in your prayers! We have 42 kids who come from challenging backgrounds.... which can make the school day challenging as well. This program is 100% funded privately by BBOH donors - thank you to those who have donated to this school year! The construction of our new medical clinic in Rosa la Piedra is underway! We broke ground in December and have continued steadily. Our initial funds (roughly $20,000) have been spent on the land study, excavation of the land, rebar and pouring of the cement footings. Construction is currently at a stop while we raise the next chunk of funds. We have reached out to Cross Catholic International (the same org that partnered with us for a vehicle for El Chivo Preschool) and with the Knights of Columbus at Kailey's home parish (St. Pius X in Grandville). We will be reaching out to more K of C groups soon and asking for matching funds to further multiply the work of the KofC group from St. Pius X. If you or someone you know is a Knight and would like more info, please let us know! All in all, we are doing well -- thanks be to God! The next month will be spent with our spring break program (St. Mary Student Parish at the Univ. of MI and Aquinas College), followed by preparations for summer internships and work teams. Never a dull moment around here! Thank you to everyone who has donated to our family, to the mission and to the many projects that we have running. We wouldn't be able to do with without you! Please keep the steady stream of prayers coming as well.... they sustain us! And please be assured of our prayers for you as well. Prayer Intentions: --For our children as they continue to adjust to life in the DR. Emy loves spending time with her friends here but it has been harder for Ben to make solid friendships. He is participating in a karate class, hoping to make some friends. Please pray that the Lord sends him a kind friend and eases his loneliness. --Please pray for balance within our household as we continue to navigate homeschooling, family time, teaching in El Chivo, administrative duties, the new clinic, etc. --For someone we can trust to help with the care of our children during the work day. We were blessed for 6 weeks with two different people (shoutout to you Olivia and Katelyn!!) who came to help us with our children. But we don't have anyone here right now and still don't have a long term plan in place. --That as a team the leadership of FUMSIL and BBOH can remain focused on the tasks the Lord has assigned us.  On our flight into Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are so excited to be back in the Dominican Republic. We arrived back on Dec 9, 2018. Our first few days were spent getting re-acquainted with town and seeing old friends. The kids had a few teary moments as the reality of living here in the DR became tangible. Please continue to pray for their little hearts, that they can re-establish stability after the craziness of the last 12 months. Thankfully, after a few holiday parties with friends and visits to their favorite park, they have become more settled into life here in the Dominican Republic. Our medical coordinator, Kailey, arrived the next week and we hit the ground running with meetings and preparations for the new medical clinic in Rosa la Piedra/Calimete region. One of the most important meetings was with the Bishop of our Diocese, Monsignor Jose Grullon. He is a very kind man with a great sense of humor. I always go into meetings like this one super nervous but then I am put at ease by his gentleness and ability to make us smile. With Bishop Grullon's blessing we are moving forward with the new medical clinic! We are BLOWN AWAY by the support for this project. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to hear our hearts for this area, donated to the cause and encouraged us to push forward. The fundraising event in Grand Rapids in November was hugely successful. In the end, we've raised roughly $20,000 for the clinic so far! With this first installment of funds we are preparing the land, laying the foundation and raising some walls. We are reaching out to other organizations and researching grant opportunities to find a matching grant to cover the remaining funds needed. If anyone has any leads on grants or private donors who would be interested in this type of thing, please reach out to us! On December 20 we celebrated Christmas with our preschool in El Chivo. This was a joy and super fun occasion for our family. Ben and Emily loved being in the school and we enjoyed seeing everyone again. Starting next month (Jan 7), Jessica will be teaching in El Chivo and helping with the transition to a Montessori-style preschool curriculum. We are blessed to have Olivia who will be here for 2 weeks and Katelyn who will be here for 3 weeks to help us with the kids. This will be particularly helpful as Jessica will be at the preschool most days while Kailey and Adam will be at the construction site frequently. Eventually, our vision is for Ben to accompany Jess at the school several days a week so that he can practice Spanish. Our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very different from years past. We obviously missed being with family but also tried to make the best of it. On Christmas Day we invited other missionaries in San Juan de la Maguana to come over to watch the Polar Express. It was special to feel so warmly received by the other missionaries here. Their presence in our lives has helped our family's transition tremendously. On January 5 we begin one of our busiest seasons with volunteers. Please keep us in your prayers! We have Rockhurst University in January, then the St. Catherine of Sienna Academy. In February and March we will host St. Mary in Pinckney, Aquinas College and St. Mary Student Parish of Univ. of MI. During this time of volunteer programs, construction and family transitions we invite you to follow our Facebook page (click here to see it!) so that you can see photos and updates in real time. We will continue to update the blog monthly as well. We are grateful for the support team that has joined us on this journey which allows our service in the Dominican Republic to be possible. You have stood by our side as we struggled in the States over the last 12 months and have been such a source of encouragement. Thank you so very much! We sincerely could not do this without you! Prayer intentions: -For our family as we re-establish stability for our children, for our new homeschooling journey, and for even more transition in January when Jessica begins helping in El Chivo preschool. -In thanksgiving for two friends who are coming in January to help us with the kids!! And that God would send the perfect person to continue helping us for the following months. -For favor and blessings on the new construction project, especially for the ability to complete the budget and therefore build the WHOLE clinic at the same time. -For greater patience and understanding of ourselves, our children and one another as we continue to walk this journey of mission.
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August 2024
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