As a family, we have dedicated our lives intentionally to service, Deciding service as a lifestyle.
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The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. We returned to Michigan mid August and spent some time re-adjusting to life in the States. For as often as we have gone back and forth from the Dominican Republic, there is still a transitional period of adjustment and re-acclaimation to American culture. I'm happy to report that we are all settled into a new routine and environment, enjoying time with extended family.
The weekend after we arrived we spoke at all of the Sunday masses for the Diocese of Lansing Mission Appeal at St. Mary Student Parish in Ann Arbor, MI. There are five Sunday masses (6 during the school year!). We want to send a big THANK YOU to the many parishioners who took the time to speak with us, encourage us and support us. It was a remarkable experience! As we have continued to move forward with raising our personal support we have learned SO much about each other and what is means to be part of an intentional community. Our supporters and prayer warriors come from a variety of denominations with varied beliefs. Yet, there are two fundamental things that unite us. We have a heart for service and for God. And we are actively pursuing His guidance for our lives. Together, we are choosing to be a community of faith. I also want to thank you for your laughter. As many of you know, I have a tendency to take life much too seriously, allowing the stress of it all to get to me. Your phone calls and visits filled with jokes and lots of giggling have served me in a BIG way, reminding me to be light hearted and joyful during this transitional phase. GREATEST NEEDS: -A ministry vehicle with all wheel drive -A special volunteer who can help us with Benjamin and Emily for 4-6 weeks with us this fall (ask us for more information if you are interested!) UPCOMING EVENTS! We will be in Grand Rapids the weekend of Sept. 30 and we would LOVE to see YOU! If you are interested in catching up, learning about our projects and joining our support team, PLEASE comment here or send us an email. Prayer intentions: For our support raising efforts, that God may build bridges where HE desires and complete our support team. For Juancito, as he continues to recover from profound wounds and infections. For continued guidance and peace as we follow the Lord's leading into full time ministry. One year ago I was asked to speak at the Project Unite event at Aquinas College. This event is a large scale community service project for the incoming freshman class. Every year they ask an alumni to come back as the guest speaker. I had an AMAZING experience last year as the guest speaker. Recently I came across the speech and decided that it would be a good one to share with everyone here. ENJOY! :)
"When I was first asked to be the guest speaker for Project Unite, I was humbled and honored. To come back to the institution, to come back home to AQ and relive moments of orientation that hold such a special place in my heart is a true honor and privilege. The summer before my freshman year here at Aquinas I had an opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip. The experience was eye opening and inspiring – everything that you might imagine. However, I was soon off to college and life became so busy that my hopes of one day returning were merely a memory.
![]() Looking back over the week I learned a very distinct lesson. God's plan is better than my plan. Every. Single. Time. Since this anniversary group was so large there was extra thought and care that went into the work projects. Early in the preparation stages we began discussing the idea of building a house for Hortensia, an elderly woman who lost her home last year. The idea was simple: to build Hortensia a home over the course of the week. Each work group would have the opportunity to spend a day working on the home, finishing the project by the end of the week (a Habitat for Humanity meets Elias Pina style project). The first work group put in a full day's work clearing the plot of land and digging the holes for the main posts by hand. However, the next day our local contractor and project leader was no where to be found. After waiting around for a couple of hours we decided to send the volunteers to do elderly visits instead. This is where God took the reins. For the rest of the week we continued to do elderly visits as the contractor was unavailable to guide us in building the home. You can imagine the grumblings and frustrations shared among the leaders as our carefully planned project was left by the wayside. However, God had us right where He wanted us. We were able to accomplish many elderly visits and even paint the exterior of two FUMSIL buildings (which were in dire need of a facelift!). While all of the elderly visits were important and insightful there is one that stands apart from the rest. His name is Juancito. He was in an accident several weeks prior which left him with partial bone protruding from his skin and open sores along the entire length of his small frame. Upon walking into his home it was immediately apparent that no one had visited him in quite some time. His mattress was saturated in urine and feces, flies and worms had taken residence in his open wounds. This was God's plan. He had us right where He wanted us to be. Our volunteers immediately gathered together supplies to bathe him, dress his wounds and provide what we could in terms of food rations, clothing, etc. In the following weeks Dr. Angel and FUMSIL nurse Argentina have visited him regularly. I am happy to report that his wounds are healing beautifully! Once he has the infection under control preparations will be made for surgery to repair the bone. Again, God's plan is better than my own. Every. Single. Time. It is so easy to get caught up in the preparation, scheduling and planning part of our job as missionaries. Although we already knew it, this experience served a great reminder of God's role in the ministry.... He is the ultimate scheduler and planner of our work day. He will place us where He wants us, where He needs us. Every. Single. Time. Please join us in praying for the following intentions: For Juancito, that he may continue to recover physically, emotionally and spiritually. For a community of friendship here in San Juan, that we may find a group of strong Christian friends with whom we can share the day-to-day trials and joys of missionary life. As we continue to plan fundraising efforts for August/September, that God may continue to prepare our hearts and the hearts of our future ministry partners, that we may fulfill His vision together. The last several weeks have been busy and full. I'll start at the beginning.... We had an Aquinas College group with us that was AWESOME! We really enjoyed getting to know this group and working alongside them for the week. They participated in 3 medical clinics, finding 9 severely malnourished children total and taking them to the Sister's of Charity Nutrition Center. Please pray for these little ones as they recuperate and gain strength! The Aquinas students also spent time at our preschool, youth center and visiting a local English class. ![]() This summer we are proud to have 5 interns joining our team! Courtney is our Volunteer Coordinator assisting us with all of the groups coming down by living in our Mission House and accompanying the volunteers throughout their entire mission experience. Megan is our Summer Camp Coordinator responsible for lesson and activity planning at the preschool. She has been doing a phenomenal job of incorporating Bible lessons and Christian values into the school day via hands on projects! Kailey, Jeff and Nick are continuing the public health survey in remote Haitian communities. This is a project funded by the Dow Fellows program. Thus far they have gathered data in four remote communities focusing on sanitation practices, nutrition and infant mortality rates. We will be sure to share more information when official statistics are available. Last week twenty of our preschoolers graduated from our school in El Chivo! What a celebration it was! Megan and Courtney did a wonderful job planning for the event - they put together gifts for each student (a coloring book, board book, crayons and a rosary), beautifully wrapping each one with handwritten Bible verses and personal notes. Each graduate's family was present to help celebrate the special occasion. Needless to say our eyes were a bit teary and our hearts were very, very full. God's hand has been over this school and these children since day one, it is humbling to be part of their community. And last but not least -- we have officially moved into our new rental house in San Juan! Woot! We are so blessed to be able to find a home in a safe neighborhood where we can finally fully unpack and be a family. The kids have both adjusted wonderfully to the new house and neighborhood.
This week we have 23 volunteers here for our 10 Years, 1 Mission Anniversary celebration.... I will be sure to update about that next week with photos of the many projects they are completing! As always, thank you for your prayers, love and support. We wouldn't be able to live this life of service without our sponsors and supporters! THANK YOU! Growing up I always heard the phrase and corresponding response, "God is good" "All the time". In fact I heard it so much that at some point I think the truth and deep meaning behind it became commonplace.
But guess what guys -- He REALLY is good. Like, CRAZY good. His ability to care for us and truly reach into the depths of our heart is beyond our comprehension. He knows what we need before we even know what we need. And if we just take our hands off the steering wheel and let Him take the lead, He will provide all that we need and more. When we arrived in the DR last week we stopped at our friend Cachacho's house on our way to Elias Pina. He lives in San Juan in the same neighborhood as Dr. Angel's family. This area would be our dream neighborhood to settle down for a time. It is family friendly with services like 24 hr electricity, running water and even a neighborhood park. Adam ran into Cachacho's colmado (a small corner store) to say hi and buy a couple bottles of water. When Adam came back to the car he had the BIGGEST smile. He proceeded to explain that he casually mentioned our need for housing and that we would like to move to the San Juan area. Cachacho jumped right in and said that his friend was looking for a good, reliable renter. The best part? The house is right across the street from Cachacho and only a block and a half from Angel's house -- literally the perfect location. It was one of those God moments where you get goosebumps and can feel the Holy Spirit whisper "do this". We were able to see the house that very night and even talk with the owner on the phone. The owner was gracious in listening to our story and working with us on the cost of rent, coming down several hundred dollars to meet our budget. Based on our past experience we anticipated the search for a new rental house to be frustrating and time consuming. Long term rentals can be hard to find, especially out this way toward the Haitian border. But, God is CRAZY good. He took care of it for us. And it gets better. Through a connection forged by one of our supporters (shoutout to you Rose Marie!) we were able to begin a conversation with David Adams, Vice President of Cross Catholic Outreach. We sent him detailed information about who we are, what we do and our greatest needs. He expressed interest in providing us with a ministry VEHICLE. That's right, our own Building Bridges of Hope vehicle. We have a phone conference scheduled tomorrow morning with their regional coordinator to discuss details. Please pray that we present the work of BBOH and FUMSIL sufficiently and communicate our needs well. Again, God is CRAZY good. All of this exciting news has kept us inspired and looking forward to whatever God puts in front of us next. We are freeingly (is that a word?) open to His will and what He has planned for both our family and for Building Bridges of Hope. Please, please PLEASE continue to pray for us! I don't want to sugarcoat the difficult parts of all this change either. There are times when we doubt. There are times when we get overwhelmed and become impatient. We do miss family and friends immensely. But, staying focused on the Lord and the mission at hand keeps us grounded. Prayer Intentions: For our phone call tomorrow with Cross Catholic Outreach, that we may communicate our needs well and that a partnership may be established between CCO and BBOH. For the repose of the soul of DJ, one of Adam's best friends who passed away on Sunday. May the angels meet him in paradise! And for our little family as we continue to adjust and prepare to move on July 1st.
![]() I first met Sr. Roselyn and Dr. Angel way back in the fall of 2006. I was so intrigued and inspired by this duo that had begun so many life changing projects. Little did I know that this was the Lord sowing the seeds of a lay missionary vocation. This first trip was on behalf of Aquinas College as they began a partnership with Fundacion Mariana San Isidro Labrador (FUMSIL). ![]() These short term mission programs continued all throughout my college years, culminating in 3 trips per year. As you can imagine, over the course of those 4 years I developed strong relationships with local people and gained a unique perspective of life on the border. Right: One of the first short term mission team! Below left: Aquinas College volunteer spending time with children in El Llano Below middle: Weighing children as part of the Nutrition Program run by FUMSIL Below right: Dr. Angel and I caring for a patient at a mobile medical clinic ![]() Adam and I met in 2010 and his first trip to the Dominican was in 2011. He fell in love with the mission (and me!), making a commitment to the projects and the people of Elias Pina. ![]() Over the years we have continued the short term missions programs, starting programs at new universities and schools such as Benedictine University, St. Catherine of Sienna Academy, Rockhurt University and St. Mary Student Parish at the University of Michigan. We have also taken on special side projects based on the needs of the local community. For example, we facilitated the donation of an ambulance to the municipality of El Llano from North Adams Ambulance Service, Inc. We have also organized 3 sea containers (2011, 2013, 2015) of donations for various organizations throughout the province of Elias Pina! ![]() Perhaps one of the crazier things that we have ever done was take severely malnourished children into our home (the mission house where all volunteers stay). This was an emergency solution that lasted just shy of 2 years. Each of the children that lived with us temporarily were in the custody of local nonprofit, FUMSIL. We oversaw their recuperation and once healthy again, they returned home to their families. ![]() As all of these projects continued to grow, we discerned the formalization of what is now Building Bridges of Hope (BBOH) in 2014. BBOH is an American nonprofit that strives to lift up the people of the Dominican Republic through volunteer programs, fundraising and awareness. We are the on-the-ground directors and we report to the larger Board of Directors, comprised of professionals throughout the Midwest. The Board of Directors is responsible for guiding the mission by providing legal, financial and prayerful oversight. Since 2014 we have continued to support FUMSIL and the above initiatives, adding more projects like a preschool and public health research. But - I'll save the details about those new projects for another day....we have to keep you coming back for more ;) I hope that this brief photo background helps to clarify any confusion about who we are, the work we do and our connection to both FUMSIL and BBOH. Please stay tuned for more blog updates!
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AuthorWe are Catholic lay missionaries serving along the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Join the Support Team today!
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August 2024
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Serving the Border | BLOG |