An Unexpected Surprise

Tara (far right) arrived here on a Sunday night.  Then on Monday morning Karen and I drove her about 3 hours to a town called Las Terranas on another part of the island. She spent a week helping Rachel, Vanesa and Fernando (our SI  medical/dental staff) while they were on a mission trip. Yes, missionaries go on mission trips!

We really enjoyed spending time getting to know Tara. As we were driving we came acrossed this cave.  It was pretty awesome!

Looks kinda scary to me :)

We sensed we were in for a treat about 2 hours into our drive when we came acrossed this road.  

They literally just cut away parts of the mountainside for this new road.  With the red rock opened up, mixed with the green vegetation, aqua blue water and blue sky, wow, it really looked beautiful.

This picture does'nt do justice to how beautiful the red rock is.

Again, they literally cut this road right through this hillside.

Pretty cool!

Beautiful

Can anyone say "The hills are alive with the sound of music"?

A mere 78 degrees and cloudy, perfect :)

It was a very good day!

 I'm thinking a house right about here :)

This water will definitely make you smile 

On the way home.  Sad to be leaving the beach but still speechless over the beauty of this island

On the way home.  Just had to stop for one last look.

Not long after our beach trip we got to spend an evening going out to dinner with some great friends.

From L of Karen moving left,  Catalina Spanish teacher, Lourdes - In the DR on a medical mission, our interns Sara, Tara and Martha, Vanesa - SI Dentist with her husband Jose, Melissa -missionary,  Rachel - SI Community Health P.A.  Dick & Mary Ellen SI Hospitality 


We are getting ready to go for a pretty hard push so this was a wonderful break.  Please pray for strength, wisdom and most of all, an overabundance of God's love to freely give to all who come down here these next 10 months.  Thank you to all who partner with us to bring the Good News to the Dominican people and  American high school and college students.  

Kenny

Three Amazing Young Ladies!

Tres Asombroso Mujeres!
From L to R - Martha, Sara, Tara

We have been blessed with incredible spring interns as we gear up for a busy year.  Martha is splitting time working 4 days a week in the microfinance site and one day helping Karen and I go through and restructure all our files.  Sara is working 4 days a week in Social Work and will be helping train us in putting together video presentations.  Tara is here on a medical internship. It has been awesome to serve alongside these gifted women.

Reflection Time

Wow! These last 18 months have been pretty close to inexpressible.  Starting with God calling us to the Dominican Republic for three years, to spending 8 months of raising support,  to Mission Training in Colorado, to Guatemala for language school, to landing in the Dominican Republic.

After arriving here our journey continued with more language here, looking for a little moto to get around, learning a new town to live in, finding a car, finding and renting a home, starting a new job, to making new friends and new co-workers, furnishing our new home. painting the entire inside of our new home.  Going home for the holidays and returning with only 5 days before teams arrive for 4 straight weeks.

Did I mention learning a new culture?

All in only 18 months! Wow!  If anyone thinks being a missionary is a piece of cake, come see me :)

In the midst of all this, we have never experienced such a depth of joy.  We continually get to see God at work through and in ourselves along with the all the staff here at SI - DR. Slowly but surely lives our being transformed through the love of Christ. Wow!

What a joy and an honor that God would choose us to be a part of all this.

I have to admit, before we came I sometimes thought in the furthest depths of my mind "Wow God, I am sacrificing a lot to be obedient to your calling to come here.  I mean, I have a great paying job with benefits.  I am being promoted.  I stand to make a lot of money towards the end of my work career to set Karen and I up for the long run.  I AM SACRIFICING ALOT HERE GOD"

THEN.............. God just opened His floodgates of blessings and here is what I have been privileged to see.

1) I have got to watch God impress upon the hearts of so many friends, family and even people I either dont know or barely know to commit to support us through either prayer, financially both
2)I have got to watch and notice that the gifts God has blessed me with - the ability to love others, no matter nationality, color or any other thing is so far and away better than any earthly gain I could have ever found.
3)I have got to see God come through in every instance of doubt or disbelief.
4)I have got to see that God is just as much at work in other parts of the world as He is in my own community
5)I have got to see American students come to the Lord, recommit their lives to the Lord, grow closer to the Lord.
6)I have got to see God grow Karen and me in both our own spiritual lives and also in our marriage.

And then I was left with feeling ashamed that "I AM SACRIFICING A LOT HERE GOD"  I have sacrificed nothing compared to His Son and secondly to the measure I have been blessed.

All in only 18 months! God has proven more faithful and bigger and wiser and more loving than I think I ever understood before.


Before our last team left we had a worship time with about 75 people and I came away speechless that I just got to be a part of that experience.  Not only to be a part of it but to get to be behind the scenes in the orchestration of it. Who would have thought this could be?

Not bad for only 18 months of reflection eh?

Love you all and thank you for partnering with us for the glory of God.  Your sacrifice, every bit as important as our sacrifice, is reaping eternal fruit.

Love and peace,

Kenny


Until a missionary comes to start a media site, Kenny is the guy in charge of photography! When a team is with us, Kenny goes to all the sites and takes pics. The pics below are the ones he takes when participants meet their site leaders (missionaries).

Yocasta (in pink) SI's Education site in the community of El Callejon!

Vanesa is both Dentist and Missionary!

Miriam (in green) and Eric (also in green) are  in charge of Microfinance. Martha (far left) the very first intern Kenny and I have had here. She is awesome!!!

Raul (2nd from Right) oversees the Men's Sports site!

Yocasta (in green) runs SI's Education site 
in the community of Los Higos.

Together, Mike and Karen 
run our Special Education site, Genesis.

Hans (in green) runs our Construction site.

Leo oversees the Boys Club site for SI.

Katie (3rd from right) and Alberto team together to run 
SI's Education site in the community of Mata Gorda.

Heidy (in green) runs our Social Work site 
in the Los Higos Community.

Fernando is the doctor in charge of SI's medical site.

Jess (all in black) runs our Women's Sports site!

Daisy (center) from Guatemala and Kim (3rd from right) together
run our Women's Social Work site in El Callejon.

Rachel is a PA who just started SI's Community Health site. 
This was her very first team!
Rachel attended our SI training last January and she also went to MTI (Missionary Training) in Colorado with us!