The Golden Eagles Soaring to New Heights

Last week was an absolutely amazing week.  A group from Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN, was here and they were incredible.  I especially enjoyed the week because it was like having a little bit of home right here in the Dominican Republic.  This group was the first group that we really tried to incorporate some of our prospective students for MCS into the activities we do with the group and it was a success.  The Dominicans formed some strong relationships with the group members from the States, and it proved to us that the one-on-one mentoring program we want to incorporate into the school is exactly what we need.  We were all so pleased with how well this group worked with our kids, and it was exciting to see them pour out their love on them.

One of the best parts of the week was having the Reese's here.  Jeff was in charge of their trip, and he's going to be an intern here this summer.  He is an incredible guy, and I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with him.  It really made me excited about the summer and all of the fun that it will hold.  Also, Jeff's parents, Mr. Tommy and Ms. Jill, came with their group.  As a part of our advisory board, they have been incredible in helping us prepare and organize for the school, and this week was no exception.  We were able to get so much done with them being here, and I was so grateful for the direction and encouragement they provided.

One final highlight of the week is that I finally moved into my home in Bobita!  While it's pretty empty at the moment, I'm so excited to be out here and close to everybody on the team.  The TTU group spent all day helping all of us move and get settled, and it was such a blessing to all of us.  Hopefully over time I can continue to get settled and make my little home more comfortable.

Thanks so much to the TTU group for an incredible week.  We miss you guys already, and we can't wait for some of you to be back next year.  I'll try to post a few pics from their week very soon and some pictures of my house.  Keep the FHU group in your prayers as they are here this week, and pray for Audrey Parker as she is flying in today for a visit.  Love you and miss you all very much!

Carlos From the Texaco Station

A few weeks ago I was running some errands around town to prepare for the groups coming in from the United States.  I stopped at our local Texaco Station to get some gas before heading out to Bobita.  The man who filled up my tank struck up a conversation with me by asking me if I spoke Spanish.  After communicating to him that I spoke a little bit of Spanish, he proceeded to ask me if I worked at the Christian Center in town.  Though that is not my primary job, I told him that I worked there as part of the Manna team.  He asked me what usually happens there, and so I told him that we have activities for the kids throughout the week but we have a church service every Sunday at 9:00 AM and I invited him to come.  He told me that he works every other Sunday so he wouldn’t be able to come the following Sunday, but he would try to come the next one.  Before driving away, he asked me my name and told me his name was Carlos.  I left there thinking that he was a nice person, but I didn’t really give it much thought beyond that.  

This morning we had church at the Christian Center, and guess who showed up?!  Carlos!  I was so happy to see him there, and I was shocked that he had remembered.  He really enjoyed the service and asked Ronald, our adult minister, for a Bible afterwards.  I love how God uses little things like this remind us that He is in complete control and that He has a plan.  I don’t know if Carlos will be back.  I don’t know what he is searching for.  I do hope that he heard something today or experienced something today that let him know how much God cares for him, and I pray that he will be back to visit again very soon.  Keep him in your prayers.

In other news, we have been EXTREMELY busy preparing for the three spring break groups that are coming.  Our first group from Tennessee Tech arrived yesterday, and we could not be more excited.  I can already tell that they are going to be a fun group, and I am excited to see the good that comes from them being here.  Keep them in your prayers throughout this week.  I’ll post again to let you know about what they do while they are here.

Finally, I am moving to Bobita on Tuesday.  I am sooooooooooooo excited, and I cannot wait to be there.  Pray that moving day goes well as a lot of changes will be taking place.  Love and miss you all very much!  More posts coming soon!