What else have we been doing??

Apart from preparing for and hosting the Inverted Arts Camp which you can read about in the next post, Joselo and I have been working on a variety of things this month.  We are still building relationships and getting to know new people here in Santo Domingo and the surrounding area.  Investing our time and talents in a variety of ways as God leads us.

UNEV-MOTE-Bethel

We are still visiting some of the students from the class at the University, seeing them in action and getting to know more about the projects they have started in their communities through this class.

Leonza is one of the students from the class.
This picture is taken in front of her church in Consuelo.

Leonza is the pastor of this church.  Her husband lives in Puerto Rico.
She has been pastoring this church for 8 years.

Leonza regularly ministers to the children and youth in this community.
For Sunday School the church is packed with children.  Even though their parents may not come to church with them,
the children love to come to Sunday School and learn about the Jesus.

For this project, Leonza wanted to reach out to the adolescents and youth who spend much of their free time at or near the colmados where there is often drinking, loud music and a lot of adult language and behaviors.  It's an environment that's just not good for kids.  On Friday afternoons/evenings, she gathers the kids in the neighborhood instead to have a Bible lesson, play games and share a snack.

She asked Joselo and I to prepare a lesson or activity for the kids.

We found that even though the activity was intended for adolescents and youth,
many small children attended as well.

Joselo sang with them and shared a short message too.

Some of the older participants helped prepare the snack.
They were responsible for planning the meal, making the grocery list, purchasing and preparing the food.

Teaching Sunday School at Mundo de Fe

We were asked to fill in for the regular Sunday School teacher at the church we've been attending for the next two months.  We've been having fun getting to know the kids and their parents at our new church.  

Last Sunday we celebrated Father's Day here in the Dominican Republic.
This craft is a trophy that says "#1 Dad."
The kids were very excited to make them and give them as gifts to their fathers.

Investing in the Youth Leaders from Hato Mayor

We are also still spending time investing in the youth leaders from Hato Mayor.  These three young men stayed at our house for a week with the Inverted Arts team.  They worked closely with the Inverted Arts team members to learn more about how they do art camp.  They spent extra time in devotionals each morning, learning about how to use art to share the gospel with others.  They learned about the challenges and important topics for directing a group of youth in making a video, and they got hands on experience in the editing of the videos.  Taking the raw footage and making it into a great movie.  This team has hopes of doing a video camp of their own in Hato Mayor soon.

We also continue to meet regularly with the leaders of the ministry in Hato Mayor, supporting them as they make decisions and guide this team of young adults.  They have two weeks left of their summer classes before school starts in the fall.

This fall things could look differently for the children's ministry because schools all over the country are changing their schedules.  Instead of attending school in either the morning OR the afternoon, students will start to go to school all day.  Though it will be an adjustment for everyone, this seems like a very positive change for students and the educational system here in the Dominican Republic.

Another thing we did this month with the youth leaders from Hato Mayor was invite them to one of the classes at the University to share with the pastors and leaders about their ministry and their experiences working together as a team.

I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but the pastors and leaders LOVED their presentation.  They were so impressed with the ministry that these youth have established, and the way they are working together to serve God and their community in such practical ways--AND AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE the pastors said over and over again.  They were in awe.

In this class, we've been talking lately about how to build teams, work together, share responsibilities and include different members from the body of Christ in ministry to community members.  This was a practical example of a ministry team in action, serving the community.

It was really encouraging for the youth to share about their mission and have such a positive response from other pastors and leaders.  And, the pastors and leaders were inspired to continue investing in their teams and working hard to develop the ministries they've started through the project requirements of this class.

It was a great experience -- edifying to all of us!

Inverted Arts Camp

In preparing for and hosting the Inverted Arts Camp we've also had opportunities to get to know the youth from the church Mundo de Fe in our neighborhood here in Santo Domingo a little more.  One day before the camp, we went around the neighborhood looking for other young adults who are not currently attending church who might like to participate in the video camp, too.

Getting Ready to have a baby!

In between all of the ministry responsibilities and Joselo's classes, we have also been preparing for the big day when we will welcome a baby into this world! 

Joselo's favorite baby shirt!  :)

We are getting closer.  It still feels like there are a lot of important things to do before the big day.  We are doing the best we can to prepare but also trying to maintain a balance, staying rested and healthy.  We  are very excited to meet our baby and appreciate all your prayers.