To say I'm behind in posting is a huge understatement. I need to go back and look how many posts have started with that or a similar statement. A lot has been going on, and I don't want to miss keeping you in the loop on the great things that are happening, but it seems that every time I sit down at the computer with the good intentions of posting an update something comes up. If it isn't due to technical difficulties such as internet connectivity or not being able to find the picture I wanted to post, then someone walks up to talk or a child starts crying, screaming, arguing, or needing/wanting something. We were in the States visiting Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina back mid-June to mid-July. It was a good time that was a mix of relaxation, reconnecting, meeting new people, and sharing what we had been up to. It had been 12 months since we had been in the States, and we enjoyed every minute of it. When we got back home, Mom and Dad, the kids, and staff had prepared a welcome home party for us. After a full day of travel that started at 5 AM and finally ended just after 9 PM it was a great surprise.
Three days later, we had a short-term team come and work along side us for a week. It was a group from St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Largo, Florida. It was a first foreign mission trip for most of the team, and the first team sent out from that church. It was great to come back and hit the ground running with them. Being able to see our lives through new eyes is one of the great things of working with short-term teams, and I was quickly reminded of all the many blessings we see in our lives on a daily basis and the joy we have in serving here. We also got to see a long-time friend from our college years. Kelly Hueble and her daughter Elya joined the team from Florida, meeting them in Miami and spending the week with us. Not only have we known Kelly and her husband Jamie since college, they've been supporters of our ministry for the full 4 years we've served in the Dominican Republic. I'm going to try and get back to a good idea I had once, and do a spotlight on our supporters, and give a better introduction of this family, my college spades nemesises (nemesi?) Jamie and Kelly.
The main focus of the week was working with the Mennonite Church's Vacation Bible School, but we also had many other community ministry activities in the Batey community, our local neighborhood, and plenty to do around our campus. The evenings were full of great worship lead by the team members during nightly devotions. They even got up earlier than we scheduled for extra morning devotions. Kate and Maicol were excited to join them in the activities and made fast friends with many of the team members. We've recently heard from some of them, and they are already wanting to come back and work with us this November.
A few things I hope post about soon:
- July Team
- Batey 41 Border Crossing Update
- Batey 41 School Starting
- Cloisi and Evelyn
- Our Jimaní Pre-School Program
- The New School Year - Batey 41, Pre-school, and our kids
- Upcoming Visiting Prosthetist
- Rwanda
John
Posted via email from Hanley Family
