This is our last day here and we knew it would be FULL! Full with many last day wrap-ups! It’s the last day for VBS and wrap-up/clean-up for construction!

Leadership training, one of our specific goals of this trip, actually wrapped up last evening. It was held on six separate evenings over the two week period.  Members of the leadership teams from both Rochester and the DR attended the sessions, with Dave Genberg providing the teaching, while Senior Pastor of Nueva Vida Church, Bill Hansen translated. Dave’s talks gave us all a look at what a church’s foundation should be built on and culminated with a study of servants, shepherds, and stewards. Sessions offered interaction and the church there seemed receptive to the teaching.

By the end of the sessions, I felt they understood how we are all part of the Body of Christ and can help each other glorify God and share God’s gift of salvation with others. We are all looking forward to a closing celebration with the churches we have helped this week at the main church this evening. Nicolas promises a bonfire – we’re hoping the air temp cools off before then!

The VBS team returned each day from shining the love of Christ, with many new friendships made. Jen (I’ll call her “VBS Superwoman”) figures 70 decisions for Christ were made in the two weeks. We had a great group of translators who accompanied us to bridge the gap with our limited Spanish. What unique (!) locations to hold crafts, story telling, and games.

We have many special people who have made their mark on our (mine in particular) lives  – I know I can’t name them all here, but here’s a try at just a few: our cook/hostess Kira and her kitchen crew, Juan and Ricardo who were the best guagua (van) drivers we could have hoped for, extraordinary teenage brothers Rovian and Revani who helped with  translation and worship times at VBS, little Juan, Sam, Bill Hansen’s daughter, Rhonda, Carol from Columbia, Grace, who is over 60 and has taken in Baby Moses who needs an adoptive home, Maria Mendoza, a sweet woman who brought a vanload of 20 some kids to La Montana, Ralph, Rulfi, Domicil, and many others whom I can picture in my mind, but didn’t learn their names this week. Of course, we were very blessed to have Rick and Becky to connect with here!

We figure we’ll do one more day of blogs to say how our trip home went Saturday, but I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for 1) praying for us on this trip. Without prayer this couldn’t have happened. The Lord blessed us with safe travels here and in the DR, with very reasonably good health for all of us, for relationships that were built, for young little hearts who were excited about VBS with many decisions for Christ made, and for the contacts made with adults who sat on the fringes at the local churches for VBS (A testimony was shared at each session!)

2) Thank you for all the financial support from friends and family who helped each of us make this trip affordable – praise God our goals were not only met, but exceeded!!  With trip funds, we’ve been able to improve conditions at Boma: the side of the building was cleared of mud, improvements were made to the roof, gutters were added, and gravel sidewalk now surround the building., Los Calabasos/Mahaguita, lighting was greatly improved by quadrupling the lighting (from no lights to 4 beautiful bulbs, a hole for a septic tank was dug (approximately 10 tons of clay and mud were moved), and perhaps most complex of all, a kitchen counter was designed and installed in the basement at the main church. The counter was made of cement and stained red, with stainless steel sink and block wall constructed to secure the kitchen. Also, in the nick of time, all the main rooms were given a fresh coat of paint at the Mackey’s new rental.

3) Thank you for your donations of clothing and supplies. We brought about 1500 pounds of clothing to leave for the Dominicans. They’ve been sorted and delivered to the church in Jarabacoa to be distributed and will be distributed to the families with the greatest need.

Please pray for our safety and endurance as we make the trip home. We are due in to Mpls before midnight, so figure we’ll be in Rochester by 2 am Sunday.  (We know God is watching over us as the starter on our rental van conked out today, but a brand new vehicle was delivered this afternoon, so we do have enough wheels to cart us to the airport!) Most importantly, pray also that lives that were touched this week, both American and Dominican, will remember this experience and be changed for eternity!

Diane Orth