Spotlight on the Dominican Republic

2007 Family Mission to the Dominican Republic

Four families from the Maple Grove area united with 43 others from around the US. They arrived in the DR on July 28 through August 4 with a common goal. Here’s some of what we experienced:

This year, we stayed at a seminary which was located within the busy city. The surroundings were heard clearly - especially on Saturday and Sunday evenings! There were no shortage of things to keep us busy: Activities at the church, spending time with the kids, construction, home visits, and women’s group. 

1,600 pounds of donations were hand-carried in: Jeans, school supplies, medical supplies, hygiene kits, a sewing machine, construction supplies, and more!

Construction: We spent a very long day moving about 20 tons of cement from the church courtyard to the 3rd floor-one bucket at a time! The showers really felt good that evening!

Kids Klub began with about 140 children on Monday and grew to over 300 on Friday! Kids Klub included play time, singing, memorizing Bible verses, story-telling, performing skits, and constructing a beaded lizard which the kids loved! Most of us on the team do not speak Spanish, but that didn’t stop any of us from having a great time with the children. 

Home visits allowed us to share stories and spend time with our sponsored kids at their homes. Each family received a personal hygiene kit prepared at MGLC. 

The women’s group was led by Mary Grimley, Linda Bavier and others. The women enjoyed time together and learned how to quilt and make necklaces and bracelets.
On our day off, we went to the market, toured historical sites, and spent time at the beach. That evening, the Maple Grove group was invited to Pastor Firo’s home for a delicious dinner and great conversation sharing memories and future hopes. 

The final day we played baseball with a local DR team, went to church for a special sending service followed by a delicious home-cooked meal prepared by the women in the church.  After a teary-eyed goodbye, we headed home with enough fond memories to last a lifetime. We departed with no expectations, and returned with no regrets.

An informational meeting will be held on September 11 at 7:00 p.m. at Maple Grove Covenant Church for anyone interested in participating at the next mission trip to be held January 19-26, 2008. Contact Bruce at 763-416-7110.

Rosalin and Rosauri Go to School
Four years ago the life of a young girl named Rosalin was changed. How? She was given a quality Christian education-an opportunity made possible by the love and generosity of a family who welcomed her into their hearts. Rosalin was one of the first to be part of the ASON Child Sponsorship program at Light & Life School in Villa Esfuerzo, Dominican Republic. Since that time many other children (including her sister, Rosauri) and their families in this community have been touched by the generosity of people who felt called to make a difference in the life of a child.

The community of Villa Esfuerzo is an extremely impoverished area of Santo Domingo, DR.  The public education system is poor at best, severely over-crowded, located in very difficult areas or is too far for children to walk.  Because of these conditions, many children do not attend school. Pastor Firo and Light & Life School offers hope and a chance at a better education and life, but your help is desperately needed.  At this present time only 65 of the 300 children are blessed by financial support. Many children attend school even though they do not have a sponsor. To make that possible, the teachers receive very little salary. Pastor Firo and the teachers have big dream and big hearts for this community.  Will you consider welcoming a child into YOUR heart and bless a family by your generosity? 

Sponsoring a child through ASON International
“Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me”  (Luke 9:48).
The love and joy a sponsored child feels is immeasurable. The hope offered is far-reaching. Just $25 a month, less than $1 a day, pays for a child’s education, a special Christmas party, Birthday party and Summer Camp. Pictures of children who are patiently waiting for a sponsor may be accessed at www.ASON.org. You may not be able to help everyone, but the ones that you do, it will make a huge difference in their lives - we’ve seen it firsthand! Contact John or Linda at 763-420-8882.

1,600 pounds of donations received!
Approximately 1,600 pounds of donated items were hand carried into our partner congregation, Light & Life church and school in Villa Esfuerzo, Dominican Republic. This includes 290 pairs of jeans for the school kids (supported in part by a $285 matching grant from Thrivent Financial), school supplies, 130 pounds ($2,200) of donated medical supplies and prescription medications, hygiene kits, team t-shirts, hospital scrubs, 5,000 plastic bags for the women’s ministry, a sewing machine, construction supplies, Kid’s Club and Women’s Ministry crafts, playground equipment and suitcases to carry it all in. Thank you to everyone who contributed time, money and expertise to make this happen and to those who supported the mission team and the students at Light and Life school with sponsorships and prayers. Well done good and faithful servants!

Update from Light & Life Church and School in Villa Esfuerzo, Dominican Republic
The only clean drinking water the residents of Villa Esfuerzo had was to purchase it at rates they could not afford. In 2004, a clean water system was installed at Light & Life with help from MGLC, clean water became available at fraction of the street price. In March of 2007, Light & Life took ownership of the water system and doubled the capacity. They are now selling between 500 and 600 gallons of water each day! The proceeds from the water go directly to support the ministry of the church and school in the Villa Esfuerzo community. Not only does the Light & Life church provide clean water to nourish their bodies, it also offers the hope of salvation for their souls. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their time, financial resources and prayer to this ministry. Please continue to pray for Light & Life Church/school, for Pastor Firo’s health and that God will give them wisdom in their ministry. God blessed the vision of a few faithful believers to positively affect the lives of many in a community with great needs.