New Smiles

Dentist Paul was assisted by friend Ana and medical student Johani in the clinic two weeks ago. Paul made teeth for a number of adults and chlldren and gave them new smiles. Everyone was so grateful for his tireless work here. He and Ana went non-stop for at least 10 hours a day it seemed. They did get an unexpected break when their air compressors died one day. Oops!

Larimar Mine Trip

Last weekend we took a very wild ride up the mountain to see the Larimar mines. Larimar is a beautiful blue stone and when polished make beautiful rings, necklaces and bracelets. The roads up to the mines are horrendous and on this day we encountered torrential rains on the way up. It was really very dangerous. Once we reached the mines, the miners were running for cover and getting out of the mines as fast as they could to avoid being electrocuted. The lifespan of a Larimar miner is much shorter than most any other work here in the Dominican.

The hole is owned by one man and he hires workers to dig the mine and mine it. You can probably guess who makes most of the money from the mining of the stone. The mine owners have just three more years of mining and then the government takes over the land. It looks like there is much exploration going on right now. Time is running out for the mine owners. The government will probably lease the land and take some of the profits.

Fun and Games

I'm always blessed by seeing children and their creativity in the bateys. The games they create remind me that God has created us (humans) with curiosity, desire and passion for living. These children encouage me each day I visit and play with them. All of the Americans who come here experience the joy of the children...yes there are some difficult scenes, I don't deny that, but the joy and laughter often prevail here in the simpicities of life refreshes my soul. I'm including a little video of some girls in Don Bosco who got together for some fun hand clapping.

I'm convinced that American life is robbing children of the creativity God has placed in them. The beauty of play and relationship building in the midst of play can be a missing link for many American kids. God knows how we can reconnect with the simplicities of living...will we listen.

Child Sponsorship

Child Sponsorship through COTN is a huge blessing for our children here in the Dominican Republic. Monique and I were riding the bus the other day with two precious girls, Marilese (pictured with me) and Francisca (with Monique). They are so cute. To the best of our knowledge, the two of them need sponsors. Our good friend Goose Torres from Summit Church in Orlando, FL sponsors three boys, see photo, and has built a beautiful relationship with them through letters and visits here. Would you prayerfully consider sponsoring a child in the Dominican Republic?

Here is some more information from the COTN website...www.cotni.org

Village Partnership - $32/month

Our Village Partnership Child Sponsorship Program provides for a child living with destitute caregivers or a family who is unable to properly provide for them. Monthly sponsorship provides for a child's enrollment into our program which includes education, medical care, daily nutrition through our feeding center, and more. Each child in our Village Partnership Program is assigned multiple sponsors to fully fund their care. Sponsors are encouraged to communicate via letters with their sponsored child and will receive at least three updates from their child per year. (View available children now.)

Special Needs Kids

Last week, Jenna and Chris Dennard's team from Summit Church in Orlando, Florida were here to work with children who have special needs. They played games and shared many fun activities with the children, who came from three different bateys on three consecutive days. The kids spent the whole day with the team and they all had a blast. Sometimes the activity was just plain old tickling, see Chris and Gaby on the ground getting tickled to death. What a joy and blessing to see the beautiful children and their interactions with our new friends from Summit.

Serious Dominoes

It is not uncommon to see a game of dominoes going on out in the front of a house or on the side of the street...anywhere a table and chairs can be set up. People young and old play dominoes for fun and sometimes the games are a little more serious. As a way of signifying a game lost, clothes pins are used and as you can see, they are placed on ears, cheeks or eyebrows. Ouch! There are a couple of guys pictured who were having a rough day at the table.

Diego and Diana

These two twins, brother and sister, are an example of COTN's impact in the batey of Los Robles. Last year Ellie and I held them during a visit to Los Robles. They were sick and weak; abandoned by their mother. See the photo of the two of them with Ellie and I last year. When they saw us this year they immediately came up to us and cuddled us. See this years photo, me with Diego and Diana. Look at how much healthier they are now. They are getting regularly fed through the COTN feeding program and are now cared for by their aunt, who works as a cook in Los Robles.

I repeat..."Love is the process of meeting needs". The cost of one meal is 25 cents. Diego and Diana are living examples of people like you responding to meeting the needs of "the least of these". I hope you will consider partnering with us to be the hands and feet of God in the Dominican Republic.