video update

Catching up

It's my plan to continue telling you about all that has been happening while we were so busy we didn't write. That means I now get to share photos about some of my family who came to see us two days after the the Breakthrough Outreach team left.

My Aunt Claire(who is my mother's sister), my Uncle Bobby, and their two oldest grandhildren came down to spend a week with us. It was a graduation gift for Cory and an early graduation gift for Taylor. It would be very hard for me to express with mere words how much it meant to me to have them all here, not to mention how much fun we had.



Of course the first thing we all wanted to do was take them to see Restoration Ranch. Aunt Claire has had her heart involved with RR since the very beginning, and it was special for all of us for her to be able to 'set foot' on the premises.





I think Taylor was most impressed with the mangoes and Bobo, our goat, who seemed to have developed a real liking for her very quickly.

Another Great Team

On the very day that the Living Praise team left for home we received another great team. This one from Breakthrough Outreach Center in Spartanburg, SC. Long time friends, Scott and Shelly Clegg, made the arrangements to introduce their pastor to this nation and to our ministry here. Another match made in heaven. Literally.



We arranged for Pastor Mike Nelson to minister in one of our favorite dominican churches and then we took him out to the farm for some Restoration Ranch ministry! A lot of work with a dash of rest thrown in for good measure.




From there the group went out to San Juan where we have worked for years to add what support we can to Robbie Strickland, the missionary there. Along with a brief message of the gospel, the group provided rice and beans as well as some basic toiletries to the church people of one of the small villages near San Juan.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

It's hard to believe how long it's been since this site was updated. So much has happened since the last post so I guess I'll just sum up some of what has been going on.

When we returned from the US in May, we came right to work with a fun team from Living Praise in Taylors, S.C. It was an all male team, and we really enjoyed working with them. One of the men, Bob, has a PhD in the study of insects, and we had a blast at the local school near Restoration Ranch. Bob and I faithfully looked up the correct spanish words for the bugs that I was not familiar with. (Okay, Bob did most of the looking up.) That particular labor was not totally successful as the kids and even the teachers looked at me strangely until I actually described the creature. THEN they all told me the local word for it. Who knew we could have so much fun talking about bugs and insects?

The guys put in a lot of hard work in the construction there at Restoration Ranch also. And then they painted the bunk house. They stayed busy - and seemed to like it that way.

We're Baaack

Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know we are back in country and have so much to share. Our time in the States went beautifully, and we got to see so many of you while we were there. When we were in Florida we were able to go to Disney World with our grandchildren and their parents, Mark and Amanda. Pictures of some of our stateside activities will be coming soon.

Since we have been home we have hosted two teams. In fact we are in the midst of working with one of those teams this week. I'll try to get some things posted in the next couple days.

The biggest news of the moment is that THE ROOF IS GOING UP! The workers started last Monday, and in spite of many rainy days, are working quickly, and progress is easy to see. I hope to learn how to post a video of it on here for you. Just need time to sit down and figure it out.

Talk to you again soon.

School Time 2

There are so many wonderful photos of the team with the kids or just the kids alone that I decided to give you day 2 of School Time. Hope you enjoy the photos.

School Time

It is always special to arrive and see the children hanging out at the gate waiting for us. They all know who we are now and look forward to each visit.


The day we arrived with the Restoration team was a holiday. Actually it was a day that fell between two holidays. There were a lot fewer children present and many of the ones that were there were dressed in costume for Carnaval. Just another cultural experience for the team!





The team grabbed the goodies and headed in for the fun! They were rewarded with lots of beautiful smiles.

School Supplies

We have been granted great favor with the local school near the farm, and the administrator has told us that we are welcome at any time and for any reason. Our goal is to make sure than none of the children in this school, to which we feel a certain responsibility now, lack for school supplies. Many of the groups that come bring various necessary items, and we take them into the classrooms and give them to these children who often are doing without.

This team brought hundreds of pounds of supplies. We unpacked them all there at the Restoration Ranch site, and repacked them for ease of distribution. We even had a few 'prize' items so we could have some extra fun with the kids.

Dinner with the Griffins

It must have been really special for the team and for Shay and Gwyn Griffin to have dinner together in the Griffin's new home here in the Dominican Republic. The Griffin family was sent from their home church, Restoration Church, in Spartanburg, S.C. That makes them family to this Restoration Church team. It was Shay and Gwyn's desire to host the group for dinner one night, and what a delightful dinner it was. Everyone enjoyed the food and was excited to see the house. An extra treat was the presence of Shay's mother there with us. His parents had come down, but Dad had already returned to the U.S.

Jesus Film

This team came to work on the construction project, but that wasn't their only goal. Team leader, Dick Rodermond, had asked us to put together all the equipment necessary to show the Jesus film. Because of the Ministry Training School we operate here we had a huge screen, the projector, DVD player, and the works so Danny put it all together to make sure each part worked properly with the other. The team looked forward to movie night, and we announced it in the local school the day prior to the event.



The night arrived and rain threatened, but everything went ahead as planned. The guys carried the all the heavy equipment over and got it all set up. An extension cord connected us to a source of electricity, and the neighbors brought chairs out. It is telling of their culture to note that instead of them sitting on these chairs, they gave them to us to sit on. Then they perched on steps, stood, or found other seating.

As usual in a developing nation there were a few glitches, but all of them were readily solved. The most interesting one was that the voltage for the electricity was so unstable that the projector would shut off every few minutes. So we brought out the small generator that Cornerstone Church had purchased and given to us nearly twelve years ago when we moved here! That little generator has seen so much use.



This time it was useful in seeing thirty six people come to receive Jesus as their Savior. It is still going strong. What a great gift it turned out to be!

Remember that previously I mentioned that rain threatened? It was really interesting to note that we finished the movie, finished the prayer for salvation, had a few moments to talk to those who had responded and to give out treats to all the kids around. Just as the equipment was almost totally packed up to go, the rain burst forth. We were all soaked, but the equipment stayed protected and 36 people came to receive Jesus. What a wonderful night!

More Electrical

It's truly hard to explain all the work that was accomplished and all the labor, sweat, and sore muscles involved in doing it. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some more pictures. Enjoy!









These pictures of wires and conduit would have meant absolutely nothing to me two years ago! It's amazing how one's perspective can change. These are now some of the most exciting pictures for me to look at! It means progress;it means a job done properly;it means we're a little closer to our goal of bringing in children and 'parents'. Now that's exciting.

Electrical

Another one of the most daunting projects has been the electrical system. We have been highly blessed to have electricians who choose to spend some of their time here in the DR, taking time off work and away from their families. Stanley Seay is one of those cherished friends. On his last trip here he and Steve Ruff, another electrician, worked extra early and exceptionally late trying to get more and more done before their days here ended. Stanley and his team outdid themselves again this time. It is amazing what these guys accomplish in just a week of work!

Sewer

The goals this team set were to get the sewer lines run from the building that will house four apartments all the way to the septic tank. This was one of the most daunting tasks. Yet just when the time is right God sends the right people to handle the job. Joel Ball is one of those right people. He has a plumbing business in upstate South Carolina so he knew exactly what needed to be done and how to do it. Others on the team also had experience, and they got so much accomplished!



We are actually able to start talking and thinking about how to have toilet and shower facilities usable in that building. Although the structure is far from finished, these construcion guys know how to make things work around other things!


When we have usable bathrooms in that building, teams will be able to sleep right there on the grounds of Restoration Ranch. We've had a few already housed there, but we've been limited to a small number because we have only two bathrooms at this point.



It was hot and dirty work, but the guys sure seemed to have a good time in spite of being exhausted!



A little rest in the shade and regular water breaks are the only requirements we have out there. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get these men to sit down, rest, and have a drink of water!

Work to be Done

Today's title has a double meaning. There is always so much to be done in the weeks prior to travel, and we'll be heading to the US for some weeks of ministry, fun, and family. Somehow, in taking care of all the various things, I let several days go by without updating the blog. And there is still so much to tell you about the team that was here from Restoration! There was a lot of work to be done at the farm, and the team was ready and willing to do it.



At the same time, they have obviously learned the rule about working smarter, not just harder. One of the first things they did was rent a bobcat machine to start moving all those tons of dirt. Whenever you're digging sewer lines and such there is a lot of soil being moved. These guys knew the key to their productivity lay in using their talents for electrical, plumbing, engineering, etc., instead of spending all day digging holes.


But even with that in mind, they all got in their share of digging, picking, shoveling, and everything else!