He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

We pray that all of you are doing well and enjoying the time we celebrate our Savior's resurrection!  Here in the Dominican Republic most people celebrate Holy Week or in Spanish, Samana Santo.  Many people take the Thursday before Easter through Easter Sunday off from work and head out to the "campo" or country to visit relatives.  We've been told it is a dangerous time to be out on the roads as there is a lot of drinking and driving and parties.  Many people also set up portable swimming pools in their garages or even the street.  We were at the store the other day and I would say at least a third of the people there were buying pools or pool supplies.  It turns out that the evangelical Christian community doesn't really make a big deal out of Easter here in order to distance themselves from many of the less savory activities going on.

Kris and Jean Carlos smooth things over

Since our last post we hosted a group from Seminole, OK who partnered with us and the South Texas Children's Home Ministries (STCHM).  This group that conducted medical clinics, ministry, and poured a concrete floor for the brother of Pastor Rudy.  It was the first time I (Kris) had worked on such a project.  All the concrete was mixed by hand and carried by wheelbarrows and buckets into the house.  The most interesting part of the project was watching a Dominican worker stain the concrete by sprinkling colored powder on it and then smooth it with a trowel.  It was amazing to see how he could get the concrete so smooth without gouging it.  It must take lots of practice!

The next three days consisted of medical clinics and ministry.  For the first two days we were at the San Felipe church, which you may recall was rebuilt by the Hope College group a few weeks ago.  During the day a doctor and three nurses treated patients while the rest of the group taught Bible lessons, crafts and sports activities.  The Lord's timing was perfect as the Pastor's daughter had just come down with chicken pox.  Many of the patients suffered from parasites, allergies, skin conditions and high blood pressure which is understandable given the strong coffee down here!  In the evening we participated in church services at San Felipe and even with a bigger church they are bursting at the seams.  God is truly working in this community!

Dr. Kemp evaluates a patient while Suzie translates

The final day of clinics was held at the Hatillo location where we conducted a program with the teenagers based on the True Love Waits series.  We shared what the Bible has to say regarding marriage and sex, and shared about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases.  Over 35 youth participated in the program and were very receptive to the information.  All in all, over 200 people were served by the medical clinics and many more participated in the various ministry activities.  It was a true pleasure working with the Seminole group and we made many friends.  We look forward to seeing them again.

Foundation for Dajabon chapel

After a couple days of rest we traveled to the northwestern part of the country to a city called Dajabon, on the Haitian border.  We hit the road at 4:30am and arrived there about four hours later.  We spent the day putting in a foundation for a chapel that will be built next week.  After a full days work of digging trenches, mixing concrete and laying block, we were all exhausted but still had a four hour drive home.  (yes we locked the keys in the bus again and yes, the machete worked again to unlock the door)  We arrived back at the TIME Center around midnight and needless to say slept in a little the next morning!  It was great being able to see a different part of the country.  Some of the area was near desert-like with scrub and cactus.  We also passed many banana and plantain farms and rice fields.  Even though the city seems crowded, this is a big country and there is lot's of room once you get out into the country.

We've had many other activities going on as well.  Cindy has been helping with the planning of VBS programs for the summer and we are both teaching English to some of the youth from the local church.  We also had an opportunity to visit the language school we'll be attending in May.  We'll be spending four hours a day for five days a week in intensive language school.  The location has a beautiful landscaped yard and looks to be a great place for polishing our Spanish skills.  This week we helped our site director and his family move to an apartment just across the street (I though we were done moving things!).  This should be a better location for them as their previous landlord would not fix a leaking roof and other problems with the house.  Please pray for them as they adjust to the new home.

That's about all for now, thanks again all for your prayers and support!

Praises:
Over 18 people accepted Christ during the medical/ministry activities, angels are rejoicing!
Wonderful teamwork with many entities during the medical/ministry activities.
We have received some one-time gifts.
We continue to meet people and make many friends.
Involvement with local ministries and activities.
Screens on our apartment windows!

Prayer Requests:
Language school in May, for comprehension and transportation as we are still trying to determine the best way to get back and forth.
That our home would sell.  We have lowered the price but still have no offers.
Continued teamwork.
For our interns as they raise support and prepare for serving this summer.
For our next team arriving on Monday from New Hampshire.

This doctor has seen too many patients!