North of Boca Chica

Elisio, Leyani, Bud and Karen at our apartment.

These pastors are working at different locations around Santo Domingo.  They speak in area churches and are on staff at the 'English Church'.  They are both excellent teachers.  We are blessed to have them as friends!

work in Vijia

We are continuing our work in an area east of Santo Domingo, called Vijea, pronounced, Bee-he-a.  We started here over two years ago with Eliseo and Leyani.  They are both pastors and have been working in the Dominican Republic after coming here from Cuba. 
We have now completed a house for using as a center for many activities.  First, we are working with over 100 children in the area.  They were very unruly when we began to work with them, with no discipline or at least very little.  Now they are beginning to respond to the lessons and some are beginning to see benefits in their homes.  Some of the parents are now coming to the youth meetings and so we have begun a class for the women in the area. This class has really begun to grow rapidly and we are excited about the opportunities this presents.

A team from Florida helped build a pavilion next to the house.  This is now where we work with the children, while the mothers have bible class in the house.  Also we have a new Dominican couple, Pastor Franklin and his wife Lavi, and their 3 yr.old son, Franyorkis.  They are living  in the house now and oversee the ministries that were started years ago, along with the new projects.

Just last month we worked along side a team from Kentucky that installed a water purification system in the house.  This new project is a water ministry for an area that services over 1000 families.  Until now they were drinking water from a river that is close by, but it is polluted and unsafe, it has been a leading cause of all the parasites and illness that has plagued the area.  Even when they could get clean water, most could not afford to pay for it.  A five gallon bottle was over $100 pesos. (approx. $2.50)   Now we can give them clean water at a cost $25 pesos. (approx. 60 cents)

We have also opened up a computer room to teach those who are interested. Currently we have classes
5 days a week.  In the morning the children come, in the afternoon the teens (youth), and in the evening adult classes are held.

We look forward to medical teams to come as we have set a room aside for medical/dental work.
God has abundantly blessed us and we are so excited to see all He is doing.  We are believing God for a vocational school to begin next year.  Lord willing we will be able to work with over 500 youth and hope to give them a vision of different future than they have ever had.
We thank God daily for all he is doing here and are so excited to see the changes in the lives of those we work with daily. 

Karen is proceeding with the complicated process of getting into the local women's prison.  The prison hosts many foreign women who speak english and were used as 'drug mules'.  Many are there with no charges or court dates.  It's a very dark place to be, but the LIGHT of the LORD brings hope and restoration.

In the evenings here in the city there are young christian men who come to the house for counsel and teaching. We have some that have started businesses and some who have started churches and bible classes.
Today we went to a small Haitian church here in the city, and shared with them.  We have been invited back to preach again and to work with the pastor and his wife privately.

God is so gracious.
Blessings for now,
Bud 

Constructing Houses; Building Hope

Video by John Burr

Doing simply what God asks all of us to do.  LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
It is humbling to see the needs of others and be given the opportunity to
know what is the heart and mind of God.

Haitian children....such as these.

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them,
 "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ,will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."
                             Matthew 18:29
*************************************************************************************
Jezi di yo: Sa m'ap di nou la a, se vre wi: Nenpòt moun ki kite kay li, osinon madanm li, osinon frè l', osinon papa l' ak manman l', osinon pitit li poutèt peyi kote Bondye Wa         (Haitian Creole version)

We have received!

Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Luke 18:16

Haiti Update

 We have been going in and out of Haiti since the earthquake.  When you first arrive it is almost overwhelming.  The total destruction of a city of 3 million plus people is impossible to wrap your mind around.  Then you leave the city and head on west and see even more devastation.  We have been focusing on Petit Goave, which is a small city on the south leg of the country.

Ed Lockett is a friend and missionary with Missionary Ventures, and so we have connected to help in any way we can.  This is clearly not a short term issue.  Before the earthquake there were many who needed work and food. They needed better schools and effective spiritual teaching.  Now they need those things even more plus support through the grieving process, as they work through all that has happened.  In the following days I will try to devote time to keep everyone up to date as the Lord allows.  People are still living on the streets, bathing and brushing their teeth on the sidewalks ....and the Lord is there, too.
We are home, the Dominican Republic, for a couple of weeks and then back to Haiti.  These pictures are of our last trip, and we will be leaving for Haiti the first part of July.

We unloaded some supplies in Port-au-Prince and met with the staff at Mision Rescate.  The medical clinic is still up and running and Bud was asked about some additional work on walls and shelving.

Petit Goave, Haiti and work team

This is some of the MVI work team and Bud on the roof (of course) where the new tinaco's (water tanks) were installed.
What a great time of fellowship, hard work, fun, and the Lord's presence in this time in Haiti.New water lines!

Bon Swa!

MVI Team I  in Petit Goave, Haiti. 
Bud is 4th from left in back row, Ed is 2nd from right in green.
This great team is part medical and part construction. Awesome!

Bud's email to me from Haiti said...
Lots of work, got the pump in and now they have water for the first time

in that area that comes from a spicket. Showers, toilets, sinks, they are incredibly excited.

Started on the wall for security, and will hopefully have much done when the next team begins to work. The bus left here about an hour ago. They were really a great bunch of guys.
I say guys because the women worked at the Wesleyan clinic. The guys were all well versed in the jobs needing done and it was great.

This was home for Bud and the team.  Tents are also home for many, many Haitians...and some, as so many fotos have recorded, have much less than this.   The rains came while the team was there and even the new tents leak.

Kids are abundant in Petit Goave, especially in the area where Ed Lockett has worked for so many years.  The construction team got to play with the children when not laying pipelines, block or whatever the task of the day included.  Bud is staying in Haiti to work with the teams arriving.  Ed left with the first group for some R&R in Florida.