Big big change

Many of you know of the big big change the island has in-store for Caitlin and I. Our last year was spent on the North coast of the Dominican Republic. An area made up a many Haitians and Dominicans, as well as a fair amount of ex-patriots. The north Coast has been a popular vacation spot for the last 15 years or so. During our time living in Monte llano, and working in the sugar cane batey, (village) of Caraballo, we have seen and been apart of many great advances and changes in the lives of kids, visitors, and the school. With the work teams coming to an end for 2008 in Caraballo, our directors purposed a few openings at a different Kids Alive site in Jarabacoa, about 2 hours away. Since our main job had been hosting work teams it made since for us to consider and take the offer to move. In Jarabacoa we will be surrounded by the majority of the Kids Alive DR staff. Caitlin will assume the English teaching role at the school, Anija, as well as cover some much needed sponsorship responsibilities there. I will working with teams that come to Jarabacoa, as well as provide some much needed help with teams in Constanza, another Kids Alive site. When there are no teams my role will be one of maintaining the buildings and doing small construction and maintenance. This is a very bittersweet move for us, as we will be leaving behind over a year’s worth of friendships, success, trials, progress and change. Even though we will only be 2 hours away it feels as if we were saying goodbye forever. We will greatly miss our Kids Alive staff of Jessi, Candace, and Alberto. We will also be leaving behind other friends that we hope to always stay in touch. Nationals, and fellow North Americans alike, it’s never easy saying goodbye to people you love.

Teams

With only three teams left on the year and numerous projects to finish, we had our work cut out for us. The first two teams came during the last few weeks of our summer program that Caitlin was heading up. Trinity Fellowship from Texas, and Lisbon Falls from Maine, proved to be some of our best groups ever! Both had work ethics that rivaled even some of our adult groups. We moved about 3 metric tons of rock to make a parking lot, poured about 300ft of side walks, and poured the floor and started laying block for our new cistern. They were two very successful weeks for construction, but even more than that, we were able to see the lives of these teens change right before our eyes. For the first time ever we had a group where every single person made a decision to sponsor a child! There were teens as well as adult leaders who acknowledged the call in their lives to missions. I saw an unwilling selfish attitude on Monday, change to a willing servant heart by Friday. Even more exciting, we witnessed a life changing decision for Christ immediately followed by an ocean baptism!
Our third and final group of the year in Caraballo, was a returning group from Connecticut. Valley Baptist is the most mission minded church I’ve ever known, with trips all over the world, all year long. That’s why it was a great honor to have them back. They could have chosen many places, but we are honored they chose us. There were many that returned from the previous year. Nineteen people in all, we split the group into 3 parts. Ten of the guys did construction, six did medical with Jessi, our nurse, and three did VBS with Caitlin. The medical and education team really ministered to Caitlin and Jessi, they had only good things to say about their week. On the construction end, our national workers told me all week long that this group was the hardest working group we’ve had yet! They played a key role the preparation for the wood shop being built. We also built a wall, and laid quite a few blocks. The guys were a great encouragement to our national workers. In the end, children were sponsored, relationships were built, and even a few people with expressed interest in career missions!

random rant

Ok so today in church we took communion, just like every Sunday, but this week was a bit different. Why you ask? Because this Sunday the cup was juice. Probably normal for most who are reading, but not here. Here they use wine, and they always have in our church, now its really really cheap wine, but that's not the point. The interesting part about it was after we took communion an elder of the church randomly got up and noted the difference and asked the congregation their opinion. It's never really a good idea to ask a group of Dominicans their opinion in a public gathering. They are very passionate and feed off each other and everything gets louder and louder, and the people more emotional and more passionate. Finally Ruben stood up and interrupted and said that it wasn't the appropriate time or place to be having this discussion and they should have a meeting at another time. The whole thing was humorous to me, at one point someone suggested we have half juice and half wine so as to please everyone. Will everyone ever be pleased? If you want to be literal, and choose to agree with me, the last supper consisted of bread and WINE, not juice, and no it wasn't because the wine wasn't fermented, or that the water of the day was dirty. I feel like if Jesus wanted to have juice or water he would have done it. BUT I'm not going to fight to the death over something this silly. What does it matter really if you use wine or juice, sure I prefer wine because I choose to model my life after my Saviour (that was meant to be funny) but its the point of partaking in the covenant meal. We are to remember, and often (as in not just once a month) the obligation that Christ took on for us and our descendants and how it should bring us to reverence before him because when we come into reverence, it brings forth submission. Submission is the only appropriate response that comes out of reverence, and it is submission to God that we should be seeking.
Now, you might be thinking, how immature it is for them to argue over wine or juice, obviously it doesn't matter. But wait a second, are not the things we fight about in worship (church) just as dumb. Take music for example. The day I say I'm leaving a church because I don't like their music being contemporary or not, please slap me in the face. The fact that your music is contemporary or traditional is not the point. The problem is the individuals lack of understanding of what worship (church) is about and is supposed to accomplish, and what their position is in that. And since when does "worship" mean the music part of the service. If I were to explain our church culture in this situation to a Dominican Christian, they would laugh and say "silly Americans". The reality is all of us are silly, myself included, at some point when it comes to our interpretations of the Christian life. I hope I never leave a church because their music is too slow, or not contemporary enough, or too upbeat and loud. That doesn't mean music isn't important. Music is crucial to a worship service, its not the "point", it only brings us to the point. Our music should prepare our hearts for the worship service, which means it should be reverent and lead us to a point of humility and a state of fearfulness, because the ultimate point is submission. My personal opinion is that most, not all, of the modern "contemporary" music that I have heard, is neither reverent, nor fearful resulting not in my submission, but rather in my feelings at the present time. I'm also not pushing for solely traditional music. The point is not what form is better, but rather what will lead the congregation to a state where they are ready for the "rest" of the worship, the point of it all, which is submission.

Many of you know of the back problems that have plagued me. 10 years of Doctors, Chiropractors, Therapists, and still the problems continue. I’ve been misdiagnosed, mistreated, and overlooked. At the very height of pain that I have yet experienced, when Cape Bible Chapel was here, I had decided that I had enough. I started doing some internet research on my problems. I also talked to the Chapel team leader, also good friend and supporter Jay Meystedt, who had similar problems. He told me a specialist he went to in CO springs that had completely fixed him with just a few treatments. So I figured it was worth the time and money to give it a shot. Have you ever cried from pain? Not the frustration of the pain, just the pain. Well that’s about where I was, so I said goodbye to Caitlin for a week and boarded a plane back to the states. Upon arrival, I was met by high school friend and also supporter Andy Young. Andy and his wife Kristie visited us in the DR earlier in the year and we were able to show them the lives and work that they are sacrificing for. I stayed with them for several nights as they treated me with home cooked meals, delightful dishes of, grilled pork tenderloin, steak, homemade hamburgers and pizza! Andy also lent me his truck for week as my appointments were in the Springs and they live in Denver. (which literally saved me a couple hundred dollars) After a few nights at the Young’s, I headed south to CO Springs. I spent too short of a time with Chris, Caitlin's brother. We had lunch and walked around downtown and talked of the struggles of missions and solved the universes poverty problems all in a couple of hours. It was good to see him. I also visited and stayed with some of our other favorite friends, the Gaonas. I was greeted at the Gaona’s with welcome notes, drawings and a chocolate from their four children. I was also referred to as ‘Mr. Beller’ by all four of them the entire time I was there. The Gaona’s are also supporters and it was good to be able to share with them the things God has been doing. They are expecting their 5th child and are in the process of selling their house and buying another with an extra room. I went with them one day to look at houses. It was kind of weird. For half a day I was completely taken in to American thought. Oh yeah, buying a house is a mostly normal thing that Caitlin and I might have to do again some day. It was rather enjoyable being back in that mindset. Looking at houses, critiquing the cheap cabinets, carpeted bathrooms, peel and stick linoleum, and seeing peoples houses for sale by the bank because they couldn’t pay their mortgage, but had a big screen in every room, and two new SUV’s in the garage. Ok maybe that last part wasn’t fun, more, sad, but we did see several places like that. I’m not saying that I shall never be exempt from finding myself in circumstances like that, but I do pray that I shall never allow sin into my life so deep that it takes over everything in such a way where responsibility holds no meaning but rather lusts of life come before the well being my family, and my duty of stewardship before the Lord. I consider it a blessing the experience we have had thus far living life closer to the way the rest of the world lives. For this, I hope and pray, will always be a reminder to us of Gods intended purpose for our family and future generations. I have only to think of the barefooted man handling the cart. The lowly peasant with the 100 lbs perfectly balanced on his head running for his life, sweat and desperation in his eyes, Lord, make me like lowly peasant, the cart handler, may I always work with no shoes.

The doctors in CO Springs were very helpful actually. One of them that saw me for 2 of my visits was actually a believer! Dr. Matthews was able to tell me about my problem, and perfectly explain the treatment he was doing and why it would eventually fix the problem. After each visit I could feel and tell a difference. He recommended that I continue with very specific Chiropractic treatment upon return to the DR. I have since been twice more and am hoping and praying that this will soon be brought to a close. Yes I am ready to move on, back problems are a pill.

One of the things we did while the Roarks were here was horseback riding. It was a lot of fun. We rode up to a beautiful waterfall in the mountains.

I know every single one of you is probably thinking that it’s about time I posted some more. I mean I know that I have kept you waiting day after day as you have often wondered of the well being of your favorite missionaries. But, much has gone on. Although the past year has seemed to pass fairly slowly, the last 2 months have flown by rather quickly, for many reasons I intend to update you right now!
I want to first continue on where I left off when Caitlin’s parents were here. We had many adventures. One adventure even took us to Haiti. For the first time Caitlin and I stepped foot into the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the poorest in the whole world. It was night and day difference. The Dominican border town of Dajabon, was lush and green, with rich farming, and prospering people. Literally 100 yards away was the most black from white difference I have ever seen. Mud, dirt, grim, stinch, a sight we know all too familiar on the north coast in the cane fields. Only, Caraballo represents only a small percentage of hopelessness in the DR, while in Haiti there is no “right side of the tracks”. The day we went happened to be market day. Twice a week the DR opens it’s borders to allow for commerce. Chaos, is about the only word fit to describe market day. Thousands of Haitians run back and forth carrying precious supplies. Men handling huge carts with 100 pound bags stacked so high you can’t count, handling it barefoot through crowds yelling for people to make way, doing everything they can to make sure it doesn’t tip over or get going so fast that it crushes its handler. You see old men as old as what looks like 70 or 80 pushing wheel barrels with 4 or 5, hundred pound bags. There are women carrying goods on their head that easily exceed their height and weight. Men run for their lives, or so it seems with a hundred pound bag of flower or rice on their head, only so they can drop it with some friends and run back for more. It’s a sight I don’t think you see in too many places in the world. I’ve never seen people work so hard. And not for an early retirement do they do this, or to make sure and have a ‘sufficient’ amount in savings, or to save up for something they have been wanting, or even something as noble as paying off built up credit card debt. No, these people have something else in mind. They work like madmen, so their families can eat. I saw and met some of the most respectable people in the world that day. Not once did I feel threatened, scared, or fearful for even my wife, except for the danger of getting in the way of an overloaded cart handler. We spent well over half the day in Haiti walking around visiting people and trying not to look like tourists. No grass, no green, no trees. The main road used for heavy traffic on market day with 18 wheelers, and huge box trucks, looked like something we might build for an off-road course for fourwheelers. An entire country in conditions not suitable for a dog. There’s no way to describe it, its something you can’t understand unless you’ve been there, or you’ve visited the Haitian Bateys in the DR.
We did get to visit a school and orphanage in the border town in Haiti. We were quite impressed and encouraged. They serve 535 children, 80 of whom live at the orphanage. All of the children learn, Creole, French, Spanish, and English! And a good number of them know a great deal of all 4. We talked to kids as young as 10 who spoke English to us.
The rest of the trip that day continued back in the DR, where Mike, Caitlin’s Dad, noted that he never thought returning to the DR (which is a third world country) would feel like returning to advanced civilization. We continued to a town called Monti Cristi, where we saw the salt flats where it’s said that the US gets most of its table salt. We also so a beautiful natural beach, and walked along another shoreline where there was no shortage of beautiful shells.

Welcome Parents

Caitlin's Parents came to visit! They arrived while Cape Bible, also their home church, was in town. They helped out with a VBS we did in the village and were able to see us "in action" as we lead our team. When the team left they invited us to stay at the bed and breakfast in near by Sosua with them for the week. 24hrs of power, hot water, we were in! The neat thing about the Roark's is they are explorers, with Mike being a Geogropher the adventures were a blast and unforgettable.

Our first adventure wasn't too far from home. We took a nice Sunday drive up to the mountain 'campo' or country. It was beautiful. We were able to show Caitlin's parents a little bit of the mountian culture, as well as our favorite little mountain cottage.


We also stopped by Ruben and Juvi's house to introduce them to the Roarks. The Roarks bought a very nice pueter baking plater and presented it to them as a house warming gift. We hung out and talked and were entertained with Mike's carefree unafraid attempt at spanish conversation. He actually did quite well!

On a different day Caitlin took them out to the 'campo' (country) to meet one of our teachers, Dorka, who was wanting to meet them. Dorka is into gardening and flowers and Caitlin told her all about her dad's passion for his flowers. She told her how he hybridizes his own flowers and how beautiful his extensive collection is in the MO spring time. Mike brought pictures of his garden, upon Dorkas request, and he presented them to her. It was neat to show the Roarks the "true" Dominican Republic.