The Blessings Continue

      We just finished with three weeks of teams at Students International. The teams during those three weeks included a group from our home sending church in Shipshewana two weeks ago and a group of 6 from our home area last week. This made for a full four weeks but a it was very rewarding time to be able to share with others what life is like for us here in the DR and why we feel so blessed to be here. Whenever we get visitors from our home area, we are always thankful for the work that they do here and the way that they they help us out, but even more than that, it gives us an opportunity to show them how God has blessed us through others and how we are no different then they are. We are trying to follow where He leads us just like they are, wherever they are living. He can use us all in different ways if we are willing.

Eating lunch on the deck with the Joshua Students

     In January I had the opportunity to lead a construction team through the Joshua Wilderness Program in California. I had three young men in all, all 20 years old with no real construction skills but very eager to learn. It proved to be one more time, of many times in my life, I had been reminded of my up-bringing and all that I was taught growing up on a small farm. During the two weeks we worked on several projects like building about 12' of barbwire fence, pouring 15 yards of concrete with a small gas mixer, and setting some 6X6 posts for a future project in another community. Questions came up like, "Why do you staple the wire on the posts instead of just wrapping it around each post as you go?", "Why are we digging the holes so deep for the posts? Isn't 12" deep enough to hold it up?", "How do you know for sure that a 3'X4'X5' triangle is a perfect square?" "Why do you need to have sand in the concrete? There is a lot of dirt here, can't we just use it when we run out of sand?"
       I would be less than honest to say that it takes a lot of energy to answer questions like that, but thinking back, someone (primarily my dad) took the time to answer questions like that for me at some point. I would also say though, that I did enjoy the two weeks with them and was able to see the DR through their eyes for their first time here. Hopefully they saw how God is using us here in the DR as His witnesses for others to see Him in a different light. Our prayer is that when they see and work with us that they would see that it is only through Him that we are able to do what we do here.

Dave and Gerald working on the guard shack

      We also had Dave Wenger and my brother-in-law Gerald Lee here for a week. We worked on a shed for the gate guard at SI, and poured a 4'X45' sidewalk/ramp at Genesis and about 17 yards of concrete drive at the base. It is their second time here for both of them. They were here last April to help with the first phase of the sidewalk at Genesis when Shore Mennonite sent a team down to help there before the school had moved.

Dana and Caleb putting some finishing touches on the Los Higos House

    Then on Saturday the 1st, Fritz and Kris Bontrager, Steve and Marie Raber, and Dana and Caleb Bontrager came for 1 week to help out on two different projects. We started out by finishing the north lean-to on the Social Work site in Los Higos and then moved on to the base to work some more on the concrete driveway. We worked hard for the first three days then played on

Dana, Caleb, Don, Sheldon, Dave working on the drive

the motos for Thursday and Friday. We visited a couple of the waterfalls in the area and then went to the La Presa Tavera, a dam and reservoir north of Jarabacoa. It was fun to show them the sites in the area as well as what a normal day (if there is such a thing) looks like for us here. We look forward to having them back again sometime.

Don, Sheldon, Dave, Caleb, Dana, Steve and Fritz. (looks like I am the only not working here, Hmm????)

     We also had the help of three of Eric Miller;s family and friends from the Goshen, Indiana area helping us for two days: Dave Miller, Sheldon Swartz, and Don Miller. They were a big help with their expertise as well as physical help. Playing the Mennonite game of who knows who is always a great mealtime activity too. Thanks men for the help.
    


 
      

       We now have 10 days to get things in order for our next guests, my sister Barb and her husband Stan Yoder from Angola IN. We anxiously anticipate them being here from Feb 18-24. Of course I also have some work lined up for Stan as does Karen for Barb, at Genesis.
        Again, I want to thank all of you for your thoughts and financial support that you send us but even more than that, for your prayers and to God for His goodness that His grace in allowing us the opportunity to be here at this point in our lives.