sleeping through the night

We are currently taking care of an abandoned little Haitian boy. His mom gave birth to twins at 7 months and left the hospital with the healthier one. This little guy was left to die. He weighed two pounds and was badly malnurished when some friends of ours discovered him in the public hospital. We are in the process of getting information on adoption for a couple in the states who is interested. Please pray for baby Isaac, as he's being called. He now weighs 5 and a quarter pounds and is doing well. He enjoys partying at night and sleeping during the day and we are trying to teach him the value of sleeping at night!

mini seminary and braided rugs

posted by sharla

my parents are here with a group from their church in phoenixville, pa. my dad is spending four days with a group of 20 Haitian church leaders, doing a seminario, as they're calling it. seminary. those of you who've been to seminary probably wish it only took four days. this is a group of leaders who have had little Biblical training outside of their church. so dad is teaching Bible study methods and doctrine, as well as qualifications of a leader. it's going really well!

the ladies went to chichigua yesterday and are in los cocos today teaching the women how to make braided rugs. they loved it yesterday, and even a few men joined in! they also have activities for the kids. everyone is doing a great job and having a great time.

pictures to come.

basketball at the beach

posted by sharla

I leave early in the morning for the DR. my parents are bringing a group down from their church in phoenixville, pa. it'll be fun to have my parents down in my favorite country. they've been there two other times, but this will be their first visit since makarios began.

my dad will be teaching the pastors and leaders from our villages in what I hope will be the first of an ongoing training program. pastors from the austin stone community church will be down in may to do session #2.

the women will be working with a group of ladies in chichigua and possibly los cocos. I'm excited about this because we've never really had any kind of program for the ladies. they'll be teaching them how to make braided rugs and pot holders. some of the women will also work with the kids during that time, playing games and doing crafts. there are a few work projects that they'll tackle as well.

after the group leaves, I'll be staying for a few extra days with my parents at the beach. that is where I'll be for the ncaa basketball championship game. those of you who have been there can picture me at jose o'shays. and also, just to make you jealous, picture me at lax for dinner. and dirt biking through the mountains. and there's my little vacation.

please pray for the group, for the men's classes and the women and children's programs. we'll also be helping Mares out with a revival in chichigua, and would appreciate your prayers for this event. pray that the gospel is communicated clearly and that many come to know the Lord as their Savior.

Back Again

Well, I am back again and I thought I would share a bit. It was great to be back in the DR being with the kids I missed so dearly. I had missed Bernito's laugh and Maria Isabel's smile. Now, I will not only miss those kids, but Telicia, Yelifat, Malena, Nana and Papucho as well, among many others whose names wont come to mind. I feel blessed to have participated in a trip that was supposed to help others but has changed my life also. Last year's trip was a complete spiritual awakening in my life that helped me decide on a life of ministry (church and missions). I will never forget holding those kids and hearing their laughs for as long as I live. I was trying to think of a fun story to share, but I am having a very difficult time coming up with a "best" - so I will try for one of my favorites. Last year after connecting with Bernito, I couldn't wait to see him again. This year, when I saw him, I gave him a picture of me and him from last year. When he saw it, he got the biggest smile on his face and held it close. I helped him take it to his mom and she was so happy to receive such a thing. It continues to amaze me how simple things like photos, painting nails, reading books and beanie babies can make those kids' day. Sharla, thanks for all you do to make these trips possible (and Hook 'Em by the way). All Makarios workers, thanks for all you do in making this organization work. I know that God will bless your work. Brian and Bethany: I will miss you guys! Y'all are an incredible couple and I so admire your heart for God and for others. I will be praying for the emotional struggles you face each day and for the kids you work with. I know it is hard sometimes, but I know that God will bless you. I hope to see you again soon. Anyone reading this who has never been down to the DR must go - it will change your life. Again, thanks so much. Y'all (yes I am from Texas) are in my prayers.
*Picture (left to right): Lauren/Lola, Christine, Bernito, his brother Yelifat (not sure on spelling)

spring break

posted by sharla

the latest group is now spending their last night in the DR. they leave bright and early tomorrow morning. I look forward to hearing all of their stories. this was a group of 17 from hill country christian school in austin. from what I've heard so far, they had a great trip and were a big help. it was a group of high school students who take spanish from Laurie Majcher, one of our board members. this was their second annual trip. stay tuned for more stories, but I did hear that one of the fathers, who was there as a chaperone, drained an absess on a little girl's head while receiving instruction over the phone from a doctor in the U.S. nice.

I was sorry to see the dominican republic baseball team lose to cuba today in the world baseball classic. now we are cheering for cuba to win it all, as we need to stick with the caribbean teams!

Disappointing Day

Posted by Brian

The other day we were in Monte Llano at our church and there is a restuarant across the street. We saw the sister of a few of our students pulling up to the restaurant on a brand new motorcycle. The girl on the motorcycle is named Sonya. So she proceeded to get off the her bike and go into the restaurant and talk to a few older german men, who we have seen looking for her in Pancho Mateo. After she was done Beth went to talk to her, just to see how she was doing. As it turns out she has moved into her own house out of Pancho Mateo. We heard this from her sisters a few weeks ago. The older man owns the house and bought her the motorcycle. This is quite remarkable considering she is only 16. From what we gather, the man is a pimp that sets up tourist with young prostitutes. Her mom knows she is involved with this man and approves, in fact sends her to do this. It is a shame because her sisters who are 11 and 12 look up to her as someone who is successful and admire her. It bothers us because it sends the wrong message. It also bothers us because it happens so often in the Dominican Republic, actually the DR is well known for its prostitution among tourists. While prostitution is legal, underage prostitution is not and yet a blind eye is often turned upon it.
We wonder what the men that use these prostitutes feel like, how they can justify this act. We have seen this man in Pancho Mateo before bringing this family ice cream and toys, the other children are envious. It is an aweful situation. So please pray for the children, Sonya, and for the men involved. It is very easy for me to feel angry at them but at the same time I know they are in need of prayer. Also pray that Beth and I have the wisdom to deal with these Problems.

February

posted by Bethany
Well, the month of February is over and we're now into March. I can't believe how fast this year is going. We had a good month over all. We did many different lessons with the kids including one on Jesus feeding the five thousand. Some of the children had heard this story before but were still eager to hear it again. It was a good lesson for them on how God takes care of all of our needs. This week coming up we'll be talking with the kids on their importance to God and how He has made each one of us special. This can be tough for them to get because their very used to pointing out different physical traits on people and looking down on others if they are not like themselves (ie: Haitian/Dominican relations) Their memory verse is Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made!". We want these precious children to know just how special they are to God. Please pray for them, that their hearts will be open to this message of love and they will realize Christ's love for them.
We ended February with a weeklong visit from my parents. It was their first time down here so it was a lot of fun to introduce them to the country and friends we have known in the past four years. They enjoyed spending time in Pancho Mateo and Chi Chi Gua as well. The kids loved being able to meet my parents. They were able to help us with our classes, especially English class which they enjoyed doing.
Keep us in your prayers this next month as we have a couple groups coming down. Pray for health for Brian and I. And especially pray for these children that we have the blessing to work with everyday.

m'ap aprann kreyol

posted by sharla

I've finally decided to learn Kreyol AND work on my Spanish at the same time. anyone want to join me? my current favorite kreyol phrase is "m'ap manje manje." It means "I'm eating food." The verb "to eat" and the noun "food" are both manje, so we can all manje manje.

group season is about to begin. two groups this month and then we're full from mid-may to the end of august. we're still looking for a few new staff to start this summer, so shoot me an email if you're interested. perhaps this picture of our kids will inspire you! please pray for them, for us, for our current staff and those that will be starting this summer.