news from Kim Smith

here's an update from the Austin Stone's group leader, Kim Smith:

Well it's day five and we have much to report:

• One of us has ring worm (get excited!) - I'll leave it a mystery as to who - parents, don't worry we've got the best goo in the world on it & they will certainly live to tell about it ;)
• After picking up our last group member at the Puerto Plata International Airport, we headed to the beach & saw the most beautiful display of fury the ocean has to offer! It was just after sunset & the high tide was coming in with a vengence. I have never seen so many people be held captive by such a sight for so long - we'd have stayed all night if we could have!
• Today we went to two villages: Chichigua & Negro Melo. We gave out toothbrushes & toothpaste at both villages and did our VBS and sports ministry. We demonstrated how to brush your teeth & boy did they love it! Don't worry - we got picks to send to Colgate to secure future donations :) We thankfully have collected over 700 toothbrushes to give to the people in the villages & began that gift giving today & will continue with our time here.
• In Negro Melo - a few of us had the opportunity to pray over a woman who has been confined to her bed for 2 years. She lives in a concrete rectangle 8ft. by 12 ft. in size. She has not moved from her bed in 2 years as the pain in her legs is more than she can bare. Her husband leaves every day to cut sugar cane - earning $1/ton a day with even the best cutters only able to cut 2 tons a day. He is her only care provider. Language was a huge barrier but we trusted in the Spirit's presence during that sweet time & were honored & humbled to be used in such a way. It's a small thing, but we look forward to giving her clean sheets on Thursday as hers are riddled with feces & urine. We earnestly prayed for salvation, healing, & most of all hope in her life. After we were finally able to get her name: Esperanza, which means 'Hope'. Keep her in your prayers.
• We did the girls nails in Negro Melo & had a dance party after! Salsa! Let me tell you, you haven't danced till you danced Salsa with the cutest 3 yr. old Hatian boy in the entire world!
• PRAISE! We have enough project money to supply the entire village of Negro Melo - 35 families, ~150 people with food for a week! They are literally starving & have little to no means of accessing any nourishment. Grown men are brought to tears requesting any food we may have. We are so excited to go to the market for them on Wednesday and load up on rice, beans, & fruit.
• Today in Chichigua we learned that a family has to walk 1.5-2 hours a day with random bottles & jugs to get water from a man with a hose along a not-so-safe route. We also learned that it costs $400 pesos to fill up their resevior for the entire village to use. So....we found a water truck & got that baby filled! Amazing what smiles $12 ($400 pesos) can put on the face of over a hundred people.
• Tomorrow we will be visiting Poncho Mateo - a village with a strong presence of a witch doctor. We will be loving on the children of that village & prayer walking. Pray for safety & that His presence be made known in the hearts of those villagers.

That's all for now. Thank you for your prayers & endless support.

Village quote for the day: "Don't drink the village Tang."

by His mighty hand & tender grace,

the 'stoners'