Category: Dominican Republic plans

Sale pending on the house

Posted by Shawn on December 9, 2009

Praise God!

We have the house in escrow and it is expected to close on the 31st. This is great news, however, this is our busy month for business and we had already planned a trip to visit our son in Mexico. Not much time to pack, sort or even think. So, we are asking for your prayers on the following:

1. Peace and patience in our home
2. A house to rent
3. Someone to help with the business while we are gone
4. Wisdom with selling the business or getting a partner
5. God to get all the Glory
6. Rest for my wife who will probably be taking on way too much (supermom)
7. Clear vision for our Dominican Republic mission

Thank you to all those who have prayed for the house to sell, it is pending and things can change, we just know that God can pull it all the way through if this is His will for us.

Woo hoo!

Changing Kingdoms

Posted by Shawn on November 14, 2009

Well, I don’t normally write about dreams, especially the weird ones. But, this one seemed to have a very important message.

I can’t recall all of the dream, but I remember leaving a kingdom. I don’t remember being an escape, just I left. I didn’t want to be there anymore and found a new kingdom where the people were free. It seemed like it was easy to walk over too, but that is all that was easy. I then found myself having to watch out, because the old kingdom sent someone after me, it turns out they would do anything, kill anyone, to get me back in their kingdom.

This got very bloody fast, so intense it woke me up. This one that came back cut the skin and muscle off of an arm of a friend of mine (no one I know for real, but a friend in the dream.) This was done to show how serious and to what extreme this person would go to in order to get me back. Then immediately following that he killed another friend. All I remember was there was so much bloodshed and terror, yet I wasn’t really scared, but I knew I had to keep moving and flee from his blade. Then I awoke. I hate it when I want to go back to sleep, but my heart was pumping enough blood and I had enough adrenaline to run a few miles.

So the next few minutes while I was awake I realized the significance of the dream and how the enemy of our soul wants to destroy us. He may try to destroy everyone you love, such as in the case of Job. He wants to render you useless to God at very least or kill you at best. It may be easy to make the initial switch from his kingdom to the kingdom of God, but that is were the easy stops. Life as a born again Christian is like that of the military. You are to prepare for battle, be always watchful, expect the enemy to attack and never let down your guard. This is a spiritual battle, one not seen by many. Quite commonly we are tricked into fighting in the flesh, attacking that which is not the enemy. The enemy is real, wants to kill you, and will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal. Our King, however, is way more powerful, loves you and knows the end of the story.

By the way, our King wins.

Island Light Ministries

Posted by Shawn on September 14, 2009

Our friends Jim and Debra Tunnicliffe spent 6 years serving the Dominican people in the Dominican Republic. They returned to the states for a period of time to plan and then to return to the Dominican Republic with a renewed vision. I met them in 2008 in Sosua (Northern part of the Island) and I felt instantly connected. Their heart to serve the people and to reach out to the lost was obvious from the start.

Island Light Ministries

They plan to return there and continue implementing the vision they have. You can read more about Island Light Ministries at their website www.islandlightministries.org

Please lift them up in prayer as they will need God’s protection, guidance and finances to accomplish their goals. If you are your church body is looking for short term missions to be involved with contact Island Light Ministries to set up a date and plan, they will be glad to host small groups who desire to see what God is doing in other parts of the world.

SEM SEO workshop in Medford Oregon

Posted by Shawn on February 9, 2009

Being involved with online marketing for over the last 10 years, has taught me many skills in SEO and SEM. (SEO – Search engine optimization, SEM – Search engine marketing) These skills are invaluable for anyone trying to use the Internet for sales and marketing. Locally I have noticed most do not have a clue how to optimize their websites for search engines and I know there are plenty of scam artist companies who prey on the ignorant (really ignorant isn’t a bad word.)

What I have decided to do is offer a full day workshop on SEM and SEO here in Medford. I hope to pass on some of my knowledge and skill to those interested in implementing this technology for their own or client websites. I plan on putting on this workshop March20th. Putting all this information together in order for teaching has been quite the task and I don’t want to miss anything and make it as clear as possible for the attendees.

Let me know if you have any interest in this and I can let you know the details as they become set. You can see the business website at SEO Workshop

If you are wondering how this relates to us going to the Dominican Republic, it is a two-fold answer:
1. I plan on teaching different Internet related skills to those trying to improve their work conditions in the D.R.
2. By offering workshops here, I should be able to hire help with my current sites which will give us more options to move without having to sell the businesses first.

Children of the Light – www.NinosDeLaLuz.org

Posted by Shawn on July 31, 2008

Are you looking to support a great mission group?

We visited Jon and Shannon Haslett last year when we took a trip to Sosua, Dominican Republic. We met them through the Tunnicliffes. They run a program in the Dominican Republic that is an extension or continuation of what they have been doing in Venezuela for years.

Read about their history here: http://www.ninosdelaluz.org/know_history.html

We contacted Jon resently about working with them for a year (or more) depending on the Lord’s leading.

Please pray for that ministry and that God uses the Hasletts and others involved to reach these children.

We are BAAACK! What a great trip that was.

Posted by Shawn on June 30, 2008

We returned home on Saturday after driving about 6-1/2 hours from the San Francisco Airport. It is Monday and I am still in the fog. Between the jet lag and a little uneasy stomach, I am not really here. Besides leaving even larger pieces of my heart back in the Dominican Republic.

We had a great 2 weeks with a group of 19. I believe it was 13 teens from 13 to 19 years old. What a great group of kids and young adults, they all behaved maturely, worked hard and had fun despite some long days.

We had opportunities almost every evening to minister throughout the city, from rough areas on the streets to a church service out in a park. We were blessed to be a part of the ministry that the staff at JUCUM (YWAM) has there. This is one awesome group of people who love the Lord and serve Him with all their strength.

Street ministry in the D.R.

Trip is funded for my wife and I!

Posted by Shawn on June 10, 2008

Praise God!

He did it. He provided all the funding. Some of it came on the day we were to turn it all in – and it was quite a bit. Thank you to all of those who helped financial and through prayers.

Just a few days left before we leave. So many things to take care of and we are quite excited about the trip. We did get one thing done (mostly…) we sprayed the house this last weekend.

Just to let you know, heavy boom lifts on hard tires can get stuck to easily off of pavement. So, I rented a boom to get to the peaks and dormer windows on our house. I drove it onto the front lawn, leaving a 1/2″ indention everywhere I drove it. Then I tried to drive it back onto the driveway, but it would just spin the tires. Tried with plywood and 2X4’s as instructed by the rental company, but no go.

I then turned and went the other direction and figured I would try to drive around and into the backyard to access 2 of the dormer windows as planned. I got over some bark area and was going onto the sidewalk. The lift is wider than the sidewalk and as 2 wheels went over the side where more bark is, they sank. It so happens that under that area the clay ground was still really wet and clay leaves no traction. Well, we tried to help it out with a pickup and cable but that didn’t work. $95 and 5 minutes with a tow truck, it was back onto pavement.

So, the lift didn’t quite get used as planned and I still have the facia of one dormer window to get to probably by a 30′ to 40′ ladder. But the house is sprayed and looks really good.

Pictures to come shortly….. maybe.

Fundraising efforts for 2 week trip

Posted by Shawn on June 2, 2008

I think we are coming to the end of the fundraising…. It is always hard to ask people for money and this time, like times before we did as much “working” for the money as possible. Jessica did 3 different yard sales, two of which was with donated items, the last one being at our house for 2 days. (Now, for the trips to Good Will and maybe the dumps.)

Thank you to everyone who donated or supported our efforts!

Now with less than two weeks remaining before we leave, we are preparing for our trip by packing items and getting things ready and planned for the kids who will be staying with grandparents. As any mother reading this would know, this is a hard thing for Jessica, to leave all her kids for 2 weeks, but the Lord is good and they will have fun.

June 13th leaving for the Dominican Republic!

Posted by Shawn on May 12, 2008

So, it is getting here fast! We are leaving for the Dominican Republic on the 13th and at this time there are 17 people on this trip. About 10 of them are High Schoolers (or close in age).

Please pray for those going, finances for the trip, and for God to use us throughout the trip to reach people, to bless His children and to give Him glory.

The Lord will be stretching all of us before and during the trip and the adversary will want us to be in discord, discouraged and overall defeated. We pray that we will fight the battle in the Spirit and not each other :~)

2 week short-term Mission trip to the D.R.

Posted by Shawn on April 30, 2008

Well, we still have the house, so right now we are just planning on going for a short-term trip in June. This trip will be about 2 weeks and we will be going to the new building in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Currently we are raising funds for this trip, so if you are so inclined to help donations can be made to Helping Hands International here in Medford, Oregon. This trip, like many will be a combination of working on the facility there, ministering on the streets (or towns) and possibly doing something for a needy family. The plans are never set in stone, since we have to go on faith. That is one of the cool things about the trips, we get to see God do miracles.

This Saturday, May 3rd is the jogathon, if you want to pledge per lap or just a flat amount. Jessica plans on running about 24 laps, I…. well, she will probably be lapping me since I haven’t ran any distance for quite some time.

Please pray for us and the others going on this trip. There will be a few from Cascade High School going, but none of our kids will go with us this time. The kids will enjoy a couple of weeks being spoiled by grandparents.