To See The Glory - Our walk with the Lord and our desire To See the Glory

Christmas in Paradise

Posted by Shawn on December 24, 2010

We just returned home from an evening with the Cooper family. In the Dominican Republic Christmas eve dinner is like an American Christmas meal and we were invited by the Cooper’s to have this meal with them. It was such a nice and peaceful (with exception of Silas) evening in Paraiso. It seemed many were just having a nice calm evening.

Our family has somewhat connected with theirs and I say “somewhat” due to the language barrier as we are still learning the language and we don’t always understand all that is said. One of the interesting things is for our family to fit into the dinning area of one of the houses with another large family.

Jessica and Samuel

Joshua, Samuel and some of the Coopers

Josiah and Mr. Cooper

We also had some of the typical Dominican food:

Christmas Dinner Dominican style

And Desserts made by Jessica and the kids

The kids said they had a great time and I heard them all (sans Silas) speaking in Spanish. We hope that the Cooper’s enjoyed our family as we did theirs. We also want to say to all our family and friends back in the USA – Merry Christmas! And we love and miss you all!

Houses for the Poor

Posted by Shawn on December 11, 2010

Many of you know that we are working in a village called Villa Paraiso. It was built by the Samaritan Foundation here in Sosua. The homes are given to some of the poorest in the area and for us Americans this would be beyond poor in the USA. Villa Paraiso is a village built for Dominicans while some of the previous projects were geared for Haitians in the area.

Los Algadones is a village named after the cottons, there is a large piece of machinery still rusting in its place that was once used for the cotton industry.

Original houses in Los Algadones

Inside of house

Basic living

Shacks not worthy of living in

As you can see the living conditions can be worse than what we would allow a lawnmower to park in. Dirt floors rusty and holey roofs. Rotting wood for structures with plenty of insects throughout.

Here is the new section of that village:

New houses in Los Algadones

These houses are still very basic compared to the standard North American living. These houses have 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom with toilet and area for showering, but no running water. It has a room for living and kitchen area and most bring in water via buckets from water taps on the sidewalk. A nice smooth cement floor and a roof to keep out the rain, these houses are a huge upgrade and because they do not pay any rent, they are able to spend that money on food or other necessities. One way to look at the type of living is that of tent camping in the U.S., cooking over open fire or propane stoves, dirt or mud everywhere, mosquitoes, flies and roosters (well, I guess maybe not the roosters 🙂

We have had the blessing of eating with a couple of families in their humble homes and are welcomed with open arms. Very few have luxuries or even a vehicle, but I find that there are many who are at peace and are praising God for everything they have. So the next time you find yourself complaining about a scratch on your car or the size of your house, take a moment and thank God for what you do have. I know that I have been humbled by what people will live with or without here.

Find yourself at the mercies of a loving Father who has given you much or little, yet use all that He has given you for His glory!

Samuel’s Broken Arm

Posted by Shawn on November 28, 2010

Yes, Samuel has broken an arm, not serious – gracias a Dios.

Here are copies of the bills:

Bill for Hospital and X-rays

Doctor's Bill

Two more dents into our already dented wallet. $2,527 for the hospital and d$1,500 for the doctor! Boy am I glad this wasn’t in US Dollars, which would probably what you would spend for the emergency room, doctor and x-rays in the states. Overall this was about $110 USD, which is way cheaper than any part of a visit in the U.S.

The crack is in the upper portion of the humerus, yet he didn’t find it very funny. It isn’t all the way across the bone, so it should heal quickly.

Here is the happy boy now:

Samuel broke his arm

Thank you for the continued prayers for our family!

God bless – Dios te bendiga!

Christmas Gift Ideas

Posted by Shawn on November 26, 2010

Well, this isn’t our normal post, but one that is sort of commercial in nature. We have owned www.NorthwestGifts.com for around 12 years now, but no longer is it a direct source of income. However, our friend Daniel Szczesniak is now running that and our other website www.UrnsNW.com

So, if you are looking for Christmas gifts, Golf gifts, floral wreaths or a number of gift ideas please check out what is offered at Northwest Gifts. Sales will benefit our family as well as Daniel’s.

Priceless

Posted by Shawn on November 15, 2010

Making the move to a 3rd world country and not having health insurance (even beforehand) and not even sure how skilled or what kind of care you can get is interesting to say the least. We have already had to go to the pharmacy a couple of times, first for Heather’s eyes which had something like pink eye and then Silas scratched mosquito bites with dirty fingers and it got infected and now Jessica to the hospital.

First off we believe things are fine (to put you at ease, especially Bonnie) But for Jessica to find a lump at the age of 38 which was the age her grandmother passed away from breast cancer, was a bit nerve racking. The thought of fighting that kind of battle here was not something high on my list. We have already heard enough about cancer deaths here, but I know that we have a great God that can heal and restore all things.

The costs so far for this: $1050 for doctor, $1100 for mamogram, $858 for ultrasound. (Oh, did I forget to mention this is $RD – pesos to dollar is about 37 to 1.)

Doctor appointment in a foreign country: $30
Mamogram in a new facility: $30
Ultrasound in a 3rd world country: $23
Knowing you serve a great and awesome God and having family and friends praying: Priceless.

Beat that MasterCard!

After writing the above we returned to the doctor to get more information. They don’t believe it looks like cancer and they recommend it to be removed and studied. We are praying about this, but for now we are able to relax and praise God for mercies.

Believing in Christmas

Posted by Shawn on November 11, 2010

Iglesia Villa Paraiso

Island Light Ministries is planning a special Christmas service in the church in December. We hope that it will bring glory to God through praise, worship, testimony and more. Part of what we would like to do is have a gift package for each family along with a Christmas dinner at the church.

We are asking our church family to remember their brothers and sisters who have little to nothing and that even the smallest thing can mean a lot to them. Even $5 can go a long way to provide gifts for these families here. Please ask God what it is that you can do to bless your family here in the Dominican Republic.

Continue to pray for this church as the Lord moves you to. He is doing great things here with His people!

God is Moving

Posted by Shawn on November 8, 2010

God is moving and we are trying to keep up! When God moves in an area and you are one of His servants, be ready. Be ready to run and see all He does.

I believe God has put me into similar shoes as those of Gideon. Everything that I am involved with is greater than I am yet God has called me to do these things. The awesome part is, like Gideon, I really don’t do anything substantial I just have to obey Him and follow His lead. God goes before and conquers the enemies. We go not as a huge army, but small, not just with swords, but with the unconventional weapon of love, not with fear, but with His word and knowing God has a plan and the ability to make His plan happen. We get to see the impossible, the unbelievable and we, as His children get to have the benefits of living in His family. I love serving a living God!

As Jesus says in John 4:37-38

³⁷For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

You see, we don’t have to be the ones sowing to be part of the reaping and sometimes when we sow, we do not always see the harvest. We get to play a part of God’s plan of salvation in lives either way.

All of this to bring up a recent celebration in heaven. A man named Jeremiah and his wife came to church last Wednesday. Jeremiah was sick and towards the end of service Lewis asked him and his wife to come up and we prayed for him. He was healed physically and then both him and his wife gave their lives to the Lord. I am not even sure what I did exactly. All I know is when Lewis explained the news to another he mentioned something I did, however, since it was in Spanish I don’t know what it was that I did.

Like Gideon, if I just keep obeying God it will be obvious who is doing the work. God doesn’t stay still, He keeps on moving.

Keep praying for your brothers and sisters here in Villa Paraiso in the Dominican Republic.

Watching

Posted by Shawn on November 4, 2010

One of the residents of Villa Paraiso is a young man with his wife and 2 kids. This young man is always willing to talk (a lot in English) and makes his presence around the church and is a neighbor of a lady we visit a lot. This young man is not a believer, when asked about things he says he is “watching”.

How many of us have watchers, those who are wondering about Christians, about Jesus, about the church and who watch us? They are looking for evidence in our walk, do we really believe what we say we believe? This young man offered us some food today, he made some great spaghetti and rice. He is currently jobless and here that means no job and no unemployment benefits.

Also, I know that there is that time when I will have to challenge him on his “watching” to see if he will be walking. I don’t believe that just my walk, but also my words will bring to him the good news, the Gospel, the truth of Christ which can free him from sin.

I respect this young man in his honesty, he isn’t pretending to be a Christian. He isn’t pretending to know all. He is honestly watching us. I believe God has a plan for this young man’s life, so if this touches you, please pray for him. His name is Manuel. Pray for salvation and for a job.

When it Rains, it Pours

Posted by Shawn on October 27, 2010

For the weather here that is definitely true. It seems that every time it rains we get a downpour that makes it hard to see when driving. This happens probably every other day and a few times today as some storms pass from the north.

Most of our readers can relate to this in their lives as well. From finances to health everything seems to hit at once. Today I would ask that you lift us up in prayer for a few things. I must have a bug of some sort and I am a bit drained right now. Also, we are currently out of cash and a little short in the account to pay rent and the remaining deposit amount that we were allowed to pay this coming month. We just had the back brakes repaired a little sooner than planned since we lost all the brake fluid when a wheel cylinder leaked.

Our guagua is fixed!

We are still questioning the house we are in, it took us a while to find one in a safe location that would work with us and the price was comparable to everything else we found. Now we hear the house next door is $700 month which is $550 less than this house. I am assuming that we get the higher rates as “gringos” because the person next door is currently a Dominican. We don’t want to be foolish with the money God provides, but we also don’t want to be foolish about protecting the family. Until we speak Spanish more fluently and understand more about the culture it may not be the wisest thing to live just anywhere.

We are also setting up with Agape Flights to be able to receive mail and packages from home. We are needing some of the school books we left behind because we had already filled too many bags for the flight. Health insurance is another item on our list of needs that we would like to get soon, the price is much more affordable than the U.S. but I don’t have a quote yet for the whole family.

So please pray with us as week ask God for wisdom in all these decisions and for the finances we need to live here. I believe God has us here and I don’t think it was just to come for a few months to only return home (which we don’t have anymore :~)

Passing out food in a village