Now that we're back...

Sitting here on this Sunday afternoon recapping thoughts and memories of the past days on the trip... All I can think to say is wow, and amen. It has been a joy sharing with all of you about our time that we spent in Barahona. Although I cannot stay in DR, I still have the "excitement of missions" engrained in my heart and head. For now, Texas is my mission field. Although we lack all of the spanish, humidity, culture, and some life styles- until next year this is as good as it gets and I am ok with that. God has worked miracles and clothed us in joy after seeing him move so much. I know that we all suspect that Franklin's church was packed full today because of all the people that we have invited! It was such a blessing to be back at ARBC and worship with fellow beleivers. I feel ashamed eating full meals and having air conditioning, yet when I have these things it reminds me to pray for those people that I love back in DR. May we all continue the Lord's work here.
The following pictures are some of mine from the trip...
spanish word of the day.... pantolones-pants =]
<3.

Two Day Recap!

Well it is now Friday morning, and we have been very busy!
The past two days (Wednesday & Thursday) have gone by extremely fast and we are all so sad yet ready to come back home. Wednesday night we had a "Youth Rally" in a local park for teenagers in the community. What is a "rally" you might ask, well to the Dominicans it means a massive scavenger hunt around the area. So we busted down doors with fellow Dominican teams and had a great time- with about 250 people in attendance!!! Everyone here has come to have great friendships and bonds with all of the people we get to encounter. To the worried mothers out there whom miss their sons, they will be home soon! God has moved through our group in a way that only he can do. We will strive to incorporate missions in everything that we do when we return. Yesterday was a massive, crazy day! We gave out prizes for baseball and basketball, had a succesfull Block Party, painted houses, prayed for people, and the list goes on! I would like to focus on the block party and the great time that it was. I worked with making balloon animals as I quickly put my days at Clown College to use, ;]. We had many games for the community, prizes, face painting, and more drawings by Suzanne. We could not have had a better turn out. But truly the best thing about the Block Party was being able to invite people to Franklin's church. With tears pouring down my face and giving out as many hugs as I could, I as well as others said our good byes. One special boy has touched my heart this week, I wish that I had the time to go into more detail, but this is what God has taught me... God gives us all tender hearts and LOVE for a reason. He didn't have to love us, but by his grace he did. It is the one gift that I can give to others without any limitations or barriers. God has been mighty and just this whole week. We hope to return next year, and it is our prayer that those reading may join us too, for the Lord's mission in us all!!
Spanish word of the day... El reloj- clock.
Typing to you one last time, Kristen Ashburn.

Americanos, Americanos!!!

Well Well Well, I will now be writing for yesterday (Wednesday).
As always a very busy and exhausting day, but as always, very much fun as well! An exciting part of yesterday's activities was being able to hand out all of the dresses and shorts for the boys and girls in the neighboorhoods (pictures soon to come)...

Sweat, Dust, and Humidity, OH MY!

I am now typing about Tuesday, and all of the events of the day. Mrs.McConnico I regret to inform you that your son contuinues to ride on the back of motorcycles, but that he has had no major injuries to report! Starting off the day bright and early on Tuesday morning, Mr. A.C. and the business crew men went to the firehouse in Barahona to cook breakfast for the firemen and minister to them. Surprisingly enough the men were able to get everyone to participate in song/dance to the tune of "I've got a river of life flowing out of me". From what I hear, it was quite a hit! Andy Bunn also told me of his exciting trip down the fire house pole, which almost had caused him a bad landing. I personally got the chance to witness a cool scene in which God's movement was evident. While prayer walking in the neighborhood, we came across a home in which the lady there was hearing impaired. We were blessed to have Beth Sather in our group whom was able to interpret using American sign language. Despite the barrier, we were able to pray for the woman and communicate with her, which was a miracle. Mid-day and peanut butter sandwiches later, all of our groups set out again for afternoon activities. The men in baseball have yet to officially play against the Dominicans to see which team is "better", however, there was a race that went on yesterday between a very fast Dominican whom had tried out for the Olympics, Greg Hunter, and Steve (Esteban) Runnels. The results were as follows: The Dominican was 1st, followed by Greg in 2nd, and Steve in a not so close 3rd. Details typed were told to me, especially about the 3rd place winner. Another busy day in our children's time proved to show a common theme- YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH CRAFTS! More children and teens participated in basketball, and Mrs. Suzanne kept on drawing!!! As night fell upon the blazing sun, the adults rushed back to the hotel to get ready for the "Couples Banquet". We waved the married couples a hearty "Adios" as they set off for what I was told a good dinner, with many Dominican and married couples in attendance(16 Dominican Couples & 10 American Couples + our translator couple). Thus, the rest of us single and teens set out for the mission house for a lovely dinner on the roof-top and our own share time. More stories are told each night concerning the wonderful works of God that we witness. Giving into our sweet tooths, the "Single and Teen Group" went to get some helado (ice cream) from BON! When we were about to leave BON and I actually could not finish my cone, I had asked A.C. if I could give the rest of my cone to a skinny dog across the street. He said "Oh no, go give it to the boy right over there", thinking he would not want it, I offered the rest of my already licked and dripping cone to a skinny boy with a look in his face that only a sweet treat could fufill. With a nod of the head, he accepted and began to eat the ice cream. I just couldn't imagine what it must be like to just hang around the streets wishing for a good meal or a morsel of a sweet. We are so blessed, I wish I could come close to describing it to you, but I have found that it is a lesson that we must learn on our own from each of our expiriences. Last night we prayed for not only our needs here in Barahona but also that our families are safe and well while we continue to be away. May everyone hopefully have a great week, and thank you for reading. We have more full days ahead of us for Wednesday and Thursday! Special shout out to Mamaw & PaPaw (and friends) reading in Arkansas!
SpAnIsH wOrD oF tHe DaY... el pan- the bread. And... el pelo- the hair.
<3333 sending our love =]

Much more to report! :)

Well hello again dear friends & family!

While I was in the back seat of the van today with my head sticking out of the window with the wind blowing in my hair, I thought about how much I love this country. Many of our people were able to experience prayer walking this morning. We all continue to learn about the gentle hearts and spirits of the Dominican people and their reaction to the gospel. We are happily welcomed into their homes, and pray with them as much as possible. The pictures in this blog show the true determination and skill of the men in our church who painted this home IN ONE DAY, transforming the plain wood to a hot pink!(The men did not choose the color!). The first day of our baseball & basketball camp went smoothly. Many children and teens participated and our ARBC crew kept the tempo despite the heat and little water. The soon to be famous Dominican artist Suzanne Berry was dropped off in the park to draw caricatures of the children and adults... and was almost forgotten until a van was sent to pick her back up! One of the joys of being on this trip has been the unification that we see in our church group and the bonding that takes place. Funny Story: A random stop by the police while Bill was driving led to the police wanting to get a closer look at Steve Runnels (apparently he resembles a WANTED Haitian!). Ah, many a good laugh has been shared as we grow closer to each other and the Lord. Good news- more translators arrived today! We rejoice in other peoples' ability to speak Spanish against our broken spanish/texan lingo. "Its Como te llamas", not "Kooomow Tea Ya-masss"! I try my best to get a report from each team, but be sure to ask more members when we return how their experiences were. New news- The "buisnessman group" from our church(A.C. Blair, Warren Matlock, Andy Bunn & Jim Clark) are going to make breakfast for the firemen tomorrow. Tomorrow night all of the married couples in our group are attending a couples banquet with members of Pastor Franklin's church, and we shall continue all of our activities/camps with the community to witness. I also hope to get the chance to ride on the back of the motorcycle through Barahona again! (Gina Runnles & I were offered a ride, who would resist ;] ). Many blessings are received and prayers are answered each day even when we are unsure of how God will provide, he has yet to prove otherwise. We serve a mighty God who calls us ALL to missions. May everyone be able to be an ambassador of Christ everywhere. We learned in our devotional today some tales of the martyrs and their compelling faith to follow Christ to the death. May we pray for the boldness to do so! For those of you reading this, I encourage you to stop. Look at your car, look at the food on your table, look at your full belly, look at your home- then look inside your heart. If Christ is not in the center, all you have is lost. The people of the Dominican Republic do not have much by our standards, without our salvation we all are empty handed.

*Our group sent a note in a bottle to you in hopes that it reaches Texas.... Not really but we do love and miss you all!!! =]

Alright folks, here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for... The Spanish phrase of the day- Me gusta comida (I like food)..... Might I add that the food here is muy bueno (very good), me gusta mucho pollo (I like chicken very much, this is also a free lunch invitation ;]!)

<3>

Hello Again Amigos & Amigas!
Well I come to you now around 9 in la noche (night) to report about our LONG but as always, fruit full day! Arising before 7 once again for our group devotional, followed by breakfast we prepare to experience a new day in the humid and hot land of Dominican Republic. We were blessed the night before to have an awesome "share time" on the roof-top of the mission house, already hearing stories of lives changed after only being here a few days, God is at work. Hearing testimonies of our members that are so passionate about the cause to love and share, seeing men weep as they speak, WOW! So, this morning we went to la playa (the beach) to attend a baptismal service in the ocean with pastor Franklin and members of his church as well as a member of our church, Wanda who although had accepted Christ long ago had never been immersed. We were blessed to be exposed to such real submission from the Lord's people and to also witness a cool scene. After a scrumptious lunch at the Mission House we drove out to attend a church service on a hill where many blind people live. We were entertained by a young boy that loved to play his guitar for us along side Andy at the services for the blind. He was very cute! (pictured above). We were able to communicate with the blind through music and a service, a humbling experience. Shortly after we arrive to a concrete spot in a nearby neighborhood to attend worship with Franklin's church members. Might I add that for all of the sermons we have a translator and both pastor Bill & pastor Franklin speak. We were overjoyed at the number of people that we were able to worship with. Many children also attended this event and we worked very earnestly to see that every child made a craft and invited them to our daily camps starting on Monday. I was very surprised to see our "tough" teenage boys speaking Spanish to the children and throwing them on their laps and backs as they loved on these kids, a perfect demonstration of God's love. Dusty, tired, yet ever joyful- I have yet to see a broken spirit or poor attitude. We are genuinely excited to be here and share our joy in Christ with these people. Seeing the smile on a young boy's face while he is selling peanuts at a gas station. The pure smile on his face when you give him a piece of candy is indescribable. Moments like these, connecting in ways that only love can explain, show us our purpose. Praise the Lord for our translators that continue to come in- Oh how we need them! Pray for us as we begin our sports camps, women's Bible study, construction/prayer walk team/children's groups, and Suzanne as she draws pictures in the park - PRAY that we make a difference and that the glory is given to God. The book of Acts tells us that the Holy Spirit is alive and working, praise the Lord again for that!
Spanish game of the day..... Gato, Gato, Perro! (Cat, Cat, Dog) because we did not know the correct spanish translation for duck, duck, goose! =]
Until I type again, this is Kristen Ashburn typing from Barahona, Dominican Republic.
Much Love to all, and we pray that you receive more sleep than we do!!
<3.

Warm Greetings from Barahona!!!
After picking up the rest of our crew from the airport in Santo Domingo yesterday, we loaded up in our vans and headed off for our destination of Barahona. Attempting to drive in the crazy streets of Santo Domingo SAFELY was quite an adventure! With no true rules of driving or authority enforcing it, a 2 lane road was quickly made four as you watched a family of 5 speed by together all sitting on one motorcyle-needless to say, our rookies were a bit shocked! Hours later our tired but eager crew arrived at our lovely hotel and the collective gasp of feeling some air condition set in. A long night turned into a short few hours of sleep before we were up and at our group bible study this morning at 7 a.m.! Breakfast here, a few rules there, and we are off for a full day of medical clinic. We drove to a nearby school to set up a free medical clinic for families to come and receive check ups and medication. We provided activites for the many children that came, as well as crafts for the women, and basketball for any of the boys. Most of the men from our church went "prayer walking" in the neighboring area. Prayer walking consits of going home to home and praying for families and their needs- a witness tool to the community and simple acts of service. The heat and humidity pressed on as we all were filled with the joy of working with all of the Domincan people, especially the children and their sweet faces! After 7-8 hours of the clinic we packed up and returned to the hotel. Tomorrow we will attend numerous worship services and continue to work with pastor Franklin and his church, as well as the community. I know that God has already begun the work in my heart as well as others as we strive to grow closer to him through expiriencing the work in the Dominican Republic as well as being united with other people around the globe that need him so desperately. It is nearly impossible not to count your blessings while passing a tin roofed shack, or seeing children with no food and clothing. Although not all of us may speak Spanish, God gives us the chance to speak through Love. Enjoy the pictures! Please continue to pray for us! Until I type again- Kristen Ashburn.
Spanish Vocab word of the day... el mundo- the world.

Greetings from Quality Hotel in Santo Domingo!

Having arrived late last night the group pictured above (Mike & Sandi Whisenant, A.C. Blair, Sarah Moore, and The Ashburn Crew) staggered in from a mostly pleasant plane flight from Puerto Rico. With all of our luggage present, despite one lost bag that managed to get to New Jersey, we made it safely- with God always present. We got to experience an awesome situation at the airport in Dallas when clearly some of our luggage was over the 50 Ib limit- but through God and his will to let us take everything we needed despite the weight limits, our helpful attendant Maureen allowed us to bring our overweight bags when we explained to her why we were on our trip and what we would be doing with our supplies. Backtrack to right now, around 10 A.M. here, soon to pick up the rest of our ARBC people at the airport before we embark on what I am sure to be an interesting 3 hour van ride to Barahona!! How will people know we are all from ARBC??-Why our lovely lime green shirts of course! :) Continue to please pray for us and all that God has planned for us, for lives to be changed, for our hearts to be ready to serve, and always- for the glory to go to God. Tomorrow we will minister through a medical clinic and prayer walking. Until I type again, this is Kristen Ashburn reporting from Dominican Republic. Your spanish phrase of the day is... " Me encanta tus zapatos" a.k.a. = I love your shoes.

<3>

The Lord is Providing...

"Isn't He Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful. Isn't Jesus My Lord Wonderful." The words of this song remind me that all the worrying and fretting we've done over how we're going to do this or that on the mission trip is just our lack of faith in God's Wonderful Care for us as we get ready to do the work he's called us to do in the Dominican Republic. As I was going over the schedule today and making some additions and corrections, so that the team would be fully informed, I thought about just writing "Go With God" on every day. Yes, we want to be prepared as much as we can be and have all the supplies we think we might need, but I personally may not be relying on God as much as I should and maybe I should just...Go With God.

This week God has provided a woman to cook our meals and a nice, cool, relaxing place for us to eat. He has provided policemen to help us control the crowd at the medical clinic (that must mean they are expecting a wonderfully large crowd of people seeking the free medical care we will be providing). He's provided us doctors and dentists to see patients and a NEW SCHOOL building to have the clinic rather than the hot tent we were expecting to be in. He's provided several homes for our construction team to paint and repair. He's opening the hearts of the firemen that will eat the breakfast we cook for them and opening their ears to hear the gospel. Twenty-eight couples are anticipating a "night-out" and will hear how God can help them with their marriages. The Youth Rally will draw teens from the neighborhood to have fun and hear the Word preached. When Suzanne sets up in the park to do caricatures, many will surround her and she will begin again to draw beautiful caricatures that the people love. The clothing we've made to distribute to the young children will bring smiles as they model their new clothes. The children and ladies we met last year are anticipating our return and telling their friends about the upcoming activities. Boys are looking forward to playing baseball and basketball with the "Americans," and kids we met last year will be flashing their infectious smiles at us and giving us great big hugs because they are so happy we returned. Our Dominican family continues to grow and grow because of our Wonderful Lord who allows us the opportunity to return.


We have one specific prayer request at this time...translators, pray that God will provide us with more translators so that we can communicate better with the Dominicans.


Check back in a few days so we can share with you the wonderful things he is doing in Barahona, Dominican Republic.


Yes, God is Wonderful!
Sandi

Helmets & Gloves & Bats & Balls Oh My!

Thanks to our generous Arapaho Road Baptist Church members, Patrick Crank's Eagle Project, and a coach at Plano East High School we have an abundance of baseball equipment to take to the Dominican Republic for our Baseball Camp and to give to the participants in our camp.

We’ve sorted and packed the many donations and it’s amazing how God multiplied the space in our luggage and provided other shipping resources.

Thank you for your generous donations!

We have received SO many donations from so many SPECIAL people. We may be the feet for this mission trip, but YOU are the HEART. Your generosity overwhelms us.

Look at the cute dresses that have been sewn by YOU! The little girls there are going to be so proud of their new dress. You've also sewn shorts for the boys...and donated new underwear and T-shirts.

We also have lots of sports equipment, medical supplies, craft supplies, and so much more. Sunday night we're sorting through the donations and packing them into luggage to take as our second piece of luggage. We'll update this blog with more information on our donations after Sunday...stay tuned!

Craft Supplies Needed

Pat Hill and Lynn Hagin will be doing a craft with ladies and need the following items:

Sample or Hotel size bar soaps
Plastic Nail brushes
Paint pens for painting the nail brushes

Please give your donations to Pat Hill, Lynn Hagin, or the church office (label Pat Hill).

Thanks!

Medical & Dental Supplies Needed

Arapaho Road Baptist Church in Garland, Texas is excited about its 2nd mission trip to Barahona, Dominican Republic, July 11-19th. Over 40 people will on the team this year. We will be doing a medical clinic, basketball clinic, baseball clinic, ladies' afternoon Bible studies & activities, and children's Bible studies & activities.

MEDICAL & DENTAL SUPPLIES NEEDED

Dr. Chanoc Mieses of the Central Baptist Church in Santo Domingo is organizing the medical clinic (called an operativo en Spanish) for Saturday, July 12th, in Barahona.

He has commitments from 3 physicians and possibly a 4th. This group includes a cardiologist, one or two pediatricians, and one general practicioner. They will be doing ear tests, eye tests, gynecological tests, gastroenterological tests, pediatric tests, and general tests.

He also has commitments from 2 dentists. All will be volunteering their time.

Do you know of anyone who can help supply these medical and dental supplies? If so, they can be brought to the church at 2256 Arapaho Road, Garland, Texas, or you may contact us at barahona@arbcgarland.com . If you need a letter from our church stating how your donations will be used, please contact us by email or ask the church for a letter when the items are delivered.

Dental Supplies:

• Toothbrushes and small tubes of toothpaste to give away
• Gauze pads
• Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as Advil (not aspirin)

Medical Supplies:

• Antibiotics, such as Ampicilin
• (Anti) Parasite Medications
• Decongestants/antihistamines, medications for flu and cold relief
• Vitamins for the elderly and children
• Creams for dermatitis, Neosporin, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide
• Medications for vaginal infectionsSupplies (throw away) to be used by the physicians doing the exams such as: adhesive bandages, tongue depressors, rubber gloves, gauze, cotton balls, and cotton swabs

Thank you for your support,
Barahona Mission Trip Team