Dominican Update

Well its been cloudy since we arrived here, but today it is going to be sunny and hot. Things have gone great. Thank you for all of your prayers. We have only had minor scraps and temporary upset stomaches. Our group has really meshed well with the Dominican students that we have met up with and are serving at the camp with us. Thank you for your prayers, we are really serving with one heart and voice.

You can keep praying for us. In our nightly devotions we are praying that God would help us reveal His glory to all people, and that we would also glorify Him. The further we get into the trip the harder this will become as we get tired and worn down. Keep up the prayers (We are counting on those prayers Hope!).

Here are some highlights so far:
The air port was great. We made all our flights with no issues. Praise God!

Kyle and Denver knocked a coconut out of a tree (they were really excited).

We are working on finishing a house here. We have also been painting, cleaning the camp, and catching a goat that has escaped.

Everyone has been awesome! The group is working so hard and doing a great job revealing God´s glory.

We played a game of volleyball against the dominican group and I am proud to say that the Americans won 25-18. I don´t know why they were so upset though (Just kidding we did win but it was a lot of fun for both sides).

Everyone told me to tell you all hello, and to keep praying for us. I am very impressed by our students and leaders. They are here for the right reasons and are embracing being a Kingdom worker.

A couple of small notes to wrap up:
-Andrea, Hannah is upset you didnt post who won So you think you can dance on this blog. She really wants to know

-Can someboday keep us up to date on the reds scores on here? We have been talking a lot of smack down here about our Reds and we need to know if they are backing that talk up.

-Feel free to leave comments about things going on in Ohio or any other things like that. We would love to hear it. We will try to post a few stories too each time we get on.

-So far we have seen a few Tarantulas, plenty of mosquitos, and lots of lizards. Pretty cool stuff.

Tonight we will be doing a Youth Presentation to a lot of the teens in the area. The Dominican Group will be helping us lead worship, and communicate to the teens. Monday Wednesday and Thursday we will likely be doing VBS´s in the surrounding villages as well.

Thanks for praying for us. Keep it up!

Matt

Tenga un buen dia y oran por nuestro por favor. ¡ADIOS!

Soon We will be on a plane...

In less than 8 hours and 35 minutes I will hopefully be boarding a plane that will take me on the first the leg of a journey that will end with us arriving at Centro Cristiano in the Dominican Republic.  I think the best way to describe what I am feeling right now  would be... Yo estoy on poco nervioso y mucho cansado. Basically, I am a little nervious and VERY tired. Its a good thing  I am not flying the plane tomorrow morning ha ha.

It is hard to believe that it was almost a year ago that a few of us started talking and praying about this trip. Now here we are in June getting ready to board a plane; a group of 36 adults and students. I am looking forward to seeing all of us grow as we are stretched by this experience. I am excited about meeting up with a youth group of Dominican Students that Brittany Orcutt has already been serving with in La Romana. This is going to be a great trip and I am so excited to see what God does through us and how He grows us. 

If you are reading this to keep up to date with the trip and to be praying for us, here is how you can pray for us  right now. Pray for safety as we travel. Pray for patience as we are tired. Pray that God goes before us and prepares the way for us. Pray for our hearts and the hearts of those we will be going to serve. Pray for our health. 

Our team verse for this trip is Romans 15:5-6.  The reason we picked it is because we have such a large group going, but we still want to be one body serving together. We also want to be united in service with the Dominican Youth Group we  will be meeting up with. The verse says, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Our biggest prayer is that this verse that Paul was inspired to write so long ago, will become our DNA as we try to grow God's Kingdom on this trip.

Alright its past my bedtime. Especially when I have to meet the rest of the team at church by 4AM (Is that Biblical???)

En servicio a Dios,

Matt

Graduation

Let me just take a moment to celebrate the accomplishments of our 2009 graduates. We are so very proud of all that they have done and the many great things they will soon be heading off to do. They have put in a ton of work (and their parents have too, plus a lot of money ha ha), over the years to arrive at the end of their Senior Year in High School. Countless late nights doing homework, numerous cramming sessions for tests, and hours upon hours of classroom time have all finally added up to them getting to turn their tassel. Please be sure over the next few weeks to congratulate them yourselves and let them know how proud we are of them. Please also encourage them in this next stage of their lives. Challenge them to keep the faith, to grow spiritually, and to continue the race set before them. It can be a very difficult transition.

Let me also let you know what we will be doing to honor our grads. On May 31st we will be having a special recognition breakfast just for our HS grads and their parents. It will be a wonderful time to celebrate this moment, thank their parents, and look forward to the next stage of their life. The following week June 7th, we will spend some time in the Gathering Place showing a video that will show highlights from the special breakfast the week before and honor our graduates (HS and College). We will also spend some time honoring our HS grads as well as our College Grads by praying for them as a church. Both the breakfast on May 31st and the elements in the service on June 7th will be very special for our students. Please be sure to be here on June 7th to recognize our students and celebrate what they have done. Please also begin praying for them and their parents (this is a very busy time for them). Pray also that they would continue to grow into men and women who are passionate about God and His Kingdom. Pray that they would be fishers of men.

Congrats Grads!