Dear Friends and mission partners,
Though we have been making frequent trips to help those in need next door in Haiti, we have been running around constantly while here in the DR. We are doing our best to continue and expand the ongoing ministry here. So far this year we have had 10 groups visit us to work with the mission both here and in Haiti, with a total of over 100 visitors to cook for, work with and provide logistical support for. Between the work here & the trips to Haiti, we have offered over 20 medical, dental, and optometry clinics since the first of the year. CDMM has had the privilege of holding VBS's, monthly Bible college training, weekly Bible studies, and monthly youth leader's training sessions. In continuation withe the ongoing ministries, we frequently visit and often preach in all of the mission churches to uplift & encourage these growing congregations. Through these efforts, we have seen over 30 people make a decision for Christ, most of whom have continued in this faith and have been baptized in Him. Over the past three months we have been joined by a missions Intern, Yvonne Goll, who was a blessing to the ministry here and received a lot of valuable training while she was here. Currently at the school we have two full-time students, as well as the 17 part-time students in the Bible College, all of whom carry out ongoing ministry and are a vital element to the growth of the Dominican church. This spring we have been setting up a mission library for the students, preachers & church workers full of Bible reference materials and other valuable study tools. The book drive is going through July; please contact us if this is a project that you would like to get involved in.
In Haiti we have delivered over 1000 tents, and tarps, and have distributed tons of baby formula, diapers, clothing, shoes, food, and medicine to the disaster victims there. These distributions took place in the neighborhoods of Carrefour, called Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Aztec, and Joey's Hill, along with 4 hospitals, and three Orphanages. Trips over into post-earthquake Haiti find us sleeping in tents on mats or in the vehicles as the need arises, and eating mostly snack food which we bring with us. We bring in our own drinking water to avoid sickness and so as not to use up the supplies needed for those living in this disaster-stricken country. I have seen more dead bodies, protruding bones, infections, gangrene, diarrhea, and dehydration than I have ever seen in my entire professional career. God has been faithful and kept us physically, mentally & spiritually healthy, throughout the process. Our vehicles continue to perform wonderfully, and the Dominican churches are growing spiritually and in number as they continue to keep these suffering neighbors before the Lord in prayer.
This has truly been a difficult first 4 months of the year like no other. The Lord continues to provide all we need, and we see no end to the pace at which we have been working. I did take my birthday off (mostly), and it was my first day off in weeks.
Please keep the mission, our family, the Haitians, and the Dominican churches in your prayers! We will try to keep you up-dated as much as we can.
We write frequently on the mission blog:
(http://
post pictures and stories on the mission Facebook page:
(www.facebook.com/#!/group.
and try to keep our web-site (www.cdmmissions.org) up to date as good as we can.
Please look to these sites for updates and information on the Lord's work here.
We covet your prayers and look forward to an invitation to visit and report sometime this next Spring if at all possible. Please fit us into your schedule and budget for such a visit, so we can give you a full report in person after the rush slows down a bit.
God Bless!
In Christ, and for His sake!
Gary
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