Hola from the Dominican!

I thought I'd just paste my most recent report from the Dominican on the blog today.
If you'd like to check out some pictures, you can see them here.

New Day, New Site
6/20/2006 By: Derry Prenkert, Senior High Pastor
Nappanee Missionary Church- Nappanee, IN

Yesterday was a very long day. The kids were on the bus at 6:50 am and returned to the hotel at 10:30 pm. It was our last day at the two sites outside of Moca.
Here's a brief rundown of some experiences at each site:
Highlights from Oya Grande (led by Mark, Cindi, and Kristy):
* Great cultural experiences and lots of exciting food.
* Large turnout at Vacation Bible School.
* Many people accepting Christ through Prayer Walks and going door to door.
* Students forming significant and meaningful relationships with pastor and people of the church.
* One of our translators, Luis (Pastora Quena's grandson), came to know Christ. One of our students, Creighton, developed a immediate connection with him. Through the bus rides and down time at Quena's house, the two were able to share with each other, and Luis decided he wanted to experience this life that he's seen in us.
* Some pretty stretching encounters with individuals who were not ready to begin a relationship with Christ.
* God revealed himself through some significant displays of his Holy Spirit (seeing a mute child we prayed for be able to speak.)

Highlights from Naranghil (Led by Kyle, Derry, and Janelle):
*Some exciting encounters and conversations with Haitian refugees. This town has a large Haitian population who speaks Creol instead of Spanish.
* 2 Haitian Men coming to know Christ, then showing up at every service (including a couple of VBS times!).
* A lady by the name of Ramona being very closed to the Gospel on our first visit. The kids praying for her legs to be healed (she was having incredible trouble walking). The next day they saw her walking around. The day after that, a man came to some of our kids and told them that Ramona wanted to talk to them. God had revealed himself to her as she had spent time reading the scriptures that had been shared with her. She was ready to enter into a relationship with Christ.
* A definite sense of Spiritual oppression and bondage in the community with it being fleshed out in alcoholism, indifference, and abuse.
* Some tough, but rewarding times in services where few people showed up.There are many more stories to be shared, but this is just a taste.
Today, I am spending the morning at Quena's house with Dustin Eby, who is recovering from a little exhaustion and dehydration from yesterday. He is okay, just pray for a speedy recovery and encouragement.
The students have went to the site where they will be spending the next 4 days. It is a larger church in Moca where all the kids will be working together.As I said before, we are all a little tired from our long day yesterday.
We will have some down time this afternoon/ evening, but pray for the team today as we are needing to rely on God's strength and insight to carry us through today.I will close this post with a few quick notes from the kids.God Bless!
Hola! I’m still alive but I haven’t brushed my teeth for three days and I’m running low on underwear. God has been doing amazing things through all of us. All we need to do is listen and obey and he will do the rest because he wants to work. Dios le bendiga.
Eric
Hey! This trip has been absolutely amazing so far. God has been doing unbelievable things in the people down here that I never expected. I can’t wait to share the stories when I get home! Please pray for strength as all of this is incredibly exhausting; but I am loving every second of it!! Thanks for all of your prayers and support! Love you.
Julia
Greetings from the DR! So far this trip has been amazing. We have built so many relationships and learned lots from the Dominicans. No one seems to care what we look like which is so cool. I miss all of you at home but I’m still not ready to come home. Keep praying! With love…
Jeni
Hello everybody. We are about half way done and are going to a new church today. There is a lot of difference here and I think that’s part of the reason this country is so beautiful. God is really moving through this place, and I look forward to sharing all my stories with you. God Bless
Nick
Hola! This trip has been a cool experience. The people here are so hospitable and welcoming. God has done some awesome things.
Beth
I’m Excited! Actually it has been Exciting to see what God is doing. Thanks for the all prayer and please continue to pray for open eyes, excitement and energy, and for listening ears. Are you Excited?
Andrew