Easter Is Over

Hey World, how are you all?!
Its been a little while! Ive been leading a mission team for the last 2 weeks. We had a team of 10 people, aged 7-73, from all over the UK and USA. The team bonded well and got stuck in with all of the building work and projects really well. There wasnt much moaning...!! Probably more moaning from me than from anyone else actually!!

The team did a good job, and we almost managed without a hospital trip...but sadly no. The penultimate day saw us head off to check out one team members allergic reaction which had caused her face and arms to swell pretty seriously. Few injections later and we were off again though ;)

There are lots of things I could write about, but I think the thing that spoke to ME the most this two weeks was the need to put God first and the relationship with Him which needs to be jealously guarded sometimes. In our team quiet times we kept coming back to the need to focus on Jesus - which sounds so obvious, but sometimes it is really easy to get so caught up in doing good things, or even in serving in missions, that you kind of side step the very reason that your doing the good things in the first place. Does that make sense? I fear it does!! Somw of the team were talking about wanting to come back and be in the Dominican for longer - and maybe that is the right thing for them - but what we all kept being led back too was the face that our emotions need to be treated with caution! God can and does use our emotions, but sometimes when we follow our emotions we just get carried away with things, and actually we need to slow down and take a step back and just wait on God. Thats what we talked about anyways ;)

We also did the Harlem Shake - go to you tube and type in Harlem Shake dom rep  It makes me laugh every time ;)

x thanks for reading x

Tha calm before the madness!

Hello and Happy Easter!!

This whole week has been really busy in DR life! Which makes it feel quite strange that today is quiet! Today is good friday and its a public holiday here so everything is closed. The weather has changed and turned cold and wet, and its very quiet outside!!

In contrast to a week that has been really humid and hot, with so many jobs to get done and manic rushing around to do...! I think Ive spent at least 7 hours on the back of motorbike taxis this week, going from village to village, travelling through the sugar cane fields and up mountain paths! I truely do appreciate the beauty of the DR countryside! I just dont appreciate the rough dirt roads!!

Yesterday I had a meeting to obtain the next batch of birth certificates - 53 more for Esperanza, which is amazing! It is such an encouragement to me to see people in the UK getting a hold of this vision and really supporting it! My church did a fund raiser last week and raised enough for another bunch too! Thanks to all of you who have helped in any way with this - through prayer, or through donating. Its amazing, last year when I was collecting peoples information in the village they were all asking me what it was for. I explained that I had a dream and that it was a BIG dream. I said I didnt know if it would happen but that I believed it was right to try and get them all legal papers. I said that we all needed to join together and ask God to help us as I didnt have any money to do this project. The people all looked at me a little sceptically and agreed to ask God to help us. So every time that I get to hand over a birth certificate or a visa or a passport we all get to be reminded that God has heard our prayers and that God loves them and has put it on the hearts of the people in other countries to help us here! Pretty cool hey ;)

SO today is a bit of a quiet day, although Im off to a friends house later on.
Sunday is the first Mission Direct team of the year to the DR. There will be 10 of them coming to help serve the people here and to serve God. We hope to make a difference in the lives of lots of people over the next two weeks - we will be building a home for a family, taking them out of a shack and into a brick home! We will be visiting schools, a drug rehab center, childrens programs, feeding programs and all kinds of other things too! Please keep us in your prayers over the next two weeks - Im the only leader for this team, so good health for me and plenty of energy would be fantastic too!

Have a great Easter, remember what this weekend is really all about (no, not chocolate, bunnies and hot cross buns.....)

Claire x

Dedication Day

These photos were taken yesterday at Esperanza Village dedication day.
I first came to the DR in July 2009 and spent 2 weeks helping to build 3 homes in this village. Those homes were number 10, 11 & 12. At that time, the villagers were living in tin shacks, with wood, oil drums and rubbish bags as their building materials. Most of their floors were mud.

Yesterday, we celebrated over 4 years of hard work, resulting in the whole original village now having a proper home, made of brick with zinc roofs. These homes are built by The Samaritan Foundation, in partnership with Mission DIrect and many many churches, organisations and individuals across the world. Each home has a sponsor  the Samaritan Foundation doesnt have money to pay for homes, clinics, schools or churches unless individulas donate and sponsor them.

Esperanza is still a struggling community, but yesterday we stood together and celebrated God's goodness in being able to build 260 homes there. Thank you to everyone that has been here on a trip or sent money or supported me or helped in any way with the construction of the homes, school, clinic, church and shops in this community. Your love in action has helped to show this community that they are not forgotten and that the world knows about them and cares for them.

The physical building work is done, but there is so much we can still do to help this community. FOr many of the people they dont have any legal identification - wothout which they have no rights. We had 7 people from the village taken to Haiti last week by the immigration police. These people werent doing anything criminal and all of them were even born in the DR. They need our help to join together with them and get legal papers - birth certificates, passports and visas, to enable them to live and work here in the DR.

If anyone is able to help with any financial gifts, please email me at hopedominican@gmail.com
If you are able to pray for this massive project then please do, please join with me in asking God to make a way for these beautiful people to have a different future.

Thank you so much for reading and for celebrating the successes with me!!!

Claire

Hard Days

There is no doubt about it, this has been a hard week! Last Thursday night a young woman from Esperanza died during a C Section in the hospital. She was only 6 or 7 months pregnant and so the baby is in the special baby room in the hospital. She also has 4 other children who are 8, 7, 3 and 1 1/2. One of the children's father is around, I dont know about the others....

Friday was probably the hardest day since Ive lived in the DR - seeing the pain, suffering and confusion of the children, and then being at the hospital and getting totally frustrated with the staff there who woudlnt talk to me...argh!!! Sometimes it is really frustrating living here...! Realising that there are no social services who are going to get involved with this baby or the other children, that all the processes we have set up in the UK to safeguard these really vulnrable kids - these things just dont happen here. Heartbreaking and tragic, and all kinds of other feelings too!!

The 4 children are now living in 2 different villages, 2 in Chichigua and 2 in La Vagia. They are living with a godmother and a aunt. I dont know these women, but I pray that they are good women who will care for and love the children...

As for the baby, well, he is still in the hospital but apparently he can come home in the next few days... home....where on earth is his home? His mother is dead and his father might not be his father and doesnt want him. This baby is only a few days old - poor little guy doesnt even have a name yet! Please, please, please join me in praying for someone suitable to come forward to care for him. Someone that will love him and provide for him and cherish him as the gift that he is. Im a bit tempted to look after him myself, but I know that as a single woman I cant adopt him here, and therefore I would never be able to leave the island again!!! uuurrr...no!!

In the positive news.... the working visas arrived back from Haiti!! Horrah!! So that means that there are now 6 of the working men who are officially LEGALLY in the DR for the first time in their lives!!!! 6 men is a start, we have about 2000 more to get, but as I tell the people in the village, God knows our needs and as He enables us we will get more and we will keep working until God tells us to stop!!

SO, please pray for...
The unnamed baby and a carer for him.
THANK GOD for the visas coming and the hope that has brought to the village.
Please pray for more wisdom for me in tryign to help but not interfere with the dramas in the village!
Please pray for the 4 children who are adjusting to new homes, apart from each other, and the death of their Mumma.

Thank you and Im sorry if Ive made you sad. A week like this certainly adds perspective to my life and to what I think my troubles are!! Maybe you coudl take a moment and just realise how blessed we really are that we grew up in places that have child protection services, foster parents and all kinds of official bodies that step in and help at a time of emergency. It is such a blessing.

Happy Christmas...in February!

Well... its early February but Ive been out delivering Christmas pressies! I felt a little like Mumma Christmas... Over my time in the UK this winter I was privileged to be able to speak at various different churches, youth groups, fund raisers, dinners etc etc and share some of the stories of the beautiful people in Esperanza and the Dominican Republic. What really blessed me was how interested people all seemed to be! Either Brits are all fantastic actors, or God was on the move!

For the past 2 years now Ive taken my good friend Megan's gift catalog idea and tried to use it to help fundraise for items for people living in poverty who need a little helping hand. It means that the nice people in England give a donation for something- like a bed, a birth certificate, food, a goat, passports, working visas etc, then I get the money, come to the DR and go and make the purchases. Then the best part comes, when I get to deliver the item to those who really need it - whose lives it will impact and improve, who I get to tell that God loves them and so does someone in England!

So the challenge today was to purchase goats. Ive never purchased a goat before, or had any close dealings with a goat, apart from when I was about 5 and a goat tried to eat my sleeve...tut. At one point I was imagining myself on a motorbike taxi, clinging on to two small goats...but fortunately that didnt happen. Danni, who is the only person in Esperanza wirh a truck, kindly drove to the place where the goats were, and loaded them into his truck. Phew. He has a leg in plaster and a flat tire on his truck, so I decided I wouldn't go along for the ride...! The goats arrived and everyone was pretty excited, which was fun to watch. The family of goats are now in Esperanza, enjoying an ocean view and in the loving care of Bernardo and his father Fernando. The hope is they will be used for milk and possibly breeding - producing mroe income for the family.

In the last few days I have also been able to purchase a new bed for a man who claims to be 104 years old! He just arrived in Ascencion village one day last week with no family, no possessions, nothing but his faith in God and a smile on his face. The people of Ascencion - which is another Samaritan Foundation village - have loved him and taken him in to one of their homes. It never ceases to amaze me how people living in poverty are so kind and generous with the little that they do have. I learn so much from their generosity and value of human life. It is humbling to witness.

Today we tried to get the first 6 working visas for the people in Esperanza too - without a current passport and working visa the people - who are of Haitian descent- cant legally work in the Dominican. Through donations given this winter we have the money to get some passports and visas - which is so fantastic! If people cant work they have such limited opportunities. I will have to wait until later this week to find out if the visas worked or not...!

So right now is a pretty exciting time! Thank you to everyone who made Alternative Christmas Gift purchases - I am so very aware that without your support and financial gifts I could not do what i am doing. It never ceases to amaze me how God uses all of us together to carry out His plans, each part working together - its such a privilege for me to be here, and I thank God and my supporters every day.

IM not sure what tomorrow will bring, but out here its usually not quite what I think its going to be anyway!! Goodnight & Sleep tight!!

To God be the glory!

Diary of a Delirious diva...!!

I was eating breakfast, sitting on the sofa, when I noticed what appeared to be a large potato on the floor. ‘That’s odd’ I thought, ‘I cook at the other end of the room, and I don’t even have any potatoes….’  There was no (logical) way that this could be a potato. Further investigation was clearly required. Now, if I was a married type I would definitely declare this a Man’s Job, to investigate UO’s (Unidentified Objects), but alas, as a Single this too is my job. If I had confirmation that this was a snake, rodent or other large monstrous critter than I would declare this a Grounds Man’s job/Office worker/Security Guard/ANYONE BUT ME job. But the potential potato really wasn’t appearing that threatening.

I advanced, feet clad securely in uber-safe Flip Flops, armed with a long Poking Stick (aka a coat hanger). I tentatively prodded the ‘Potato’ and retracted to watch for results. The ‘Potato’ responded by sticking out its tongue. Interesting. Potatoes don’t usually have tongues.

I retreated to a safe distance to contemplate and consider my various  options.  Deciding that, with only 5 minutes until I had to leave for work, time was of the essence, action was needed…I gathered the necessary equipment -  an empty, flattened cereal box and a large Tupperware container.  I poked with the box and the Potato Leapt into the air. It transpired the Potato was indeed a rather large and disgruntled frog!!

So, armed with this knowledge, I proceeded to Man Up to the task, and emitting only one small squeal of distress, I ushered the Gigantic Frog Monster into the Tupperware and out to the balcony. Gently putting the container on the floor I backed away with hands held up in a gesture of peace. Then, safely inside, I slid shut the glass door and heaved a sigh of relief. My work here was done; with seconds to spare I scampered from the Frog Free apartment and off to Esperanza for the day. Ahhhh,

Life is a Rollercoaster, just gotta ride it!

So I guess my blog titles will all be linked to songs!

I've been back in the Dominican for 5 days now, spent 2 days in the village, a day unpacking and food buying, had some meetings with people, caught up with some friends, and had Sunday!

I found it hard in the village this time around - its really hard for me to always be thinking with a long term perspective - how do we really help people who are living in poverty. When that is an abstract question it might be easier to answer than when you are talking about your actual daily life. Tomorrow morning when I go to Esperanza, how do I help my FRIENDS there who are living in POVERTY? What can I offer them or do for them and with them, to help and empower them to change their futures... that is the challenge, and it happens every single day here.

Im trying hard to think with my head, not just act with my heart - but I certainly dont always succeed. It's hard to not give a loan to someone when they ask for it, but when you know they have no possible way of repaying it, and they already owe you a loan...what would Jesus Do? What is the right thing to do? Its a toughie!!

I listen to other missionary type friends discussing these things, talking about what they think is best, about real development work and sustainable projects and things like that. Sometimes I just feel so out of my depth and overwhelmed! But then other days I feel like I am part of something so much bigger that really is making a difference here - the thing that I have been reminded of this weekend though is that God is with me. God says we shoudl ask for wisdom and He will give us it, and that is what Im doing. I know I dont have the answers, I know that God does. Im trying to walk in faithful obedience to Him and to His call on my life.

This all sounds like Im being negative, Im not- its good and helpful to think!!

Today I wore a new white t shirt to church - its nice to have new clothes (post England trip!!). I was carrying my friends baby up the path to church, turned around to wait for my friends to catch me up and.... SPLAT. A MASSIVE bird Poo - landed right on my shoulder, making my lovely new white shirt now a Two Tone shirt, with a massive, obvious and gloopy poo on me.... great start hey!!

I guess you just gotta laugh ;)