Day 6 Friday
Glen and Sydney in the middle of chubby bunnies. Glen knew he was going to win and was having a bit of fun with Sydney
Last night we decided to have a bit of fun to determine if the men or women would be on cleaning duty on Friday. The game: chubby bunnies. The contestants: Sydney and Glen. Sydney gave it a good shot and got 24 marshmallows in her mouth but she couldn’t outdo Glen. After 24, he still had a lot of space left. So, tonight the women will be cleaning.
Today was our last day to work. We finished the first wall we started at the beginning of the week, got the fence on top of the boundary wall and back filled the retaining wall. We also moved countless blocks from one location to another.
It was a joyful and sad day. We were happy to complete the jobs we started and sad to say goodbye to our Haitian co-workers and the Haitian and Dominican kids we met. Several of our team members decided to sponsor children from Caraballo, which means that they’ll be able to have a long-term relationship with them. Who knows? Si Dios quiere (If God wills) we’ll be back and be able to see our friends from Caraballo again.
Some of our team backfilling the retaining wall
Larry and Darren taking wood forms off the wall
Willy, Glen and Randy just getting ready to lay another course of block
Emily, a Kids Alive missionary who teaches at the Kids Alive child center, with one of her students
Kids playing at recess
On Fridays the kids participate in Awanas instead of school. They play games and have Bible lessons. They kids love both parts of the day.
These kids were all packed along the fence wishing they could be a part of the Kids Alive child center. As the compound expands, they will be able to add more children to the program.
Stephanie with Alfonso, the boy she is going to sponsor.
The local health clinic across the street from the Kids Alive compound. The verse is John 6:35. “Jesus told them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry and he who believes in me will never go thirsty.”
On the wall of the dining hall is Galatians 5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control.”
Our team members, our Haitian co-workers, the Kids Alive care center director and his wife posing for one last picture at the end of a long, productive week. What fun we had working together for God!
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take our picture in front of this wall of sunflowers since the state flower of Kansas is the sunflower
Day 5 Thursday
Today we got to sleep in a bit since we made so much progress yesterday. We were all dragging and some of us have sore muscles, but we worked hard and accomplished several projects.
- We knocked off a chain link fence from the top of the old boundary wall so it could be put on the top of the new boundary wall we built.
- We added two more courses (for non-construction workers, that means layers) of block to the retaining wall.
- We filled in dirt on the backside of the wall we built the first two days.
- We made five rebar cages for bond beams so the Haitians could put them on the first wall we built and the retaining wall.
- We filled in the rebar cages on the first wall with concrete.
Kim tying rebar
Some of our team spent recess with the kids playing basketball, baseball and soccer. Karly got a homerun today and Cassandra got one yesterday. Stephanie taught the boys some cool basketball moves she’s learned from the Jayhawks. Everyone had a great time.
Several of our team members got to take a walk through the village and meet some of the children and women.
This afternoon we got to visit a few stores in the village to buy some souvenirs. One of the stores, a fair trade store, employs about 30 women in the village to make items for their store. The women are paid fairly for their work and the missions groups that visit the store know they are supporting women in Caraballo and they get great products to take home as gifts. I’m so excited about my purchases – handmade paper that I can use to make cards and journals and paper beads to make earrings. If you’d like to make a virtual visit to their store and support women in this amazing community, head to latienda.ca.
Stephanie, Cassandra and Kim tying rebar
Tonight we get to chill in our team house, enjoy an amazing dinner prepared for us by Zeneida, our cook, and relax!
Thank you for our prayers! Please pray that all our cuts and scrapes won’t get infected. It’s pretty dirty here, as you can imagine. We pray your week is going well and look forward to seeing our friends and families on a few days.
Karly using her new skills to add another course to our retaining wall
Some of our men filling concrete buckets and passing them to those working in the trench on the retaining wall
Karly, Vernon and Joy enjoying success after back filling the dirt on the wall we made
It took a lot of us to make concrete, wheelbarrow it to the work site, fill buckets, and pass them up to the top of the wall so Brian could pour it
The Fair Trade Coop of Caraballo
A local Haitian woman doing laundry outside her house
Haitian children playing dominoes outside their house
Santí is one of the men who has been working with us all week. Here he is standing in the doorway of his home. The paint on his house indicates that he is one of the wealthier members in the community
Haitian homes on the edge of Caraballo. These homes are not as nice as the ones Santí lives in. The homes in his neighborhood were built by another Christian organization that works extensively in this village
Larry assessing the task before him before he starts laying block
Day 4 Wednesday
What an incredibly productive (and tiring) day we had today! The last verse for our morning devotions was Romans 12:11 “Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.” What fun to be on a team where everyone takes that to heart and enjoys working hard!
Half of our team started putting up the retaining wall on top of the footing we laid yesterday in the trench. In order to accomplish that task, we pushed 300 block, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow full over to the work site, mixed thousands of pounds of concrete and moved it to the site with our trusty wheelbarrows, passed the concrete down to people laying block in the trench bucket by bucket and those people set the block. Each hole in each cement block was filled with concret to make the retaining wall sturdier, which quadrupled the amount of mortar we used on this wall compared to the wall we built yesterday and Monday. By the end of the day, the wall was
Vernon happily pushing one of many loads of concrete!
about 6 feet high and 60 feet long, which took about 300 block.
Another group of us worked on a bond beam. We had to take cold chisels and hammers and tore off 8” of a concrete wall to save the existing rebar box that was inside of the concrete. This was a very slow process and took 6 hours in the hot sun to finish about 20 feet.
A third project we finished today was pouring concrete into seven vertical columns in the wall we built on Monday and Tuesday. This consisted of mixing concrete, wheelbarrowing it over to the work site and passing buckets of concrete to someone standing on top of the wall, who poured the concrete down the columns. The process took several hours this afternoon.
Rick serving enthusiastically
A highlight of the day was eating lunch with the kids at the school and joining them for the time of worship after lunch. Even though we couldn’t understand much of what they were saying, we enjoyed their enthusiasm and the seriousness with which they approached their prayer time. It was great to get to interact with them a bit.
Last night Emily, the Kids Alive Child Sponsor coordinator for Caraballo, spent the evening with us, sharing with us her story of how God called her to come to Caraballo and teach at the school. Then she shared with us how people can get involved in supporting the children in Caraballo on a long-term basis. For $35 a month, someone can sponsor a child, which, in Caraballo provides one good meal a day, supplementary education (the public schools only last half a day), spiritual instruction and mentors, de-worming medicine twice a year, vitamins, dental hygiene,
Al pushing the last brick to the retaining wall project. His wheelbarrow was full all the other times, he promises!
some clothes, and other items. What a great way to be generous and willing to share what God has given us. If you’d like to sponsor a child from Kids Alive, check out their Web site at kidsalive.org.
A big thanks to everyone who has been praying for us! So far, we’re all healthy, all sleeping well, all enjoying the food, and only have slight cuts and bruises, nothing that won’t heal in a day or two. May God bless you all!
Chichi, one of our Haitian helpers, and Brian, our group coordinator working on the retaining wall
Chichi and the retaining wall at the end of the day
Cassandra with several of the girls at lunch. They LOVE playing with her hair!
Children praying after worship time
Willy chiseling away at the wall
Darren, Joy and Glen celebrating their chiseling victory
Willy and Carolyn filling buckets with concrete for the columns
Working together to get the columns filled
Day 3 Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Willy, Rick and Sydney shoveling gravel to make concrete
How rude of me! I failed on Day 1 to introduce our team to you and tell you where we are and which organization we are working with.
We are a short-term missions trip from Lawrence Free Methodist Church in Lawrence, KS, and are in the Dominican Republic doing some construction work for Kids Alive, an organization whose mission it is to help impoverished kids around the world. Kids Alive works in four areas in the DR. We are working in a community close to the northwestern shore, about three hours from Haiti.
There are sixteen of us on the trip. We range in age from 16 to 64, are 7 females and 9 males and work in different fields, but this week, we are all doing construction and are having a blast! We’re grateful for the construction workers on our team who can show us the ropes but are all pitching in to help build a block wall, mix concrete and fill a trench.
Cassandra shoveling gravel
By the end of today, our second day of work, our team had tied all the rebar, mixed the mortar and laid 600 blocks for a 100+ foot-long wall.
In a separate project, we mixed concrete made from 30 wheelbarrows of sand, 30 wheelbarrows of rocks and 3,000 pounds of cement. Then we moved all that concrete across the Kids Alive compound with wheelbarrows to pour it into a trench that was a two feet wide footing for a boundary wall, which we will start building tomorrow.
We’re grateful for the extremely hard-working local Haitians who helped us mix the concrete and are looking forward to another productive day tomorrow.
Many of our team members mixing concrete for the trench
Randy with a big smile on his face!
Sandy, one of our hard-working Haitian friends
A view of the trench after the concrete was poured
A view of the wall at the end of the day
Three of our team members wearing t-shirts donated to our team by Larry Wedman
Joy, Willy (from the DR) and Stephanie owned the concrete pile! These women shoveled almost the entire day! They rock!
Our team leader, Brian, and our cook, Zeneida
Alberto, director of the Caraballo Kids Alive Childcare Center
Day 2 Monday, February 14, 2011
Today was our first day of work.
We started our day with a tour around Caraballo, a community that is 25% Dominican and 75% Haitian. The Haitians moved here years ago to work in the sugar cane fields, but the sugar plant was closed six or seven years ago, so there is very little work. There is much tension between the two racial groups but Kids Alive is working to bring the children together and work on racial reconciliation for future generations. The child care center includes children from both races and they are learning to partner together on projects and play together at recess.
After our tour, we were privileged to hear from Alberto, the director of the care center. He feels so blessed that God has called him to head up this center and loves being able to provide food, education and spiritual instruction for the children in this community. His favorite time of the day is hearing the children, all 260 of them, worship God together after lunch.
The children waiting to thank God for their food before eating lunch
On Mondays and Thursdays, the children attend public schools half the day and go to the Kids Alive child center for more schooling the other half day. On Fridays, the children participate in an Awanas program to learn more about Christ and what it means to have a relationship with Him.
This child center has been around for six years and has grown from 60 kids to 260. Their dream would be to serve twice that many children. As God provides more classrooms, they’ll be able to accommodate more children.
Today our project was to build walls. Half of us worked on a perimeter wall around the property to expand the size of the property. The other half worked on a wall for a storage shed. Once the storage shed is built, items that are currently being stored in a couple classrooms will be moved into the shed, which will free up space for more classrooms.
What a great day! We all worked together to accomplish something great. We enjoyed our day, worked hard and felt great about our progress. I’m sure those who were the “gophers” today, carrying blocks and buckets of mortar for the rest of us, will be ready to lay block and let someone else haul blocks and mortar. We are grateful for their willingness to serve in that way and will definitely give them a less strenuous assignment tomorrow!
Day 2 MEN
A big THANKS to our loved ones at home who secretly sent Valentines cards to us. What a great surprise to get a love note from home! We love you all!
Karly – what a wonderful way to celebrate her 26th birthday!
Willy and Larry tying rebar
Carolyn and Sydney working while Willy looks on
Rick and Kim working hard
Our team at the end of our first day’s work. We look cleaner and less tired than we really were but after short showers and an amazing dinner prepared for us by a local cook we perked right back up!
Statue of Jesus in Puerto Plata
Sunday morning, February 13
“Oh, what a wonderful God we have!” Romans 11:33
This was the focus of our devotions our first morning in the DR. God is awesome and amazing and we are ready to experience that as we set out to work hard, serve others, love one another and discover what God has to teach us this week.
Saturday arrivers -- front row (L to R): Darren, Joy, Carolyn, Stephanie; back row (L to R): Darrin, Vernon, Cassandra, Sydney, Rick, Kim
Ten of our team members arrived safely and on time in the DR last night while five guys (Al, Glen, Willy, Randy and Larry) got re-routed to Puerto Rico (we think they actually planned it that way) and Karly got rerouted to New York for a very short night in a hotel, compliments of American Airlines. We are praying for their safe arrival in a few hours and know that God is going to bring them safely to the rest of us.
Sunday has been a relaxing day as we wait for our teammates. We have learned the lay of the land, exchanged money and did a little site-seeing in Puerto Plata.
Sunday arrivers (L to R):Willy, Karly, Al, Larry, Glen, Randy
Sunday evening, February 13
Praise God, the rest of our team arrived at 4 p.m. They are exhausted but glad to be here. Sadly, the luggage for the five men didn’t arrive with them. It’s some where between Fort Meyers, GA, Puerto Rico and here. We’re praying for its speedy arrival.
Cassandra and Sydney at the beach
Our plan for tonight: eat pizza and rest up for a hard day of construction work tomorrow. Our construction plans have changed a bit. The biggest need the Kids Alive team has right now is for the wall around their compound to be rebuilt so we’ll be working on that.
Our entire team, glad to be here and ready to serve
A special note from Darrin M to his family – “I miss you very much and love you like crazy!”
I know he speaks for all of us. We are blessed to have such great families and are thankful that you’ve given us the green light to come here.
I can’t believe it’s been two years since I posted on Leading Kids Today! I got busy with other things and this blog took a back seat, but with encouragement from a good friend, I’ve decided to revive Leading Kids Today with a slightly different focus. Previously I focused on how to lead children, both in a church setting and at home. I will continue to write on those topics, but will also include more personal reflections on my journey with God and encouragement from Scripture. My hope and prayer is that this blog not only provides you with tips for leading children more effectively, but also motivates you to draw closer to Christ. As we increase our commitment to and love for Him, we will naturally become more effective leaders.
The last post I made included a great list of self-evaluation questions for those who want to have influence in the lives of children. I’m going to start this year by taking my own advice at the end of that post and tackling each of these questions one by one in this blog. Won’t you join me in this journey as we throw our whole hearts into leading kids to discover how amazing God is?
If you have specific topics you’d like me to write about in LKT, please click on the comment link and leave a comment.
Anticipating great things from God in 2011!
Carolyn
photo by bubblewrap
Whether it’s the beginning of a calendar year or a school year, most of us make New Year’s Resolutions of some sort or another. Perhaps you’ve decided that this is the year to get in shape, get out of debt, go on weekly dates with your spouse, be more positive, or read your Bible a bit every day.
As you ponder which resolutions you want to make for 2009, I encourage you to include your ministry in the mix. In our Sunday morning children’s program this month, we will be learning Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for men.”
Since the time you spend ministering to kids, whether it’s directly or indirectly, falls under the category of “whatever you do,” why not engage in a little introspective thinking over the next few days to determine whether or not you’re working at your ministry with all your heart?
Here are a few questions you could use. Who knows, you just might discover a tip or two that will help you get even better at helping kids connect with God.
1. Do I pray regularly for this ministry?
2. Do I expect God to do amazing things in this ministry?
3. Am I interacting with God through Bible reading, reflection and prayer throughout the week?
4. Do I evaluate my ministry skills on a regular basis to identify things I’m doing well and things I could be doing better and then make concrete steps to get better?
5. Am I open to learning from others how to be a more effective leader and do I ask others for ideas?
6. Do I arrive early so I’m ready to greet kids when they arrive and/or so the program can start when scheduled?
7. Am I prepared before kids arrive?
8. Do I greet the kids with a big smile and show them I’m glad they came?
9. (For those who work directly with kids): Have I set spiritual goals for the kids I lead in the areas of social interaction, Bible literacy, prayer, and application and am I working toward those goals?
10. (For those who work directly with kids): Do I take the lessons we are presenting to kids to heart and ask God to change my life as I hear and/or teach them?
God is honored when we strive to get better at ministry, whether we’re a small group leader, greeter, nursery volunteer, storyteller, a one-on-one helper, praise team leader, tech person, attendance taker or director.
Don’t let another year of ministry pass you by without devoting a little more time and energy into getting better at whatever it is that God has called you to do. Choose one area. After you’ve made progress in that area and it has become a habit, focus on another area. Don’t make resolutions in many different areas at the same time. Instead, focus on one area, but keep changing. Twelve months from now, you’ll be able to look back and see that God has more of your heart and you are even better at what you do.
As for me, I’m starting with #2 — I’m going to expect God to do amazing things in and through our ministry this year and watch for Him to show up. What about you? What’s the first thing you’re going to do to make 2009 a better year of ministry than 2008? To share your resolution, click on the comment link.
photo by chrisB in Sea
It’s not uncommon for me to head to Signs of Life, my favorite coffee shop, on Mondays to do some work. I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee, the quiet atmosphere, and the comfortable couches. Most of all, though, I love being able to enjoy a white chocolate mocha (double shot of espresso, light on the syrup) while I work. Days when I splurge on a specialty drink are always good days!
Due to a change in employment in our family in the past year, white chocolate mochas have truly become “specialty” drinks since I can get my caffeine fix in less expensive ways. These days, I rarely order anything besides a cup of coffee.
A couple months ago, I needed to get some computer work and reading done, so I packed up my things and headed downtown. As I walked into Signs of Life, my friend, Glen, was placing his order. I overheard the barista ask, “Can I get you anything else?” Glen’s response was evidence of his generosity. “Just a minute. Let me see if Carolyn wants anything.” Then, he turned to me and asked me if he could buy me a drink – anything I wanted. He made my day!
This month in Discovery Unlimited, we’re focusing on generosity – making someone’s day by giving something away. A spirit of generosity is reflective of the heart of God, who gave us the best gift ever when He gave us His son. Not only has He given us the most amazing gift ever, but He has also blessed us in a zillion other ways, big and small.
photo by Hidden Peanuts
We tend to think we have to give big gifts to be generous, but we don’t. Generosity can be found in a cup of coffee for a friend, a quarter in the Salvation Army bucket, a box of pasta for your church’s food drive, a hot meal for a struggling family, a Christmas carol in a nursing home, a phone call to someone who’s lonely, or a bag of hand-me-down clothes for the next door neighbor’s son.
As the impact of our struggling economy hits your family, I encourage you to choose to make it a priority to teach your children to be generous with what they have–even if it’s not a lot. Sharing what we have, regardless of how big or small, reflects the character of God and is a virtue that will allow us to bless others throughout our lives.
“Be rich in good deeds … be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18, NIV
LKT readers would love to hear from you. What are some ways you have tried to instill generosity in your children?
I’ve been working on an Amazon store where I’ll link to dozens of books and other items that I think might be of interest to readers of Leading Kids Today. My goal was to get this store up in time for Christmas so parents and others who are fortunate enough to be shopping for a child this year would have an easy way to select Bibles and other Christian resources.
If you’re looking for a children’s Bible this year, here are some factors to consider:
- Completeness of the text
Is the Bible a verse-by-verse Bible or a collection of Bible stories? Preschoolers and early grade schoolers would enjoy a collection of stories better than the complete text of the Bible, but once children are able to read, you might consider getting them an easy-to-read full Bible. - Illustrations
Are the illustrations age-appropriate? If they are too childish, children won’t want to use the Bible. If they are too “grown-up,” they’ll bore kids. - Translation
Is the translation at the appropriate reading level? There are many translations of the Bible today, but many are difficult for children to understand well. I believe the best one on the market today is New International Reader’s Version (NIrV). For more information about reading levels of various Bible translations, check out Bible Translations for Kids: Choosing the Best One for Your Child.
- Supplemental Features
Are the supplemental features engaging for the gender and age of the child who will be using the Bible? Many Bibles for grade schooler children include short devotionals and other features. Take the time to read some of these before you purchase a Bible to make sure they will engage the recipient of your gift. - Binding
Is the binding sturdy enough for your child? Even though paperbacks are less expensive, they may not be worth it if your child is hard on books.
There are many children’s Bibles to choose from, but the Beginner’s Bibles and Adventure Bibles are my top picks.
for 1-3-year-olds
for ages 4-8
for 6-10-year-olds
for 8-12-year-olds
To get a full description of each of these Bibles, head to the Leading Kids Today store. While you’re there, you might as well check out other products for children. If the child on your list already has a Bible, you might consider getting him or her a devotional.
In addition to books for children, the store also includes resources for parents and children’s ministry leaders. I’m hopeful this will be a handy way for you to find the resources you’re interested in quickly and easily. Please take a few minutes to browse through the store, and come back often to see what’s new.
One last thing — if you have experience with children’s Bibles or devotionals, would you please take a minute to leave a comment on this post, letting other readers know what your top pick(s) are and why? Those who are wanting to get their child a Bible or great devotional this year but aren’t quite sure what to get would really appreciate your suggestions. Thanks so much and happy shopping!