Many A Sweltering Moment
The Inaugural MCC-DC Mission Team Returns with Blessings from the Dominican Republic, July 19, 2006.
The blazing Dominican July sun caused us to drip sweat into buckets of blue paint and onto coloring book pages. Logistics Group Leader, Tim Helm, responded to our needs:
My hotel room has no hot water; The AC is broken; The AC won’t go off; My bathroom doesn’t have a sink. (Ask Cathy Campbell and Lisa Codario — they worked it out.)
The meetings are too long. We should be praying more. We don’t want to see sex workers in our hotel bar. I’ve been robbed.
We learned again that all we have is each other and God’s infinite love – and found we lacked nothing.
For a week, 15 DC-area mission members, some old classroom hands, some learning teaching the hard way, took over eight classrooms in two schools. We demonstrated how the arts can be integrated into reading and writing skills for 140 children and 16 partnering Dominican teachers. Our curriculum was based on an original Spanish and English children’s version of Moses and the Pharaoh’s Daughter.
The mission’s school materials budget, daily schedules, staff assignments, curriculum and teacher training, coordination with Dominican school directors, and evaluation were directed by Frank Wirmusky, Group Leader for Children’s Programming and Teacher Training.
Mission member Brian Christinakis translated Frank’s re-telling of the Moses story. From this central theme, an astonishing array of teacher-designed arts activities exploded, including: theatre, dance, song, instruments and wind chimes, hats, t-shirts, bracelets, and masks, along with journal and poetry writing.
Brian Christinakis also did yeoman’s duty as Head Translator. Brian tirelessly facilitated classroom directions, church services, teacher meetings, and critical conversations with our Dominican partners. He co-led our Saturday reception with the members of ASA, Amigos Siempre Amigos/Friends Always Friends, the DR’s sole provider of HIV/AIDS services for men.
Cathy Campbell’s 6-member maintenance team installed six ceiling fans, repaired chairs and desks, refurbished a kitchen, and fixed dormitory toilets and showers. They repaired plumbing, painted walls, gates and doors; installed a new basketball hoop, repaired the old one. They gratefully took help from paid and volunteer workers from both countries to complete the job.
We left behind bookshelves and laptops (like manna from heaven popping out of RJ Flowers’ backpack), tools and paints, art and classroom supplies, musical instruments, sports equipment, a world map mural, and even some dinero.
Reverend Lance Mullins from New Covenant MCC in Laurel, MD at times seemed to be speaking several languages at once, including more Spanish than most of us. Rev. Lance coordinated the daily programming at the Dominica School and Orphanage in La Ureña, moving masses of people through prayers, readings, singing, rainstorms, meals, meetings, performances, and ceremonies. He was our Mission Moses, ably assisted by School Director Dominica Rosario.
At El Tamarindo Yolanda Jackson just plain took over, astounding her peers and the Dominican staff with energy and creativity. School Director Reverend Francisco Barrera and mission member Cecelia (Momma C) Hayden-Smith kept spirits high despite the oppressive heat.
Our 1ST MCC-DC DR Mission Trip was brought to a close by MCC-DC Senior Pastor Candace Shultis, who championed our work and prayed us off in style. She stood ever fast and was at the airport to receive us and bless our safe return. We now look ahead to what more can be done.
The 2006 MCC-DC DR mission team thanks Group Transport Leader Maureen Doyle for her outstanding work as air travel shepherdess, delivering intact not only the sheep, but 22 suitcases of donated school supplies and tools; and Mark Sprague, Tommie Adams, Jr., Leah Clause, and Lisa Codario for their work on marketing, photography, and the mission blog.
God’s plan for us and the Dominican people is just unfolding; please support us with your prayers and gifts. In turn we thank our sending partners, MCC-DC congregation, and special contributors for their prayers and generous support.
For more information on how you can help, contact the MCC-DC Dominican Republic Outreach Ministry, led by Associate Pastor Reverend Venson Phillip Mathews, vpmathews@msn.com.
The blazing Dominican July sun caused us to drip sweat into buckets of blue paint and onto coloring book pages. Logistics Group Leader, Tim Helm, responded to our needs:
My hotel room has no hot water; The AC is broken; The AC won’t go off; My bathroom doesn’t have a sink. (Ask Cathy Campbell and Lisa Codario — they worked it out.)
The meetings are too long. We should be praying more. We don’t want to see sex workers in our hotel bar. I’ve been robbed.
We learned again that all we have is each other and God’s infinite love – and found we lacked nothing.
For a week, 15 DC-area mission members, some old classroom hands, some learning teaching the hard way, took over eight classrooms in two schools. We demonstrated how the arts can be integrated into reading and writing skills for 140 children and 16 partnering Dominican teachers. Our curriculum was based on an original Spanish and English children’s version of Moses and the Pharaoh’s Daughter.
The mission’s school materials budget, daily schedules, staff assignments, curriculum and teacher training, coordination with Dominican school directors, and evaluation were directed by Frank Wirmusky, Group Leader for Children’s Programming and Teacher Training.
Mission member Brian Christinakis translated Frank’s re-telling of the Moses story. From this central theme, an astonishing array of teacher-designed arts activities exploded, including: theatre, dance, song, instruments and wind chimes, hats, t-shirts, bracelets, and masks, along with journal and poetry writing.
Brian Christinakis also did yeoman’s duty as Head Translator. Brian tirelessly facilitated classroom directions, church services, teacher meetings, and critical conversations with our Dominican partners. He co-led our Saturday reception with the members of ASA, Amigos Siempre Amigos/Friends Always Friends, the DR’s sole provider of HIV/AIDS services for men.
Cathy Campbell’s 6-member maintenance team installed six ceiling fans, repaired chairs and desks, refurbished a kitchen, and fixed dormitory toilets and showers. They repaired plumbing, painted walls, gates and doors; installed a new basketball hoop, repaired the old one. They gratefully took help from paid and volunteer workers from both countries to complete the job.
We left behind bookshelves and laptops (like manna from heaven popping out of RJ Flowers’ backpack), tools and paints, art and classroom supplies, musical instruments, sports equipment, a world map mural, and even some dinero.
Reverend Lance Mullins from New Covenant MCC in Laurel, MD at times seemed to be speaking several languages at once, including more Spanish than most of us. Rev. Lance coordinated the daily programming at the Dominica School and Orphanage in La Ureña, moving masses of people through prayers, readings, singing, rainstorms, meals, meetings, performances, and ceremonies. He was our Mission Moses, ably assisted by School Director Dominica Rosario.
At El Tamarindo Yolanda Jackson just plain took over, astounding her peers and the Dominican staff with energy and creativity. School Director Reverend Francisco Barrera and mission member Cecelia (Momma C) Hayden-Smith kept spirits high despite the oppressive heat.
Our 1ST MCC-DC DR Mission Trip was brought to a close by MCC-DC Senior Pastor Candace Shultis, who championed our work and prayed us off in style. She stood ever fast and was at the airport to receive us and bless our safe return. We now look ahead to what more can be done.
The 2006 MCC-DC DR mission team thanks Group Transport Leader Maureen Doyle for her outstanding work as air travel shepherdess, delivering intact not only the sheep, but 22 suitcases of donated school supplies and tools; and Mark Sprague, Tommie Adams, Jr., Leah Clause, and Lisa Codario for their work on marketing, photography, and the mission blog.
God’s plan for us and the Dominican people is just unfolding; please support us with your prayers and gifts. In turn we thank our sending partners, MCC-DC congregation, and special contributors for their prayers and generous support.
For more information on how you can help, contact the MCC-DC Dominican Republic Outreach Ministry, led by Associate Pastor Reverend Venson Phillip Mathews, vpmathews@msn.com.
posted by Rev. Phil at 9:00 PM
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