Fall happenings here in the DR...

Sounds kind of funny because we don't exactly have "fall" here on the island but up here in the mountains with the cooler weather and the leaves falling, it does feel like "fall" and that has been a sweet surprise for us!!

A good friend of ours made this wall hanging for us as a house warming present. It is her "paraphrase" of Ezekiel 34:25-26--It's hanging in our kitchen above the stove so it serves as a constant reminder to us of our great God and His plans for us...



Would you join us in praying that these words become a reality for us here...

In the wilderness they'll safely dwell
(I will make a covenant of peace)
In the woods at night they'll soundly sleep
(I will make wild beasts to cease)

I will make them be a blessing on and all around My hill,
I will pour out showers of blessing--
Yes, I surely will! (Ezekiel 34:25-26)

I actually received this gift when Dave was back in the states for his mom's funeral and it was a great comfort and encouragement for our whole family. We love how God uses His people to comfort and lift one another up---
Gracias a Bob y Janna!!


Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-38)

Here are two young men from our new neighborhood, Jon and Jose Miguel, who come everyday to help us work on the property. Here they are loading cement on the back of Jose Miguel's burro to carry up higher to the little guesthouse they are helping us finish. These two young men are becoming very dear to us---we have opened our hearts to them which feels very good---and God's command to love Him without reserve and with His love, to love others well keeps coming to mind.

Living in a foreign country and attempting to minister here has really brought many questions to our minds and hearts---like...How do we help here? Should we help here? Do they need our help? What helps, what hurts??? etc, etc

But God seems to keep bringing us back to this "the greatest of His commandments"--to learn how to love well---and we know that on our own power, that is impossible!!! But we also know that God's spirit dwelling within us desires us to love others as God loves us.

So day by day, we want to be "learning" to love each other well--first as a family, husband and wife, daughters and sisters--then to the "others" God puts in our path. Right now Jon and Jose Miguel are "in our path"--we are learning to depend on each other---there is so much we do not know about how to live here in the mountains and Jon and Jose Miguel seem so eager to show us their ways. Like catching a crab that came wandering on our property from our river...

Jon shows us how you hold it behind its claws...



Cherry tries it...



Then into a pot of boiling water to cook!! Did we eat it??? Well, our dog did!!!



We invited them to watch the movie, Facing the Giants, one recent Friday night--we watched it outside on our gazebo--with popcorn. We also invited the family that owns the hardware store down the street. It was a very lovely evening and a beginning to doing life with our neighbors here.

We thank you all for your many prayers---Dave's visit to the states for his mother's funeral went very well, the 4th annual women's conference here was very well attended and so many were blessed (see www.mujeresconproposito2009.blogspot.com for pictures and video), and the second men's group of "Authentic Manhood" is coming to a close---we will celebrate the graduation here next month!! Two more classes will start next month!!

We'll close with some fun pictures of the girls and their friend Raquel enjoying a lazy day off school on our property...











By God's grace and for His glory,

Dave, Cherry, Rachael and Beka