My time working with the De Weerds and Every Day Ministries Canada (EDMC) in Nagua, DR has come to an end. I am sitting in Regina at my dining room table writing the last post for this trip. The last three full days in the DR were quiet as Ryan had a lot of administration to catch up on and the passion fruit project was in suspension until the second and third passes with the discer could be made. The tractor was supposed to be there on Saturday the 18th but did not show up. Next steps in that work is to get the land worked and then source and transport the 3 meter posts that will serve as the frames for the passion fruit to grow on. I left on Thursday and the plan was to get the ground prepared and the first 200 plants in the ground on the 25th.
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| Aerial view of the area to be transformed into passion fruit plants |
Adrian and Sharon Thomas, the founders of EDMC, have been in Canada for several weeks and are hoping to be able to return to Nagua around the middle of April. Since I was leaving, they asked one of their friends to come down and replace me as the caretaker of the house and on Tuesday I drove to the Semana airport (about a half hour drive) to pick up Sam. Sam and his wife Dawn (who was unable to come this time) have been to Nagua a couple of times previously to take care of the Thomas's house, and Sam, like me, is semi-retired and willing to offer his time to help in this way. We had a couple of days together as we shared the house, and our stories had a lot of common themes. Sam and Dawn have servant's hearts and last year had spoken to their pastor about any opportunities he might be aware of to volunteer since they had recently retired and they were wanting to be able to serve. It so happened that the pastor was aware of a request from the Thomases asking if there was someone willing to go down to Dominican Republic for 10 weeks to take care of their property while they were back in Canada promoting the work. So Sam and Dawn met with the Thomases and were able to work out an arrangement to come and spend time with Adrian and Sharon in their home in Nagua before they left for Canada. A lasting relationship began. The Thomases were able to go back to Canada knowing Sam and Dawn would take care of things while they were gone. When Sam was asked if he could come back again this time, he was pleased to be able to do it.
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| Proof that I am able to put my feet up! Sam with Libby De Weerd enjoying the sand |
Sam and Dawn seem like a great couple who to me are showing what it means to live a life that reflects Christ in being willing to put others first and give of their time and finances to support Christian development work in the DR. The last day I was there, the De Weerds took Sam and me to a nice tourist area called Las Terrenas where we spent a few hours soaking up the sun and enjoying a nice meal. The couple was so generous and appreciative of my willingness to come down and help, and it was my pleasure to get to know them and begin a relationship as ministry partners in the Latin America and Caribbean Region. When I see the level of comittment and sacrifice that a family like the De Weerds make to live full time in Nagua, raise their children there and build into the lives of so many people, it is truly inspiring. Over two hundred pastors are connected in some way with EDMC and by extension the members in their churches. They, along with the Thomases support the Christian community in this part of the DR by building churches, homes for those in need, training leaders and pastors, supporting kids to go to school, mentoring men, women and young people and improving economic opportunities through small business ventures and training. The biggest limiter for this ministry and so many others in the region is funding. Much of the work is done through the use of volunteers in the communities and churches that are connected to EDMC, and from Canadian churches who send teams of volunteers that plug into the projects and get involved in ministry. The networks that EDMC has to solicit financial support for all of the projects they have on the go can always be expanded. Cheryl and I are blessed with the opportunities we have to work to support our volunteer efforts and we feel strongly that we want to be able to promote the work of our regional teams and provide an opportunity for more people to hear about the Kingdom work that is going on here and the impact it is having in transforming communities and families.
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| The Team from Langley, B.C. and Robert their driver and overseer who works with EDMC. |
If you are reading this and are interested in hearing more about the work of EDMC or any of the other ministries we work with, please reach out to us. We would be honoured to be able to tell you more about the work and connect you with folks on the ground. If you are interested in having us come and speak to your business, church or small group, we would love that opportunity as well. We think there may be a role for us in facilitating partnerships between the folks who are busy doing the work in places like Dominican Republic, Honduras and other parts of the region and individuals and groups here in Canada.
We are all part of the church of Christ and those of us in Canada have the responsibility and opportunity to support our global workers through encouragement, prayer and finances. I will promise you that if you make the decision to partner with any of us in the Latin America and Caribbean Regional team you will have the chance to become part of something really cool.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. It means a lot to Cheryl and me when you make the choice to support the work we do through your interest, encouragement and prayer.
Rick
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