The Lord provided a vehicle for us. It is a 1986 Mitsubishi Montero Jeep. It is in much better shape than the first jeep we thought we were going to buy. We are thankful the Lord closed the door on the first vehicle. He always knows better than we do. Our friend and ministry leader, Lewis, found the jeep and helped us every step of the process. Purchasing a vehicle here is a bit different than in the States. We were blessed to have his help!
The next answer to last month's prayers is our rental house in Maryland. It took ONE OPEN HOUSE to find a new and qualified renter. The first time we worked to find a renter, it took several months and many many showings. What a great confirmation that the Lord has us here and that we can trust Him to take care of every detail and every need. Our new renters move in the day after our previous ones move out.
I, Steph, was very sick last month as I contracted Dengue Fever. I was sick for about 11 days and spent 4 days in the hospital. Dengue is contracted through mosquito bites. There is no treatment for Dengue, just rest and fluids. While in the hospital, my white blood cell count and platelet levels went so low that if they dropped any more, the doctor was going to transfer me to a hospital in Santo Domingo, the capitol. But, many people were praying and the Lord had mercy and strengthened my body and I was able to go home and after a few more days of rest, I am back to normal.
We continue to work with the youth group each Saturday. It is a great blessing to minister to them. We usually have at least 15 kids each week now. Last week we were continuing through Philippians and a question arose regarding "being born again". It was clear many, if not all of the kids did not know why they needed to be born again or what it meant. Jared and Johan spent the rest of the study time explaining and discussing with the kids what it means to put your trust in Jesus and how He gives you a new life and forgives you of all your sins. I was in the back and it was so neat to watch the kids as they listened and learned and some of them leaned forward in their chairs as they were really trying to grasp this truth. Thank you for praying for them. Please continue. The pressures and pull of this world is as strong here as it is in the States. The temptations are the same. Satan wants to destroy their lives the same way he wants to attack the youth of America.
In Calvary's Care has some special activities planned for the kids in the program this week for Easter. Yesterday we invited all 200+ kids to come. We had the younger kids in the morning. We did a puppet show and colored pictures of Jesus raising from the dead. In the afternoon, the older kids came and Vicente, one of the ICC staff members, shared with the kids the significance of this week, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday and the work Jesus did for us on the cross. Tonight, we are going to show a movie for all the families in the program. Please pray that the Lord would bless this and that many would come to know Jesus through this.
We were blessed to have my sister and her husband, Danielle and Kevin, visit us for a week this month. They helped out with measuring out the monthly food for the sponsor kids and were able to spend some time with their own sponsor son, Alvin. It was a great encouragement to see family and spend time with them catching up.
We are planning a trip to the US in May. We are very excited to see family and friends and we hope to see as many of you as possible while we are there. Thank you for your interest in what is happening here in Barahona. It is definitely the Lord's work, we couldn't do any of this without Him. Thank you for praying and for your encouragement.
