dominican & haiti pics...

so, i realized i was supposed to post these pictures 3 months ago...time just seems to be moving oftly fast lately. i was able to go down with a group from our church for 8 days...4 in the d.r. & 4 in haiti. the group i went with was a medical team that was able to provide some simple medical care for people in villages who couldn't afford it and even get to it. it was such a blessing to be Jesus' hands & feet to people in another part of the world! there are so many stories that i could share and i hope to be able to the next time i see you...in the meantime, here are some pics...

downtown santo domingo


christopher columbus' house...this is where he landed in the New World


one of the mountain churches we visited had an unbelievable hand-painted door


at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new water treatment facility...these two gals were watching as the first bottle was filled :)


one of the schools we visited to provide medical care


our arrival in port au prince, haiti...our bags were promptly taken hostage...these guys literally will fight over the bags...not quite like arriving at sky harbor :)


i had the opportunity to share with some seminary students about my role at palm valley church and the importance of creating a welcoming atmosphere...cultural differences made for a stimulating q&a at the end, but they were definitely excited about what could be...


our arrival at a mountain village, joulien. this village is so far up in the mountain that we had to hike the last mile because of how dangerous the roads became...when i say roads, i mean dirt paths in the mountainside. in the background you can see people waiting in a concrete housing structure...this is the only building in joulien besides the church that is currently under construction just next to it. we provided medical treatment to the people in this village for 4 hours. the number one cause of most symptoms was unclean drinking water...palm valley church is partnering with a local missions group to drill a well in this town to help curb this problem...the well should be done by the end of the month.


kids from the village as we were preparing to leave


this kid and a couple others ran about two miles down the mountain following our trucks...barefoot...and he was still able to smile!


later that same day, we spent about 6 hours helping out medically in a village named value...afterwards, we were able to be a part of an amazing time of worship...these guys were my buddies by the end of the day...


mountainside housing in port au prince


i'll close with a cute picture...this is the daughter of the missionaries at a ministry called Haiti Arise...very cool place...seeing all the kiddos made me miss my boys


what an amazing experience! i would love to show you all the pictures that were taken while we were there...and hopefully i will be able to some day. i can't wait to have the opportunity to return to the island...you really do develop a special place in your heart for the people when you get the chance to do overseas missionary work. until then, i plan on continuing to develop the relationships God has placed in my life in my current mission field...phoenix, az.

if you would like to hear more about the trip or find out how you could be a part of missions opportunities in the dominican republic or haiti, please let me know.

God bless,
brent