bringing a space to worship

This year, it is our hope to continue working in the village of Severet, the new location of the Men’s Rehab Centre, Cristo Transform. Much work has been done there since our last visit in 2015 — the men are allowed to live in the almost completed building, gardens and livestock are slowly being introduced and furniture is being built daily. They have an indoor kitchen, bunks continue to be built and space is dedicated to the rehabilitation of it’s residents.

Our team will work alongside the men as well as a construction crew to build a gazebo – a large, covered outdoor worship space. We are excited not only to help with this project, but to be given the opportunity to be present in the village, allowing us to bring the gospel message to those around us through our service and our witness. The team will be leaving on November 7, 2017 and we are looking forward to serving together. This year’s team is: Maurice Houwer, Lijsje Riewald, Wendy VanderMeer, Ben Walpot, Pete Wunsche and Teresa Wunsche.

With the help and support of our church family, as well as family, friends and community members, we are quickly reaching our financial goal to build this wonderful worship space. These men are fully in tune with the Lord and the works He is doing within in them to become better citizens, so to be able to build a space for them to come together to actively worship God is a privilege! We look forward to our week spent there, working alongside these men, encouraging, uplifting, witnessing and learning from each other.

Our final fundraiser will be a Music Concert, held at Maranatha Christian Reformed Church in York. There will be a display at the concert where you will be able to see photos of the progress of the Rehab Centre, information from previous trips and an opportunity to donate items for our team to bring to the men who are living at the Centre.

We once again thank everyone for their support- in whatever form that may be!

jumping back in

Over a year has past since the last blog post, and so much has been happening! But the most exciting thing is that we once again have a team ready and willing to head down to the Dominican Republic to serve with the Samaritan Foundation.

And so we are jumping right in and getting things rolling with our fundraising. We are asked to raise $6000 to fund the cost of building a home, as well as we require an additional $200 per team member to cover in-country costs (transportation, translators, drinking water on the work site). So we have our work cut out for us and only a small amount of time to accomplish it, but we are truly blessed by our church, our family and friends and our community and we have always surpassed our financial goals! We continue to be awed and inspired by the generosity and support of these mission trips, and hope that will hold true for this year’s trip as well.

Which brings us to our first fundraiser – the Caledonia Town-wide Garage Sale, Saturday, June 3rd. We will once again be hosting our sale in the Shopper’s parking lot, offering up household goods, furniture, tools, and lots of random garage sale delights, as well as delicious bbq hot dogs and water.

If you have anything that you can/are willing to donate to our sale, please be sure to contact Pete or Teresa to arrange pick up or delivery of your stuff – we’d rather not have it show up Saturday morning but we won’t turn you away!

We really appreciate your support and hope to see you bright and early June 3rd!

one step forward, ten steps back

Over the past few weeks/months, we have heard some disturbing news regarding the Cristo Transforma Men’s Rehab Centre – where will plan to work during our trip to the Dominican Republic. John Huizinga, Director of the Samaritan Foundation, was called to an emergency meeting to discuss the Centre and it’s future.  Here are a few excerpts from his email to us:

“ … work on the Cristo Transforma Rehabilitation has been delayed. A few people from within this community have spread very negative stories and rumours about the centre and the men who receive treatment there. As we all know, it only takes a spark to set a forest ablaze and the community of Sebere was up in arms based on the stories being spread. So much so that they called myself and Stephanie to come to the suddenly called community meeting to explain why this community was being used as a “dumping ground for alcohol and drug addicts”. They claimed they didn’t have any in their town and they didn’t want any in their town now.”

 They attended the meeting with many community leaders and town representatives, etc and took the time to explain who they are and the role of the Samaritan Foundation in this endeavor.

 “After more meetings and strategy planning, we have decided that the best solution to this problem is to let the dust settle and then prove that our intentions are truly noble and trustworthy.  We will soon start by developing community programs and participating in the local rejuvenation plans. We know that the silent majority of the community are in favour of the Rehabilitation Centre and it is our hope that the rest will follow suit also. We still plan to make our presence with the planned groups in a soft and gentle way so they can see our true desires for the community.”

 So what does this mean for us?  It means we need to keep this situation in our prayers. It is too soon to know how it will affect our trip, since we have become so well acquainted with the upheaval that is the Dominican way of life. As John mentioned, we may still be a presence in the village, and there are so many other opportunities that would benefit from our involvement.

So please pray for John and his work with the village leaders, for the men of the centre and for God to move in the hardened hearts of those who have created this newest stumbling block. We continue to look to our Lord for guidance for our mission and seek his leading.

focus on rehabilitation

It is the beginning of June already and our 2015 DR Team has been busy! We’ve been assembling our team, planning fundraisers and preparing ourselves for our trip scheduled this November.

During our trip last November, Pete and I, along with Henk and Ans, had meetings and discussions with John and among ourselves about where we can reach a little deeper in our serving in the DR. After hearing many options and wonderful ideas – and lots of prayer – we kept coming back to the Men’s Rehab Centre. Our time spent there with these men are experiences that many of us won’t forget. Their faith and conviction is inspiring, but their living conditions are appalling. The Samaritan Foundation is working to change that and want to be a part of the process.

The Samaritan Foundation has been working diligently to find property for a new Men’s Rehab facility. After many trials and tribulations, land has been purchased and they are hoping to start building soon!  Pete and I are hoping to be more actively involved in this endeavor and we have committed ourselves to helping however we can.

And this is where you come in. As a church, as family and friends, you have been continuously supportive. We have travelled to the DR together, we have prayed, worshipped, laughed and cried together. You have held us up prayerfully and financially. We cannot begin to express our gratitude for the love you have shown for these short-term mission trips and what has become a passion in our personal lives. Some have made the decision to join this year’s team – excellent!  Some of you give of your time through volunteering, praying and helping with fundraising – wonderful! So many of you give financially whenever we come to you with fundraisers, collections and requests for humanitarian aid – awesome! And some of you give in ways that we may not even be aware, but for which we are still profoundly grateful.

As I mentioned, our team has already been busy – we’ve held one fundraiser with great success, and have many others planned.  Keep an eye on the blog and Facebook page as I post the upcoming events, and we look forward to continuing to serve our Lord in the DR with your help!

trust without borders

You call me out upon the waters –
the great unknown, where feet may fail.

This blog has been eerily silent over the past year, which is unfortunate, and I have only myself to hold accountable. Ever since the decision was made to forgo sending out a team this year, I stepped away from keeping this updated. But now as Pete and I prepare to leave for the Dominican, I feel compelled to bring this blog back into action. Not because I feel that we need to share every aspect of what we are doing on this trip, but because I feel that we have started developing wonderful relationships with The Samaritan Foundation and so many other organizations there, that it only seems right that we try to keep you informed about what is happening in their lives and how your continued generosity is such a blessing for them. This trip will be a bit of a departure. There is no team to laugh or cry or pray with. There is no house or park to build. But there are friends. And there are opportunities. We feel pulled to go there. To be available and ready to jump in whatever direction the Lord points us. Because that’s a bit what this feels like – jumping into the unknown, unsure of where we may land.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders,
let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me.
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander,
and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Saviour.

And so we jump – and whether that may be as baby steps or giant leaps, we are keenly aware of God’s guiding hand.

* Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) ~ Hillsong United

Jesus is not an amputee

A bold statement. But an accurate one.

Preparing for this year’s trip has led me to read a book recommended by many involved in missions. And while this book has been highly critical and eye-opening, there is some great information to be gleaned if taken with a heart of learning. And I suppose my greatest revelation through this book is that although we go with a spirit of giving, we do not always represent ourselves as the complete body of Christ. I myself have asked repeatedly for your support in being effective hands and feet of Jesus – but what about the rest of Him? His heart of love for the sinner was extremely important. His head of knowledge gave Him authority when dealing with religious leaders. His Spirit of conviction was powerful and necessary. His kindness, compassion and patience were also tempered with anger, frustration and insistence.

We will be leaving for the Dominican in less than 24 hours. And your prayers of support and encouragement are vitally important to us as team members. But I also ask that you pray for us globally. That we not only come together to work and spread his Good News, but that we continue to build cultural relationships with those we have to come to work alongside; that we see beyond our views of their poverty and find a deeper connection though our brotherhood in Christ; that we respect their cultural diversity instead of imposing our own views and generalizations on how they should live.

Pray that we may truly represent the body of Christ in it’s entirety.

the power of commissioning

It’s Wednesday, and I have suddenly begun to feel the excitement/panic that our first team will be leaving in just 3 days!  As a parent, I am torn between the excitement of leaving on this trip, bound for wonderful things and the panic of leaving my household ‘unmothered’, hoping all will be well in my absence. It is good to know that while I can rely on the competency of my children, I also know that they are being watched over in prayer.

And it is that type of prayer that gives us as team members the freedom, the ability, the encouragement to leave on trips such as these.  This past Sunday was a commissioning service for our team. It was good to be reminded alongside our church family that we are ambassadors of our congregation, and that we have been charged with carrying out the work of the Lord. The power behind the laying on of hands during prayer reinforces so clearly that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, and we can only hope to carry that strength, clarity and love with us on our journey. It is such a comfort to know that while we are caught up in the physical work, the emotional upheaval and the spiritual growth that will be happening, the prayers, support and love of our family, friends and church will remain constant.

And of course, you have been so generous with your financial support.  The Spaghetti Dinner this year was once again a success, and we were able to raise close to $1400 for the Samaritan Foundation.  It is such a blessing to be able to use funds that you have so humbly given in such a tangible way.  Every penny that is raised through our fundraising is given directly to the Samaritan Foundation, so they can use it most effectively where they see fit.  Some of those funds will be used to pay workers and purchase supplies for the house that we will be building, some will be used for materials and labourers for the park that we are giving them. We will use funds to purchase groceries for a Men’s Rehabilitation Centre and to donate much needed supplies to the feeding programs, school programs and medical clinics. We cannot thank you enough for this financial show of support for the work that is being done through the Samaritan Foundation – we’re just glad to be a part of it.

So once again, thank you!  As final preparations are being made and we battle with excitement and anxiety, we continue to ask for your prayers.  Because they make such a difference!

3rd annual spghetti dinner is almost here

Fall is well underway—the leaves are changing and God’s glorious palette is shown all across the countryside in warm hues of golden yellow, glowing orange and fiery red. And so we are busy with our final preparations before we leave on our trip in November.

And that also means that it’s time for our 3rd Annual Spaghetti Dinner!

Join us on Saturday, October 26th for a delicious, homemade meal.  Hearty spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, savoury Caesar salad and fresh buns will be served, followed with scrumptious fall favourite desserts – pumpkin pie and apple crisp.  You won’t want to miss all this deliciousness!!  We will be serving between 5:30 – 7:30 pm, so be sure to come join us for dinner!

food, fun and bidding wars

Our Family Corn Roast and Auction was a great success!

The weather was beautiful – the perfect blend of warmth, sunshine and a breeze to keep it comfortable. Although there was some concern that it wouldn’t be ready in time, Tom and Brenda Snyder came through for us and graciously donated 10 dozen of their famous sweet corn before it hits the stands for the public. Thanks guys – A Corn Roast just isn’t a corn roast with out sweet corn! There were hot dogs on the BBQ and lots of delicious homemade salads for everyone to enjoy.

But it wasn’t all about the food! There was face painting and bubble-blowing for the little kids, and a big bouncy castle (donated by Willow Creek) where all the kids could have some fun.
Once everyone had had their fill and the face painting line cleared up, we moved inside the church, where everyone grabbed a coffee and some goodies and picked out a good seat for the auction. Jerry Haanstra led the way and the bidding wars began. We had an excellent list of items, ranging from a vacation in Florida to hand-crafted treasures. The majority of our auction items were donated for this event and we are so grateful to the people and businesses that shared their generosity with us!

It was a fun-filled event, and a wonderful time of food, fun and fellowship. With the help of those who attended and purchased some great auction items, we were able to raise almost $7000! Praise God! We cannot thank Him enough for the blessings that we as a team have received through you. We are continually humbled by the generosity of our church family and are encouraged by your support and prayers. Thank you everyone!!

Sweet Corn, BBQ dogs and Auction fun

Our next fundraiser is fast approaching, and we hope you can fit us in to your holiday schedules!

Next Saturday, July 13th, we will be hosting a Family Corn roast and BBQ, followed by a live Auction. If all grows well, we will be serving up Snyder’s Sweet Corn and Springer’s hot dogs, along with many delicious salads and goodies.  There will fun for the children – face painting, bubble-blowing and more; and lots of time for fellowship.  Then at 7:00pm, the Auction begins!  Led by Auctioneer Jerry Haanstra, many items that have been graciously donated, will be presented for your bidding pleasure.  Check out a portion of the auction items listed below.

So mark us on your calendar and be sure to join us for a wonderful afternoon together and support this year’s Maranatha Mission Team!