February 2012

I was privileged to visit the Dominican Republic and the Manna Global Ministries work with Jill Reese and Gail Stokes last week.  We enjoyed visiting the Children’s Home, Manna Christian School and the missionaries.  We were blessed beyond belief.

Jill Reese periodically visits the DR to help the missionaries and teachers with the school program.  Gail Stokes is a wonderful Christian lady who is very interested in missions and helping others.  I went because I love the work, the people, the children and I especially love to see my son Chad.  Our goals for this trip included bringing new teaching ideas and methods to the school program.  On Thursday, we observed the teachers as they all did an outstanding job with their classes.  All of the teachers were well prepared and the students were actively engaged in the lessons.  Jill Reese and I each taught a math lesson Friday.  I was very concerned about the language barrier when I taught; however, the students are all showing a good understanding of English.

My primary focus this trip was to help in the Children’s Home.  Wilson is the young man in the Children’s Home who is suffering with some terrible eye issues that are greatly aggravated by allergies.  Porfi, the Children’s Home director, takes him to another city for specialized eye care.  However, when Wilson returns back to the Children’s Home, his allergies become a big problem and it is taking a long time before there is improvement in his vision.  Wilson’s eyes are very red, his vision is unclear, and he has lots of pain with his eyes.

Because of these allergies, we came prepared with a steam cleaner and new zippered mattress protectors and a quilted mattress cover for all the beds in the Children’s Home and all the missionaries.  The wonderful Christian people from the Red Bank congregation in Chattanooga, Tennessee helped give mattress covers or money to purchase all the necessary supplies.

We came prepared to clean all the mattresses and then add layers of protection to help with bed bugs, mites or other dust allergens.  When we took the mattresses off the beds at the Children’s Home, we found these mattresses to be in poor condition.  After surveying all the mattresses, our group decided that it would be impossible to clean them and return them to the beds.  With the help of Porfi, Chad and Jill we were able to purchase 16 new mattresses for all the children in the Children’s Home.

The mattresses arrived on Friday night.  Saturday morning, one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was 16 brand new mattresses.  Gail, Jill Reese, Chad, Jill Rhodes and I covered the new mattresses and replaced the old ones on each child’s bed.  It was an amazing experience.  I don’t speak Spanish, but I was able to interpret the beautiful smiles, hugs and kisses from the children.

Thanks to all the wonderful people at Red Bank Church of Christ who helped make this project possible.  My next project is to get more twin clean sheets for the mattresses and pillows for each of the children.  The scripture that says “it is more blessed to give than to receive” has never been more meaningful to me than it was on this trip to the Dominican Republic.

Thanks,
Cheryl Mynatt

Dominican Blessings

Once again I was privileged to be able to spend a few days in early February in the Dominican Republic with our Manna team.  Below are some of the blessings I saw.

• Our newlyweds, Jordon and Audrey Crow, are working to accomplish the vision of where they want the work in Rio San Juan to be.  They held a Sunday service in Rio San Juan with their disciples and had over 20 people in attendance.
• Glenn Weaver has gone above and beyond his teaching and disciplining duties by volunteering to teach an English class in the afternoons.  How exiting it was to see 14 children eager to learn the English language.
• Evan and Rachel are known for their gracious hospitality and this trip was no exception.  They moved into their new home (the cube) on Saturday and had us all in for dinner that same week.  I wonder how many of us have been in our homes in the states for years and not had company.  (P.S.  It was also great to see their son, Connor, as he began crawling! What a content and handsome little fella!)
• You should all see Jill Rhodes as she teaches her math class. Her thoughtful preparation and planning is so evident in the great job she is doing!  Some of you will understand how impressed I am with her teaching ability when I let you know that I have told her I would love to have her someday teach in my school district!
• Do you want to see someone who is a natural discipler?  Go watch Chad Mynatt.  It is amazing the way the boys flock to him and it leaves me with such a warm feeling to see his response to them – the pat on the shoulder, the laugh at a comment, and sometimes, even the serious look of correction.  What a role model for these young men!
• The children at the Children’s Home are growing and flourishing in all aspects of their life.  That doesn’t just happen, but is a direct outpouring of the love, direction, and attention that they receive from Porfi and Carla.  How blessed these children are to see a Godly couple that love the Lord and each other!

I’m confident souls will some day be in heaven as a direct result of the time and energy that this team is putting into the lives of others.  Please pray for the team’s physical and spiritual safety, their contentment on the mission field, and their love and patience for one another and the people among whom they live.  Pray also for open hearts in the people of the Dominican Republic so that God’s plan for them will be realized.

Jill Reese

Quinceñera

A week ago today I got to be a part of something really special.  In most Latin American countries, a girl’s fifteenth birthday is a huge deal.  They call it their “quinceñera.”  It could roughly be compared to a “sweet sixteen” in the United States, but it is probably more important to people of Latin American culture than a “sweet sixteen” would be to a person in the United States.  This past Monday, Keren, one of the amazing girls that I get to disciple, turned 15 and I got to be a part of her special day.

Following in traditional quinceñera custom, Keren was able to borrow a beautiful white formal dress.  She spent the entire afternoon straightening her hair and putting on makeup and getting all dressed up for her big day.  After school Chad and I went over to the Children’s Home where Keren lives to take her into Rio San Juan to get her picture made.  She looked so beautiful!  We went to this quaint little photo studio in Rio San Juan, what I like to consider the DR version of Olan Mills, and Keren was able to show off and pose in her beautiful dress.  It was so much fun helping her come up with new poses and fixing her dress and her hair so she looked perfect in every picture.

After the pictures, we came back to the Children’s Home for her big party!  I felt so honored to be invited to such a special event.  We used the room upstairs at the Children’s home and Keren’s mother and some of the kids at the Children’s Home had helped to decorate with streamers and balloons.  Keren had a special seat of honor that was decorated just for her.  The rest of the night was filled with a fun game prepared by Rosmery, a speech by the birthday girl herself, a delicious dinner prepared by Carla, and of course…birthday cake and presents!  Everyone had such a wonderful time, and it was sad to see the night pass so quickly.

Keren is so special to me, and I’m so glad that I got to be a part of such a special occasion in her life.  It was so fun to see and be a part of something that means so much to this culture.  I pray that this next year in Keren’s life is one of the best she has ever had and that there are many more special years to come.

~Jill Rhodes

Facebook Friends

February 11^th was my birthday.

I’m 25 yall.

25 years.

A quarter of a century.

I can’t wait to get back to the states and rent a car.

It all happened so fast.

I feel like yesterday I was 21, a junior in college just returning from a semester in Europe, practicing for Makin’ Music (and also struggling with Depression…not the most delightful time of my life).

The day before that I was 18, a senior in high school just itching to move on to the next phase of life, definitely not planning on attending FHU.

Three days ago I was 13, a 7^th grader just trying to be myself and get by, but that’s middle school.

And before that….well, to be honest, I have a terrible memory and don’t remember too much before then…except for the time I punched Garrett Philpot in the stomach in 4^th grade for calling me doughboy. Good friends ever since.

And here I am….XXV.

And on this great birthday of mine, I’ve had a glorious time. The other missionaries made me a dinner full of my favorite foods (poppy seed chicken, twice baked potatoes, homemade bread and apple pie). They’re the best in the biz.

I watched half of a season of a tv show. “Clear eyes, full hearts…..CAN’T LOSE!”

I played with the kids. And to this point in time I have successfully avoided the local tradition started by Chad of egging the person who has a birthday. Fingers crossed.

But my favorite part has been checking facebook…yeah, I know, how “First World” of me.

And here’s why…

Over 150 people have said “Happy Birthday” or their own version of happy birthday to me via facebook. And those people encompass sooooo many different parts of my life.

People from church. Friends from college. Former students of mine. Current students of mine. Mentors. Ex girlfriends. Girls I should’ve dated. Future in-laws. Future wife (she just doesn’t know it yet…she needs to get a clue). Preachers. Youth Ministers. People who helped raise me as a small child. Parents. Grandparents. Aunts. Uncles. Cousins. Sister. Best friends. Second families. Hiking buddies. People I met one time in some random place and I don’t even really know them (which by the way I find really weird or really flattering). Directors. Bosses. Teachers. Professors. Campers. Fellow counselors.  People who have visited the DR. Coworkers. High school friends that I haven’t seen since graduation. People that live literally 100 yards away from me. Etc…

And all of them somehow had an influence on my life. All of them have made me who I am today. Small moments and big moments alike with these people have made me who I am.

One of the best teacher’s I ever had made every one of her classes create an autobiography based upon a certain quote. I distinctly remember mine, and don’t think I’ll ever forget it (the report was thereabouts of 60 pages, which is one reason I’m sure I’ll never forget it). It was “Life isn’t measured by the amount of breaths you take, but by the amount of moments that take your breath away”. For me, my breath taking moments come from being around the best people in the world.

I hope you are as lucky as I am to have had so many great influences (however small or big they might be) in your life.

God bless.

Grace and peace,
Glenn

New Mattresses

On Wednesday of this past week, we had some special visitors.

Jill Reese came in to see how the school is going.

Cheryl Mynatt, mom, came in with her latest project.
And a newcomer, Gail Stokes, came in to see Manna DR for the first time and to support Mom and Jill in what they were doing.

My mom always wants to have a very specific project when she comes.  She sees a need and she tackles it.  Well, this time it had a lot to do with Wilson’s eye problem.  One of the leading causes of his problem is the allergens in his bed.  So Mom got the idea of bringing in a steam cleaner to clean all of the mattresses at the Children’s Home and put some protective covers on them to help with the problem.

When Gail and Mom got to the Children’s Home, their hearts were broken upon seeing the mattresses that the kids were using.  They had not been replaced in a while and were worn down.  That day we got on the phone and within 2 days all of the kids at the Children’s Home had new mattresses as well as protective plastic covers and mattress pads.

So many great things happened while Jill, Gail and Mom were here and this story just shows how awesome they are to see a need and tackle it.

Thank you Jill Reese for always coming in, being a mentor to all of us, helping to guide us in the school, cooking for us, and so much more.  You are an amazing person and Manna DR has benefited greatly from you becoming more and more involved.

Gail, thank you for your passion.  I appreciated so much having you come in here for the first time and help out with whatever it was that needed to be done.  Those kids will sleep well and be much healthier for a long time because of your generosity.

Mom, you are awesome.  You need to get a little rest every once in a while but those kids at the Children’s Home have benefited so much by you being here.  You held out hope on the Dominican workers when we had all given up and were going to wait on the mattresses a few weeks later.  Thank you and I love you.

I wish everyone could have seen how grateful all of the kids were.  This past Sunday was an incredible display of emotion as the kids recognized what these three ladies had done.

New Beginnings

To say that last month has been a crazy one would be an understatement. Jordan and I were married on December 30^th and it was such a wonderful and perfect day for both of us! We have spent the last month getting settled again here and starting our new life together. One of the most exciting aspects of the past month is that we have now moved into our new home! As Evan and Rachel have moved down into the cube we have successfully escaped the cublett and all the bugs that accompanied it. The little guest house was a fun starter home; however, I’m excited to have a house which people can comfortably come visit. My dream for our new house is that it can be a place of retreat and comfort for not only Jordan and me, but our disciples, our families, and all of our friends.

Another exciting thing we have coming up this week is the start of our church service in Rio San Juan. Jordan and I felt it put on our hearts to have a time of worship and fellowship with our disciples. Even though we talk about God every day, I have felt a void in the aspect of worship with them. This Sunday we will be meeting in the Christian Center at 10 am and will share together in a time of worship with a small devotional thought. My dream for this is that we follow in exactly what God wants for this new “church.” I hope our kids can see God in an entirely different light and learn how to have a relationship with Him on an even deeper level. I have no idea what the future holds for this endeavor, but I pray His will always surpasses ours.

I am also very happy to announce that I am a new Aunt! Jarred and Jennifer Crow, Jordan’s brother and his wife, had a sweet baby girl around 10:30 pm on January 24^th. I have yet to know exactly what it means to be a parent, but I do know that I love this little girl with all my heart. I cannot wait to get to know her as she grows and watch her follow in the footsteps of her incredible parents. Jordan and I are very blessed and honored to welcome such a sweetie into the family.

Thank you for continuing to lift all of the new beginnings Jordan and I are experiencing up to Christ in prayer.

Blessings,
Audrey Crow