Fw: Walker Family Update

We arrived in the Dominican Republic.

 

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We officially arrived in Santiago, DR on January 12, 2010.  We left Vero Beach, FL on the 11th but due to flying late at night we arrived here safely around 3:00 am!  What a long night. 

 

 Our hosts, Glenn and Rhoda Martin (pictured with the kids), met us at the airport to take us to our home base for the next 8 weeks.  We will be traveling around the DR visiting and helping at different ministries that are already serving the Dominican people.

This weekend we will go to Sosua and visit a ministry who helps get kids off the streets and into a home and school.  We will be sharing at their home church on Sunday morning and assisting in taking care of the boys in the group home.  We will also get to help at the school there.

We will be visiting many different areas in the coming weeks, including  Santo Domingo, Elias Pina and Dajabon.  We will also be serving in Haiti at an orphanage that has taken in many new children from the Earthquake in Port au Prince.

 

Earthquake 2010   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We arrived the morning of the earthquake.  The girls were all grocery shopping at La Sirena, a two-story grocery, here in Santiago, when the juice behind Hannah started to fall.  Rhoda told us it was an Earthquake and we needed to get outside, esp. since we were on the bottom floor of the building.  The guys were at the mechanics and saw the van, street lights, etc.. swaying.    The devastation in Haiti has shifted the focus of a lot of the local churches and minstries from their "normal" ministry to sending supplies into Haiti.  We have been privileged to serve many ministries that have sent funds and we have shopped for, packaged, labeled and loaded literally thousands of pounds of food from Santiago to Port au Prince, Haiti.  It has been incredible to be a part of and see so many different ministries pull together as the "body" of Christ and serve others in need.

SUYO Camp   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We were privileged this weekend to get to help with YWAM Santiago's SUYO camp.  SUYO in Spanish means HIS.  We had an additional 18 children and youth move into the YWAM house with us for a long weekend.  This program is designed to raise up youth that feel called to missions.  The weekend camp taught on knowing God to make Him known which is YWAM's motto.  There were teachings on having a personal relationship with Jesus and many aspects of a daily Christian walk.  Along with these teachings, the children learned dances and dramas.  The camp closed with an Outreach to a local downtown park where about 125 or more gathered to hear the children give their testimonies, dance and perform dramas.  Then the children took tracts to the people and offered to pray for them.  Each month this group will get together to do a community service project or another outreach.  What a great way for children to see that God will use them to change their own neighborhoods!  Samantha, Hannah and Jesse were a part of the camp as campers and helpers.  It was an amazing weekend!  Jesse loved getting to pray for a lady through an interpreter!

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Thanks for your prayers.

 

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God is using us to serve so many others here in the DR and in neighboring Haiti.  We covet your prayers.  We just wanted to say thank you.  We are so privileged to get to serve an amazing God!  You are also serving Him by praying and supporting us.  Thank you!

 

Many Blessings~

the Walker Family 

 

Here is a picture of the SUYO group from this weekend