Keith Bogans

I finally arrived to Constanza today after about 3 weeks away. It is good to be back and it was great to see all my friends here. There was one friend I didn't expect to see. I looked in my sink and there was a lizard there - I didnt want to deal with it so I just ignored it and assumed it would run away..out of sight out of mind.

So I go back a little later (right before the Bulls game) and hes still there, hadn't moved an inch. I felt bad for the guy and bad for myself having to dispose of a dead lizard. So I ran some water just to make sure, and sure enough he started wiggling! He then proceeded to drink and drink and drink. Now I definitely didnt have the heart to kill him, and didnt want to just leave him outside so I have decided to let him live there for a while. He is way too weak to climb out of the sink, and I have already given him a name, Keith Bogans (in honor of his 5 3's in the Bulls win tonight) so he's not going anywhere. Hopefully he will gain enough strength to run away on his own, because I still really don't want to throw him in the trash...

Email Update - 2011 in the DR!

Friends and Family,

It has been too long since I have given a good update as to what I have been up to so far this year in the DR. It has been a fantastic start to the new year filled with a very busy schedule and the chance to meet and host some great teams/people. I am blessed to love what I do in the DR and to get to work with kids every day.

When I got back to the DR after Christmas I hit the ground running hosting a group of 11 students from St. Mary's College in Moraga, California. Their team leader Randy Farris has been a huge help to Kids Alive, leading roughly 20 teams in the past few years. He has a passion for kids and sports and has been a great help for me as I figure out what I want to do in the future. This was a busy month, filled with tons of driving as we spent time at each site in our DR ministry and worked with every kid under Kids Alive care! A very cool experience that not many Kids Alive missionaries get.

After that team, I have been working back and forth between Jarabacoa and Constanza helping host teams. It has been a lot of work and a much different role after the Rowley's left in November, but it has been a great challenge for me and it is definitely keeping me busy. All the teams have been amazing and I am blessed to be able to serve with them. One team with a big connection to me was when WFMP (Wheaton Football Ministry Partnership) was able to send a group of 14 to visit me in Constanza. It is always great to have friends/family visit and this team had many players that I had played with in the past, as well as my brother and parents.

Some big news in my life right now, is that I will be ending my first term with Kids Alive on August 1, 2011. I am currently at home in Wheaton, visiting family and also visiting potential schools to get some experience in coaching baseball at the college level. I will touch more on this in a future email, but my plan is to return to the DR after 2 years of coaching in the US. Got has given me a pretty clear plan for where He wants me long term and I am very excited to start working towards this. I return to Constanza April 20th, and I hope to get out another email before then to help lay out this future vision for my supporters. This transition time will be tough. The DR really is my second home and I am already anticipating how hard it will be to leave these kids that have become my little siblings. It is tough enough to leave for a few weeks and I know it will be extremely difficult to leave for a few years.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I know I don't update my blog/email as much as I should, it has been tough not having internet at my apartment, but know that I really appreciate all the emails and notes of encouragement I receive. Email is still the best way to get ahold of me, so feel free to shoot me a note - I would love to hear from all of you!

In Christ,

Kyle

I'm Back!

I think its about time I started updating the ol' blog again. Hopefully there are some people out there who are still interested in hearing about what is going on in my life and in the DR!

2011 has been a whirlwind so far. I got back to the country Jan 4th, spent the 5th in Constanza to celebrate King's Day with the kids and then came back the 6th to host a soccer group from St. Mary's College in California. I was with them from Jan 6-Feb 4 and we had a blast. It was truly a blessing to get to know this group of 10 college students and Randy Farris (who made his 17th trip to the DR..) It was a busy month filled with LOTS of driving, but it was never lacking in excitement or adventures. We had the amazing opportunity to visit every Kids Alive ministry site and interact with just about every kid in Kids Alive. I just posted an album on facebook with pictures from my time with the St. Mary's team. After a few days at the beach, a few days in Jarabacoa and a few days back in Constanza...I am now back in Jarabacoa helping host a team from Michigan. I love being flexible/able to help Kids Alive where they need me, but I am looking forward to a month or 2 of being in Constanza!

A few updates

-WFMP (Wheaton Football Ministry Partnership) comes March 5-14 and I can't wait. My parents/Brother will also be coming along on the trip. We will be meeting up with Grant Roszkowiak and Coach Peltz's group from Haiti for a 2 day debrief in the capital which will be a great encouragement to see everyone.

-I'll be home April 3-14 to interview/visit a few potential schools for coaching next school year. It will be a blur of a trip, with visits set in North Carolina, Arizona and possibly California, but I am excited to start this next step.

-On a related note...looks like I'll be back in the states August 1st (ish..) in order to start up with coaching/possible resident life position for next school year. Crazy.

Please continue to pray for me! I feel like I have been MIA for the past month and a half and I would love to hear from everyone now that my life is getting somewhat back to normal. Skype/Email me!

Thank you everyone for your continued support and prayer!

Kyle

Changes

A few weeks ago the Rowley's, after 4 years of service here in Constanza, decided they will be heading back to the US in December. At first this news was pretty overwhelming for me, not only am I losing my closest friends and pretty much my family here in Constanza, but also losing the people who do the vast majority of the work with teams here!

The last few teams, Craig has really taken me under his wing and taught me so much about making things run smoothly with teams. He has shown me what works and what doesn't, as well as introduced me to the people that I really need to know around town. Through this process he has also really made it clear that these are the things that have worked for the Rowley's, and they may not work for me or I may have to change some things. I have been blessed to have this transition/training time over the past month.

I have really grown close with the Rowley's over my 11 months here, and they have really been an incredible influence on my time here. I will miss them greatly next year, but it is cool to remember that I have the next couple months to enjoy with them here!

With the departure of the Rowley's, my role here will also be changing. During 2011 we are hoping to host roughly 12-13 teams in Constanza and a majority of that responsibility will fall to me. That will include all the transportation, planning, preparation, and hosting of the teams. Craig has also been helping me to understand what needs to be done from the field in order to make the business/accounting side of teams worth smoothly as well (hopefully my business/economics degree will come in handy here!). I will also be running the sponsorship in the Care Center as well as my responsibilities in the Ark with sponsorship.

It is a lot of work, and although I'll be the only Kids Alive missionary in Constanza, I know that I will have plenty of support and help from the other missionaries on the island as well! Please keep me and Kids Alive in your prayers over the next few months of transition over the island as every site has impactful people leaving and will be undergoing transitions.

Over the past month, my feelings have gone from overwhelmed and incapable to confident and prepared. I know that this is strictly a gift from God and that He won't give me anything that I can't handle.

Me and the Rowley's out to eat in Constanza

The legendary soda taste test adventure!

Playground Team

This slide was by far the most popular attraction

Last we week we had the opportunity to have a fantastic team, made up from 4 churches in Western Michigan, here in Constanza. Kids Alive has been taking old, donated playgrounds from the States and shipping them around the world completely renewed and refurbished in order for the kids to enjoy.

A wide view of the kids playing on the playground

On top of all of their work on the playground, the group took a few hours out of their last 2 days to put on big "carnival" days for the kids. They had one for the kids at the Ark and one for the kids at the Care Center. They were a huge hit! The kids were able to play on the new playground, throw water balloons, tug of war, paint nails/tattoos, dizzy bat races and enjoy an awesome skit and puppet show. This was definitely a highlight for all the kids involved, and a fun start to the school year for the Care Center kids.

Kids very into the puppet show!

Dominican Basketball

Today was the first time I played real outdoor Dominican pick up basketball, and I loved it! The court was in a cool part of town by the local National Guard and there were people mulling around the whole time. It was a much different environment than the "indoor gym" that I usually play in.

Probably my favorite part of the whole time was during the 2nd game, everything just stopped. I was confused for a few seconds and then realized that the soldiers were changing the flags outside and they played the whole Dominican Republic national anthem and everyone stood up and watched and listened respectfully...and as soon as it was over back to action! I hadn't played basketball in a long time and was very out of shape...my body is feeling it now - but definitely worth it!

Long Overdue Email Update!

Hey Everyone! It has been forever since my last email and I wanted to give you all a little update. Right now I am in the middle of enjoying 2 weeks back in Wheaton. I flew in the day before my good friend Zach Ullrich's wedding on the 15th and have been enjoying time spent with my family. My younger sister Caroline will be marrying my great friend and former roommate Kirk Sundberg tomorrow, and things have been very busy preparing for it!



After 9 months in Constanza I feel like it really is home. I have enjoyed developing great relationships with the people there and also with Kids Alive missionaries around the island. Time and time again I have felt encouraged that this is really where God has called me to be for these 2 years, and knowing that, has made the tough times much easier to deal with. Since April I have been able to visit Grant Roszkowiak in Haiti, enjoyed visits from my parents and brother, and also joined the Wheaton Baseball team for a week in the capital. These times have been such an encouragement to me and have given me a much needed boost throughout my 1st year in the DR.



Over the past month or so I have really felt the need to send out an email laying out the opportunity to become a child sponsor through Kids Alive. Kids Alive is experiencing so much increased need, and has had the opportunity to respond by adding a significant number of new children to our ministries. I am seeing firsthand how the generous donations/sponsorships have been changing kids and families in the DR. Kids Alive now faces the challenge of matching this influx of at-risk children with sponsors to help support their needs.




I would encourage anyone who is interested to prayerfully consider sponsoring a child and let me know! It would be a great honor to help select a child and watch the relationship develop over the next few years in Constanza.




I am truly blessed by the great network of friends and family that have supported me, both through prayer and through finances, to be able to be in the DR and I wanted to share this increased need at Kids Alive. One of my main roles in Constanza is helping with sponsorship at the orphanage and it is such a blessing to be able to share letters with kids from people I know or people that have been here on past trips! The cost is $35 per month, and this money goes directly towards helping the kids in our ministry. The kids will send various projects and letters throughout the year, as well as pictures and progress reports of the child from the missionaries on the field. I have also attached a Sponsorship Brochure that should help answer more questions.





Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and prayer for me through these past 9 months. I am so blessed to have so many people who have such a big impact on my life and where God has me right now. Please consider sponsoring a child and email me if you are interested!

In Him,

Kyle