DR Teen Pregnancy Stats

This is from the Listin Diario, a newspaper in the DR. So sad. Please read though, it gives some insights and supporting stats as to why we do what we do here in the DR. All the more reason for us to ramp up our sports ministries for girls soon too!

"According to a study by Don Bosco Boys and Girls Center, teenage pregnancy rates are as high as 23% in five areas of the country. The findings were released at a press conference by public policy and education specialist Karina Corvalan, and Candido Encarnacion, coordinator of the Center's social affairs department.

Eighty-seven pregnant teenagers aged between 12 and 19 were interviewed for the study, which concluded that they were more likely to become pregnant when they were from areas of poverty and with a low level of education. The pregnant girls came from the poorest neighborhoods of Barahona, Mao, Jarabacoa, La Vega and sectors in Santo Domingo of Cristo Rey, Maria Auxiliadora, Villa Juana and the 12th kilometer at Haina.

The study showed that 57.6% had had their first sexual relationship between the ages of 12 and 15, 34.1% between 16 and 19 and 3.5% between 10 and 11.

20% of the partners of the pregnant girls were also teenagers but 80% were adults, a cause for both alarm and concern, said the researchers. According to the study 39% of the pregnancies were accidental, and 61% planned and accepted by both partners.

Corvalan revealed that the teenagers viewed becoming pregnant as a way of improving their living conditions and getting out of poverty, because the father of the child would provide for them. For the same reason the girls' parents also supported them as they considered having the child as an advance for their daughter."

GO Site - Hato del Yaque

Hato del Yaque is about 30 minutes away from Hoya del Caimito (which is where I live and our ministry is "centered"). I fell in love with this town the second I got there. I think it is because in many ways it reminds me of Constanza, it is way more laid back and slower paced than in Santiago and there is a ton of poverty. The church there has gone through its ups and downs over the past few years, but Pastor Elido is a great Godly man and I am excited for where the church is going. Hato del Yaque is a dark place, and seems like a really tough place for kids to grow up in - but the Church has a ton of outreaches to the youth through Music, sports, and events.

 These pictures are taken on a field that GO Ministries purchased and we are in the process of turning it into a baseball field! I love it. Its got a long ways to go and is by no means a perfect piece of land for a field, but what a great way to reach the kids through something they love. It is also great because it gives us a nice field to do events of just play with the kids when we have groups out there.

Love these kids! Waiting patiently for a mini VBS presentation from the group.

One of my first friends at Hato del Yaque, she definitely keeps things interesting whenever she's around!

Dorothy Sayer's group worshiping outside in the streets outside of the Montan family's house. This family is largely responsible for keeping the church alive through some tough times! A great example of a faithful family.

This is the daughter of one of the nutrition center's cooks. We have a love/hate relationship .. I love her and she runs away from me! But in the end of the day she's my little buddy.

Here are a few pictures of the littlest kids in their sunday school class. It was great to be in Hato del Yaque for a Sunday to see all the different age groups break up into their individual Sunday School classes.

A few of my favorite kids at the nutrition center. I have really gotten to know a ton of the kids at this site and look for any opportunity to pop over and visit if I have some free time. I know that God is doing awesome things through Pastor Elido and all of the leadership in the church.

GO Site - Batey 9/Batey Cuchilla

I got a little behind in my blogging this summer (no excuses!), so I am going to post a few blog posts about my time spent at a few of our sites. It may not be in chronological order, but it will be fun to share about a few of these places that have become so special to me in just a few short months!

 I didn't do a good job of taking a lot of pictures (surprise), but here are a few that I took during the week. Starting with the seemingly endless number of cows that were ALWAYS in the street. The Bateys are a series of little villages that are built around the Sugar Cane fields. They are about 95% haitians living in them, and a majority are mistreated workers from these fields. There is a long history of abuse and mistreatment from the cane field owners and the living conditions and poverty are very tough.

 These are a few of my new favorite kids in the whole country! They wanted me to come visit their house, so I came one afternoon after we had finished a medical clinic and when I got there they were all really excited and were actually baking me a cake! Obviously those who know me well know that is a GREAT way to earn a special place in my heart...what meant the most to me is that it wasn't just baking a cake, but it was so different seeing them "bake" it in a rice bowl on a charcoal fire in a tiny kitchen. Not sure if these pictures do it justice but it was incredible. I've visited a lot of houses and families in the DR, but this is one I will never forget.

3 Kyle's at the medical clinic! Never thought I'd see the day in the DR...

This is my new little friend Esperanza from Batey Cuchilla. She is sweet little girl, who lives in maybe the smallest house I've been to in the country. Her name in Spanish means "hope" and what a great name when it seems like there is no hope in these Bateys, to know that our ultimate hope comes from Christ Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross.

One of my favorite parts of the whole week was our final day when we had 2 church services! In the morning we went to Batey Cuchilla and were part of a very vibrant (and hot!) service in a small, small church. GO partners with Pastor Francisco with his church and nutrition center, and he had a very powerful sermon and 2 ladies came forward and dedicated their lives to Christ!

At night, we had a final church service with Pastor William and all of the kids and people we had gotten to know that week piled into the church. We had a great time of singing and dancing and Pastor William gave a great message. We also had the chance to share a bit about what the week had meant to us and I had the chance to really share with the group about the hope that we have and why we sacrifice so much to come serve and live in community with our brothers/sisters in the bateys! It was a powerful and emotional night.

God is doing some amazing things in the Bateys and I look forward to many more trips and developing these relationships even more in the future!

My Summer Orientation and Haiti Trip

This week involved a lot of "orientation" type learning for me. I have been busy working hard with helping to facilitate teams, but this week was a cool opportunity to get out and spend 2 days each at our sites in Hato del Yaque and Phaeton, Haiti.

Hato del Yaque is about 45 minutes from Hoya del Caimito and there is a great pastor who we partner with named Elido. I loved getting to know the kids in the area and what was especially interesting to me is that we recently purchased a field just down the road and we were starting to build a baseball field there! We started digging the trench to put in the backstop and I'm so excited to watch those plans unfold. I got to meet a few of the kids who play at the current "field" and they are so excited to have an actual baseball field.

I have been to Haiti 5-6 times now, but it is incredible how intensely it affects me every time I go there. The poverty is incredible, and there is such a difference in the kids. The kids there usually aren't really wearing clothes and are noticeably malnourished and have hernias or other very visible health issues. It is intense. GO is already active in partnering with a church/pastor in Phaeton, and has some amazing plans that are already in motion BUT it is so clear that no matter what we "do" in Haiti, they need Christ first and foremost. I'm sure I'll touch on this a lot more in future posts about Haiti, but it is so clear that good and evil are on a collision course in Phaeton ... but we have God on our side and I know that no matter what struggles/hardships we encounter in ministry there that we much trust and glorify God in every manner. Not an easy mindset to have, especially when considering the severity of issues that could arise, but I know God will be holding our hands every step of the way.

Here are some pictures from Haiti - I'll put more up on Facebook including some from Hato del Yaque

A few pictures from my first 2 weeks

Wheaton College hot on the recruiting trail all the way in the DR! I love it.

Lounging with my little dominican nieces in Jarabacoa

Fun day of Children's ministry with the team. These girls were leading some songs before a great skit/craft by the group.

Some new little friends

More kids

Worship with Beechland.

Celebrating birthdays and Mother's day in Jarabacoa.

Chucho's birthday

At the Ark in Jarabacoa

The little girls trying to pour a heavy container of water on chucho for his Birthday

Partnerships

"G.O. Ministries seeks to empower passionate, local leaders serving inside their own cultures to Redeem people, Renew communities and Restore Creation by developing dynamic International, mutually transformational Partnerships."

This morning, we dropped off Beechland Baptist Church at the airport, finishing up my first ever GO team! I forgot how deep and real relationships can be formed in such a short amount of time. This week was an incredible introduction to the crux of our ministry: Partnerships.


During this week I got to see an amazing example of how a church has rallied around a specific family that has worked with GO for many years, the husband as a construction worker and the wife as a cook. This family has become an extended part of the church family, and there are many people from the Louisville church that ask about and pray for this family even though they have never met them! This encouragement does wonders for our nationals, as they feel equipped and supported in order to really serve and minister here in Santiago.


Honestly, I didn't understand this crucial aspect of the ministry here. I was so excited about discipleship and my role in the baseball/basketball academies that I never really took the time to investigate the partnerships and relationships that play such a huge role in the ministries. God completely knew what I needed to see/experience in my first week and as always he proved faithful to helping equip me to effectively serve here. Which is perfect because I have no clue!


I hope each group this summer will be as big of a blessing as this past group has been!

May 24th!

It's official, May 24th I will be moving back to the DR! I have been waiting patiently for this day, and even though at times it was tempting to just buy a ticket and move down after baseball season ended April 13th. But God has been teaching me over and over again to wait on His perfect timing and I completely see the value of spending this month with my family and in preparation for my new life with GO Ministries. I'm very excited to go out and see my sister Caroline and brother-in-law Kirk for the first time in Denver and see their life out there.

Please continue to pray for me during this month of transition.
-Pray for the quality time spent and saying goodbye (again) to family and friends.
-Pray for meetings made and relationships built that will help advance GO and the work going on in Santiago!
-Pray for energy and sanity as I step into a very busy summer schedule and I hope that it will be a seamless transition so I can assist the ministry in whatever way is necessary..
-Pray for my financial support that God would continue to provide monthly supporters and that I can meet my budget by this summer!