2011 Video Recap

Here is a quick recap of our time here so far.  Excited about returning the end of December and beginning a new exciting year!  Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.  This year we have a lot to be thankful for!!

FCA Dominican Baseball and Home School

Hey, listen to Andy Pettite share his love for Christ

God is good

This was absolutely a great way for Jodi and I to finish up our first 5 months in the DR before we go to Atlanta and Boston for a break.  Today started with me handing out 28 FCA baseball game jerseys to players and coaches from Ozoria Baseball Club in Boca Chica.  They earned the right to wear those shirts today.  For the 5 months I have been here in Boca Chica, I have seen these guys work really hard on the ball field and listen to their coaches every day.  Their coaches are believers in Jesus Christ and want them to go to heaven too.  It made me so happy to see HR 10 on their sleeves.  Holt is proud of them and is excited to have more people come to see him in heaven someday.

After passing out the game jerseys, we played a game against an American home school team from 7 states.  Those home school boys played well and showed our boys here in the DR how to get it done.  I was happy to see the passion and discipline from the "gringos."  Ha Ha Ha.  Before the game we read some scripture in english and spansish and prayed.  That was good.

After the game, we ate lunch together and shared testimonies.  A coach from the FCA Dominican team along with a Dominican player gave testimonies to the Americans and that was good.  Then, Danny Lovett, former VP of Liberty and Prez of Tennessee Temple, shared the Gospel and several young men made the decision to accept Christ into their heart.  That was good.

After the sharing, we played game 2.  Game 2 was a little different.  Home School had a 40 year old  ringer brought in named Andy Pettite.  You might have heard of him.  I think he has the most post season victories of any pitcher in the history of MLB.  Not too shabby.  The pitcher for FCA Boca Chica...almost 37 year old Mike Shaheen.  Mike Shaheen is only famous in his mother's eyes, Bette Shaheen.  

After Andy Pettite finished his 2nd inning, the game stopped as both teams went out to the mound to thank him.  (Two Dominicans got hits off of him and saved the balls)  Andy stood in front of all the young men and adults watching and told us this:

Quoting my friend from Atlanta, Billy Worthington: How cool is that?  The look on the faces of those Dominican and American baseball players was priceless.  We still have two more days of clinics (one at the Highlands here) with guys like Damaso Marte, Lou Pinella, Andy Pettite and Luke Murton (GT grad, Yankee).  I was a little bummed that all these Yankees are here, but let's face it, we are all on the same team that counts.

Oh, by the way, after two innings I almost collapsed (joking, not really).  I probably should have stopped after one bad inning.

I hope you heard God talking to you today.  Looking forward to seeing you in a week or so.

Luv you!

The Shaheens

A year later....remembering Holt Rowland

Hi there, this is Jodi.  Last year about this time we heard horrible news that a young man who we were in the Dominican Republic with the summer of 2010 had been in a car accident.  His name was Holt Rowland.  If you have our wrist bands, have seen the FCA baseball shirts or know our ministry you will see HR10 adorned with pride along with Holt's favorite verse, John 3:30.  The accident occurred on November 9th, and Holt lived on machines until the next day and his organs were donated.  His parents Dave and Kim, and his brother Hunter Rowland have become dear friends of ours even though we met only them for the 1st time right after Holt went to be with the Lord.  Their faith during such a trying time was a blessing for me to see.  Kim raising her hand in praise and singing after the loss she just experienced made me think, what do you have so that you can do that....and it is faith!

Once a fierce rival, Pierce County (where Holt #10 played baseball) and Wesleyan are now joined in the love of Christ and Holt.  During this anniversary time, the Rowlands and all of Pierce County Nation was heavy on my heart.  When I started thinking of what I could do for the family, I thought of making them a video.  What it turned out to be for me was a reminder of what really matters in life.  We will never know when we will take our last breath, but it is how prepared we are when that happens and how much love we have shown the world that is really important.  I only spent a few instances in the DR with Holt but the time I spent with those who love him and hearing the stories while watching a video of his memorial service, it is evident that Holt Rowland got it.  I pray for comfort for his family and friends, but I know their faith and that they know one day they will be with him again.  It brings them joy to see countless souls now walking in Christ due to hearing their sons story.  They even knew how much Holt loved the DR and how excited he was for our upcoming ministry and they wanted donations in Holt's memory last fall to go to our ministry.  Pierce County Nation is part of making our ministry happen here and we are thankful.  I hope you have time to watch the video, it may change your life, or share it in order that it might change someone else's.  We don't have Holt but we know that his story will inspire others to commit to walking Christ.

If you don't have time for the video, it is about 12 mins, then here are some visuals, I felt were good reminders to all of us:

This picture below was discovered after Holt's passing.  He had faith that his deer stand was in a great place although no one else believed him because no on had ever seen or shot a deer there before.  That picture is one of the two deer caught on the trail camera around 5 AM.

Holt, we miss you and we are blessed that your story is alive in the Dominican Republic.  

In His Grip,

Jodi

Haiti Video

Pulling Heaven Down in Haiti

Hi there, this is Jodi.  Mike is in Haiti, so I wanted to do a quick update and ask for your prayers.  If you remember back when we first got to the DR a man contacted Mike named Eliezer Lembert Caraballo and they became fast friends.  The story is back in July titled "It’s Clear Now Why We Are Here" if you didn't get to read it.  Saturday night Mike and I took the kids, along with our fellow missionary friends Craig & Joanna, to a Dominican Winter League baseball game in the Santo Domingo.  It was quite the experience!  There are 6 teams in the winter league and Mike has 2 ballparks crossed off the list!  We had a great time.  Eliezer met us there and spent the night and they drove back to Pedernales together the next day.  Craig McClure a SCORE Missionary went as well, along with Rawlings Foundation Missionary Eddy Jesus Gil and Intern with the Rawlings Foundation Will Thompson.  They suited up a baseball team with new uniforms, played soccer and American football with the kids.  Shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ using The Gloves for God baseball glove, and I am sure many more things I didn't get updated on from each of their facebook pages.  


Here is a map and a video of some of the pictures they posted to give you a little idea of what they are doing.  Pray for safety and their drive back to Boca Chica (about 5 hours I believe) and for there to be many seeds planted as it is God's will.  Thank you!!  More to come when Mike returns on Wednesday evening!  I am sure he will have many stories!!

Map of Dominican showing Pedernales

Gravity ~ Pulling Heaven Down in Haiti from Jodi Shaheen on Vimeo.

The Clinic

On October 15th, we hosted a baseball clinic for over 150 young boys from Boca Chica, San Pedro de Macoris and Juan Dolio.  Brian Doyle (78' Yankees World Series) and Anderson Feliz (Yankees top prospect) did an amazing job teaching the young men the fundamentals of baseball.  A lot of jovenes went home with new equipment, more baseball knowledge, and most importantly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 Before we started the clinic, we gave all the Juan Dolio kids a new glove, batting gloves, and a pair of cleats. This is my garage. Thank you Degooeys and Emerichs!  

 Members of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. They came over for the clinic and served.  They were truly the hands and feet of Christ.  They even took pictures of each Juan Dolio kid and made them a baseball card.

Anderson Feliz, Bill Rose and Brian Doyle did a great job with this clinic.  Brian (right) was extremely sick with the flu that day but persevered.  He even presented the Gospel to 150 young men that day.    

Anderson Feliz (the next Jeter) teaching the fundamentals of fielding.

Brian Doyle and I were both sick that day, so we shared the duties of teaching hitting.  I had a blast.  

The Johnson Ferry guys went around looking for kids that did not have cleats and provided a pair.

The Gospel was presented in a baseball way.  Brian took the kids to each base and used each base as a metaphor for the Gospel.  It was awesome.

6 Woes of a Leader

Earlier this week, my Spanish teacher Julio and I spent a little time studying Luke 11, verses 17-53.  After reading and discerning what Jesus was trying to convey to the Pharisees and His disciples, I could not help but see a great guide for leaders (coaches, teachers, pastors, parents, etc..).  In this passage, Jesus had clearly decided that it was time to expose the hypocritical ways of the Pharisees.  While doing so, it appears to me that we can use this passage for improvement in leadership.  Here are the 6 Woes of a leader:

1.       (Verses 39-41) Are we Gilded?  Do we spend most of our time trying to look good on the outside, while we neglect our soul.  I personally had a problem with this early on as a head coach.  It was easy to focus so much on how we present ourselves as a program, rather than focusing on the little things each day that develop character and love for each other.  Also, as a coach, we can easily deprive ourselves because we are always trying to fill everyone else’s love tank while our tank is becoming empty.  We cannot give what we do not have ourselves.  We may look good walking around campus, at our workplace or at home, but are we really empty inside.  The Pharisees looked really nice walking around in their robes, but as Jesus said, they were rotten inside.

2.       (Verse 42) Are we all about the game and winning?  I know that you will not only keep your job, but also get a lot of accolades if you win a lot of games, but is that what it is all about.  What is our purpose?  Is it to spread the Gospel and disciple young men/women? Is it to multiple the kingdom?   In my last few years as a head coach I started to really understand the influence of a coach.  In that influence, are we bringing people to heaven with us? Jesus told the Pharisees that they were all about the law and traditions, but had no care for their subordinates or colleagues.  Law or love? What’s our focus?

3.       (Verses 43,44) Are we always directing or are we serving?  Are we willing to do what we are telling our players to do?  Do we subscribe to the philosophy that “we already did our time as a student and now it is our time to tell people how to do it?”  If so, we are going to be a temporary director of information.  Jesus clearly told and showed us that a leader must “wash the feet” of those that he is leading.  Although absolutely contrary to our world today, it is the only way that will provide the results that a kingdom-minded leader would want.  The Pharisees were all about shaking hands and kissing babies, but Jesus told them that never held a hand out to help their fellow brother.

4.       (Verse 46)  Do we load others with burdens in order to lighten our load?  This is a trap that so many coaches fall into as their careers extend in to the double-digit years.  I always hear from coaches that “a good coach is a good delegator.”  Although to some extent that is true (we should not do everything and micromanage), it is very important that we are the first to work and the last one to leave.  It is important that we do not expect our assistants to carry the load of the menial jobs.  We really show our true colors in the amount and type of work that we do as leaders.  Jesus was disgusted with the fact that the Pharisees had no problem giving others too much to handle while they sat and watched.

5.       (Verses 47-51)  How much time do we spend recognizing the past?  Do we like to build, spend money and resources on our past accomplishments?  Do we spend most of our time talking about the great players or teams of the past?  Remember, we have young men women right in front of us now that have the potential to be the next great pastor, doctor, missionary, teacher, manager or coach?  Are we pouring into their souls each and every moment we have the opportunity?  Are we Martha or Mary?  Are we seizing the moment with our new flock or too busy recognizing our accomplishments?  Do we have a new slogan/scripture for the season on our warm-up shirt or are we wearing a shirt that has all the accomplishments of the past on it?  Build up souls, not monuments!  Jesus tells us that we will be held responsible, not for what monuments we can erect or trophies we can hold up, but who we loved and shared the Good News.  The Pharisees were all about the bling.

6.       (Verse 52)  Do we foster development in our assistants, captains, employees, etc..?  Do we include them in everything so that they can be a leader in the future? Or do we hide our secrets to success and experiences?  I have seen so many coaches, managers, parents, teachers and other leaders keep everything they have learned to themselves.  What a shame?  We have this fear inside that the person next to us or the person that will succeed us will be better.  True discipleship is giving everything you have to the person in front of you with the hope that they share the Good News with twice as many people as you did.  Share everything that worked well in your experience and also the stuff that did not work out.  How many of us would share our secrets with our opponents or competitors? If not, who are you really hurting?  You are hurting the people who could be better coached if you shared with their coach, boss, or parent.  What did Jesus do right after He scorned the Pharisees in these passages?  He warned and encouraged His disciples about the future. He coached them up as best He could so that when He was gone they would succeed in spreading the Good News. 

The world tells us that a leader is someone that directs others to do the dirty work so that they can continue to gain more and more power. The world tells us to work really hard early in life so that you can be a leader someday and cruise into retirement.  Jesus tells us differently.  In fact, he explains to us in John 13 that it is the total opposite.  We should look so different as Christian leaders that we stick out like a sore thumb. 

"Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all we can, at whatever cost to ourselves, to help people be enthralled with the glory of God. When they are, they are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving people and glorifying God are one."

-John Piper

First 3 Months Video Update

It is hard to believe we have been in the Dominican for 3 months!  Here is a 10 minute video update for y'all.  Thanks for all your support and prayers, we couldn't do it without you!

Happily walking in God's Will,

The Shaheen Family

Thank you God for this Long Weekend

How I was blessed this weekend:

Saturday: A new baseball team from Andres (Boca Chica) came to the Highlands in order to start a relationship with me and our organization.  I had just enough baseball clothing and cleats to fit them all up.  We did not have enough gloves, but that did not matter, the outfielders used the gloves while the infielders used wooden "softhands".  I had one of our facilities guys from the Highlands, Elvin, preach the Gospel and 4 young men from that group made a decision to accept Jesus into their heart.

I also picked up Bob Wiedemann from FCA in the afternoon and we spent some quality time together figuring out our short and long term plans in the Dominican.  I was also introduced to some friends of Bob that are looking to do ministry here in the DR with the possibility of partnering with FCA.

Sunday: Bob and I went to church in the capital (Grace was sick) to a church that I call the "North Point of the Dominican".  It was a great time worshiping the Lord for who He is.  After church, I took Bob shopping for food in the the capital.  That was an interesting experience.  Two clueless guys roaming a supermarket with a long list.  When we arrived at the house, the Patriots were on.  That evening we had a dinner meeting with another young man that is interested in coming to the DR with his wife in order to serve the community. It was interesting driving that night.  I found out what the Dominican is like on the last weekend of every month.  I was told by someone after the fact that pay day is the last Friday.  All I can tell you is that it looked like mardi gras everywhere.  It took us about an hour to drive 15 miles to get to dinner. Liquor stores turned into bars that spread all the way into the streets.  Driving was scary because there are no street lights.  I just prayed while driving that I would not hit anyone.  Thank you, God.

Monday: This was one of those days that comes along every so often.  A day like this is like a  perfect golf shot up the middle of the fairway during a tough round of golf.  It keeps you coming back for more.  I woke up praying for a day that would be significant to many people.  It was!  I picked up Bob Wiedemann at the hotel at 9am and we headed to Juan Dolio to meet up with some friends.  One of those friends, Cristian, is a 16 year old young man that Bob has developed a good relationship over the past few years on his mission trips.  Cristian is a believer, but does not have a lot of encouragement or support from others in his community.  Bob and I had the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about servant leadership.  We used John 13 and the washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus.  I read the verses in spanish, Bob explained, I translated, and it was wonderful.  Cristain has been helping me coach the 8-12 year olds from his community every Wednesday and Saturday.  He has been improving, but I felt like he really thought that leadership was "telling people what to do."  Through the way me and the other coaches do things, and now more importantly with the guidance of Jesus Christ, I believe Cristian "gets it."  What a wonderful moment!  Cristian agreed to follow us the rest of the day....and boy was that a great choice.  We did go by a colegio (private school) in Juan Dolio to visit Gabriela and Rachel (also friends of ours from past trips).  It was great to see them and talk about their futures in college.

In the afternoon, Bob, Cristian and I met up with Steve and Gonzalo.  Steve has a ministry in Kenya and is looking to possibly branch out into the Dominican.  He has a big heart and a passion to feed millions of people with food and more importantly with the word of God.  Gonzalo works in Steve's ministry using food as a means to evangelize, disciple and plant churches.  He just developed that kind of community in Monterrey, Mexico and is now living in the States as a coordinator.  He is a very talented man that has given his talents to the Lord in order to glorify Him.  We set out for the village La Brisa in San Pedro de Macoris in order to meet up with my friend Yuly Pozo.  Yuly (Julie) is one of the coaches that I am trying to pour into here in the Dominican.  He has a lot of influence (240 young men and 400 people) in the community and he turned his life over to Christ in July when Bob Wiedemann shared the Gospel with him.  Since then, Yuly has struggled a bit in the same way Cristian is struggling.  It is very hard to change when no one else is changing around you or even supporting your change.  We all sat down with Yuly for about 1 hour talking about Jesus and why we love him so much.  It was clear to us that Yuly has a tough time with forgiveness/grace.  He believes that he must do something to gain salvation.  He had always been told that he must do stuff in order to be "Holy."  Bob spoke, I read from the Spanish Bible and Gonzalo translated it all. We explained to Yuly that the battle has been won.  We told him that there is nothing that he can do.  It is done...finished!  Jesus paid the price.  We are now free to live with the Holy Spirit guiding our lives, not sin.  I cannot begin to tell you what those words did to Yuly.  He went from a man with slumped shoulders and watery eyes...to a man that looked like he was floating on air.  Praise the Lord.  God, you are amazing.

That's not all.  We capped off the day with a trip to the orphanage called Fundacion Ninas y Ninos de Cristo in La Romana.  Los Ninos de Cristo is an orphanage of about 100 girls and 10 boys.  Our FCA trips each summer spend a day here at the orphanage with the girls playing sports or just talking about life.  These girls are wonderful.  We spent 20 minutes talking with the leader (amazing woman) and another hour playing volleyball with the girls.  It is always hard to leave Los Ninos.  There were nothing but smiles and laughing the whole 45 minute ride home. It really does amazing things to your soul to meet those young girls.  It also makes you want to take them home with you and care for them...but that is a whole different story.  We finished the whole day by picking up my family at the house and going to Niccolo's Pizza in Boca Chica.  It is the best pizza ever.  Niccolo is an Italian (from Italy to the DR 10 years ago) that ships his dough, cheese and sauce to the DR from Italy.  We met Eddy Jesus and enjoyed talking about how amazing the day was together with each other.

I hit the ball around with these girls.  They laughed at me a little bit.  Volleyball is not "my thang."

All out, full court volleyball with the gang.  My team won. Not that that is important. 

Our cheering section.  It was a packed house at the Fundacion (aka: da Fundy).

In an amazing moment of the day, a Dominican mariachi band came up to our table at Niccolo's and started playing.  The fact that we had Gonzalo (Mexican) made it really providential.  Gonzalo grabbed one of the guitars and played a Christian praise and worship song and the mariachi band loved it.  Amazing!

Not trying to advertise beer, but we all agreed that this was one of the most amazing sights of the day.  As crazy as the picture looks, it does not do that billboard justice.  It looked like a monster sized cooler of El Presidente dropped from the heavens.  It is bigger than the Dallas Cowboys jumble-tron.

A Time to Learn

                    About 3 weeks ago, Pastor Nate from Juan Dolio and I took on the tough task of creating a baseball team from his community.  These young men ages 8-12 years old, have never played organized baseball before, in fact, before September of this year, they have never worn a baseball uniform.  That has all change now.  They not only have some uniforms but also have two days per week (Wednesday/Saturday) where they can learn how to play the game and have some fun. At this point we still have to share baseball gloves, but they do not care as long as they can play their favorite position and take a few swings at the plate. One of the greatest joys I have right now is seeing their eyes pop out of their head when their bus reaches our facility and they come sprinting out towards the field.  These kids are undisciplined and raw in every sense of those words. They clearly do not have a whole of role modeling happening in their barrio.  We start practice and games with prayer and finish with a devotion or Gospel teaching.  My prayer is that baseball every Wednesday and Saturday morning will not only teach them some discipline, but also allow them to see Jesus in all of the coaches that serve them.  Wouldn't it be great to have 20+ kids loving Jesus and playing baseball in a way that pleases Him.

The group gets together before practice for prayer and the plan for the day.

I did this drill "cut drill" with my champs up in Norcross, Georgia (Wesleyan) and do it also with these young guys.  Baseball is an easy game.  You throw the ball and you catch the ball.  The quicker you do it the better you are.  I had two groups match up against each other.  One team one the first 4 tries.  The other team won the next 5.  What a comeback.  They jumped around like they won game 7 of the World Series.

At this point in their development, coach pitch is the best way for them to get a lot of reps and actually hit the ball.  We are still trying to develop a few pitchers and catchers.

Any, the lead Pastor at SCORE International, send us a few guys that his discipleship group.  They have been a huge help with practices especially.  A lot of these guys have played at high levels of the game.  In order to be a leader, you must serve.

Luis Hernandez is a servant leader.  He is the head coach at Ozoria in Boca Chica, but spends his Wednesday mornings teaching our kids from Juan Dolio.  

My helpers are worn out after 3 hours of practice/scrimmaging.  I appreciate everything they do for these kids.  

Pastor Ulysses from the Baptist Church in Andres (Boca Chica) shares the Gospel to the groups from Andres and Boca Chica.  

3 Month Anniversary

Wow, I cannot believe that it has been 3 months that we have been here in the Dominican Republic.  Just three months ago, June 28^th, Jodi, Wyman, Grace and I packed up 12 bags worth of our life in Duluth, GA and set off for the Dominican Republic.  We knew that God called us to this place far away from our home and our comfort zone, but as many of you that have gone on mission trips before know, we were not sure exactly what was in store for us.  Many people that sent us encouraging notes before we left wrote, “Good luck on your new adventure.”   They were absolutely correct in writing the word adventure.  Since the moment we touched down at the airport in Santo Domingo until now, three months later, it has been an adventure.  From the change in culture, to the change in climate.  From the change in language, to the change in attitude.  One thing has been constant, we have experienced a lot of change.  None more than the change that God has made in the hearts of this family.  A change in location always leads to a change in perspective.  God has taken this opportunity in our lives to draw us closer to Him.  He has tested us. He has put a lot on our plate.  But, He has always been next to us throughout our time here.  He never gives us more than we can handle.  Sometimes He challenges us big time…and those are the times we fall to our knees and beg for His support and guidance.  What an amazing moment that is.

So much has gone on here in this ministry since June 28^th.  It blows me away that it was just two months ago that the last FCA baseball trip left the Dominican.  That FCA college baseball trip, along with the countless others this past summer, seem like an eternity ago.  I guess that is a good thing.  We are settled in and have a pretty good routine happening each week.   Now I say that half-jokingly, because you and I know that we are in the Dominican Republic and anything can happen on a daily basis.  Whether we are watching cows walk behind our house in the morning, or seeing a family of 4 ride a motorcycle holding onto 4 goats and propane tank, life here in the Dominican is far from ordinary.

Our first month here, July, was absolute chaos.  It would be hard enough to mentally move your family to another country, let alone host over a dozen missions trips, start Spanish lessons four days per week, start building relationships with people in the community, sign the kids up for school, set up a bank account and cell phone service, bribe the customs agents in order to retrieve your car from the port, find a church, and of course, spend some time with family. We even hosted 3 college guys from Atlanta for 11 days.  I know this sounds like I am complaining, and I probably would be if I knew we had to do it again, but I can honestly say that all of those things were a huge blessing to our family.  That chaos brought our family closer together and brought us closer to our Lord. It was also a great “boot camp” for our future in the Dominican.  I always felt as a coach that being thrown into the fire is often times the best way to gain significant experience. We met so many amazing people during the month of July.  Our facility here housed people from all over the United States wanting to spend a week in the Dominican in order to make a difference in the name of Jesus.  So many of those people made huge impacts on our family in the way that they worshipped the Lord and loved those around them.  We are so blessed to be able to call so many of them our friends now.  I bet Jodi and I could write a very long book on that month in our lives.  It would most definitely be a book about crazy love.  Oh that’s right, someone already wrote that.  I guess we would have to pick another name.

We are extremely blessed to have a house on the campus of this facility that is called the Highlands.  Herb Rawlings has built 12 Highlands Facilities throughout the world, including Thailand, Cambodia and Mexico.  These facilities are used for evangelistic camps, discipleship programs and a Bible college for the natives of each country.  Because in FCA we want to use baseball as a platform for Christ and disciple coaches and young men, Mr. Rawlings decided that we would be a great fit for the Dominican facility. We absolutely agreed and it has been wonderful to be able to use these great baseball fields in order to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For the past month, we have pretty much set up a routine.  Monday thru Friday, Wyman and Grace attend a bilingual school about 5 miles away from our house in the heart of a neighborhood called Andres.  The school is made up of mostly Dominicans from the village, so Wyman and Grace have been getting a good taste of Dominican life.  Jodi and I attend Spanish classes Tuesday thru Friday from noon until 3pm.  Our teachers Julio and Mercy are wonderful and we have become very good friends.  I even use 30 minutes of my time each day with Julio to study the Bible, in Spanish of course. 

Before setting foot on Dominican land, I had planned to put aside any ministry opportunities in order to focus on Spanish and my family.  That has been very difficult because there is so much need and I am so excited to work with coaches and players in the DR.  Jodi and I have set aside Sunday and Monday for church and time together and that has been wonderful for our relationship. We are currently in the middle of a great couples study called, “The Love Dare.”  It has been an amazing 28 days up to this point.  Because I could not help myself, I did start some ministry on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  On those mornings, we have hosted teams from Juan Dolio, Boca Chica and sometimes San Pedro de Macoris. The Juan Dolio team has never played baseball before and the Boca Chica team is in our community.  We could not wait and pass up the opportunity to evangelize to these groups and set up some discipleship opportunities in the future.  The teams range in age from 8-13 years old.  I now have a greater appreciation for middle school teachers.  Middle school boys are a breed of their own.   I also have had priceless opportunities to use the Spanish I have learned in class on the ball field and in the dugout.  There is no better way to learn a language than being immersed into a culture that speaks that language.  I cannot wait for the day, God willing, that I will be able to preach the Gospel in Spanish to these young people. 

FCA’s vision is to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of athletes and coaches.  So many organizations and groups come to the Dominican Republic in order to preach the Gospel.  FCA has sent the Shaheen family to the DR to follow through with discipleship.  In just 3 months, God has put me in the position to start several discipleship opportunities.  Every Wednesday morning at 7:30am I have the honor of reading the Gospel of John with a 17 year old named Ezekiel.  I happened to meet him in the first month when he came to work with his father  who works at the Highlands facility. I have also had several meetings with July Bozo, a coach from San Pedro de Macoris, Victor Aquino, a coach for the San Fransisco Giants Dominican team, and Luis Hernandez, a coach from Boca Chica.  On each occasion, these coaches have clearly expressed an interest in sharing their love for Christ with their ball players.  The thought of these men influencing countless young men in their communities for the cause of Christ gives me a feeling of Joy that I cannot describe.

From the moment we have been here, Gus and Illeana Hernandez, our neighbors, have been great supporters.  They have spent countless hours trying to keep us happy and safe, and we really appreciate it.  In just 3 months, Wyman and Grace look to Gus and Illeana as an aunt and uncle.  Eddy Jesus Gill, the Evangelistic Director of the Highlands has been a great friend to us.  Saturday night is movie night and it is no surprise when Eddy shows up with the movie or some popcorn.  Eddy was the person that took us to set up our phones and any other home improvement trips.  At the very young age of 21, Eddy makes a difference in the lives of so many people, including the Shaheens.

Wow, again, it is amazing to think about how we have only been here for 3 months.  We have developed so many strong relationships and have so many wonderful experiences in this short period of time.  In fact, there probably has not been a year in our lives that has had more significant moments for our family.  We are truly blessed!  We love and miss our friends back in the States, but we love what God is doing to us and with us here.  Boca Chica is our new home.  Somos Dominicano.  Mis hermanos, Dios le bendiga!

It's Not About Winning!

                Today was another great day at the Highlands.  It is 4pm right now and the Shaheen family is totally worn out.  I guess that is how you know that it was a good day.  Two separate groups of kids came to our field in order to play some baseball and get some love (agape).  One team, from Boca Chica, was strong, fast and very experienced.  The other team, from Juan Dolio, had their first practice Wednesday here at the Highlands and struggles with figuring out how to use the equipment.  Team Juan Dolio was created by me and Nate Jude (he pastors a SCORE church in Juan Dolio) two weeks ago when we ran into each other and starting talking about the FCA/Score ministry.  When I asked Nate about teams in Juan Dolio his answer was, "what teams?"  That of course led us to think of an opportunity at his church to start a team.  Jackpot!  We spoke several times over the next few weeks, had sign-ups at his church, and then had our first practice Wednesday morning (the kids go to school in the afternoon).

Nate Jude (white shirt) and Cristian (teen helping me)

               That brings us to today.  I had the idea that maybe we should invite our friends from Boca Chica to the Highlands Saturday to play Juan Dolio and see what type of talent we really have here.  Well, suffice it to say, the game lasted one inning and we decided to mix the teams and have some fun.  We had to share gloves, catchers gear, and some bats because we have run out of equipment here at the Highlands.  Our last baseball group came the first week in August and the storage container was full, but the need here is far greater.  The sharing added to the mixing effect and the 2 hour game was a lot of fun.  The Juan Dolio boys got a lot better as the game went on.  I believe after 3 or 4 months of practice and games they will improve so much that they will compete with a powerhouse like Boca Chica or San Pedro de Macoris.  On that note, the Coach of Boca Chica, Luis Hernandez, told me that he will come to our Wednesday practices and help out.  Wow, that is great news.  He is a good man (and believer) that does a lot for young men and kids.

Luis Hernandez

                 After the game, I had a new friend from the San Fransisco Giants, Victor Aquino, and his wife Judie come to the game and speak afterward.  Judie speaks to children at church a lot and Victor obviously coaches youn men at clinics and camps.  They did a great job sharing the Gospel with these boys in a way that kept their attention and got them to interact during the stories.  9 boys (aged 9-13years old) made commitments to start a relationship with Jesus.  Amazing!  We gave them New Testaments and made sure that they would receive help with attending church and meeting other believers in their community. After the games and Gospel, Victor and his family along with Ezekiel and Mikkie (young men I am mentoring) went swimming with us and came over to the house for some lunch.  It was a great time of fellowship and eating great food (Jodi's Taco Soup).  One of the best parts of the day came when Victor (Giants coach) asked me if we could meet once or twice per week for fellowship and English/Spanish practice.  His goal is to get to the States in the Giants organization and so he needs to know English. Spanish is going well for me right now but this will definitely help me even more.     
       

Judie and Victor Aquino and their son

One of my favorite poems by John Spurgeon:

   Job or Ministry

A job is at your choice...

a ministry is at Christ's call

In a job you expect to receive...

in a ministry you expect to give.

In a job you give something to receive something...

in a ministry you return something that has already been given to you.

A job depends on your ability...

a ministry depends on your availability to God.

A job done well brings you praise...

a ministry done well brings honor to Christ Jesus.

Here is a video of today's events

Boca Chica vs. Juan Dolio 9.17.11 from Jodi Shaheen on Vimeo.

Another Great Saturday at the Highlands

The boys having a blast before getting out on the field.  It's always a Yankee player that is unhappy.  Just kidding...not really.

Yes, that is me calling balls and strike...more strikes of course.

Wyman taking his first hack in a kid pitch game.  He is the youngest kid out there.  The pitcher was nice enough to groove him a pitch.

Que lo que, hermano!

Again, the wiffle ball game in my front yard was better and more intense than the hard ball game.

                           The day started out with a bang again.  The coaches from Ozoria Park (Boca Chica) brought 60 kids to the park instead of the usual 30.  That did not matter.  We had guys hitting in the batting cage, fielding in the outfield of the baseball field, playing a game on the softball field, and again, playing wiffleball on my front yard.  I believe the wiffleball game was the highlight of the day once again for the jovenes (young folk).  I am starting to get to know the kids pretty well and it will be a great day when I can preach the Gospel to them in their native language.  I am hopeful that time will come in March or April.

                        At around 2pm, the satellite tv company that was suppose to come on Thursday showed up ready to install.  Jodi and I finally gave in and purchased it.  It will really help our spanish.  The cartoon channels, sports channels and most of the others are in spanish. We could not believe how inexpensive satellite tv is in the DR.  Also at 2pm, we had invited several of our friends over for a pool party (Labor Day weekend and all). Right before our friends showed up, my young friend Ezekiel showed up and I had to invite him to the pool with us.  At the same time, my friend from Perdenales (near Haiti) showed up.  His name is Eliezer.  He again came 6 hours to our house to get 40 Bibles and some basketballs and soccer balls.  What an amazing testimony to his love for Christ and his people.  How far would we drive for Bibles?

                        Blessings to all of you back in the States.  Have a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend.  We love you and hope to see you soon. 

Picture of the day: Wyman and his game face. He wore his Nick Markakis Orioles shirt in honor of our guest Beth from Baltimore.

Great day for Baseball!

                          September 2, 2011 - Today I decided on my day off from spanish class to take my three amigos (Ezekiel, Wynan and Javier) and go out to the batey El Penon in San Pedro de Macoris in order to play baseball, fellowship and hear the Gospel.  We packed up the Kia Rondo with bats, gloves, balls, some uniforms donated by Mike Brady at the Walker School, and a large cooler of water.  A few weeks ago I prayed about taking the three young Dominican men under my wing.  It was clear over several nights, God was telling me that it is important that we as believers need to be discipling (feeding).  The kingdom will not multiple without it, and we are shown how to feed others in the Gospels and in Paul's letters.  With these three guys I have an opportunity of a lifetime.  They listen with open minds and hearts and really want to love those around them.
                        I sent several text messages to the Pastor of the batey during the week without hearing any response.  Here in the DR, that is not unusual.  We cannot take that as a "no" or a sign of rudeness.  Most Dominicans cannot afford sending text messages at will.  The no response often means "yes".  And I took the no response as a yes.
                     It took about 30 minutes to gather up all the kids that could possibly play.  Because we had 16 or so teenagers and 16 or so little kids, I had to split them up into two games.  I gave the little ones some bats and some tennis balls and told them to play in the corner of the field.  Then, we split the teens into two teams along with my 3 amigos and started to play some baseball the way it was meant to be played.  The day was beautiful (88 with a breeze) as well as the background of the field.  In Georgia we call it God's country!   After playing about 10 innings of baseball, I asked Pastor Maximo to share the Good News with the young men and women.  It was a wonderful sight.  Several boys lifted up their hands for a life with Christ and others said they would read the New Testament that I gave them. I will pray that God planted a seed in their hearts today and some day they will come to know the Savior of the world in a personal way.

     They played stick ball like it was game 7 of the World Series.  Those shirts were donated by Mike Brady at the Walker School.

That batting cage must have been given by a professional team or a church years ago. It is a good backstop.

That L-screen is made of fence.  I threw the first few innings and felt perfectly safe behind it even though my head was above it.

Pastor Maximo praying before preaching the Good News.  Everyone wants to hear good news, right?

My 3 Amigos in the background taking it all in. Wynan, Javier and Ezekiel were great today.  They were the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.  I believe that I discipled them better by just taking them to serve than if I spent 2 hours preaching to them. 

Rule Number 1: Always preach in the shade.



And the cutest kid award goes to... She sat their and watched the baseball game and then listened to the Gospel with a smile.





3 Hours of Sun, a dry field, and a bag of seeds

             That is all we need in order to have a baseball game and some fellowship.  Today, Friday August 26th, I dropped my kids off at school at approximately 8am. I drove home and started to do some work at my desk, when I receievd a call from Gus Hernandez (boss of the Highlands).  He told me that Luis Hernandez and 40 baseball players from Ozoria park in Boca Chica are on their way to the Highlands to play baseball per your offer.  ok.  I just learned something about the Dominican.  When you offer something to someone and do not hear back, they still might take you up on the offer.  Why you say?  They do not want to use up their minutes on their cell phone.  Or, they just do not think it is necessary.  Now, if I was still in Atlanta and not prepared for a group to come, I probably would have said "no" or "I am sorry".  BUT, I am not in Atlanta and my job now is to be prepared for anything and everything. I am ready.  I felt like a "minuteman" from the Revolutionary War or a fireman from the city.  40 kids were coming to my field to play baseball in an hour whether I was ready or not.
               For the past week it has been raining here.  It has been brutal to sit in a house for consecutive days when you live on an island near the equator.  The kids in the community were feeling it big time.  Every time I drove through town, I had to weave my way through 3 or 4 stick ball games in the street.  (For all of you that read this blog and are under 35 years old google stick ball)  The fields here are flooking more like the Chattahoochie River. 
               4 coaches and 40 kids that were from age 10-14 came to the little league field in front of my house and played baseball for 2+ hours.  Gum, sunflower seeds, water, sliding plays at the plate, homeruns, diving catches and a lot of high fives. You cannot beat it!  So of course...I joined it.  I had the opportunity to serve and talk a lot with the coaches.  It was truly an unexpectedly wonderful time.
              At the end, I spoke a little bit about why I am here in the Dominican and how blessed I am to be with them.  Then, Eddy Jesus (our evangelical director) presented the Gospel in a very interactive and amazing way.  I had the opportunity to pass out New Testaments to each kid and also give them an FCA Dominican rubber wristband.  I explained John 3:30 and told them about Holt Rowland and the work God is doing in this ministry.  It was an amazing 3 hours.

Ezekiel (on the right) was my intern for the day. He committed to a Bible study with me and the opportunity to serve younger players.

Pick-off move

Surprisingly the field was in great shape after 3 days of rain.  The players were wide-eyed when they got to the field.

Eddy Jesus really got the kids fired up for the Lord. 

Showing off their new armbands that say, "mas El, menos yo  Juan 3:30  HR 10  FCA Dominicana

Pictures From The Past Few Weeks

Uncle Tony and Auntie Jen came down to the DR for a long weekend. It was great that they were here to celebrate Grace's 4th Birthday.

For Grace's Birthday we went to a mall called MegaCentro.  It has an amusement park for kids inside of the middle of the mall.  The rides were a lot of fun and Grace and Wyman were never afraid unlike their parents.

As if Mommy and Daddy had planned it, Mickey Mouse was at the Acropolis Mall in Santo Domingo at the same time we were there for Grace's Birthday.  How do you figure?  She also had her Tinkerbell dress on.

We went to the beach on Saturday with Tony and Jenn so Grace could wear her new "bikini."  She also calls Zuchini "bikini, so that got a little confusing at first.  Daddy was definitely on the lookout for guys that were looking at his daughters new outfit.  She can wear all the bikinis she wants until she turns 10.

Ah yeah, that is me with icing dribbling from my mouth.  How do you figure that there is a Krispy Kreme in downtown Santo Domingo.  JACKPOT!  We sealed the deal with a few dozen.  Yes, a few dozen.  I had to buy a dozen for the guards that never had Krispy Kreme.  They must have thought that they died and went to Peachtree street in Atlanta.

I promised Wyman a camp out in the living room and Mommy and Gracie joined in on the fun.  We watched a movie, ate popcorn, and tried to sleep.  It is amazing how much kids move in their beds at night.  I think I got karate chopped 6 times in the ribs and chin.  All in good fun!

I know he looks scared, but he is really ok.  I am a pro at cutting hair.  Just ask Jason Couch.  He had to go to school each day and teach with a bald spot on the side of his head.  All in good fun!

The first day of school and we are ready.  Mommy and Daddy were ready for school to start, but were very nervous and sad to see them off in the morning.  Very few people speak english in their "Bilingual school".  No problema.  Estan listo!

I am so proud of my wife (here pictured with Josh, Toni and Debbie).  She has worked so hard and is doing extremely well with her spanish.  4 days per week, 3 hours in class, 2-3 hours out of class.  I will sound so much more romantic when I speak spanish to her...and she understands it.

It has been a joy to go to study spanish each morning.  Mercy and Julio are wonderful people and great teachers.  We are not faking, we do smile a lot while we work. 

Julio nos ensena como decir "Hola".

Donna King, Don King's long lost grandaughter.  Just kidding.  We heard it was Don King's Birthday so we had some fun with Gracie.

Picture of the month.  Of course I am extremely biased.  I was very sad taking my two little ones to class.  I got over it pretty quickly though.