Great Picture

 

The Heart and Soul of FCA Dominican Republic

We try to have a dinner for our families every other Saturday.  Usually we eat la bandera (arroz, habituelas y pollo), but sometimes we can get Willie to make dumplins.

Blessings in Autumn

 

Enjoyed meeting at Burger King with Ron Bishop from SCORE International. He carries such a energenic and caring presence.  We are so thnakful to have a great partnership with SCORE here in the DR.  Together we can do so much more than separate.  Thanks be to God.

 

 

Robersi Lara spent 4 days with us and may spend more time with us in the future.  He loves Jesus and wants to disciple coaches in the Dominican.  We celebrated his birthday with tasty cupcakes made by my wonderful wife.

 

 

I am so amazed by the work of our Lord.  He is so good.  This house is going to be for the Prez Family.  We are almost finished.  Windows, doors and some electricity.  The Perez parents have 6 beautiful kids. 

 

 

God has blessed us with 4 (10-13 year old) teams that are made up of kids from SCORE  churches.  Our first team started last October in Juan Dolio.  We now have San Pedro (El Penon), San Jose and Santana.  This is a picture of Miguel sharing a message with the San Jose and Santana teams. 

 

 

I love teaching English to these guys.  Ariel, Miguel, Yeurelin, Amandi, Elvin, Nange and Willie are great students that are improving every time.  The Rosetta Stone Program has been a blessing.  Thanks go out to those who donated computers and the programs.

 

 

 

 

 

FCA Dominican Republic: A New Year

Some of my favorite times are when we just laugh and have fun after Bible study.  Every Tuesday at 2pm we usually have about 15-20 young men from 14-19 years old.

This is a very special picture to us.  Our two Dominican Pastors are on the left and our USA Pastor is on the right.  Omar, Craig and Tito.  We love them all.  They are servants.

Here is Tito leading the Thursday morning Bible study of about 35 young men.  He always starts with Praise and Worship.  I love that about him.

Marcus from The Bridge Church in Lawrenceville (our church) is helping Amandi with his English lesson on Rosetta Stone.  There is nothing funnier than hearing a man repeat the audio speaker by saying, "I am a girl."

Tito and Marcus giving testimonies in front of Team Cedeno at the Avenida.  They spoke about a man's role in the community.  It was so cool to hear them talk about what it means to be a Dad.  I reaffirmed my commitment to Jodi after in front of everyone.  It was really cool.

Jake Alexander from North Carolina Wesleyan playing Peek a chu with the kids on the street.  The boys from UNC Wesleyan really did a great job of loving on the kids in each village.

Our first service in our new church.  La Iglesia de la Gracia (Grace Church).  I love waking up Sunday mornings and praising Jesus with these people.  No rock band, no million dollar building, no air condition, just true praise, worship and study. 

Joel the umpire did a great job.  He spent the whole week with us and the North carolina Wesleyan group.  He may be just a teenager, but he knows the game and loves to serve.  He told me he would much rather preach, disciple and serve in the community.  I told him he is and he doesn't even know it.

UNC Wesleyan.  Kyle Bradley is a great man and disciple of Jesus Christ.  He is a missionary in Santiago, DR with Go Ministries.  He brought this group to Boca Chica and allowed me to be a part of it.  Thank you, Kyle.  You are a good friend.

Ariel and Yeurelin studying a little English.  We are 5 strong right now in our classes.  We have class Wednesdays and Friday from 2-5pm.  They spend about an hour and a half on Rosetta Stone and the rest I stand up in front and teach.  It is fun!

How cool is this picture.  That is FCA Boca Chica All Stars playing in San Pedro against a Christian All-star team there.  Meeting God in Baseball set up a tournament with teams from Santo Domingo, Boca Chica, San Pedro, Hato Mayor and La Romana.  All the teams are coached by disciples and the players are part of a Bible study program. 

Funny picture of the month.  Jodi had to get on the table to take a head shot of Miguel.  He is 6'8" or taller.  He is trying to get a visa in order to come with us to Atlanta in December/January.  Please pray for him.  He will be at the Embassy interview November 8th.

This was a small house.  It is now the design for a future house for the Perez family (Yeurelin) that is over twice the size of the older one.  I am so grateful to have such amazing donors that step up every time we ask for help. 

One of the most exciting things we are doing right now is our discipleship program.  Every Thursday morning we meet at our apartment.  We are using the BILD program from the United States and Jorge Safren from Meeting God in Baseball is leading the program.  We have had two weeks already and it has been a huge blessing.  Thank you MGB and Jorge.

The brain trust.  Craig, Joe Garcia and Randy Saxon leading our meeting to build Yeurelin's home. 

One of the young men that comes to Bible Study, Abel, had his 15th Birthday party at the Francos apartment.  The Francos have taken Abel under their wing for the past 8 months.  It was a lot of fun and the cake was great too.

This was a coaches Bible study on a Thursday night.  Bob Wiedemann and Brent Slade attended and that was really cool to have them there.  Also in attendance was JoJo Catrini, a former student of mine that came down to serve for a week.  JoJo is a marine officer (grad of the Naval Academy) and had 3 weeks off and decided that coming to the Dominican to serve was important.  How cool is that.  That is the American Soldier who loves Jesus!



Show them love...show them Jesus!

FCA Dominican Republic - June

Luis with his girls.  Luis is an amazing dude.  One thing a lot of people do not know about Luis is that he spends 3 days per week with these girls teaching them how to play softball.  He also takes care of the field every day with about 5 kids from the neighborhood that have mental or physical disabilities.  Luis shows them love...he shows them Jesus!

Lindsay Emerich and Kyle Hess with Miguel at the airport.  Lindsay spent one month here (June) in the DR and showed em Jesus.  Kyle is currently in the DR (July) and showing em Jesus.  Miguel is always here showing em Jesus.  I love them all.  They are a joy to spend time with and I am blessed.

There may be nothing better than getting two different cultures/languages in the pool together.  Language and culture go out the window.  It's all about chickin fights.

We got a little bored with baseball on a 95 degree day, so we got the cones and played a little bowling with the softballs.  You have to be creative with 10 year olds.

Thanks to all that helped us with computers and the Rosetta Stone program.  We are week number 3 now and progressing.  Lindsay loved helping the guys with their pronunciation.

Coach Joe Hudak gets thrown out of a game for arguing a call with the umpire.  The whole thing was staged but I am not sure that the umpire truly knew that he was joking.  Very funny.

Linday cooking platanos with a little help from Willie.  Willie can flat out cook.

Good things seem to happen under a tree.  After a hot baseball game, we find some shade, share some testimonies, and listen to the Gospel.  Thank you, Paul Austin.

FCA Atlanta and FCA Boca Chica after a game at Ozoria field.  It was so amazing to hear Dominicans and Americans share their testimonies.  So cool!

You want to hear the "real" Gospel?  Listen to Bill Emerich.  He does not water it down for the lukewarm.

After a week of serving in the DR, the Emerichs did not want to go to an all-inclusive hotel for R&R.  They decided to go to San Jose and dig a trench for a water pipe so that people can drink clean water and not have to walk a mile for it.

Is there anything better than a bilingual Kindergarten teacher showing up to church and volunteering to teach about Adam and Eve.  The answer is no.  Suzanna, thank you so much.  You were amazing!  The kids of San Jose loved it.

Devin Stanton may have gift-wrapped 3 baseball state championships for his coach, but the best gift he ever gave his coach was surrendering his life to Jesus Christ.  I am still so excited for Devin.  I am also extremely thankful that he would come visit me in the DR and serve in the name of Jesus.

Bible studies keep getting bigger and bigger.  Thanks be to God.  Thank you to Serv International for supporting this ministry with food for these young men.  Some of these young men receive lots of food for their family.

Bob Wiedemann leading Bible study in the DR.  Language cannot get in the way of Jesus.  He is much bigger than that.

Pretty cute ladies enjoying some lunch.  My little girl is getting so big.

Picture of the month (maybe of the year).  20+ men sharing their hearts under a carport in Boca Chica.

On June 28, 2011 we arrived in the Dominican Republic and one year later here is what the good Lord
 has blessed us with.....

 

Leaving a Mark

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
                                                                                        Galatians 2:20


An imprint is a permanent mark.  It is an engraving, etching, impression or inscription.  Every time we compete, parent, coach or work, we leave an imprint.  It can be either a good impression or a bad one, but that is up to us.  The ultimate question is not whether we have left a good or bad imprint, but whether we have left an imprint of ourselves or of JESUS.  It is so true that a person walking with Jesus will never leave an imprint of himself or herself, but only the imprint of Jesus.

Holt Rowland left an imprint in this world, not for himself, but for JESUS.  I did not have to get this put on the outfield wall in Boca Chica for us to know that. 

I cannot tell you how exciting it is to have a public field in Boca Chica that serves thousands of people with dugouts proclaiming God's grace.

He is the only way, truth and life.  Now, every team that plays at Ozoria field can read it.

Cristian, one of the players on Miguel Cedeno's team (FCA DR), gives his testimony to American players from Battleground Academy.  Cristian emphasized the joy he lives with in His walk with JESUS.  He left the imprint of JESUS.

Me, Miguel, Luis, Amandi and Jeurelin took a trip out west to Haiti.  My hope is that we left the imprint of JESUS, not ourselves.  Althought the Haitians received water filters in the past (thank you Craig), and possible food in the future, our hope is that they receive JESUS.  He is the bread and water of real life.



A note from our friends at SERV International

"It is rare these days to see a family give up the creature comforts and quality of life that suburban U.S.A. living offers.  For Mike and Jodi it seems like there was no other choice, some would say a life calling.  What an amazing thing it is to see a couple pour out their heart in service for a people that just a few years prior they had never met.  It is incredible to see the ministry progress and the personal influence that Mike and Jodi have achieved in such a short time.  Working with them in the Dominican Republic has been such a joy and we are honored to call them partners in ministry.

-Steve Kasha, founder of SERV International & Joe Garcia, president of SERV International

 

We are so blessed to have partners here in the DR that love Jesus and live intentionally.  We are extremely excited about the programs that we plan to work together on and we will continue to pray that God has his hands all over it.

                                                                                              - Mike and Jodi

Appreciate our so many Blessings

A note from the Garvins:

     We were greatly blessed to spend a large portion of our spring break with the Shaheen's in the Dominican Republic.  What a privilege it was!  We were able to witness first hand the Lord working mightily in their midst.  It is obvious - around every turn - that the Lord is using them in great ways among the Dominican people.  Even though they have really only been there a short period of time, the Shaheen's have totally embraced the Dominican culture....and the Dominicans have totally embraced them as well!

     Of course, the love of Jesus knows no language barriers!  Mike, Jodi, Wyman, and Grace are showering their Savior's love on anyone to whom they come into contact.  They open up their home and their hearts at all hours of the day and night extending food, drink, funds, Bible study, instruction, and a love for baseball.  It is cool how a common bond of a particular sport can open doors that would otherwise be closed!  Dominicans can be seen on every street corner, on every vacant field, on every sidewalk playing baseball.....and then a little more baseball!  

      God has prepared, equipped, and destined Mike and Jodi for such a ministry as this!  We would highly encourage you to pay them a visit....not for their benefit but for yours!  You can then get a glimpse of Almighty God at work!  It will be well worth your time!  You will come home with a greater desire to serve Jesus with a willing / sold-out heart!!  You will also come home appreciating your country, your home, your shoes, your electricity, your drinking water, your indoor plumbing, your trash collection, and your mail service....just to name a few!!

Pizza at our favorite place Niccolo's

Greg, Angela & Colton Garvin

Change of Pace + Change in Place = Change in Perspective

A note from Bob Worthington (Dunwoody, GA) about his trip to the DR in April 2012:

“Recently my 21 year old son and I traveled to the DR, along with another father/son team, to witness and experience the FCA Baseball ministry there.  I expected to see poverty, and we did.  I expected to see baseball being played with a passion and fervor, and we did.  And, I expected to see Mike and Jodi investing themselves daily into the lives of local men, women, and children with the purpose of spreading God’s love and grace in their community, and we did.  But the effect that these observations had on me was quite different than I had envisioned.  In their poverty I saw an ability of the Dominicans to find happiness in “the simple things” which left me humbled and disappointed in my own sense of priorities.  Through their approach to playing baseball, I became reminded of the days when we played the game for the purist of reason…because we loved it.  The games were played as just that, they were simply games.  The kids shared gloves (where gloves were available) with the opposing teams, settled their own close calls, and never seemed to be too concerned with the score or inning.  They just wanted the sun to never go down and end their game!  It was refreshing to watch them come and leave as friends who would need one another tomorrow for another game to take place.  But, most of all, I was amazed by the platform for Christian discipleship which the Shaheens had found in the DR, and by their unbridled passion to serve as missionaries for Christ!  Their daily drive to grow this platform and expand the mission was and is awe-inspiring to me, and I cannot find words which adequately express my feelings in this regard.  Some things must be seen and not just heard to be properly conveyed.  Finally, as a Christian I know intuitively that God is omnipresent.  But for me I felt closer to Him and to my son during my days in the DR than I had ever felt.  Perhaps it was because of a sudden appreciation for all my earthly possessions?  Perhaps it was through my experiencing of a simpler and less intensive daily rigor, allowing more quality time for God and my son?  Or perhaps it was because I was not distracted by man’s creation from truly seeing the natural beauty of God’s creation?  I suspect it was some of each, and more.   I honestly can’t say.  But what was clear, crystal clear, was that God was in the DR and He was diligently at work through FCA Baseball and His faithful servants, the Shaheens!   I would STRONGLY suggest to anyone who is capable of doing so to accept Mike’s and Jodi’s generosity and go visit them.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                -Bob Worthington

Thanks be to God!  Jodi and I  are so grateful that God put us here and that we are friends with Bob and his family.  All are welcome to come visit and spend some time in the ministry.

Blessed

This is my "to go" bag.  Everywhere I go I need to be prepared to share a devotion with a group of coaches or players.  FCA Devotional and FCA New Testament (both in espanol)

Spent Friday morning with the Mayor of Boca Chica.  He is a big baseball fan and also a fan of the FCA ministry in Boca Chica.  I gave him an FCA armband and a childrens "Espiritu de Beibol" by Trot Nixon's wife Kathryn.  He loved both gifts.  He told me his family owns a lot of land near the Marlins baseball academy and they would sell it to FCA in the future if we ever wanted to build an academy or Boys/Girls club.  That is definitely a dream of mine.  Also in the picture: the mayor's assistant, Nino, Willie and Luis.

Our first coaches dinner/Bible study after the conference.  20 people showed up for "Dumplins de Willie" and the word of God.  We are planning on having it every other Thursday in the classroom next to "la cancha" (basketball/volleyball court) in Boca Chica.  This is what it is all about.  Discipleship, discipleship, discipleship!

Here are the 7 guys that stepped forward at the end of the conference and stated that they want to surrender to the Lord and spend eternity with Him.  The two middle guys are from Boca Chica and they attended the first Bible study after.

Willie and Miguel taking a picture with bunch of our new friends from Tanquesito near Baseball City.  David, their coach (red shirt), is a believer and wants us to come support him each Friday with a study with his team.  Really cool opportunity.

Team Juan Dolio and Team San Jose together after their game.  We are having blast with these kids.  Just think, last October, not one of these kids played on a baseball team.  It has really been a huge blessing to all of us to see the growth in this program.  Both teams are supported spiritually by their Pastors (Nathan and Craig/Omar) and the churches.  All these players attend church every Sunday usually with their mother and other family members.

Rogelio and Ti Ti.  Rogelio had some great hits in the big game.  He is always smiling and I love it.

Angelito and Gayron (HiRon).  It is great to see the two teams get along and play hard.  The coaches are doing a great job making sure the players understand good sportsmanship.

How amazing does this field look now?  This was the cow pasture you saw in January.  Thank you God for this blessing.  This field will be used to glorify You only.

Wyman just got a double and is waiting for the next guy to knock him in.  I was happy to see Wyman play with the little guys (7-9 yr old).  He still has much more fun climbing the trees.

Mimi learning how to pitch the softball with Miguel.  We are trying really hard to work with the girls too.  I will be happy when Lindsay comes in June and July.  These girls deserve to have a coach and time on the field.  If you know any women that is looking to do sports ministry, have her call me asap.

All thanks goes to God.  He is has had his hands all over this ministry from the start.  The Shaheens are blessed in a big way each day.  May God continue to work though the FCA ministry in Dominican Republic.