Besides getting back to stapling up heads, sowing  lacerations, draining abscesses and cleaning wounds, we have been busy laying down the gravel to prepare for the pouring of the pavillion floor.

As you can see there are literally tons of gravel to spread around. On Februrary 7 our good friend Greg Hardin and his family will come to lead us in pouring the 7500 sq ft floor. Right after that we will have a grand re-opening of our pizzeria for Valentines day and then on Februrary 27 the community will celebrate their independence day with festivals under the pavillion roof.

We started off the year with 3 new and exciting bible study classes, one of them being Dorcas and Company.  The students in this class are learning how to sew by hand and machine, and learning about a woman named Dorcas and how she lived her life.  Disciple-Obedience-Respect-Corazon de amor (heart of love)-Acts of charity-Senor Jesus primero (Lord Jesus first).  Our first project involved hand sewing, using 2 basic stitches out of which we made a pin cushion.  Here are our finished products.  Check Dorcas out in Acts 9:36-42.

If you have been to visit us in the DR you are probably aware of our electrical challenges. The challenges have increased over the past year with less supply of electricity from the city, or grid. Fortunately, we have a power inverter for each building which provides back up energy supply when the grid goes down. This is extremely important, especially for our safety. Over the past few months we have received very little grid energy causing total blackouts, almost nightly. The inverters require batteries to maintain back up power, and these batteries need to be charged on a regular basis. The batteries usually need to be replaced every 2 years. Our system for the whole campus requires at least 36 batteries, more if we want longer back up time. Currently we need to replace 20 batteries at a cost of $125 each. We are also looking into purchasing a large back up generator that can help supply power to the whole system and keep our batteries charged. The generator will be especially important when the pavillion is in frequent use.

To keep the juice flowing please visit our website http://www.delcorazon.org/help-out/contribute-financially/

Please visit our website if you would like to help keep pumping out the pizzas. http://www.delcorazon.org/help-out/contribute-financially/

One of our goals at Delcorazon is to train the younger generation to be the future Christian leaders of El Catey and the Dominican Republic. We identify those who have a desire to learn and grow and encourage them to get involved in the ministry. We create a paying job, have scheduled Bible studies and regular “staff” meetings which prepares them for future positions of employment and leadership. We try to be a “hinge” in which we identify the strengths of an individual, encourage and develop that strength, then help them achieve their dream or passion. Meet our boys:

Jeffrey

Jeffrey is my right hand man. He joined us  years ago as a volunteer when we were constructing the baseball field. He showed up faithfully every day and spent a great deal of time with me. Shortly after joining us he turned his life over to Jesus and has grown tremendously. Last year he completed nursing school and almost runs our clinic. Jeffrey is incredibly gifted and a tremendous contributer to our ministry. His heart is commited to remaining in El Catey and his aspirations are to become a dentist so he can provide dental care to our local community. Jeffrey lives with us and works hard to keep the ministry running smoothly.

Gato

One of the first boys that I met in El Catey was Gato. He was 8 years old. We have been very close over the years. A few years ago his mother moved to Santo Domingo and he went with her. He has struggled in school and more so in Santo Domingo. Last year he and his mother decided that it would be best for him to return to El Catey. He returned and now lives with us. We are able to help him with his education and he works on the campus maintaining the grounds and the baseball field. Gato believes that he has a long term future with Del Corazon.

Freddy

Freddy has grown up around the ministry, playing baseball in the little league, coming to VBS, and having his teeth pulled when the dentists are in town. He joined us to meet our agricultural needs by working in the greenhouse and tending to our fruit trees. He finished high school and desires to go to the university to study accounting. We have put him in charge of managing the pizzeria and ice cream sales.

Yan

Yan has been around before he could walk. He comes from a solid family with Christain parents and had his own personal relationship with Jesus. He has a big heart and is a natural servant. He has developed a passion for medicine and spends most of his time with me in the clinic. He loves to help people and particularly enjoys taking care of their wounds. He wants to be a doctor.

If you would like to help train our leaders please visit out website to find out how. http://www.delcorazon.org/help-out/contribute-financially/

We provide a medicine for these children which acts to increase the amount of fetal hemoglobin in their body and helps them to carry oxygen more efficiently, decreasing the frequency and severity of crises, decreasing the amount of blood transfusions, and increasing the quality of life for the child and the entire family. The cost to provide medication for each child is $20 monthly.

Please visit our website if you would like to help a child with sickle cell anemia.

http://www.delcorazon.org/help-out/contribute-financially/