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Friday, June 17, 2016

Gateway Youth Team in the DR - Sports and Art Camp


2nd day of camp
This morning was a crazy one. The guys were all up on time today, and all of them actually got breakfast. Today was lots of work, including painting the church, clay projects in art, and lots and lots of basketball and soccer.  The kids were thrilled every time they got to a new station, and participated in most activities with joy.  I had a great time getting to know the kids, and even participated in a pickup game of basketball with some of the older boys.  After camp, we followed up with some more painting in the church, some more basketball and a LOT of cards.  Overall, we’re tired, but have had a great day.

                                                                                    ~ Zachary Seitz

Zachary working hard as we paint the sanctuary at Ebenezer Church

Everyone loves volleyball!!


Hello all, or should I say Hola todos! We ended our 2nd full day here in the Dominican Republic and let me tell ya it was a blast. I helped translate in a station where the kids chose whether they wanted to play soccer; I mean futbol, or basketball. Most of the kids chose basketball, which surprised me, but turns out there are a lot of LeBron fans here. Most of the girls, however, wanted to play volleyball. For lunch we had a scrumptious meal of rice and chicken with beans. It reminded me a bit of my mom’s cooking so my tummy was happy. Although, I was not in the art room, after lunch I took a peek at the kids’ creations and man oh man are they great. One child even made a Mickey Mouse (a universal character)! After camp ended the group went to the church and practiced a song that we’re singing at church on Sunday. Dare I say we sounded great! And for dinner we had some wonderful tacos and tortilla chips. So all in all I would say our 2nd day went swimmingly. Speaking of swimming, go see my new movie Finding Dory in a theater near you!   
                                                                                    ~Dorie Pierre  


Dorie and Mackenzie having a blast translating at camp!!
Some of today's artwork

Two days down here in Barahona, and they have been two very busy days that have been both very revitalizing and very exhausting.  Today I was in charge of the soccer station with Griffin and Sophie and it was so fun to interact with the kids and watch their skills improve.  My favorite part was when a kid wasn’t participating or wasn’t too confident and I was able to go up to the child and work with them. The one on one attention and encouraging words (tu puedes.. you can do it!) went a long way. It was awesome to see a confidence and a sense of accomplishment in their eyes, smile, and actions.  I am feeling extremely grateful for the opportunity to spend a week with these children and see the excitement and joy in each and every person. I hope we can bless these kids, but I know they have already blessed us in more ways than one. I know I have learned more from them than I, by myself, could ever teach them. As fun as it is to teach and play with these kids, it is also very exhausting. By the end of the day, I am ready for a nap, some food, and a shower. The best part of the day, in my opinion, is still to come. At night we all gather for a good game of Mafia, good conversations, worship, and devotionals. The time to be up on the roof, feeling the breeze, and just being with our team is awesome. This trip is an amazing time for growth in many ways and an awesome time to escape the worries of this world and focus on people besides ourselves, and most importantly, our wonderful Creator.
                                                                              ~Lisa Simmons        

Griffin, Sophie, and Lisa with a group at their soccer station