THE SCHEDULE

During our stay in Canada the question we asked each other most often was, "Can we fit it into the schedule"? So many people to visit and how to do as much as possible. It's a good thing Jane arrived two weeks early to celebrate Mother's Day with our children and spend time with her parents and sisters. Because once John arrived.....the schedule played a very important part in our days.
CHURCH VISITS

Each of the 4 Sundays we were pleased to visit one or two churches and their members. Even though this entailed a huge amount of driving and many early risings, are very thankful for their support of “The Samaritan Foundation” and our work there. Thank you for allowing us to opportunity to participate and worship in Sarnia 1st CRC and Living Hope CRC, Community CRC in Kitchener, Lakemount Worship Centre in Grimsby and our home church Rehoboth URC in Hamilton.

Five days after visiting Lakemount, their team of 8 arrived in Sosua to begin another mission trip. They raised funds for the project by selling "bricks" and local handmade items from the Dominican ladies.
POTLUCK DINNERS

Friday, May 29, on our way back from Montreal we stopped to visit Pastor Marilyn at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Perth, ON. To our surprise, upon entering the church, the delicious aroma of a potluck lunch greeted our senses! Instead of a short visit with Pastor Marilyn, we were greeted by members of this vibrant, small community with a heart for missions. In response to God’s love, and challenged by Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”, many fundraising events and a mission trip to the Dominican Republic have taken place. Recently they decided to sponsor the building of four homes for the poor and the balance towards the operating expenses of the school in Villa Esperanza. Thank you for your generous donation towards helping the poor and allowing us to meet and share a meal with you. Mission begins and ends with worship. It starts at home but doesn’t end there.

Dave & Sandy Chapman and members of the Runnymede Community Church in Toronto hosted a potluck dinner on Wednesday, June 2nd affording us the opportunity to share a time of fellowship and community.

“To love God, be committed to one another and engage in community” is their vision. Who is my neighbour? Those in need! Not only has Pastor Mike and members of Runnymede gone on 2 mission trips to the Dominican Republic, but Dave & Sandy have also lived in the community of Los Algodones for a year! It was a pleasure for us to reconnect with them and give updates on the building of homes and community life in this extremely poor Haitian batey.

FAMILY & FRIENDS

One of the things we miss the most in the Dominican is the time spent visiting family and friends. We were blessed to be able to connect with many people and each moment was truly treasured. Thank you for working within our busy schedule to allow us to fit so many of you in. Even though I didn't always remember to bring the camera...the visits with you are precious memories of our time together.

Kyung Ok, Corrie & her mom at "The Stream" tv studio in Orangeville. John had an opportunity to ride a Peruvian horse at Paradise Ranch in Vernon, B.C. Martin & Tina Schroeder took us on a southern Okagnogan valley tour with a visit to Osoyoos.

Thank you especially to our children who are such a blessing to us and were available for whenever mom & dad had a free moment to spend time with them. These brief times together are very precious to us!

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

During these 4 weeks of furlough, we plan to visit many churches and supporters in an almost cross country tour of Canada commencing in Montreal, moving on to southern Ontario and then on to the beautiful British Columbia.
In Montreal, we had the opportunity to speak at Emmanuel Pentecostal Assembly, met with three pastors, and enjoyed the hospitality of our gracious host Lucy Conte. She forewarned us that the Italian’s love their food….and we were not disappointed. Lucy and her friend Carla organized our schedule, and guided us through this city of francophone’s. A funny thing happened when someone spoke to us in French…. we switched from English to Spanish automatically instead of French. Ooops! One of the highlights was a visit to the Welcome Hall Mission in downtown Montreal, a rehabilitation and treatment center for homeless men with drug and/or alcohol addictions. Established in 1895, they offer a 12 step program for recovering addicts guided by Christian principles and the word of God. A social service network complete with counselors, a food bank, clothing boutique and distribution center provide opportunities for community service and their reintegration into normal society. Paolo, the director for the past 8 years also asked John to be the guest speaker at their daily chapel service that day.

In November 2008, Lucy and Paolo led a group of ladies from Montreal along with 5 members of the Mission Hall band, all recovering addicts to bless the poor in the Dominican through worship, song and service. What an amazing feat it was that these men were able to raise their own funds to go on this mission trip. Mathieu hopes to return again to the Dominican later this year, the Lord willing. Thank you Lucy and Carla for making our stay in Montreal a memorable experience and giving us the opportunity to meet with past and future members of their Dominican mission teams.