A few more student chairs are needed but they will be in place as soon as the container that has arrived in port has been cleared.The opening ceremony for Colegio Paraiso took place on Wednesday, September 17th to the anticipation and delight of the teachers, children & the community at large.
Introductions of the director and staff were followed by the singing of the national anthem and few words from Dr. Kim & Josie Pensinger of Dominican Advance who will manage and operate the school. 
Ninety one children are enrolled in pre –K, K, & grades 1, 2 & 3 with more parents lining up in the office to enroll their children also.
We would like to thank each and every person who has made this school a reality.- Renee Mensinga who co-ordinated with Dr. Kim on the layout design and drawings of the floor plan way back in January.
- the 2 mission teams (Heir & Mission Direct team #2) who helped move block, sand and the many wheelbarrows of dirt to fill & level the floors of the school prior to the pouring of the cement . 
- Mission Direct team #3 who painted the entire school inside and out with 2 coats of paint. 
- Spruceland Millworks and Faith Tabernacle for their financial contributions.
-All those who have prayed and worked diligently to make this dream a reality.
- And most of all we want to thank our Heavenly Father for blessing the workers with safety and providing an excellent staff which will develop and mold these children into citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom.
- Spruceland Millworks and Faith Tabernacle for their financial contributions.-All those who have prayed and worked diligently to make this dream a reality.
- And most of all we want to thank our Heavenly Father for blessing the workers with safety and providing an excellent staff which will develop and mold these children into citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom.
Their first performance took place in villa Paraiso just 2 nights after their arrival and played to a bursting audience for 3 nights in a row. We can honestly say that the team’s performances were really a top notch job well done even amidst the clamor of the children, and a few power outages. 
The audience cheered and clapped as the individual performances of the actors was played out and were especially vocal when the Hallelujah chorus was played when a believer’s name was found in God’s book of life. 
The haunting laugh of Satan struck fear in the hearts of the young watchers but they cheered as the bad guys were taken away by his demons. 
At the altar call afterward by Efraim, 50 people came forward to accept or rededicate their lives to Jesus. Last night we witnessed another presentation done by the team in a church in La Union and were impressed with the commitment and efforts of Orlando Martinez and the entire ministry team. We pray that many people will feel the call of Jesus and give their lives to him and his saving grace.
Our job not only consists of being ground tillers with the construction of homes, but also by providing for the physical and spiritual needs as well. We cannot do these things alone and don’t claim to be experts in everything, but we rely on the grace of our Heavenly Father to send people to fill these roles with their expertise. Our job does entail a lot of co-ordination and management to oversee the work, so this year Jane became a personal assistant (PA) to work alongside John in his role as MISSION DIRECTOR, ensuring that all areas of the work continue as are necessary. 
Please pray for both of us that the Lord will supply a greater knowledge of the Spanish language… we have made great strides, but there is still more to learn and even more cultural issues to be aware of. We would like to say a great big THANK YOU to all our sponsors for making this opportunity a reality through your generous donations and buckets of prayer. 
