Our first team of 2012 consisted entirely of one family who decided to do more than spend 2 weeks at an all inclusive resort. The Sipkens’ not only work together throughout the year in their family business, they also decided to vacation together but with a purpose: to partner with the Samaritan Foundation in building a house for a needy family. 
Their house…which was started by our local construction crew….was only 3 blocks high when the family arrived on the construction site the first day…but the young men replied…no problem dad, we can finish it in a week…right?
Laughter rang out at times as Ken & John shared stories of their youthful escapades while growing up together in the small town of Sarnia.
The first half of week 2…saw lots of rain. The bus couldn’t cross the river on 2 days, but thanks to Ermis’ pickup truck they were able to continue up the hill on their mission. Not to be outdone by their Haitain counterparts…the strong young men…and girls… gained a measure of respect for their diligence& commitment in getting the job done.
Their vacation of helping others also included time for ministry work. Grandma Sipkens’ and her friend Emmy, joined the family on most of their outreaches: feeding the kids, visiting a school, 
the public hospital and worshipping in the Esperanza church, 
but took time to rest and enjoy the sunshine at the resort while the rest of the family distributed food to a small Haitian community of Chichigua.
Thank you for donating your time and effort in changing the lives of another family when they received their new home. So when your friends ask you about your vacation………you can tell them it was a vacation like no other!!! 
Their house…which was started by our local construction crew….was only 3 blocks high when the family arrived on the construction site the first day…but the young men replied…no problem dad, we can finish it in a week…right?Laughter rang out at times as Ken & John shared stories of their youthful escapades while growing up together in the small town of Sarnia.The first half of week 2…saw lots of rain. The bus couldn’t cross the river on 2 days, but thanks to Ermis’ pickup truck they were able to continue up the hill on their mission. Not to be outdone by their Haitain counterparts…the strong young men…and girls… gained a measure of respect for their diligence& commitment in getting the job done.
Their vacation of helping others also included time for ministry work. Grandma Sipkens’ and her friend Emmy, joined the family on most of their outreaches: feeding the kids, visiting a school, the public hospital and worshipping in the Esperanza church, but took time to rest and enjoy the sunshine at the resort while the rest of the family distributed food to a small Haitian community of Chichigua.Thank you for donating your time and effort in changing the lives of another family when they received their new home. So when your friends ask you about your vacation………you can tell them it was a vacation like no other!!! 
The ladies made Christmas cards for each individual and placed them inside the bags along with the food. After a blessing was given, they loaded the truck and eagerly set off to distribute the food. I think the excitement of riding in the back of the truck was as much fun as the blessings they distributed. Life is difficult enough for the average family…but for a senior who is unable to work….a week’s supply of food was received with grateful thanks. 
Fifa was surprised with a kiss for their generosity to this man. It was awesome to see the lady pictured below putting her Christmas card on the outside of her home to share with all who passed by. 
Thank you to Luckny and Mateo for going door to door the week previously to compile a list of all the seniors and for overseeing the distribution. We could not have done this in such an orderly fashion without your help.
Last month we received some Tim Horton boxes and were able to make more than 90 sets of jewelry which are going back to the manager of the Gleaners in Cambridge, Ontario. If you have a favorite brand please send Jane a note along with the cardboard ….we do custom orders also.
Currently, we are in the process of updating the profiles of the individual jewelry team members and hope to have this information posted soon. 2012 is just around the corner and we are excited to show you some new jewelry items. Big hoop earrings and more to come.
One day they saw the poverty and tin shacks in Poncho Mateo then headed off to Ascension village to help feed the kids a delicious bowl of Gleaners soup. Afterwards, some of the kids literally scrape the pot clean.
That afternoon they distributed hygiene packs, prayed and ministered to the patients in the public hospital with the help of Dennis and Isachar. Three people accepted Jesus as their Saviour. What an emotional day this was!
They finished their house and after the dedication moved Josle and family’s belongings into their new home. Wow...the tears keep coming. 
Tearing down the 2 room tin shack took maybe 15 minutes in total but the significance of what they accomplished will last a lifetime. This may have been their first mission trip but we doubt it will be their last.
When the team arrived, the kitchen addition was taking shape but was a long way from being finished. Each day they directed their energy into pouring the concrete floors, building the cabinets, varnishing the benches, and painting a large portion of the school while loving the children. To the delight of all, their dream was realized as the team assisted in serving the first meal of Gleaner’s soup to the students with the satisfaction of a job well done. 
Handwashing is important aspect of health and nutrition. 
Two cooks have been hired to manage the kitchen & cafeteria.
The students stand while praying for a blessing on their meal. 
A cup of cold water in the name of love.
The students & staff of Juan Calvino School were grateful for the blessings they have been given during the dedication ceremony and enjoyed a delicious meal afterwards. 
Nuitrition + learning = success. 
Shelley Stone, manager of the Ontario Christian Gleaners was in the Dominican Republic and visited the cafeteria on their opening day to witness another ministry being blessed by the distribution of their dried soup mix.
A young boy head to class with a full stomach and is eager to learn. Thank you all for making this dream come true. May God bless you all.
Paraiso has truly become a beautiful place to live…. even more so now. Under the tutorage of Larry Neese and using local labourers and volunteers, 
what was once just a meeting place where people would sit on the roots of the big tree has now become a beautiful park with benches to sit on.
The ground in front of the cistern has become a beautiful garden and much more has changed.
Please check out our facebook page to see the before and after photos.
We are thankful for health and safety, friendships of co-workers in Christ, a vibrant English speaking church, mission teams, and the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the poor in the Dominican Republic. But most of all, we are thankful for the saving grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ who died on the cross to save us from our sins.
Bibles and concordances were distributed to local pastors by Pastor Dale Bitting to enrich their study and preaching of the Word of God.
Eight bags of donated baseball equipment and uniforms were distributed to some local teams including this team from Paraiso called the “Sons of God”. 
Cans of Nourish donated by Campbells Soup, and dried soup mix by the Gleaners 
have been making their way into the tummies of children and seniors alike at a number of different feeding programs that operate both in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti.
Friday afternoon, the Spruce land team participated in a village feeding & shoe distribution in villa Emmanuel. In his thanks, the pastor told the teams that earlier, he had prayed for help since many of the members were out of work and hungry…and the Lord has provided.
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the holy one,
Did you know that TheSamaritanFoundation is on facebook too? Check it out!
Bright- eyed and bushy tailed we arrange to leave at 7:30 am, and after checking all the fluids in the truck & stopping at a nearby gas station to fill up we realized that we had forgotten to take the map along. A quick return trip home and we were off again. Across the mountain range on the “tourist” highway we swerved from one pothole to the next never exceeding more than 25 km per hour. A blind man and a crazy, drunk man (at 9 a.m.?)tried to flag us down but we were not to be deterred… we pressed onward even though the 40 km seems to take forever.
Oh, no…we accidentally missed the turnoff to the highway and had to find a place to turn around. There we sat, trying to crawl forward a few inches at a time with 4 lanes of traffic attempting to squeeze into 2, each vehicle edging into the slimmest of openings while darkness is fast approaching. Anyone who has ever been caught in this situation knows how stressful this can be. The bombero forced its way through the opposing traffic (with 3 smart taxi drivers directly on his tail), extinguished the car fire and promptly left. Finally, we were moving again. Happy trails or so we thought. We encountered several near misses as drivers would approach to pass between our truck and the vehicle in the next lane, only to actually get side swiped by a taxi as we entered the city of Santiago. Fact: 99% of the local drivers do NOT have any form of driver training/defensive driving skills or even have a driver’s license. The consequences of their actions do not seem to faze them at all and as we have been told many times before…no matter what causes the accident…it is always our fault…because we are white and have money to pay the damages. Defensive driving takes on an entirely new meaning in this light. Watching out for motorcycles with no lights at all and being blinded by the favoured high beams of the oncoming traffic our anxiety mounted.
After returning to the mail center in Santiago & unloading the cargo, glad that the rain had stopped, we finally were on our way home carrying the remaining mail for the North Coast members. At 11:30 pm we arrived home exhausted but safe. Thank you Lord for watching over our travels. I was glad to see there was one piece of mail for me…a Better Homes and Garden magazine which I will enjoy reading as I reflect back on our trip of the day, its perils and the joys of meeting fellow missionaries serving our Lord and Saviour. 
Thank you Ermis for being my most capable chauffeur and man of God… who was asked today by a fellow missionary if I was his mom. I would be honoured to call you “son”. 
