Painting: I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed thinking of how in the world we would ever paint the outside of the second story of our new church building. You see, you can't just go out and rent scaffolding. One day, Miguel came to me and said he wanted to help... He said that he saw how groups paid their own way to come here to the Dominican Republic to work for nothing just to help us and there was no reason they couldn't do the same. So he took it upon himself to commit to work unceasingly until everything was painted. He recruited Francis and Geraldo to help. Every time I would say, "But how are we ever going to paint where it is so high?" they would just smile and say, "Oh, that is no problem." So how did they do it? Sitting on the window ledges painting the tallest part, and using ladders and long extension poles. I held my breath more than once!

Some of the boys from Bombita also came over and helped paint the base coat inside and it was wonderful seeing them interact and work together deepening their friendship at the same time. Isn't that what we always experience when we work together to help others?

Iglesia Evangelica Dominicana de La Hoya: We held our much anticipated joint youth service on Friday evening, August 26, 2011. Our friends from Bombita came and together with our youth from LaHoya held a wonderful service filled with dramas, dances, lots of fun and a wonderful message based on one of the dramas. It is wonderful to see our sanctuary filled to the brim with young people learning to enjoy the presence of the Lord! We know that many are non-believers but we are excited to see that they are coming and learning that church can be fun. They are hearing the Good News and we continue to pray that soon the words will penetrate their hearts and they, too, will accept Jesus as their personal savior.

New Haitian Initiative: We have begun our new work helping the Haitian Immigrants here in the Dominican Republic. It only seemed right to begin where I already had relationships developed and that is in Bombita. It is of utmost importance to help as many as possible to become 'legal' and to have their legal papers and 'cedula (ID card).' Without this, one cannot study beyond the eighth grade and will always live in fear of being deported. Many of our children are able to receive these legal papers, but their parents have been negligent in doing so due to the often complicated and usually corrupt government officials. Papers are drawn up and deposited only to disappear and have to be drawn up (and paid for) yet again. Our hope is that with an American face delivering these papers, they may have less of a tendency to get lost!

Maribel, our principal in Bombita had already started this work with the help of our librarian, so many of the papers are ready to be filed. She is a wonderful woman who truly has a heart for the children of Bombita. COPA is fortunate to have her.

Blessings, Connie