Summer of 2014 Recap

Sit back and grab your favorite beverage as we attempt to take you through our past few months.  Wow, what a ride it has been!

The summer started off by welcoming our 5 summer interns.  Kaylee, Chris, Clark, Jennifer and Rhett came to serve Makarios in various different ways:  at the school, with our doctor, at our soccer camp and with our group ministry. 

Our Interns!

 These college students had life-changing summers and were a blessing to us and the kids here at Makarios!  The interns had barely arrived on DR soil when our first summer group arrived. 

We were blessed to have Grace Bible Student Ministry out of Dallas come for their first visit to Makarios.  They were instrumental in helping us prepare for summer school.  We were thankful for all the painting and cleaning that they accomplished, not to mention the amazing Vacation Bible School that they did at the Mak House.   They did a tremendous job teaching the feeding of the 5000- the kids were captivated through it all!  The team was incredibly creative and organized.  It was a thrill to watch.

Margaret walking through the village
with some kids

Next, we welcomed back the youth ministry at Fellowship Round Rock.  It was such a blessing to have old friends return to do ministry together.  Some of our personal highlights included life changing experiences for some of the teenagers on the trip followed up by 4 baptisms on the last day.  We are never surprised at how the Lord uses these short term trips- both to bless those at Makarios as well as those who come on the trips.  Fellowship Round Rock has been such a blessing to us for the past 2 years.

One of our team members was using her nursing skills
to bandage up a playground injury!

Before our third team arrived, we hosted a “10^th Anniversary Party” for Makarios.  Former staff from the United States, Mexico, and the current DR staff celebrated all that the Lord has accomplished over the past 10 years.  It was a blessing to hear testimonies from employees- both old and new- and rejoice in what God has done and IS doing through Makarios.

Thankful for these friendships!

New Friendships!

Austin Stone Community Church brought a family team that ended up being a team consisting of high school students, college students, young adults, a couple and one family.  It was a beautiful representation of the body of Christ.  You can read HERE a powerful blog entry written by the daughter who came with her family.  It was awesome to see the Lord bring together 21 strangers to serve in a foreign country and see them leave as a family...to each other and to us.

 Next, the Austin Stone Youth Ministry paid us a visit.  Many of the students had come last summer to serve and we were thrilled to have them back in 2014.  These guys and girls did some intense work in the hot DR sun as part of their service, helping us get our 5^th grade classroom ready .  We look forward to seeing them again next summer!

Our final group of the summer was from Austin Ridge Bible Church.  This team helped us run our final week of soccer camp and generously supplied medals and trophies for the almost 50 kids that participated in the camp.  Austin Ridge was a great way to end our summer- they were a joy to host and a tremendous blessing to us and our staff. 

Hard at Work!

So, that’s what we’ve been up to.  In September, we will be in the States visiting friends and family and hoping to rest a little before returning back to the DR.

We feel so blessed to serve with Makarios and are thankful for all of those who have come on a trip, supported us, prayed for us, and encouraged us...each of these areas are essential.  

And again, thank you for joining us in the journey!

Soccer Camp!

Blessings,

Margaret & Doug