Sagemont Visits Makarios over Spring Break!

Sagemont Church in Houston and Makarios have formed a beautiful partnership for which we are grateful.  Over Spring Break, they returned to the DR to serve alongside us with an amazing team of 35- consisting mainly of youth (and a few adults, too!) I can honestly say, this group brought some ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM to the North Coast!  Even our Dominican staff, who have no shortage of energy, commented on the “animo” of this group.  It was a lively group to say the least.  They definitely kept us entertained!...and we had a blast.

We had many things that they participated in, but perhaps the one project that we were happy to complete was the parking lot!  This project was special for many reasons…but for one, this team worked incredibly hard to clear the land that their own church bought.  Sagemont was instrumental in helping us purchase land that we desperately needed in order to continue to grow and give the students in this area a quality education. 

Right now, this area will be a parking lot so we will have a place to turn around.  The parking lot will add much convenience, but even more importantly, it will provide a safer area for the kids.  Often, we are having to reverse down a narrow alley, full of kids, and the parking lot will give us space to turn around and leave the school facing forward.  In the future, this land will be the area where we will build the next addition to our school..so stay tuned!

They also helped us do all the things we usually do, and they came ready and willing to do a Vacation Bible School that included parachutes, games, songs, and a study about Zacchaeus.  They also took time to teach the neighborhood kids English, which they LOVED!...and I can't go without mentioning that there was a lot of dancing going on this week!

Learning Ballet

A hug after the dance lesson.
 Look at that smile!

This group showed tenderness and compassion towards everyone they came in contact with during their week.  One story that stands out in our minds is the intentionality they had towards a family we know.  One of our friends in the villages has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair.  She often only interacts with a group member or two in her own home or on her porch, but this team made an extra effort to include her in the activities.  They wheeled her chair up the rocky path to the soccer field where others were cheering on the game.  They visited with her, laughed with her, and prayed with her.  It was a meaningful time for all.

These friends are carrying the wheelchair
up to the soccer field

Sagemont served heartily up until the bitter end.  They were even getting the Mak House in great shape and worked steadily at the house until we physically made them stop so they could load onto the guagua (bus) that was headed to the airport.  Remember about their energy and enthusiasm?  They even used this to their advantage when we had an adventurous time getting to the airport.  It’s never boring serving the King of Kings.

 
Thank You Sagemont…We can’t wait to see you again!

As Always...thank you for joining us on this journey.

We are Blessed,

The Becks

Photo Credits:  Rachel Sawyer

Dentists Creating (Ever)Lasting Smiles!

What a pleasure it was to host Dr. Bud (Barton Oaks Dental) and Dr. Josh Tomasik (Tomasik Family Dental) and dental team from Austin, Texas for the 3rd time.  This team has been coming to serve our school for several years long before we arrived and it was an honor to welcome our dear friends again.  It was incredible!  They saw over 250 kids/staff in their time with us.  We are always amazed at their tireless efforts to serve and this trip was no exception.  They worked long days in "less than ideal" settings to provide quality dental care to our MAK family.

Dr. Bud and Dr. Josh saw patients with their assistants Kim and Katherine, while Cindy cleaned teeth.  Karen kept the various dental instruments cleaned and ready while Richard did everything from construction projects at the house to handing our prizes to kids who were brave dental patients.  It was a great team who had fun serving together.

This time we joined efforts with local Dominican dentists in order to connect our kids to good dental care here in the DR.  This will enable better care in between dental team visits.  Our dentist friend Dr. Jhonny was gracious enough to create this relationship for which we are grateful.

Their week ended with a bang...or at least a fire.  On the final afternoon as the dentists were on their last patients, an electrical fire broke out at the school.  The fire extinguisher didn't work, so Doug and several other teachers and people in the community started picking up handfuls of dirt to throw on the fire until the fire department

arrived.  Actually, the fire truck never arrived- it ran out of gas en route, so a few firemen hopped on a moto and arrived at the school.  It was impressive to see how quickly the Makarios staff started problem solving.  Within a short period of time our friend and co-worker Benjamin rounded up a generator and the team was able to finish their final patients.  In case you are wondering, it is never boring in the DR.

And that was just the beginning of their crazy exit!  The team had an even more hair raising adventure on the way back to the States.  As the team was on a flight from JFK to AUS that had a near miss with another plane on the runway at JFK.  You may have read about this because it made the national news.  Thankfully, they made it safely home, but not before a very long delay.

So, until next year, we say "see you later" to our friends.  Bud, Karen, Josh, Cindy, Richard, Kim, and Katherine- we were so blessed by you personally and can't wait to see you next year!

Thanks for joining us on the journey!  What a privilege!

Love,
The Beck's

What a FUN Way to Start the Year 2015...with 42 College Students!

While college students all over the US spent their Christmas break sleeping in, watching Neflix for hours, staying in their PJ’s all day, hanging out with friends into the wee hours of the morning…42 college students from Austin, Tx landed in the Dominican Republic and no one could have predicted the impact they would have on this place over the next 7 days.

We were blessed with 42 energetic college students from 2 different churches- Round Rock Fellowship and the Austin Stone.  This year, we decided to try something that we have wanted to do for a long time- a Bible Camp- knowing that if anyone could pull this off, it would be college students!      With the help of a new staff member, Richie, who is involved with community outreach, we spent 3 consecutive mornings in each of the villages that Makarios serves:  Pancho Mateo, Chichigua, and Tamarindo.  During this time, the college students led a camp that consisted of a craft, games, and a Bible lesson.  The students were so creative in teaching the Bible Story and incorporating a craft and game.  These mornings were a huge success.  In fact, we had over 200 children come out to participate in this Bible Camp.  It was so fun to spread out each morning into the different villages and then to come back to the Mak House at the end of a long day and hear about all the different stories from the different camps.  We will never fully know the impact these students had on the lives of the children, but one thing we know for sure- they were loved by others and were encouraged to know God more by teaching them truths from the Bible.

At the end of the week, we even heard that a few kids in the villages placed their faith in Christ!  

One of these kids, who expressed an interest in knowing God more, walked over an hour the next day from Chichigua to the Mak House just to spend one last day with the college students!  I would say that their time in the village was a success!

Not only did they work hard in the villages, but they also diligently worked at the school preparing it for the kids to return after the Christmas break.  They cleaned desks & window blinds, painted, and used their brute strength to help us dig a trench so we can build a wall around our new property!  This team worked endlessly- literally.  On several days, we had to INSIST that they stop working/serving so they could rest.

 

We can't thank this team enough.  They were a joy to have in our home and selflessly served, even at the Mak House, after a long day of being in the villages.  They did so much around the house that it was hard to believe that we had 42 people living here.  There was always someone in the kitchen doing the dishes, filling up the water jug, or taking out the trash.  So, if you happen to see any of these students on the street, give them a hug and tell them "Thank You" for setting an example in their speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.  (1 Timothy 4:12)

As Always, THANK YOU for joining us on the journey...

We even took some time out to celebrate 2 special birthdays!

Love,

The Becks

 

Thanksgiving & Hill Country Christian School...in the DR!

We had a special treat this Thanksgiving as we welcomed Hill Country Christian School of Austin back to the DR.  This group has blessed Makarios over the years, bringing groups down to serve since 2004.  This team of 17 helped in various ways- acting out the story of Noah for our students,

organizing supplies at the school, transplanting banana trees, playing with kids at recess, and even serving at the first Mak House wedding of our friend  and co-worker Benjamin.  The group worked from morning to night for the wedding, helping prepare tables, decorations, flowers, plants and more for this outside ceremony in the Mak House backyard.  The Lord blessed us with no rain and a great time was had by all, including funny moments that we will remember for a long time.

But perhaps the biggest way this team blessed us was by cooking a Thanksgiving feast for our American missionaries!   Being overseas during big holidays and missing out on some things we are used to doing can be difficult at times, and this team literally brought Thanksgiving to us in the DR.  They transported a cooler full of things like Cool-Whip, chocolate chips, yeast for rolls, pecans  and other foods that we can’t find here easily and labored in the kitchen for hours upon hours to

serve us a fine holiday meal.  Turkey, stuffing, Dominican sweet potatoes, homemade rolls and several pies were some of the items on the menu.  It was a taste of home for us in more ways than one and reminded us of the many ways God has blessed us, no matter where we call home.  Thank you Hill Country from the bottom of our hearts (and stomachs)!

And, as always, thank you for joining us in the journey.

Love, The Becks

Our October Teams

After spending a few weeks in the States visiting friends and family, and 2 weeks in Guatemala for language school, we returned to the DR and hit the ground running...

Cedarville University- October 14-19

 Cedarville University boasts as graduates our very own Sharla Megilligan, founder of Makarios as well as our medical staff of Darren and Becky Young.  The students at CU are working to raise money for Makarios and this group of 10 came to check out the ministry first-hand to better inform their classmates of the needs and value in partnering with us for the Gospel.  If these students represent CU, then it is a fine school, as we were incredibly blessed by them.

The team spent time with Makarios kids at the school and in their villages and got to participate in an outreach in one of the villages that our chaplain Cakito organized.  Joining with adults and youth in Pancho Mateo, the group helped clean, repaint and fortify the local basketball court where many community activities take place.  Then, at the end of the week, group members shared their testimonies of how God has changed their lives leading into a Gospel presentation led by Cakito.  It was a joy for the team be able to join in on the ministry happening in Pancho Mateo…thank you Cedarville!  We look forward to having them back in May when they return for a week long trip.  A special shout out goes to Scott Huck for the pics!  To see more pics of this week, you can go to Scott Huck's Page

Medical Team- October 25- November 1

Our medical team from Ohio made their annual trip to the school in late October to provide service for all of our kids and staff.  This 6 member team saw about 275 children and adults in 4 days, working tirelessly to bless our students and their families with expert medical care.  The cafeteria was turned into a doctor’s clinic for the week, and each student’s family was invited to come and get checked out by the team free of charge.  The team leader Julia, who has come on the medical trip for the past 4 years was encouraged because each time she returns she sees the kids in better health overall, which means the kids are growing up healthier and stronger than they were a few years ago.  It was a blessing to watch them play and interact with the kids during their breaks.

This team was a joy for Margaret and I to host as well.  Five of the members were on their first Makarios trip but adapted easily to the different conditions and surroundings.  We even provided them (unintentionally) with some on-again off-again electricity to give them the full Makarios experience.  Margaret and I enjoyed getting to know them and being able to provide a way they could use their God-given skills and compassion to serve our school in this unique way.  Thanks medical team!

And again, we are grateful for all of those who join us in the journey...

Blessings,

The Becks