Here's a summary of our Sunday from Jenna Wiersma:
We woke up this morning at 8 (yes, we got to sleep in an hour later than usual!) to go to breakfast that started at 8:30, breakast was eggs, toast, and papaya! Quickly after breakfast we had to go and get ready for Church that started at 10:30 which meant we had to leave at about 10 for our 15 minute walk there. The walk to Church was our first time to walk around and experience the community, we saw some of how the people lived including their very small houses, dentists, hair salons, and a countless number of dogs. All the people were very friendly and welcomed us with a smile as we walked by.
Church was an interesing experience, the people love to sing and a lot of the tunes of the songs were familiar to us but we had a hard time singing along with their songs in English while they sang them in Spanish. The message was given by a Korean pastor which meant it had to be translated to the congregation in Spanish and finally to us in English on a powerpoint. It was very overwhelming to listen to the Korean and Spanish and then have to look at the screen and read the English that was being written for us. After church we walked back and had lunch which was soup, ham and cheese sandwiches, plantane chips, and bananas. During our break today it rained which was nice because it cooled down, but not so nice because it welcomed many more mosquitoes.
At around 2 we began our walk arund the community. This was a time for us to see and better understand how the people live down here in the DR and hand out some candy for the kids. The kids were with us all throughout our walk, they love to get their pictures taken and love to hold our hands. It was a real eye-opener to see how the families live down here, as their houses are very close together and incredibly small. Their community is filled with trash and raw sewage, but in spite of all these things the people and the kids stil smile and laugh. They seem content and it is hard for us to understand because we know how much more they could have, but where they live and how they live is all they have ever known. I speak for more people than myself in saying that it was a very humbling experience for the group.
We walked back from the community walk and went right to our rooms to change into our soccer gear to get ready for the soccer clinic. About 25-30 kids came to the clinic and we pretty much taught them the basics such as dribblng, passing, and ending with small sided games. The kids had a lot of fun and despite the language barrier it was a fun and successful time for all of us! After the clinic we gave the kids the shoes that we brought down with us and it was cool to see how excited they were to get a new pair of shoes; sadly they do not get many new shoes or even shoes that fit them so it was awesome that we could provide them with so many shoes for them to choose from, they were so thankful and loved getting their new shoes.
Dinner was rice, beans, meat and fried plantanes and went to our debriefing time as a team shortly after. It was nice to reflect on our day as a team and talk about what we saw and how we felt about it. After our day was about finished we went to check email and play games, it was a nice and relaxing way to end our very eventful day.
Walking deeper into the community is always a difficult and overwhelming time as you encounter global poverty up close...and now we feel responsible to respond and not just feel bad...we'd love for you to pray for the team specifically as to how we become engaged in caring for the poor in the world near and far away...we are learning much from the Dominican people we are meeting here and we look forward to discovering more clearly how our time here will transform us as we see God transforming this community...we read Isaiah 58 to close our evening as we prayed that our light will break forth into the darkness as we feed the hungry, free the oppressed, and share the story of Jesus as His people today and tomorrow and in the days to come...
Tomorrow we head back to the work site for a day of construction tasks at the Lighthouse School...may you have a great week back home as we serve here...we miss you and are getting more anxious to share stories with you when we return...
Good night from our warm and beautiful island home!
CHIP
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Working on the Weekend
Hello again from the DR tonight...OK, to be honest, I can barely type this! My arms are so sore from all the work we did at the Lighthouse School today here in Los Alcarrizos...I am getting old and shoveling dirt and rocks for 9 hours in the Dominican sun has me struggling to get my coffee cup high enough to drink out of! Needless to say, today has been about hard work...work that is helping to provide an education for the children of this neighborhood and work where we join an amazing Dominican crew as they help change the future of this community...the CU student team here did a remarkable job as we poured the cement floor that will serve as the home for some cardiovascular work anddance classes for the community here on the 3rd floor of the gym building...2 years ago the men's soccer team laid the intial cement blocks on the floor below where many guys from the community work out in the only weight room in the area...it continues to be a privilege to be part of such a remarkable Kingdom vision that continues to grow and expand here in the DR...we love getting to be just a small piece of the story God is writing...
After our work day we hosted a group of Haitian girls for a soccer match...these girls are just learning the game and many of them have come to the DR to escape poverty and great struggles in Haiti...I loves seeing them welcomed into the community here and they now have a new place tp play soccer...we even had a male player from the school who has come to our soccer clinics and matches the last 2 years...after we finished the match, Kathy Butt shared with the girls why we are excited to be here and her own faith story...I always love seeing athletes use the platform of their sport to talk about what they are most excited about in life as followers of Jesus whom God has gifted to play a game that unifies people from cultures all over the world...
We debriefed tonight talking about the power of service for influence and impact in our world, and reveled in Scriptures we read this morning about each person in this world bearing the image of God...it's a pretty powerful thing to be able to help others whom God connects us to, whether here or in the DR, understand through our demonstration of His love that they are indeed created as humans who are marked with the very image of the almighty God, no matter what they have done, where they live, or what they have...keep praying that we will have opportunities to live and work and speak here in such a way that we will make that truth come alive for children and people in this community even as we grasp it anew for ourselves...
Tomorrow we will walk to a church where we will worship with our Dominican brothers and sisters, spend time in the community where people live, and host a soccer clinic for girls in the afternoon...we will think of you as many of us worship at the same time in very different places...
It is a blessing to be here and a blessing to be with guys and girls so eager to be part of God's mission...
We miss you and can't wait to share more stories in the next few days...off to sleep hard after this work day...
For the DR crew,
CHIP
After our work day we hosted a group of Haitian girls for a soccer match...these girls are just learning the game and many of them have come to the DR to escape poverty and great struggles in Haiti...I loves seeing them welcomed into the community here and they now have a new place tp play soccer...we even had a male player from the school who has come to our soccer clinics and matches the last 2 years...after we finished the match, Kathy Butt shared with the girls why we are excited to be here and her own faith story...I always love seeing athletes use the platform of their sport to talk about what they are most excited about in life as followers of Jesus whom God has gifted to play a game that unifies people from cultures all over the world...
We debriefed tonight talking about the power of service for influence and impact in our world, and reveled in Scriptures we read this morning about each person in this world bearing the image of God...it's a pretty powerful thing to be able to help others whom God connects us to, whether here or in the DR, understand through our demonstration of His love that they are indeed created as humans who are marked with the very image of the almighty God, no matter what they have done, where they live, or what they have...keep praying that we will have opportunities to live and work and speak here in such a way that we will make that truth come alive for children and people in this community even as we grasp it anew for ourselves...
Tomorrow we will walk to a church where we will worship with our Dominican brothers and sisters, spend time in the community where people live, and host a soccer clinic for girls in the afternoon...we will think of you as many of us worship at the same time in very different places...
It is a blessing to be here and a blessing to be with guys and girls so eager to be part of God's mission...
We miss you and can't wait to share more stories in the next few days...off to sleep hard after this work day...
For the DR crew,
CHIP
Saturday Morning Reflection...
We got the internet to work...so here's the full version of my blog from last night...off to work we go!
Greetings from Los Alcarrizos in the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic!
We arrived safely at our ministry site and home for the next week this afternoon after a smooth and uneventful plane ride...
It is warm and windy night here...we had a chance to take a quick tour around the campus here earlier and enjoyed our first home cooked Dominican meal...we eat amazing food prepared by some fabulous Dominican cooks...
It is always a joy to come back to this place for me...and I am thrilled to have a wonderful team of students and coaches here who are all anxious to serve and be part of what God is doing here in this part of the world...
As we walked around the Christian school facility here where over 1100 students receive the education they long for, it was so fun to see how God continues to build and grow the work here...I see the gym where there are now 3 floors of space for exercise and outreach where we laid the initial blocks on a bottom level; I see the kitchen which will soon feed 400 children breakfast before they attend classes where we help dig a hole in the dirt; and I see the third floor of classrooms now filled with more students where we poured cement into footings...what a privilege it is for the athletic community from CU to be part of this long term transformational work in this place where students are meeting Jesus and preparing to change the lives of their peers in the future of this nation...
One of the great blessings of a trip like this one is that we get to see God at work and join Him in Kingdom activity...we just finished a debrief and prayer time where many of the students here shared that they are so excited to see how God's Spirit will teach and use them as we work here and live life differently as a result of our experiences...even coming down here we brought several hundred shoes collected for the children of this community by a girl in Virginia who we have never met, but who God gave a vision to while she was here in this place...
We are very tired after an early travel morning and a long day...but we are excited tomorrow to go to work and help lay a cement floor for a place where many future girls will be able to exercise and meet one another and even be introduced to Jesus in the days and years to come...it will be a full and meaningful Saturday for us!
We are looking forward to hosting soccer clinics, playing a match or two, building relationships with children here, sharing our faith stories, and seeking God together in the days to follow...
Thanks so much for your prayers and your support of this trip...we can't wait to see what God is going to do in and through us as we serve Him and get to know His people in this culture in the week ahead...
We are off to bed as we will get an early start on the work side...everyone sends their love and hellos back home!!
For all the DR team folks,
CHIP
Greetings from Los Alcarrizos in the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic!
We arrived safely at our ministry site and home for the next week this afternoon after a smooth and uneventful plane ride...
It is warm and windy night here...we had a chance to take a quick tour around the campus here earlier and enjoyed our first home cooked Dominican meal...we eat amazing food prepared by some fabulous Dominican cooks...
It is always a joy to come back to this place for me...and I am thrilled to have a wonderful team of students and coaches here who are all anxious to serve and be part of what God is doing here in this part of the world...
As we walked around the Christian school facility here where over 1100 students receive the education they long for, it was so fun to see how God continues to build and grow the work here...I see the gym where there are now 3 floors of space for exercise and outreach where we laid the initial blocks on a bottom level; I see the kitchen which will soon feed 400 children breakfast before they attend classes where we help dig a hole in the dirt; and I see the third floor of classrooms now filled with more students where we poured cement into footings...what a privilege it is for the athletic community from CU to be part of this long term transformational work in this place where students are meeting Jesus and preparing to change the lives of their peers in the future of this nation...
One of the great blessings of a trip like this one is that we get to see God at work and join Him in Kingdom activity...we just finished a debrief and prayer time where many of the students here shared that they are so excited to see how God's Spirit will teach and use them as we work here and live life differently as a result of our experiences...even coming down here we brought several hundred shoes collected for the children of this community by a girl in Virginia who we have never met, but who God gave a vision to while she was here in this place...
We are very tired after an early travel morning and a long day...but we are excited tomorrow to go to work and help lay a cement floor for a place where many future girls will be able to exercise and meet one another and even be introduced to Jesus in the days and years to come...it will be a full and meaningful Saturday for us!
We are looking forward to hosting soccer clinics, playing a match or two, building relationships with children here, sharing our faith stories, and seeking God together in the days to follow...
Thanks so much for your prayers and your support of this trip...we can't wait to see what God is going to do in and through us as we serve Him and get to know His people in this culture in the week ahead...
We are off to bed as we will get an early start on the work side...everyone sends their love and hellos back home!!
For all the DR team folks,
CHIP
Friday, January 6, 2012
Hello from the DR
Greetings from Los Alcarrizos in the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic!
We arrived safely at our ministry site and home for the next week this afternoon after a smooth and uneventful plane ride.
It is always a joy to come back to this place for me as we see all that God has been up to. You can see many projects that cu athletes helped start now completed!
We are headed to bed as we will be helping to lay a cement floor tomorrow at the school here. I will hopefully post more tomorrow as the internet is down and i am typing on a phone.
We love you and your prayers mean much!
For the dr team, chip
We arrived safely at our ministry site and home for the next week this afternoon after a smooth and uneventful plane ride.
It is always a joy to come back to this place for me as we see all that God has been up to. You can see many projects that cu athletes helped start now completed!
We are headed to bed as we will be helping to lay a cement floor tomorrow at the school here. I will hopefully post more tomorrow as the internet is down and i am typing on a phone.
We love you and your prayers mean much!
For the dr team, chip
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Prayers for 2012 DR Soccer Missions Trip
My name is Chip Huber and this is my third year serving in the Spiritual Formation office at CU...I also happen to be a long-time soccer player, coach, and lover of the game...one of the highlights of my time here working with students at CU has been the opportunity to get to know many of the players in our soccer programs and be part of their lives and team as God is at work in and through them...and I am thrilled to once again have the opportunity to help lead and travel with coaches and players from the CU soccer community on this mission trip experience...
This trip is something that we see as being an integral part of our soccer programs...sports is truly an incredible relational connection and ministry tool all across our world...and we are excited to be returning to a place in the Dominican Republic where several athletic teams have gone in the last 2 years and we are able to use our hands, our resources, and our soccer abilities to serve and build relationships with a wonderful community of kids and adults in the DR...
As we head off to the Dominican Republic in a few hours, here's a prayer update I want to offer to you...we covet your prayers as we seek to have a transformational life experience together as a team and with the people in the DR...I'll be blogging from the DR several times over the next week and will get some help from the guys and girls in sharing stories and experiences from our trip...…here are ten specific ways you can pray for us:
1.Safety and health in our travels to and from and around the DR over the next 7 days
2.A good working out of schedule and administrative details as we attempt to see and be part of many different experiences in a short time period
3.Ability to connect with and love and learn from our Domincan brothers and sisters
4.The continued impact of the Christian school which is being used by hundreds and hundreds of students in this community, and the physical strength to help in the further expansion of this school to serve the needs of a growing child population
5.A deep sense of community and growth in our team as we seek to discuss and mull over the experiences and resulting questions we will encounter...we are excited to build deeper friendships with each other and use our athletic gifts in soccer as a ministry and witness tool...
6.A fresh vision for future projects and personal involvement in the work God is doing in the DR and other nations around the world
7.A greater love for Christ and a heart that beats and cares for and loves the poor and oppressed people in our world
8.Opportunities to pray for/with and encourage believers and the local body of Christ in the DR as we share the Gospel in word and deed with the children and adults in these communities
9.Ability to hear and receive stories and learnings that we can then take and use as powerful resources in being advocates and leaders when we return home
10.Growth and emcouragement from our daily times in the Scriptures, in prayer groups, and in team debrief sessions
We can’t wait to return and give you the stories of our trip along with some photos and videos we will have taken…once again, thank you for being part of this Kingdom venture for these young men and women…your overwhelming generosity and partnership is truly a remarkable blessing in our lives…we thank God for your friendship, gifts of love, and your prayers…
Together in His Work and for the 2012 Soccer Missions Crew,
Chip Huber
Dean of Student Engagement at Cornerstone University
This trip is something that we see as being an integral part of our soccer programs...sports is truly an incredible relational connection and ministry tool all across our world...and we are excited to be returning to a place in the Dominican Republic where several athletic teams have gone in the last 2 years and we are able to use our hands, our resources, and our soccer abilities to serve and build relationships with a wonderful community of kids and adults in the DR...
As we head off to the Dominican Republic in a few hours, here's a prayer update I want to offer to you...we covet your prayers as we seek to have a transformational life experience together as a team and with the people in the DR...I'll be blogging from the DR several times over the next week and will get some help from the guys and girls in sharing stories and experiences from our trip...…here are ten specific ways you can pray for us:
1.Safety and health in our travels to and from and around the DR over the next 7 days
2.A good working out of schedule and administrative details as we attempt to see and be part of many different experiences in a short time period
3.Ability to connect with and love and learn from our Domincan brothers and sisters
4.The continued impact of the Christian school which is being used by hundreds and hundreds of students in this community, and the physical strength to help in the further expansion of this school to serve the needs of a growing child population
5.A deep sense of community and growth in our team as we seek to discuss and mull over the experiences and resulting questions we will encounter...we are excited to build deeper friendships with each other and use our athletic gifts in soccer as a ministry and witness tool...
6.A fresh vision for future projects and personal involvement in the work God is doing in the DR and other nations around the world
7.A greater love for Christ and a heart that beats and cares for and loves the poor and oppressed people in our world
8.Opportunities to pray for/with and encourage believers and the local body of Christ in the DR as we share the Gospel in word and deed with the children and adults in these communities
9.Ability to hear and receive stories and learnings that we can then take and use as powerful resources in being advocates and leaders when we return home
10.Growth and emcouragement from our daily times in the Scriptures, in prayer groups, and in team debrief sessions
We can’t wait to return and give you the stories of our trip along with some photos and videos we will have taken…once again, thank you for being part of this Kingdom venture for these young men and women…your overwhelming generosity and partnership is truly a remarkable blessing in our lives…we thank God for your friendship, gifts of love, and your prayers…
Together in His Work and for the 2012 Soccer Missions Crew,
Chip Huber
Dean of Student Engagement at Cornerstone University
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
A Final Thought on Christmas
"No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor.
The self-sufficient,
the proud,
those who,
because they have everything,
look down on others,
those who have no need even of God —
for them there will be no Christmas. Only
the poor,
the hungry,
those who need someone to come on their behalf,
will have that someone.
That someone is
God.
Emmanuel.
God with us.
Without poverty of spirit
there can be no abundance of God."
–Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador
The self-sufficient,
the proud,
those who,
because they have everything,
look down on others,
those who have no need even of God —
for them there will be no Christmas. Only
the poor,
the hungry,
those who need someone to come on their behalf,
will have that someone.
That someone is
God.
Emmanuel.
God with us.
Without poverty of spirit
there can be no abundance of God."
–Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador
2012--Thoughts about Releasing a Book...
This calendar year there are many, many things that need my attention in terms of improvement and development in my life...I've even had the chance to share some of my goals and hopes with my family driving home from our Christmas vacation trip to the great white north...
But tto be honest, this year has one particular desire/goal/passion for me...and that is to actually release the Zambia Project book I have been working on for the past couple years...
I've had a hidden desire to write a book for maybe the last decade or so...and it has been quite the struggle to see that dream realized over the last three years of writing about the experiences and relationships connected to our work and partnership in the African nation of Zambia...
To be honest, there were some moments when I wondered if the book would simply end up being lots of words and pages on a flash drive as I went through a move, new job, and different chapter of ministry from the time when I started this project till right now...but I just couldn't walk away despite life challenges and a lack of interest from some folks I thought would want to drive this project to completion with me....
Yet I am very motivated and really excited to try to get this book published and in print in the spring of 2012...and here are some reasons why:
1. I believe it is a story worth telling because it is the story of God's love for his people in Zambia and Chicago who both longed to know him more deeply and the full life he talks about in the scriptures...
2. I feel a deep responsibility and calling to be an advocate who raises up interest and response among this generation of young believers to be fully engaged in meeting the needs of the global poor and oppressed in today's world...
3. What God did at Wheaton Academy and is doing at CU is something I desperately believe is worth seeking to repeat in other creative and personal responses to relationships God invites communities to develop and experience across cultures and countries...
4. I am such a different person because of the joys and struggles I've had over the course of this project in Africa, and I love the opportunity to,share the first hand spiritual transformation so many friends and students have experienced...and am praying that this book will encourage and inspire others to see what God might have in store for them in the days ahead...
I've still got some work to do and several steps,to,take before I get to hand my former students and Zambian friends in person a copy of the book they made reality with their faith and their lives...but those moments are my dream for this new year...
But tto be honest, this year has one particular desire/goal/passion for me...and that is to actually release the Zambia Project book I have been working on for the past couple years...
I've had a hidden desire to write a book for maybe the last decade or so...and it has been quite the struggle to see that dream realized over the last three years of writing about the experiences and relationships connected to our work and partnership in the African nation of Zambia...
To be honest, there were some moments when I wondered if the book would simply end up being lots of words and pages on a flash drive as I went through a move, new job, and different chapter of ministry from the time when I started this project till right now...but I just couldn't walk away despite life challenges and a lack of interest from some folks I thought would want to drive this project to completion with me....
Yet I am very motivated and really excited to try to get this book published and in print in the spring of 2012...and here are some reasons why:
1. I believe it is a story worth telling because it is the story of God's love for his people in Zambia and Chicago who both longed to know him more deeply and the full life he talks about in the scriptures...
2. I feel a deep responsibility and calling to be an advocate who raises up interest and response among this generation of young believers to be fully engaged in meeting the needs of the global poor and oppressed in today's world...
3. What God did at Wheaton Academy and is doing at CU is something I desperately believe is worth seeking to repeat in other creative and personal responses to relationships God invites communities to develop and experience across cultures and countries...
4. I am such a different person because of the joys and struggles I've had over the course of this project in Africa, and I love the opportunity to,share the first hand spiritual transformation so many friends and students have experienced...and am praying that this book will encourage and inspire others to see what God might have in store for them in the days ahead...
I've still got some work to do and several steps,to,take before I get to hand my former students and Zambian friends in person a copy of the book they made reality with their faith and their lives...but those moments are my dream for this new year...
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