International
Covenant supports many international missions with our finances, prayer, and personal participation. For example, Covenant has sent members for short-term mission trips to the Dominican Republic with Rivers of the World in 2010 and 2011. And the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Ministry is an annual event for Covenant.
Let’s Clothe the Orphans
A group is going to make simple jumpers and short pants for orphanages in Third World Countries. Volunteer cutters, sewers, and ironers are needed. Call Martha Lehmann at 256-721-9846 if you would like to help. ALSO, if you have any cotton or cotton/blend fabric suitable for this project that you would like to donate, leave it in the box outside the Library door.
Learn more about Covenant’s international outreach:
Ben Mathes, Rivers of the World
George and Martha Mixon, Kenya (World Harvest Mission)
Tom and Vick Gilliam, Ireland (World Harvest Mission)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: MISSION REPORT
At both services on October 9, 2011, Pastor Mark commissioned me for a four-week mission trip to Barahona, Dominican Republic—the same location the Covenant Mission Team worked at in November 2010. The November issue of Covenant Chords contained an interim report and I write this as a final report to the congregation. A slide show and more details may be found at www.knology.net/~szofran (Once you get there, double click on the filename ReadMeFirst.txt for further instructions.)
First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who remembered me in your prayers. Prayer support is essential when working in a different culture, especially when several of those differences create increased risk to health and safety for someone from outside as I was. Here I want to specifically acknowledge the Faith Presbyterian Mission Team for including me. Ann Redus, who many of you know, was the home team prayer warrior assigned to me. The Faith Team arrived at the beginning of my last week. We worked together and traveled back to the US together.
My activities in Barahona were primarily teaching English and working on the construction of the orphanage (see November Chords). During my second week I was very weak because of an intestinal bug. I was able to teach but could not work in the orphanage. This gave me additional time for reading—I finished reading the Eric Metaxas biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. God used that book and the much smaller book of Colossians to work on me and in my heart.
On our last full day in Barahona, Pastor Pedro gave us a tour of four bateys (villages among the sugar cane fields populated by Haitian refugees—most of them have been there since before the devastating earthquake). The first batey we visited was Los Robles, where the Covenant Team constructed the concrete and block support parts for a water purification system. That system has been installed in the structure we built and is fully operational. There are some pictures included in the slide show. Other places we saw that day include Batey 7, Batey 9, and La Cuchillo. (I can only guess why some have names and others only numbers.)
As is true in so many places in the world, I saw needs there beyond any human’s ability to meet them. However, there are two in particular that I want to invite you to pray about.
The orphanage under construction in the church compound in Barahona. The bottom two floors are nearing completion except for the floors. The third floor, including the roof, is mostly to be done yet. Then it will have to be furnished including bedrooms, cafeteria, offices, etc. I directed the entire $700 provided by our Outreach Committee to completion of the orphanage, but from my brief description, you can see that much more in much larger amounts is needed. One hundred orphans will be taken off the streets once this is completed.
Batey 7 is one of the larger bateys—a population that numbers in the thousands. It has a clinic with a doctor and includes a pharmacy stocked with medicines and drugs. This is located in two modest buildings which are, like all buildings in that part of the world, built of concrete and blocks because of termites. The problem there is that the termites have found their way into the building and are munching on the wooden shelves and door jambs. These buildings need to be treated soon or the wood will have to be replaced. The nearest exterminator is more than an hour’s drive away, and Pastor Pedro estimates the cost for treatment would be around US$1000.
Ever thankful to God and for this congregation,
Frank (Szofran)