The Prout School Campus Ministry

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Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:22:07 -0500

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Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:14:14 -0500

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Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:07:41 -0500

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Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:45:04 -0500

victor ricci with joel….2 years old…..

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:38:31 -0500

victor ricci with joel….2 years old…..

We Are Here!

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:51:47 -0500

Greetings from the DR! We have arrived safely and after a very busy day we are quite tired. Our flights went well and timely, arriving in the DR at 2pm (they are one hour ahead of us). We immediately went to the orphanage to see the children, 21 orphans from age 2 to 20. Our young missionaries were understandably nervous and maybe a bit overwhelmed initially, but soon were at play with the kids! You would have been very proud of them indeed. Once we get comfortable with these computers we’ll post some photos for you to see. Everything moves slowly in the DR, especially computers!

We left the orphanage at 5pm and went to the mission house where we will stay, about a 25 minute ride. The kids have their room assignments (rooms have AC!) and we just finished our dinner (fresh ice cold guava juice, chicken, rice, fries). That was followed by some journaling and reflection and prayer, where the missionaries shared some of their thoughts on this first day.

Tomorrow we are up at 6am, dressed for the cathedral where we will attend the 10am mass with 9 of the orphans, then return to the orphanage, change into swimwear and bring many of the kids to a neighboring beach. It will be a lot of work, more than our missionaries know! These young orphans will keep them busy.

It’s almost 10pm now, curfew, and this correspondent needs to get to bed. Your kids all love you, but they are enjoying a little space. As might you, perhaps! Feast of Christ the King tomorrow. Pray for us. We’ll pray for you. And together let’s pray for these orphans and their caregivers.

Peace

This afternoon we did an outdoor Stations of the Cross to honor...

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:03:42 -0400

This afternoon we did an outdoor Stations of the Cross to honor and pray through the events of Good Friday. We made a cross out of scrap wood and put the faces of some of the orphans on the cross. As we walked to each station, we read from scripture and each student prayed for someone they met this week who carries a cross of some kind. It was a very simple, very beautiful, and very fitting prayer service to commemorate Good Friday and the end of our trip.

Holy Thursday

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:27:39 -0400

Today was a long and beautiful day. We began the day with work. Our cement foundation started to become a wall as we carried cement cinderblocks to the worksite. The day was hot and the work of building this wall was exhausting. But, our students continued to give it their all with assistance from eager children who live in the town. The local kids have grown so attached to our students. They hang around all day looking for ways to help us. They love to help, chat, play and just be around our students. Meanwhile, we completed our other work projects: repairing broken cribs and beds, painting the playground, and painting signs on all of the doors of the orphanage. We know that once we leave it may be several months before another group comes to the orphanage. So we wanted to finish our work projects, and finish them well!

Then, we had the pleasure of taking several kids from the orphanage to a nearby beach. It was such a treat for them and us. The water was cool and refreshing (and helped us remove some of the concrete and dirt from our legs). The kids loved it! Then, we returned to the orphanage, and walked with several orphans to the church in town for the Holy Thursday Mass. This Mass was amazing! It was a tiny church filled with people singing at the top of their lungs! We sat with the kids from the orphanage and participated in the Mass as much as we could considering the language barrier.

Tonight, in reflection our students made a lot of connections between our work here and the Last Supper. They talked about the ways they have seen Christ in the people we’ve met, the way they have washed feet this week, and the way their feet have been washed by this experience. It was a really beautiful way to live Holy Thursday.

As always we are humbled by this place and these people.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. We have seen quite a bit of suffering this week. As we think about Christ on the cross, images of the people living in the dump and our friends at the orphanage who struggle to breathe and eat come to mind. I feel like we have walked the stations of the cross all week… and we have seen glimpses of Easter all along the way too.

Time for bed! Good night!

A trip to the local beach with some of the children of Hogar...

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:33:39 -0400

A trip to the local beach with some of the children of Hogar Immanuel!

More Faces of the Children of Hogar Immanuel

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:54:51 -0400

More Faces of the Children of Hogar Immanuel

The Faces of the Children of Hogar Immanuel

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:32:23 -0400

The Faces of the Children of Hogar Immanuel

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Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:37:40 -0400

Abby leading us in grace before b-fast

Annie in the village at the school

In the village with the kids!

Our assembly line for cement

We got dirty today!

Sean and Cam remember to hydrate

Renee & Lacey... always smiling

Long day... sleepy bus ride

Still smiling on the bus ride home

A Difficult Day...

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:10:02 -0400

Today was difficult both physically and emotionally. We began the day with the children at the orphanage. Then, we went to the local garbage dump to deliver 75 packages of food for people who live in the dump. The packages consisted of corn meal, rice, brown sugar, vegetable oil, sardenes and beans. These staples were greatly appreciated by the people we met. It was certainly a shocking sight to see the living conditions these people endure. Our students were gracious and respectful. We’ll have a lot to talk about in reflection tonight!

From the dump, we went to a nearby village and met the kids who attend the “Christ in the Garbage School”. They immediately befriended us and welcomed us into their world. We feel so humbled by these people. They have been continuously welcoming, kind, warm, and tolerant of our attempts at spanish. We feel so fortunate to be able to share life with these resilient people for a week. And, we recognize that they have given us so much more than we could ever give them this week. I hope our students are able to return home and apply the lessons learned here to their everyday lives at home.

Immediately following lunch, we were all put to work out in the fields behind the orphanage. We poured a cement foundation for a future wall. Whew! It was hot out there and we were working hard. We formed an assembly line and quickly developed a system for getting the cement down the hill. The Dominican men who do this day in and day out have guided us in our work and humbled us in our work ethic. They are so amazing!

Each and every one of our missionaries is blessed to have...

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:56:08 -0400

Each and every one of our missionaries is blessed to have moments of intimacy and grace such as this! These Prout students are not just good, they are not just great, they are magnificent!

Some highlights from Tuesday! Loving this!!!

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:29:29 -0400

Some highlights from Tuesday! Loving this!!!

Video

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 08:31:46 -0400

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Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:52:48 -0400

Here are some pictures from our first day

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:02:13 -0400

Dinner on our first night

Riding the bus to the orphanage

Palm Sunday Mass

Here are some pictures from our first day

Work, work, work...

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:26:07 -0400

Well, we are officially tired, sweaty, dirty, sunburnt, and sore! Today was our first day of real work at the orphanage… and they did not waste anytime assigning jobs. Several students had to use pick-axes and shovels to dig a trench for pipes. Another group of students cleaned up and repainted the play ground across the street while meeting some of the neighborhood kids who quickly joined in to help. Meanwhile, another group began repairing broken/rusted cribs. We also began painting signs around the orphange as well. Tomorrow, we begin pouring a cement foundation for a permiter fence! Whew! I’m getting tired just typing about it.

It has been an amazing day of hard work and joyful playtime with the kids at the orphange. We are so in love with these kids!!!

It's A Leisurely Internet In The DR!!

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:37:30 -0400

That last video was one of four that we hoped to post this night. It took over 90 minutes for that short clip to upload!! Our evening prayer service and reflection are over, we are very tired, and we have a long, physical day ahead of us. Which means that’s the last video that we’ll be uploading this evening!

We have so many great photos to share, and that should be a faster and more efficient process than video. We’ll be posting during the dinner hour tomorrow, so be sure to check it out. For now, good night, and may God bless Prout!