Snow Scoop - August 2006

Dear Friends:

Summer is our busiest time of the year, and a time when for two months we have had the opportunity to serve the Lord and his people without a day of rest. During one week in June we had eight teams in the country. Some were working, others coming in, and still others were playing at the beach or leaving. When we first came here, the diocese hosted about 8 teams during the entire year. Ellen continues to keep a positive attitude and as usual has every thing well-organized.
Moises Quesada, Ellen’s part-time assistant, is in the United States for the summer as part of his University training. We miss him, but were able to obtain a wonderfully talented young lady from our church, Mirdy Garcia. Those of you in Nebraska may remember her, because she traveled to EYE with our Nebraska delegation.

This year’s team roster included two groups from Nebraska. A touch of home always encourages us, and we can’t begin to tell you how much we enjoyed their visit. The majority of our teams are repeaters, but we do have several first-time teams. Ellen and I have truly been blessed, because of the many new friends we have made by hosting teams. Oh, we’ve met a few “characters”, but I won’t list them, because you know who you are. Right, Pete.

In early August our nephew Blake Snow flew into the DR. Blake was the first nephew to pay a visit, but we hope not the last. He is working up at the camp with the South Carolina team. He will be a senior, and each senior has to do a service project between their junior and senior years. He attends a Catholic school in Omaha and we were overjoyed that he decided to come to the DR.
Following is an update on what’s been happening in the DR, since last we wrote:

• Scholarship Update – It was a record year for scholarships. In 2005-06, over 750 students received help and this resulted in $169,655 in support for our schools. Scholarships came from 15 states and included Virginia – 203; Florida – 186; Nebraska – 105; New York -79; South Carolina – 73; and Georgia – 30. ECW’s in Southwest Florida and Virginia played a major role in obtaining scholarships in their respective dioceses. We have already received contributions for the 2006-07 program. We will need additional sponsors, because we will be adding at least two new education programs this year. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THIS ESSENTIAL DIOCESAN MINISTRY
• School starts on August 21 which is at least two weeks earlier than normal. This year we will be opening three new education programs. Our two new pre-school programs will be Epiphany’s “Lambs of God” and Sacred Family Pre-School program. We will be opening a primary school at our camp in Jarabacoa. We are looking for churches that would be willing to sponsor one of these schools and get members or friends to provide a scholarship. Scholarships are $250 - $300. As many of you know, sponsors receive a picture and short biography of the student, along with a thank you letter or card. We have other schools that are in need of a church sponsor. If some of you would like to sponsor a student at one of our schools, just send me an e-mail letting me know. One of the most important tools in bringing about change in a third-world country is education. The diocese has focused on this ministry during its entire history.
• Congrats Graduates – Vicente Pena and Bienvenido Lopez have graduated from our Diocesan Seminary. Those of you who have traveled to the DR may know them for they have helped many teams. Vicente will work as a lay minister in La Romana and Bienvenido will continue working with Fr. Felix, at least for now. They will be ordained deacons at the Diocesan Annual meeting in February 2007.
• The July graduation ceremony was an historical one. After six years of hard work, 8 students in the permanent deaconate program graduated. I was asked to be the “Godfather” of one of the graduates – Alejandra Diez. It is a custom here for graduates to select someone to be their sponsor. Alejandra is a member of Epiphany Church and I have watched her grow spiritually and she will be a wonderful deacon. She will probably also be ordained a permanent deacon at the February convention. I am looking forward to having other deacons in the diocese.
• Car Whoas Continue – The vehicle we bought last fall has been giving us problems. Wouldn’t you know it – during our absolutely busiest time of the year, we encountered a major mechanical problems. It is the third time this year that it has been in the shop. This time the diagnosis is that we need to buy a new motor for about $3,000. Ellen’s position is “Let’s drive it into the ocean.” With our luck it would probably float and we would have to pay to have it removed. One of our priests bought a twin vehicle at the same time we did and has had few problems. Our old 1985 blue Ford which we bought used 10 years ago is still running, though we are afraid to take it out of the city. Pray that we will come up with a “highway” car and that the Lord gives us the patience to deal with this frustrating problem.
• IN PRINT – The Rev. Jane Butterfield’s book on missionaries called “Scripture in Their Lives.” is available. Twenty missionaries from around the world are featured with one chapter being devoted to each missionary. It was an honor to be included among these inspirational missionaries. The story of our ministry in the Dominican Republic was the first chapter in the book. In case you are interested the book can be purchased through Amazon.com or through Morehouse, the publisher.
• UNEXPECTED RECOGNITION: United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Hans Hertell, invited us to the 230 anniversary celebration of the United States. The event was held at the National Theatre in Santo Domingo. During the evening, Ellen and I and two other individuals received a “Distinguished United States Citizen” award for our service to this country and its citizens. What does the Bible say about keeping such things to yourself? What was truly inspiring to us was the opening ceremony when Marines from the United States and the Dominican Republic presented the flags of their respective countries. This was followed by the singing of both national anthems. It was an extremely emotional moment because we feel a part of both of these wonderful countries. After receiving our award those attending the July 4th celebration were treated to a tremendous concert by Doreen’s New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Fireworks ended the evening. God has truly blessed us, and many of you reading this have made our ministry in the Dominican Republic possible. A side note: The celebration was attended by Dominican government officials, the diplomatic corps, and many other distinguished people. God knows how to keep us humble, because we arrived in our old battered blue ford and parked it in the VIP area among all those new, shiny SUV’s etc. An older couple gave us one of those stares that said “What are they doing here?” We laughed and that alone was worth the “price of admission.”
• SOME DISTURBING FACTS: In the last five years, there have been 20,000 violent deaths in the Dominican Republic. Included in this total are over 8,500 murders. Since the first of the year 40 policemen have died – some in accidents, but most were shot in confrontations. A recent survey in the DR showed that 42.2 % of the people live in poverty. This equates to 3,607,330 people and of that number 637,271 are indigents. A recent news article indicated that the Dominican Republic is the most dangerous place to drive in the entire world, and the article said this included all countries in Africa.
• ON THE POSITIVE SIDE: The Bill Clinton Foundation will help Clinica Esperanza’s with the AIDS medicine it needs to better serve its patients. . .Our 22nd Episcopal School in Jarabacoa should be ready for students in September. . . Two Youth Corp missionaries from “815” will begin serving in the DR at the end of August. Another young missionary from South Carolina will also begin serve here at the end of August. Bishop Holguin also received word from SAMS (South America Missionary Society) that Cathy Donahoe has decided to serve in the DR. She is a physical therapist. There are others who have indicated a desire to come here. The Lord has truly blessed us with committed Christians. There are more good things happening here, but this will do for now.
• BISHOP ISAAC HOME For SENIORS: The diocese will begin a new ministry when the Bishop Isaac Home for the Aged is dedicated and blessed at a special celebration on September 2. The home is located in San Andres Boca Chica where we both a church and school. The home will receive its first residents shortly afterwards. Many seniors in this country are homeless or live in conditions which impact both their mental and physical health. There are only 37 facilities in the country to care for seniors living in abject poverty. Bishop Holguin decided that while the church can not solve the problem, we needed to do our part.
  Taking care of a senior for the rest of their life will be expensive. To help cover the costs, the diocese is promoting an “Adopt a Grandparent” program. For $2,500 a year, a church or individual can adopt a grandpa. As with our scholarship program you will receive a picture, a short biography and can correspond with “grandpa” throughout the year. Contact us if you are interested. We have many other unmet needs. We will soon be putting up a webpage to provide even more information.
• GOD BLESS ALL ROTARY CLUBS: Rotary Clubs International were instrumental in wiping out polio. But Rotary is playing a major role in developing countries in many other ways by supporting social action projects. For instance, Lincoln Rotary Club #14 has provided substantial assistance to our medical clinic. Several club members made a trip to the DR to visit the clinic and the San Pedro Rotary Club. A Santo Domingo Rotary Club has expressed an interested in participating on a project with a club in the USA. The project would involve the Bishop Isaac home. If you are Rotary Club member and would like to investigate this possibility, please contact us. We have other projects in other parts of the country where we would also like to make Rotary Club connections.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray that our car problem gets straightened out….that those teams visiting this summer will be free of accidents and that their visit will spiritually inspire them in someway…that the leaders of Haiti and the DR will place more emphasis on helping the poor and reducing violence and crime…that our priests be given the spiritual wisdom they need to guide their people…that Bishop Holguin health remains good, that he finds rest and relaxation during his vacation and that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire him as he makes decisions impacting this diocese…and, finally please join us in thanking the Lord for all those who make our ministry possible, and for those in the Nation0al Church office who also decided to help us out.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AS HE HAS BLESSED US WITH LOVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. AMEN