Service

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

This verse has resonated deeply with me for many years… I actually picked it as my “Senior Quote” for my high school yearbook, oh so many years ago! This simple, yet complex verse is one that I come back to over and over again. Service… When done from the heart of Christ can be humbling, joy-filled, hard, teary, freeing… The Son of our precious God came to love and serve those that walk this earth – and I am called to follow in His footsteps. It can seem like a daunting task at times, and one for which I am not worthy… but He makes me worthy.

The mission statement for Doulos Discovery School reads: “Equipping and educating servant leaders through Christian discipleship and expeditionary learning to impact the Dominican Republic.” I love the first part (I love it all, actually, but the first part is relevant to the above thought) - “equipping and educating servant leaders through Christian discipleship…” Our students are constantly being mentored in what it means to be a disciple of Christ and to serve as He did. This past week was our annual Service Week at Doulos. Each grade decides on a Service project out in the community of Jarabacoa, as well as surrounding towns. This is not a time for us to serve ourselves with projects on campus, rather a time for each student to experience going out into the community and serving freely. I got to spend the week with fourth grade and had a ball with them! Those kiddos are so dear to my heart (if you’ve come to visit, you know those sweet girls from 3rd grade last year…). Their guide teacher got them started on making fun English games and manipulatives for a public school up the mountain, in a town called Manabao. At the end of the week we were able to take these things to the students. Our students ran centers and taught them how to use each thing. Pictures are below!

Whisper Phones - genius idea.

blocks!

Amy and her new friend working on a puzzle made by the 4th graders

Issac (middle) leading his new friends through the centers

Young Life has also been kickin. We are preparing to go to weekend camp in one month! It will be a great time for kids to be taken out of their normal environment and to experience the love of Christ through fun, laughter, meaningful conversation, crazy games, good food, and so much more. If you would like to be a part of helping kids go to camp, please email me at sdrebes@gmail.com! The cost for one kid is about $80, which is much more than most have here. We are currently running some Serv-a-thons to give kids a chance to earn camp scholarships; however, we are in need of a few more sponsors. Let me know if you are interested! Pictures of our first Serv-a-thon below!

Pamela, Steffy, and Sharleen

Yeudi!

Naomy!

Yuedi, Belinda, and Eridson

Last month was super fun because my little brother, David, came to visit! It was great!! We had fun hiking and eating good food for a week. I may have even surprised him with the Spanish version of Monopoly while he was here because he loves that game so much… heehee… It’s so great to have visitors from home – the only problem is I now miss Dave more than before.

David and I

Random Fun Pic
Ruth, Me, Leah, and Justine at a "Favorite Sport" birthday party

Okay, my friends. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying “thank you”. Your support in all ways makes every one of the above things possible. May you know the sweet peace of our Savior today.

love, sara