Our experiance and the plan for the future

History

She was just an average college student and all she was planning to do was to spend spring break on a mission trip…just like a myriad of college students have done…spend a week helping the less fortunate and learn about a different culture. She had no way of knowing that that trip would permanently alter the course of her life. She didn’t know that week would be a window to her future…an opportunity to see the shadows of her life’s work…her passion, her family and her home in culture dramatically different than her own. She didn’t know it then, but she now knows that God’s plan for that week was to plant a seed that would grow into much more than she could have possibly dreamed! Her name is Shelley DeYoung – Hernandez and we recently had the opportunity to participate in the results of those seeds that were planted back in 1994.

Shelley and her husband Guille

Our experiance

For 10 days in August we had the opportunity to visit Shelley and her family…her husband, Guille, and children, Mark & Sarah…in Santiago, Dominican Republic. We had an opportunity to see and participate in what God is doing through the Hernandez’s work in both the Pathway to Jesus School and their church.

Shelley and her family

Our work group went to assist in building the school, which started in 2004 as a preschool in the second story of the church. The public school system in Santiago might best be compared to some inner-city schools in the US…where students are simply “pushed through the system”, graduating without really having learned. Shelley’s initial vision has grown from one of a pre-school that would help children get a head start in a flawed system, to adding a grade to the school each year so that the children never have to enter the flawed system. The school and the church work together to not only provide a better education, but more importantly, to bring Christ’s love to those that have not experienced it.

The existing Church / School

New plot of land where the new school building is being built

The school has outgrown the church building and our group went to assist in building the first phase of a multi-phased construction of a new school building. While we had a very productive trip we were only able to get the foundation and walls constructed to just above ground level. As the new building was needed to start this school year, Shelley has leased a home that is temporarily serving as the school building.

Where the construction sits as of today

The partially constructed house where some of the classes are being held

Classroom inside of the house

Future (Goals)

The hope is to still get the first phase of the school done soon so that the students can move into the new building yet this year. For that goal to be accomplished they will need to hire some local labor and quickly raise additional funds. The first goal of our team is to do everything we can to assist in getting the funds raised and the school built.

Our group went primarily to assist in constructing a building and while that goal was realized; everyone came back from the trip with much more than the satisfaction of building a building. We all came back with a renewed sense of how unbelievably blessed we are in North America! We came back with a renewed vision of how God uses and multiplies the smallest of gifts given to His Kingdom. We came back having established new friendships that will literally last for eternity. The second goal of our team is organize future trips to the DR.

Similar to Shelley’s experience of going to the DR for a short term mission/work trip and coming back with a call from God to move to the DR; Carrie Hoekstra came back from our trip with a similar call. Carrie is a teacher that would like to go and assist Shelley in the school. However, for that to happen Carrie needs to raise her own support to go there. The third goal of our team is to assist Carrie in finding that support.

Carrie with one of the children

The group from Peace Church

I wish that you could see first-hand how God is using a small ministry in a very BIG way in the DR. Unfortunately not everyone can so I hope that you will accept my assurance that if you give to this ministry, your gifts will be put to use…not in administration of an organization, but in the touching and changing of lives through their ministry.

The following image will give you a little more information on how you can participate in meeting the three goals outlined above. Just click on the image and either print it or save it to a file on your computer and print it from there. Thank you in advance for your partnership in this ministry.

Mail the form below along with your donation to:

Peace CRC

833 E. 168th Street

South Holland, IL 60473

Also, on Sunday, December 13 Shelley will be at Peace Church to give a ministry update and receive encouragement. She will give a ministry update during the 10:30am Service and receive encouragement in the Fellowship Hall following the service at 11:45. Please mark your calendar now and join us for either or both the Worship and Fellowship.