New Kingdom Hall!

We are excited to announce that next week we will begin work on a new Kingdom Hall!  Over the past several years we've slowly been looking for a new piece of land here in Imbert.  The piece of land where we are is too small to build one of the society's designed kingdom halls and it's been hard to find land that meets all of the branch's requirements.  Recently though we've received some donations from some of the English congregations here on the north coast, so the branch decided to "remodel" the hall we have.  Technically it's labeled a "remodel", but we're really just tearing it down and building a new one on the spot.  

Below are some pictures of the hall over the past few years.  The existing building has been there for a long time.  It used to be a hardware store, where the local cable company had their office and even as a kingdom hall it's been remodeled several times.  It has some serious problems though.  The wall with the information board is more than 5 inches off plum.  The roof is sagging dangerously and some old wooden windows need replaced.  

Since it's a "remodel", we won't get the full support of any of the construction groups here in the country.  On the 15th, five brothers from one of the construction groups will be arriving to work on the project.  There will also be some coming from other congregations to help out.

Check back soon for more pictures...

"Despertando con Jesus"

So it's Monday morning and I thought I would add a quick post to the blog.  Monday mornings one of the pentecostal churches here in Imbert has a program called "Despertando con Jesus" (Waking up with Jesus).  Things here in the Dominican can be quite noisy sometimes.  All of you who've visited can testify to that. : )  Political campaigns are loud, music is played loud and churches are usually loud.

So on Monday mornings while it is still dark, at around 6:45am, our neighborhood pentecostals set up their speakers in a small nearby park to get the week started with a bang.  The park is a couple of hundred yards from our house.  I'm inside with all the windows and doors shut and can hear them as clear as day. ....at least we don't live next to the park.

Proverbs 27:14 - "When someone blesses his fellow man with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him."  

We're looking forward to being back in the states for a little visit.  We're headed back January 24th through February 11th.

Paradise Island

Here are some pictures of our trip to paradise island with the Mckinney and Young families.  According to a CNN article of the world's 100 best beaches, paradise island (cayo paraiso) is number 34.  It's just a tiny sandbar surrounded by a coral reef a mile or two offshore.   The water is super-clear and there are a lot of fish.  The pictures really don't do it justice.  None of these pictures were edited and the water really was that blue.