Kids Alive

Well, it won't be long now. We are officially in final countdown mode and soon we will boarding our plane and heading to the DR. Though I know we will be so busy over these next couple of days getting things ready to go, I can't help but think about the precious little Dominican kids that we will spend the next two weeks pouring ourselves out for. This being my eleventh trip to the DR, I've had the incredible blessing of getting to know these little ones well and I am really looking forward to seeing them in just a few days. There are between 60 and 70 little boys and girls who live at "El Arca" ("The Ark") Children's Home and they will be the main focus of our ministry. We will also be spending a few days at "The Palo Blanco Care Center" which is in a little poor community not too far from El Arca. Both of these ministries are run by an organization out of Valparaiso, Indiana called "Kids Alive International."

On Kids Alive's ministry website they state:

Kids Alive is a faith-based Christian mission dedicated to rescuing orphans and vulnerable children--meeting their spiritual, physical, educational, and emotional needs--raising them to be contributing members of their unique society and witnesses to their family and community.

Millions of kids in the developing world live in desperate, life-threatening situations. Orphaned, abused, and neglected, they often end up on the streets begging just to survive. Many are victimized by predators and have nowhere to turn to for help. Kids Alive exists to rescue these children - one at a time. Through our Children's Homes, Care Centers, and Schools, we provide the love and care that every child deserves and the unique privledge of introducing them to Jesus.

My team and I are so excited to partner in ministry with Kids Alive International. During our time in Jarabacoa, we will be doing construction projects at the children's home during the morning hours and then run a children's program in the afternoon after the kids get out of school. I can't even begin to tell you how much I adore these little ones at El Arca and Palo Blanco!! We always have so much fun when we are with them and every year my team gets very attached to them. Several students from this year's team are returning to the DR a second time (Devin, Rachel, Sarah, Bethany, Lauren, Abby & Chelsea S) and two of them are returning a third time (Kelsey & Courtney.) Even our leaders seem to have caught the Dominican bug!! As I already mentioned, this is my eleventh year leading the Dominican Republic trip. (You can read my DR trip testimony here from a previous post.) This is a seventh trip to the DR for Mr. Farmer & Miss Throm and a third trip for Mr. Terrell. Yeah, we're all hooked!

One of the neat ministry opportunities that Kids Alive provides is child sponsorship. I can tell you first hand that this is an incredibly rewarding and low cost way (only $35 a month) to show the love of Christ to the children of the Dominican Republic. I have a little girl that I personally sponsor, as do a few of my current & past team members.

Let me tell you about my 10 year old little girl, Janna...

Before coming to El Arca, Janna and her twin brother Jean Carlos and her younger sister, Yohanni used to live in poverty stricken and unsafe conditions. Their mother had abandoned the family and their father worked nights as a server at a local restaurant, leaving the children at home alone. The children were in poor health due to lack of nutritional food and attending school was not a part of their lives. Since they were basically in charge of themselves, the children would wander half naked in the dangerous community where they lived. They had essentially become street kids.

Janna and her siblings now live at El Arca. There are currently seven little houses on the property, each with about ten children and two house parents who live there. Each home is named after a "fruit of the spirit" from Galatians 5. Janna, Juan Carlos & Yohanni live in "La Casa de Paz" ("The House of Peace") with seven other children and their house parents, Arsenios & Balkis. Janna's biological mother and father occasionally visit her at El Arca and during vacations and breaks, she stays with a lady in Santiago named Ela. Janna's best friends are Veronica and Fior, who also live in La Casa de Paz. She enjoys playing soccer & volleyball, watching movies, playing with her friends...and just like many kids, one of her favorite foods is pizza! Janna is a good student and is in the fourth grade. She speaks, reads and writes well. She even knows quite a bit of English too. Janna accepted Christ during a concert at El Arca. She enjoys reading her Bible, memorizing verses, singing and praying. She has no immediate family members who are Christians outside of El Arca, but she often prays that she will be a servant of God to them when she is older. What I love most about little Janna is her sweet spirit, her bright smile and her playful ways. I can't wait to see her again and give her a big ole hug!! :)

If you are interested in child sponsorship, please click on this link for the child sponsorship program (it's also located on the right side of our blog page) for more information. You can also contact with Kids Alive directly. The sponsor relations coordinator is Tracy Hardel and she can be reached at tracy@kidsalive.org or 1-800-543-7330.