I made it!

I arrived back safely and with my luggage (horrah!) on 6th January and it's been a really busy time so far! I moved house and had lots of unpacking to do, before the first team of the year arrived on 9th January! They are a really lovely family from Canada, 9 people who are totally dedicated to getting their house built! I've been trying to retrain muscles that had just about forgotten how to use a pickaxe....I ached for a few days...!

It's been really lovely seeing my friends in the villages that we work in, seeing how children have grown in just 2 months, being told I'm too white again... It's exciting to see how much the building work has progressed too. We are now finished building in Paradise, the village dedication service takes place next weekend! The once crowded patch of land in Los Algodones is now looking pretty sparse - there used to be over 200 small shacks cramped and croded together - now, as each family in turn is being moved to their new concrete home, the shack is pulled down and the land is being emptied in preparation for turning it into allotments for the families to grow food for themselves.

Things dont stay the same here for long, which can sometimes be frustrating - when I took the team to the public hospital this week they had changed the visiting hours and the proceedures, we managed to take the team in this time though, its amazing what a nice smile can achieve!

SO far since getting back Ive been blessed with the sighting of two snakes, a giant beetle and a rather large spider! Im really enjoying my time here and am so thanful to God for enabling and allowing me to be a part of the mission work out here. Please keep me in your prayers, as I do you all too. Thank you

Claire's back for Christmas - 04.11.11

Hola! I arrived back from my second year in the Dominican Republic on 4^th Nov. It’s cold! It’s been an amazing year, with many prayers answered, so thank you to everyone who has been praying! I’ve been kept safe, healthy and busy. I’m delighted to say I finally have some really good friends out in the DR now too. Praise God ;)

This year saw 76 volunteers come out with Mission Direct, making 4 teams for me to work with. We built 14 homes, tore down several shacks and moved 14 families into new homes – really exciting and rewarding, as well as making a massive difference to the families too. It really is a privilege to be part of this work. Afternoon ministries went well too, playing with children, helping in the orphanage, helping in the schools and many other things too. We also visited the hospital, prayed for the sick, took hygiene packs and spending time with the patients.  Village Feeding has been as exciting as ever, we fed the biggest village ever this year, and 250 families received food parcels and then had the opportunity to see the Jesus Film.

Alongside running the MD teams I’ve been teaching English in a school and working 4 days a week in medical clinics. I’ve learnt a lot of new skills…! My Spanish is coming along fairly well now, so life is getting easier out there!

I’m here in the UK until 5^th Jan; it’s lovely to be back among friends and family again. 2012 is going to be a busy year; I’m working with a partner organisation, running teams from Canada, as well as running the MD teams. I think I’m working with 21 teams this year! No more clinics for me though.

Please keep me and this work in your prayers!

Claire x

Click here to see a few more pictures from Claire's mission trip