Wowsa What a Group!!

Goodness gracious the last 2-3 weeks of in.Light.in have been CRAZY!  Our cups are running WAY over right now.  I apologize for the lack of posting about the "goings on"...it's been a little crazy over here lately.  But here are some updates that should make your hearts happy:

3 Weeks Ago:  Ann Aro lead our craft and Bible story.  I am told it was PHENOMENAL (I was in Roseau for the weekend) and that we had a great turn out.  There was also an answered prayer that week.  Ann has really connected with a little boy named Shaquille (some of you may know or remember him).  At the end of last semester, we got really concerned about his well being and his living arrangements.  Ann scooped him up and held him for nearly an entire session a few months ago because he was clearly upset and hungry.  Come to find out, he's being "put up" by some neighbors and his parents are basically MIA.  His little pockets got stuffed with snacks and he got more than a few squeezes and hugs from Ann before we had to send him on his way that day.  Then we didn't see him again for the remaining 2-3 sessions.  We were told that we had been "asking too many questions" and that his caretakers weren't allowing him to come to in.Light.in anymore.  Of course we have all been concerned, but Ann has been at the top of that list.  She's been praying that, since she's leaving the island for good in just a short 10 days, he would show up for at least one more session so she could love on him and make sure he knows she loves him.  Well...God answered that prayer in a big way!  Ann was teaching the lesson 3 weeks ago.  All the kids were sitting in a circle.  And up the stairs comes Shaquille...he makes a B-Line right to Ann and she wraps him up in hugs!  I'm so sad I missed this precious moment myself, but Ann was and is still OVERJOYED that he came.  And he came for 2 weeks in a row!  So we are happy, even if it was just a session or two, that Shaquille was able to get to Benjamin Park and feel that supernatural love that we all (and especially Ann) have for him.  That's why we do what we do right??

2 Weeks Ago:  There were some scheduling conflicts for many (really most) of our volunteers.  Some things at the prep school got moved around, etc., so we ended up only having 4 adults.  Christy Wallace had some super cool things planned by way of games and a craft.  We split up 2 and 2 to facilitate the game downstairs and the craft upstairs.  Would you believe it...we had 34 kids by the time we finally got going!!  34!!!  So do the math...it was a little hectic with just the 4 of us leading.  God really provided in a BIG way for that though.  We didn't run out of food or crafting supplies.  The kids sang songs and listened to a lesson about how Faith without works is dead.  We should be filled up with Jesus so that it seeps out of us and forces us to spread that love and that message to the world.  Again...that's why we're here!  It was a well received message and the kids had a great time.  The 4 of us were a little disheveled by the end, but our hearts were so full and happy.  

This Week:  We had a BIG blessing this week when Lee who runs a soccer camp in the UK paid us a visit.  He was here from Wednesday to Saturday afternoon and he came with us to in.Light.in to scout out the situation.  He's bringing a group of high school kids in February to run a soccer camp for the Dominican kids!!!  So he got out on the field on Friday and played with the kids...which they obviously LOVED.  We had yet another GIANT group of kids, but this time we had an amazing volunteer turnout.  We sang songs, had a lesson, and then...had a water balloon fight!!!  Wow, those kids were SUPER pumped about water balloons.  I'm not gonna lie, it was a bit of a free for all there toward the end.  But the kids had a BLAST and had big smiles on their faces.  We are so excited about this soccer camp opportunity, so please be in prayer with us for the logistics to go over well, for safe travels for the team, and for a great turnout of kids.  Should be a lot of fun!

So I'll leave you with a verse that's been on my heart this week...and of course some awesome pictures!

"Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning!" Ecclesiastes 11:7 (NLT)

Love and Light,

Summer 2013 in.Light.in Team

A Child's Smile is One of Life's Greatest Blessings!

Last week's "kick off" session was a huge success!  We had an amazing turnout of kids (actually ran out of food for maybe the first time ever!).  The volunteer front was HUGE and the kids were so happy to be getting started with in.Light.in again.  We sort of had a "wild hair" this semester...we thought it would be SUPER cool for the in.Light.in kids to pair up with the RCF (Ross Christian Fellowship) and the RCSA (Ross Catholic Student Association) kids to sing a song at the Night of Worship (an evening where those two organizations and the New Light church here in Dominica gather and sing/play praise and worship music).  So last week we started teaching them "Every Move I Make" with all the fun hand motions.  The kids REALLY got into it!  So we will be continuing to try and organize that endeavor in the coming weeks.  Be in prayer about it with us!  June 30th is the big event and we will be sure to post pictures and hopefully video of what promises to me an AMAZING night of praising God in the kaleidoscope of His creation!

We spent lots of time just playing with the kids this past week.  We shared our "mission statement Bible verse" with them (Matthew 5:16), and had Linda Bruno (one of our most favorite Dominicans!) come and help us write down names and birth dates of all these sweet kids.  After all, sometimes it's just so hard to understand them when they tell you their names!  So many of the "regulars" are really growing up.  So we are excited to start really digging into the Word of God with them this semester.  And we are certain that the number of kids who attend will grow each week.  When I said last week that something BIG was going to happen this semester, I really meant it.  God is MOVING and the devil is doing some serious high steppin'!

That being said, please also pray for those of us who are volunteering and helping with the logistics of this ministry.  As is always the case, when people start rising up in the name of God, that also comes with a healthy dose of opposition and animosity from others who don't share our Faith.  Especially in an environment where explaining "inexplicable" things away with science and logic is so rampant.  Despite that opposition, we Christian soldiers are marching onward with our first and foremost intention being to love the heck out of these children in our community who need it SO very badly.  What a blessing it is for us to see smiles on the faces of these kids who, for at least an hour a week, get full bellies and overflowing unconditional love.  It is for THEIR benefit and not for our own that we give of our time and resources each week.  I mean, look at those faces!  There's no question that there is good being done here...

Love and Light,

Summer 2013 in.Light.in Team

"I will not leave you orphaned. I'm coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you're going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father, and you're in me, and I'm in you." -John 14:18 (MSG)

Our First Official Session of Summer 2013!

Well hello again!  I thought I would give you all an update on our "canvassing" last week and let you in on what's happening in in.Light.in this semester!  It's my intention to give an update each week with some good pictures so you all can stay in the loop...

Last week we had Peter drive us around in Portsmouth and Glanvillia and the surrounding neighborhoods.  We talked to several familiar faces and probably just as many "newbies".  Of course, ice cold popsicles were a great "interest peek-er" since it's so darn hot and sticky out here right now!  The kids were SO excited and were really looking forward to our first session.  Several of them, before we even handed them the flyers, said "Oh, I know dis.  Dis is in.Light.in!".  I guess a hoard of white ladies walking around handing out popsicles kind of gave us away! ;)  But it was also such a blessing to know that the word has spread and that the kids look forward to our time together.  Their little faces just lit right up!

So a group of us (Rebecca Aaron, Elise Strickland, Rachel Womack, Christy Wallace, and Andrea Fuguet) met yesterday to pray over this semester's in.Light.in and to talk about some ideas for the sessions.  Some REALLY great ideas were thrown out and we can't wait to start putting them into motion.  We are extremely optimistic about our volunteer base this semester.  The new 1st semester spouses we've encountered so far have a real heart for children and ministry.  That has been a huge blessing we could not possibly have seen coming!  So with the extra help each week, we are confident that we can get a few new things in the mix!

Since by the end of last semester we had quite a hoard of older children, we thought it might be a really great idea to do a sort of split.  Meaning everyone is all together for song time and game time, but we will split the group for the craft and Bible story time.  That way we can still be giving the little ones stories from the children's Bible and we can make sure the message is on their level, but we can also start discipling those older kids.  As Christy put it "feed them some meat"!  We want them to start really learning about the nature of God, about faith, and about sharing the gospel with others.  Because let's face it, we, as spouses and students, won't be here forever.  What better way to perpetuate the message of in.Light.in than to truly ENLIGHTEN our growing children.  Send them off into THEIR world with the light of the Truth to share with their community!

So this Friday marks our first official session.  We will be running this session kind of like an intro session (so the splits will probably start next week).  When you pray for us, please pray for a good turn out!  Pray for the hearts of the children and volunteers involved.  Pray for the parents and family members.  Pray for the community of people that will see us with these kids...pray that their interest is stirred!  And as always, pray for the health and well-being of this beautiful community of people; believers and non-believers.

Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)

Meet us at the bus shelter by the shacks tomorrow at 3:30 for FREE transport to and from Benjamin Park.  We will return (with full hearts!) a few minutes after 5:00!

Love and Light, 

in.Light.in Team Summer 2013

A New Semester!

Hey folks!
So today we are planning to canvas the neighborhoods in Portsmouth and Glanvillia to get the word out about our in.Light.in sessions starting next week!  We're also putting out flyers on the different Facebook pages and around campus to get people involved and aware.  We are excited and anxious to get going for this semester.  Though we are sad to have had to say goodbye to several of our volunteers as they left the island after last semester, we are VERY hopeful and expectant that God will move in many new hearts here in Dominica.  We can't wait to see how many children, students, and others will be blessed by this experience!

We will also be working on the "donate" button here pretty soon in case you're wondering how you might contribute if you're not here in Dominica!  If you're looking for ways other than cash to help out, we can ALWAYS use volunteers, school supplies, and PEANUT BUTTER!!  We feed these sweet babies a meal each Friday and we try to give them some serious protein and carbs to get them through the week (since for many of them, this is one of the very few actual meals they eat during the week).   We will post next week with some pictures and info about our session for next Friday.  In the meantime, keep these precious children, their families, and those of us involved in your prayers.  God is going to do some amazing things this semester...I can feel it!

Love and Light,

Summer 2013 in.Light.in Team

TGIF!

We've got a new semester of InLightIn up and running.  Last week, we were lucky enough to have extra volunteers from a youth group in Minnesota helping us out, and our number of kids in attendance was around thirty - wow! We love seeing all of our favorite little friends :) Also - we love when our fantastic volunteers bring their kiddos along, the more the merrier! 

InLightIn volunteers (new and old, on the island and off!), would you be interested in writing a post on this blog about your experience with InLightIn or just sharing a few photos or a few words?  Let us know!  Let's keep this blog (and InLightIn) going! 

Friday Afternoons with In.Light.In

This little number about In.Light.In was just published in the RUSM Connections newsletter.  It's so exciting for In.Light.In to get a little PR!

Join us for a new semester of In.Light.In!