Hsitory of the Schools - now transforming the lives of over 1000 Dominican children from grades K-12

The School
After 6 years of healthcare improvements, the next need was to educate the now healthy children. Local government run schools were not able to do the job. Most children were destined to a life of no hope and poverty because there was no one to give them a hand. In 1995, a partnership of missionaries, Dominicans and Solid Rock Missions built and opened a school to meet the educational needs of these children.

The school opened its doors in September 1995 with 170 students in four grades. More classes were added each year and more students as well. The school now serves grades pre-school thru grade 12. Twenty-seven students were in the first graduating class in 2001. All of them now either have a job or are going on to higher education.

Besides the basics, the school also offers vocational training to its high school students and local adult education classes. Vocational training includes computer technology, welding, baking, carpentry, masonry, engine mechanics, and more. The school is soon hoping to offer college courses as well.

The school offers a well-balanced Christian education. The students and the school continue to win awards for their excellent education and extra-curricular activities. The school is a model for other Dominican schools.

The Need
A recent census of the barrios revealed that over 3000 children are of school age. A small portion attend a public school. Nine hundred and fifty-eight of them attended the Christian Center for Education Development School. (CCED). A large portion of them do not attend a school at all. There is a waiting list to get into the CCED school. Some will make it in as others either graduate or move on. Our desire is to reach as many of these children as possible. We want to give every child the opportunity of a lifetime.

Sponsors Needed
Over ninety percent of the operating funding for the school comes from either gifts to the General Scholarship Fund or from direct sponsorships of students.

Twenty-four dollars a month ($288 per year, 78.9¢ per day) will sponsor a child, giving them an excellent education, books and materials, uniforms, a hot meal each school day, and medical and dental care. We encourage sponsors to correspond with their student. We will pass on information concerning the student as it becomes available.

91.6 cents of every dollar provided for sponsoring a child goes directly to sponsor that child at their school.

Our General Scholarship fund provides for one time or regular gifts to help defray the costs of the unsponsored students attending the school. Generation by generation, the school is impacting lives for Jesus Christ. This is where we need your help.

Picture of Dennis

Photo of Medical & Construction Teams in front of SRM Clinic

Day 8 - Air travel to Lansing, MI via Atlanta, GA

This will be my final log entry for this year's mission trip. I will admit that it was extremely difficult for me to leave this year from the Dominican Republic. The people are tugging on my heart. Only God knows the work He's doing in my heart. But, I will say this...I can hardly wait to return next year, hopefully, with my lovely wife, Sandy. She wants to help out in the schools however she can.

Oh, yes, I almost frogot to mention the tennis re-match (grudge match) between TEAM GOBLE and TEAM MIRACLE (Christopher Thomspon and me). You might be curious as to why we might be called, TEAM MIRACLE, don't think too long and hard because it's actually very simple--it's really a "miracle" that these two gracefully aging men can still compete at such high levels against younger men and boys--like Jim and his son, Jamie. Well, needless to say, but the re-match came and went and TEAM MIRACLE was still standing tall (and exhausted) after holding off TEAM GOBLE for 10 games (6-4) in the hot, scorching sun. I will admit that the sleep on the flight was very much needed. How about you, Christopher???

Again, I want to thank all of you for responding to God by providing me with both prayer and financial support. The monies that seemed to be in excess was not. God already had plans for the extra monies when I arrived at the Guest House on Sunday evening. Through your generosity, we were able to provide extra monies to our three Dominican worker friends, a translator for medical personnel, one month's salary for a security worker at the Jim Smith School in El Rosario, and gifts for the Guest House staff. :)

Check out Solid Rock Missions @ http://www.solidrockmissions.org/index.htm

Our flight left from sunny 90° Santo Domingo only to arrive in rainy 45° Atlanta some three hours later. We lunched at the food court until our flight left Atlanta around 8:00 PM. We arrived in Detroit to muc colder than expected weather. Jim Goble, our team leader, was unable to drive us home since the flight caused him some problems so I drove all of us back to Lansing. The drive home from the airport seemed like it would last forever.

Day 7 - R&R @ Barceló Capella in Juan Dolio

Today, I spent a full day at our resort. Just relaxing and spending some time alone with my God. Earlier that morning, Christopher Thompson and played tennis with Jim Goble and his son, Jaime. Needless to say, our time battled our opponents in the scorching sun until we triumphed victorious. A rematch was planned and expected for tomorrow...


Later in the day, I spent time working through my workbook for the Joshua study that I and two other men (Mike Kapuscinski and Bob Crane) have been leading on Wednesday nights in a mid-sized group setting. God showed me how being His servant can lead to spiritual leadership.

Our team shared Holy Communion together on the beach in the evening shortly after dinner and sunset. Pastor Michael Goble led us in our time, celebrating Christ's death. Picture us all seated on a brick wall embankment, facing the ocean with the waves ebbing in and out. Even though there were people partying all around, it seemd to me as though we were in a different place and time. We were in God's presence!

Day 6 - Ground travel to Santo Domingo & Juan Dolito

My mission with God changed venues today as we traveled on a 3+ hour bus ride from San Juan De La Maguana to Santo Domingo en route to Juan Dolio--the city where my much needed rest and relaxation would begin. We made a brief side-trip to the Old City in Santo Domingo to see some of the sites and do some shopping.

We were all very anxious to arrive at Barceló Capella.

Day 5 - On-site @ Jim Smith School in El Rosario & CCED School Evening Fiesta

Today was a very full day for me and our team. Not only was it our final day of construction work at the Jim Smith School in El Rosario, but I was going to meet Alexanader my sponsor child who attends school here in El Rosario.

In the morning, we took a short break to express our gratefulness for the faithful work of our Dominican friends--Basilio, Javiel and Ismael. This was an especially meaningful time for me since it was the first time I had heard an expression of our new friends thankfulness for our being there. Ismael, who mixes cement for us and doesn't say much and can hardly speak a lick of English, shared from his heart how much we mean to him. Through a translator, Ismael thanked us for building churches for their people and schools for their children. He also thanked us for providing work for him and others when we come. I praised God for allowing me and others to return to the DR. Later that afternoon, I gave a copy of Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God in Spanish as a personal gift to Basilio, Javiel, and Ismael. In this way, God could multiply His work in their lives while I am away in America. I have Javiel's address and will correspond with him frequently until I return next year. Please be praying that God will reveal Himself to each them and show His transforming power to them.

Early in the afternoon, I met my sponsor child (pic in uppper left), Alexander Montero Galva', for the first time. I brought him a large American smile :), a Moore family photo, and several gifts (baseball bat and ball along with a soccer ball and air pump). He didn't have much to say to me, but I assured him that I loved him and was glad to finally meet him. I will try to arrange for meeting him and his family upon my return next year, Lord willing.

Since this was our final day at the work site we had visitors from the medical work team including Dr. Monica Goble, Jim's wife, who took this photo (upper right hand corner) of me, Pastor Michael Goble, and Basilio (young man working on the ladder).

After returning to the Guest House that evening, we prepared for a fiesta at the Christian Center for Education Development (CCED) School. This was an opportunity for our team members who have sponsor children at this school to enjoy dinner and dance together. I hope to have somehting similar at the school in El Rosario so I can meet with my child's parents.

Day 4 - On-site @ Jim Smith School @ El Rosario

Again we started our morning with a team breakfast with our Dominican friends. Today, we began adding the chain link fence on top of the cement block wall we had completed last year and continued along the cement wall that had been laid this year as well as during the summer. The sun didn't seem as hot as yesterday because there was an occasional breeze. My body seemed to be adjusting to the climate. Our team is working extremely well together. Jim Goble joined us at the work site today since he had security duties at the cloinic yesterday. We have had many opportunities to talk with our Dominican friends that work alongside us--Basilio, Javiel, and Ismael. Basilio doesn't join us for breakfast since he live in the El Rosario area.