Almost there!

Wow, what two weeks out of the country will do to produce results!  Laura and I recently returned to Canada to enjoy some R&r and other details like, filing your taxes, (thought I could dodge last year...nope), renewing passports, (can't fly without those!) and catching up with great friends and supporters of our Mission here in the D.R.  We enjoyed a special time in Lethbridge with two of our children and watched eagerly as our youngest Gabrielle graduated high school, (am I that old?!??!)  It was a great time with the kids and we hung out for a few days trying to enjoy a typical May long weekend in Alberta! (I think this was one of the reasons we left!  6 degrees on Saturday! Are you kidding?  At least it didn't snow!)  After a quick run through Walmart and Value Village to replenish some shirts and shorts, (how did I get paint on three pair of shorts and four shirts???)  we left sunny L.A. for Calgary


Now back to the business at hand.

I want to showcase to the readers exactly `Why`` the Rio Vista Guest House will do what is has been built for.  You see the facility designed to provide accommodations and meals for short-term mission teams while they work in various fields of God`s Missions.  For example teams that work with Dominican Advance, who provide schools for underprivileged children to get an education.  Teams that also work with Samaritan Foundation, who provide housing for poor families.  Teams that also work for Island Light Ministries, who provide programs of higher learning in three vocational schools. We will also provide for the teams which come to assist the medical Mission Field, those teams who work for Servants Heart as well as Willing Servant Ministries who operate clinics for some of the poorest people in the country.  In each of these Missions, the grass roots empowerment of the Dominican people and many Haitians as well is positively affected to a very successful end.  The educators of Dominican Advance are seeing over 400 children receive a first-class education and soon will see them move through high school; almost unheard of in this country.  Samaritan Foundation has moved over 1000 families into new homes over the last 20 years, with over 1000 families still waiting to be selected for a new home the work continues.  Island Light has just begun classes in the vocational schools and will graduate 100`s of adults into new fields of industry, seamstresses, electricians, automotive, woodworking, beauticians and more are moving into a brighter self-empowered work force.  Servants Heart and Willing Servants are also seeing amazing improvements in the health of the people of the communities they serve.

It is because of the work these Mission Groups do each and every day, (and these are only five Mission Groups that I have mentioned); the tireless comings and goings of the many teams that assist them in their work, that we feel called to provide an adequate facility to lessen the burden on them as much as possible while they are here.  Everybody should understand that in order for Missionaries to be greatly effective where they are sent, they need to be safe, rested, and well fed; both spiritually and physically!  It is from the Rio Vista Guest House that these teams can do their best, most effective work.

However with all that said, we still need to get up and operational so that we can provide services for Mission Teams.  The work at the Mission House is almost finished, we have only a few small projects that  still require funding  in order to open the doors to the Mission Teams.  We are inviting individuals and Corporations alike to adopt one or more of these projects in order for us to receive our first Mission team in August; any donation is fully receipt-able through Bridges of Hope
 http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate
 Or call them directly 403-380-3844.

Water well                                 $2500.00
Kitchen Stove                             $200.00
Refrigerator                                 $500.00
Backup Power
Inverter                                      $500.00
Security Wall                              $10,000

Green Program:
Two Hot Water on Demand
Includes Propane tanks                   $500.00 each unit
Solar Power Start up                       $6000.00 includes 10 Kyocera 210 Watt Panels, Inverter, Batteries
System,


Please visit the other Mission Sites to see their programs and the work they are doing.

Dominican Advance           http://www.dominicanadvance.org/
Samaritan Foundation         http://www.thesamaritanfoundationdr.com/
Willing Servants Ministry      http://www.willingservantministries.org/
Island Light Ministries          http://www.islandlightministries.org/
Servants Heart                     http://www.servantsheartdr.org/

Bless you all wherever you find yourself on this day.
Michael