Rio Vista Still Growing!

Monthly newsletter

January 10, 2014

Wow!  I can hardly believe it is 2014 already!  I mean, did you think that 2013 went as fast as I did?  You know what they say,”Time flies when your havin' fun!” 

Or is it the other saying, “The year’s go by faster when you get older!”

Perspective; 

Personally I think it’s a little of both!  No matter, we’re still here and still moving ahead, one step at a time!

Praise report for the first week of January, as I reported on our Facebook site for Rio Vista Guest House, we have confirmed 8 team bookings already for the new year; 6 of them before we get to May!

The jig is up folks, people are starting to figure out where they want to put their teams…I love it when a plan comes together!

We have to give all the credit to God with the past year and all that will come.  While the road has been bumpy He has always been there for us as we continued to forge ahead.

As we continue to take bookings for this year we are ever mindful of the imminent expansion of the facility.  Rio Vista was always planned as a 2 stage project; the 1^st stage complete with the ground floor, six rooms and pool, as well as all the infrastructure for the 2^nd and 3^rd levels.

That said we are beginning the campaign this year to continue the build on the facility.  The first additional project needing completion will be the outdoor commercial kitchen and dining hall; this will give Rio Vista the capacity required to feed over 50 for each meal.  Moreover, once the dining hall is complete we can move forward on the next 2 levels.  Demand for the facility is already in place as many Mission Organizations have already requested to stay with us.  Praise God we need to build as the house is already too small! Our current capacity is maxed at 15-16 people and we have turned teams away as large as 40.

As we enter into the New Year with our supporters we hope that you would prayerful consider a gift to support this Mission.  All the teams that come to stay at Rio Vista are working with many other Ministries that have already based themselves on the North Coast of the D.R.  We are right in the middle of a very large Mission Field and we feel supremely blessed to be able to serve His people in this way.

This is the current state of the commercial kitchen;  Still needs a floor, roof and power to be applied, all the rough build is finished.  Budget for completion:  $5000

This is the view from the pool-side: a covered dining hall needs to be constructed beside the Kitchen area.  Seating is available for 50 when the thatched-roof dining room is finished.  This hall frames the pool area and garden!  Budget to finish this project: $5,000.

All construction donations are tax-deductible through our associate partner in Canada, Bridges of Hope International Network of Development Agencies Inc.

Blessings

http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate

www.riovistaguesthouse.com

Mike and Laura Boisclair

Sosua, D.R.

849-855-5609

Moved!

Good Morning all!

Laura and I are pleased to announce that we have completed our move into the Rio Vista Guest House!  Although we are still in a state of construction, we have power and water, both hot and cold.  We now have the task of completing the detailing of the project on a room by room basis.
The last year has been quite the eye opening experience for us, but through the experience we have gained a tremendous amount of wisdom.  Of course we have always been aware that doing this sort of project in a third world country could provide a few challenges; but through them all, patience has been the key word.
For those who may not recall we began the project on November 30, 2011 with a ground breaking ceremony, where we gathered with some fellow missionaries and gave the project and land entirely over to God's will.  Since then we have seen the work progress, slowly at first, and at times with great bursts of development.  Recently we reached a point where our funding was stretched to the limit.  Again we placed ourselves in God's hands as our provider and trusted for His provision.  Again those prayers were answered through several people who blessed the project with donations and gifts. Today we are ever closer to seeing the first team come and use the facility for what it was intended.

You can see from the pictures that a lot has been done to provide a secure location for us and the teams, the fencing is high and totally encloses the property.  Atop each column is lighting which illuminates the perimeter at night.  The wall out front is almost finished and will display the name of the project as soon as I can paint it. (still rain every day so cannot paint it totally!)
We increased the security at Rio Vista with the addition of Pancho Villa, he is a Rottweiler/Chow cross and is just a year old, so he is very young and his feet are still bigger than his body.  But he will learn quickly from Raven our older dog; he is already starting to relax in his new home after a nervous first night on Sunday.

Laura and I appreciate all the help we have received to bring this project to this stage, but we are not quite done yet.  Small details like bathroom fixtures and window coverings still require funding.  The entire project is surrounded with a red clay that leaves its mark on every floor, so we hope to have out grass in soon to keep the mud down.  However, we are in and looking forward to the next chapter of God's will for us.
We look forward to seeing a team from Lethbridge in the spring; I pray that many of you might step out and explore God's Mission Field with us in the D.R.  If you are interested in helping us with Rio Vista or with other projects we know of here, send us an email.

Bendiciones a Todos!

Mike and Laura

The Work Continues

Hello everyone Y Dios te Bendigas!

After only a couple of weeks and a flurry of activity around the project of Rio Vista we are now even closer to seeing the reality of the dream come true.  In the past month North Coast Missionary Services has received a tremendous blessing which has allowed us to continue with the build of the project.  As many of you know Rio Vista Mission House was contrived as an idea more than 5 years ago and Laura and I have been walking out God's plan for our lives with the Mission House in mind.
It was only a year ago that we found a suitable property upon which we could build the facility which would house Mission Teams who come to the island each year to work with the poor.

Previous blog posts have shown the construction of the Mission House from ground breaking until today and we are now even closer than ever to opening the house for Mission Teams.

Those of you that understand what God is doing here will see the fruit of His labor through our hands and know that He has truly blessed the project with support and gifts from many of His children.  We continue to give thanks to those of you who have been a support to this important Mission and encourage others to partner with us to see the fulfillment of His plans for the many lives which will be affected by this Mission in the years to come.

The pictures show the work continuing with the installation of wiring and light fixtures as well as the construction of the pump-house and kitchen to which we will later attach the open-air dining area.  (needs funding)

We have also begun the build of the perimeter security fence which will surround the compound of Rio Vista.  The pictures show the foundations of twelve columns which surround the property; each column has a solid concrete foundation with a stone laid in the concrete.  As you can see from the pictures each stone has upon it the name of each of the twelve Apostles.  Later the columns will also be adorned with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; three plaques on each side facing North, South, East and West. 

 Taking this right from Revelations 21:12-13 I believe we are doing the most we can to bring protection to the Mission House and all those who stay at the facility.

 After the columns have been poured we can place a six foot wall between them which will fully enclose the compound.  We still require funding for the fencing between the columns; about $4,000 still to be raised.

Rio Vista Mission House will soon be ready for the first team to come and stay.  The Lord has surely seen the need for this facility as we have many groups now that are interested in staying at this facility.  It was the wife of renowned writer/minister Norman Vincent Peale who wrote "The Power of Positive Thinking" who gave him the quote "Find a need and fill it"

With respect to Mission Field necessities we have witnessed here in the Dominican Republic, Rio Vista Mission House fills this objective. quite nicely.
Moreover, because Rio Vista generates revenue on an annual basis the Mission will also be able to provide funding for many projects that still need to be completed in so many poor villages it boggles the mind.  This of course solves a tremendous problem of funding these many projects.
We are now taking bookings for teams for 2013 on a first come first serve basis.  Churches and Mission Organizations can contact us through this blog or through our website.
We still require funding to complete the first stage before teams can stay, after-all, we still need to buy the beds!  In total each room requires funding to completion of about $800.00  This means we need about 5,000 to buy beds, build closets, provide fans (For the hot nights!) and finish the bathrooms.

All in all less than 10,000 is all that stands between now and the first team to enjoy the all-inclusive comfort of Rio Vista Mission House.  Well maybe a little money for grass around the building; it will surely keep the mud out of the rooms!

I pray that you are blessed in your day and we look forward to seeing each of you soon as our guests at the Rio Vista Mission House!

To donate directly to the project through our Canadian Partner in Missions please click the link:

http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=International_Projects

For information on team booking or the work of North Coast Missionary Services and Rio Vista Guest House please follow the link:
http://ncmission.com/

Bendiciones a Todos

Michael

The Real God Market (6) Business as Missions: A Case for God

Hello again all!
I know it has only been a few days since the last post but I am feeling inspired to write.  In my last post I eluded to the Vision that has brought Laura and I to the Mission Field here in the Dominican Republic.  More than 5 years ago now the steps of our developing ministry were started in our home church in Lethbridge, River of Life.
I knew then as I know today that what we were going to attempt to build in the D.R. was not conceptually normal as far as Missions are concerned, but fundamentally the idea of a Mission House that supports itself while creating opportunity for empowering Missionaries to be more successful at their calling falls right in line with God's Word.

First of all I want to state emphatically that what we believe God is doing within this Ministry in no way reflects poorly on the ways other Missions operate throughout the world.  We are called to serve exactly where we are gifted.
1 Peter 4:9-11
 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 
NIV

For years prior to our stepping out into the Mission Field, our lives have been blessed with successful business operations both in Lethbridge and prior to that in Calgary.  These years of developing skills to manage food service businesses and the ability to train individuals to become skilled managers dealing with people day in and day out will soon be put to use in the service of God's people.

The Rio Vista Mission House is currently under construction and when it is finished (First Stage so far) it will provide comfortable accommodations, meals, and security for Mission Teams who are working in many Fields of Ministry in the D.R.  Our concept is not unique as there are many NGO operations who have these types of facilities around the world; YWAM is one of the biggest Christian Mission organizations that provide Mission Accommodations for their many teams that work in Mission Fields.  Their Mission Houses help fund the many programs they provide for empowerment of all kinds of indigenous people all over the world.

In reality it does however take a lot of funding to put these facilities in place before the operations can be self supportive.  That is the irony, we need to raise funds through donations in order to be able to provide an adequate facility to generate more provision for God's people.  The end does justify the means simply because once the facility is operational it will sustain itself.

Already we have established relationships with many Mission Groups who rely on international teams to bring the necessary resources, funding, and training skills that are required in these Mission Fields.

I believe that the reason God requires His people to "use whatever gift he has received" is exactly for this reason.  The Mission Field today is extremely diverse and requires "specialized" Missionaries that can effectively implement specific operations that produce fruit in communities all over the world.

It is clear today that the evolving Mission Field that God has sent us into is filled with compassionate people who are wholly committed to giving all that they can so that many will become empowered through the work they do.  We are a small part of the "specialization" in the Mission Field.

Rio Vista, which means "River View" will provide a definitive facility from which the Compassion of God can reach those who need it most.  Each team that stays at Rio Vista will enjoy daily meals and private accommodations necessary for refueling Missionaries who give tirelessly of themselves.
Rio Vista in turn will turn revenue generated from the people who stay at the house into empowerment programs designed to lift people up with better education, better health, clean water, better food and better homes.

The self-sustainable Mission model is one of the most viable solution to continuing the difficult task of ministering to God's people.  Everything is more expensive now because inflation and demand has driven costs up to almost unreachable totals.  There is a new term floating around the established Church Community more and more today than ever before; "Donation Fatigue"  I have heard this story from every Missionary who works in this Mission Field.  I am sure it a universal term among most Missionaries of the world.  This term has been around for a while but today the impact of declining economies and many families burdened with mounting debt has resulted in a retraction globally on giving.  This means Mission Groups must find new ways to provide for themselves; in order to be successful in the Mission Field.  For without success in funding they go home, unable to fund their projects or even pay the rent in many cases.
Some would argue that this is God's will ultimately for He created everything we see, including money, and He can certainly provide if needed.
However, I also believe God does not want us to live our lives creating mountainous burdens of debt for ourselves; ultimately being crushed and broken by the same debt which provides our lifestyle.
No, I say it is far better to provide a means of compassion in Missions through a self-sustaining model that ultimately provides everything the Missionaries require within their Mission Field.

I also believe that there are many in the Community of God that are beginning to ask the same question.
This is far reaching people, and it is affecting everything around us daily.  It is not just International Missions that suffer, the local church is also under increasing pressure to survive in this declining Global market.

This I believe is God's will today in this evolving global economy we live in.  It makes sense to use the wisdom God blessed each of us with and make decisions for Missions and the Church that create empowerment programs that are self-sustaining.  More and more people are called into Missions everyday; more and more they will have to become ever creative in order to provide for the poor.

The foundation of Rio Vista Mission House has been built on this principle; a self-sustaining Mission to provide empowerment programs for the poor.

We are almost ready to begin operations at Rio Vista; ironically, we do not have enough funding to finish the security perimeter and landscaping.
We are excited to announce that we have booking requests from four teams now!  We are encouraged by the support we have received for Rio Vista up to this point and we are again asking for your support to help us become a fully operational-self sustaining Mission!

Please check out our website to see all of the groups who we work with and maybe bring your own team to experience what God is doing here in the Dominican republic!
http://ncmission.com/

Corporate and personal donations can be made through our partner in Missions, Bridges of Hope.
http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate

Bendiciones
Michael

The Real God Market (5) Vision

Good morning all! Blessings from the sunny D.R.

So here's the thing, last night I was awakened from deep sleep at least three times.  I got up each time and walked about the dark apartment looking around; all seemed normal.  It was quiet outside, the dog lay snoring in her usual spot beside our bed, the night watchman was the only one awake outside in his chair near the gate.  I thought maybe it was because Laura was not with me as she was still in Canada with our daughter and brand-new grand-baby.  Then I thought maybe it was the arugula I had eaten for dinner.  No, I thought the third time; it was definitely God.  I woke the first time with a memory of a 411 listing, and it was for God, but as I saw the listing I saw also myself looking in a mirror.  So I got up and wrote it down, has to be something right?
The second time was a phrase that kept rolling through my mind, "Compassion is the outward reflection of Jesus."  Nothing more, so I got up and wrote it down.
The third time I was awakened after seeing again the vision that I was given on April 8 2007.  The day I knew God was telling me to go to the Mission Field.  I didn't have to write this one down.  This one has been emblazoned on my mind for more than 5 years now.  Long before I knew I was ready to go anywhere or do anything.
The connections with all three awakenings might not seem apparent, and to me it didn't click until this morning when I finally got up in the breaking daylight (about 5:30) with thoughts of several local people I have come to know over the last 18 months.  Each of them are entirely unaware of the other yet each has been placed in my path; there are no coincidences.
I met Johnny first, over a year ago, while Laura and I worked in one of the remote villages with some other Missionaries helping in a feeding program their Ministry ran.  At first Johnny (who was about 11 then) appeared in the lunch room with a few of his siblings.  He was one of 9 children borne to the same mother in the village however it was a certainty all the children did not have the same father.  Their mother was often away from the children as her only form of income was working the streets as a prostitute.  When she returned to the home in the village she would beat many of the children or neglect them entirely, so angry was she with her situation.  Many Missionaries helped care for the children as best they could but without any social net or ability to involve authorities (they are Haitian and therefore have no rights in the D.R.) the children suffered greatly.  Last week I was in the village and Johnny gave me a hug when he saw me.  I asked him where his mother was. "Gone" was all he said.  He never asked me for a thing, but I could see the hope in his eyes as he received the 75 pesos I had in my pocket.  "Gracias" he said. "Dios te bendiga." He smiled at me as I drove away from the village.

I met Fabio in March of this year in downtown Sosua soon after we opened up 3 Amigos Mexican Restaurant in the heart of Sosua.  Fabio is about 60 or so and was born with a club foot.  Actually he only had half of his left leg as what appeared to be part of a foot protruded from where his knee ended.  He walked with a large stick as a prop, wrapping his "foot" around the pole and hopping along.  I saw him daily but never spoke to him until one day he spoke to me, "Dios te bendiga baron!"  The first words he spoke to me, unknowing of my situation or ability to understand, "God Bless you son" came out of his mouth.  My response was automatic, I stopped, turned, extended my hand to him, "Igualmente Senor" which means, "Likewise sir".  He proceeded to rattle off in slurred Spanish which I understood about half about how without the ability to work he knows Dios will provide for him the same way Dios provides for the birds.  I cannot do much for him so we do what we can, it cost about 50 pesos for the rice and beans with a little chicken I give him daily as I see him.

The last guy is even more strange, again in the center of Sosua at the restaurant I was visited one day by the dirtiest, almost naked man wearing only tattered jeans, no shoes or shirt.  He was not old, looking to me about 25 or so, and he was not Dominican or Haitian.  He was talking to himself the whole time he walked and as he entered the shop he stopped and looked around, standing in the middle of the shop very near the counter.  He mumbled something in bad Spanish several times but I could not understand him.  Then he tried another language which sounded like German; again I did not understand him.  Finally he spoke in perfect English, calmly and politely, "Can I please have a cup of water?"  At first I was stunned, but I quickly gave him a cup of water which he drank in one gulp, turned and left.  Mumbling the entire way as he left. I don't know if I will ever see him again but I suspect yes.

This is what I got today: The string that connects us all is obviously the Spirit of God, inside each of us, even when we are entirely unaware.  The image of myself in the mirror states clearly that the "411 of God" is in me, as I have already submitted to His Word and truths.  The phrase, "Compassion is an outward reflection of Jesus" is definitive as who God has given me to help, in this Mission Field.  I fully understand that I did not have to travel 6000 miles to find these unfortunate souls, I can only suspect that it has always been God's heart to extend compassion on His people and that compassion must come through His church; His body at large.
 The vision of the Ministry from 2007 was fourfold at the time; first I saw a road leading to a large house protected by a gate, on the wall beside the gate were the words "North Coast Missionary Services" The second was the house itself; a two story structure with a large balcony with stairs leading to the second floor, a beautiful landscape washed in sunshine.  The third was a view of the airport here in Puerto Plata, I was in a large white van picking up a team which had just arrived.  The fourth was a Google page depicting a search of North Coast Missionary Services.  All of these are coming to existence, some already have.

I pray that you all are called in a way that fulfills His will for your lives.  Take a minute in your busy life and look outside, maybe you will see who God wants you to speak to today.

 This is where I find myself today, we are building a foundation for continued Ministry to His people in the Dominican Republic.  We are building a foundation for many Mission Groups to come and minister to many of these people, empowering them for success.
You can still support this Mission with your donation to help complete our project.
Please donate at the link
http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate
Please visit our website to see the work we are doing.
http://ncmission.com/

Michael

The Real God Market (3) Compassion is our Passion!

Throughout the ages mankind has been positioned above all other creatures on our earth and I believe it has been for one reason; compassion for our fellow man and all living things around us.
While I do not want to get into a philosophical argument with scientists about how we have risen above the millions of species of animal life in a natural order of selection outlined by the farcical theory of evolution, I do want to point out a few glaring holes that man cannot ignore.
First of all, I do not think it is arrogant of man to assume his place as a sentient being in dominion over all other creatures.  The fact of the matter is many people in the world today and I might add, over many generations before us, have slowly turned away from God as our master and commander looking for their own answers to the meaning of life.  Believers know that The Bible states quite clearly that God gave man Dominion over all of the animals right from the beginning, "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28 NKJ  It is through this belief that we can come to a place of understanding what life is about.

Non-believers of course think all of this is just a big accident, or a "Big Bang" if you will.  Both groups agree on one thing, mankind is driven by emotion and  this includes compassion.  But, which group has the root of compassion figured out?  What is it exactly? Why is it only mankind that has this interesting characteristic.
Now let us understand and agree on one thing: Man is the only living creature that can show compassion through emotion, and as a result of the ability to reason, can do anything about it.  Let me say this another way because the scientists are vibrating right now.  There is no other species beside mankind alive today that comes to the aid of its own kind when assistance is needed.  Nor has any species ever before that has lived and gone extinct ever organized compassionate assistance for its own members of the species.  Aside from the parental tie between mother and infant there remains a large gap between humans and all animal species for the ability to show and give compassion to their own species.  Dinosaurs didn't bury their dead, neither did the birds of the air, or even the amoebas in the prehistoric oceans.  Many species in fact turn on the weaker within their communities and eliminate them giving most the appearance of a pack of wolves who turn on their wounded brother.
Scientists will tell you that this is because mankind evolved with certain brain functions that give us the ability to be compassionate.  (Not to mention the myriad of other emotions)  They would say this because recently they have discovered that mice and even some species of whales seem to show compassion to other members of their species when death or suffering is near.  The problem is, even if some species show or mimic compassion they can do nothing about the situation, having neither the faculties or resources available to them.  Is it then only an assumption made by arrogant man that we must be the only species able to show compassion?
I think it is a greater assumption of man to believe that animals can show compassion toward their own members or even other species (like man does) when the stack of evidence against the existence of compassionate animals is far greater than any evidence of existent compassion in other species.  The fact of the matter is nowhere in history since man has been recording our timeline has there been any witness or any evidence of any other species showing developed compassion and organization of compassionate assistance.  Neither have archaeologists dug up any evidence of an extinct species having compassionate tendencies.
Let us take this one point further:
If man is a result of millions of years of evolution culminating in a relatively short period of history to today, then it is equally likely that another species could have evolved, or should have evolved into another sentient being like we are now.  More-over, if it is possible to show mathematically how species evolved using the many DNA combinations (and it is) then there should be thousands of species alive today that have both the ability to reason and show compassion.  It is far more improbable that only one sentient species (mankind) should exist today given the mathematical opportunities that are possible through evolution; unless of course evolution is pure hogwash. Or maybe life has been carefully orchestrated this way, or somehow created with an evidential purpose.  Hmmmmm....

Now the scientists are really vibrating.  Especially because mankind has only been around for about 10,000 to 40,000 years, according to fossil records and pure speculation.  Life apparently evolved from a primordial soup and after thousands of "natural selections" and random recombination of DNA over millions of years we have MAN.  From small beginnings (only two, it still takes a man and a woman to have a baby right?) to having created almost 7 billion of us today.  In total estimates as many as 69 Billion to 110 Billion people have lived and died before us.  Creationists estimate around 51 Billion and the scientists the larger number believing man has been around longer.  It really doesn't matter because evolution does not leave enough time for man to develop to the way he is in only a few thousand years.  I mean we only came out of the cave a few thousand years ago. Again I say...Hogwash.

The real tragedy here is not that many do not believe in God anymore, but that they would rather believe such an implausible theory like evolution and continue to try and prove that theory by digging deeper into the science of our world.  All the while they dig they discover the more complex things are, how mathematically impossible it is for everything to work together the way it does.  Each new discovery about humanity and the way we are put together.  Did you know that there are over 10,000 working processes in each human body going on at any given time?  Many of them rely on each other to occur such that if only one or two processes were removed then life could not happen?  Yet still today man cannot make life from lifelessness, but we obviously came to life from lifelessness. (According to the theory of evolution, wait a second...didn't God do that?) Ironic isn't it?  Mankind today tries to prove the Non-Existence of God and through his efforts proves the immenseness  and complexity of God. 

Let's face it folks, I don't know about you but I am a fairly logical person and I do understand that even when mathematics cannot explain the impossible odds of the existence of mankind or for that matter our entire universe.  It still amazes me how afraid of God's truth the world is that millions of people would continue to try and unravel the mysteries of humanity, our world and our universe.  Just recently an agnostic astronomer was quoted with this,
“Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.” - Agnostic Astronomer Robert Jastrow (http://www.thepoachedegg.net/, July 17 2012)
No kidding...

Our compassion is "Our" passion, all of us have it, we have always had it, and many have continued to show it throughout our history.  No-one can explain the evidence of compassion in any real term other than the fact it exists in mankind, and only in mankind.  Compassion also explains why; Why we are here.  It is in the nature of God that we have compassion toward our fellow man and other species alike, for it is the nature of God to be compassionate.  It is His gift to each of us, as His creation, for we were made in His Image.  This is why you were born,  this is why you are alive today, do not reject it, embrace it with passion.

Rio Vista Mission House is built on this foundation of God's Compassion for humanity.  We fully appreciate all of the Mission Groups and their teams who will stay in the Mission House while they dole out mountains of Compassion to the local community here in the Dominican Republic.  Please support us as we continue to push forward with final steps to make the Mission House ready for teams.  I continue to pray God's blessing to enrich all of your lives through our experiences here in the D.R.  We thoroughly enjoy reading your comments and emails of encouragement each time we send up a blog!
We still need financial help with a few of the smaller details to complete the first stage of the project.  A detailed list can be viewed on the last blog.

Bless you all
Michael Boisclair


http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate

The Real God Market (2)

Good morning everyone Y Dios te bendiga!

Here is the latest in the progress at Rio Vista Mission House in the D.R.  Today we watched as the construction team poured concrete for the top of the 2500 gallon fresh water cistern.  You can see from the pictures that it will make a sizable foundation as well for the pump house and eventually an outdoor kitchen. Once the concrete is dry they will build a small casita on top and enclose the water pump for the house.  The picture also shows the pipe behind the cistern which is the well we drilled two weeks ago.  Once we have power hooked up to the property we can fill the cistern with fresh water and then pressurize the pipes connecting the cistern to the house.(no leaky, leaky!)

water well pipe

 


The other pictures show the newly installed doors with security deadbolts attached.










I want to continue building the platform which explains The Real God Market here in the D.R.  In my last blog I expressed to our readers how important our work is to the big picture in God's Kingdom.  We are all Kingdom builders during our lives and ultimately this is the test for each of us, whether we believe in God or not, the truth of the world still stares each of us in the face as we go through any day.
This is the question:  What are you doing with your life and does it leave a positive impact on those you come in contact with daily.  Ideally this will involve your family first, as this is every man's First Ministry. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Prov 22:6 NIV
and concurrently we are told three scriptures later, "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."  Prov 22:9 NIV.

In the same breath we are governed with the command of God to teach our children the right ways AND give to the poor.

I started talking in the last blog about "Economic Empowerment of the People"  which I believe sums up the commands from God to all of us.
Educational reform is happening in this country and other countries slowly and largely through Missionary based operations like Dominican Advance, Servants Heart and Island Light Ministries.  There are others however I want to focus on the work of one in particular.

Island Light Ministries is primarily a Christ centered outreach to a small community near us.  Pastor Jim Tunnicliffe and his wife Debra are Missionaries in the village of Paraiso.  Pastor Jim works with the local church in Paraiso bringing hope to the faithful through God.  The village of Paraiso houses more than 1000 Dominicans from the poorest of the communities around.  Each family was given a home, built and donated by another Mission, Samaritan Foundation. Statistics reported in the village that more than 50% of the adults  cannot read or write, making them available only for labor positions in the marketplace, if they can find a job.  The labor market pays very little in the third world, in most countries the average is under $2.00 per day.  Here in the D.R. the minimum wage for hard labor is not much higher and a good laborer can make around 8,000 pesos a month or $7.00 a day.  Many here average less than that because they do not have sustainable work daily.
The wage separation between educated and uneducated is massive here as skilled university positions pay almost at parity with the rest of the world; lawyers, doctors, engineers and business owners make far more than laborers.  Economic empowerment for the majority of the people can only come through education.


One of the mandates of the Millennium Development Goals which were created by the United Nations in 2000 stated that in order to eradicate poverty each nation must provide basic free education for primary children.  In a follow-up report issued in 2005 the D.R. is still falling short of many of the MDG's, but they are committed to continue.(1)
The MDG's establish only educating children to grade 8 in all of the third world.  The D.R. is trying to meet this mandate as  many children under the age of 12 can attend a free primary school for free.  After that the government has no concrete plans for sustainable education.  There are some secondary schools for teens and a few good universities as well, however, less than 60% of children go on to high school.  Of those that complete high school, few go on to university, simply because they have no money.  Vocational schools in the private sector are almost non-existent, again, the people have no money to attend higher learning centers.


Island Light Ministries also manages a large vocational school in the village of Paraiso which provides free education in the technical trades for those interested in rising above the poverty level.  These programs include a carpentry school, electrician school, sewing school, beauticians and soon an automotive school will begin.  The waiting list is immense already as the classrooms can handle only a few students at a time. Resources for these vocational schools come from donations mainly from North American Mission Teams and churches back home.
These vocational programs will create a new revenue base of skilled laborers in the village of Paraiso, a skilled labor base that will provide success for a community.  Ultimately that community will grow and begin to support itself with a "buy at home" mentality.  You see, as a community develops with education and skilled training, the revenue available to those that live in the community also grows.  These people in training at the vocational school are also taught the economics of local buying.  This keeps the earnings from the newly trained workers right within the village they live in.  When local money is used properly in this manner a community will thrive and grow.
This program provided  is absolutely essential as a solution to an economic crisis that continues to grip this little country and her people.


Island Light Ministries survives on donations and support from Mission Teams and churches back home.
We hope that their success with these vocational schools continues; we support them as teams continue to bring resources for the schools.  We hope to support the teams when they are here.

Rio Vista Mission House is provided for the support and sustenance of these Mission Teams and the work their Mission Groups are doing here in the D.R.
You can support our Mission by donating to our project.
Please visit Island Light Ministries site as well to see how they operate.
May God guide your steps.

http://www.islandlightministries.org/

http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate

Bendiciones
Michael



(1) http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/Alliance/INFORME_NACIONAL_EN.pdf

The Real God Market

Over the last year a realization has been building in my mind as to the purpose and look of North Coast Missionary Services here in the Dominican Republic.  The Non-Profit Charity of NCMS is multi-faceted and has at least two stages of operation before the full realization of God's purpose is revealed in NCMS.  Primarily I believe entirely that God's purpose for using a business model for establishing this Mission is wholly centered around talents that He has ingrained within both Laura and myself.  We are hospitality people, we are caterers and restaurateurs; essentially we feed God's people.  With that said, at first I could not entirely understand why He wanted me to build this type of Mission, I mean there are other ways to feed people, especially Missionaries and is feeding Missionaries really the whole point of the Mission He has sent us here to fulfill?  I suggest to you that God has had an idea for North Coast Missionary Services since He birthed the vision in my mind...this is how it looks to me now.
Each Mission team that will stay in Rio Vista Mission House is part of a larger community of Mission Teams who visit the Mission Field in the Dominican Republic every year; there are literally hundreds of groups that work with different Mission Groups in every Mission Field you can think of, or should I say more precisely, the Mission Fields that God has thought of.  I want each of you who read this to put Missions in another perspective right now, a perspective that might look a little different than what you might think is a traditional Mission Field.  This is what I refer to as The Real God Market.

The Real God Market is specifically about Missions, or more effectively, the "WHY?" anyone does Missions.  The Real God Market is what God has been telling all of us since He gave us the great commission to "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matt 28:19 NIV.  The Real God Market is about the people, all of them, even you and me.

Everything else is the World's Market, not part of the Great commission, but nonetheless, still belonging to God for it is written, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." Col 1:16 NKJV.

This means what exactly? This means that we must use the resources from around us, in our world, from our earth, all things and anything that He has provided for ALL of humanity to live in order to do the things that He has commissioned all of us to do.  What we do with the blessings we have, with the wealth we have made is entirely important here and now, actually this has been the rule since God created it.  This actually  means that you are the proud owner of nothing, you may think you are but in reality, you are using everything you have on "Loan" from the Lord.  Think about it, we all trade time for money so we can buy the things we need to live; and sometimes we sell those things we have to make more money to buy other things.  So while we live we are all trading stuff back and forth among each other, using just about anything for currency since the dawn of recorded history.  Today, money is the current form of currency, however, it could have likely been fruits and vegetables or even chickens at one time in history.  Money is just easier to handle today instead of chickens.  The point is, we are called to be good stewards with what we have been blessed with and to continue to bless those around us with our blessings.  This is the way it was supposed to work from the beginning.  So what happened?  In a word...Greed.  Sin and temptation entered as wealth was discovered, resources were dug up and poured into molds and called ingots.  Man turned away from God's edict and began to write his own history.  We all know it, history is full of war and conflict, nation after nation has conquered and been conquered all in the name of Greed, again since the dawn of recorded history.
So what about today?  Can we change?  Are we changing?  What can we do now that we see our history laid out behind us like a finely plowed field.  What are we supposed to plant in this newly furrowed field?
The rules are still the same as they were then, "Therefore go and make disciples of men,"
But what can you do you ask?  Each of us has a part to play in our lives on earth.  We just have to understand what the part is, and even then not fall to the temptation and snare of the World around us; the trappings of the World that cause us to trip and fail, trappings like drugs, alcohol, pornography, crime, and a myriad of other vices.  Those that are not ensnared by these trappings might like to think you are doing OK competing with the Jones'; newsflash, it is not a competition.  Hear it again,  "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." Col 1:16 NKJV.
You came into the world with nothing and you will leave with nothing, it is what you do with God's property in between birth and death that is important.
Here is another suggestion for what to do in between life and death:
God gave us His promise when he said through Malachi, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out you a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi3:10 KJ
God is telling us in this scripture to "test" Him on this, if we tithe back to Him a portion of our blessing, He will open up the taps on us and we will receive more than we can handle!
How many have the Faith to do that?
Giving to Missions is also considered as tithes and offerings, you see, God created this edict to establish a revenue source for Missions to the poor, to the orphans, to the lost, to The Real God Market.

The Mission Field in itself is becoming very specific in nature as Ministries are defining "How" to do God's work in many different ways, largely because of the size of the problems we all face in differing Mission Fields.

 The biggest God Market that most of the world is not engaged in entirely is the Economic Empowerment of People.  It is compassion for people that we are driven to do more for them than we do for ourselves.  The Mission Groups that are working here in the D.R. and for that matter anywhere in the world, are all involved in some form of Economic Empowerment of the People.  Each Mission group involved in programs that provide improvement in Education for a nation; Mission Groups involved in programs that create training for vocational jobs, even those that provide micro-loans for people to get started in a business.  Mission Groups that are involved in providing medical services, even Mission Groups that are involved in feeding orphans, widows and the elderly.  You see each of these Mission Groups is fully committed to God's plan of Economic Empowerment of the People, and these groups survive in the Mission Field by bringing teams of individuals to their respective Mission Fields every year.  Year after year these teams will continue to bring needed resources, finances, and God's love for the people.

This is what we are doing here in the Dominican Republic. We are assisting those that are involved in the Real God Market with fulfilling God's will, to "feed His sheep",  "to be with widows and orphans in their time of need", and "to make disciples of men."
We have looked into the Mission Field here and "Filled a need".  The Mission House can assist Missionaries  at what they are called to do, we can do this by providing a safe, secure, private, Christ centered environment; a "refueling station".  These teams can return each day from the Mission Field and "refuel" for the next day.  At the same time Rio Vista Mission House will support itself and all other programs the Non-Profit of NCMS will be involved with in the future.  In essence, a Mission that can survive economic downturn because Missionaries will continue to come here to work in the Real God Market.

What we are building here with Rio Vista Mission House is a place for us to do a better job for all of these Mission Groups who are involved in His work.
I cannot express to you enough how important it is for all of you to understand that this is the "Why?" in my life, in my wife's life, in my life with God.


We are not quite finished building the Rio Vista Mission House, we need a few more support dollars in order to complete some of the projects before we can receive Mission Teams.
The full list is available here.

Water well                                             $2500
Backup Power, Inverter                         $500
Security Wall                                     $10,000
Bathroom fixtures                                $2500 for six bathrooms (toilets, sinks, taps, tiling)
Security Protection on Windows       $2000  (15 windows)
Electrical Wiring, Lights and Fans   $3,000
Bedroom furnishings                          $3800  (six complete rooms @ $440.00 each)
Dining Room Furnishings                    $500
Kitchen Equipment                             $1000
Two Hot Water on Demand
Includes Propane tanks                      $1000 


Green Program: (wish list)
Solar Power Start up                          $6000 includes 10 Kyocera 210 Watt Panels, Inverter,                    Batteries System


Support us as we continue to support all of the Mission Groups that are sending teams to work in God's Market, The Real God Market.
Praise God queries of bookings are starting already!
Your gifts are tax deductible, we are so close.
http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate

Bendiciones
Michael and Laura