Our First Team in 2008

We had our first team of the year. The BCS Team (that’s Bradenton Christian School for those of you who are not familiar). There was an awesome group of 17 Juniors and Seniors (with the 3 teachers included) on the team. We were so glad that Jesse, Jen Doll, Jenny, and Krista were able to make it back again this year.

They arrived and went straight to the church to minister to the youth group at Palabras de Vida. Sunday we went to church and then we set off for La Romana to work for two days at a girls’ home. Of course, when it came time to leave the orphanage…no one wanted to leave.

Wednesday we dug out the paintbrushes and headed for Ina’s to paint her newly built church/ministry center. That was loads of fun! We had bright blue paint all over us by the time we finished. We split into two groups half going to take all of the children to play baseball and the rest continued to paint and dig up roots and stumps so that the cement floor could be poured.

When we ran out of paint we decided to take a break to eat lunch but as we ate the clouds grew dark and we had a heavy downpour so we had to call it a day earlier than we planned. At least we were able to play with the children, paint and dig up stumps. We tell every team that the key word for a trip to the DR is “flexibility”! That came into play that day.

Thursday we packed a lunch and headed for Bani to paint at Restoration Ranch! The BCS Team that came last year went to the Ranch just after the land was purchased and they learned about prayer walking. It was an awesome testimony for them to return for a day this year and to see God at work and prayers coming to fruition. Several walked the land and prayed for 2 hours while others painted the front gate, gazebos, and benches. We then walked over to the site were the houses are being built and prayed together. You could tangibly feel the presence of the Lord. Several of us were in tears and we all look forward to seeing what God does at the Ranch not only in the here and now but in the future. Jenny and Mr. J (Jonathan) were on the same page when they had the idea of giving each team member a small stone to take back to the U.S. as a way to remember their time here and as a reminder to continue to pray for Restoration Ranch and the country of the Dominican Republic. How beautiful is that?!

They were able to relax and enjoy Friday as we drove to Jarabacoa – a mountainous area of the country where it always seems to be about 10 degrees cooler. After hanging out at the recreational center playing ping pong, swimming in the cold pool and eating Dominican style food we headed out on the hike to the waterfall. It was a beautiful hike and Mr. Greg (the Science teacher) was in his element. =) He was thoroughly enjoying himself with all of the plants and so forth. When we arrived at the waterfall we were in awe of the wonder of God and His creativity. To top it all off two of the girls from the team and Isaiah were baptized in the pool below the waterfall. Yeah, did you catch that… "and Isaiah…”, that’s my Isaiah. He had told us he wanted to be baptized and we told him that we would do that the next time we were in the States but when Jonathan talked about it with some of the team members Isaiah talked to Jonathan and Isaiah decided he wanted to do it then too! I was balling of course! =) Tears of joy running down my face as my husband bent down in the ice cold water to speak to my youngest son about his fairly new relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I think that they were both a little numb by the time it was over. lol =)

Needless to say it was a very successful and life changing trip for all of us but it didn’t stop there… After we said our sorrowful farewells at the airport on Saturday the team had a long lay over in Puerto Rico. They ran into another team from Florida who had also spent their Spring break on a mission trip here to the Dominican Republic so they were able to spend some of the time exchanging stories. Jesse, who plays guitar, and Cody felt like they should play some Praise & Worship music and sing. As they were doing so quietly they felt like the Lord was telling them to do so but to do it louder. So…unashamed they did just that. Others from the BCS team and the other team began to join them and before they knew it the Lord’s presence was in the airport and though they had several people walk by and stare or walk by and laugh they also had those who stopped to listen. There were even several who the team members began to pray for as the Lord moved. In fact, there were a couple of them who said that they weren’t sure what to pray as they did not know a lot of Spanish but that when they decided to be obedient and pray anyway the Holy Spirit gave them the words and they were praying in other tongues and in Spanish (Spanish that they did not know before!)!!! God is so awesome! He even shows up and shows out in the middle of a waiting area of the airport in a foreign country!

Now you probably think that the story is over now huh? Wrong again! Several of the youth/students have put their faith in action and they are meeting and taking meals to the homeless in the mornings, meeting and praying before school, and looking for ways to reach out to their communities. Talk about being impacted for God…their lives are changed...forever! You know what? Yours can be too! Why don’t you ask God to show you how to impact your community? Or plan to go on a mission trip and see how other people around the world live. I have said this for about 12 years now…” I believe every American should take at least one trip to the mission field in his/her life. It will change you, impact you, and help you to see with new eyes.” Ask God how He wants to use you and then open yourself up to be used and be obedient even if it sounds crazy, like singing out loud in an airport, God will use you for His glory!

What's New?

Hey everyone! Just going to give you a quick update on what we have been up to for the last 2 weeks.

Greg and I are grandparents...well sort of...our Miniature Schnauzer, Gracie, had her first litter of puppies a few weeks ago. She had 7 but only 3 survived. Mom and puppies are doing very well. We did not even know that she was pregnant until about 3 weeks before she had them. Up until 3 days before she gave birth Greg remained in denial. We were sitting on the back porch playing Chicken Foot, a Dominoes game, when Brittany was rubbing Gracie's belly and felt movement. Once Greg felt them move he was a little stunned. =) We figured out when it happened...it was while we were visiting in the States. We had left Gracie with another missionary family, actually we had house sat for them for a year and taken care of their female dog Poppet. What we didn't know is that their daughter came from Florida and brought a male Yorkie. Needless to say he found Gracie irresistible and now we have 3 puppies that we call Yauzers (mix of Yorkie and Schnauzer). They are so cute! The kids are trying to talk us into keeping them all but that is highly unlikely. =) We will keep one...they have already picked him out. His name will be Zachi (short for Zachheus), he is the wee little one. =) They are starting to walk...well, its more like wobbling, really.

All is well and busy here in the D.R. We are making the last few preparations for the Team we have coming March 29th - April 5th from Bradenton Christian School in Bradenton, Florida. We will be going around to different parts of the country evangelizing, painting and church, working at a girls' home in La Romana, painting at Restoration Ranch, etc.

Here is a quick update on each of the kids...

~Many of you know that Brittany is on the Worship Team for the Youth group but recently she auditioned to be on the Adult Praise & Worship Team at Palabras de Vida and made the cut! She is now part of the Worship Team for every service...and totally in Spanish! We are so proud of her!!! Go Brittany! Go Brittany! *smiles*

~Matthew recently learned that he will be getting his braces off as early as June of this year which is almost a year early! He is pretty excited about that. So are we because his braces cost about one-third the cost in America. He is growing taller and taller and has just passed me by half an inch. I will soon be the shortest in the family...again. =) He is ramping up his basketball skills since he plays everyday with the guys from the neighborhood while also having a chance to be a witness to them.

~Isaiah has a birthday coming up at the end of March (31st). He will be 12 years old. It is just not fair that they are growing up so fast! He is loving Science more and more and is really into Geology. He recently developed his own blog site where he posts devotions and other things that God is laying on his heart.

~We are really enjoying the new way we are doing devotions each morning. I, Melynda, read a little from a devotional book then each person in our family shares about the scriptures that they read the day before on their own and what they felt God was telling them through His Word and how they can apply it to their own lives. Then Greg finishes it out by reading a little from a book, currently we are reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, and we discuss what he read. We try to pick a book that makes you "think outside the box" and to see from different perspectives so that when we come across those who think differently we are able to respond with God's love, understanding, and His Word. God is moving in each of our lives on a new level and it is AWESOME! It is more "awe"some to see what God is doing in the lives and thought processes of our children. Watching them get excited about God's Word and about them developing a deeper relationship with Him in their personal time.

Please pray for the upcoming Team...for safe travel, that we be lead by the Holy Spirit in everywhere that we go and all that we do, pray that lives would be touched and changed for God's glory!

The Car...

Oh my goodness...

We are in a state of shock and awe...

This is bigger than we even imagined! But then, that is just like God to do something so BIG!

Have I got your attention? Are you sitting down? Can I keep you in suspense any longer???

NO? Okay, okay...I let you in on what God is doing.

We just received a call from very close friends of ours who said that they are ready to send out a challenge to all of our reading audience...yeah, that's you! =) They are willing to MATCH up to $6,000 for the car. Yes, that's right...$6,000 (six thousand). Your eyes are not decieving you. That means that whatever amount you give (up to $6,000) is automatically doubled because they are matching dollar for dollar! Wow! Can anybody say WOW!?

Well, what are you waiting for? Get back to praying about how much God is laying on your heart. Are you scared? I know, I would be too! He might ask you to do something you hadn't thought of either. We stepped out in faith and sent off a deposit for the car not knowing how God was going to provide it back and look what happened. It's a challenge! We DARE you to believe that God can do something BIG in you and through you!

Now stop avoiding it and take a few minutes to pray.

God will provide whatever He asks of you! He will prove Himself Faithful to you also!

~Melynda

Could it be TRUE???

Could it be...? Is it possible that after 2 and a half years on the missionfield that the Burge Family could be getting a car? While we are thankful that God has provided a means - actually it has been several different means - of transportation for us over the 2 1/2 years it may finally be the timing for a vehicle of our own!

For those of you who are not familiar with this whole issue here is a quick summary... We arrived in June of 2006 and we were totally relient on public transportation. Usually we took buses, some with air some without which gets pretty hot when the space is shared with up to 100+ other bodies in the heat of the Dominican Republic. =) We occasionally took a "publico" otherwise known as a public car. Some of you have been able to see these in person and were shocked that we rode in them. LOL Anywho, they are usually cars that are pretty badly beaten up but they carry passengers up and down a certain route (usually one particular street), they are pretty cheap but you may have to change to a few different "publicos" to get to your final destination. They are usually pretty crowded with 7 people sitting in a 5 seater. =) I will tell you that one time we were in one that the floorboard was rotting out of and I said to Greg, who's lap I was sitting on with my head partially out of the window and holding on tightly, I said," You know, a little more out of that floorboard and we could be like the Flintstones and use our feet to move the car along! Ha! Ha!" We have also been in a few where the front seats were being held up by a rope tied from one side of the car to the other. All of them run on a propane tank which is chained to the car in the trunk. Sounds like fun and adventure doesn't it?! Well, this was our transportation for a lot of the time.

God also brought us vehicles to use. We have several missionary friends here in the capital who have leant us their vehicles when they were going to be out of the country to travel elsewhere. A few of those we have been able to use more than once. There is also a family, who has been so wonderful in allowing us to use their van most anytime we have needed it. A special "thank you" to each of them. I will keep their names anonymous but they know and God knows who they are! =)

Okay...now for more about the car...
There is a 1999 Isuzu Trooper for sale that is in great shape, has had one owner (a missionary who has had to leave the field for a while to take care of family back in the US) who kept it up and kept the paperwork. It has 67,188 miles on it. It has good tires with pretty thick treads still on them. Now for the price...we need to raise $13,000. This amount will cover the total cost of purchasing the Trooper, pay for the Taxes (They are so much higher here than in the US), the Revista (which is our inspection and sticker), an oil & filter change, a year of Car Insurance, and it will give us a little to put into savings for future maintainence. I know that may sound like a lot for a 1999 that is in great shape, but you must understand that it would be more costly for us to buy one in the US and have it shipped here and pay Customs. We plan to keep it for as long as the Lord keeps it running. We hope it will be like the clothes and sandals that the Isrealites wore in the desert for 40 years without them ever wearing out! =)

Needless to say, we have both thought hard about it and prayed about it and we both have a real Peace about this being the right car. We have decided to step out in Faith once again and believe God to bring in the money neccessary to purchase and maintain the car. Afterall, He IS Jehovah Jireh - Our Provider! =) He has never let us down before!

Now is where you come in...we are asking each of you to pray about this with us and to consider being a part of getting a car for us, The Burge Family. If you wish to contribute to this an account is set up through Bethel Worship Center in Camden, S.C. You will receive a tax-deductible reciept for your donations. You may mail your checks to:
Bethel Worship Center
814 Fair Street
Camden, SC 29020
Please put "Burge" on the Memo Line of your check.

Thank you so much for all that you have already done for us by being part of our "Team" through your faithful prayers, support, and telling others about us. We love you! We can't wait to share with you as we watch God bring this all together. We promise to keep you updated so that you can rejoice with us in God's Blessings and Faithfulness!

The Vid

Restoration Ranch is Going up, uP, UP!

Well, the team just left this morning and I know they are tired cause we are tired and they worked more days than we did. They worked so hard and accomplished so much! We were able to join them for several days working right along side experienced carpenters. Besides Brittany being our video and picture taker she and I were able to work together laying block. Britt and I learned a lot of construction lingo during the process. We learned all about "mudding" and "buttering". We learned the difference between "mud" and "soup". We learned the correct way to lay block using the line and a leveler. It was a lot of fun working on the block with Ronnie, Gary, and crew!

Matthew and I had the opportunity to work with Pastor Dale Blair of Cornerstone in Greenville, SC in tying on rebar. I never knew there was so much rebar in a building. It helps to give stability to the wall. Everytime we turned around someone somewhere needed more rebar. =) Pastor Dale is now a pro at rebar. Oops! I don't think that I was supposed to tell everyone. Just kidding! Thank the Lord for gloves right Pastor Dale?! =) Matthew was pretty jolted that he had an opportunity to work the Tamper machine. If you know what that is you will know what I mean when I say "jolted".

Isaiah helped to mix mud, carry rebar, bend the hooks needed for tying rebar and he had a shovel in his hands a large percentage of the time.

Greg, well...if he wasn't encouraging those around him and making them laugh then he was pushing wheel barrows full of cement (mud or soup) up the hill, carrying block, shoveling, translating for those around him, or running an errand for more diesel for the generator. He was always moving around somewhere. It was fun to watch the guys in the "assembly line" swinging the cement blocks from one person to the next from the bottom of the hill up to the top and into the building. There were 23 men in the line. They had it going on!

Oh, don't let me forget the cooks! They did an awesome job of feeding over 80+ people everyday. That's a lot of food! Can you imagine making three meals a day for that many people? I saw it and I still can't believe it. They were organized to say the least. Did I mention that the food was delicious? Well, it was delicious! A round of applause to the cooks. *Clap, clap, clap*

I loved the routine the team had of having a short devotional during the lunch break each day. A few people took turns sharing for the devotion and then they led us in a song or to of worship before heading back out to the site to continue building.

They were really working on two different kinds of buildings...a spiritual building in that they were building the body of Christ in faith and action and also building the physical buildings, future homes for children of Restoration Ranch. Children from all over Bani, who have been abused, neglected or abandoned will soon have a place to call home and the spiritual building will continue as God uses us and others to touch their lives and change their hearts.

You want to hear even more good news? The leader of the Team, Mike, was so touched and God moved on his heart to continue to help Restoration Ranch by going back to the States and working to raise more money to help to finish off the buildings that were started! God is so good!

That's not all...just before they left the team took up a collection for the daughter of a Dominican Pastor here who was blind in both eyes. **Notice I said WAS! She needed to have a cornia transplant but the family did not have the money. God moved on the hearts of men and guess what?! They took up an offering that paid for the entire surgery and the medicine needed after the procedure! As we like to say in our family....Aslan is on the move! (that is, of course, taken from the Chronicles of Narinia)

Thank you to all of those who were on the Carpenters for Christ Team!!! We love you guys! May God pour out His blessings on you to a greater measure than all of the cement that you poured during your trip. =)

Building Begins on the Ranch...

It is so exciting!!! After 3 years of vision, hope and too many prayers to count the buildings are going up! The Carpenter's for Christ Team arrives tomorrow, February 7th. We will work on shooting some video with a little camera and we will make sure to have pictures of the progress too!

Make sure to be praying for the Team...for safe travel, divine health, and no accidents on the job site, etc. Make sure to check back in a few days for the update and pictures.