Adventures of the Dominican Republic

Adele; music to my soul

2012-01-16T08:56:00.007-05:00

God has always spoken to me through music. I don't have to be listening to praise and worship for Him to say something profound. In fact, over the years I have thought so many times that the love songs of the secular world could most definitely be translated into how I feel about Jesus.

This morning on my run, rather than listen to my normal Praise and Worship playlist, I decided to throw on some Adele. As my feet hit the pavement and my labored breaths were exhaling, the song "He Won't Go," came over my headphones. I wasn't listening very closely, as I was nearing my second mile, but suddenly some words overwhelmed my ears;

"You would choose poison over me?"

The actual lyrics are, "...he would choose the poison over me," but I could have sworn I heard it the other way. God was audibly saying to me, "Why would you choose poison over me?" Those words, no joke, rang in my head for the next five minutes trying to ponder what He was really saying. And it became clear. I have been doing so many things to get closer to my Lord and Savior. I have been soaking up everything I could possibly read that would help me walk step by step with him. I don't lie, steal, cheat, kill or commit adultery but, still, how many times do I choose "poison" over Him? How many times do I choose judgement over acceptance? How many times do I choose bitterness over joy? How many times do I choose pride over humility? More than I want to admit. But I do. I choose it. I choose to drink the poison.

God said to me, "If someone had two cups in front of you, one with poison and one with life everlasting, which would you choose?"
In my most annoying, teenage voice I said to Him, "Well, duh, life everlasting."
"Would you still choose the cup full of life everlasting even if it meant a difficult journey?"
"Yes, absolutely."
"Then why, my child, when I place my cup of life everlasting in front of you daily, do you choose to drink the poison, even if but a sip?"
"I have no idea. Because its easier?"

For me, that was it. That was why. Because its easier. It's easier to hate than to love. It's easier to ignore than be intentional. It's easier to hold a grudge than to forgive. But when Jesus said this journey would be difficult He didn't mean that around every turn there would be tragedy, even though there will be some. He meant that the road He's asking us to travel is difficult in the sense that it goes against everything that is inherent in us; in the world. It will be hard work to change what comes so easily.

I am grateful to Adele, and to God, obviously, because that tangible image, drinking poison or drinking life everlasting, makes my daily decisions a lot less difficult.

New Photo of the Week

2012-01-15T15:24:00.000-05:00

A new Photo of the Week is up, click here.

Girls Group 2 - Week 1

2012-01-08T18:47:00.007-05:00

Meet my new girls!

Mariela - Age 8, Yissell - Age 11, Estefany - Age 12

Rosio - Age 9, Ana Cristina - Age 8, Magdalena - Age 11

Cindy (Nena) - Age 11, Yennyfer (Uva) - Age 8, Rossy - Age 9

Grismarly (Ia) - Age 9, Eliany - Age 8, Carola - Age 10

Yanibel - Age 8

Meet my new older girls group!

Elisabeth - Age 13, Maria - Age 14

Angelica (Nana) - Age 14, Lisbeth - Age 12

It was so good to see SO many girls show up on the first day of class. We switched the time to the morning so that the girls who couldn't attend the afternoon classes because of school could participate this time around. I really enjoy being in The Hole first thing in the morning. I always go an hour early, drink coffee with the ladies (and sometimes some of my girls from the previous class) and just catch up on life.

After introductions, we started with the same craft we did with the previous class. Although it was fun to try it, it most definitely did not go as smoothly with this age group. The young girls had a lot of trouble with it, so it required A LOT of attention and explaining and re-explaining. But it was still good to introduce them to doing something creative.

There is something I'm beginning to discover that bothers me quite a bit. Growing up in "my world" I had ample opportunity to express myself artistically and creatively. Everywhere I turned there were more chances to interject myself in art projects or take a photography classes or paint murals on the walls of my high school. These girls from The Hole, it almost seems like they can't think creatively. I mean, maybe with a little direction and a lot of hand-holding, but seriously barely any of these girls could look at what I was showing them and re-create it themselves. They had to watch, had to do exactly as I did; they couldn't think of a way to do it on their own, with their own style. I'm not sure exactly what it means but I'm going to explore a little more of what seems to be causing this lack of creativity. Although, I have to note: Estefany (also called Esther) was quite artistic. She barely needed assistance and was often helping other girls with theirs. Her butterfly barrette was beautifully made and I see a lot of potential in her in possibly doing some great crafts in the future.

As we ended the day in prayer and I bowed my head, I was grateful...and frustrated. This age group (the 8-12 year olds) were hard to lasso in. They chatted and interrupted and fought with each other over a pair of scissors. I kept telling God during the prayer that I didn't think I was cut out for these younger girls, maybe I should focus on the older girls who actually listen. But I heard his gentle voice say, "Mandi, they need you too."

The more I am in The Hole, the more I fall in love with it. As I walk down the dirty staircase that leads to this building of hope, I feel my heart settle. I have a peace that shouldn't be there walking through a trash dump. But when I give kisses to little kids that jump in my arms and hug moms that I've recently befriended, I sometimes wish I didn't have to leave. Like, I just want to be there, doing life with them..whatever that may look like.

"the itch"

2012-01-05T15:00:00.005-05:00

i've had "the itch" for a few months now. i never thought it would happen. we are comfortable where we are. things are manageable. there's very little chaos. so when "the itch" creeped in, it caught me very off guard.

i remember the first time i felt "the itch." we were in brisas de ocampo having a field day. things were pretty laid back, only a few showed up. then a dominican woman showed up carrying a tiny bundle in her arms. naturally drawn to little ones i hurried over to see.

in her arms was one of the most beautiful babies i have ever seen. her perfectly smooth complexion, her delicately wide nose, her plump baby lips. i was smitten. the woman, the baby's neighbor, asked if i wanted to hold her. i couldn't possibly resist. when i took her in my arms i noticed an ever slight tugging. "the itch" entered in.

i carried her for most of the morning. at one point as i was staring at her, and her back at me, i could almost see her tell me how sleepy she was. instinctively, i adjusted my hold to one familiar to me. one i would adjust to whenever my own babies' eyes told me the same thing. and in an instant, her eyes closed. like a sleepy spell was cast and i was left to listen to the gentle rhythm of her breathing.

hoping mike would catch "the itch" i handed her off to the arms of a daddy. i didn't know her story, or if she had a daddy of her own, but when i saw her in his arms, "the itch" took over every bit of me.

there is something more than special to see the one who cares for you and your family, care for another. and in that moment, like many moments before, i couldn't help but fall a little more in love with him. and secretly, i was hoping that he was feeling even a smidgen of how i was feeling in that moment, watching him stare at that little girl.

i don't know what to do with "the itch." i've covered it, ignored it, and tried to get rid of it. but it keeps coming back. sometimes with a force so strong i think it will never go away. i pray for clarity and for wisdom and for God's will to be done. but if nothing else should come of it, and "the itch" should fade away, i am grateful for the opportunity to be reminded, once again, of the incredible man God has given me.

Reflecting His Glory

2011-12-19T06:37:00.011-05:00

when i was a kid, i lied a lot. i lied about everything. i even remember some friends of mine confronting me in seventh grade during track practice about my lying. jessica, jennie and crystal sat me down on the track and told me to stop lying about what brand of shoes i had on. it was one of the most uncomfortable conversations i've ever had in my life, even to this day. i knew i had been caught. i was mad at them for accusing me. i was embarrassed that they knew. i was trapped and couldn't figure out why i was lying in the first place.

when i was a teenager, i had mostly stopped lying but had taken up relationships with "bad boys." whoever told me i was pretty or complimented me on my basketball game the other night or said i did a good job acting out "romeo and juliet" in class; i clung to them. they instantly became the object of my affection despite other people around me giving me the, "what on earth are you thinking," look. i always had a deep down tug. knowing i deserved more but unable to pull myself together.

this past year, our staff at G.O. threw me a surprise party for my 30th birthday. they came up with a list of "30 things they love about goody." they made me read it out loud in front of everyone. as I was reading things like, "your positive attitude about overcoming fears," or "your sensitive heart for those in need," or "you are willing to be vulnerable which invites others to be vulnerable with you," i began to tear up. i was as uncomfortable as i could have possibly been. but i felt a sense of empowerment too. which was immediately followed by guilt for my enjoyment while reading things about myself that others thought. which made me cry harder. little did our staff know, i had a raging battle going on inside me. a battle that had been going on for 30 years.

this fall, as i began working with the young girls in the hole i felt a lot of anxiety. feeling like i needed to have a standard set. i needed so many girls to come to christ in order for me to be successful. i needed to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies by 30% in order to prove that i was being useful there. as i was thinking all of these things to myself i knew god was doing something big in me. it wasn't about my need to please or my fear of failure or my over-dependency on people's approval. it was so much deeper. and it wasn't until i went away this weekend on a little retreat with my family that god bull-horned into my heart exactly what has been going on my entire life.

i had to take emi for her nap and thought i would peruse a book shelf and read something while i was waiting for her to fall asleep. i didn't peruse at all. the first book i saw, i felt drawn to. it had never been opened and the pages were crisp and as my eyes fell upon the words there was a heat that welled up in my chest. And then I read it:

"The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it."

i was brought to tears the instant i read it. i am brought to tears now as i write it. i knew it was the answer i had been looking for; the thing God has wanted to tell me since the day i took my first breath on this earth.

it all came together. it all made sense. why did i lie when i was a kid about the clothes i wore, or the money my parents made or that i was going to have a kangaroo at my birthday party? why did i cling so tightly to worthless boys who said something nice but had nothing else to offer me? why did i feel so uncomfortable reading a list of 30 supposedly amazing things about me that my dearest friends wrote? because satan's assault on my heart for the last 30 years has been to make me believe i'm not good enough. to make believe that i am not beautiful, or worthy or glorious in my own eyes, so how could i be to the Creator of the universe?

satan knows that if he convinced me to be fearful, and to doubt my worth, and to believe i wasn't good enough or to question God's divine plan for my life...he could paralyze me. he could banish me to a life of mundane living. he could rob me of the glory God wants to shine through me for all the world to see. he wants to keep me from telling other people, especially these broken, defeated girls in the hole, that they are a glorious reflection of God, too.

i've known most of my life that this world is at war. maybe in a more real way than many people do. i've always been aware of spiritual warfare and satan's dominion on this earth. but i had always assumed his biggest assaults were in things like, oppression and starvation and abuse. i had been blind to the fact that, in my life, he was sneakily carrying out one of his biggest, most damaging, most successful assaults that he is capable of...

...keeping me from knowing just how amazing i am.

just typing those words made me shudder a little bit. there's a little bit of a knot in my throat thinking about how people who may be reading this might react to a statement like that. but before i downward spiral into a series of explanations and retractions and studdering let me say it again. i am amazing. i am a glorious reflection of God himself. an image bearer of the Creator of the universe. i am resilient and passionate and strong. i care deeply about others and hate that satan held me captive in a lie for 30 years. and above all...i am crazy-passionate about fighting for people's freedom. and before you think that any of this is prideful or boasting or an ego trip...i'm going to let you in on a little secret; you are amazing too.

we are god's children. his glory reigns in us. he has given us all of the power we need to stomp on satan and his schemes and rescue his dear ones who are suffering. but it begins with you. believing that you are worth it. believing that you are God's most greatest joy. believing that satan has nothing on you. because he knows "what you could be and fears it." and i'll tell you what. this morning when i woke up, he shuddered when my feet hit the floor.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us...And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Nelson Mandela

(side note: the book i'm reading is called "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge. I, obviously, highly recommend it.)

She's Here!!!!

2011-12-18T20:21:00.002-05:00

a few days after the first picture above was taken of carolina and big brother eliezer, the second picture above was taken of sweet, little steisy alina (pronounced stay-cee uh-leen-a). she was born on december 15th at about 10:30 am via c-section. they didn't tell us her weight or her length. just that she was healthy and content.

it was a little shocking for me to walk into a room to see steisy and her mom and have to greet five other moms who had all just given birth within the last 24 hours. carolina had just had her c-section a few hours before and had no privacy to recover. i wanted to wheel her into a private room, grab a nurse to be at her every beck and call and paint over the peeling teal walls with a soothing periwinkle. seemed like another life away.

this little beauty is the first baby born from one of the girls in my pregnant mom's class. i've been waiting for so long to meet her. and she was SO worth the wait.

a few weeks ago, carolina asked if i would be steisy's madrina, or basically, her godmother. i, of course, said yes. i couldn't imagine wanting anything more. i held her for two hours straight and stared at her as she slept peacefully.

carolina and her little girl went home to the hole the day after and are both recuperating well. continue to pray for both of them as they adjust to this new norm. especially be praying for steisy, as the last time i talked with carolina, steisy was having some trouble latching on and carolina desperately wants to breastfeed.

so overjoyed with this new life. can't wait to watch her grow up.

Week 8 - The Last Class

2011-11-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

the final class came. i was dreading it on one hand and looking forward to it on the other. dreading it because we were going to talk about sex (yikes!) and because no more seeing these girls weekly. looking forward to it because, lets be honest, its always a good feeling when something comes to completion.

i combined the two classes and had our pregnant girls join the others. which proved to be a good decision. when talking about sex, its always good to have people that have been in their shoes. sometimes kids don't want to hear about sex from adults who are old! (i used that term very gently because i am NOT old...haha!) my 13-year old that is pregnant was able to speak more honestly about being a teenager and being pregnant than i could having been pregnant in my 20's. and it was good. she let them know it wasn't easy. she couldn't get comfortable. she couldn't sleep well. she didn't know if she'd know how to care for a baby when her's was born. i was thinking in my head, "i felt all those things and i wasn't even a teenager."

we talked about the more serious side of sex as well; as a number of girls i've spoken to on this island (not just in The Hole) have been sexually abused as children. it's never easy to talk about it but i felt it incredibly necessary because of the girls i've spoken to who have been abused they: 1) never told anyone 2) acted as if it was just a part of life, and 3) were threatened by their abuser that if they did tell, they would kill them. i feel that, unfortunately, sexual abuse is more the norm here than just an exception. we could probably have a year long class on just how to heal from those types of deep wounds.

we also spoke on protection, STDs, being smart and abstinence. obviously, as a christian, i think that abstinence is the best route. even though i didn't choose that in my youth, as an adult i see the truth behind this biblical principal. but...i also have to be realistic. these girls are part of a culture where sometimes even in christian circles, living with someone before being "officially" married is acceptable. and just like the youth in America, most people will not wait for their future spouse. for me, the best thing besides abstinence is helping them to be informed.

when i started these groups i told them that first and foremost, i am a christian woman. transformed by my relationship with God and redeemed of my past by the blood of his son, Jesus. but secondly, i want them to know they can trust me. that i will not judge them and that i was there to teach them from my own experiences. that i care about them and their futures. and when it comes to the "sex talk" none of that changes. yes, i want nothing more for them to wait for the husband God has prepared for them. but if they don't choose that themselves, i want them to be healthy and smart. now, i did bring a five-page sheet on all the main STDs that can be contracted with photos showing sores and bugs and oozing stuff. hopefully that helps them to make better decisions :)

and with our sex talk concluded, we ate, drank and enjoyed time together. and it was my favorite part.

God put something in my heart that i could have never put there myself. he gave me a responsibility to care for these girls that is bigger than i am able to accomplish alone. i have shed more than enough tears over the burdens i bare knowing the stories of these brave girls. and i wouldn't change a single moment of it. i have never depended on God more than in these last 8 weeks. i have never lost more sleep praying for anyone in the darkness of night. i have never felt more joy (apart from my wedding day and birth of my children) than watching God do a work in them. even if i never see the final outcome of what God is doing in their lives. even if it is as small as a mustard seed. because we all know what our Father says about mustard seeds.

"...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." -Matthew 17:20

A Mother's Story

2011-11-05T14:26:00.004-04:00

In 2008, I was asked to run over to a nearby hospital and take pictures of a little boy who had just had surgery. G.O. came to his aid when they learned of his condition from his pastor, Felix Abreu. I remember I had a lot to do that day and tons of stuff on my mind and, quite frankly, I wanted a pity party for myself because I had to stop everything I was doing to take a couple pictures anyone could take. But it was my job. I needed to go.

I arrived at the hospital, hiked it up 4 flights of stairs and entered a room. I caught his eyes. They were hurting. He cried almost at the sight of me and was more uncomfortable than he already was, just at my presence. He didn't know me. His Grandmother and his Pastor were the only other people in the room and I could tell he would rather leave it that way.

I took my pictures and was about to leave when Felix said, "We don't know if this one is going to work." He explained that his stomach gases were already out of control and I could see little tiny bubbles leaving his lips as if someone had put too much soap in a dishwasher and it was bubbling out. Little Wilson couldn't control it. He couldn't stop it. His eyebrows dented inward with worry and pain. I walked over and touched his arm and told him I would be praying for him. I had to get out of there before Niagara Falls spilled over.

Closing the door, the tears fell. In an instant, a poor, suffering little boy changed me. I hated myself for whining about one more photograph to take when I should have been overwhelmed with gratitude that this is what I get to do everyday.

Fast forward to present day...Wilson still struggles. The surgery didn't take. He was left in his debilitating condition. But hope arrived in the form of a doctor and a hospital who were touched by him the same way I was three years ago.

Please watch this video to see his story. Please pray for him as the process has started for him to get an emergency medical visa to be taken to the U.S. and have life-saving, life-changing surgery.

Week 7 - Labor and Delivery

2011-11-01T14:44:00.001-04:00

Oh, the daunting task of talking about the most difficult hours of a woman's life. Add to that daunting task the fact that the mother's are teenagers (minus Carolina). I kept it positive, reminding them that at the end of some of the most difficult hours of their lives, they will be holding the most beautiful thing they have ever seen.

We discussed pros and cons for both natural birth and C-section. Culturally, almost all women choose to have a C-section, somewhere close to 90%. I explained the importance of a vaginal birth, if they are able, considering how young they are and some of the difficulties associated with C-sections in the country they live in. But told them that they need to listen to their doctors and do what they say is best.

Although I had an emergency C-section with Landon and a planned one with Emi, I had all the comforts of amazing post-op care and really good pain meds. It's not that way in the Dominican. A friend of mine who recently gave birth via C-section only stayed in the public hospital for a little over 24 hours. She was sent home with Tylenol and a little bit of cream for her incision. Because of the high rate of drug trafficking here, it is pretty difficult to come by any type of narcotics. Good in one sense; keeping it off the market. Bad for Mom's recovering from a C-section. It was awful, seeing how much pain she had. I remember having pain even while taking Codeine, I couldn't imagine it with just a little Tylenol.

We talked about relaxation techniques, about who would be at the hospital with them and any other questions they had. I planned on showing them a 3-D delivery video but right as I was getting ready to download it and bring it to class, our electricity went out. No video.

But it was ok, we ended the class with a really good salad that Yudy and Carolina made and a couple of the girls from our girls group trickled in to join in our feast. It was such a good time sharing my experiences with these girls about labor and birth just as many women had shared their experiences with me.

Week 6 - Serving

2011-10-18T11:22:00.002-04:00

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

I am always blown away by the characteristics of Jesus. He knows all things. Is all things. Sovereign. Supreme. Almighty. And yet, He was the most humble of us all. He doesn't possess ugly pride or feel that he is owed anything.

I wanted to teach my girls a lesson that was uncomfortable and necessary. Many times in cultures where extreme poverty is prominent, people think they can only do what is needed to survive. I know, easy for me to say. I don't live in extreme poverty. But I see it everyday. I breathe it everyday. I ache over it everyday. And God is teaching me very intentionally of not selling people short of His will for them just because of their circumstances. They are still capable of serving and loving others. In fact, God calls them too.

I read them the passage above, in fact, I read the whole story of Jesus washing His disciples feet. In Spanish. If nothing more than to be vulnerable with them. To show them how imperfect I am but still willing to do what was necessary. Teach them about serving others.

They were uncomfortable, and rightly so. In a place where most people just wear flipflops, people's feet are the most dirty of any part of the body. But it was the same in Jesus' time. That's one of the reason the disciples were so uncomfortable with the King of Kings washing their dirtiest parts. But that is why Jesus did it. It is the lowest one can get, doing the dirtiest job one can do.

I'll admit. It was fun for me to watch the girls wiggle and squirm. Some of these girls act like they are the Queen of Queens but without the humility that Jesus possesses. It was awesome seeing something that they were so awkward about in the beginning and pushing through and doing joyfully towards the end. I watched some of them transform into servants right before my eyes. The kind, I hope, one day all of them can be.

To bring in the "girly" aspect of serving, we then painted our freshly cleaned nails. No one was allowed to paint their own nails, they had to "serve" someone else in this way. All the while, the other women and I answered questions some of them had. It ranged anywhere from "How does someone learn to be humble?" to "How do I know when I'm in love?" It felt like we were in a real Dominican salon, talking about life and giving out advice!

I was super glad my friend, Brenda, showed up towards the end of our class. She jokingly calls me her Mom and the grandmother of her two children. I've been looking for a way that I can serve her and let her just be a teenager. So I painted her nails.

I never know if anything I say or anything I tell them about my past experiences is making a difference to them. If anything is sinking in. In fact, I've been praying, asking God to give me a little bit of encouragement to just know that what I'm doing is what He needs me to do there. My encouragement came.

While everyone was painting their nails and jabbering about this or that, one of my pregnant girls came into our class. She sat on a bench just watching and listening and talking to the other teachers. All of a sudden and without being asked, my 10-year old, Iveth, got up from getting her nails painted, knelt down and began washing Carolina's feet. I grabbed my camera (if nothing else so the girls didn't see me tearing up) and felt God just saying, "I will make a way."

It has been such a joy learning about these girls. It has been hard too, just knowing some of things they've gone through and are going through. But I've never been more sure of what God has called me to. Being a servant and teaching others to be one too.

Week 5 - Relationships and a Look into the Second Trimester

2011-10-11T19:21:00.000-04:00

With the Mariposas we talked about Relationships. Instead of the over-used conversations on the "do's" and "don'ts" about dating I decided to focus on the characteristics of a Godly young women and of Godly young men.

We had several characteristics which correlated with bible verses. If you're interested, the bible verses for the women were:

1 Timothy 2:9
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
2 Timothy 2:24
1 Peter 3:4
Proverbs 31:11-12, 20 & 26

For the men:

Proverbs 12:11, 15, 18-19
Proverbs 15:33
Proverbs 16:32
Proverbs 28:13
Proverbs 29:7

I gave them a homework assignment to really think about what kind of qualities that would like in a future spouse. They were very eager to start that list. I am very eager to hear their lists next week!

It was photo day for the pregnant girls! I love this day. I love to see those bellies growing!

Yuleidy at 21 weeks and 25 weeks...she is having a GIRL!!!! (Due in January)

Yoeily at 16 weeks and 20 weeks...she is having a BOY!!! (Due in February)

Carolina at 24 weeks and 29 weeks...she is having a GIRL!!! (Due in December)

In the next few months we are going to be having a lot of adorable newborns and new moms. Please be praying for these new moms as they start their transition into motherhood. Pray that I can be a support to them and can be a good example for them as well. That we can have some good conversations before their lives change forever.

If you would like to partner with this ministry, please contact me at amanda.braisted@go-ministries or go to the GIVE tab at the top of this page to find out how.

Week 4 - A Break

2011-10-05T19:13:00.001-04:00

In Week four, I had some other commitments with our Staff at G.O. and was unable to "teach" the classes in The Hole. So I instructed the other teachers to make some coffee, have some crackers or cookies and just enjoy time with each other. From all the testimonials...it appeared to be a great time. The girls had stories and inside jokes and they all giggled talking about the conversations they had. I was so happy to know that they enjoyed this time together. That it was relaxed and fun but still informative. I'll admit, I was a little jealous I wasn't there for all of that.

If you would like to partner with this ministry, please contact me at amanda.braisted@go-ministries or go to the GIVE tab at the top of this page to find out how.

Week 3 - The Body and a Look into the First Trimester

2011-09-28T19:08:00.002-04:00

In week three we discussed our bodies. What nutrients we need, how we can find them, what substances we should avoid and how we can use our bodies as temples...in a Godly way.

We welcomed a new member to our girls group named Iveth. A super shy, quiet girl. Our youngest at the age of ten. There's just something about her though. This really calm confidence. I know she's going to be an awesome addition to this group.

As a fun activity, I brought a bunch of fashion magazines. For those of you that know me, Elle and Glamour are my guilty pleasures! I printed two photos of each of their faces and had them choose two of their favorite outfits from the magazines. One outfit that is God-honoring and still fashionable and another outfit that is a bit risk-ay and too sexy for their age. To be honest, I think they really liked looking for the ridiculously sexy outfit more. But some of these girls, man, they have some good taste in fashion!

Our class was nicely interrupted by an all-out, torrential downpour. Like, I haven't seen anything like this in a long time and I certainly haven't ever experienced it while in The Hole.

I don't have any photos of my pregnancy group but we talked through the first trimester of pregnancy. I show them pictures of the baby and how it looks inside their tummy and we read about all the changes that are happening. This has been my favorite class so far. They had no idea that their babies had fingernails and a beating heart and already had limbs. It was really cool to see them really make the connection between what was happening to their body and their babies. It was like the bonds really started. Which, for me, is what I've been hoping for. That these bonds would form early, that these girls would realize how amazing our God is and how incredible his creation is. It was a good day.

If you would like to partner with this ministry, please contact me at amanda.braisted@go-ministries or go to the GIVE tab at the top of this page to find out how.

Week 2 - Self-esteem and Nutrition

2011-09-21T14:14:00.000-04:00

Las Mariposas (young girls group)

In week two we discussed self-esteem and why its so important in our lives. The fact of the matter is, probably most girls struggle with low self-esteem regardless of where they live or what their economic group is. I had amazing, supportive parents, great friends and was active in sports and school clubs and still struggled with self-esteem issues. It seems to be engrained in us girls.

So we talked about what the effects of bad self-esteem are, poor decisions that can be made as a result of low self-esteem and what we can do as women to support each other and encourage one another. I made each of them say something encouraging to one of the other girls in the group. It was hard for them. Most of them gave a quick, surface answer and giggled and got shy. It made me think hard about the competitive nature of women. Why do we find it so hard to lift one another up? Why do we have trouble celebrating in other women's triumphs even if it means no recognition for ourselves?

We talked very seriously about false self-esteem as well. About girls they know that talk themselves up, make it appear that they have it all together and could care less about what others think. But deep inside, there is a battle there just like the rest of us. It was really refreshing. It seemed to be a topic that they all wanted to participate in. They seemed interested in really finding the root of good self-esteem.

A prayer request for this group: we have two girls that are a little more "difficult" than the other girls. And we all know that this group is especially for them. Pray that the Holy Spirit can open them up and break their "hard outer shell." Pray that I have patience and wisdom in how to deal with some of the things that come up with them. Pray that it doesn't discouraged or distract the other girls who are so ready to listen and learn.

Las Flores (pregnant teens)

This week, I was super excited to have my friend and fellow missionary, Deloris Norman, come as a guest speaker and also help me measure and weigh the girls. It is my goal to give them the information necessary so they could have healthy pregnancies and hopefully healthy newborns. So, knowing that a majority of these girls will never go to get prenatal care, we are going to do the best we can with what we've got in helping them achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth.

Deloris measured their bellies and got a fundal height measurement for each of the girls. I also weighed them on the scale to see where they are for next month and help them adjust diet or mild exercise if needed. Deloris also took their blood pressures as gestational diabetes is a very high probability here.

The other great thing about this week was we had two new mamas join us. Both girls are great additions to the group and I'm so excited to be able to share this time with them. We now have each of the trimesters represented. It will be so much fun to talk about how all of their beautiful babies are developing!

Marleny, age 16, 4 months pregnant -- Marilyn, age 17, 2 months pregnant

Deloris then went through a list of 10 important things for taking good care of your body during pregnancy. Things such as diet, exercise, things to avoid, body aches, etc. She got a lot of her information from a book called, "Where Women Have No Doctor." It's a super good read in areas like where we work because it is a practical approach for women that have limited-to-no access to doctors or medicine.

All in all this week was so amazing. I had been praying for a couple more moms to join our group (i knew they were out there, just had to get them to the church!). And the girls seem to be getting a little more comfortable with the idea of having a little one soon! Of course nothing really prepares you for that. But hopefully over the next couple weeks as we discuss the different trimesters, they can begin to bond with their baby and realize what an incredible responsibility they have been handed.

A prayer request for this group: one of the moms and her spouse are having some difficulty. Just pray that God would reign in the situation and that His glory would be seen.

If you would like to partner with this ministry, please contact me at amanda.braisted@go-ministries or go to the GIVE tab at the top of this page to find out how.

Week 1 - Girls Groups Introduction

2011-09-15T16:21:00.008-04:00

There has been much anticipation, on my part, for these girls' groups to begin. This summer I've developed some great friendships that have made these groups possible. I've been nervous, excited, scared, overwhelmed and a whole slew of emotions leading up to this past Tuesday. I e-mailed people and called people and talked to people asking them to cover all of this in prayer. I've done my best to leave my expectations at the door, because in reality, expectations sometimes ruin the beauty of things. And these eleven girls are the beauty of things.

When eight girls showed up for our first "class" I giggled a little to myself in that I had brought exactly an eight count of materials, not knowing how many would come. Maybe I limited God in that. Maybe if I had prepared for twenty, twenty would have come. But I was elated with eight. And more elated that I had enough materials for each of them.

The other Maestras (Yudy, Tatiana, Elba) and I began with a short introduction about what we hoped for these girls and why we were there spending time with them. Each story was so inspiring and exactly what I'd hope God would place in their hearts to tell these girls.

Rosa Angelica, age 15 and Lylyana, age 13

Cindhia, age 13 and Angela, age 12

Marilin, age 13 and Sondra, age 13

Maria, age 12 and Yolibeth, age 15

After introductions, I had prepared a little craft for them. The name of this group is "Las Mariposas" or The Butterflies. So I found a tutorial for butterfly barrettes and we spent the last half hour of our class working on the craft and just chatting.

As our time together began to close, God gave me some incredible wisdom that pertained to our craft and the class. So I asked the girls, "Tell me something you learned from making these butterflies that you can apply to life." One said, "What looks easy, what looks beautiful, is actually a lot of work." Another said, "We had to share and ask someone else for help." Then I asked them, "Who here knew how to make a butterfly barrette before today?" No one raised their hand. "Who knows how to make a butterfly barrette now?" They all raised their hands. "And why do you know how to make it now?" "Because you taught us," they responded. I went on to explain that this is exactly what this class is about and what our lives are about. There are many things we don't know and we need people with more experience than us, that we can rely on, to teach us. And once we are taught, we have to do the hard work to become something beautiful. And then it is our responsibility to teach it to others. To help them become something more beautiful too.

Wednesday, we started our pregnancy class. Three girls came, and apparently we were supposed to have two more, but over the weekend there was some drama and the other two couldn't make it. I was happy to have these girls show up. I do pray we get a few more girls so its not so intimidating having only three "students" and four teachers.

Carolina, age 22, 6 months pregnant--Yuleidy, age 13, 5 months pregnant--Yoeily, age 15, 3 months pregnant

We started with introductions, just like with the other girls, and spoke more specifically on motherhood. The difficulties, the joys, pain of childbirth...etc. I could tell these girls were a little more uncomfortable than the younger girls in the other group. So I didn't press too much conversation and we just went into doing our craft.

The name for this group is "Las Flores" or The Flowers. So I found another tutorial for flower barrettes that the girls could do. It was a little more intricate so it gave me a good amount of time to observe and just listen to their conversation. I also had extra materials, since I planned for eight, so the teachers got to do one too!

Yudy, Tatiana and Elba

It was such a great couple of days. A lot of the stress that I was putting on myself, just getting everything together, faded away. I felt a lot more confident going into the second group just knowing how easy the first group flowed. I'm excited for next week, especially for the pregnancy group. One of our medical staff, Deloris Norman, will be coming next week to weigh, measure and take blood pressures of the girls and we will be speaking on the importance of Nutrition in pregnancy.

Just a tidbit of information, we are handing out a week's worth of prenatal vitamins to the girls at the end of each class. Prenatal vitamins are EXTREMELY expensive here. Mike and I are paying for these vitamins with some of our ministry money but we could still use some help. If you are interested in getting some bottles of prenatal vitamins here to the Dominican, or sending support to Mike and I so we can continue supplying the needs of these two classes, please contact me at amanda.braisted@go-ministries.org. Or you can click on the Give tab at the top of our blog and get more information.

Keep praying. God is opening doors!

He's Here!

2011-09-06T21:45:00.004-04:00

Little man arrived by emergency C-section on August 29th. Yorgenis was born five weeks early at 7 lbs 8 oz. Could you imagine if Brenda had gone full-term? Yikes! He spent a week in the NICU receiving oxygen and being kept under observation but is with his Mama now!

Brenda is staying with her Grandmother until Saturday when she can return to her home, her husband and her 2-yr-old daughter. Because of the amount of stairs she'd have to take to get down into The Hole, her doctor told her she needed to wait until she got her C-section stitches out. On Sunday, she will be taking him to church to be dedicated. Pretty exciting.

But even more exciting, she told me today that she has read through Genesis in her new bible. She is in awe of how God created the world. For someone who hasn't stepped foot in a church until three weeks ago, I'd say that's pretty exciting! She is such an incredible girl. I am so blessed that God has placed her in my life. Enjoy the rest of the photos!

I thought this photo was hilarious. He is sooo tiny. A regular pen is the same length as the length from his head to his waist! Do you remember this tiny little guy born last year?

I don't know how I caught him smiling, but isn't it cute?

proud mama.

proud aunt :)

Creation Restored

2011-06-29T15:33:00.006-04:00

how fleeting are the feelings we have
on top of the world, one minute, and in a bottomless pit the next
can't it be just smooth sailing in life
not flying high but not so vexed

we don't belong in this world, i get it
in this world we will have trouble
but sometimes i just want consistency
not joy nor sorrow, doubled.

i can look in a child's eyes one day and see
the sun and the moon and the stars
and the next day as she stares at me
i see the wounds and the bruises and the scars

its not fair, i tell you, to feel the burden
of a little ones' hurt and an older ones' pain
but the joy, oh the joy, when their smiles are brighter
just by the sight of you, oh what a gain.

i know my savior is with me
he knows my tears, he sees what i see
i just take a look at his marred up hands
and i remember by his grace i am set free

freedom is what i want for these ones
to feel his love when their parents don't even care
to know a protector unlike any other
to have a spirit lighter than air

to forget the horrors that they've watched
play out in front of their little eyes
to be guarded from this jaded world
to know in the end the bad guy dies

that the king of kings is triumphant
even now when loneliness is all they feel
that the lord of lords will prevail over all
that even the deepest cuts can be healed

oh my healer, come and rescue us
redeem these people who never felt redemption before
renew these communities, breakthrough strongholds
so that we can return to a Creation restored.

It's easier to trust someone you know

2011-04-15T11:55:00.004-04:00

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

I don't know about you but I've had grand dreams for myself, for my entire life. Professional soccer player. Well-known photographer. Revered author. Yet here I sit having accomplished none of the above. I've struggled over my lifetime feeling less than mediocre expecting that I should have done more to be more. We've all been there, I think. In that place where you stare blankly into space wondering how you got where you are. Wondering what happened to all the things you decided long ago you would accomplish for yourself. That place is hard. Not because you don't love where you are or appreciate where you are or are grateful for where you are. But because it wasn't what you expected. You may even call it, the death of your expectations.

In the times where I struggle most it is often when I read scripture and see promises that God lays out that I feel haven't come to pass. I can't tell you how many times I've read the verse above with its hopeful promises to "prosper" me and "not to harm" me and to give me a "future." Only to think of all the hard times I've been through and things that have not felt very prosperous.

I've started a book called Plan B by Pete Wilson. When I began to read it, it was simply because I personally know the author and because I figured it would be good to prepare myself if my life happened to ever take a different turn.

The premise for the book is basically when your life doesn't turn out the way you thought it would, what then? How do you view God? What happens to your faith? And if you don't even believe in God, does it just further solidify your thoughts that there is no God?

Until chapter four, I thought the book was just a good read, something that every good Christian should know and possibly prepare for if they came in contact with someone who was just handed their "Plan B." But something really struck me in that chapter that connected a lot of dots in my life walk as a Christ follower.

When we decided to become missionaries, the honest truth was that it was my "Plan B." I felt ill-equipped, unworthy, terrified. And really, those are the good adjectives I would use. I also felt like it was the end of everything I had dreamed about. Getting a college degree and opening my own photography studio. Moving to an old farm, renovating it and raising horses. Our children growing up in the land of opportunity and endless possibilities. Although for some people becoming missionaries is their "Plan A," I felt like I was giving up so much.

The thing that really verbalized the changes I've seen in my heart is realizing that what may have felt like my "Plan B" back then was really just the beginning of God's "Plan A" for me. It was a hard road. Filled with doubt and disappointment and depression at times, but I can truly say that I am exactly where I would be today, and dreamed of back then, had I known what God had in store.

The difference between then and now is what Pete says in his book:

"Constant contact with the Creator is essential for transformation living."

I wasn't as connected to God back then as I am now and as I have begun to look into the core of God's promises for me and what he lays out in his word I see the difference in context. The world's standards, and sometimes our own standards, for success and prosperity are often associated with financial security and freedom, or being relevant or accomplishing significance. But Jesus' promises for prosperity are measured in your close relationship with him, your service to others and becoming a humble heart.

When I think of what I used to consider the death of my dreams, I realize that my dreams were all things that would have brought myself glory. They would have lessened my dependence on God. They would have bound me to a world that feeds on egos and praises material accomplishment.

His dreams for me have now become mine. And my "Plan B" is forming into my "Plan A" because it revolves around a God I can trust with my life, my plans and my expectations. And Pete says it just right:

"When we've taken the time to understand God's character, faith comes easier. When we've experienced his faithfulness, it's easier to be brave. And the more time we spend in his company, the more ready we are to step forward when he says it's time."

from earthquakes to truth

2011-03-17T06:14:00.006-04:00

(Japan Earthquake...Photo credit: www.news.com)

I haven't said anything about the earthquake in Japan, until now, because really, what do you say to something like that? But this morning I was woken up uncharacteristically early and as I began to do my devotions I felt such an intense prompting in my heart to write something that I literally jumped off the couch and ran to my computer. I'm not sure exactly what God may have me say, but I'm leaving my words to him, to give encouragement, to give hope and above all to speak truth.

I couldn't help but notice as people post things on facebook and CNN and blogs, that there just seems to be such a sense of doubt and despair. I know you are thinking, "How can there not be?" But I say this, not because I don't feel compassion for the people of Japan, the exact opposite actually, but because what I see and hear are people that have all but doubted the existence of God because of the earthquake. And I'll go a little further and say there is even a vast majority of people out there that may actually believe that He exists but thinks that HE did this to Japan by allowing it to happen.

(Haiti Earthquake...Photo credit: http://chicagoist.com)

I've been through this before. I live on an island that was struck with an earthquake where they estimate that 250,000 people lost their lives. I'm not naive. But something that has been so heavy on my heart is the amount of people, not that find God amidst tragedies like this, but the amount of people that fall away from God because of tragedies like this. Somehow blaming him for not doing something or coming to the conclusion that He doesn't exist because something like this can happen.

I've struggled, in the past, to make sense of the evil in this world, wondering where God was/is in all of this. But this morning it became so clear to me. Not just in the sense of the earthquake in Japan, or the earthquake in Haiti a little over a year ago...but in this, in our lives, amidst all the hurt and pain and bitterness we have stored within us.

I have many atheist friends. I have many friends who claim to know and love God but consistently live a life outside of his will. I have many friends who genuinely seek God but when bad things happen to them, they question Him and hate Him and abandon Him. I've never known what to say, to convince all of these friends of a Savior that not only exists, but is actively pursuing them every moment of their existence. But this morning, as I opened my book ("Soul Cravings" by Erwin Raphael McManus) what do you suppose the chapter was on? If there is a God, why does he allow such horrible things to happen? This wasn't a mistake.

Oftentimes, if you're like me, you know why you believe something but you can't explain it. Mr. McManus doesn't have that problem. So as I was intensely reading this chapter (and practically highlighting the whole thing) everything that I've known and everything that I've felt were put into words right on the page. The very things I've wanted to say to all the people I love in my life that are struggling to find meaning and significance .

"Part of our problem in making sense of life is that we can't even make sense of ourselves. We want to blame God because we don't want to take responsibility for our mess. We stop believing in God because he won't change it. Is it possible that God does, in fact, exist, and we are still fully responsible for the human condition?"

WE hurt ourselves. WE hurt others. WE leave a wake of destruction in our paths. And I'm not speaking these words with condemnation, I'm speaking these words first person. As someone that hurts myself. Someone that hurts others. Someone that leaves a wake of destruction in my path. Someone did not make the Earth shake and kill thousands of people in Japan and hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti. Fault lines did that. But the people that lie, abandon, abuse, molest, and murder make the choices to do those things. God doesn't.

"For God to create us in such a way that we can choose that which is good, true, and beautiful, he must also allow us the freedom to choose that which is corrupt, false, and destructive."

What God does do and can do in those situations is renew, restore, heal, hold and love unconditionally. God has the ability to stop all the tragic things from happening but if he did that, he would also need to "control our every thought, our every emotion, our every motive, our every action." God is a God of freedom. He gave us freedom to choose the life we want. He gave us freedom to choose the path to take. He gave us the freedom to choose Him, or to not. And what he can do to a world full of evil, is not control our thoughts but change something much more extraordinary.

"He could change our hearts. He could take us through a process that would move us from greed to altruism, that would move us from indifference to compassion, that would move us from hate to love, that would move from apathy to activism."

If we change, our world will change. And when our world seems to be falling apart all around us. When people are hurting us and abusing us and divorcing us and manipulating us, we can cling to the fact that God NEVER changes. He is always the same. He is and can be the one constant in our lives. And there lies the only truth we need to know.

New Video up!

2011-03-14T10:08:00.001-04:00

Cross Point Community Church's Video is up! Check it out by clicking on Photos & Videos and then on 2011 Videos!

trading beauty for ashes

2011-01-28T12:06:00.016-05:00

"...and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor."
-Isaiah 61:3

Driving from the Dominican to Haiti, the terrain drastically changes. From lush rice fields and green mountain scapes to dirt roads and thorny bushes. In fact, the main road leading into the border-town of Dajabon looks much like what I imagine the desolate journey to hell would be. You pass by miles and miles of plant-life that has no green leaves or flowering buds but rather scratchy branches and prickles. You pass by dead animals and scavenger birds and what would appear to be unmarked graves only detectable by the handmade crosses placed as remembrance. There is one feeling that comes over me as I have driven that road many times.

Hopelessness.

left: typical housing right: drying the day's catch

As we entered the village of Phaeton, Haiti, we were not greeted by running children, jumping into our arms or familiar faces reaching out to shake our hands. We were just being watched. Very intensely. It made me uncomfortable knowing I couldn't offer a kind hello or even ask the children their ages to break the ice. Five years of learning Spanish was worthless here. I was kicking myself wishing I had learned some Creole.

Hopelessness.

We were then welcomed by Pastor Lucner and his wife, Marie. Familiar Faces. Loving hearts. Gracious hosts. "If I could just lock myself in their yard," I thought, "I'll make it through the next five days." I know. Great thing for a "seasoned" missionary to say. But you see, I like my comfortable little world where things hurt just a little. I don't really want to be changed. I don't want the floodgates of pain to come crashing down when I realize just how hopeless things can really get.

fishermen making their own nets

We settled in and decided to go for a walk. We were followed by a trail of curious kids. They kept their distance at first but it appeared that every step we took into their world, they took one more step into ours. I began asking Wilby (one of our staff's husband who is Haitian) how to say the "token" phrases in Creole and of course the most important one, the one I had to learn the second I stepped on the island five years ago..."Can I take your picture?" One of the fishermen overheard my inquiries and said something to Wilby. I asked Wilby if it would be alright if I took the fisherman's picture. The man replied, "Only if she asks me in Creole." So there I was, in the same place as I was the first time I had to use my Spanish words, scared to death I'd screw it up, except this time in Creole. I spit it out, the man smiled, I took his picture. My hopelessness began to lift a little.

The children stole my heart. I was cautious though. I was on a mission to just work hard and go home. If I made any connections, I knew it would change me. And like I said, I wasn't sure I wanted to be changed. But there was something so incredible about them. So tentative at first. We actually made the smaller ones cry at the very sight of us. But little by little I could feel the exchange between us and them. Our hearts beat and said, "We're here to love you," their hearts beat and said, "I've heard that before."

Wilby explained to us that a lot of people have come to Haiti, taking pictures of the starving children and harsh living conditions with the promises that they will use the photos to bring them help. Only to never return. We had a lot of barriers to overcome. The mistakes of others before us. Just hoping we can restore trust between the Haitian people and ourselves.

Hopefulness.

left: watering hole right: what most of the homes are made of

fish drying out in the sun

left: ruins left from the rope-making factory right: flower among thorns

This village is really indescribable. Wood and mud shacks banked up against vast oceans and mountain ranges. You can't explain it in words. It just doesn't do it justice.

sun rising over the ocean, about 6:05 am

fishermen out at dawn

sunrise, 6:15 am

We took a trip to the Citadel Laferrière. It's a stone building together with Fort Jacques Alexandre that was built as a part of a fortification during the slave uprising in Haiti. The fortress was built by the leader of the Haitian uprising, Mr. Henri Christophe (Henry I.) between 1805-1820. More than 20,000 Haitians and slaves worked on the fortification system. There is even legend that when they ran out of water while mixing the mortar, Christophe had slaves killed and their blood drained and used to continue their work. Just to give you a little insight of the treatment of the Haitian people for centuries.

citadel, looking up from the path...

left: orange and green mold growing on the walls right: corridor leading to the Christophe's wife's bedroom

the armory...four different sized cannon balls

cannons

By the end of our trip in Phaeton, I could feel the tugging at my heart that you only feel when you're about to lose it. When you're about to give a piece of it away to someone, a people, a village. Luckily, when I lost it, I wasn't alone. Thank goodness my friend, Jen, was there when the blubbering began. When I went through all five stages of grief in a matter of minutes. Just not understanding why people are so oppressed. Why children go hungry and a whole village is forgotten by the world. Why Satan and his dominions have such power over a country. But as quickly as it came, it left just the same. My tears were gone and peace overcame me. God reminded me that they are his people too. The forgotten ones. Only not forgotten by him.

Hopefulness.

I love you, people of Phaeton. I really, really do. I'm sorry I didn't love you as well as I could have. I'm sorry I held so much back for the little time I was there. But I promise. I'm not going to be one of those people that takes pictures of your hungry kids and your harsh living conditions and then forgets about you. I will use them to remind others that there is a bigger world beyond our own. A world that is hurting. A world that is living without. And I will come again. More people will be walking your dirt roads. More people will be loving you. Jesus will bring hope and restoration to your people....he will trade his beauty for your ashes.

me and willy

Video Camera

2011-01-11T09:44:00.005-05:00

Those of you who read our blog and follow our journey know I'm the Coordinator of Photography for G.O. Ministries, Inc.. I have the unique opportunity to capture life and ministry in the Dominican Republic and Haiti through the perspective of the lens. Because being a missionary is a "job" in which we rely solely on the support of others, all of the equipment I use needs to be donated or have the funds donated in order to purchase.

Recently, a former college professor of mine, donated the money so I could buy a new Nikon D90 for my work here. Because of his generosity, the work that I am so privileged to be able to do has improved greatly.

But besides being a photographer, I have also become sort of a videographer as well. Although I have no training and really no idea what I am doing, it is something that God has allowed me to use alongside of the photography I love. For the last three years, I have been using a video camera that was donated to the ministry through another one of our missionaries. It has been an incredible asset to my work. But like all things electronic, its life has come to an end. Hence the purpose of this post.

Mike and I have purchased the video camera in the photo above. It is not necessarily in our budget to do so, but we believe that it was a necessary purchase to do what I do...which is raise awareness and be an advocate for the Dominican and Haitian people through the use of media. On faith we purchased this video camera for our organization and on faith I make this post that there is someone who has been looking for an avenue to be a financial help and may have found it today.

The cost of the video camera was $400.00. If you feel so moved to donate $5, $10, $100 towards it, I send you a million thanks. Absolutely every bit helps. But I don't want to limit God. I know he wants to grow my faith and the faith of his followers. I know he can do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine. My ministry is an expensive ministry in the sense that the equipment I use is not a $15.00 shovel or $50.00 wheelbarrow to build a church but sometimes thousands of dollars to show the world the amazing work God is doing here.

If you feel so moved to donate toward this purchase and any future purchases for my ministry of media, please go here to find out how you can partner with us. (make sure you indicate you want your donation to go to Braisteds Media Equipment)

Below is an example of one of the videos I have done.

Promotional DVD from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Whatever is lovely...

2010-12-14T17:21:00.003-05:00

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is

excellent of praiseworthy - think about such things." -Philippians 4:8

I've thought so many times that I wanted to post something new on our blog but have literally got all signed on and then sat there thinking, "Nope, not really worthy of it today." Somehow, I've come into the mental attitude that I have to have it all together to say something profound and meaningful. If only you knew how much I love to write. How much I love to share. How much I've been aching to say something. But, alas, an empty post.

I've been challenged, in recent weeks, to discipline myself in the area of spiritual development. I'm already starting my second book in a month (which for those of you that know how much I loathe reading, other than Fashion magazines, this is quite a feat). The funny thing that happens when you force yourself to be more disciplined is that God sees it as an avenue to gently teach you things that undoubtably need to be taught.

My prayer life has been less than satisfactory. In fact, it seems more like a burden...heavy and dark and hopeless. But really, its no wonder. My prayers are always about changing somebody else's attitude. About having them understand me better. About changing circumstances that I've felt were unfair. And there may have been situations where all of those things were true or needed to happen but the Bible says nothing about getting what is "owed" to us. Today during my reading, I came across Philippians 4:8. It seems like such a fairy tale verse that doesn't apply to much other than what the perfect, happy-go-lucky, Christians exude. But when you look closer it is a perfect picture of how our prayers should be. "Whatever is right" "pure" "lovely" "admirable" "excellent" or "praiseworthy" these are the things we should pray about.

When I feel like someone is being hard-headed and unfair, praise God for the incredible parent they are or for their compassionate heart. When I feel pushed around and belittled, praise God for their unwavering leadership and their loyalty to God's work. When I feel like my opinion doesn't matter to them, praise God for their discipline in studying the Word and desire to love others better. Find the "lovely" things in people and praise God for them. I feel like it will bring hope to my prayers and shed light on the best in others. And really, isn't that how God sees us?

The world tells us to be strong-willed, independent, self-relying, self-trusting....where as all of these things have the potential to be "praiseworthy" characteristics, all they've really done is created egotistical, selfish, disconnected people. Myself included. Imagine the change if a new movement approached us that caused us to find the best in others, praise God for their admirable personality traits and forgive them quickly when we feel that they've injured our "egos."

I, for one, am ready to join the movement. Ready to pray for what is lovely. Here's to revamping my prayer life.

Daily Bread

2010-09-12T14:21:00.005-04:00

"I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread." -Job 23:12

we went to a different church this morning. there were only 16 people there, including the four of us. i judged it immediately. wondering what kind of church could it be with only 12 people. wondering how can there be any spiritual growth with only 12 people. wondering what kind of service can you have with only 12 people. god saw my heart. i'm sure he wasn't pleased. i felt him say, "you are what is wrong with christians. you are why people can't see me. you are keeping people from finding me." it stung. really bad.

it hurt for the obvious reasons of seeing something inside my heart that is ugly, unfinished and unholy. but it also hurt because it dug up the root of why i felt the way i did. judging this church before i even was part of it. and the underlying sting was that i don't trust god. i mean, i do, on occasion. and especially when things are going good. but when its a sunday morning and only 12 people are sitting in the chairs i don't believe that he is going to show up.

a woman came up just to speak of prayer requests needed and people who are in need of some help and then she said it. the thing i needed to hear. the thing i've needed to hear for four years, maybe more. i don't even remember the context of why she said it, but she said, "i don't know. because maybe if he gave us what we needed six months in advance, we wouldn't rely on him for our daily bread."

whoa.

you see, for four years, i've wrestled with god. always dealing with the financial aspect of being a missionary. i can tell you the embarrassing conversations i've had with him. like, "How can you send someone a life calling like this and then not provide the funds to do what is needed?" or "I could be in the states right now making crazy money doing something else but i chose to follow you here and this is what i get?" ugly, right?

but when she said that, that maybe we wouldn't rely on him for our daily bread, it screamed at me to what i've specifically been questioning god on for the duration of our time in the dominican.

if that didn't about knock me out of my chair, the pastor steps up to the podium and his first line is, "i don't know why i need to say this, but this is just something that has been laid on my heart. god is our father. he thinks like a father. even when we pray and pray and pray for something for a long time, if god knows that it isn't what is best for us or is more than we can handle, he's not going to let us have it."

BAM!!!

it all made sense. right there. there may have been times in my faith when i questioned if there really was a god or what if we're all wrong and this god that we love really doesn't exist...but right then, our god was the god of moses. the god of the old testament. it was as if i was standing on the mount with a burning bush speaking to me. i know, without a shadow of a doubt that god is present, with us at all times. yearning for conversation with us. desiring to give us his best. wanting us to know that he is as close as our own skin. and above all that he is faithful. for four years i've struggled to know the reasons that we've never made our "A" budget or that supporters come and go. but for four years, god has planted seeds and allowed weeds to grow here and there and then pruned them away and then let the plant grow some more for this exact day that we decided to go to a different church. that i'd be sitting in that chair so sure that god wasn't going to show up. that perhaps he was doing something else more important. but right there, in that moment, god was waiting for four years until i was ready to hear what i needed to hear...

"I am your daily bread."

Cross Point Community Church

2010-07-24T10:29:00.000-04:00

2010 Cross Point Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

G.O. Basketball Week

2010-07-06T19:52:00.000-04:00

Campamento de Baloncesto 2010 from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Central Peninsula Church

2010-06-28T17:09:00.000-04:00

Central Peninsula Church 2010 from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Kuckuck Family and Friends

2010-06-21T22:27:00.000-04:00

Kuckuck Family & Friends from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Southeast Youth

2010-06-20T13:27:00.003-04:00

So Thursday night, Southeast Youth came over for some ice cream. These kids are awesome. They have awesome leaders that encourage their faith and stretch their understanding of God. And they sing. Man, can they sing. We ended our night with about an hour of worship and prayer and it was awesome. Below is a "video" of the last song. I say "video" because there really is not video, its just audio. Audio of the voices of the future generation, giving God all the praise. Awesome.

Harris Prairie Church of Christ

2010-06-15T18:30:00.001-04:00

Harris Prairie Church of Christ from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Eastview Christian Church-Family Trip

2010-06-15T18:28:00.000-04:00

Eastview Family Trip 2010 from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

St John United Methodist Church

2010-04-28T11:25:00.001-04:00

St John United Methodist Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Fox Valley Christian Church 2010

2010-04-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

Fox Valley Christian Church 2010 from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Sherwood Oaks Christian Church

2010-03-22T19:38:00.001-04:00

Sherwood Oaks Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Cross Point Community Church 2010

2010-03-21T20:30:00.001-04:00

Cross Point Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Hamilton Life Church 2010

2010-02-24T09:13:00.001-05:00

Hamilton Life Church 2010 from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Great Lakes Christian College

2010-02-19T20:43:00.001-05:00

Great Lakes Christian College from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Church Video

2010-02-10T18:52:00.002-05:00

Little video I put together for a church visit to Bethany Wesleyan Church in Pennsylvania...

Promo Video from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Relief for Haiti

2010-01-14T09:25:00.004-05:00

God is using our ministry in so many ways to aid the relief efforts in Haiti after the Earthquake. I am going to start to compile TV interviews and stories as I find them....

To directly aid Haiti with your finances, please donate to our Haiti Relief Fund here. Go to "Make a One-Time Donation" and select Haiti Relief Fund from the drop down box.

This is a Roanoke TV Station that interviewed Mike.

This is a Louisville TV Station interviewing one of our staff members, Jeff Rogers, and one of our Haitian Pastors, Wilbert Romain.

Another Louisville TV Station.

Haitian Pastor and our friend, Romano (works with Mike in Sports Ministry as well) tells about his plans to go to Haiti.

Romano is going to Port-a-Prince to get word about his brothers and how the Dominican/Haitian Church can respond to the current from Jeff Rogers on Vimeo.

Life of Joe

2009-09-16T08:50:00.002-04:00

Life of Joe from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

I put together a video of Joe for the funeral yesterday. It was so therapeutic to look through photographs, old and new, and remember what a special man he was.

No Words

2009-09-10T23:36:00.002-04:00

Just ask that you lift Mike's family up as we just found out that his dad, Joe, passed away today. Mike will be flying to the US tomorrow and Landon and I on Sunday.

Youth Cookout

2009-09-03T12:15:00.008-04:00

Last night we had the youth group over and another couple that helped us move ALL of our stuff to the new house on Sunday. We were so thankful and they did it in an hour and a half! Here are a few pics. (By the way, they ate 22 hamburgers, 20 hot dogs, 2 super huge bags of chips and 4-2 liters of soda...had no idea teenagers ate that much!)

The back patio...Mike keeping an eye on the burgers and dogs.

A little "before dinner improv" (these guys are super talented)

The grub...putting our little grill to good use!

Let the feast begin...that table was a disaster by the end of the night

Mike and guys hanging out talking about none other than...baseball.

Couple of the youth group guys

The girls

After dinner improv using rap instrumentals at their background beats

This is classic Landon and Daddy...they have a limit to "visitor time" so they find a way to hang out and unwind...play-doh airplanes and helicopters.

Shepherd of the Hills

2009-08-15T13:26:00.001-04:00

Shepherd of the Hills from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

The Ridge Community Church

2009-08-09T21:54:00.001-04:00

The Ridge Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Southeast Christian Church-Youth

2009-07-28T19:53:00.003-04:00

Southeast Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Emmanuel Baptist Church

2009-07-28T19:53:00.001-04:00

Emmanuel Baptist Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Morgantown Community Church

2009-07-21T19:40:00.001-04:00

Morgantown Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Cross Point Community Church

2009-07-21T13:19:00.001-04:00

Cross Point Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Okolona Christian Church

2009-07-18T13:15:00.001-04:00

Untitled from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Eastview Christian Youth

2009-07-08T20:24:00.001-04:00

Eastview Christian Church-Youth from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Northeast Christian Church-KY

2009-07-01T16:44:00.001-04:00

Northeast Christian Church-KY from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

G.O. Annual Basketball Camp

2009-06-30T11:29:00.001-04:00

Annual Basketball Camp from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Hope Springs Community Church

2009-06-25T21:29:00.001-04:00

Hope Springs Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Dalton First Church of the Nazarene

2009-06-23T17:29:00.001-04:00

Dalton First Church of the Nazarene from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Central Peninsula Church Youth Group

2009-06-19T09:33:00.001-04:00

Central Peninsula Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Great Expectations

2009-06-16T21:12:00.000-04:00

Great Expectations from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Eastview Christian Church-Family Trip

2009-06-10T14:48:00.001-04:00

Eastview Christian Church-Family Trip from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Lakeland Community College

2009-06-08T12:14:00.001-04:00

Lakeland Community College from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

River Valley Christian Fellowship

2009-06-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

River Valley Christian Fellowship from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Celebration of Partnerships

2009-05-26T13:55:00.006-04:00

This was my first experience at a Celebration of Partnerships and what an experience it was. We had about 175 people (American, Dominican, Haitian, Colombian) all come to Puerta Plata, DR and just share God's goodness and provision through partnerships. We had a great praise and worship band that taught us songs in three languages and had many, many incredible speakers (also translated in three languages) that totally encouraged and lifted up everyone. It was truly incredible. I'm not sure I have ever cried so many times in one weekend. God was moving so greatly and it was such an honor to be a part of it.

Celebration of Partnerships from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

St. John United Methodist Church

2009-04-07T10:31:00.000-04:00

St. John United Methodist Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Fox Valley Christian Church

2009-04-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

Fox Valley Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Sherwood Oaks Christian Church

2009-03-27T10:57:00.001-04:00

Sherwood Oaks Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Lessons Learned

2009-03-24T18:21:00.002-04:00

It's pretty obvious when I post something on the blog because I don't have a picture to go along with it. It has been a while since I last wrote anything but I just wanted to share a little bit about something that happened last month and the message I took away from it.

I have been wanting to write for a while now about Landon's fall last month. Those of you who have seen our personal blog have read about the fall Landon took off of the futon. For those that don't know this is what happened and something God showed me through the whole ordeal. Landon has been climbing up the back of the futon for a while now. We are constantly telling him to get down which he doesn't so we have tried timeouts and a slap on the hand which none of them work. We try to explain why he can't climb up the back, because he could fall and get hurt really bad. I don't know how much a 20 month old understands an explanation like that though.

One day it finally happened and he fell. I watched it happen almost in slow motion. I watched him fall and land hard and awkwardly on his head. Somehow I remained completely calm as I ran over to grab him and comfort him. At the same time I was checking for any outward signs of trauma. I didn't see anything on his head so I called my dad to see what I should look for in case he had a concussion. About the same time I was hanging up with Dad Goody came home to a crying baby. After a brief explanation about what happened she takes over the care and comfort so I can leave the room and cry myself. I hated so badly to see him get hurt and for that to happen to him. I wanted to somehow switch places with him right before the fall happened so I could take the hit to the head. Even though he had disobeyed me which resulted in him getting hurt I wanted to take it away. I would take a hit like that over and over for him.

Once the storm calmed the teaching began. I started thinking about how many times God has had to tell me "quit climbing on the futon" but for some reason I ignore him or forget what he says. After the timeouts and slaps on the hands I still have to do it again. The difference though is that Jesus took the fall on the head for me. It wasn't just falling on his head it was giving up his life. So that I don't have to constantly fall on my head he gave himself completely for me. The way I love Landon and would give anything for him not to hurt even when he disobeys, Jesus loves me that much and even more. I say I would put myself through anything to save and protect Landon, and I have no doubts about that, but Jesus has already done it for me and that's why I am saved!

I hate that it took Landon getting hurt for this lesson but am thankful for it at the same time. Landon is doing just fine with only a black eye resulting from the fall. The futon has been moved up against a wall as a result.

Cross Point Community Church

2009-03-18T10:53:00.001-04:00

Cross Point Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Hanover College

2009-03-04T10:34:00.001-05:00

Hanover College from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Jackie and Alan Engaged!

2009-02-23T21:05:00.018-05:00

One of my good friends, and fellow missionary, Jackie Douglas and her fiancee, Alan, got engaged! Alan is one of our Dominican Sports Crew and a super guy. The two of them are a great couple and shooting their engagement photos was SO much fun. It was a beautiful day, and besides having to dodge the occasional security guard who DID NOT want us taking pictures on this Catholic University campus, everything went BEAUTIFULLY. Enjoy!

We did some artistic ones too!

Super Sweet!!!

I fell in LOVE with these purple flowers

Aren't her eyes killer?

Seriously, their profiles are amazing.

Definitely, one of my favs.

Romantic and Dreamy. Kinda like Never, Neverland.

My favorite of the entire shoot.

Central Peninsula Church

2009-02-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

Central Peninsula Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Hamilton Life Church

2009-02-10T14:51:00.002-05:00

Hamilton Life Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Real Life Church

2009-01-14T14:46:00.003-05:00

Real Life was such a fun, energetic group. They partner with pastor Felix Abreu who pastors the church in Hoyo de Bartola (The Hole). It was so great to see the members of Real Life and Felix and his family interact. Steve, from Real Life, had met Felix before and they truly were like old pals. Although they needed to use a translator, they chatted about life and ministry and the needs of Felix's community.

They continued the work in the Hole and made some major progress on the second level of the church/feeding center. The second floor is going to be the sanctuary and the bottom floor (which is almost complete) is for the feeding center. Real Life surprised Felix and his wife Yenny with new tables for the feeding center and a piano for the church. It was such a great time.

On the night of their despedida (fairwell) Felix, Yenny, Natanael (their 6 year old) and all the members of Real Life were in tears. Hearts broken for the church and some of them just not ready to leave. Natanael sat in one team members arms for more than a half hour just crying because he was so sad they were leaving. It moved many more of us staffers to tears just to see the bond formed within this group of people. I know God has even bigger things in store for this partnership. I'm just joyful I get to witness it.

Real Life Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Soccer Camp

2009-01-11T20:10:00.003-05:00

What an incredible week.

Four people from North Carolina came down to do a Soccer Camp in Pontezuela with the kids from churches of two of our National Pastors, Romano and Wilby. Romano has an already established soccer ministry and Wilby has just begun the process of soccer as an outreach for the Haitian community in Hoya del Caimito.

Caleb, Danielle, Alexis and Casto...what more to say than pretty much the nicest four people I've ever met. They immediately greet anyone they meet with hugs, they have a huge heart for helping others and they truly love Jesus. It was so fun to do this week with them. Caleb, a professional soccer player, and Casto who also plays soccer very well, were great examples to the members of Romano and Wilby's churches who watched and played with them on the field. In fact, I think they were a little surprised to see such skill.

The four of them conducted a soccer camp for two days, then helped in Hoyo de Bartola for a day of construction and feeding kids. They also made an unplanned stop to the new sports storage because they really wanted to help get Mike started with the organizing process.

It was such a pleasure to work with these four. And because they were the only group here for a couple days, we were able to really get to know them on a personal level and hear some amazing stories of God's grace and provision in their lives. We VERY much look forward to this group returning again. Enjoy their show.

Pontezuela Soccer Camp 2009 from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Support a G.O. Kid

2008-12-17T18:44:00.003-05:00

This is a show I put together for Emmanuel Wesleyan in Virginia. They were having a special offering taken for children in need. I had the unique opportunity to represent the children that G.O. comes in contact with daily.

For more information on how to support a child through G.O. Ministries please visit:

http://www.go-ministries.org/kids.shtml

Kentwood Christian Church

2008-10-30T09:13:00.001-04:00

Kentwood Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Crestwood Baptist Church

2008-10-30T09:12:00.001-04:00

Crestwood Baptist Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Oops, only a month late

2008-10-25T17:33:00.005-04:00

I forgot to post these pictures from my little girl's bible study. We had a little birthday party for my birthday and for Themis' birthday who happens to share the day with me! I've met so many September 22nd birthdays, it's crazy. Anyway, the Schwulst girls made signs for us, I made brownies and we hung out. It was fun.

Christian Church at Cogen Station

2008-10-04T19:18:00.002-04:00

Christian Church at Cogen Station from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Eastview Christian Church

2008-09-29T14:13:00.000-04:00

I had the unique experience to be part of our annual women's conference this year. It was seriously the best. Not only because I got to be with several of my closest friends (who have also become family) without husbands or kids but because it was all about freeing yourself from things of the past.

We all have a past. But its never comfortable to talk about it which is why this conference was so impacting this year. A lot of the speakers spoke on abuse or mistreatment as well as forgiving the people who mistreated you and allowing God to heal you of your hurts. It was very refreshing to hear women be so open and honest about their situations, whether it be past or present.

The highlight of the weekend away for me was the last 45 minutes of the conference. They had everyone write on a piece of paper things from their past that they don't want to be burdened by anymore. Whether that be something they've done or something done to them. Then when they threw those pieces of paper in the trash the American women who were hosting the conference went around and laid hands and prayed for EVERY SINGLE WOMAN! Not one was missed. And although neither women knew what the other was saying, God knew and I know he was pleased. So enjoy the show. The women's conference part is the second half of the show.

Eastview Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Mom and Dad visit the DR!!!

2008-09-07T21:39:00.014-04:00

Mike's parents, Joe and Debbie, visited us last week. They are part of a church in Virginia that has been a consistent supporter of Mike and I since shortly after we began with G.O. Ministries. It was such an awesome 10 days with Mike's parents as we showed them many aspects of our ministries and our lives. Below are a couple pictures from their visit to our home. Enjoy...and we hope to see them both in the Dominican again VERY soon!!!

Debbie playing with Yajaira in The Hole

Joe chatting with a little boy

Feeding in The Hole

Joe, Pastor Felix (from The Hole), Mike and Debbie

Pastor Rafelito (from Los Guandules), Joe and Debbie

Landon and Mike with their new G.O. Sports Outreach shirts

(an awesome donation from a member of the church congregation who does printing)

Joe, Helen and Debbie (one of the kids Emmanuel Wesleyan Church Supports)

Debbie, Bryan and Joe (the other child Emmanuel Wesleyan supports)

Joe showing Bryan how to open the transformer

Landon and I (me making a dirty face as we were broken down

on the side of the road in Puerta Plata)

Wilbert and Lisa...Married!

2008-08-29T12:00:00.011-04:00

Well, the wedding is over and it was a beautiful one. I've been to lots of weddings but I don't always know the bride and groom the same. Either I'm friends with the Bride and don't know the Groom, or the other way around. But with Lisa and Wilby...it was special. I have a great friendship with both of them and was so excited when Lisa asked me to do her photos. I didn't have such a great experience with my wedding photographer and I was not going to let Lisa miss out on anything. I remember being so disappointed when I got my photos back and felt like my wedding day wasn't captured. So I put a lot of pressure on myself to make Lisa's special day last forever...through photos.

I had SO much fun and they were such great "subjects." The posed pictures even went super fast because Lisa wrote up a list of photos she wanted and we just went down the order, took the photo and moved on. It was incredibly organized and she knew just what she wanted...which made it easy on me. Here are a few of the photos from the wedding, I took over 500 so I couldn't post them all. Enjoy!

Had to post this one just because Landon was crabby all afternoon but when he saw Lisa he just kept giving her kisses...he loves her dearly!

Indiana Wesleyan Men's Basketball

2008-08-11T22:36:00.002-04:00

You know when you look forward to something so much and it doesn't turn out to be what you thought it would? Well, that does NOT describe this week. The sports crew (I include myself because I'm a sports crew wannabe) have been looking forward to Indiana Wesleyan Men's Basketball trip all summer. And this week was everything we imagined and much more. There were several things that took place that no one could have controlled but the IWU guys just went with the flow. They did construction, they held a basketball camp for boys from The Hole, they played in a "young talents" basketball tournament and won the WHOLE THING...it was just an incredible week. To top it off Will, Audrey, Mike and I were able to see a side of this team that the rest of their campus doesn't. They were real.

One event that really stood out in my mind was on the first day the guys could have had some down time, about 2 hours, to relax before their first tournament game. But five of the guys said to Mike that they "didn't come down here to have a vacation, they came here to work." So Mike took them and they dug for 2 hours until it was time to shower and leave. When Mike told me what was going on I was just totally floored by the awesome servant hearts they had. Instead of rest, they worked.

To end their trip on a high note one of key people on their team accepted Christ. I wasn't there to witness it but it hit me just the same. This is why we do this. I've cried every time I watched their video, not because it's awesome or anything, but because God showed me some huge hearts, in some extraordinary men.

Indiana Wesleyan Men's Basketball from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Northeast Christian Church

2008-08-03T22:11:00.002-04:00

I always enjoy when Northeast comes down. In fact, Northeast was the first group Mike and I ever worked with as semi-staff. In March of 2006, we came down to the DR to check out the ministry and Northeast came down on our plane. We worked on the church in Guandules with them and Mike even translated the pastor's sermon after about 10 years without speaking much spanish! It was especially cool because several of those first team members were on this trip. It was a little reunion!

Northeast supports Rafelito and the church/feeding center in Los Guandules. When we are explaining to other teams about partnerships and what they are all about, Northeast is one of those groups that we use as our "ideal example." They partnered with Rafelito, then built him a church and feeding center, then funded and supported ALL of the children in that feeding center. And because all that is left is to support Rafelito and the monthly funding of the feeding center they have begun a new partnership with one of our pastor's in Haiti named Lucnel! How awesome is that! It was such an honor to work with this group and I am always encouraged and re-energized when they are here! (on a side note, the second song in their show is sung by a special musician. His name is Tim Braisted!!!! Mike's brother has his first CD out and the song fit PERFECTLY with this show.) ENJOY!!!!

Northeast Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Garden Park Christian Church

2008-08-01T09:32:00.003-04:00

Another group that was here this past week was a group from Garden Park Christian Church. They did construction in our neighborhood working on the houses of Luis Jimenez and Rene Rodriguez. This church is very unique in that they support one of our missionaries, Tim. One of the girls on the trip, Tim held when she was born! Tim's old youth pastor (who was not on the trip) had a great impact on Tim growing up and 17 years later, his church came on a missions trip with G.O.! Isn't God's timing amazing? These youth were very hard workers and unloaded and shoveled TWO huge piles of dirt as well as started digging the cistern of the new Hoya del Caimito church!

Garden Park Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Greenview Christian Church

2008-07-29T19:30:00.003-04:00

This week we had a great group from Greenview Christian Church. The group was led by former G.O. Staffers, Nate and Angie. They were an incredibly fun group and worked extra hard on the church out at Brisas de Ocampo. More bucket lines of sand, stone and concrete! Pretty much most of my photos from the past four weeks are of bucket lines...but that's fine by me because I know that bucket lines means finishing houses, churches and feeding centers. Plus, it gives me the challenge of figuring out new and creative ways to photograph bucket lines!

This group was unique as it had a paraplegic, a girl with a broken arm and a pregnant woman. All with different circumstances, all wanting to serve the Lord right where they were. It was a great lesson for me in the way of coming to our King with a servants heart and wanting to do whatever it was that He needed. How many times had I told God, "I will serve your kingdom when I get a little more rest" or "I will serve your kingdom after my headache goes away." Wow, God truly spoke to me about attitude and circumstance this week, especially through spending time talking with Chuck (the paraplegic). What an amazing story he had.

Greenview Christian Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Pathways Church

2008-07-23T15:32:00.002-04:00

Hard-working. That is what I use to describe Pathways Church. These guys were work horses. And they LOVED construction. They worked out at Brisas de Ocampo and they got so much done out there. And they were just over all fun to be around. Mike especially formed a great bond with several of the people in this group. He was almost sad when they left. Thank goodness for facebook!

They also held a medical clinic in Cinco which included an audiology clinic. There were several people fitted for hearing aids and I actually got to witness a little boy hear for the first time. It immediately brought tears to my eyes as I watched the audiologist have the boy repeat sounds with her hand covering her mouth. He didn't have to see her lips and was repeating everything she said. It was so very cool.

Pathways Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Morgantown Community Church

2008-07-23T15:20:00.002-04:00

The second group that was here last week was Morgantown Community Church. The support two of our missionaries, Jeff and Vicki, along with Cross Point.

The leader of Morgantown and the pastor of Cross Point are good friends and did ministry together several years back. So it was a fun opportunity for both groups to be together again. It was a great mix of people and it was a blast to have both groups here.

Morgantown Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Cross Point Community Church - Trip #2

2008-07-23T15:00:00.002-04:00

Cross Point Community Church came back to the Dominican for their second trip. This time led by their head pastor, Pete.

It's really cool to see the great relationship between Moise (Cross Point's partner) and Pete. They have really grown to know each other and enjoy each other's company. Many times on the work site I would see Pete and Moise off on the stairs or sitting on a rock pile in deep discussion. It's just such a perfect fit for a partnership. Cross Point continually reminds me about why partnerships are so important and why they are the number one reason that G.O. Ministries exists. To enable people, like Moise, to work in his community and bring people to Christ. It doesn't get any better than that.

Cross Point Community Church from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Get Real Ministries

2008-07-22T16:56:00.003-04:00

Get Real Ministries is an innovative youth ministry based out of Indiana. They meet on Monday nights and discuss real topics like sex, drugs, alcohol etc.

It was also a special group because one of Mike and I's old friends, Brandon, led the trip. Mike and I recruited the Indiana Wesleyan Men's Soccer team to come (which Brandon was on), then he came to G.O. to be an intern last summer and this year he led a team! How awesome is that?

Get Real worked in Hoya del Caimito doing A LOT of dirt hauling for Rene and Luis' houses that are being built. They also did VBS in La Mosca and Guandules and fed the kids in the Hole. They were VERY busy! But they were such an incredible group and had great energy and attitudes. Enjoy their show!

Get Real Ministries from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

New DVD

2008-07-22T14:36:00.000-04:00

Here's the new promotional DVD I put together for G.O. Golf Outings.

Promotional DVD from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Eastview Youth

2008-07-19T22:33:00.005-04:00

One of our most fun and energetic (and incredible singing) groups is the youth group from Eastview Christian Church. There are always A TON of them and they just bring such a great energy to this island. Not only are they fun but they are also AWESOME examples of young people stepping out on faith and moving away from the norm.

This youth group supports one of our National pastors, Indriss. He is the pastor of a Haitian Church in a neighborhood called Pontezuela. So the youth did a VBS there and handed out an awesome love offering at the end...sandals! It was such a great gift and the look on the kids faces were so great. I got goosebumps just watching Drew, the youth pastor and long time advocate for G.O., and Indriss handing out the sandals together. It was such a picture-perfect moment of an international partnership and friendship.

Eastview Youth from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

Campamento de Deportes

2008-07-19T20:57:00.006-04:00

That's right, we're back in business. Because of all the trouble I've been having with YouTube I found another Video Site through a friend and here is the first of many published on www.vimeo.com.

For over 10 years now, a group of young men and women have been coming down to do a huge basketball camp in our neighborhood, Hoya del Caimito. What started out with 10 Americans and 50 campers has now turned into 45 Americans and 200 campers. And that's just basketball!!! This year we added 50 campers doing volleyball, 50 doing baseball and 20 women doing fitness/yoga. It was so cool this year to see how this yearly camp has grown. It was also cool to see the new G.O. Sports Outreach logo, that I designed, on all the of the T-shirts! So without further ado...THE SHOW!!!!

(Remember if you want to see the show without it stopping every few seconds, hit Pause for a couple minutes and let more of the show buffer, and then hit play.)

Campamento de Deportes from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

New Perspective

2008-07-18T21:49:00.010-04:00

I've been hanging out in the Hole a lot lately and I've just really enjoyed my time there. I'm getting to know a lot of the kids and I've even made a friend with one of their moms. There is nothing more rewarding than walking into that desolate place and hearing "Goody" screamed before I can barely see who's screaming it. There is nothing sweeter. I have truly grown to love these kids. I have also grown to love photographing them. Not to mention, they are so used to my camera I believe they are making my photos better because they know how to pose now! :)

Last week, an old friend was here leading a group and is a camera nut too. I always enjoy when there are people here that love photography because I always learn something new. I sat with him for 5 minutes and learned a bunch of great new stuff on my Nikon D-70. I've had this camera for over two years and I am STILL learning.

So anyway, here a few shots from this week that I've been playing around with. Hope you enjoy!

Always gotta have a photo of the brothers, my photo fiends

Graffiti wall

My Maria, she has a special place in my heart because my sister, Abbey, has Down Syndrome too!

Little Minino

Rooster

Simon - Nothing like starting the day out in your undies

Finally Caught On Camera

2008-07-18T21:36:00.002-04:00

Hooray! There is an intern here with a Nikon D-80 and she shot a picture of me shooting! I love it! (I also took one of her)

Please Be Patient

2008-07-07T15:24:00.001-04:00

Hey fellow supporters! I'm so sorry that the last couple shows haven't gotten up on our blog yet but we are having some major trouble getting them up on YouTube. We will keep trying but in the meantime please be patient with us!!! Thanks!

Quick Pix

2008-07-02T20:33:00.003-04:00

Just some quick pics of Mike and I working in the last month.

Me working at Brisas de Ocampo...We worked on this for probably 30 minutes and barely made a dent

Mike keeping track of the list at a Dental/Medical Clinic in Los Perez

Hato del Yaque Inauguration

2008-07-02T11:51:00.002-04:00

This is the video I put together for the Inauguration of the Church and Feeding Center in Hato del Yaque.

Little Girl in a Black Hat

2008-06-27T16:23:00.005-04:00

I really loved this picture as I was sorting through some photos yesterday. This little girl is named Yajaira. She lives in Hoyo de Bartola (The Hole). One of our pastors, Felix Abreu, started working in The Hole a little over 7 years ago during a time when no pastor wanted to. In fact, a friend of his that was also a pastor told him he was crazy for even stepping foot down there. The Hole is an inactive trash dump where close to 600 families live. In this place it is squatters rights so anyone can build a house there and that is his land. In the Hole, drugs, alcohol, prostitution and abuse rule...it seems to be a desperate place.

Although most would definitely use the word desperate to describe the Hole, G.O. Ministries and Pastor Felix began to make a difference there. What began as Felix and his wife, Jenny, just going there and doing children's ministry has turned into a church and a feeding center that feeds 120 children, 6 days a week. The children's bellies are getting fuller as well as their spiritual lives.

I use Yajaira as sort of a representative, if you will, of the Hole. If she even SEES an American she jumps in their arms and gives them a huge hug. Wearing ratty clothes and a huge grin across her face, somehow in this desperate place there is always room for a hug and a smile.

Hibschman Trip

2008-06-17T07:08:00.003-04:00

Another group that was here this week was originally going to be a group of ten. A family from Indiana decided they wanted to come on a trip and were going to bring several members to do it together. After some time this group of ten turned into a group of 53 including several doctors from the family's church, the youth group and other members of the congregation. It was amazing how God grew this trip!

They worked on the same two houses that the other team worked on in Hoya del Caimito, as well as a Medical/Dental clinic in Hoya del Caimito, a medical clinic in Los Perez and a couple VBS's! They were working all over Santiago!!! This team was a great first time group and we look forward to their return to the DR.

Hope Springs Community Church

2008-06-16T08:44:00.002-04:00

Hope Springs Community Church is always a joy to have here in the Dominican. They are a great example of a solid partnership. Dave, the pastor at Hope Springs formed a special bond with one of our pastors here, Eduard Gabriel. They both have a heart for recovering addicts. Eduard Gabriel is heavily involved with a program down here called Hogar Crea which is a "safe haven" and a place for addicts to come and recover as well as receive spiritual guidance.

It was also unique that the whole pastor's family was down here. Jana, his oldest daughter, is actually interning with G.O. and his wife and two other daughters came on the trip is as well. It was neat to see the great bond between Dave's family and Eduard's family as they spent much time together in this past week.

This group also did some construction on the two future houses of our 10-year veterans of the construction crew. As well as several days of VBS in places like Los Salados and Mao. Thanks for a great trip, Hope Springs, and we look forward to your return! Enjoy!

Beginning of a Building

2008-06-13T14:35:00.007-04:00

I just HAD to post these pictures as there are some awesome construction projects that are being started this summer. This week the teams here are working on the foundation of two new houses. Luis Jimenez and Rene Rodriguez have both worked for G.O. Ministries for 10 years as foremen on the construction crew. Their wives also happen to be two of my best friends! So it was a neat opportunity for me to get both families standing on the land where their future houses will be. I can't wait to someday post the final pictures!

Jimenez Family (Yajaira, Luis, Yesica, Hanani, Nehemiah)

Rodriguez Family (Carmen Dilia, Rene, Daniel, Samantha, Samuel, Paul)

Franklin Christian Church

2008-06-10T20:09:00.000-04:00

Franklin Christian Church continued our work in Hoyo de Bartola (The Hole) on the new church and feeding center there. It is so awesome to see the progress on this church. All of the walls are smooth and ready to be painted. All the sand has been hauled and ready to be used. Pretty soon tile is going to go on the floor! No more concrete floors for kids to sit on and eat. I seriously can't wait for the day to see those kids eating on a tile floor and then sometime after that on tables and in chairs! Enjoy the show!