Day 3: Letting Elim’s Light Shine – Ministry Outreach in Puerto Plata (Christian views on disability)

Thursday was a wonderful day down here in the Dominican Republic. We got reports back from our friends at Templo Del Dios Viviente that the school packs assembled by our adults were well received (thanks again to your support and to church supply drives). In fact, Luis Manon tells us he wants to get a bunch more Elim HOPE Packs down here as soon as possible.

Today, we spent the day pursuing Ministry Outreach opportunities at La Escuela de Educacion Especiales (The School for Special Education). Today was a special day as the teachers and students were finishing up their school year and the kids were getting their final report cards. Sharon and Pam again jumped in, identifying the needs of the children, and the resources and tools at the disposal as they worked alongside the teaching staff.

But just as important as the practical interventions is the context in which these interventions take place. In each setting we’ve visited here in the DR, we have witnessed different capabilities on the part of the staff, different resources available to the organizations, different goals and expectations for the children, and different philosophies about the nature of the care they provide. Those differences play a huge role in the ongoing assessment of how Elim’s Ministry Outreach efforts can be resourced to meet the needs in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

As you watch the video below, you will see a school environment that is comprised largely of students with learning disabilities or milder developmental disabilities. We did not notice many children who required the level of intervention that we often see at Elim. By God’s grace, both Pam and Sharon had plenty of expertise in serving children who function at that level. Take a minute to watch the video now.

In the afternoon, Pam and Sharon were able to share some teaching and intervention techniques that they felt would best equip the teaching staff. While this was the final day of school, all the teaching staff stayed behind to participate in this impromptu special needs seminar, underscoring once again the significant need and hunger that exists for Elim’s special needs expertise.

This is the challenge that the Elim community faces: what does God require of us? In what way is the expertise He has cultivated at Elim best used to support the needs of special needs communities in other countries? Where do we take our next step or steps? As we complete this Ministry Outreach Trip to the Dominican Republic, we return soon to wrestle with these questions that shape the relationship Elim has with communities in the United States and abroad.

By God’s grace, and through your support, Elim has become a light in a world where special needs is often experienced as darkness. As Christians we are not called to hide that light, but to bring it to a place where it can give light to all who need it.

Please keep this trip in your prayers, especially for our safe return on Saturday and more importantly for the continuing relationship we feel God is calling us to in the Dominican Republic.

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Tags: Bill Lodewyk, Dominican Republic, Faith Church Dyer

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