Walk On Warrior!

We walked on down the narrow alley for just a short time.  We were almost there.

I hadn’t seen her in months.

I heard she was walking. I heard she was defying what the doctors said she would never be able to do. I couldn’t wait to see this miracle child with my own eyes.

We turned the corner and ducked under shanty balconies and we continued our way to Yasmin’s home. In was quiet in this neighborhood, not the way you would typically describe where they live, but it was early in the morning and most were sleeping after partying until all hours of the night.

We winded up a spiral staircase and when I got to the top, there she was! Walking! Talking!  She even had a little belly on her! Her bone thin ankles and legs had a little more meat on them than they had before. She was getting stronger.

Yasmin

I also met the newest addition to their family. Yasmin has a baby sister, just a few months old at the time of my visit as well as a seven yr. old sister. The oldest took care of Yasmin, while Yasmin, now three and a half tried to carry her baby sister in her thin arms. I smile and think to my self how the bond of sisterly love truly transcends all cultures as I think sweetly of my own daughters who care for each other dearly.

Carina with her new baby

I snap a few pictures for Carina, holding her precious baby girl. We chat about life, Yasmin, being a mom and then they have something to show me. We head down stairs and out the door to the main street in the barrio and they give Yasmin 20 pesos and she begins her journey to the Colmado (corner store) to by her galleticas (little crackers). She walked quite a way as if she knew exactly where she was headed! Stopping all along the way to play with older kids and say hello to many as they begin to emerge from their houses as the morning wears on. I am told this is her game, and it builds strength in her legs as she walks this distance daily.

This little girl can walk!

This little girl is fierce warrior, fighting for her life and for a chance to live each and every day. Thanks to the many who have stood alongside of us and partnered with us to get Yasmin the help she needs, she will have that chance.

Yasmin and her grandma

Pediatric Doctors, coming on a mission trip with G.O. Ministries this summer, will evaluate Yasmin. She continues her regiment of 1.5 bottles of ensure a day to gain weight and muscle mass.  Ensure in the D.R. is expensive. It costs $65 for a case of 24 and in one month, Yasmin needs 45 cans of Ensure, not to mention her medicine needs. Providing she is at an acceptable weight at the end of the summer, we will have her re-evaluated by Operation Smile in hopes that she will be able to have the surgery she needs to fix her cleft pallet. Once that is taken care of, we will begin the harder work of having her observed to determine what neurological condition she suffers from and how to get her necessary treatment.

I am thankful for sweet gifts like Yasmin who show me what it really means to fight for something worthwhile. I love this little girl and I find myself thankful for this tiny little girl who has already begun changing lives and showing God’s Sovereign power to heal and overcome adversity.

Carina with her three sweet daughters!

We need your help! Please join us in prayer for Yasmin and her family. If you would like to make a donation to help with her ongoing medical needs please make checks payable to G.O. Ministries, Inc. and send them to 11501 Plantside Dr. Suite 14, Louisville, KY 40299. In the memo line, be sure to write “Perez/Yasmin.”  

Much peace!

Alan and Jackie

Haiti, a magical place.

Haiti.

It is a special place, magical even.
It has a way of getting under your skin and piercing your soul.

Redemption.

Renewal.

Restoration.

It has it all.

Pain.

Turmoil.

Angst.

Hungry bellies crying out.

It has it all.

I found myself, 8 years ago standing for the first time on Haitian soil in Ounamenthe, Haiti, trying to keep pace and take it all in as we winded down dusty roads lined with cactus hedges. Little kids shouting "blanc" ("white") with fascination and wonder in their eyes. They poured from out of their houses to greet us, touch us, slip their hands in ours and run alongside of us for a brief second as we walked by... I knew my life was about to change. God was doing something inside of me and I knew I would not return from that mission trip the same.

I have been to this magical place countless times since my first time 8 years ago. It has never stopped being magical or stopped being a place where God grips my soul and forever changes a piece of me.

On our trip this year, we camped in Phaeton where Lucner pastors the church and leads the nutrition center. God is doing great things through him in this community. The other six pastors traveled by motorcycle (some for many hours) to reach us.

Pastor Lucner and wife Marie

When they arrived to Phaeton, they laughed and greeted one another with a familiarness and love of a family reunion. Such joy! They turned and grabbed shovels and joined us blancs on the job site, and boy were we ever thankful for their help. Truck by truck, remains from the old sisal rope factory were dumped on the foundation of where the new church and nutrition center is. Our job was to level the fill that was brought in... 24 truck fulls!

The pastors

The sisal rope factory located in Phaeton was once the largest source of income for the entire country of Haiti. The country boomed in it's time, and the factory was a sign of hope and promise, but as quickly as it met success, the lights went out, the factory shut down and left a town (and country) hopeless. Now the remains from that factory will be resurrected to bring hope and promise in a new way in the form of a church and nutrition center. Redemption.

The remains of the Sisal Rope Factory

The sweetest part of our trip was sitting down side-by-side with the Pastors and hearing their heartfelt stories of love, devastation, vision, hopes, and dreams.

Meet Jonas Lekkler. He is 47 years old. He works in a community called L'Hat. It is very difficult to find on a map. His eyes are kind and warm and convey a joy from the Lord that is unspeakable.

He is one of 7 incredible and passionate pastors we work with through out the Northern mountain region in Haiti. 

He has been married for 24 years, has 6 children and has lived a life mixed with joy and bitter loss. He has been able to attend many of the trainings that G.O. provides through North-American Pastors visiting the island and teaching them. He shared how truly blessed he was by these trainings and not only has he learned so much about Christ and how to preach through them, but other pastors are listening to him and finding training through his sermons that they are taking back to their own churches. Renewal.

His favorite verse is Psalm 94:17. The NIV puts it this way:

Unless the Lord had given me help,

    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

The Message says it this way:

Who stood up for me against the wicked?

    Who took my side against evil workers? If God hadn’t been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,” your love, God, took hold and held me fast.When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up.

Jonas knows the sting of death. He and his wife have lost two children. One was just a baby and the other who suffered from what they believed to be Epilepsy had a seizure, fell and hit her head and the injuries took her life. Voodoo is prevalent in Haiti, it is hard to get away from it. It is believed in their community that the deaths of their children were the works of witch doctors who do not like or want the presence of a church honoring Christ in their town. They have received much persecution.

Not only does this man of God pastor a church, he also has a school, the only one in the small town of L'Hat brimming with 167 children in attendance. The kids will grow up with a Christian Education, empowered with the hope of Christ to become agents of change in Haiti. Restoration.

God gave our staff a glimpse of the beauty of his redemption, renewal and restoration throughout Haiti. A great revival is on it's way to this Island.

Will you join me in prayer for Jonas and his family? Let us come before the Throne of Grace and lift up these warriors for the Gospel together in expectation of the Lord's provision.

Jonas knows what it means to "slip" and "fall" and has felt the promise of God "taking hold fast." You and I know what it means to slip and fall as well and have felt that same very promise that God will take hold of us fast, calm us down; cheer us up. We are not so different from one another.

Is God calling you to be a part of something bigger? Ask God to search your heart and show you what it is he may have for you. Maybe it is coming on a mission trip with G.O. Ministries. Maybe it's to be a prayer warrior for the local leaders we work alongside of. Maybe it is to financially come alongside of someone and help them live out the calling they have received from the Lord. Don't let an opportunity to do good and be used by the Lord to redeem, renew, and restore pass you by.

Until next year... enjoy some of the pics from our time in this magical place.

Our crew at the Citadel

We managed to almost fall off the side of the building again... good thing Tim was there

The "Teams Team"

Throwback 2011!

I recently was cleaning old documents off of my computer and found this article I wrote for a women's ministry blog from a large church. God really spoke to me during this time and continues to reconfirm the same truths today that he did then!

This was originally written May 30, 2011 (just a few days after my twin daughters turned 1). The photo below, however is from 2013!

I am a wife 
missionary
mother of twins
daughter
sister
encourager
and above all things, daughter to the King and image bearer for my sweet King Jesus who, because of his great unfailing love, donned a crown of thorns to give me eternal life.

I, much like you, wear many hats depending on the day. Being missionaries with G.O. Ministries, we spend a solid nine months in the Dominican Republic supporting and encouraging the redemptive work of the Nationals whom we live amongst. We are blessed to see a glimpse of the Kingdom being restored on the Island of Hispaniola through his people. It is an honor and privilege to be a part of such restoring work. The other three months out of the year we are traveling around the United States sharing with churches, individuals, our family and friends about the work being done through the local leaders we work alongside of where we live.

Our last trip to the states was... good. Real good. The kind of good that makes you feel warm and connected and like you could run forever. God gave me a glimpse of where I wanted to be. The kind of mom I could be. The kind of daughter, friend, missionary, encourager I could be. I often struggle across the tight rope of motherhood and everything else. I struggle with that feeling of having to choose one over the other. I struggle with creating boundaries and not saying “yes” to everything.  I think of all the things I could say “yes” to in the blink of an eye, and frequently compare our family to others (because, let’s admit it, we all compare ourselves to others). I often remind myself that comparison kills contentment. 

This last trip to the states was unique in that I was hit with the realization that I didn’t have to choose one or the other! I had found myself wishing (after the girls were born) that God would call me out of ministry because that would make things a whole lot easier for me and for our family… I thought since He can’t reverse me from being a mom he would just have to call me out of full-time ministry so I can focus on other things… and then it hit me. I heard a sermon right around Christmas time from the pastor at my home church in Las Vegas. He preached that there really is no such thing as full time or part time ministry. We are all in full-time ministry because Jesus died a full-time death on a full-time cross. Wow.

We don’t get to choose to not be in ministry, and really, why would we ever want to? I knew in my heart I really wouldn’t be fulfilled solely focusing all of my time and energy into being a mom, because that is not what He called us to. He calls us to first love Him and second to love others. We serve out of our love for Him and for others. That is something that we cannot walk away from, and if we choose to, I believe we will have to answer to Him for that choice. I am finding myself thankful that He took me down that path to discover that these two halves of me could converge and create someone who deeply loves Him, loves to serve Him and have a family that by loving them shows His mighty power and love. I am reminded every time I look into my daughters’ eyes of His grace and mercy for mankind and I would go to great lengths to bring Him glory in my own family no matter the path he leads us on. I know that pleases my Father. 

And that is the kind of wife
missionary
mother of twins
daughter
sister
encourager
and above all things, daughter to the King and image bearer for my sweet King Jesus that I want to be.

What about you? What has he shown you in your heart and done in your life to show his power to overcome any and all situations?

An Opportunity to Give

Dear Friends,
We are in need of a new vehicle. The one we currently have is not working properly. We've put way to much money in repairs and it no longer proves to be safe or reliable for our family. Last October, our car broke down and left Jackie and the girls stranded in the middle of the road, two hours away from Santiago.

We are looking at trading in our car and have found a place that will work with us and are extremely reputable! We want to buy a Honda Pilot or a Ford Explorer. The most important quality in the car is that it has a third row in it so it will serve us well in ministry. We are also getting a car that has never been driven in the Dominican Republic. This is important for several reasons! There is a business in the D.R. of breaking the odometer and turning it back so you never know how many miles/km are really on the vehicle. Sometimes papers are forged as well. With a vehicle coming from the states we know it won't have these problems!

We are in need of about $5,000 to purchase this vehicle for our family and would like to do so in the next couple of weeks!

Will you be willing to contribute to a vehicle for our family? You can do so right on our blog! There is a giving box on the right side of our blog or you can send in a check to the G.O. Ministries Stateside Office in Louisville, KY. Simply mark "Perez, car" in the memo line!

As always, thank you so much for your continued prayers and generous support!

Much peace,
Alan and Jackie

Alan's New Role with G.O.!

Over the last 6 months Alan has been making the transition to join staff with G.O. Ministries. He has been a National Partner with G.O. for six years and has faithfully served in Sports Ministry and Facilitating Teams. He is the first National Partner to join staff!

He will now step into a larger role with greater responsibilities and serve as the Coordinator of Education for Sports Outreach. He heads up the curriculum development and teaching for the Baseball Academy reaching nearly 300 kids daily. Alan loves these kids and loves teaching them about the Word and how to become Godly men of Christ in their homes and with their future families. What an incredible opportunity he has to impact kids for the Kingdom at such a young age!

Alan will also be facilitating teams and working alongside North-American Christians who come to serve on a mission trip with G.O. Ministries. He will have the opportunity to pour into hundreds of short-term team members this year and point them towards Christ's work here on the island through G.O. Ministries!

We are thankful for the ministry and the ways in which they have developed both of our roles over the last year! It is an exciting time in ministry for us and we are so grateful to our friends, family and supporters who have faithfully prayed for us, financially supported us and encouraged us with your sweet words. We love you and are thankful for the role you play in God's plan for the island of Hispaniola!

Alan and Jackie

Alan teaching the Discipleship class for the baseball academy- these kids are received a Christian education class as part of the baseball program with G.O.!

Alan translating alongside of a short-term team member during a baseball camp (read about their incredible week here)

One of the exciting things we wanted to update you on are how our roles are changing within the ministry. Alan and I both have some exciting news to share in these areas! (We'll share Alan's new role in our next blog update!) After returning to Vegas in October, I flew to Kentucky for our annual fundraising trip and to encourage our many partners in ministry in Kentucky and Tennessee. While I was in the G.O. Ministries office in Louisville I was asked to join the Leadership Team for the ministry.

I was incredibly humbled that they would ask me to step into this kind of role. Alan and I both agreed after much prayer, this was God's perfect timing. I now serve as the Executive Director of Teams. I am learning new things about this role everyday and am thankful to serve with an incredible group of people who teach me so much about grace, truth, forgiveness and love each and every day.

Will you pray for me in this new role? Pray that I follow the Lord's leading and that his direction would continually be ever so clear. Pray that his spirit would challenge and grow character that produces perseverance and faith. Pray for our ministry to boldly move forward to advance the Kingdom on the island of Hispaniola and beyond. Pray for our teams. We will have over 70 teams this year! (that's over 1300 individuals!) Pray for our staff and for our hearts to be aligned with him. Pray for unity. Ultimately, pray for the Lord to be glorified!

Amen!

Executive Leadership Team, November 2012

Thank you!

It’s been too long since we posted an update!  Alan and I planned out our next 11 (yes we said 11!) blog post updates to let you know what has already happened in ministry, that you definitely will want to know, and of course some exciting upcoming things in the future as well.

Today we just want to say THANK YOU!

2012 was… a year of growth. Many of you know what I elude to, when I say growth. Growing is hard work. It stretches you and it often hurts. Growing means changing. Changing means something new. New can be stressful, difficult (if you’re not prepared for it), and even lonely. Growing is a part of the Christian walk. Trials are not something we can avoid, in fact in James they are assured to us. And we are to consider it pure joy when we are in a trial because that will grow our faith.  

I arrived in Vegas at the end of October praying for a time of rejuvenation. I am still so thankful to the Lord at how quickly he answered that prayer. Over and over again, I could see his small daily blessings through the many friendships and visits I had with so many of you.  Through conversations I could feel the Lord replenishing my soul and refreshing my spirit. So... Thank you.

Thank you for taking time from your busy days to spend time with our family.

Thank you for loving on and playing with our daughters.

Thank you for play dates.

Thank you for shopping trips.

Thank you for long walks in beautiful Mt. Zion.

Thank you for your encouragement.

Thank you for sushi!

Thank you for halloween costumes.

Thank you for the breakfasts, coffee trips, homemade dinners and lunches too!

Thank you for opening up your home to me on the many trips I made all over the states.

Thank you for caring for our girls.

Thank you for Disneyland!

Most importantly, thank you for believing in the work the Lord is doing through us at G.O. Thank you for encouraging us with your time, your sacrificial gifts, your love, and your energy. Thank you for the opportunities you gave us to share our ministry with others and invite them to be a part of what we are doing!

You mean the world to us. Every year we look forward to our time in the states to be with you, because you are family to us. We hold you so dear to our hearts and couldn’t imagine doing ministry any other way than by inviting so many of you to join alongside of us, and together, as a friend of mine in ministry says “storm the gates of Hell together.” Your constant encouragement sustains us. Thank you for loving us so well!

Here's some highlight pics from our time in the states:

Halloween with my dad and Liz. The girls had a blast as Strawberry Shortcake, and adore their grandma and grandpa!

Spending time with good friends, Brandon and Amy Gallup and Rebecca and Carmelo Herrero (not pictured) and of course eating some of my mom's incredible food!

A special visit with my best friend, Nikki. Words can't even describe how my soul needed time with her.

Being in Kentucky for ministry meetings and fundraising and visiting Wilson on his birthday at the Manias' home.

The gift of friendship with these ladies and a beautiful trip to Mt. Zion!

Spending Thanksgiving with family and sweet time with my grandparents. Being thankful for them is easy! 

My mom, who continually and sacrificially loves us and cares for us. What an incredible example of being a mother I have.

My dad, who has taught me so much and still continues to do so. I admire so much about him. And of course, his love for Amelia and Stella!

I Run for His Glory! It was awesome running with our running team in December at Hoover Dam. (Carmelo not pictured). Thank you to everyone who helped support our ministry!

These girls are wild about their Opa (verdict still out if they'll be wild about the Dodgers!)

Celebrating my mom's 50th birthday and Christmas in Disneyland with our family! What a special celebration it was!

Until October, my friends!

Love,

The Perez Family