Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Daniel Liam Clifford Aguilar

Daniel Liam Clifford Aguilar


At 3:15 pm on December 19th, our son Daniel was born. Mother and son are thankfully very healthy. Daniel tipped the scales at 7 pounds, 15 ounces. Childbirth is a fascinating, traumatic experience. We are grateful to have a good team of medical personnel in Santiago.

This was a slightly different experience than David's birth. David's birth went about as smooth as possible. While there were no serious complications with Daniel, there were several little things that added up. Each thing made it a little bit more complicated and costly. One of the hardest things for me as father came after being told that there was a membrane that had closed the passage inside his left nostril. While fairly common, the ENT specialist was called. Her solution was to take an instrument the length of my new son's forearm and shove it up his nose. That was not fun to watch. While it seems a bit barbaric, Daniel appears to be no worse for wear now.

Now begins the post-birth legal process in order to claim Daniel's citizenship in the three countries he has rights to: the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and the US. The Dominican birth certificate process went much more smoothly than with David. After only four hours of waiting in lines, it was done. Next we will go to the US and Guatemalan embassies. The US government has a very poetic name for this: "Consular Report of Birth Abroad". That means a full day in Santo Domingo and listing every international trip I have ever made in my entire life. After serving in the Peace Corps and living in the DR for 15 years, that list is pretty long. Once we have Daniel's CRBA, we can apply for a passport, which necessitates another day spent at the embassy. Fun, fun, fun!

In the end, we are thankful for a healthy baby, thankful for the blessings of triple citizenship in wonderful countries, thankful for a blue passport that will let him travel about anywhere he wants.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Fall Fundraising Trip Schedule

Below is a calendar of key activities during our trip to the US this fall. Please contact us for more details if you would like to be a part of any of these activities. We would love to see you. Unless otherwise noted, all activities will be in Winston-Salem, NC.

Growth Camps vs Fundraising

In the Fall each year Pico Escondido hosts Campamentos de Crecimiento - "Growth Camps". The purpose of these is to be a follow-up experience for all those kids who made commitments to Christ during summer outreach camps. Pico has groups at camp almost every weekend throughout the year now, and we try to give each group excellent service, yet our primary focus is on providing a place for Vida Joven (Young Life's direct ministry in the Dominican Republic) to minister to teenagers. Unfortunately for me, I will not be able to be present this year.

As a North American, I am not to be a financial burden on the local ministry. This means that I must fundraise in the US to cover my salary and benefits. Since I had to be at the Young Life Camping Summit in VA November 4-8, and a prohibition on women traveling in the last month of their pregnancies (our baby is due December 27th), we decided that we needed to be in the US from November 1-25. This means I will miss all three growth camps and the YL International Schools outreach camp. Fortunately we have a great staff at Pico who will serve our field ministry well in those activities.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Rebe Goes to Denver



Rebeca's Perspective
 
In my last two jobs I have been surrounded by great coworkers whom I got to see on a daily basis. In the first one, because of bad traffic and the fact that I lived out of town, I was most likely to be at the office every morning 45 minutes before my schedule started. There were a couple of us who found ourselves in the same situation, so I had this routine of hanging out and catching up with the rest of the staff before 8am hit. Every Thursday, we would get together and have breakfast - "paches", the traditional Thursday tamale that's cooked every week in Guatemala. We would share about our families and lives, read the newspaper, etc. During the four years I was there I developed deep friendships with these folks. Then, once I started working with Young Life, I worked from home but one of my roommates worked with Young Life too. Our boss lived two blocks down the street. So, I had a solid staff community who knew me well and whom I grew to love. Now I work for Young Life as an administrator for the Central American region, but we live in the Dominican Republic. I work from home, in a foreign country, and none of my coworkers lives in the same country as I do. It takes me about half a day and two planes to get to any of the people on my team. Needless to say, sometimes I feel isolated; sometimes I feel as if nobody I see on a regular basis knows or gets what I do, and sometimes I also feel a little bit out of the loop.

So, I was really excited when I got an invitation to be part of the Young Life International South (iSouth) meetings a couple months ago. iSouth is the division that includes Africa, Asia/Pacific, Central America, and Latin America. I work with a lot of these folks, but have probably seen them in person only a handful of times. All our interactions are via email or skype. It was the first time I was going to these meetings, and even though I had little knowledge of what to expect, I was just glad to meet with folks from all over the world who have the same heart and similar jobs. However, all my excitement got mixed in with anxiety. For this trip, I couldn't take David, our 13-month-old son. I am thankful that working from home has allowed me to be close to David, and Young Life has given me such freedom to take David on business trips with me during his first year, but he is now over a year, and not exclusively breastfeeding anymore, so it was time to take the plunge and leave him here. I was torn.

Now that I have lived through the experience, I think I was really wrapped up in the fantasy that I mean everything to this boy. But the reality is that all of us who live in this house love him and know him well. Roy is an excellent dad, and Sami is a sweet uncle, and David loves them both. And we've also been blessed with two friends who help us take care of him - Yudi and Rebeca. So, I packed up my suitcase, and we made a plan. Rebeca would come Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the mornings while Roy worked from home, and Yudi would come watch him in the afternoon while Roy went to camp. Saturday was a little easier, and I would come home that night. And after the plan was made, I was able to realize another part of this trip: I was going to be on my own, for four days! I was especially excited when I found out my roommate wouldn't be arriving until the second day. A room, A BED, just for me. I couldn't wait. I had so many plans for that first night. The reality was that I drove to the airport at 6am and didn't get checked into my room until midnight. I was so exhausted that I was only able to fall asleep watching VH1's 40 Most Shocking Hollywood Breakups.

But after a good night's sleep, and some yucky hotel coffee (what can I say, I'm spoiled... Roy makes great coffee), I was ready for the day. The meetings didn't start until noon, so I was able to meet with some family friends I hadn't seen in more than eight years who happen to live in Denver. We had a great time catching up. The YL team had a time of fellowship together, reports on how the Lord has been blessing the ministry in so many different countries, a time to celebrate what God has done, and also planning time for the year to come. It all felt like a whirlwind, but I was glad I was there. Baby Clifford #2 and I are already booked for a trip at the end of February 2014. Here's a picture of our group.



Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Happy First Birthday!


On August 26th, our son David turned 1! On Sunday the 25th we had a small party to celebrate, inviting some of our friends who had young kids. Among the participants were his grandfather (Rebeca's dad) and great grandmother, who traveled from Honduras to spend a week with us to get to know David. Jeremias made a big piƱata in the shape of a "1" in honor of the occasion. It was a big "hit" (ha ha ha).

Birthday boy gave a valiant effort

Others thought the game a bit childish
Others had fun trying, but didn't make a dent

Finally the designated hitter was brought in and candy was had for all


We are very grateful for David's presence in our life, his health, his sense of humor, and his explorer's nature. We look forward to seeing him grow up!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Nicaragua Trip

The last week in August we were privileged to be able to visit Nicaragua. Rebeca was part of the leadership team putting on the YL Central America Area Director's Retreat at Young Life's La Finca camp. I used frequent flyer miles to go along and visit with our dear friends Joey and Sara Espinoza, who were previously with us at Pico Escondido, and are now at La Finca. Since I have been asked often to lend my camping experience to the Central America region, it was also great to see many of the people I have worked with and also get to visit La Finca for the first time. It was a wonderful trip.
 

After a very busy summer, I needed a break, and while keeping up with a toddler 27/7 is not necessarily physically relaxing, the change of pace from running a camp was a great mental break. Joey and I were also able to escape a couple of times to go on mountain bike rides through the beautiful mountainous terrain of northern Nicaragua. This is coffee country, and the huge trees shading the coffee plants and the abundant rainfall make for a beautiful ride. Joey and Sara became very close friends of ours here in the Dominican Republic. It was sad to see them leave last year, but great to know they would continue helping Young Life camps in Latin America progress. Joey is project manager for the next phase of development at La Finca. 
Joey, Risa, Micah, and Jace Espinoza with Rebeca and David

La Finca sits at about 4000 feet of elevation, which was a nice cool break from the Dominican Republic. David loved exploring camp and taking long naps in the cool mountain air.
Enjoying the cool of La Finca
So while it looks like we just found a tiny body, David was rather enjoying napping in the grass.

Thank you, Joey and Sara, Harold Amador, and the rest of the Vida Joven Nicaragua team who made us feel so welcome. We look forward to our next visit.

Friday, August 23, 2013

A Sucessful Summer

The summer of 2013 was a really good one for us. We had a total of 565 kids and leaders attend camp, which was only seven people less than our biggest summer ever, and this was despite the resignation of a key field staff member in the Spring and a tropical storm threatening the island the day before the first camp. The field staff and volunteers did a great job getting the "right" kids to camp. Our vision is to present the gospel to teenagers who aren't hearing it elsewhere and then to help them grow in their faith. Many of these kids this summer had tough backgrounds: alcohol, drugs, crime, gangs, abuse, etc. It made for some drama at times - fights, theft, and conflict. But at the same time, these kids are often looking for a way out of this downward spiral. At the end of each camp, we offer workshops for the kids who are interested. One of these workshops is for new believers - ones who have never before made a commitment to Christ. Over the 5 weeks of camp, 169 kids attended this workshop. Others who had at some point become Christians but had fallen away made re-commitments. Others undoubtedly decided to follow Jesus after leaving camp. Below is a slideshow of pictures of kids who attended new believers' workshops. This is why I do this. Thanks to all who give camp scholarships or financially support those of us who depend on donations to be able to do this work. It is worth it!


Friday, August 9, 2013

A Tough Crowd


One of the key elements of Young Life outreach camps is club. Club is a lot of fun. The program team does a great job preparing skits, games and music that are very entertaining, but also draw the attention of the kids and help prepare the mood for the speaker. Over the course of a camp, the Gospel is shared through these talks.


This summer our camp speaker at Pico Escondido has been Rafa Alejo, who is the Vida Joven national director and a gifted speaker. Yet even for great speakers there are tough crowds. Last night was the first club of camp 5. A group of kids made it hard on Rafa, making noises during his talk and getting up out of their seats to leave club. That is hard for any speaker. It distracts you, makes connecting with the crowd difficult. It had that effect on Rafa. Yet after every club there is a cabin time, in which the kids get together with their leaders to discuss what the speaker talked about. Leaders reported that cabin times were great. Kids participated well, and in general got the message and were thinking about Rafa's talk.

Rafa and I met this morning and reflected on this. It is another of many examples of this theme: we can (and should) do all we can to put on excellent camps in every way. In the end, God often surprises us in the things he uses to impact the life of a teenager. He can use a club talk in spite of distractions. He can use the friendship of a volunteer leader. We have even heard several kids this summer say they were impacted by the fireflies or the stars. Pray with us that God would draw Dominican teenagers toward him this weekend and that we would once more be wowed by how many choose to follow Him.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Start of Outreach Camp 5


Outreach Camp 5 just began a few minutes ago. In the first four camps we have seen God do great things. Below are a few quick glimpses of what happened.


Roberto Martinez, area director of La Vega, shared the following: One of the kids who came to camp 2 from his area was an alcoholic, drug user, and thief. He made a commitment to Christ during that camp. Leaving that life behind is not easy, but he has been taking concrete steps toward a better life under the guidance of Vida Joven staff and volunteers in his area.

There was a 22-yr-old that wanted to attend camp from Santo Domingo last week. He had a bad reputation that came from years spent wandering the streets. He needed this. But his boss  wouldn’t give him time off from work. The morning the bus was leaving, he showed up all sweaty from running to where they were leaving from, with the news that he had gotten time off from work and could go. He met Christ at camp, and can't wait to share what he has learned with all the kids in his neighborhood.
 
As camp speaker, Rafa was praying all last week that God would use him, and that God would increase his faith that kids were being impacted. Part of his responsibility is leading the workshop on the last day of camp for those who still have doubts or do not believe. Out of 113 kids & leaders, only 12 kids came to that workshop! 
 
God has been doing big things at Pico Escondido.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Fifteen Minutes with God

If you were given the chance to spend fifteen minutes with anybody in the world, who would it be? The president? Your wife? Michael Jordan? Nelson Mandela? The Pope? What would you say? Would you be nervous? Shy? Angry?

One of my favorite parts of the outreach camp schedule will take place in less than two hours from now. It is the fifteen minutes with God. Kids will be invited to sit in a one-on-one encounter with the maker of the universe. I often fail to recognize the wonder of that. Repetition does that to us. Let's pray that there would be powerful encounters tonight between kids and the Lord. Club should start at 9:00 and the Fifteen Minutes about 10:15. Following that, the leaders will round up their kids and have Cabin Time, in which they can talk about what they are experiencing.

Thanks for your prayers. This same thing will happen with a new group next Saturday night and one more time the Saturday after that. Keep praying. I look forward to giving you good news.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Kids arrive for Camp 3, 2013

It's day one of camp 3 in the summer of 2013. Kids have been arriving to camp for the past hour. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation in the air - as there should be. For most, this will be the best four days they have ever had. Below are some quick videos showing what their arrival to camp looks like.

Getting off the bus

The work crew welcomes them


They are so excited, they can hardly stand it!


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Camp 2 Recap

Camp 2 was interesting, to say the least. As a ministry to kids outside of the church, many of the kids who come to camp are pretty rough. In fact, we know our leaders are focusing on the right kids when during camps we have to break up fights, help recover stolen property, and talk a kid into handing over the knife he stole from the kitchen for purposes more sinister than slicing potatoes. All of that happened this week. We also had 22 Haitian kids attend camp who live in the DR. There is a lot of tension at times between Haitians and Dominicans. When a tough Dominican kid pushed a Haitian too far and the Haitian gave him what he probably deserved, we were all on high alert, making sure the counselors were doing their jobs well to avoid anything more serious.

Yet in spite of the challenges, many of these very tough kids in the end decided they wanted their lives to be different - that the message of a God who deeply loved them sounded really appealing compared with the hardship of life in the street. In the end, about 60 kids made commitments to follow Christ. Some of their pictures are below. Over 20 others recommitted themselves after having fallen away from God in the past.

There are some great stories to share later. Stay tuned...




Friday, July 19, 2013

Camp 2, Day 1

Day one of camp two overall went really well. As of 4pm the day before they arrived, there were 108 kids and leaders expected to show up. When all the buses were here, there were 129 kids and leaders. Welcome to youth ministry in the DR. So lunch was 30 minutes late because we had to make extra food, but in the end all were happy, and more kids get to participate in camp and hear the Gospel. And I think our leaders brought the right bunch of kids. They caught one kid stealing a knife out of the kitchen. Someone stole another kid's flip-flops. A fight was broken up. Yet many of these kids will be attending Bible studies a week from now after accepting Christ at camp. That is the great news of redemption.

Arriving in the Rain
Once again, rain welcomed campers. San Juan Puerto Rico, about 300 miles to our East, had over nine inches of rain the day before - the second-wettest day on record. Fortunately we got off easier than that. Kids still had fun. The county fair was a big hit as always. Club was a lot of fun, and a great club talk was heard.
Enjoying the County Fair

Please pray with us that the Holy Spirit will work mightily in the lives of kids this week. Below are some pictures of them.







Thursday, July 18, 2013

Pico Outreach Camp Schedule

Below is our camp schedule each week for the next 4 weeks.  We would love for you to pray for us and these kids during this time. We are currently on Eastern time.

Thursday
10:30 Kids start arriving
11:00 Official welcome
11:45 Program beginning
12:15 Introduction to Rafa as camp speaker
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Games
3:00 Free time & cabin "rides" (Giant Swing, climbing tower, challenge course)
7:00 Dinner
8:30 Club
9:45 Cabin Time
10:30 County Fair
12:30 Lights out

Friday
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Role Play
10:30 Free time & cabin rides
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Pool Games
3:00 Free time & cabin rides
5:45 Talent Show
7:00 Dinner
8:30 Club
9:45 Cabin Time
10:30 Games
12:00 Lights out

Saturday
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Role Play
10:30 Free time & cabin rides
1:00 Lunch
2:30 Volleyball & Basketball Tournaments
7:00 Special Dinner
9:00 Club
10:15 - 15 minutes of solitude* This is the time many kids decide to make commitments to Christ.
10:40 Cabin Time
11:45 Bonfire
12:45 Lights out

Sunday
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Group Photo
9:15 Role Play
10:15 Workshops
12:00 Lunch
2:00 "Say-So" & Final Slide Show
3:00 Departure

You may note that this year the camps are shorter. In previous summers, there have been many kids who could not attend because they couldn't get that much time off work.

Favorite Pics from Outreach Camp 1, 2013

A fun welcome to camp

Enjoying the "Pisci-lago"



Doing a trust fall at our challenge course


Processing time at the challenge course









Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Camp 1 Recap

Camp 1 Kids
Camp 1 was a success. It was not always easy. A tropical storm was heading our way, forecast to become a hurricane before it hit, but fortunately fizzled. Our camp speaker had to go to the local clinic the night before camp started, but ended up being OK. Over 1200 plates of food were served. Long hours were worked. But it is all well worth it. 76 kids along with their 18 leaders were able to attend camp. 94 people in spite of the threat of a hurricane were able to get here. On Sunday morning I went to a workshop for new believers. There were 43 kids in attendance. I heard today how more came to their leaders after going home to say they also wanted to follow Jesus.

Here are a few of their photos:

This morning we had a time with our entire outreach camp team to give God thanks for what he did in the first camp and to refocus for camp 2. There were several great stories. One was of a girl from Licey who wanted to come 100% on her terms. When her bus arrived to camp and the rest of her friends went running and laughing through the reception line, where everyone gives you a pat on the back, she informed the whole line that she didn't want to be touched under any circumstances. By the time she left, she was not only participating in everything, but she wanted to know how she could come back on work crew. She met Jesus last week.

Another story: There was a tough kid from Barranca on the trip that everyone just calls "El Nueve" - "# Nine". It surprised people he had even come. He was in a gang. He used and sold drugs. He was a thief. While this is the type of kid that most needs to come to camp, it worried the area director enough that he changed his plans and go to camp instead of staying with his wife and infant until the second session he was supposed to work. Nueve had never even been to YL club before. But he heard the Gospel last week and went home changed.

Thanks for your prayers. Please continue to pray for kids like this to come to camp this week, and that God would work on their hearts.