Continued Blessings

I am in my first day of visiting family & friends in the U.S., and am currently going through culture & climate shock! Thanks to the hard work of my family over the last few weeks, I will be able to continue to enjoy fresh fruit while here -- apples, blueberries, strawberries, and plums instead of mangoes, pineapples, bananas, and cherries. "Hot" here seems to be hotter than "hot" in the Dominican Republic, and the air is much dryer. On the flip side, the A/C here is much more effective than the open windows and fans there!

Before coming home, I attended a conference for Christian educators and school administrators in Santo Domingo with the staff from Fountain of Life school. The theme was "Going Beyond in Education" and the main session "From Mediocrity to Excellence." It was a wonderful experience and a real blessing as I learned many new things.
On Sunday morning, I attended Quisqueyana Baptist Church in Villa Mella, where several young string students gave their first Sunday morning presentation, after only 2 1/2 months of lessons. It is a blessing to see so many young people spending their time in learning music for God's glory instead of going the way of most teens. I was back at Juan Tomas Bible Church for the evening service, where once again I saw a passion for singing and playing for the Lord. By the way, the most advanced piano student in Juan Tomas will have his first opportunity tonight in the prayer service to play ALL the congregational hymns! Please keep Ariel in your prayers over the next few weeks, as this is a whole new kind of "pressure" for him.
I will be around until July 22, when I leave again for the Dominican Republic, and would love to hear from you. Thank you VERY much for your prayers, encouragement, and support over the past year!