Greetings!

Scripture
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side! I praise God for what he has promised; Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light. [Psalm 56:8-13]

Happenings
It's Team Time!
It's that time of year again! We have a lot of teams coming this year and have already had several here, along with a lot of volunteers.

The tubule ligation team, from Kansas City, was just here and they performed their 1000th surgery during their week of work! They have been coming for several years now and are able to help over 100 women each time they visit. Some of these women have had 10 children and are more than ready to stop! Thank you to this team for all of their hard work.

We have also had 2 other general surgery teams visiting and have been able to help MANY people from the bateyes and barrios.

We have also had several construction teams here and, praise God, work on the elevator shaft is moving along! The foundation for the patient transport elevator has been laid and literally TONS of cement has been poured. There has also been work done at the dormitory for the teams with new paint and maintenance. Batey 35 school has also been painted and they are still working on a computer room for the church in batey La Higuera.

Medical teams continue to work in the bateyes and barrios around La Romana. We have also been working in the bateyes around San Pedro. The teams are tireless in their efforts to help and even when we are short on medicines, they offer smiles and prayers to the patients who come to see us. Please remember the Medical Conference that we will be having in May. If you are a medical team member or interested in the medical work here, you are invited to attend. Please contact me directly and I will get the information to you.

Ministry Moment
When Life Isn't Easy...
Who ever said life was going to be easy? Did your parents ever say that to you or have you said that to anyone else? It's true, especially as a Christian, we have no guarantees that our life will be easier because we follow Jesus. In fact, the Bible says just the opposite...we will face "trials and tribulations!"

Did you read the scripture verses above? If you didn't, please go back and read them now...I know, it's not a short one or two verse passage, but they are all important! When I read these verses what touched me was the first verse...God collects all of our tears in his bottle! He knows our struggles and our trials and he is right there next to us, holding us and crying with us. What a privilege we have when the creator of the universe cares enough about us to collect our tears...each and every drop!

Working in the bateyes, it's so easy to become overwhelmed and saddened by the misery that is all around. In my last newsletter, I talked about a man left to die in a shack. Well, he did die, just last month. But in the moments God gave us, we could minister to him and for a short while, love him. A couple of weeks ago, we found another gentleman in the same situation in another batey. He had not eaten in over three weeks and no one seemed to care! He was covered in ulcers and maggots and couldn't even speak to ask for help. Sometimes I want to shout out to God, WHY? Why is it ok for a man to die in such misery? The answer is, it's not ok. God aches and cries out with each of our cries. And we are here to be his hands and work in a world that is desperate to see and feel his love. Are you ready?

IMPORTANT UPDATE
Please note that my mailing address has changed! My current mailing address with Agape Flights is:
Kristy Engel, DMG-8780
100 Airport Ave
Venice, FL 34285

Remember if you send packages to this address, I have to pay $1/pound. If you can help offset these costs for me, I would really appreciate it! If you are using the Dominican address on Avenida Santa Rosa, you can continue to use that for my mail but the Agape address is more secure. Thanks!

Thank you for your continued support. This work is truly a "team effort" involving Dominicans, Haitians and work teams from all over. For more information about supporting this ministry, please contact International Ministries at (800) ABC-3USA ext. 2195 or online at internationalministries.org. Keep praying for us!

Sincerely,

Kristy Engel
International Ministries, Dominican Republic Ministry