Entry Fee: $175.00
Fort Walton Beach Fairgrounds
Hit your own 40 Core USSSA “Classic M” Softball
USSSA Rules/Double Elimination
Class C/D & Church Teams
2 Homeruns per game
Then an Out
(HOMERUN RULE CAN BE WAIVED IF BOTH TEAMS AGREE)
For more information and to get your team signed up, call Kenny Phillips (850) 496-7398
Please keep our friends in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico in your prayers. Pastor Felipe and his church at Mission Bautista Camino Nuevo are living in very dangerous environments. You have heard the news about the Mexican border wars and the crimes of the drug gangs, and it is affecting the people down there we love and work with. Please keep them all in your prayers.
Dust off your clubs for a day of good fun, fine fellowship, and an exciting and unique scramble format at the 3rd Annual Give Me Shelter Ministries Golf Classic! We will tee off June 17, 11 AM at Shalimar Pointe Golf Club. Continue reading “3rd Annual GMSM Golf Classic June 17”
It was a wonderful mission trip. Read all about it in our blog!
[nggallery id=8]
Had the best sleep since I have been gone. I awoke to a very familiar soulful sound of waves crashing on the beach that just happens to be about a two minute walk away.
I checked out the beach scene and did some praying and meditating and just took in the moment. We did some cruising around the area and then I was off to the Puerto Plato airport to catch my flight. I hated to say good-bye but my family needs me. What an answered prayer this has been. A direction from God and not man. This has by far been one of the best times in Haiti I have ever had. No stress or confusion, just resting in vision that God is giving us. So the good-byes really mean “hello, I will see you very soon again.”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
We did meet back up with Joselita at the border and with all his effort the head border dude would not give us the time of day. We shook the dust off the town Elias Pena and hired a ride to the next town to catch a bus for Santo Domingo. We left Fede’s car at the border and continued on our trek to Matt’s house in close to Cabrera on the north coast. Once we got to Santo Domingo we rented a cheap ride and headed north.
[nggallery id=7]
There is such a vivid difference in the landscape between Haiti and the D.R. Look at it how you may, but the transition from one to the next is crazy. Matt’s place is about 3 hors north and the ride was great as we all tried to fix the problems of Haiti in our conversations. What a blessing it is to be with these three guys. We arrived well after dark and met Matt’s wife Kelley and his brother and sister-in-law. Awesome group of folks who treated us with such kindness. Had some killer grub then sacked out for the night.
[nggallery id=6]
We woke up early to get all to the airport in plenty of time to be herded like cattle into the proper stalls to be delivered back to the states. After a quick bite we loaded up on a bread truck and negotiated down the roads of chaos. It really went smoothly and as we got to the drop-off zone there was hardly anyone in line. That made the entry into the departure area quick and easy.
After saying good-bye to all our friends, Fede, Harry, Matt and I took off to the Dominican Republic border via Mirebalais. We took the road, very rough road towards the border. It took almost 3 hours to go 60 miles. When we arrived at the border our crossing problems were just about to begin. This was another vision part of the trip that was to see the best way to get across to the D.R. for future possibilities. We found out that the border does not let Haitian vehicles cross on the weekend. That is what they said anyway. I will tell you something for sure: the Dominicans as a whole are very prejudiced against the Haitians. They are mistreated very much over here.
After many run-a-rounds we finally got our bodies across but had to let the vehicle stay ay the migration office. After finding a $7.00 a night place to lay our head in Elias Pena we met up with the Good Samaritan Joselita. This guy was a saint at the border. This dude has a Haitian mother and is a Dominican border guard. He moved over to the D.R. to go to college for social services and decided to join the D.R. army to work the border to help Haitians as they cross. He dialed us into the hotel then came and picked us up and took us to a killer chicken place. After tons of conversation and chicken we parted ways for the night only to meet back up in the morning. God is so cool, praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Wow what a quick time passage through an area of Haiti with good friends, gringo and Haitians alike. I think the key to working in Haiti is to understand that God created man in His own image and not the image of the great American hero. I have seen, do see and will unfortunately see prejudice at its finest no matter how subtle or blatant it may be. When one can realize what is brought to the table should be shared equally as possible with the giver the last to receive, then the gaps can start to be filled in. After all, the disciple Peter was shown that nothing God creates is unclean. Man makes things unclean with his self serving agendas.
[nggallery id=5]
This is the day of tears and joy as I take my cousin Jeff and his crew from IUMC and my good bro Dale back into the mass confusion of PAP to a new guest house closer to our work called God’s Planet. On our way down the mountain we were invited to have breakfast with the Napalese U.N. at there compound just outside Mirebalais. Almost the moment we entered the city area you could feel a pressure that does not exist in the province.
Before we got to the guesthouse I took the team to Harry’s property and his church at Savon Blonde. This gave everyone a different look at the challenges between country and city.
The amount of blessings one can receive in a day is incredible. God has been so gracious to GMSM to have allowed us to come along the side of Matt Ashkoff and James Fede to partner together with Peligre Hope Partners for the common goal of life quality in a remote area. Two great dudes God hooked me up with who have true hearts of compassion. Tomorrow we drop the crew off at the airport and Matt, Harry, Fede and I head off to the D.R. for a new adventure. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
I guess I would be lying if I said I had a good night’s sleep. I seem to really never get that real good zoned out sleep in Haiti. Between digesting the day and all the extracurricular sounds that are dealt with just keeps my mind so occupied. We traveled by boat and oar across a lake to visit a village that is pretty much cut off from the surrounding villages. This place is called Malantial and it is where Fede’s wife came from. They have a small school and just a few traditional Haitian homes scattered about. Again we were treated with such a gift as the children welcomed us with song.
They put on a small assembly and then we all just kind of hung out for a while playing with the kids. Soon came the locals with what is always a joy, fresh coconuts with the milk. A couple of quick whacks with the machete and instant, natural liquid nectar. The boat ride back was awesome. It is such a beautiful place up here and I am blessed to share it with such a cool group of folks. The rest of the day was spent with everyone chilling and doing their own gig. Good night!
[nggallery id=4]
Today was a beautiful day of sharing the gifts that so many people provided for the children in Peligre. We where able to distribute the dolls that were made by Jennifer Ogilvy and her family from Ft. Walton Beach , FL., over 200 sandals collected by Ardith and Quentin Davis , dresses provided by Matt’s church for the girls, shorts and school supplies provided by IUMC. It was such a joy to see how so many hands were in the process of making all this happen.
This brought such joy to the faces of these children. Fede had scheduled a party for the children at 4:30 p.m. so we made up about 250 mayonnaise sandwiches for the kids. The UN graced us with there presence and stayed for several hours. The kids put on such a beautiful show with singing. It was so cool and special. Afterwards we fed them all the sandwiches that we made and called it a night.
[nggallery id=3]
