We have two very different mission teams leaving this weekend.

THE PHILIPPINES

A dental team is traveling to the Philippines to provide much-needed cleanings, exams, and other services to our projects there. This may be the first time some of our children have seen an actual dentist. Please pray for a spirit of trust to form between the team and the community, and for an absence of fear for the little ones getting their first cleaning!

THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

On Sunday, a very special team of elementary and middle-school aged kids (and their parents and grandparents) are leaving for the DR. In response to the need in one of the communities we serve, the team raised funds to build a library.

The project expects to use the space to help children (like the sweet little girl pictured above) study and help their parents learn to read and gain new skills. We are quite excited to share more about their trip with you when they return. In the meantime, please pray for their travel and the work ahead!

Your gifts to the Christmas Gift Fund ensure that each child gets a present... but our staff goes further than that when it comes to celebrating Christ's birth! Check out these photos from the Dominican Republic!

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Your sponsored child may live halfway around the world, but you have more in common than you think in terms of Christmas traditions... especially food! We even included some recipes if you'd like to try something different this year!

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In the coming weeks you should receive a Christmas card from your sponsored child, and on it will be Christmas wishes in their own hand. We love this time of year because you can see the anticipation of Christmas in the children's heartfelt wishes. 

But very few of the children in our programs speak English -- so what do their Christmas wishes look like?

In most of the countries in which we work, the language spoken does not use a Latin or Roman alphabet such as what we use in English or what many of the countries in Africa or Central America use above. 

Yet the result is just as beautiful. Several countries, such as the Philippines and India, have regions that use different languages or dialects, which are represented below.

And then there's the Middle East, where Christ and the Christmas season was born. What wonderful wishes!

It's a bit early to wish you a Merry Christmas, but we can't help getting in the spirit! 

As you read this, a group of major league baseball players are providing an incredible Christmas surprise to children in the Dominican Republic.

How did some professional ball players end up at one of our projects? It's something only God could come up with... a way to reach children through the love of sports, sparking an interest in the hearts of a group of stellar athletes who could win an audience in this baseball-crazy country.

But they won more than audience -- they won the hearts of the community. Two years ago, a group of major league players helped dedicate the “Field of Dreams” in the Dominican Republic.

In addition to a baseball field, the community was provided with a two story building which houses classrooms that will include a computer lab and library in the near future.  A basketball/volleyball court and an open meeting area also provide learning opportunities for the 200+ children in the project, and acts as a central location for activities and summer camps for children of 8 other projects within close driving distance. 

Justin Masterson of the Cleveland Indians; Kyle Gibson, newly signed to the Minnesota Twins; Aaron Myette, former MLB Pitcher; and Randy Rowley, an MLB Player Agent helped dedicate the facilities and spent time with the kids. You can see a video of that ceremony below.

But today, Justin, Kyle, and Randy are back in the DR to take 80 children to a baseball game for the first time, as well as conduct mini-camps for the kids. And their wives will be engaged with the children in craft activities, including making all of the decorations for a Christmas tree. A free community dinner is being held so the players can share their testimonies. 

In the past two years, we've been amazed at how God has used this field and the programs it hosts to make an amazing impact on hundreds of children and the community of Moca. And the best part is it will only continue for years to come!

You can read more about the players and this trip on MLB.com by clicking this link. Or watch the video below to see the Field of Dreams for yourself!

Dominican Republic - Baseball Field Dedication 2009 from Mission of Mercy on Vimeo.

This may not make a typical Thanksgiving list, but that's no reason not to be grateful for the way you've helped us improve the lives of children!

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Hurricane Irene's location as of 9 am, Tuesday August 23, churning more than 50 miles north of the coast. Image courtesy of Stormpulse.com; to track the storm's path and progress, click on the image.Thank you for praying for our programs in the DR and Haiti! We just received word that our projects in both countries sustained minimal damage. Praise God!

Although Irene had been upgraded to a category two hurricane, the storm's path took it north of the coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Many Mission of Mercy projects are located in this northern region and closed temporarily to allow families to ride out the storm together.

Our prayers for the communities' safety were answered! The staff is still checking with families and community members, but it appears that no major damage occurred.

If you sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic or Haiti, please note that we will only contact you if we are notified that your sponsored child has been affected.

In the event of natural disasters or disease outbreaks, Mission of Mercy relies on our Children's Crisis Fund to respond. To ensure we continue to have has the funds available to help the children and their families in times of hardship, please consider a donation to the Children's Crisis Fund. To read how the Children's Crisis Fund met needs in the past, click here.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

We anxiously watched as Tropical Storm Emily approached the Dominican Republic and Haiti. And we are praised God as this storm weakened to Tropical Wave, which is weaker than its previous category of Tropical Depression.

Those praises continue as our field staff reported no damage. Some rain fell in the northern parts of the DR and Haiti, but not enough to cause concern. We thank God that our projects can continue to operate normally as they minister to the children and the community.

In this image from August 3, Tropical Storm Emily approaches the DR, Haiti, and after that, Cuba. Image: NOAA

The mission team in Honduras wrapped up their projects in Choluteca and Tegucigalpa and safely returned to the U.S. God has surely knit their hearts together, so we can continue to pray that they can hear God clearly and have the time and space to seek God's face about all they saw, felt, and heard in Honduras.

What does life look like after you return from a mission trip?

One mission trip participant reflects on how even a year later, her heart is not the same.

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The Mission of Mercy team was fortunate to capture many of the sponsor visits on the recent Dominican Republic tour. If you've ever wondered what a sponsor visit looked like, now you can follow along as Susy visits her sponsored child Rosanny and meets her family. Click here to view the album.

Part of the Sponsor Tour's activities included painting toy cars... but did you know how those cars arrived in the Dominican Republic? Here's a peek into their journey.

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For a closer look at the fun and fellowship of a Sponsor Tour,
check out the gallery from our recent Dominican Republic trip!

What’s the best way to fully understand Mission of Mercy’s ministry? See it for yourself, of course!

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We are so glad you joined us in prayer on June 15. Did you know our international staff was praying with us, too? Here's what that looked like in two of our countries...

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Right now a group of sponsors is in the Dominican Republic meeting their sponsored children. Have you ever wondered what that'd be like? A sponsor shares her experience...

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Two years ago, Maria had a house full of boys forbidden to attend school and little hope for the future. This is the story of a family transformed.

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Have you ever wondered what your sponsored child's home looks like? If you're the curious type, you'll enjoy this week as we travel around to each of the countries where Mission of Mercy works and show you the types of houses your sponsored children call home.

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Water affects so much of your child's life -- is there enough to wash up before school? Is it safe to drink? Can I go out and play? What season is your sponsored child experiencing right now, and what does that mean for daily life?

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She stepped onto the field with curiosity and was quickly overwhelmed. How does it feel to enter a Mission of Mercy project? Our guest blogger Janelle offers her own perspective -- the dust still clings to her, and that's a good thing.

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If you want to see how sponsorship works and what God is doing with the money you have dedicated to His children, prayerfully consider these opportunities!

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