Haiti.

It is a special place, magical even.
It has a way of getting under your skin and piercing your soul.

I recently was cleaning old documents off of my computer and found this article I wrote for a women's ministry blog from a large church. God really spoke to me during this time and continues to reconfirm the same truths today that he did then!

This was originally written May 30, 2011 (just a few days after my twin daughters turned 1). The photo below, however is from 2013!

Dear Friends,
We are in need of a new vehicle. The one we currently have is not working properly. We've put way to much money in repairs and it no longer proves to be safe or reliable for our family. Last October, our car broke down and left Jackie and the girls stranded in the middle of the road, two hours away from Santiago.

We are looking at trading in our car and have found a place that will work with us and are extremely reputable! We want to buy a Honda Pilot or a Ford Explorer. The most important quality in the car is that it has a third row in it so it will serve us well in ministry. We are also getting a car that has never been driven in the Dominican Republic. This is important for several reasons! There is a business in the D.R. of breaking the odometer and turning it back so you never know how many miles/km are really on the vehicle. Sometimes papers are forged as well. With a vehicle coming from the states we know it won't have these problems!

We are in need of about $5,000 to purchase this vehicle for our family and would like to do so in the next couple of weeks!

Will you be willing to contribute to a vehicle for our family? You can do so right on our blog! There is a giving box on the right side of our blog or you can send in a check to the G.O. Ministries Stateside Office in Louisville, KY. Simply mark "Perez, car" in the memo line!

As always, thank you so much for your continued prayers and generous support!

Over the last 6 months Alan has been making the transition to join staff with G.O. Ministries. He has been a National Partner with G.O. for six years and has faithfully served in Sports Ministry and Facilitating Teams. He is the first National Partner to join staff!

He will now step into a larger role with greater responsibilities and serve as the Coordinator of Education for Sports Outreach. He heads up the curriculum development and teaching for the Baseball Academy reaching nearly 300 kids daily. Alan loves these kids and loves teaching them about the Word and how to become Godly men of Christ in their homes and with their future families. What an incredible opportunity he has to impact kids for the Kingdom at such a young age!

Alan will also be facilitating teams and working alongside North-American Christians who come to serve on a mission trip with G.O. Ministries. He will have the opportunity to pour into hundreds of short-term team members this year and point them towards Christ's work here on the island through G.O. Ministries!

We are thankful for the ministry and the ways in which they have developed both of our roles over the last year! It is an exciting time in ministry for us and we are so grateful to our friends, family and supporters who have faithfully prayed for us, financially supported us and encouraged us with your sweet words. We love you and are thankful for the role you play in God's plan for the island of Hispaniola!

Alan and Jackie

One of the exciting things we wanted to update you on are how our roles are changing within the ministry. Alan and I both have some exciting news to share in these areas! (We'll share Alan's new role in our next blog update!) After returning to Vegas in October, I flew to Kentucky for our annual fundraising trip and to encourage our many partners in ministry in Kentucky and Tennessee. While I was in the G.O. Ministries office in Louisville I was asked to join the Leadership Team for the ministry.

I was incredibly humbled that they would ask me to step into this kind of role. Alan and I both agreed after much prayer, this was God's perfect timing. I now serve as the Executive Director of Teams. I am learning new things about this role everyday and am thankful to serve with an incredible group of people who teach me so much about grace, truth, forgiveness and love each and every day.

Will you pray for me in this new role? Pray that I follow the Lord's leading and that his direction would continually be ever so clear. Pray that his spirit would challenge and grow character that produces perseverance and faith. Pray for our ministry to boldly move forward to advance the Kingdom on the island of Hispaniola and beyond. Pray for our teams. We will have over 70 teams this year! (that's over 1300 individuals!) Pray for our staff and for our hearts to be aligned with him. Pray for unity. Ultimately, pray for the Lord to be glorified!

Amen!

I've known this week would come. The one where I have to write about Yasmin. It's plagued me for weeks. Since we saw the Doctor, really. It's haunted the back of my thoughts. I've prayed harder, searched scripture longer, and tried to make sense of the plight of this sweet little girl. This fighter.

There aren't many things more encouraging to our work on the Island as when our home church comes to work alongside of us. As the Director of Teams for G.O., it's a continual cycle of planning and helping teams prepare their time of service in the D.R. and Haiti. I spend a lot of time working behind the scenes so that our teams have the best experience working alongside of the Nationals. I look forward to working on the field and hosting our home church, South Hills, all year long!

I came on my first mission trip with South Hills in 2004 to work with G.O. in the Dominican Republic. God began a transformation in my life on that trip that would ultimately lead to me joining staff with G.O. in 2007. South Hills has continued to be involved with G.O. over the last five years. We are incredibly thankful for, not only the financial support, but the encouragement, friendship, support, prayers, time and love they have given to us and to the Nationals.

Romans 12:2
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Just as God began transforming me in 2004 through my time in the D.R. we had the priveledge of watching God transform the hearts and minds of 25 people in eight short days. But it's not just about what is accomplished on the field. No, the eight days spent here with us is just the beginning. A major part of what we do is to focus on mutual transformation. Not only is it about serving the Nationals and empowering them in the work they are doing, but it's about being transformed from inside out making more passionate servants of the King and the Gospel in our own "backyard." Serving "the least of these," right where you live.

G.O.'s vision is to empower passionate local leaders serving inside their own cultures to redeem people, renew communities, and restore creation by developing dynamic, international, mutually transformational partnerships.

This incredible vision God has given our ministry is part of the reason why we are so passionate about working with G.O. We have a unique opportunity to not only minister with our Dominican and Haitian brothers and sisters, but our North-American ones as well. We also serve as a way to bridge the cultures through Jesus' peace, redemption, renewal and restoration.

Thank you South Hills for your passionate hearts to serve HIM and for partnering with us!

November 6, 2002- the day I fell to my knees and confessed Jesus to be my Savior