Hello friends and family.  I want to start off by apologizing for not having a post in a month.  No good excuse, just hadn't gotten around to it.  Thanks for your continued prayers throughout this summer season.

Carrie and I are currently leading a youth group that is down here from Philadelphia for this week.  It is a lot of hard work and very tiring, but very fun and rewarding.  We are with the group from 8am until 9pm each day.  Our ministries include prayer walks, handing out bread and water to the people, door to door evangelism, vacation Bible school with the children, and going to an orphange twice.  Carrie and I are in charge of everything: coordinating and organizing them, managing the money, buying groceries, teaching them each night, etc.  Pray that the ministries would just get even better these last few days.  Pray that Dominicans would hear about the love of Christ and that the Philly youth would grow closer to Christ through their time here.  The group flies back on Monday morning.

Carrie and I will be on that flight with the youth group, moving home.  Wow, it is hard to believe that our year is coming to an end here!  It has been an exciting year with many challenges.  We have seen God do some great things and we have grown tremendously as people and in our faith.  It has been a blessing to work with AIM here in the DR.  We are so very excited about the next stage of life that God has for us: moving back home, being closer to family, and having a baby this winter.

Thank each of you so very much for your support and prayers this year.  Each of you has had an important part in this ministry.  We look forward to seeing many of you soon.  And remember to pray hard for our group, that we can finish strong.  We love each of you so very much! Adios!

                                                                                                                                                             So, here is the week in pictures.  The first picture is our friends Helen and Isaiah.  They have been consistent attenders of our house church and are growing in their relationship with the Lord.  The picture below is from a revival we went to the other night.  It was a one of a kind experience to be able to worship God in Spanish with thousands of San Juaneros.  The picture to the right is of The Ambassadors doing a VBS in our neighborhood.  It has been a smashing hit.  Kids have had so much fun and have heard about the love of Christ.  The bottom left picture is us with our new friends Sam and Jill Borg.  They live in Gainesville, GA, but have been down here for the month serving along side us.  The last picture is of Wanden.  At 12 years old he is the sole financial provider for his family of five.  Pray that God would bless his shoe shining business and that we can effectively share the love of Christ with him and his family.

This morning Jonathan told me that I make him smile. I teared up. I think I teared up because when he said that I was reminded that my heavenly Father says the same thing to me, "Carrie, you make me smile."   Being in the DR right now is hard for me in many ways but I have such tremendous support from a God who loves me so much and is cheering me on. Each morning I am encouraged and reminded how to move out in ministry through Isaiah 55:12:

"For you shall go out in JOY and be led forth in PEACE; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

Some celebrations of this last week and a half:

1. Same and Jill Borg are here. They are a fun couple from Gainesville, GA that are here to do ministry with us for this month.   We have been so encouraged by them being here and they have really supported our existing ministries.

2. Dominican adults and children are being loved on. We have opportunities each day to seek people out and show them the love of Christ. I'm thankful for an opportunity to be so intentional with the ministry of presence in people's lives.

3. Dominicans are hearing Truth. We took "house church" to the street last Thursday and had our biggest turnout. Sam led us in worship music and Jonathan shared a message that included practical ways to live out a relationship with God.   It was neat to see people engage and learn how to walk out a Christian faith. I think God was smiling upon that night for sure.

Hello friends and family!   We have arrived back in the Dominican Republic after a layover and 2 hour delay in Miami, a missed bus to San Juan, a hotel stay in Santo Domingo, a broken down bus, and a taxi ride to our house.   It definitely was a journey, but we made it and are excited about the summer ahead of us!

Our responsibilities this summer are four fold.   For the first month we will be running the base, while Miguel and Kristen are in the States.   We will be the face of AIM DR during this time while a youth group from the States comes in for two weeks.   Also, in late July Carrie and I will be project leaders for a high school group from Philadelphia.   Along with those two responsibilities we will continue to have our home church as well as continue our own personal ministries and relationships with Dominicans.

Lastly, a couple of exciting things happened while we were in Atlanta over the last month.   The first thing is that Carrie and I have decided to move to Roswell, Georgia when we move back in August.   The second thing is that we are expecting our first baby on December 31, 2007!   We continue to be blown away by how the Lord blesses us each day.   Pray that our heart will be totally here this summer.   Pray for the continued transformation in the lives of the Dominicans we are working with.   Pray for the health of Carrie and the health and development of "Baby Tabb!"   Thanks so much for the continued love and support!   

This past Thursday we wrapped up our "house church" for this season.  Instead of having our normal meeting under the gazebo we decided to go around to the houses of people that come.  We brought each family bannana bread (which they think is weird, but end up liking) and prayed over the houses and the families.  It was an amazing time for both parties.  I am pretty sure that God was smiling down on those houses.

The First Year Missionary Program is wrapping up for this season.  As a staff we decided to celebrate them by taking them to Pico Escondido (a YoungLife camp in Jarabacoa, DR) for three days.  We had a blast relaxing, eating great food, hiking, and rappelling.  We also had an opportunity to do some construction at the camp.  It is a young camp and they are continuing to grow.  It was fun to be able to serve another ministry in that capacity.

Tomorrow morning the 13 of us are headed to Santo Domingo to prepare for "re-entry" into American life and culture.  We will be spending a couple of days debriefing the last nine months and looking ahead to what is next.  Please be in prayer for the eight "FYM's" that will be moving back to the States and moving on to the next chapter in their life.  Pray that the experiences had here and the lessons learned would effect them positively as they continue to pursue Christ.

Carrie and I fly to Atlanta next Thursday.  We look so forward to seeing many of you.  Thanks to each of you for continuing to stand behind us and our ministry. 

April has been an exciting month for visitors. Look at who has come!

Katie's mom and aunt came the first week of April.

That same week my brother, Troy, and his wife, Stephanie, came. We loved having Troy and Stephanie! We went to the beach with them on our day off and had them here in San Juan for a few days to do Dominican  life with us.  

Corey's fiancé, Laura, came last week from Texas.   This past weekend Beth's boyfriend, Tanner, made a surprise visit and proposed to Beth on Sunday!

How fun it has been to have friends and family come and be a part of what we are doing!

On Wednesday afternoon our church planting team finished our day of being out in the community by singing worship songs in our house.   While we were singing, two shoe shiner boys looked on through the window.   As I sang, I heard their voices trying to sing along, trying to join in.   The boys don't know English but they wanted to be a part of what they saw and heard. Tears filled my eyes. I felt my heart being "re-broken" for the lost.   While I sang I saw the attempts of our shoe shiner friends to sing along as a picture of what our team is doing in our area.   We are modeling what it looks like to follow Jesus and asking people to join in with us. We are telling people to come as they are to a God that loves them just as they are.   We are getting the opportunity to show people that being a Christian is not a list of rules and regulations.   I'm thankful the LORD allowed me to be broken from such a simple picture.   I'm thankful He encouraged me to continue to show my Dominican friends what it means to follow Jesus. Pray that our hearts can be "re-broken" for the lost each day of our lives.

God has used dancing to break down walls this week.   I'll preface by letting you know that most churches here in San Juan are very legalistic and do not allow dancing of any kind.   I am often asked by non-churchgoers if my "religion" allows me to dance.   I usually tell them I look to God's word to see what He says about it.

On Monday morning I was spending time at my friend, Yadira's house.   We were talking about life and she was opening up with me a little.   While we were standing in the kitchen a popular "bachata" song came on the radio.   I started moving my feet to the beat and Yadira got really excited and proceeded to teach me the Bachata, Salsa, and Merengue.   Picture a small kitchen, loud music, three kids playing all around us, and my friend in her nightgown and high heels, dancing with her white friend, Carrie.   She laughed and smiled a lot.   I felt some wall between us melting down.

Dancing seemed to melt down another wall on Saturday at our family evangelism ministry.   Our team prepared a "drime" (drama/mime performance that communicates a message about Christ), an explanation of the drime, worship songs, and a message about the love of Christ.   We "set up" in a street near our house and watched as about fifty Dominicans gathered around to watch.  It was neat to see how and engaged and interested everyone was.   I loved seeing Truth communicated to so many people.  

After it was over we put on Merengue music.   No one was really dancing until Jonathan jumped in the middle of the street and "let loose."   The crowds faces lit up with smiles and laughter.   I could see that wall melting down again like it did the morning I was dancing in Yadira's kitchen.   Soon Dominicans joined in dancing in the street.   Others stayed around talking to each other and to people on our team.   I felt like we were really fitting into the culture.   I felt like God was at work as we met people where they were.

The First Year Ministry (FYM) program is an opportunity for 18-22 year olds to do a nine month internship at one of AIM's bases around the world.   Currently, here in the DR, we have eight such students.   Over 50% of Carrie and my ministry is with these students.   I disciple David (left) one on one and Carrie does the same with Katie(above left), Katrina (above right), and Sarah (bottom).   Get to know our friends.

David Lindsey is a 20 year old from South Dakota.   He grew up in a Christian home and is the son of a preacher.   Last year he felt the Lord calling him to this place for this time.   We are all glad he heeded that call.   We have seen David grow so much in his relationship with Christ over this year.   He has grown tremendously in the areas of leadership and service.   Pray for his boldness in sharing Christ with those of this city and clarity of direction for the next chapter in his life.

Katie Kirkpatrick is an 18 year old from Illinois.   From the beginning of the year it was very evident that God had a special call on her life.   Wise and mature beyond her years, she has been an encouragement to everyone on our team.   She serves the community here in San Juan by helping Carrie and I plant a church in our neighborhood and by volunteering at a nursing home.   Pray for her continued passionate pursuit of God and service to Him.

Katrina Kasta is an 18 year old from Florida.   She has such a gentle spirit that has a positive effect on our group.   The Lord has blessed her with the heart and ability to work with children, especially those that are less fortunate.   During her time here is also teaches sign language to the deaf community here in San Juan.   She is a tireless worker for the gospel of Christ.   Pray for her continued growth in the Lord and for clarity and peace about the future.

Sarah Hunt is a 19 year old from Ontario.   Sarah is the life of the girl's house with an individualistic style that is matched by no one.   Her love for people and passion for worshiping the Lord are an encouragement for us all.   The Lord is teaching her so much this year as she ministers in the poorest neighborhood in the city and volunteers at the nursing home.   Pray that she will be draw closer to the Lord each day and that He will be her peace.