A Dominican Day for the Karge Kids

 Four Kids in the Dominican is an adventure.

 When a Dominican sees me navigating the busy streets with my entourage, I am inevitably asked, "Are all those yours?!" Then, I am immediately pronounced insane and told I'm too young to have so many. Not so different from the States, I suppose. Crazy or not, this is what we're up to these days.

Reece II holds Dominick....

....While I prepare a stack of oatmeal.

We read our daily Psalm while we eat. Cade likes to put his own music to the verses. He calls them Psalm songs.

This particular week, I was translating for a VBS at Central Church. My fellow intern, Elsa, helped me get the Kids to the church safely. This is just one of the alley ways we take to get to Central Church. It's the nicer one. 

Reece, Cade, and Alyssa all joined right in with their appropriate age groups. The love of Jesus translates itself.

Awesome time working with these ladies.

 Where was Dominick? This is pretty much where he lives.

 The visiting mission team brought everything necessary to make discipling these kids a fun and memorable experience.

Translating in the craft room was my job.

On our days off we explore the city. These were taken on Reece's 6th birthday at a local park.

Husband Reece thinks it's a death trap.

I'm learning some Dominican cooking. 

Tostones are twice fried plantains.

Reece II loves the food here. 

We are having a good time, and really enjoying serving the Lord, but it hasn't been easy.  The next blog will focus a little more on the poverty that has confronted us, and how we are involved in helping God's      

"Least of These." 

Until then, Love from the Dominican,

The Karges

Reece's First Team Recap

Week one is at its end.

I have been on trips before as part of a team, but now I am here helping to lead the teams during their one week trip.

This is my first team:

They are a great group from Nashville Tennessee.

Here's Team Crosspoint's construction project. This is the future site of the new Medical Center. Pretty, isn't it?

We had to take this rock and spread it evenly over the water to give a base for the basement floor to be poured.

We also went to different communities to do VBS. This is the Hole, a community that has developed around an old land fill.

This is a water purification system that was set up a few years ago. it provides clean water to the community. It's open twice a week for the community to bring buckets to fill.

Crosspoint had a great VBS. Puppets and crafts are always a hit with kids.

 This is where we eat all of our meals. Yours truly does the set up and clean up. But a lovely bunch of Dominican ladies do the cooking.

Meet my new friend Moses (or Mois in Creole). He is a Haitian Pastor with a great passion and vision for what God has called him to. He has a church and feeding center that feeds the local kids in the community. He also has plans for training up future pastors and leaders by starting his own seminary. I will keep him and his ministry in my prayers.

 It was a great week. I made a lot of new friends, received encouragement, and hopefully was an encouragement to the team while we served God side by side.

Can't wait to meet the next team.

A Dominican Homecoming

As i write this quick blog, my kids are enjoying siesta and rain is pouring down on our tin roof. It has been a crazy few days. Let's see the highlight reel.

We destroyed our American Home in the packing process. 

Disaster area!

We packed as lightly as people headed to a third world country with four kids could.

Everything a family of 6 needs for 4 weeks on Mission in the Dominican?

To the Airport!

Thanks for the prayers. The plan ride went well. And I know that was all God.

We arrived at our Dominican home Safe and sound. They affectionately call it Dirty Thirty.

These are the After photos. We will post a before video via You tube. 

The living room

Follow me down the hall.

Kid's Room is the first right.

These are our dressers.

I forgot to  take photos of my room and the bath. But here's the kitchen.

 

Learning Curve. 

So, thankful for the tools that Dad sent. Reece  used them immediately.

 So that I could cook dinner.

The First Supper.

We were all a bit.....

 But we've made it!

I'll be trying to up-date as often as internet access allows. Subscribe to our blog to receive our link in your email.

We would like to thank you all for your prayers and support. We never could have done this with out you. We are settling in and getting right to work. 

Reece is leading a construction team that is working on a medical center, and I have already met my neighbors. I'm looking for those Gospel sharing opportunities everywhere.

Keep those prayers coming, and stay tuned.

What the Karge Kids Eat

It's summer time, and the produce is fresh! And luckily, it's cheap too. Because there's not a whole lot of fresh foods that the Karge kids won't eat.

Exhibit A: Use-up-the-produce Experiment Smoothie

Reece II and I were in the kitchen with the Ninja, (Best Food Processor Ever) when we decided to make a green smoothie.

ME: You know, I was reading, and we can pretty much put anything into a smoothie.

RII:  Really?

2 cups of spinach, one cup of peach herbal tea, some watermelon, carrots, a banana, an avocado, and some frozen strawberries later, we had ourselves a pitcher of the unattractive brown stuff that you see pictured on the left.

It lasted ten minutes. Smoothies are the most awesome way to sneak in fruits and veggies. If you start your kids young enough, they will believe that anything served with a straw is a treat.




My smoothie success made me want to try other summery snacks. The Ninja and I, whipped up some Chocolate-Banana Yogurt Pops. It's nice when you can get a complete  list of the ingredients in the name.

We made them in those Tupperware Popsicle makers. (Thanks Aunt Becky.) 

The kids loved them....

...A lot.

Even our pickiest eater enjoyed them.

It was sad when they were gone.

Now, I'm on the lookout for other clean and tasty snacks. They are cheaper and healthier than store bought snacks. They weren't that difficult to make. Five minutes plus freeze time. 

Yard Sale

It seemed like an easy way to raise money for our up coming mission trip. 

It was both symbolic and practical- very "Sell everything you own and follow me..." and an excellent way to turn unnecessary stuff into funding. Yard sale. 



















Step one: Trick unsuspecting friends into agreeing to host said yardsale at their perfectly     located home 

Step two: Gather aforementioned "stuff" to sell 

 Step three: Pretend to have a plan concerning pricing and presentation 

 Step four: Expend all energy sorting and setting out "stuff" 

 Step five: Rely on caffeine to power the actual 10 hour long extravaganza

 Step six: Use sheer grit to get through the clean-up/ tear-down 

 Step seven: Thank God for turning the seemingly disastrous event into a monumental   success 

 Step eight: Beg forgiveness from perfectly-located, unsuspecting friends 

 Step nine: Vow to never, ever do anything like this again 

 Yardsale. We raised $500 to put towards our mission in the Dominican Republic. I'm sending a HUGE thank you out to every person who volunteered his or her time, energy, money, and stuff. We could not have done this without you.