Blessings

 Our order from Blessings International arrived today!

We will have quite a bit to pack on January 15, so come prepared to work and eat chili 😎😎😎

Suggested Packing List

We leave Grace Bible Church on Friday, January 20, stay in Chicago Friday night and fly out Saturday. Currently each passenger is allowed 1 checked bag less than 50 pounds, 1 carry-on and 1 personal item.

The fewer personal items you bring the better. You will need to haul your stuff around the airport and at the hotel :-} so pack as light as possible. Please do not bring any valuable items or sensitive electronics. Laundry is done at the guesthouse each day. As a team, we carry all our medications and supplies with us in our personal luggage.

At the guesthouse we will have access to a landline phone (with a United States number), a computer and Wi-Fi. The team leader will also have a MacBook. There is no reliable Wi-Fi outside the guesthouse.

Things to bring:

 Bible, mission manual, and journal.

 Cash for personal spending (souvenirs and food at the airports coming and going), recommend no more than $200. There is a safe at the guesthouse for money and other valuables, i.e. passports.

 Small flashlight (your smartphone may have this function, remember to bring your charger)

 Bug spray/Sunscreen 

 Personal Stethoscope for medical folks (they have some there, but the quality is questionable)

 Personal Toiletries 

Swimsuit (no bikinis or speedo’s)

 Work gloves (If applicable) 

 Ear plugs (for light-sleepers) 

 Small, battery-powered alarm clock (if you are using your smart phone for this, please remember to bring your charger) 

 Sandals/flip flops (for wear around the guesthouse or into town. NO open toe shoes allowed in the barrios)

 Tennis/work shoes 

 Nice, casual outfit for local church service 

 At least 1 pair of long pants, 1 long-sleeved shirt 

 Personal medications (preferably in their original containers)

 Spanish/English Dictionary if desired. Translators and a vocabulary list will be provided for the medical team.

Hand Sanitizer-pocket size

 Travel sized packs of tissues (outside the Guesthouse there is usually not any)

Donations: clothing, toiletries, shoes, etc., you plan to leave at the guesthouse, after the week is over, or donations for the villagers. Examples include school supplies, simple toys for children (nothing battery powered or inappropriate), small backpacks.

Please Register

 Everyone traveling to the DR for the January mission must register on the Solid Rock website. Even if you've been before they need everyone to register each year. Just follow the link to Solid Rock in the sidebar.

Thanks for taking care of this chore!

Travel update from DR government website

 As of April 23, 2022, all passengers and crew members do not need to present a COVID-19 Vaccination Card, PCR, or antigen test to enter the Dominican Republic or to entertourist centers, any establishments or to receive services such as excursions. RandomCOVID-19 testing for passengers and crew upon arrival in the Dominican Republic willno longer be performed. However, when required, random testing operations may beperformed. Passengers who present their Vaccination Card will be exempted fromrandom testing.

 As of February 16, 2022, all restrictive measures imposed by COVID-19 are suspended, and it will be up to each individual to take his or her own measures to safeguard his or her health, responsibly, but without restrictions.  

Measures such as the use of face masks, presentation of vaccination cards for access places of public use or restrictions in public spaces are the responsibility of each

individual.

1 John 4:19

Here is our team verse for 2023. Don’t worry if you can’t learn the Spanish but please memorize it in English.

1 John 4:19

We love, because God first loved us.

1 Juan 4:19

Nosotros amamos, porque El Señor nos amó primero.

The most important preparation is Bible study and prayer each day. Many of you are veterans of short terms but that doesn’t lessen the importance of preparation.

Remember, God goes with us.

Team Meeting

Team Meeting and Packing Party

The Dominican Mission Team will meet December 11 at 12:30PM at Grace Bible Church for prayer, study and packing party.

Lunch  will be provided

Bring your Team handbook and a suitcase  =-}

Now is the time to find, or update, your Prayer Partner. 

Travel Time update for Dominican Mission

 After discussion at the Mission Retreat we decided that the goal on January 20 is to reach the hotel in Chicago no later than 3PM (when we should be able to check in)

Revised Travel Schedule:

20 Jan Depart Grace Bible Church-Portage 10AM

20 Jan Stop in Janesville-12PM

20 Jan Arrive Hotel (Chicago)-3PM

21 Jan Depart Hotel 4AM

Flight information is unchanged

Dominican Mission Travel Details

 

Travel Schedule January 2023 20 Jan Grace Bible Church meet at 10AM 20 Jan Janesville 12:00PM 20 Jan Arrive Chicago 3:00PM 21 Jan Depart Residence Inn, Chicago 4:00AM

Flight	Date	From	To	Departure	Arrival	Class
DL 5474	21 Jan	Chicago Ohare Intl	New York John F. Kennedy Intl	07:00 AM	10:17 AM	Economy
Duration: 02:17
DL 1908	21 Jan	New York John F. Kennedy Intl	Santo Domingo Las Americas Intl	01:05 PM	05:56 PM	Economy
Duration: 03:51
DL 1829	28 Jan	Santo Domingo Las Americas Intl	New York John F. Kennedy Intl	03:01 PM	06:01 PM	Economy
Duration: 04:00
DL 5517	28 Jan	New York John F. Kennedy Intl	Chicago Ohare Intl	07:29 PM	09:34 PM	Economy
Duration: 03:05

Make sure you know where your passport is

Check with your doctor about vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis

We recommend that your tetanus immunizations be up to date. Those working with medical should be up to date on their Hepatitis A & B (not required but encouraged)

The Covid vaccine is NOT required 

Update

 Make your plans!

Mission Retreat at the Princeton House

October 28-29, 2022

come learn about Short term missions

food and housing provided just bring your questions, comments and sense of humor

Remember:

Mission to Dominican Republic

January 20-28, 2023

 We are looking to schedule another Mission Retreat. It will once again be at the Princeton House.

Possible dates are:

October 14-15 or

October 28-29

Please let me know which dates would work best for you.

Of course, mark your calendars for January 20-28, 2023. We are already on the Solid Rock calendar for those dates.

If anyone has a place on your heart to serve, here or overseas, shout it out. This body of believers is so strong let’s do more!!

2 Weeks

Two weeks from today, we plan to leave for our mission to the DR. If God wills it, it will certainly occur.

We have team shirts on the way. A big thanks to Sportz-N-More Embroidery in Adams for personalizing our mission shirts.

Update on plans: The Wisconsin contingent has reservations to stay in Madison overnight on Friday January 21. The cost has been covered by a generous anonymous donor!

Please continue to pray for safe travels. Also, Laurie Camper (Nurse from Ohio that planned to join us in the DR) is facing some serious medical issues with her father and is uncertain if she will be able to join us.

We love because God first loved us

1 John 4:19

 

Next Meeting January 16

 A big thank you to all the folks who donated items for the mission. We will continue to collect school supplies, clothing, shoes and small toys till January 16.

And a huge thank you to all who helped pack up supplies! Each team member “adopted” and packed suitcases, will inventory their contents, and bring them to San Juan de La Maguana.

The next team meeting is January 16. The team will be commissioned during the service. Afterwards we will complete the final packing.

A tasty lunch will be provided of course 😊

Prayer Request:

Though we will be flying out of Madison, it may be wise to get the team there the night before. Our flight departs at 6:45 Saturday morning and we need to be at the airport by 4:30AM.

We’re asking for wisdom over an additional $400 cost for the entire team.

Sunday December 19

 Team Meeting

We will gather at Grace Bible Church after the worship service to meet, eat and pack.

Please bring any spare suitcases, your team shirts and questions.

Mucho Importante: (Very Important)

If you have not gotten some medicine for malaria prophylaxis please let me know Sunday. While we have never had a problem among team members, malaria is a nasty disease and it is endemic to the area where we’ll be working.

Team Meeting

 Gather your spare suitcases, questions, and appetite!

We will have our team meeting on Sunday December 19 at Grace Bible Church after the worship service, starting about noon.

With our humanitarian airfare we can each check 3 suitcases. We have 6 large boxes of medications and supplies to distribute as well as some school supplies, toys and clothes for distribution.

And we’ll have some delicious barbecue!

Why We Do This

Team Meeting

 The next item on our agenda is to schedule a Team Meeting.

Please let me know which of the following dates will work best:

December 5

December 12

December 19

January 9

January 16

We will go over a brief orientation, distribute team shirts (hopefully) and divide up our medications so bring some spare suitcases. With our humanitarian airfare we will each be allowed to bring 3 checked bags. Since we cannot prepackage our meds this is indeed a blessing.

We need everyone to register on the Solid Rock International website:

https://www.solidrockinternational.org

Update on the 2022 Dominican Mission:

The fee per person for the Dominican Mission will be $1150/person traveling from Madison Wisconsin. 

The fee for those traveling on their own will be $710/person.

These fees include room and board, in-country transportation and the extra cost for those doing construction.

All payments and donations should be made to:
Grace Bible Church
P.O. Box 534
Portage, WI 53901
(For payments by check please designate the area for the money to be used in the memo line: -Team Member, DR or -DR mission, general)

Or online at: gbcportage.com

I need some ideas for fund raisers to cover the cost of our prescription medications and a Dominican physician to help at the Barrio Clinics: approximately $4,500 for the mission (in addition to the amounts listed above for individuals).

Contact me for ideas for individual fundraising ideas.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Prayer Request

 I just got an email late last night that American Airlines has cancelled the flights we were booked on.

Please pray that Katrina (Mission Nation Travel) will be able to make similar arrangements.

We love because God first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Airline Reservations

 January 22, 2022

American Airlines 

Flight #3592 

    Depart Madison, WI at 6:45AM Arrive Miami FL 11:10A

Flight #1461

    Depart Miami, FL at 12:05PM Arrive Santo Domingo 3:21PM

January 29, 2022

American Airlines

Flight #987

    Depart Santo Domingo 2:24PM Arrive Miami 3:55PM

Flight #3585

    Depart Miami 7:30PM Arrive Madison, WI 10:15PM

We have been able to secure reasonable airfares to fly out of Madison, WI! This is a true blessing as we won’t have to leave a day early and have the expense of staying in Chicago overnight, though I will miss having pizza as a group ;-]

As soon as I know the fee for Solid Rock I will know the total cost for the mission.

Questions? Let me know!

Travel Update for Dominican Republic

 Entry and Exit Requirements for the DR

-Are US citizens permitted to enter? Yes

-Is a negative COVID-19 test required for entry? No

    Random rapid tests may be done on selected passengers

-Are screening procedures in place at the airport? Yes

    Random temperature checks may be done

Airline ticket information will be available soon :-}