Wrapping up, some good news :

Scholarships - Julia and our church bookkeeper, Amy Creasy, have completed all of the final accounting details for our 2019 trip, paying all remaining bills and adding up the remaining funds plus the donations earmarked for scholarships. The final total, $31,500, will pay for 90 scholarships for the 2019-2020 academic year at the Episcopal school in El Pedregal. These scholarship donations came from three Episcopal congregations: Christ Church (Valdosta GA), Nativity (Dothan AL), and Trinity (Statesboro GA) plus individual supporters of our mission in several other locations. In 2018 we donated $31,150 for 89 scholarships, which was a record at that time. This year, one more.

I have already sent this good news to Padre Ramón Canela and he responded right away with this message for all of us:

Para nosotros es de mucha alegría saber que podremos contar con esa gran ayuda para que más niños puedan tener la oportunidad de un mejor futuro. Dando gracias a Dios por el trabajo que ustedes realizan para el beneficio de nuestra institución, Dios les siga bendiciendo grandemente con salud y prosperidad a usted, Julia y todos los que colaboran con esta obra de amor.

For us it is very happy to know that we can count on this great help so that more children can have the opportunity of a better future. Giving thanks to God for the work you do for the benefit of our institution, may God continue to bless you with great health and prosperity, Julia and all those who collaborate with this work of love.

Evaluation - For a summary of the trip evaluation survey, click here. This summary report will be shared with Fr. Dave Johnson of Christ Church Valdosta and with Patricia Martin, the head of the mission team support office in Santo Domingo.

Trip Report - For a report on the trip formatted as a bulletin insert, click here. This insert will be in the bulletins at Christ Church Valdosta for the worship services on Sunday, July 7.

DR peso loans: I have sent the loan amounts and their US$ equivalents to individual missioners by text message. If you didn't get yours, please let me know and I will resend. My mailing address is at the bottom of this message if you are mailing a check to repay. I also have PayPal and Venmo accounts, and recently signed up successfully for Zelle thanks to fellow missioner Meg.

The temporary trip photograph album on my Facebook page is linked here. I'm still working on a comprehensive photograph album formatted for Google Photos. When that album is ready, it will be listed on the trip planning page and on this index page within the Christ Church website: Photos 2019

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Let me conclude this message as we concluded Evening Prayer while we were in El Pedregal:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you 

Wherever he may send you; 

May he guide you through the wilderness: 

Protect you through the storm; 

May he bring you home rejoicing: 

At the wonders he has shown you; 

May he bring you home rejoicing; 

Once again into our doors. 

Julius

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The planning webpage for the 2019 mission trip is online here. All information about the trip will be added to this page just as soon as it is available.

For information about Christ Church's mission work in the Dominican Republic, click here .