Gratitude and Trust—A story from Kids Alive in the Dominican Republic

God’s Care

One of our social workers received this message on her phone from the mother of one of her students, along with this photo:

Blessings! I hope in the Lord that this finds you all well in your house. I always trust in God. This was my last egg for these days. The first message was followed a few minutes later by another message and photo.

One more time, God has shown me that he takes care of us and His timing is perfect. One of the great blessings of this great (Kids Alive) team and family is that each day you run the extra miles to save lives. We are extremely grateful for the ministry of Kids Alive. May God multiply abundantly His blessings over you and your health always.

A Season of Waiting

Life in Dominican Republic is now, in many ways, quite different than we’re used to. Our borders have been closed for over three months, and closures will likely extend into the summer. The month of June saw the closing of most nonessential businesses, and a nationwide curfew from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. All these new realities have changed how we operate our ministry, and we are learning to wait patiently on the Lord and His timing.

Our three residential campuses are in summer programs but remain under strict protocols with limited and controlled entries and exits. The children and youth continue to learn about and appreciate God’s provision and protection. Our seven schools are now on summer break. Over the last few months, our team has provided regular meals for over 1,200 families along with academic and spiritual enrichment materials for students and parents, most of whom have lost their meager incomes during the pandemic.

Your Gifts, God’s Provision

Last November, College Church selected three projects to support as part of the Thanksgiving Eve Offering. One of the three projects was submitted by the Trautweins.

Your gifts supported new dental care to impoverished, atrisk kids, encouraging overall health and confidence. Doing so increases retention, allowing Kids Alive to have a greater impact in the lives of students and families.

Because of your support, we now have newly acquired dental equipment that will allow us to more easily accommodate visiting dentists. We have already set aside space in our building to use as a dental exam room, and we have identified two local dentists who are willing to help treat our students. Our hope is to hire a dental hygienist and to offer routine dental exams and dental care to all students once our campus has re-opened.

We also recently added a full-time counselor to our staff, and this will help us better address the needs of children who have witnessed or experienced traumatic events, especially in light of the current uncertainty.

His Steadfast Love

Through these uncertain times, God’s promises are certain, and his steadfast love never ceases. It brings us great joy to see the fruit of your generous gifts, and even more joy that we can share these victories with you.

A Note from Vic…

Thank you for your help for so many years and most recently with a generous donation from the Board of Missions for food distribution during COVID-19. College Church has sent teams and missionaries to share the gospel and tangibly share God’s love to impoverished, at-risk kids in the Dominican Republic for over two decades. The work is producing much fruit as young students learn about gratitude and trust in the Lord. Many grow up to be influential Christians, like the social worker who once was a sponsored student at the school.

Please pray in the coming months that we can continue to protect and provide for the over 2,000 plus students and close to 300 workers and return to more normal operations in our seven schools and three residential programs. We are also praying that God continues to provide so that we can maintain our current staff of house parents, teachers and counselors while adding new children in our schools. To this end, we are praying that God brings us 500 new child sponsors to provide sustaining support for these life-providing and life-changing ministries. Thanks for your prayers, encouragement and support.

To sponsor a child at the ANIJA (Spanish acronym spells out “helping the children of Jarabacoa) Kids Alive School in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic go to secure.kidsalive.org/search.aspx?SearchText=DO014

About the Authors | Vic and Leslie Trautwein

Vic serves as field director for the ten locations of Kids Alive schools and orphanages. Leslie oversees medical care, nutrition and dental health programs. Kids Alive serves more than 2,200 children and youth, and the staff has grown to 290 nationals, including 40 former at-risk youth in professional roles such as classroom teachers.