WELCOME

First, let me thank you for stopping by our blog. We are a family of 5 ~ Brad, Brooke, Jaden, Jake & Abie Lynn. We were called to serve the people in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic in 2008. We long to serve Puerto Plata by caring for the people there and aiding in holistic community transformation. We believe you cannot truly change the life of an individual if you don't help with the community around them. We believe in partnering with the indigenous people and churches worldwide in accomplishing these goals by establishing, trust among the local pastors/leaders of the communities we serve, helping start sustainable businesses for locals, providing pure water and health education and most importantly sharing the love of Christ through relationship and discipleship. God has called our family and we are blessed to be a part of this journey. We invite you to be a part as well...you can join us by reading this blog and sharing it with others, visiting us on a short-term trip, financial gift through Until They Know...(300 Vestavia Pkwy Set 2300, Birmingham, AL 35216), or most importantly partnering with us in prayer. God bless you or as we say it in the DR ~ Dios te bendiga!







Wednesday, December 22, 2010

DR - November 2010

SEE DECEMBER MINISTRY POST BELOW...
Ministry and family pics...December pics will be posted around the first of the year!

WRESTLING MATCH


trust me and just keep reading...
Post by Brad...
Have you ever shared what you thought about something with a friend or family member expecting to find support and been shot down by an opposing viewpoint? Or shared a frustration with people only to have them tell you to get over it? Have you ever been hunting without bullets? Or planned an event only to have the A/V systems crash? Did you ever pay to get into a dance to find out the reason you were there came with a date – what now? Or what about anticipating a car wreck and watching it occur, helpless to prevent it? How about printed out directions from MapQuest and driven in circles ½ a mile from your destination? Well, then welcome to our world of the last couple of months. Or more specifically let me not throw Brooke completely under the bus and say, “welcome to my world”.


Proverbs 16:1-9 is a summary of the lesson God has been teaching me through the past couple of months. It is hard to believe, but it was 2 ½ years ago that we had good plans and ideas coming here to the DR as missionaries with GlobeWorks International. We left the comfort of the states to implement plans to serve the Lord faithfully in caring for orphans and presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a partner with us here in the DR or follower online, you know that things went a little crazy. Then, we again returned to Puerto Plata as Alliance 29:11 missionaries with a renewed energy, refined vision, and reorganized ministry this past May. For the last year we have been awaiting the arrival of funds to purchase land and put up the new orphan care facility that currently sits in Mat Whatley’s warehouse in Birmingham. To this day, the funds have not come! But, nonetheless we have been involved in ministry in Puerto Plata, pursuing community transformation through a ministry of reconciliation that we as believers are called to in 2 Cor. 5. God has used us, but our eyes and efforts have always been looking toward the future facility for orphans.


If you answered, “yes” to any or all of the opening questions above, then you know the feelings we have dealt with recently. I say we, because our entire family has felt the impact of our last couple of months. At times, we have all felt helpless, disappointed, misguided, irritated, powerless, alone, confused, and perhaps most importantly humbled. I don’t know if you just heard that – “Ding, ding, ding”, but that was the final bell of my wrestling match with God and it was declaring that I just tapped out by crying, “UNCLE, UNCLE!” It was an ugly battle and very lopsided in the Holy One’s favor, of course. But for both of us it is a glorious victory. Jeremiah 29:11-14 has been a favorite verse of mine since a college days wrestling match with God, that left me desiring His plans for best in my life, for a hope and a future; now it is the namesake and tagline of our ministry here in the DR. Today it points me to Prov. 16 and leads me to repentance and begs me to trust the God of promise and to once again let go of my own desires; to let go of the pride that keeps me drudging along clutching onto my plans, when freedom and fulfillment is in letting go of my own and chasing God’s. The passage in Proverbs begs me/us to ask further, do I/we fear God? Do I/we desire to serve God? Is His proven love and faithfulness enough for me/us to trust Him with this ministry’s future? Is my/our love and faithfulness big enough?

All of this is to say: THANK YOU for the covering of prayers for our family and for the ministry here in Puerto Plata. Additionally, THANK YOU to all of you who make it possible financially for us to STILL be here serving within the call God has given us. Please, do not stop! :o) We have only just begun.

The closure of this pathetic wrestling match also brings the closure of our pursuit of the orphan project. God has made it clear to us that the orphan care facility and project will not be run by us or Alliance 29:11. The battle for release of that desire and clarification of our call has been the thrust of our wrestling over the last couple of months. I would not be able to write this newsletter and have in fact delayed it’s writing for a month, because I could not say whole-heartedly that I am excited about where we now stand.

So, what has been going on and what is coming for the Jenkins family and Alliance 29:11? While we have waited for the funding for the facility, the Lord has opened doors for us in the area of community transformation. We have served orphans through programs in local churches. I have opportunity upon opportunity to encourage local pastors and I have had the chance to preach in many different churches. We have had interns working with us to further Alliance 29:11 efforts here in Puerto Plata through children’s programs and English classes. In addition, we have hosted nine teams for short-term trips to partner with our family in serving the people here. One of those teams has turned into a major partner, I’ll tell you about that shortly. There are five English classes that Alliance staff members as well as our family are teaching. We have launched filter projects in 2 villages bringing nearly 200 filters to families that had previously been forced to cook in and drink dirty water – now they are able to produce 5 gallons of pure water each day. Showers, a home, and a church/community center have all been built; and school supplies, clothes, shoes, and medicines have been distributed through local leaders. None of these things would be possible without you, your prayers and financial support. Nothing in our future will be possible without each of you playing the part God has positioned you to play in this ministry.


Alliance 29:11 Team

Lifeline/(un)adopted Team
Jaden helping teach at ESL class in Lo Coco

Now to discuss that future – we first want to communicate that we are excited about what God is doing here in the Dominican Republic. He has shown us other ways to impact orphans through the local church and using native families. He has begun to bring partner ministries to Puerto Plata and connect us to ministries currently operating here that will be partners as well. Jason and Michelle Little who have been raising their funds as Alliance 29:11 missionaries are now under the umbrella of (un) adopted a ministry of LifeLine Adoption Services. This partnership came after an (un)adopted vision trip in October. They will serve alongside us here in Puerto Plata. There continues to be great interest in short-term trips to serve with us in Puerto Plata. We will make locally beneficial short-term trips an even more focused part of our approach to the mission. Our goal for next year will be 15-20 trips (If you are interested in participating or leading a ST Missions trip please email me – brad.jenkins35@yahoo.com or call 205.588.1198). We have been blessed to be able to build relationships over the last couple of years, and get a feel for the needs of the people of Puerto Plata. The Lord has shown us specific ways to impact the extremely poor and help to bring sustainability to the native ministries through small businesses. We have been asked to help local schools for undocumented Haitian refugees become self-sufficient and better organized. This is another mentoring and discipleship opportunity for me. Calling other ministries to serve alongside of us and introducing them to the need will be a major part of our future here in the DR. LifeLine and Jason and Michelle Little joining us here in the DR would be an example of that call at work.


We are also excited that Joel and Sarah Griffith will join us in the next few months. They will be splitting some of our responsibilities with Alliance 29:11. Joel has just completed his Master’s in Cross-cultural Ministry and has considerable missions experience. Community and fellowship is definitely a need that has become very apparent and these two couples along with the discovery of a church full of other missionaries about 30 minutes away will be God’s provision for those needs.


Obviously, there are so many things to be excited about, but most importantly we are thrilled that God has given answers and made His direction for our ministry clearer. We are definitely not in the position we thought we would be in two and a half years after beginning our ministry as orphanage directors in the Dominican Republic. We did not plan on things to go the way they have, but we want to chase God wherever He leads, whether it is what we had in mind or not. And we can say with confidence that He is leading and we are doing all we can to keep up.
Please continue to pray for the following:

* Discernment – we are sought out often for money from locals (many of whom we love), but we know that our acting like a bank does not benefit either party. We want to say like Peter and John in Acts 2 – “We have not silver or gold, but look at us and follow”. We do have what they need in reconciliation to Christ, and our own lives as an open book.

* Housing/Food – Due to the fact that we will not have an orphanage with housing provided for our family, we must continue to rent. We did not plan on that or raise funds for that beyond January. Thus, we must have rent and utility funds totaling $800/month beginning in February. For the same reason, we need an add’l $500/mo for our grocery budget. Our organization provided us with a food stipend b/c we would be eating at the orphanage. A2911 is still covering this expense, but we need to raise this once we have our housing needs met. $1300 is a big number to raise from the DR, but we trust if God leads, you will answer!! We thank you all for your part in our ministry!

* Home School – we have settled into a groove for school, but in January we will start the kids in a local Christian school a couple of days a week for socialization and help in learning Spanish. Dib Rivera, one of our local board members and the pastor whose church has the school has offered this for free!! Praise God for that!

* More thanks – that God is continuing to reveal His plan for us in the DR and connecting us to other missionaries in the area, and that He has given us a foundation of people praying in the States. They have been felt during this time, and they are what has held us up!

Praying you all have a very blessed and meaningful Christmas!! From His fields…

If you would like to contribute to our family and ministry in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic you can mail a check directly to Alliance 29:11, 400 Office Park Drive Suite 301, Birmingham, AL 35223. All contributions must be designated “Jenkins Family”. OR you may also go online to make a contribution or set up a reoccurring contribution by visiting http://www.alliance2911.com/. Click on the donate button and follow instructions. Make sure to select the drop down menu to choose “Jenkins Family”. All donations are tax deductible.


DR - October 2010


Photos from 1 family & 2 teams that visited us in October!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Dominican Republic - Alliance 29:11

This is a video from this summer, interns and teams that we hosted and the villages and programs you hear me mention in posts, newsletters & my blog. Brian Reed our teammate put this together to show where we are and were we are going...greater things are still to be done! To God be the Glory!


Saturday, October 30, 2010

September 2010 Family & Wedding Pics


Our quick trip home in September for my brothers wedding and to see some family and friends.

DR - September 2010


September 2010 Photos...if you want to see wedding photos come back later, I will be posting them soon!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

All about HIS Provisions

Hola, mi amigo! Dios te bendiga! Translation ~ Hello, my friend! God bless you! This is the standard greeting among Christians here and a phrase that I enjoy and can repeat with ease (unlike many others). If you haven’t yet guessed, this is Brooke this month. My oldest son, Jaden just recently said, “Mom, it’s okay that you’re not very good at Spanish. I can be your translator.” As sad as this statement is, it is true at the moment! All kidding aside, I know you don’t hear from me often, but I thought you should from time to time! This way you know that the kids and I are enjoying ministry as much as Brad!  I want to give you an update since our last newsletter and tell you of more great things God is doing here in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic!

Last month, Brad introduced you to Pastor Jacob and told you about his upcoming graduation from Bible training. When the day came, we went to pick up Jacob and ended up with 11 people in our truck! It was great!! I loved being able to help Jacob with his robe and hat, which he had to remove by the actual graduation ceremony because he was so hot, and stand by him as he received his diploma! The service was a long one, BUT it blessed me so much to see all of those men receiving their challenge from their teacher. Also, just knowing that they had committed 5 years of training to gain knowledge, wisdom and a deeper relationship with God their Father! After the ceremony had concluded, a group of 15 pastors asked Brad to begin a Bible study with them. After some prayer, Brad has agreed to lead them in a weekly Bible study. This was a God honoring day and one which I was honored to be a part of!

Our sweet child friend Jeffrey is still doing well aside from some of the boyish 11 yr old “fun”. We are thankful that Pastor Jacob is involved with him and his family. His step-mother is still not a believer and she doesn’t want to care for Jeffrey nor want him at home when his father is away at work. Unfortunately, his father is not home very often and this means that Jeffrey is on the streets most days. Please pray for their relationship and God’s protection over Jeffrey.

 Pastor Blanco & Brad sort through
      items donated from the states
I wanted to share this month about more exciting ministry God has laid before us. God repeatedly throughout scriptures mentions the care of orphans, widows and aliens. Believing this is the call for each believer, we have a wonderful opportunity to do just that. While we are waiting for God’s timing for the orphanage building, we are still able to minister to all 3 groups. First, since this summer alone we have been able to provide a basic need to each group in the form of purified drinking water. Donors and teams have made this possible by purchasing the systems. But instead of giving these out for free, they earn them by bring recyclable trash to the local pastor of the village. He looks after them and makes sure they are caring for their system properly. Secondly, we have been able to work with a local Pastor, Blanco, who has his own “undocumented” school/orphanage/foster care. Since the children are not documented they are not taken care of under CONANI’s umbrella. We have been able to supply him with school supplies, clothes and friendship throughout the trials of running a ministry. He loves the Lord and is doing wonderful things here too!! The third ministry opportunity that God has brought before us are ESL classes. Brad has shared with you about our ESL class in a remote Haitian village called LoCoco that our summer interns helped launch. Well, after our August newsletter we hired a Haitian man named William to be the official ESL teacher. As of this week he will be the lead teacher of 5 ESL classes around Puerto Plata in partnership with us!!
Blanco gave out bags that an AL church decorated, filled with supplies and sent down to his undocumented children

William, Monique & baby Djoubelkiss (Joobellkees)
William is a 28 year old Haitian man that we first met when he was doing some concrete work on our apartment, at the original orphanage, in Javillar the summer of 2008. We quickly learned that he was a very intelligent man and that he could speak FIVE different languages, that’s right people CINCO!!! We have formed a wonderful friendship with him over the years and think of him as family!! William became a believer in 2005 and his heart has been to serve the Lord and do ministry full-time. He desires spiritual growth and plans to attend the Bible study Brad will be leading. Many of you who have come to serve with us in the DR have met William because he is one of our translators. Some of you men have labored with him in building projects and can testify to how hard he works. One thing not many know is that he has been separated from his wife and two daughters for 5 years. He has been able to visit them, but last month he was able to get their documents and bring his wife and youngest daughter (pictured on the left) here to live with him. He is currently working towards getting the funds to bring his sweet 4 year old daughter, Grina to live with them here in Puerto Plata. William is a perfect fit for this teaching role because of his work in the communities already. He has VOLUNTEERED as a teacher at Blanco’s school, helped with ESL classes, translated for Brad (Creole) and anything else we may have needed. We are happy to have offered him a paid position so that he can not only teach others English and God’s Word, but give him an opportunity to care and provide for his family! None of this would be possible without GOD’s provision! We give God all the praise and honor for what He is putting together!

We also want to thank God for His provision for our family!! We enjoyed some much needed down time after the summer ended! We took a 2 day trip to the capital, Santo Domingo, & stayed in a house built in the historical district in 1550. We toured the Christopher Columbus house & the oldest church in the Americas! We also had GREAT fun at Ocean World thanks to Jake winning a free pass & the gifts of God’s children! It was truly a wonderful experience and we are grateful to those individuals!!
 
 
Kids in front of the Presidential Palace                 Our family with Skipper at Ocean World   

                                  
In September we returned to the states in for my brother’s wedding!! It was such a special time and we were so blessed that God provided a way for us to be back to celebrate with them!! Brad officiated the wedding and I was blessed to stand as a bridesmaid to my new baby sister!! What a blessing and honor!!

          ~Our family with Justin & Katie~           ~Katie, the Pastor (oh, I mean Brad) & Justin~



~Katie, my new sister~

I will end my letter to you all by thanking you as always for your support of our family and by asking you to join us in prayer over the following requests…


 Praise God, my Achilles tendon is much better, we had a wonderful family time and the start of our school year has been great!

 Praise God for His graciousness in dealing with us and opening and closing doors in ministry opportunities. Please continue to pray for discernment in what we are to do and where we are to trust God to provide someone else to meet those needs.

 Please Pray for God’s continued direction for the ministry and partnerships.

 Praise God as He continues to grow our family’s financial ministry partners. We are so thankful for how you all have supported us and trust God will provide our need. Please pray that He would continue to provide as we trust.

 Please pray as we gear up for more ministry teams coming down to serve with us. We had the first of our fall groups arrive this afternoon and we have teams booked almost every month from now until next March. If you are interested in a possible trip please email us bbj531@yahoo.com.

Thank you again!! You are His tools that make what we do possible!

From His fields…Brooke for all ~


If you would like to contribute to our family and ministry in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic you can mail a check directly to Alliance 29:11, 400 Office Park Drive Suite 301, Birmingham, AL 35223.  All contributions must be designated “Jenkins Family”. 
OR you may also go online to make a contribution or set up a reoccurring contribution by visiting www.alliance2911.com.  Click on the donate button and follow instructions.  Make sure to select the drop down menu to choose “Jenkins Family”.  All donations are tax deductible.

Friday, August 13, 2010

DR - July 2010

Changed Lives...ours and theirs

by Brad & Brooke Jenkins

Let me begin this month’s post by saying how great it is to be able to write to you from the field. To tell you of the wonderful stories God has orchestrated and ordained instead of posts about the plans we have for the ministry here in the Puerto Plata.

First, let me introduce you to Pastor Jacob, pictured here on the far right, and one of the pastors I asked you to pray for in our last post. He is a pastor in Aguas Negras that we have worked with extensively this summer. He is committed to serving the Dominican/Haitian Village of Aguas Negras as well as 5 other church plants he has begun throughout Puerto Plata in the last three years. Jacob is a 50 year old Haitian widower and sweet man. We love him and he loves our family and has actually asked Brooke to be his “god-mother”, which is a quite an honor. He will soon be graduating from “Bible training” and wants her to award his diploma to him, an honor given to mothers in the DR. We will also host a small party for him afterward. Pastor Jacob, through his ministry, impacts about 170 families a week and hundreds of orphans. We thank God for our partnership with men like Jacob, he is truly a blessing!

Jeffrey with the ever popular “gang” sign pose.
One of the young boys that Jacob works with and introduced us to is named Jeffrey (11 year old). He is from a tough family and he and his step-mother fight violently. Much of this is due to Jeffrey’s defiant and at times unstable behavior. The other reasons are their need for Christ, hope, and an understanding of God’s plan for their future. Jeffrey is known as the “crazy kid” in the village and proves that true often. About a month ago as we were doing a 3 day program at Jacob’s church in Aguas Negras, Jeffrey punched a girl in the face over a jump rope. Moments later, he stood in the street swinging and kicking at adults that had come to defend the little girl and to “teach him a lesson”. This group included his step-mother who held a 2x2 piece of lumber and the others holding rocks and sticks. Pastor Jacob and I kept them from using them, except for his step-mother who beat his legs, arms and head with the piece of lumber. Jeffrey then pulled a knife and the scene became more intense. I was able to back Jeffrey against a house and began to pray in his ear that he would be calmed by God and feel God’s presence. He broke down and handed me the knife. We were able to walk away from the crowd and he let me share the story of Jesus Christ, the hope of salvation and transformation through Him. Through his sobbing and tears he said he wanted to be changed. He accepted Christ! He then asked me to share with his step-mom and to tell her about what he had done. She was not ready herself and doubted God could really change Jeffrey, but seeds were planted. There has been a change in Jeffrey and just last week his step-mother, Lydia, told me she sees it. She has come to church twice in the last month and Jeffrey has been going since that day in the street. We praise God for His faithfulness and redeeming power. We also pray for his step-mother that she would recognize her need for Jesus in her life.

Two changed lives
This is the day I met Jeffrey. I told Brad that afternoon I felt a strong connection to him, but didn’t know why. He was the most disruptive child at the program and acted very tough on the exterior.  But there was something when you hugged him that changed.  The next day was the day Brad shared above and the Jeffrey became my little brother.



WOW...we have some other info to share...
Well, we are winding down our summer. In the last month, we have said good-bye to our wonderful interns and hosted 2 other teams. We also had the pleasure of sharing our home with the Little’s who will be joining us on the field as DR ministry partners once they have raised their support and sold their home in Hoover, AL.

The Alliance 29:11 sponsored team and Reel Life Adventure team joined forces this last month in Munoz on various water projects. Each team spent a week building a 6 stall shower house and for the first time people there don’t have to bathe in a bucket or a contaminated river. They also each spent the week training and distributing between the two teams 145 Pure Water filters in the community. In addition, to the water projects the A2911 team did VBS in Munoz and the Reel Life Team built a house in Javillar for a single mother of 6, whose house was falling down around her.

***For additional ministry photos and captions please click on the above link for July 2010 Photos***

We would like to conclude by thanking you for your prayers and support of our ministry here in the Dominican Republic!

 Praise God, my (Brooke) MRI came back and all is healed nicely with some remaining torn fibers. I am  up and moving around with ease. The only pain I have is when I over extends myself. Please continue to pray for complete healing.

 After a busy summer please pray for some downtime for our family. It has been great, but we are in need of some quality time as a family, please pray for that in the upcoming weeks.

 Please pray for a great start to the school year for our family. The plan is to on start back this month.

 As we wait on the property we continue to have ministry opportunities open up to us. Pray for discernment in what we are to do and where we are to trust God to provide someone else to meet those needs.

 As we wait, we also are in need of rent and utility funds. Until missionary housing is built we are responsible for our rent and utilities. We are covered through September, which leaves us needing your help to raise the remaining $2100 to extend our lease through December 2010. We’d also like to praise God for the add’l $50/month support that came in since our last newsletter. If just 18 people would commit $25/mo. we’d meet our needs. We are so thankful for how you all have supported us and trust God will provide our need. Please pray as we trust.

 Lastly, please pray for the property and the resources to be received. We have our RNC # which means nothing is stopping us now. All we need is cash in hand to negotiate our property. We have the interior walls to the orphanage sitting in Birmingham waiting to come. Please pray for God’s provision.

As ALWAYS, none of this would be possible without God!! We give Him all the glory for what is taking place and we give thanks for all of you!! You are His tools that make what we do possible!

From His fields…Brad, Brooke, Jaden, Jake & Abie Lynn

Monday, June 28, 2010

BACK AND STARTING STRONG!

By Brad Jenkins

We are so excited about how things have started in the second season of our DR ministry. We have hosted 2 short-term mission teams, the first of which (Auburn Football/FCA) arrived on the same flight as we did. They had great trips and accomplished much in love and worked to further develop our relationships in Puerto Plata and our vision and philosophy.

Children programs have been done in various focus villages around town. A church building was built by, Northside Bible Church members in the Haitian Community of Lo Coco, where there was no gathering building prior to this. This will also function as a site for community meetings and Alliance 29:11 led English classes. All of these programs have been done in conjunction with pastors and their outreach ministries of their churches. This is to insure that we encourage local involvement and have relationship with the leadership of continuing ministry efforts in these villages.

We have plans to build shower facilities in some Haitian refugee villages that do not have bathrooms readily available. At this time, the people bathe in washbasins at their front door or in nearby polluted rivers. They stand in their clothes and try to get as clean as possible, but community leaders desire more. Please pray for Alliance 29:11 and Reel Life Adventures teams as they will build these and facilitate the supply of water for these shower facilities. We hope to develop a low cost solution that can be reproduced easily.

Shortly after our arrival, we were joined by 3 interns – Kaylyn Moran and Cadence Snyder recent graduates of Asbury University in Kentucky, and Maddie Russo a student at Union University in Tennessee.

The interns are doing an awesome job working with children and adults in our focus villages and with our partnering pastors. They are leading and co-leading English classes, music classes, discipleship, and activity programs in Javillar, Aguas Negras, Lo Coco, San Marcos and Munoz. The Adults are so excited to have the opportunity to learn English, and all the while being exposed to the truths of God’s Word, through songs, stories, and new relationships. They also led a week long VBS with an amazing turn out of over 175 children and hosted a parent’s night at the conclusion of the week. We are seeing a great response on all efforts. I am so proud of the girls and the job they are doing.
 Jaden, Jake and I will be working through the international language of sports to share Christ and disciple guys in Puerto Plata. We will join in pick-up basketball games at a local court and invest into the young men who play there. We will also travel into villages to create sporting opportunities, whether baseball/whiffle ball, basketball, or soccer for the kids there; All the while, seeking to engage them in spiritual conversations and the work on Christ.


 Please join us in thanking God for His provision with our support needs that allowed us to be back on the ground in Puerto Plata. However, since arriving we have lost several donors due to the economy and a few that have not yet sent in their pledges. As of today, we are in need of $500+/mo. This is AWESOME considering the last newsletter we sent out we had a need of $1250!


 Please pray as we continue to settle in as a family. Brooke cut her leg right at the Achilles tendon and bruised it when a cabinet fell over on her. We had our ER experience just a week into our time here. She was given 12 stitches and is still sore after 3 weeks. She no longer needs crutches, but we continue to pray for healing and thank God that the tendon itself seems to be healing. We will be going to get her an MRI in the next week so she can make sure all is well and can begin therapy. This injury has hindered Brooke’s ability to set-up house, but we have managed.


 We continue to wait on the provision of resources to complete the first phase of the orphan care facility (Rescue Village of Dominikids Hope House). We trust that the Lord will provide in His time and ask you to pray for our contentment and ability to minister in ways that He allows in the meantime.


 We rejoice in the purchase of our family vehicle here. We thank God for the purchase of a sound vehicle at a good price and the donors that made that possible.


 Please pray for our partnering pastors here – Pedro, Mateo, Dib, Evelyn, Jacob, Blanco, Ricardo, and Daniel. Also, please pray for our local, U.S. and Summer staff.


As always THANK YOU, without your prayers and financial support NONE of this would be possible!!
 Watch for links to ministry pictures and videos...

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

GIFTS



written by Brad Jenkins

Do you remember what it was like as a child on Christmas morning? Can you feel the excitement to open presents, to see what Santa had left during the night? Do you recall the patience required to wait for everyone to be awake and ready, and the cameras to be in place before you entered the room? I was not so good at the waiting, but the reward for the wait was always worth it! Whether it was the new bike, Mattel football, a Pistol Pete uniform (w/ kneepads), a puppy, bongo set, or even socks – it was exciting, it was a gift, and it was mine! I had made my request and had been heard.


Honestly, I’ve not gotten much better at the waiting. I have struggled with God’s timing on our return to the Dominican Republic, on His provision of the land for the new orphanage and the resources to prepare the site. I’ve struggled with waiting here while there were so many opportunities to minister in Puerto Plata like: teaching English classes, helping desperate prostitutes understand that God designed them for greatness, provide small business loans with Hope International to men and women whose dreams have been lost, disciple young people like Aranza - a 12 year old girl sold to a “gringo” man by a hopeless mother who hoped to give her a better future in prostitution, play soccer with Haitian children in refugee villages, or work alongside and encourage pastors. None of which mentions our greatest call: to rescue orphaned children and offer them a family that displays the love of Christ, which brings them the message of hope and points them toward the future God intends for them.

We are so close to returning! And today, I am reminded of Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait on the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings of eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint”. We have waited and continue, our strength is renewed, we are ready to soar with new perspective and opportunity, and we are ready to tirelessly run or even walk when necessary, because we know the Lord is with us.

Our wait today is to finish up our monthly support need. We thank God and our partners that our “special gift” goals have been reached and that our monthly needs are within reach. We hope to have the remaining funds ($1250/mo.) by the end of this month. This newsletter is mailed to 330 people and viewed by many others through our blog and website. If 60 people responded at $20/month we would be ready to go. We trust that God will continue to provide for His ministry to Puerto Plata. Any amount of monthly contribution makes a big difference, both to us, and those who partner with God’s ministry to “the least of these” by financial support of this ministry.


Please pray for:
  • All that God has in store for Alliance 29:11 and our family in the DR
  • All of our monthly support to be committed
  • All the land and building financial resources to be given
  • We have to be out of the missionary house in April, because of a prior commitment to another missionary family, so pray for provision for housing OR for our return to the DR! (we hope the latter)
  • Safety during travel to upcoming appointments as we seek to close out those support needs
  • And join us in thanking God for all He has done to reshape this vision, develop our ministry partners, for the recent Birmingham area media coverage of our ministry, and for the renewing of our family’s strength during our time in the states. And thank Him that our after the March 27th Alliance 29:11 board meeting, our due diligence will be complete allowing us to return to the DR if our support is in.
Thank you for your continued encouragement and support. We can’t do this without you!

To give please go to:


Google Earth Image of the land we are praying for, it is eight acres in total.

Phase I – is the small yellow square on the right. This is the dominikids Hope House rescue village, to meet the immediate need of the orphans. Asking price for the land is $180K.

Phase II – is on the left. The Community Impact Center would include a microfinance bank, discipleship center, job training center & medical clinic. The Orphan Care Village would house up to 11 native foster families with children transitioned from our Rescue Village.

FEBUARY 2010 - DR assists HAITI

As I sit here in the Spirit Airlines terminal at Ft. Lauderdale, a stop in my return flight home from Puerto Plata, I am reminded of my playing days. If you have ever played a sport, you know that the worst days of practice the entire year are those just before the season starts. You and teammates have spent weeks or months going through difficult drills, sweating, bleeding, learning plays, beating on each other – tempers flaring up at times. You cannot wait to get to the first game and actually doing what it is you have prepared to do for so long.


This is exactly the feeling I have right now. It seems that for a couple of years our family has been preparing for that which God called us to. We even got to taste the season – only to seemingly have our first game rained out. Today we are trying to wait patiently on the Lord. We know that our call is like that of Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 – “He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” We have seen God do some tremendous things this fall and bring such a great team together to do ministry in the DR. We have had our planning meetings, poured through budgets, the Lord has continued to sharpen us in the area of Orphan Care and developed our model for bringing love and hope and a future to the children that will be entrusted to us and now we are ready!


The last piece to come together is the financial piece. As I write this today, we are in need of $1150/month in our family’s budget. We also need $28k to get established there as a family again – this would cover tickets, a car, and our rent until the new missions house is complete. Alliance 29:11 DR is also in need of funds for the project as a whole. We are hoping to build a village of orphan care facilities, as well as, a community impact center on a couple of plots of land totaling 9.5 acres. These pieces of land are centrally located in Puerto Plata and give us tremendous opportunity to impact the entire city. We cannot go without God placing these needs on the hearts of his people and the obedient response of those He leads to act. Until then, we continue with pre-season.


Please pray for the arrival of these funds and God’s time to come. If our family’s resources came in we could leave immediately. If we were on the ground in Puerto Plata we would be able to continue to develop church/pastor relationships, train and recruit staff, launch community ministry through ESL programs teaching English classes, Hope International bank, teen discipleship programs, work closely with CONANI and our lawyer Mateo on compliance and philosophy of orphan care, and lastly, further relationship building in the community.


Brooke and the kids have begun their second semester of home school and are off to a really good start. Brooke is enjoying it, but appreciated the break. She is trying to sharpen her elementary grammar skills and is being challenged by teaching grammar. Please pray for her patience with herself in this area. She is doing a great job, but feels like she is struggling there. The kids are really growing up and taking responsibility for schoolwork. They are proud of their accomplishments and I am proud of teacher and students.


Please continue to pray for Alliance 29:11 and our family in these areas:
· Fundraising for our family

· Fundraising for Alliance 29:11 DR – land purchase $180K
· DR staff currently in place, and staff yet to be recruited

· A durable and inexpensive vehicle for our family in the DR


Another prayer request that I want to address separately has to do with the earthquake in Haiti. CONANI, Child Protective Services in the DR has asked for our help! They are asking us for 2 things, medicine and housing for Haitian Orphans. CONANI requesting our help shows great confidence in Alliance 29:11 and we would love to help care for the onslaught of orphaned Haitian kids to be arriving in the DR. But, we do not currently have the funding to return. Can you help? Please pray for our quick return or give as God leads.
To give please go to:
When you set up your account, you can set up a reoccuring paymant or make a special gift. When you enter the amount make sure to select Jenkins Monthly or Jenkins Special Gift. Thank you for your support, we can't do this without each one of you!

Monday, February 1, 2010

A FRESH START...

DECEMBER 09 NEWSLETTER FROM OUR NEW MISSION ORGANIZATION - ALLIANCE MINISTRIES - ALLIANCE 29:11-US is the division that solely operates the Dominican Republic Ministry we will be serving. This was the newsletter sent to all of our supporters...

Greetings to you and yours in this blessed season when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! And thank you for your partnership with Brad and Brooke Jenkins as they are willing to leave the comfort and safety of their home to serve the least of these in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, especially the widows, orphans and aliens. I am Don Ankenbrandt, director of Alliance Ministries, Inc. and its subsidiary Alliance 29:11-US. Alliance is a 501(c)(3) and will be receiving all donations made to support the Jenkins beginning December 1, 2009. Globeworks has officially turned its orphan ministry in Puerto Plata over to us so that we can proceed with the building of a new orphanage at which the Jenkins will serve as house parents. In addition to running the orphanage, the Jenkins will supervise and assist in several ministry outreaches in which Alliance is engaging either by employment of local Dominicans, partnership with the local church in Puerto Plata, or partnership with well-established US-based ministries. Our vision is to transform entire communities by coordinating and creating synergy among ministries which have been called to serve the least of these in specific areas of need such as family building, economic stability, sports, medical, church planting, education and, primarily, orphan care.

The Jenkins’ are still in need of more monthly support and one time giving in order to move them to Puerto Plata. We are proceeding with the building of the orphanage on faith that God will provide their support. You may see the progress we have made by going to the website www.orphanagebuilders.org. In the meantime, Brad and Brooke are very busy working on the ministry here as we set up the systems, build the relationships, prepare the legal documents, purchase the land and organize the processes needed to build and operate the orphanages. They long to be with the children and leaders in Puerto Plata, but their time and energies are well-spent here as they raise the remaining support and prepare to GO!

Please call me if you have any questions at 205.229.2491 or email me at dank@alliancemin.com.

Thank you and God Bless You!
Don Ankenbrandt





OUR FAMILY NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 09





“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” – 1 Peter 4:12-13


It is with overwhelming joy and excitement that I write to you today. God has been faithful as He promised. The last I shared with you, Brooke and I along with GlobeWorks and the DR sub-committee were praying about how to move forward with ministry and orphan care in the Dominican Republic. As Don laid out in his portion of this newsletter, God led and Alliance 29:11 was born.

“Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” (Ps. 145:3) - This verse is most called into mind, when I look back on all of this. He is so worthy! All who are involved in this partnership of ministries are really excited about what God has called us to and the momentum that has been gained since the events of last summer in the DR. That’s right, I said “momentum”. We will return as soon as possible with great support from local churches in Puerto Plata, tremendous support from CONANI – government agency in the DR that certifies orphanages. We will have a new beginning with a new site, new facilities to be constructed, and other experienced ministries from the states that bring years of excellence to the table, as well as, additional families who will be joining us in full-time service to the people of the DR.

For our family, orphan care will be our number one priority. But, we will also be involved in the multi-faceted approach to community transformation. The orphanage center will be a hub for community impact and programs from micro-finance to English classes to medical clinics to discipleship programs to sports ministry.


With all of this in the plans, I am sure it is easy to understand that we are ready to be back on the ground in Puerto Plata. I spent the week before Thanksgiving there with our Alliance leadership team, and really just wanted to send for my family and not return. However, there is work to be done here. With this new beginning and new partners in ministry there are details to take care of, meetings to have, and of course, funds to be raised. Please continue to pray for all of these things.


We have, as was shared before, some additional needs in our monthly support, some one-time needs to get us back to the DR and buy a vehicle for our family, to shore up before we are able to return. It is our hope that we will be on the ground in January.


Thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray for our family during the trials of the past summer and in our pursuit of God’s plans this fall. We have been encouraged by you and know that God has answered in a big way. D.L. Moody said, “A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; only shine lights.” It is our prayer that in righteousness we continue to shine brightly both here and there as we represent the Lord, Alliance 29:11, and your obedient sacrifice in support.



Thank you and God bless,
Brad, Brooke, Jaden, Jake & Abie Lynn

REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD

September 2009

Tuesday September 8th I was reunited with my family – a glorious reunion and just in time to celebrate Abie Lynn’s 6th birthday on the 9th. We enjoyed the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta as a birthday celebration/field trip for home school. We are living in Birmingham where Shades Mountain Independent Church has graciously provided a missions home for us during our time back in the states. It is a very comfortable home and schoolhouse for us, however, we pray and hope our time here will be brief.


The situation I left behind is much better than when Brooke wrote to you as she and the kids were leaving. It has been resolved outside of a courtroom and a settlement has been signed. This is a good thing and will allow us to move forward much sooner than waiting a year or two for a court case to complete (not to mention
the money that would be spent in legal fees). This is a huge answer to prayer for our family. This settlement will bring peace, resolution, and protection for our family, ministry, and staff, both now and in the future.

As far as our facility in Javillar, we occupy it and are utilizing the building to reach into the community just this week hosting a team of military medics spending some off-time to serve the LORD. We are not sure of the future of this facility, but know that having an orphanage in that building is not a possibility, according to CONANI , the government institution over orphanages. Therefore, we are praying through the possible ministry uses in the future and weighing those against the opportunity to maybe sell the facility and using the proceeds to advance a new site and our “new beginning” in the DR. Please pray with us over this decision as well.

How are we doing? I would say well. We know that nothing that has taken place in the last few months took God by surprise. Although it was difficult, at times frightening, and we would not have knowingly signed up for this, we would not hesitate to do it all over again. Why? Because the Lord has shown himself faithful. He has challenged our faith and drawn us closer to Himself. He has met with our children and they have seen a big and mighty God at work. We know there is a “best for us” at the end of this story as God has promised and we wait for the unfolding of the script. God has used His body to lift us up in prayer, love on us, encourage us in His Word, and be examples of Christ to us. For these things we praise God, and thank you – our partners in ministry. Without all of these things being true I would not be able to say that I feel pity and forgiveness toward Joel. God in this time has brought me from a place of responding in my sin nature to a place of wanting restoration or salvation for him. The difficulties, hurt, rejection, betrayal, and malicious words cast in my and my family’s direction (as well as others involved with the orphanage) are a grain of sand compared to what Christ endured for us! All for what – For grace, the loving forgiveness of a perfect sacrifice that spoke not a word in defense, but only continued in righteousness for the glory of the Father! Who am I to condemn man?

So, where are we now and what are we doing? We will be spending the
next period of time in laying the foundation for moving forward. This means we need a unified plan and the resources to accomplish the plan. We have rented a home $800/month in a secure neighborhood of Puerto Plata – an added expense plus $300 utilities/month.


We still need a vehicle upon our return to the DR, which will be $12K-$15K US..


We will need to purchase a new piece of property to build the girl’s building on in a CONANI in an approved location in Puerto Plata.

We need prayer for everything mentioned in this letter, for a productive time at home, for continued favor in the DR and new ministry partners there, for continued ministry opportunities to surface in the area (I had the opportunity to preach many times in the last few weeks I was there, to lead a Bible study and saw people come to know the Lord as a result – In the midst of the storm God is still using us to serve Him.) Please also pray for a continued strong start to homeschooling for Brooke and the kids. All are enjoying it. Please pray that we stay close to the Lord and enjoy the fellowship of God, family, and friends while we are in the states. I ask that you also remember our staff in the DR that is holding down the fort while we are back here: Diana, Henrietta, Phyllis, Soto, Harry, Antonio and Ramona. And the family of Pastor Johnny Coma – Evelyn his wife and Sammy son 11 years old. They have become dear friends of ours and Johnny died unexpectedly last week at the age of 40. He will be greatly missed as a ministry partner working with visiting short-term teams and a friend. Lastly, I ask you to pray for Joel and his family. His teenage sons and younger 3 children and his wife.

Thanking God for you and your partnership in His ministry to the people of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

In His firm and gracious grip,

Brad, Brooke and the kids