The Top 10 Lee Zehmer Family Events from 2010

10. Driving 4000+ miles in 5 weeks this summer. We made treks to Kanakuk Kamp in Missouri, Disney World in Florida, and some friends' beach home in Beaufort, NC. We had lots of opportunities for serious bonding time!

9. Brooke beginning graduate school at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Through the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program Brooke is able to go to school full-time while pursuing a Masters in Educational Administration.

8. Lee traveling on his 5th mission trip to the Dominican Republic with members of our church. As the years progress, the friendships formed with people there become sweeter and sweeter!

7. Madison turning 13 and getting her braces on! She continues to enjoy writing, dance, piano, chorus, and handbells.

6. Kinsley turning 13 and getting her braces off! She stays busy with dance, chorus, and handbells and thinks babysitting is an amazingly fun way to make money!

5. Mollie entering fourth grade and playing a townsperson in Lexington Youth Theatre's production of "The Music Man." The rehearsal schedule was brutal, but the show was fantastic! Mollie loves dance, soccer, and Girls on the Run.

4. Welcoming Brooke's parents to their new home 10 minutes from us in Lexington. We all miss "Wynndy Hill" near Harrisonburg, Virginia but are so grateful to have family nearby!

3. Preparing to welcome Lee's brother Bud, his wife Jennie, and their children Jamie and Francis to Hickory, NC. They are moving from Philadelphia the week of Christmas and will live 1 ½ hours away from us. Again, what a treat it will be to have family nearby, and Lee and Bud will be able to "talk shop" since they are both pastors!

2. Celebrating 5 years at First Presbyterian Church here in Lexington. It has been a fun, fast, and fruitful time, and we are excited at all the Lord is doing in our church and our family!

1. Thanking God for all of the blessings in our lives. Chief among those are the friendships we enjoy and appreciate. Our door is always open to you!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Last Day

Friday was a wonderful day. We finished painting the outside of the house and added border to the top of the walls in most of the rooms. In the afternoon the whole community surrounding Mission Emanuel gathered to dedicate the house we completed for Vijo and his family. They are beloved by Dominican's and American's alike, and it was a moving, emotional dedication. Tears were shed and praises to God were lifted up. Above is a picture of Vijo and family.

I was also able to visit with Raphael's family and Bralio's family to say good bye. What a blessing it is to have a five year relationship with these wonderful families.

One of the ways we support Mission Emanuel is that we sponsor a child for education. Unfortunately, sometimes children move and leave the program. This year, for the second year in a row, our sponsored child left the program. So once again, we received a new child to sponsor.

Here is a picture with our new child Carla who is three years old. Pictured with her are her mom and dad and neighbor.

Our team is now getting ready to return to the US. Thanks to all for your prayers and support.

Lee

Wednesday & Thursday

We expected to paint today and were all prepared. Yet, when we got to the job site, we were asked to help pour concrete headers for the house next door - another house being built by Mission Emanuel. While we were not mentally prepared for another heavy lifting day, we stepped up to the plate. It was a hard 6 hours of moving concrete bucket by bucket across a yard and up a ladder.
The casualty of today was my lower back. By Wednesday evening, I was getting pretty uncomfortable. Advil helped a little, but it was still hurting. When I woke up Thursday morning, I realized I needed to take it easy. I stayed in the hotel with Advil and ice. I am feeling a little better and pray that this will not be a return to my pinched sciatica of late June. It is uncomfortable, but not debilitating as it was earlier in the summer.
The worship of Wednesday was wonderful as always. The Dominicans in the Mission Church sing with a depth of passion I have rarely seen. When they sing about a God who overcomes, they have hope that God will help them overcome. When they sing about heaven coming, they have hope that it will come to them soon. I think all of us could learn about the "heart of worship" from our Dominican and Haitian brothers and sisters.
Tonight we will be heading out to Old Town for a nice meal and tour of the old city. Tomorrow is one last day of work and visiting and then home on Saturday. This trip is always a great trip, and I am privleged to be able to come. It is my hope that I can bring my entire family one year, so they can catch a glimpse of God among the people of Cielo, Nazaret, and now Byona.

Tuesday, DR 2010

Here is a picture of Emily, Cathy, and me after eating at JUMBO a food court in a large department store. I post this picture, because my daughter asked me to post a picture of me. Most of the other pictures of me are on other people's cameras!

On Tuesday, we spent another hot day painting primer on the house we are finishing. We painted ceilings, walls, and the outside of the house all in one day. Not telling how many square feet it was, but there were 15 of us working as fast as we could. We finished 2 minutes before we had to leave for the day.

Here is a picture of Craig preparing for painting.

It is so amazing to God at work through this wonderful place - Mission Emanuel.

First Day of Real Work

Our first day of work was wonderful but hard. We poured a concrete floor in a 6 room house by hand. That means one bucket at a time passed down a line and poured on the floor. 90 Degree heat and hot sun. We did a great job. They expected it to take 2 days, and we completed it in one. Emily Smith and Craig Koontz are in the above picture handing back empty buckets. Tomorrow we begin painting the entire house inside and out.
This evening was another late evening. We went back out to the mission to have a progressive dinner and hear from people who have been effected by the mission. The food was great, but we did not get back to the hotel until almost 11 p.m. Fortuneately they have given us and hour extra in the morning. So breakfast at 8 a.m. rather than 7 a.m.
This has been a wonderful trip so far. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Worship in the DR

The highlight of today has got to be worship. We gathered with the Haitians in their small church, and they sang from the depths of their souls. They had no instrumentation and sang a capella. They didn't need instruments!

Then we joined the Dominicans for their worship. They too sang loudly and strongly. Since this is an evangelical church, I recognized many of the songs and sang along in English. My favorite song is called Allabare (or Praise!)

What always effects me is the passion both the Haitians and Dominicans bring to their worship. It is clear that the way they sing is born of their experience. When they sing about God helping them overcome, they really believe it. I wonder how our worship would be revolutionized if everyone gathered sang with the same gusto that the Dominicans and Haitians do. They really believe their faith. They really live their faith. It is my hope that my children will learn to worship with passion and in truth.

Off to the 15th Anniversary Celebration with Mission Emanuel.

DR Trip #5

Well, I am back in the Dominican Republic for my 5th trip. It is good to see my Dominican Friends as well as American friends from around the country. We all share a passion for Mission Emanuel and the people of the DR.
It has been a long day. It began at 4 a.m., and I am about to head to sleep at 10 p.m. Then back up at 6:30 p.m. for breakfast. I am actually looking forward to a Sunday afternoon nap. I'll need it to make up for this travel tiredness.
I went back out to the airport with Javier de la Cruz to pick up Megan Ziglar. Her plane was late because of a TFR in Boston surrounding a visit by President Obama. Then when her plane landed, it got behind an Air France plane whose pilot did not want to cross a taxi way that had grass clippings on it. About 20 employees of the airport went out to clean the taxi way. The pilot eventually shut off his engines, and the plane had to be towed to the gate. By the time all this transpired, Megan's 4:50 p.m. arrival ended up being 7 p.m.
After our introduction meeting tonight, we all went to Yogen Fruzen for some frozen yogurt. It was delicious.
Well more tomorrow!