September 2024
On the Road with Doulos
By Andy Langenfeld
Communication Coordinator
(4 Minute Read)
September has come and gone, and the new school year excitement is giving way to routine and academic rigor. During the last week of the month, Tim (Doulos Development Coordinator) and I had the chance to take a nine-day trip to the States to engage prospective teachers and reconnect with long-time Doulos friends.
Our first stop was Liberty University for Global Focus Week. Well actually, our first stop was Charlotte for an unexpected overnight because of a storm, but after that, we arrived in Lynchburg a little tired but ready for a great week.
We were greeted by this guy!
Josh Griffin, the former Executive Director of Doulos, is now working at Liberty and his family is living in Lynchburg. It was so great to connect with them and see them thriving in their next chapter.
We set up our fancy new booth and got ready to hand out free succulent plants (Tim’s brilliant idea to get students to come to the booth).
During the week, it was so inspiring to interact with over 500 Liberty students. When you are in the day-to-day in the DR, it’s really easy to forget just how special of a place Doulos truly is. Time and time again, as Tim and I shared the unique work God is doing, the response was almost always the same.
“Wait, so you guys are a like a high-end English immersion private Christian school in the mountains of the Dominican Republic, but you think God wants to raise up Dominican leaders from lots of backgrounds so half your students get scholarships….??”
“Yeah, exactly!” We’d reply, like proud parents whose kid just got an A+ at the science fair.
“Wow, that’s so cool!” they’d say with a lovely twinkle in their eyes.
“I agree, and we haven’t told you the half of it yet.” By the time we had shared our deep commitment to Christian discipleship, expeditionary learning, and cutting-edge intervention programs, their minds were officially blown.
Telling the Doulos story literally HUNDREDS of times in a week got a little repetitive, but, more than anything, it was a giant gift. The students at Liberty reflected back to us just how special of a place Doulos is and what a gift it is to get to be part of it.
From there, we packed everything up, navigated more weather, and at 5 AM finally made it to our hotel in Tyler, Texas.
Visiting South Spring Church was more of a family reunion than anything. For years, South Spring has sent short-term mission teams to serve and church members to be missionary staff. They have supported Doulos in many critical ways.
Saturday night, we walked into a room where just about everyone was wearing Doulos T-shirts. One by one, they told us about the incredible experience they had serving on their trip and how Doulos had a special place in their hearts. It’s powerful to meet people who really get the depth of what Doulos is doing because they’ve seen it for themselves.
On Sunday morning, Tim did a great job giving a little talk in which he thanked the church for being part of God’s work at Doulos and invited them to join as student sponsors. It was beautiful because we didn’t need to tell them about Doulos at all. They’d been sending teams and praying for years. One older gentleman even came up to me in the lobby and said, “Hey, I recognize you. You’re the guy who sends me emails every month about Doulos.” He then took out his phone and showed me his folder of eNewsletters. He looked me right in the eyes and said “We’ve been praying. You can count on that. We’ve been praying.” I stood there overflowing with gratitude. What a powerful gift to know our arms are linked in God’s work.
After hugs, high-fives, and a little Thai food, we packed up and headed back to the DR- our bodies tired, but our hearts overflowing from a great trip.
Land Update
The architect has given Doulos the first draft of how the land might be organized (aka "The Master Plan").
The Doulos team provided feedback, and we should have the next draft in a couple of months.
July's Highlights
Relational Emphasis Week
This year, we learned more about asking for and receiving forgiveness. It was very powerful.
All School Worship
The entire school came together to worship the Lord and pray for each other.
Reading Under the Stars
This was a special night that encouraged families to foster the love of reading.
Lobo Invitational
Doulos hosted 5 volleyball teams from Santiago and Santo Domingo. It was great opportunity to compete and have guests on campus.
How can you impact these numbers?
For $75 a month...
Provide the second half of a "partial sponsorship" for one of the 34 students. OR provide the first half of a "partial sponsorship" for one of the 11 students who have no sponsor at all.
For $150 a month...
Provide a "full sponsorship" for one of the 11 students who have no sponsor at all.
Click here to learn more and see the specific students in need of sponsorship.
Please join us in praying for...
On-Site Board Meeting - Our Board of Directors will be on the Doulos campus for the first weekend of October. Please be praying for God’s guidance, wisdom, and unity as they work through a variety of topics.
Fruit from Our Trip - Pray that God will move in the hearts of the Liberty University students that He’d like to serve at Doulos, and that they would continue to take the next step in the calling.
Outdoor Education Trips - This fall, a variety of groups will be getting outside their normal routine to encounter God and connect more deeply as a class in nature. Please pray for safety, and for the Spirit to move in their hearts.