John and Colleen Schleh

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

Earlier this year, the Mission signed a formal partnership agreement with the Shell Point Village Church. In September, our team had the rare opportunity and privilege of having a Shell Point team come and spend almost a week going through each detail of the Mission strategy, objectives and goals. At times, they needed to nudge us out of our comfort zones and push us to have a greater impact in the years of ministry that remain. Their wisdom, gained through years of business and ministry experience, was invaluable. Our DR team is extremely grateful for the faithful and mutual prayer support, the personal and financial investment that each has made, and for the interest in our missionary families.

Other churches have collaborated directly with our Dominican churches, helping them purchase property and construct buildings. It was exciting for John to travel to two sites, along with representatives from two US churches, helping connect them with the national pastors and facilitate the purchase of land and plans for construction. These projects would not be possible if it were not for the partnerships these churches made with our Dominican churches.

Another way that churches have partnered with the DR team is through short term mission teams. This has been a busy summer and fall, as many groups have come to help with ministry, construction, prayer support, and professional class ministries. Bruce and Becky Dyke do a fantastic job at leading this ministry. A team from our home church, Cable Road Alliance Church, will come the first weekend in November. They will be holding a breakfast for professionals, and will also work in several Dominican-Haitian communities doing medical work and construction. A team from the Shell Point Village Church will also be coming in November to hold seminars and classes in Punta Cana Village, located in the Punta Cana-Bavaro area. The purpose of these ministries is to help the Stutlers establish connections in this town for future ministry.

We would encourage churches in the US to consider partnering with an Alliance field. It is mutually beneficial for both the church and the field, as friendships are deepened, prayer requests are exchanged, and the churches lend their giftedness and talents to the field. With today's economic challenges, this is often the only way some of these ministry dreams can become a reality.

Our son, Chad, is doing well in his junior year at Wheaton College. He works two part-time jobs and carries a full class load, so he is constantly on the run. He loves his classes and his teachers, and God has given him special friends who have become like family in our absence. Colleen's family lives close by in Ohio, and they make an effort to stay in contact and take him home on his breaks. It is not easy being separated from each other, but we are confident that God knows all of Chad needs--physical, emotional, spiritual, financial--even more than we do. It is wonderful to be able to rest in that peace, and know that He loves Chad even more than we do. He's taking care of him!

Baseball season began last week (10/18), which means John is back to the field as the baseball chaplain for two of the Dominican teams. Five years ago, John was invited to participate in this program. The first year was grueling, as he led two chapels in English and two in Spanish for the players, and another for the umpires. The following year he invited a Dominican man from our church to join him and trained him to do the Spanish chapels. This young man continues to serve alongside John. It has become one of John's favorite ministries, as he shares his faith with the ball teams. (He works with two of the six ball teams.) This year, one manager is a Christian and is heavily promoting the chapels. The other team which whom John has worked has always had a good attendance at the chapels. Things can get a little tricky, though, when his favorite team plays the other team for which he does the chapels...ha ha!

John has been traveling quite a bit with the National Church President and other key leaders, for the purpose of seeing the different Alliance churches, deepening relationships with the pastors and their families, encouraging them in ministry, and discovering if there are ministry needs. We are continually humbled and reminded of the faithfulness of our pastors and co-workers, and of their love and burden for their fellow Dominicans.

Colleen continues to work alongside the National Church on the Missions Committee. With the help of our friends in Delaware who are professional photographers, Colleen has been working to develop a DVD that will present the newest missionary project within the country. Plans are also underway for the National Conference, where Jon & Jessie Ritchey will be presenting missions, and giving ideas of how a poor country like the DR can become actively involved in reaching the billions who still have never heard of Christ. While many in our churches have a passion for evangelism, few have a burden to go beyond the country's borders.

Colleen and Dorothy Wood had the opportunity to attend an Alpha Conference in Orlando in October, made possible by the Shell Point Village Church. This was the first time that either of them had had exposure to this program, and it was an exciting time of learning of how God has used this program to change so many lives around the world. Over the next months, they will be sifting through the information and praying about if and how God would want them to use Alpha in the DR.

While they were in the US for the Alpha conference, Colleen and Dorothy also had the privilege of speaking at Shell Point, where they presented the new church plant project in Punta Cana. It was very humbling to speak in front of so many who have faithfully served God all of their lives, and continue to do so.

Thank you for your prayers, e-mails, phone calls, and for those who have come down to work alongside us.

Much love in Christ,
John & Colleen Schleh

Prayer Requests/Answers to Prayer

Pray for both the Cable Road and the Shell Point churches as they come in November to minister. Both teams have a heavy schedule.

Pray for John’s baseball chapel ministry—for the impact on the players, the umpires, and the managers. Also, for our friend, Joel, who is now giving the Spanish chapel, and for Mike Baldwin, as he trains with John to take over one of the teams.

Colleen is currently studying TESOL online. It has added a huge load to an already full schedule, but she is excited about how God could use this in the future. She has informally helped various ladies with their English studies, but would like to start something more organized in the future. (If anyone reading this has some good ideas, please contact me at jocoschleh@gmail.com)

Chad is applying for a summer internship, which is a graduation requirement. Please pray that God will open up the necessary doors for this to happen. Also, he needs wisdom about studying for a semester in Europe next Fall.

Pray for the safety of our missionaries, homes and cars. We have shared some of our robbery/violent experiences in past updates. Last Sunday, while John was at baseball chapel, the man who was to be guarding our car broke the lock on our spare tire and stole it. Just another in a string of events!

Dominican Republic

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