Keystone Bible Ministry

On May 30, 2013 with God's help, we successfully delivered Bibles to the 2013 graduating class of Keystone Charter School. This ministry has accomplished this for the past 14 years because of your diligence and generosity. It is inspiring to have an opportunity to share in this milestone in the lives of these young men and women. We told them the donors of these Bibles stretch across the spectrum of age and life. What we have in common is we once stood in the position they are now—looking toward the future with hope and trepidation. We acknowledge life has its ups and downs which are best secured with an anchor. That anchor is Christ. For that reason the Bibles represent the best gift we can offer them. We know anything we could give pales in the light of God's gift of salvation. One girl stood by the table saying repeatedly, "There's mine. Can I have it now, please?" Pray each of these students react to God with that same yearning - 'Can I have it now, please?'

One of the speakers at commencement made the statement that as an adult he has never experienced or imagined some of the things these students had already experienced. As painful as that is, Christ has overcome the world and in Him they can find peace. This is the message you helped deliver. Please make these young people part of your regular prayer routine. They will help shape the future. Our desire is that will be with them living out God's purpose for them. Thank you for your gracious kindness and Christ-like love in ministering to them with your gifts!

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Also, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new Bible ministry. As many of you know, our community has become the host of a great many international students. Many spend time with Christian host families and are attending local churches. What a tremendous open door for God’s Word! Community Commission Bibles has been established to meet their need of a comprehensive Bible in their own language. It will provide them with a better understanding to God's Word. Donations can be made throughout the year to:

Downtown Ministries, Inc.
172 Main St
Greenville, PA 16125

Please mark on your check memo line Community Commission Bibles.

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Keystone Bibles remains the same and will continue to operate as it always has. Any inquiries concerning either ministry, please contact April Knierman.

Report from Dominican Republic: Day 5

Day 5 in the Dominican Republic:

On Wednesday, the construction crew (Paul and Matt from Crossroads and Tom, Dave and Keven from Riverwood) painted a set of trusses on Ney's porch. They got half of the tin sheeting up. It looks great and they should be able to finish tomorrow.

The medical, dental, VBS, sports, prayer walk, and hair ministries were all out at Mangos Limpias, a village up in the hills. This was the first visit by a team to this village. During the prayer walk, we shared the Gospel with the families and prayed for their family.

When we arrived at the village, the children were still in school. We rounded up some children who did not attend school and gave them coloring books to color. After playing games with the children, the Gospel was shared with them. The children are beautiful!

The Harvest is Ripe!

Paul and Cindy Sereda

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More photos submitted by Marlene Murrin:

Sunrise during morning devotions.




Jenyl (Marilyn's daughter) worked laying block to enclose Ney's patio with a knee wall.




Marlene hard at work with a broom.




The medical team getting ready for the week by sorting the medicine into baggies for distribution through the pharmacy.




There's a lot of beauty, especially the flowers.

Report from Dominican Republic: Day 4

Day 4 in the Dominican Republic:

I've been working with the VBS the last two days. We gather the kids to sing and tell them a Bible story and pray. Then we do an activity with them. Today was a lot of fun as we did face painting. We started out by drawing on our arms and then the children could point to what they wanted to have. After I finished all the girls who had gathered around me, I let them paint my face. They were all giggling as one of the girls drew. I had a monkey on my cheek!

After that, a sports team came in to talk with the kids and I moved over to the hair ministry. The woman in charge, Marge, thought we washed about 30 heads of hair. This sounds simple, but all the girls have braids which had to be taken out. We were washing their hair over a big basin, then conditioning and brushing out before we rinsed. Other girls were combing their hair and braiding it back up. It's quite time consuming since some girls have many, many braids and their hair is so thick. In the meantime, we brought clippers with us and some of the men from the village took turns shaving the boys' heads.

The medical and dental teams were also working in the pastor's house and in the school. We started at the village around 10:00 am. My team left at 2:00 pm and there were still many people waiting in line for the medical help.

Please be praying for the medical people. There are a few doctors to oversee the group, but much of the work is being done by medical students. I had a chance to talk to some of them last night. They say they are really enjoying the work they are doing, but sometimes feel restricted by the circumstances. Imagine knowing you could help if only you had the right supplies. I know it must be frustrating for the students.

Please pray that God will give them peace and strength to do everything they can, to not grow weary in doing good, but also a heart that will stay with them as they go back to their studies and as they seek God's will in their lives.

The part of the day that will stick with me, however, was the ride to the village. We were in the back of a truck, standing together, holding on as we moved over bumps and going up and up into the hills. Some of the views were beautiful, looking out at the citrus trees. Most of us were taking in the scenery, but the native pastors who were riding with us were talking in Spanish (so I understood very little) and then one pulled out his Bible, flipped to a passage in Galatians and started reading to the other. Here, these men were discussing the Word of God while standing in the back of a moving vehicle, one holding onto the other as he held onto his Bible so he wouldn't be thrown around. How I wish I could have understood as they talked!

These are men dedicated to knowing more about God and sharing His word with others. Our leaders explained that what we're doing here supports them in the villages and opens doors for them to reach more people for God.

Jeanne Ball

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Some photos submitted by Marlene Murrin:

Report from Dominican Republic: Day 3

Day 3 in the Dominican Republic:

Our first day in the field was truly a blessing on several levels. As the medical team converged up on the village school, the town's people gathered with many children in tow. The dental clinic got underway which basically involved tooth pulling for tooth ache and teeth cleaning. The VBS focused on the creation today and the children learned some songs. The leaders shared the gospel with the children. After VBS, we began a hair ministry where a woman who is a beautician led a team of women in washing and braiding hair. This was a huge hit.

While all this was going on a group of folks traveled to Pastor Ney's hometown where he showed us the land he intends to plant his coffee field on. He wants to employ local Dominicans to work and process the coffee. This is a new venture which can be a great avenue for community development to start this micro-business.

We also walked through some very poor villages and some folks prayed with the locals. Words can't describe how grateful the people were for the medical care. God is good and we are seeing Him in the faces of the poor.

Jan Jaussen

Report from Dominican Republic: Day 2

Day 2 in the Dominican Republic:

Today was not like a normal Sunday. We had our own worship service with all of the people on the compound. We also rode into town to see the new park in downtown Hato Mayor. We watched as all the people, American and Dominican, gathered for some fellowship.

Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts.

Mary Jaussen

Report from Dominican Republic: Day 1

Day 1 in the Dominican Republic:

• Smooth journey from Cleveland to Hato Mayor.
• The first day of the pastor's wives conference was received well. Lots of excellent feedback.
• Construction team built a wall around the patio at Nay's house. A roof to follow next. When completed, it will be a good area for fellowship and gatherings.
• Sorted the donated clothes for Nay's wife's new store.

More soon..

Paul and Cindy Sereda