September 2023
A Beautiful Discovery
(3 Minute Read)
Gratefully resourceful. This is the mindset you need to sustain a ministry/school in the DR. You have to be grateful for EVERYTHING you have and resourceful enough to still get the work done even if you don’t have everything. It’s an important way of approaching what God has asked us to do. And, over the years, being gratefully resourceful has woven itself into the fabric of how we do what we do at Doulos.
So, it’s been interesting to watch over this past year as God has step-by-step revealed His plans for our permanent home. After 20 years of being gratefully resourceful at our current location, God has slowly pulled back the curtain on something new.
The first time we got a peek behind the curtain was when we brought a group of 1st-grade students to do a little fieldwork on the potential new property. First, we needed to get permission slips, a bus, and run various other logistics. Then, when we arrived, without any prompting, the kids switched into a mode of exploring, discovering, and having a great time. During this time of exploring, one of the kids innocently said with a smile on their face, “It’s so quiet and peaceful here, not like our classrooms back at school.”
Another peek behind the curtain happened just this fall. The 9th and 10th grades are preparing to climb Pico Duarte (the tallest peak in the Caribbean) as they do each year during their Outdoor Education curriculum. To help them in this preparation, we cut a practice trail on the new land and brought all those students to it. As soon as they arrived their eyes widened. Just like the first graders, these 14- and 15-year-olds started engaging and exploring the nature around them. They experienced the joy of discovery like little kids again.
These are just two of the many amazing experiences that have slowly opened our eyes to see that while we have been gratefully resourceful with our current location (with its LOUD traffic, OLD buildings, and NO natural space to explore), this space limits us in ways we didn't even realize. God let us go behind the curtain to explore and discover what He has been preparing for us all this time.
God is not just helping Doulos have a place to be. God is moving and providing Doulos with a location that will magnify everything that Doulos has always been about like creation, exploration, discovery, interdependence, problem-solving, and getting our hands dirty. He has prepared a unique place that forms unique servant leaders to uniquely impact the Dominican Republic for His glory.
It's almost time to do your piece!
This fall each of us has the chance to make a LASTING difference in the future of Doulos.
Thanks to an incredible "Challenge Gift," if we can put this puzzle together, they will match it!
The Goal:
332 pieces at $1,500US each = $500,000 matching gift
The Time:
"Puzzle Week" November 6th-10th
This will be one concentrated week for EVERYONE to do their part.
Ways To Help:
Start thinking and praying about your financial involvement
Like, Share, and Comment on Doulos’ social media posts
Connect with a friend or two that you know likes to support causes like Doulos and invite them to get involved.
Ways to Give:
Secure Online Portal:
doulosdiscovery.org/mypieceofthepuzzle
Check In The Mail:
Payable to Doulos Discovery School
Doulos Discovery School
PO Box 3080
Burnsville, MN 55337
Stocks/IRAs
Send an email to finance@doulosdiscovery.org and we will walk you through the process
September's Highlights
SERVANT leaders
The Doulos Student Leadership Council is a group of students who use their gifts and influence to make Doulos a better place. This past month they took a morning to get dirty serving as part of a city-wide river clean-up day.
Lobo Invitational
Thanks to the roof over the court, we were able to host our first-ever island-wide volleyball tournament. It was a powerful experience for our students to see teams from across the island coming to campus to compete.
Senior Trip
What do you picture when you think of a senior class beach trip? We are proud of our seniors because they used it as an opportunity to serve. Along with some incredible beach time where they got to connect as a class, they also went to a Christian school where they brought school supplies and led various activities.
Businesses With a Purpose
Our 5th grade class, as part of their expedition, created businesses that could both help others and make a profit. The majority of the business focused on creating healthy snacks other kids would be excited to eat.
Please join us in praying for...
Senior Class - That God would clearly guide each student and their family down the path He has for them after Doulos. And, that nothing would keep them from stepping into the future God has for them.
Each piece of the puzzle - God knows exactly how the puzzle will come together. Please be praying that people will hear His prompting and respond.
Sports League - Our student-athletes will be traveling to various tournaments in October. Please pray for them to have wisdom, maturity, and love for others so that they can shine God’s gospel light everywhere they go. And for our coaches to keep using sports to mentor and disciple our students as well.
Our Teachers - October can be a hard month in the classroom. The excitement of the new year is long gone and you need to keep pressing into what God has for your students. Please keep our teachers in your prayers for inspiration, energy, communion with God, and lots and lots of joy.