When was the last time your heart felt more than words can say? The limitations of language can be challenging! There aren’t enough superlatives to express our joy, gratitude or the depth of our need. David simply said his cup runs over. Paul wrote about peace that passes understanding – Philippians 4:7. Composer Jared Anderson gave us Amazed – (link to YouTube). And Chris Tomlin blessed us with Indescribable. I know it’s impossible to convey all that is within me. But I can convey some, And when we share what our Father has done – or is doing – it serves to bless others. So please, be blessed!
Words Of Appreciation
Pastor Jerlin (right) with our pharmacy group
Last week we returned from Samana, Dominican Republic. Thank you so much for your prayers. That expression doesn’t adequately express my sentiments to you, an incredible team, doctors, very gifted friends to teach pastors, or to our Father for answering your prayers and guiding the work.
It took an extra day to get home due to airline issues. Personally, I was really counting on having that day here at home. One thing on my very long to-do list was to send contribution receipts. Here is part of what I said in last week’s letter:
We have just returned from Samana. It was a great week of mission service done by an awesome team of volunteers. And we got to graduate 15 from the Pastor Training School. Every graduate got a new study Bible. I only have one regret about that. Those who donated to supply the Bibles didn’t get to see the joy on the faces of those who received them. It was delightful. Thank you all so much!
There is no way to share several hundred pictures of our mission experience. But maybe the ones in this post (and the ones on Facebook @ Keith Burnett Ministries) will give you a sense of our work as well as the joy our graduates felt on their big day.
Words Of Praise
One HUGE blessing to me is the people I get to spend time with. Every mission team is a blessing to me. So obviously, I must need constant reminders and blessings. Therefore, the Lord has put me in a position to be blessed by very dedicated, faithful servants of the Kingdom. It is a joy to see them serve and in turn, be served!.
I am sure there are some servants in your church. And I’m talking about those folks whose hearts desire to serve whether or not anyone notices. In fact, they are often uncomfortable if attention is directed their way. 
Our Samana team was a servant team. Some were frequent volunteers and some were first-timers. But everyone ‘took a towel’ and served well.
Team leadership includes team observation. And when you watch carefully and consistently, you literally see God at work. That provides plenty of opportunities for me to pull someone aside and let them know their actions encouraged me. That also happened last week. So these words of appreciation are for some amazing servants and the Mighty God we all serve.
Words Of Joy
Do you remember being overjoyed for someone else? We finally got to have a graduation in Samana. And it would be hard to say which group was happier. The graduates were very happy but we were also very happy for them. And I wish I could take you across the cultural divide into Dominican thinking. A graduation there carries a level of significance that ours does not. 
As noted above, every graduate received a new NIV Study Bible. Helping Hands contributed $800.00 for that purchase. Those Bibles were stowed away in our luggage. That meant some of those pesky extra-baggage fees had to be paid. Servants took care of that! Why bring it up? I think anyone who attended this graduation would agree it was a bargain based on the joy we saw and the words of thanks we heard.
The photo gallery below my usual sign-off will give you just a glimpse of the graduation ceremony.
Words Of Anticipation
Pressing on (Philippians 3:14) is the order of the day. And we are just days away from departing for Colombia. That makes me a bundle of acticipation – on many levels. And the most urgent thing is prayer. I asked our Samana team to pray for the upcoming work in Colombia. That request has been shared since the early days of 2023. Now, the time is almost here and prayers are needed.
In May we began sharing the opportunity for people to contribute to the demands of a new ministry. I am happy to share that some contributions have come in. That said, it’s going to take quite a bit more. To that end, we are submitting grant applications to various funding sources. Please add those efforts to your prayers.
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