Drew Moore has been serving with G.O. for a week to help us get aid into Haiti! Thanks Drew! Check out this video & his call to action- How will YOU respond?

G.O. Help Haiti- Drew Moore Responds to the Haiti Earthquake from Jackie Perez on Vimeo.

G.O. Ministries- Responding to the Jan. 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake from Jackie Perez on Vimeo.

G.O. Ministries was able to fly 15 doctors and nurses over to Jacmel, Haiti to do some emergency relief work. They returned to Santiago last night exhausted and stunned by some of the images that were engrained in their minds. We were privileged to sit with them at dinner listening to their stories and their hearts. They saw many of the injured Haitians, casted broken bones and amputated limbs. The bravery and passion shown by this group of physicians is nothing short of amazing. On a small scale, they were able to give pieces of comfort and hope to the victims of this tragedy. We still pray that God continues to reveal himself to this country in need and that they find His hope, His love, and His mercy!
We housed the doctors in our dorm in Santiago last night and got them off to the airport this morning so they could return home to their families in Boston.

Please continue to give of your resources so more lives can be saved. Visit our site at:

http://www.gohelphaiti.org/

In His Arms,

Will and Audrey Partin

Below is a link to a website that has been set up for people to receive information about the relief efforts in Haiti through G.O. Ministries. Updates will be sent to this website. There is also a place to donate funds so we can continue meeting the many needs that still remain all over the country. Please click on the site to see video footage of Brook Brotzman (President of G.O. Ministries) in Jacmel, Haiti yesterday. We will send more written information your way soon. Keep praying and challenging all Believers to continue to function as the Body of Christ that spreads worldwide.

http://www.gohelphaiti.org/

Love,
<><
Will and Audrey

We just wanted to let you all know that we have landed safely in the Dominican Republic. There are many incredible things going on right now on the island and we will share them with you soon. As a ministry, we are gathering all of the information and releasing it from our home office. When that takes place we will be more than happy to pass it along so you can stay in the loop. We just ask that you continue to pray that God will use His people to extend helping hands towards our Haitian brothers and sisters. Thank you for your prayers and we will be updating you when information is released.

Love,
<><
Will and Audrey

G.O. Haiti Relief Fund

We wanted to pass this along to all that follow our blog and haven't already received word from G.O. Ministries. Many have asked how they can assist with the tragedy that has taken place inHaiti. Please read below.

A record 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti on Tuesday, January 12. We are still getting reports in of the massive destruction and devastation especially around the capital, Port-Au-Prince. All teams, partners and missionaries with G.O. Ministries are safe. However, many have not heard from family members and friends and our hearts are broken for our brothers and sisters. Cell phone and landline services are down in Haiti and we are working hard to get more information
As a result, G.O. Ministries is setting up a Haitian Relief Fund called 'Help Haiti'. We thank all of you for your phone calls and your desire to help. Right now, the most important things you can do is pray for the recovery efforts and give. Thank you for those who are willing to go, however, we are currently using people that are already there to funnel our resources through. If you would like to give, please make your checks out to G.O. Ministries with 'Help Haiti' in the memo or you can give online here: http://www.go-ministries.org/give.shtml. Make sure if you're wanting to give to the "Haiti Relief Fund" that you specify with the drop down box where it says "Program". 100% of what you give will go towards providing recovery resources specific to the relief efforts in Haiti.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice."

1 Chronicles 16:8-10

As we spend time preparing for the summer, we pray for God to reveal Himself to us in new ways knowing that He is at work in our lives and the lives of those around us. We had the privilege of working alongside many different people that came down here to fulfill the command found in Matthew, to go and make disciples of all nations. This year was a little different as we had more groups come to partner with our sports outreach. Through basketball (boys and girls), baseball, volleyball, flag football and whiffle ball, we were able to spend time with hundreds of kids. Our sports staff is learning how to evangelize through building relationships and that's exactly what took place this summer. So we wanted to take this opportunity to praise Him and tell of His wonderful acts while giving Him glory and rejoicing along with those who seek Him. We hope you enjoy the pictures below of the ministry that took place over the past 3 months.

Basketball Camp with Eastview Family Group

Flag Football with CPC

Girl's Basketball with Banta

G.O. Basketball Week

Volleyball with Pathways

Baseball and Basketball with Shepherd of the Hills

We also finished our 4th annual G.O. Sports Outreach Summer Basketball League. This was a huge success as kids learned how to play as a team, grow as a team and realize their importance in the body of Christ. After six weeks of Bible studies, practice and games, the boys experienced what it means to cared for by their coaches......men who have become role models and faces of Christ in the community of Hoya del Caimito. Below are some pictures and a video of this year's league.
Click on the link below to watch 2009 G.O. Sports Outreach Basketball League:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs8V6XSmqu4

We hope you enjoyed sharing a piece of this summer with us. We are blessed to be here!

With love,

<><

Will and Audrey

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

John 15:8

The last two months have been filled with fruit. There have been countless reminders of what God is doing on the island of Hispaniola so it's only fair that I share them with you all.....the people that so faithfully support and encourage our ministry.

For the third straight year, our home church in Louisville, Ky, came down for a week long mission trip at the end of March through the beginning of April. Throughout the week, we talked a lot about the large steps the church has taken in over seas missions. When we decided to move to the Dominican Republic 4 years ago, everyone was asking what our needs were. Of course we had many prayer concerns and monetary needs, but the one thing that we remember asking of everyone was to come down to the D.R. and experience it. No matter how many pictures we show or stories we tell, it's just not the same as someone physically walking the streets, hugging the Dominicans/Haitians, sitting in the homes, smelling the coffee, riding in the cars in crazy traffic, feeding a kid in a feeding center, eating ice cream at Bon or working alongside our Dominican and Haitian staff in the hot sun. So after almost 4 years of living on the island, we are praising God for the fruit He has provided in answering our prayers and our requests.......people are coming down to serve and experience the Dominican Republic. Thank you to all that have come, will come and for those of you that cannot, thanks for praying for the people that can. We are encouraged every time we see a familiar face and so is our Dominican Family.

St. John United Methodist Church, Louisville, KY

Sports Ministry is making huge strides in the training of our work crew both spritually and in leadership. We have continued to study R. Kent Hughes' book The Disciplines of a Godly Man and the response has been....fruitful. Pedro, Romano, Jose Luis, Simon, Alan, Alexander, Kerlyn, Wilson, Eric, Mike and Will are learning what it means to be Godly men in our homes, work, relationships, mind, devotion time, worship, church, leadership, giving, witness and ministry. Please continue to pray for this journey we are on.

At the end of April, we tested a new area of sports ministry and it was a success. A group of 11 men from Illinois came down to help us with a football camp.....American football! We knew we were in for a ride when the kids looked funny at the ball, then picked it up and tried to throw it like a baseball. We started from scratch and by the end of the camp, we were ready to call the NFL about a couple of new Dominican prospects. The kids loved it and caught on very quickly. Two kids that particpated in the football camp are now new Believers and are attending the church. God's fruit.

These same men from Illinois held a men's conference in a city called La Vega. There were close to 150 Dominican, Haitian and American men that attended and it was incredible. The topic for the week was "Breaking the cycle of Sin". In the Bible, it gives many examples of sin being passed on from generation to generation and gaining power on the way down. Many people today struggle with the sins of their fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers, but it doesn't have to be passed on to our children. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" We celebrated that promise all weekend long.

Group from Illinois

The final fruit we want to share covers the entire G.O. Ministries organization. Every four yearsour ministry takes a few days to look back and see what God has done. We call it the Celebrationof Partnerships. All 61 of our Dominican, Haitian, Columbian and Mongolian workers and their spouses (about 100 total) made their way to Puerto Plata (northern coast of D.R.) to meet up with our North American Partners that support the ministry. We worshipped in 3 languages, participated in Beach Olympics, ate together, swam together and celebrated together what God is doing through His unworthy servants. It was an incredibly refreshing time as we took this opportunity to get to know one another on a deeper level and sing praises to our King. Thank you to all of you who play such a huge role in expanding the Kingdom.

group photo from the celebration of partnerships

G.O. Staff

egg toss competition

human pyramid competition


Please pray for us as we head into the summer months and host many short term mission teams. Pray for safe travels and that we will not get in the way of what God has laid out for us. We'd love to hear from you, so don't be afraid to toss an email our way!!

With love,
<><
Will and Audrey Partin

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Often times when people ask us what kind of ministry we do in the Dominican, they don't understand exactly what we mean when we say "sports ministry". We want to share just one of the wings of ministry that we are involved with via Simon, one of the members of the G.O. Ministries Dominican/Haitian Sports Outreach Crew.

After an 8 year career in the professional basketball league in Santiago, Simon came to us and said he was interested in starting a little business that would be a great opportunity for outreach. Simon wasn't the best player in the pro league, but he was arguably the strongest and most physically fit. So after taking classes and receiving his certificate to become a licensed Personal Trainer, he wanted to open his own gym. He found a guy that was selling some old equipment and his plans were to build the gym behind his parents' house in a rural community called Don Pedro. In this drug infested area, there is a large number of teens and young adults that hang out in the streets without much to do. Simon's dream is to provide for them a place where they can take care of their bodies, as The Bible tells us to in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, as well as present an alternative activity where they can spend their time and energy. He began to build and the response has been wonderful.

Inside this gymnasium you can find a couple of stations for bench press, incline press, decline, dumbells, shoulder press, squat wrack, stationary bicycle, abdominal workouts, two dogs for security, a rooster that runs around and a gecco that arrives in the morning and leaves for lunch in the afternoon. On the mirrors, Simon has written bible verses and motivational quotes such as, "Dios es tu fuerza"..."God is your strength". He has made his gym affordable as it only costs 20 pesos per visit (57 cents). Will, Mike and Eric (other American sports missionaries) visit Simon 3 mornings a week to encourage him and receive a personal workout from the master himself.

As we've said before, the purpose of our ministry is to get behind the Nationals (Dominicans and Haitians) and encourage them to do ministry amongst their own people. Simon came to us with a vision and a passion, so we are standing behind him in his fitness ministry and so are you. Because of your generosty, we were able to provide Simon with some financial aid to get this gym up and running. We thank you and he thanks you!

Simon is just one of eight guys we are working with in the area of Sports Ministry. His passion is to teach the message from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Every Saturday we study a book called The Disciplines of a Godly Man with these young men in order to keep each other accountable in our journey to become men of God. As the year goes on, we will continue to introduce you to these men so you can see who they are and what they are doing. This is sports ministry and we are here to love, encourage, disciple and provide the needs of the Dominican and Haitian men that have a passion for their people. Please enjoy as we take you on a tour of Simon's gym through the pictures below.

Love,
<><

Will and Audrey

"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart."

Proverbs 21:2

It has been a very long time since we have updated our blog and once again I find myself apologizing to you all. A couple of people have told me lately that "forgiveness is always on the horizon", so I pray that you feel the same way :)

2008 for G.O. Ministries, Inc., was an incredible year. Everything from the number of people (868) that came down to do short term missions to the enormous amount of people that received medicine at our medical clinics to the thousands of kids that participated in sports camps and on and on and on. We were so blessed to meet such a large number of Believers that make up the Body of Christ and serve all over the globe. In saying all of that, there was one thing that God really taught us through out the year, "all a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart." There were many moments this past year where we (Audrey and I) felt like we were at the top of our game and doing ministry in such powerful ways because so many people were involved. But then one day we were led to the verse in Proverbs and began to ask ourselves...."if the Lord is weighing our heart, what would the result be?"

So many times we get so caught up in the "what" that we forget about the "how" of our activities. There aren't many things easier in the Dominican Republic than grabbing a few basketballs, going to the court and inviting kids to play. Before you know, you have started a camp that then leads to a league. At the end of 6 weeks, the kids had a blast and learned a great deal about basketball. But is that it? Was that really all we were hoping to accomplish? We felt like we did a good thing; our ways seemed right. But after a while we began to wonder, are we fulfilling God's desires or are we simply creating activities that take up time and make it look like we're expanding the Kingdom. Well, our hearts were weighed and it was time for a change.

God has taught us so much this past year about how important it is to seek His guidance before we take every step. Often times we get so comfortable with our own decisions that we just leave Him out of the whole process. Time and time again, His results proved far more amazing than anything we could ever produce. When it came time for God to examine our hearts, I'm afraid He wasn't seeing much of Himself. Please pray that we continue to seek Him before we move forward.

Especially during Christmas, as Believers, our hearts are softened to the needs of people who are without. So we spend time serving meals at a soup kitchen or delivering blankets to homeless people and really reach out to different communities. The prayer that we lift up today is that as we continue to reach out, that we don't just do it because we're supposed to, but that we learn to love the people we are serving. That we take time to get to know them and invest in their lives. It is a powerful thing to be able to provide a physical need for someone, but the rewards are eternal when we take the time to provide spiritual food in the lives of those around us. When our hearts aim to please man, we'll be disappointed, but if our hearts' desire is for God, He will move mountains.

Please pray that God continues to challenge us on the mission field to not only provide activities for the people we work with, but also do our job as Believers, to lift up the Gospel and allow the Word of God to transform us all. Allow Him to lead, because if we are people after His own heart, when it comes time for Him to weigh ours, He'll be pleased.

Much love,

<><
Will and Audrey

Below are a couple of pictures of Miguel from Hato del Yaque. God really taught us a lot through a few hours spent with this kid as all he wanted to do was sit, play and hug. In a day filled with activities that we were supposed to be involved in, God revealed Himself to us through this little guy.