Photos and story by Rick Jost, Solar Oven Partners Director and the December 2015 Solar Oven Partners team to the Dominican Republic

Photo: Missionaries Gordon (blue shirt) and Ardel (orange shirt) Graner and two Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana  church members host SOP Director Rick Jost (black shirt) and the December team: Harris Bailey (Wahpeton); Lorna Jost (Volga); Barbara Krumm (Eureka); Meri Martin (Washburn); David Stearns (Hartford ); Beth Swanson (Bismarck McCabe).

A team of seven spent December 1-10, 2015 at five sites building solar ovens and conducting training sessions in the Dominican Republic. “The trip was a strategic step in building a new partnership for Solar Oven Partners,” said Rick Jost, Director of Solar Oven Partners.

Gordon and Ardel Graner, Global Ministries Missionaries with Dakotas roots, are key to the work of Solar Oven Partners in the Dominican Republic. “A good start for Solar Oven Partners in the Dominican in my opinion is with a prayer that God will direct our path to find those who are awaiting our arrival even if they don't know it yet,” said Gordon Graner.

Careful planning is needed to get a new solar oven program in a new country off the ground. Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana [IED] churches serve as significant component to the Solar Oven Partners partnership in the Dominican. The December team’s training and assembly sites included IED  Churches in Samaná, Barahona, Baní, San Rafael and Villa Duarte (Santo Domingo).

Additionally, IED Church site visits were conducted to prepare for an upcoming Solar Oven Partner team trip March 7-18, 2016. One of the future training sites will be Batey 7, where the descendants of Haitian cane cutters live in poverty, working in the sugar fields and industry or at other labor-intensive jobs.

“The importance that the IED leadership places in the solar oven ministry is further illustrated by the fact that Rev. Maria Bock, Director of the IED Social Action Committee, together with Global Ministries Missionaries Gordy and Ardel Graner, will hold a solar cooking demonstration at the IED Assembly (equivalent to a United Methodist Annual Conference) in January 2016,” said Jost.

The team also attended a Christmas Party held by the IED church. “One very special experience was an introduction of the team to all of Dominican pastors at the IED,” stated Jost. “The Christmas party was held in Santo Domingo. It was an honor to stand before this group as Bishop Cancú had us introduce ourselves. Bishop Cancú explained the details Solar Oven Partners and what it means for their community of faith.”

The trip was an inspiration for the team and they are ready to share the story and spread the word about the work in the Dominican Republic. Jost states, “Don’t hesitate to ask us to visit your congregation, church or community group to witness being the hands and feet of Christ!”

Plans are underway for two upcoming Solar Oven Partner teams to travel to the Dominican Republic. One team will travel to the Dominican for twelve days March 7-18, 2016. Plans have also begun for a trip in July 2016. If you are interested in either of these two Volunteers In Mission opportunities contact Rick Jost directly at rjost@brookings.net. More information on costs will be available soon.

Photos: (Left photo) Gordon Graner stands with container of solar ovens. (Photo below) Barbara Krumm, Eureka gathers with teens in the Dominican Republic.  “When you look at Gordon standing by that huge container filled with boxes and boxes of ovens still waiting to be assembled and distributed, you might say, "It will never happen." But I know with the people I met…and the God they serve, nothing is impossible and all those ovens will soon find homes.” ~ Barbara Krumm, Eureka, SD

Photo: Ardel Graner talks about the power of solar cooking during a teaching seminar. Gordy and Ardell Graner with Rev. Maria Bock, Director of the IED Social Action Committee will give a solar cooking demonstration at the IED Assembly (equivalent to a United Methodist Annual Conference) in January 2016.

Photo: Harris Bailey, Wahpeton, N.D., veteran SOP volunteeer works with a small builder. “I was delighted at the women’s laughter in Baharona when after being informed that there would be no cachone (crusty rice at the bottom of the pan, a treat to the Dominicans) they were told, ‘But you don’t have to scrape it out either.’” 

Photo: Dominican mothers are resilient and resolute! Anna from the Samaná Province grates coconut by hand. The SOP team learned she used to grate 50 coconuts every night to put her three children through school on the sales of coconut milk and grated coconut. Hand grating one of these coconuts makes grating a pound of cheese seem like nothing, but then take that times 50 and do it day in and day out sometimes by propping two graters up and grating with both hands!

Photo: David Stearns (left), SOP volunteer, works with a builder.  Helping to build ovens and learning to cook with the sun are features of the training seminar that everyone who gets an oven must participate in. All trained solar oven recipients are paying 1,000 Dominican Pesos or $22.22 U.S. at current exchange.