Elkridge-area churches continue mission work in Domincan Republic

Three o'clock in the morning is the middle of night for most folks. However, in that dark hour July 18, the day began with a great deal of excitement for a small group of local angels from CrossLife Community Church, Elkridge Simple Church and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. They were literally on a mission and preparing to board a plane at 6:05 a.m., destined for Pimentel, Dominican Republic.

For the past 16 years, the Rev. Radhames Quezada has been partnering with Metro Maryland Youth for Christ and other mission-focused churches to provide free education for more than 200 children in the poor town of Pimentel, a city of about 25,000 people in the province of Duarte and the 25th largest city in the Dominican Republic.

This tiny town has recently been given a hand up through the missionary work of local Elkridge neighbors the Rev. John Mackall, Bill Babcock, Randy Smith, Dave Maier, Carolyn Smith, Emily Barr, Rachel Mackall, Rachel Oliver and Molly Babcock. The Elkridge missionaries joined forces with Rev. Quezada for nine days working at the MIVA Church and School.

Their exhausting, yet rewarding, "to do" list included running a four-day vacation Bible school that ministered to almost 800 children in the community and working on construction projects such as repairing existing structures and building a new garage for the MIVA school. The team also ministered to a local nursing home providing support and supplies, such as adult care items, sheets and clothing.

When hurricane Noel hit the tiny town of Pimentel in October 2007, CrossLife called upon the Elkridge community and others nearby to help, intending to ship down one 40-foot container of relief supplies to the disaster-stricken area. The community response was so overwhelming to that call for help they sent three!

Since then, Rev. Mackall of CrossLife has sent down a team to he Dominican Republic almost every year. "We go because God is at work in a powerful way through Rev. Radhames' outreach and we get first-hand experience being part of God working around the globe. And when the faithful are gathered, there is a powerful force for good," he said.

Find out more about the mission work of Crosslife and its partners at http://www.crosslifeonline.com.

On July 17, the officers and board members of the Rockburn Land Trust gathered for their annual meeting at the venerable Elkridge Assembly Room, on Lawyers Hill Road. The meeting was called to order by RLT President Nessly Craig and Trust business took up the first hour. Post business, an open meeting began which hosted local property owners interested in the RLT's mission of land preservation. Some in attendance are already preserving their properties and able to share their experience; others were exploring the possibility; and others simply interested in maintaining the livable character of their neighborhoods, from Elkridge to Ellicott City.

Helpful guidance was proffered to potential donors from the members of the RLT. Careless and destructive practices by housing developers impacting adjacent properties, both those in the Trust and not, were documented. Remedial action and repairs due from developers were discussed.

Cathy Hudson reported on the status of Belmont, the antique homestead of the Dorsey family. In the past few years, it has been threatened with inappropriate overdevelopment. If Howard County exercises its option to purchase, the Department of Recreation and Parks will likely manage the property, and the Howard County Conservancy might operate the Carriage House in a similar manner to its Route 99 farm. According to the RLT officers and board, thus far, the ideas and planned usage appears to be sensible for this Williamsburg, Va.-like gem.

Before you know it, summer will be a mere memory and school will be back in session! In Howard High School news, the official fall sports paperwork collection will be held in the school cafeteria Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m. All necessary paperwork and forms are available on the Howard website at http://www.howardhighschool.net. The site will also provide the date, time and location of practice schedule for each sport.

With the fall sport season getting underway, Lions' Pride, the Howard High School Sports Boosters Club will be opening up for membership. Membership levels start at our $10 at the "Fan" level and top out at their $75 "Platinum" membership. The Platinum level includes your choice of an insulated Lion's Pride stadium blanket or a Lion's Pride stadium seat and lower-level memberships also include fun, promotional items to display the Lions' school spirit.

The Booster Club is also looking for a concession stand coordinator this fall. If interested, call club President Tom Singleton at 443-570-8299 or email tom.singleton@dii-ins.com. For additional information and membership applications, go to howardhighsports.wikispaces.com. Thank you in advance for your support!

After a close loss to the Meadowbook Tomatoes July 9, the Watermont Swim Club Bullfrogs got back in the win column July 16 with a 258-226 victory over their county friends and neighbors, the North St. John's Marlins.

It was a close meet throughout and both teams competed very well. The Bullfrogs accumulated 110 personal best times. Of special note: Danica Cooper improved her freestyle time by 5.06 seconds; Ashley Florenzo improved her backstroke time by 5.25 seconds; Christopher Buckwalter improved his free time by 7.34 seconds; Cecilia Welsh improved her backstroke mark by 9.36 seconds; Anjalle Gouda improved her free by 10.74 seconds; Sarah Nerhood improved her free by 11.41 seconds; William Sharp improved his breast by 13.81 seconds; and Erin Dunaway improved her free time by 16.57 seconds.

Though the Bullfrogs came out on the wrong end of a 248.5-236.5 loss to the visiting Meadowbrook Tomatoes July 9, the Bullfrogs coaches are extremely proud of all of their swimmers. Their enthusiasm and effort just can't be beat! The Bullfrogs accumulated 113 personal-best times during this meet, including Saira Gandhi, freestyle, 12.04 seconds; Patrick Flynn, backstroke, 14.14; Ben Shropshire, individual medley, 19.56; Christopher Krol, backstroke, 11.73; and Cole Carter, freestyle and backstroke, 22.94 combined.

Congratulations to all these fine athletes!

Mark your calendars to share the gift of life! The Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a blood drive Aug. 29 from 3 to 8 p.m. Appointments are appreciated and walk-ins are always welcome. You can make an appointment by calling Julie Casey at 410-984-2170.

Well, that's it for this week… And remember: "Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile."

Please keep in touch. I always look forward to hearing from the great friends and neighbors of Elkridge and Hanover. Thanks and have a stellar week!