Getting a Hang of This Thing – Dominican Republic: Week 2

The days are long but the weeks fly by here on the World Race. We are now wrapping up our second week in the Dominican! Each day we get to experience brings forth more and more anticipation for the work God is doing through and within us this year. I am just so eager to see him move and so thankful that he has allowed me to be part of this kingdom work.

Over the last week we have continued to contribute to our home base renovation by painting and macheteing but have also now begun to venture out into the community mission field. We begin our days educating the local haitian children in a school ran by the church (if you don’t know what’s going on in Haiti right now, take a moment to look into it). This typically includes bible stories and Spanish lessons.  We then, with the guidance of local pastors, step into neighborhoods and initiate conversations to encourage those in the community. I have come to realize that there isn’t much of a difference in how we interact with believers vs non-believers. We are here to love, encourage, and point to Jesus any time we can. All of those actions can and should transcend across beliefs.

As someone who was raised in the church, I am absolutely perplexed by the idea of someone coming to faith in adulthood. The fact that one conversation can turn your world upside-down in the most beautiful of ways seems so foreign. However, that state of mind is slowly being chipped away as I see the spirit moving through our conversations. There are things I can do to prepare for these moments, but at the end of the day if I chose to force my own words, they will fall on deaf ears. It is the spirit that guides the heart of those that become eager to know him, I just get the opportunity to be part of it because of the love God has for me. This week, I was able to witness 2 people take that first step into a life journey with Christ. Hallelujah!

An extra opportunity I was given this week was to participate in the health clinic. Mission of Hope was hosting a medical team this week so I was invited to join for a couple days. I was tasked with triaging the incoming patients with the help of a translator. We would figure out the problems they were having, take their vital signs and any other important tests before sending them to see the doctor. I was so thankful to be included in this but definitely struggled to see the value of me being there. I was doing a job that needed to be done, but I knew the translators could have also excelled in the work I was doing. I was so delighted to hear that the woman who runs the clinics is in the process of training the translators to do just that so they can run a clinic on their own towards the end of this month!

Overall this was another tiring but fulfilling week. We could use some prayers of healing as our bodies are starting to feel the toll of manual labor, prayers for courage to share God’s love, and general prayers for the community here in Jarabacoa and Santiago.

This place is starting to feel more like home and we now get a little time to relax and explore. Off to the waterfalls!

So thankful for your prayers and support!