Day Fourteen in the Dominican Republic

After talking with the whole family tonight, we decided that today was a good day. We lost power at about 7am and lost battery power around 11:30am, which meant we had no fans at all. However, it rained almost all day long, which meant that today was much cooler than previous days. It barely broke eighty degrees. So, it was a perfect day for us to be without power.

Yesterday, as we were planning the VBS in Guaricano, I found out that the girls would be doing some face-painting during the VBS. So, the girls spent a bunch of time working on coming up with their own original designs. They were having a lot of fun drawing and painting throughout the day. They also spent a good portion of the day reading and writing.

Another interesting aspect of the kid's day was connecting with more of the neighborhood kids. They were playing out in the rain. Erin, Lauren, and Zoe ended up joining them and then finding some shelter out of the rain. They spent quite a bit of time talking (or trying to talk). Eventually, Erin brought the three neighborhood girls up to the apartment to ask of they could have a sleepover. Actually, the three neighborhood girls looked at Rachel and said, in perfect English, "Pajama Party?" We declined because we didn't think we were ready to have someone else's kids staying in our apartment. However, we did invite them back after church this Sunday to play.

I also have to throw a little comment in about my amazing wife. Not only has she worked hard at turning this little apartment into a place that feels like home for us, but she has also been able to do some pretty amazing cooking with very little to work with. Tonight she blessed us with a shrimp and pasta dish with asparagus on the side. Everyone enjoyed the meal very much. I can definitely say this trip would not be going as well without her hard work.

I had two activities today. My morning activity was the final meeting for the teenage Bible study (I forgot to get pictures). It started off in typical Dominican fashion. It was supposed to start at 9am. I waited for about ten minutes wondering if anyone was going to show up. Then Steve showed up and contacted the leader of the group. He said to try coming back around 9:30 to see if any teenagers would be there by then. Eventually, by about 10am we had a group of teenagers gathered for the study. Once again the study went well. We ended the study with a little party. Steve and I picked up some juice, 7-up, crackers, cheese, and granola bars to eat and drink after the study. The leader brought a bluetooth speaker so that we could also listen to some music. It was a lot of fun.

In the afternoon, I met with another group of leaders to continue planning for VBS activities in a couple weeks. The above picture is taken in a little church in Guaricano. We met there with a group of six woman to talk to them about their group joining another existing group for VBS. They were excited to join. This would be the first time for this area of Guaricano to participate in the VBS program. Steve asked how many children they had that might participate. They said that each one of them had a group of about 20 children that they met regularly with. That's 100 children! When we throw in the other group, we're looking at having about 150-160 children participating in this VBS program. It's going to be crazy. We'll see how it goes.

Another picture of the little church in Guaricano. It's only the cream colored building in front. The orange building in the back is a house. Like I said, it's small. However, this small little church is ministering to around 100 children in the neighborhood on a regular basis. Isn't that phenomenal?!?! I love watching how God works. It reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It says, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'” (1 Corinthians 1:26–31, ESV). This is true of this little church in the poor barrio of Guaricano. God is doing a powerful work among them and they are giving Him all of the glory. It puts a smile on my face.

Here are some things you can pray for:

• We are thanking God for:

  • the work he is doing in Guaricano

  • the rainy day with cooler temperatures

  • the successful teenage Bible study

  • Rachel--an amazing wife, mother, and homemaker

  • another good day in the DR

• You can continue praying for good health for our family. Nothing major yet, but some allergies are flaring up and a couple sore throats. However, they are all handling it very well.

• You can be praying over the planning and preparations for these upcoming VBS programs in Guaricano. There are a lot of details to be wrapped up. There are also a lot of kids who will be impacted through this ministry. Pray for God to begin preparing their hearts.

• You can also be praying for the ministry activities we will be doing next week in La Romana. We're not quite sure of all the details, but you can be praying that all goes smoothly and that God is working his plan in these locations.

• You can also be praying that preparation for our time in La Romana goes smoothly. We will be staying in another apartment in La Romana for a week. That means we need to pack up a bunch of our stuff and get ready to relocate. I don't think it will be a major deal, but it will be a task.

Well, it's nighttime, we've got power again, and I'm starting to crash. Thanks again for all of your support and prayers. God has been good, is good, and we continue to rest in His goodness and faithfulness.

Buenos Noches!