Dominican Republic Relections 2

Jim
Hey my name is Jim and I went to the Dominican Republic. I saw God at work in almost everything that we did there. The thing that influenced me the most on this trip was the orphanage. It influenced me because the kids had so little, but they were still very happy and smiled constantly. Even small gestures would make them so happy. God showed me that I complain about everything, and I have to stop thinking of myself in every situation. I realized that because I saw how the little kids lived with almost nothing. That experience made me start to appreciate the little things that I have and thank God for everything.

Lenny
Hey everyone my name is Lenny! What impacted me the most was when I was videotaping the trip the Dominic Republic kids would crowd around the screen and be so happy just to see it. Some of them would dance and be so excited to be on video. Later one of them walked up to me and thanked me for videotaping him and he had this look on his face that told me how much it actually meant to him. Through this experience I realized that there are a lot of things that we take for granted in America. When I showed some of the kids there a picture I took of them it almost caused a riot among the kids to see a picture. Seeing the excitement on their faces really opened my eyes to how blessed we are. There’s a saying that goes “God bless America”, why? We have all ready been blessed.

Caitlyn
¡Hola! One of the things God showed me was this: Always be ready. Be ready to serve. Be ready to share. Be ready to love. Always.
Going into this, the thing I was most nervous about was sharing my testimony and how God has changed my life. I was dreading being called upon to speak in front of an audience. Even when I didn’t end up being asked to share my testimony, God was still right there saying, “Be ready.” One example of this would be when we went to visit a man named Antonio who pastors a church in his garage. At one point he asked that one of us share our testimonies. It was unexpected and I had that feeling of “phew!” when I wasn’t asked to. Another instance of this was when it was arranged that the team would be on a local live television show in San Francisco de Marcolis. We didn’t know what to anticipate or who would be asked what. So on our way there we were predicting what would happen and trying to prepare ourselves for questions that might be asked. Again my mind was at ease when I learned I wouldn’t have to say anything.

In both of these times I felt God telling me that I shouldn’t have felt relief for not being called, that I should have been ready. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Eventually I did end up sharing my testimony a couple of times to smaller groups. And if I can do that in front of random people I’ve never met, I can do it in the company of those I know and trust.

Marley
Hola!!! my name is Marley and I was blessed to be on the DR team where I saw God work in so many ways. There were so many wonderful things that happened but one thing that really stuck out to me that God was showing me was how on fire rooted in the word and ready for service the Dominicans we met with are. I think as far as ministry goes my favorite parts were being with the kids and getting to play with them and also prayer walking. I always viewed prayer walking as the way we do it in the U.S. – walking around and praying for things we see. However, in the Dominican Republic it is a little different…actually, a lot different. When we prayer walked you would recognize and respond to a need in the community whether it be by prayer, sharing your testimony, sharing a bible verse or just telling them about God. We met so many people with so many needs who still, in spite of all their troubles, trust in God and responded well to what we were doing in their community. I was really amazed at the openness of the people and I learned so much through this experience.

Ben
My name is Ben and I was on the DR team. The trip was amazing! Churches in America could learn a lot from those in the DR in my opinion. With all the emphasis we put on presentation, what church would meet in a library? Or in a garage? And how many of us would see a need and start a church in a garage? In addition to all the serious stuff, it was a lot of fun.