Cien Fuegos translates to “one hundred fires” and that is where our ministry has been the past two weeks. Cien Fuegos is a neighborhood in Santiago that people refer to as the “city dump.” I refer to it as an absolute blessing. Not that long ago, our team would never have been allowed in the neighborhood because of how dangerous it used to be. Cien Fuegos is a place that has clearly had a lot of darkness in it but it is so apparent that the light is winning. It is a testimony to the fact that good will always beat evil, light will always beat darkness, and God has already won the battle against the enemy. Which way will you choose to live your life? I will always fight for good, I will always fight for light, and God will always fight for me and He will always fight for you. And boy is He fighting for the people living in “One Hundred Fires.” I literally wish I could share every single minute of our time there but that just isn’t possible so I will share a story about a 12 year old named Graciela.
I met Graciela 3 weeks ago when we were still in the mountains of Lajas. She came to the teen camp we were helping out with. When I met Graciela, I met a girl who exuded anger and darkness. She kind of scared me and when she walked into English school our first day in Cien Fuegos I was less than thrilled. Well, God obviously has a plan for Graciela and I am so glad I was able to witness it. I watched this angry girl be transformed and restored in the two weeks we spent with her.
Yesterday I left a girl who exuded joy. I left a girl who invited me into her home, gave me some sprite (something that probably cost her family a lot of money), and showed me her favorite toys. I left a girl who God is fighting for and I believe He will win her heart. Gosh, God is so good!
I also left a piece of my heart with the beautiful people of “One Hundred Fires.” Once again the people I meet are blessing my life in more ways than I can possibly hope to bless theirs. When I signed up for the race I knew that it would be hard to say goodbye each month but I don’t think I realized just how hard. I have been humbled by the graciousness of the people in the DR. They give so freely and never ask for a thing in return. They love like Jesus and I have a lot to learn from them.
The next 10 months are going to be wild. They are going to be great. They are going to be epic.
