Why am I here? What is my purpose? How am I furthering the Kingdom of God?
These are all questions that were going through my head for the past few days. I was not feeling an impact on the community around me. I did not see how I was spreading the Kingdom of God throughout this small part of the Dominican Republic.
When I signed up for the Race, I entertained the thought of having an immediate impact every single day. I imagined going out an doing house visits with people, praying over the sick and poor, teaching the people around me about the Bible, preaching at churches… the list goes on and on. So far, I have done very little of that. Some of those listed items, I have not even touched. This led me to a bit of disappointment.
Throughout the past two weeks here at Hope Mountain, in the Dominican Republic, I have participated in an array of tasks; Ministry Assignments is what they are called. Some have been more fun than others, but, overall, it has been a pretty good time.
Our first Ministry day, my team was assigned to Admin; we spent the day assisting with the Financial Reports for Hope Mountain. It was nice to be helping with that kind of stuff for this Ministry location, but doing the finances does not further the Kingdom of God.
Our second day, my team paired with another team to carry logs down to an open area for the installation of a fence, move the fallen banana trees from Hurricane Irma and transfer 300+ cinder blocks from one side of the property to the other. It was tough, tiring work, but it was actually kind of fun. We found ways to make it a good time! It was nice to help clear that stuff out for Hope Mountain, but it did not further the Kingdom of God.
The third day of Ministry, my team was assigned to property labor again. We first moved a few tires from one end of the property to the others that the hosts and some of his employees could build an area for water retention. We spent the rest of the day digging a ditch along the sides of a staircase so the water, when it rains, will not stay on the stairs, creating a slippery mess. This day was probably the toughest of the days, but still did not further the Kingdom of God.
The fourth day was spent with a bunch of kids from around the area. We performed skits for them, did crafts, taught them Bible verses and played with them. I saw the smiles on the kids faces, heard them all laugh and watched them run around, filled with joy! Now this was more like it! This activity definitely furthered the Kingdom of God! Why couldn’t everyday be like this?
The day following, we returned to our normal tasks. All of it was work, and it really helped the Host organization, but I just could not see how any of it furthered the Kingdom of God! It all seemed worthless! How could I go on this great trip, this journey with God, and not further His Kingdom every single day? This question rattled in my head for so long, and I really started to grow frustrated with the work I was doing!
It was not until two days ago that I realized ALL the work I have done here helps to further the Kingdom of God. Every single finance report! Every single tree removed! Every single brick transferred! Every single shovel of dirt thrown to the side. Everything!
My team was assigned to put together a PowerPoint about the children in the Dominican Republic when I realized this. We researched the poverty rates, the child labor law violations, the lack of education, bad home lives and poor health conditions. The information that we found was absolutely heart breaking. But what I found out was the PowerPoint we were putting together would be used by our Host to present to churches, among other organizations, to raise money for a Children’s center they are trying to set up! They want to help children in bad, abusive situations and give them a safe place to live. While my team is not building the center, not directly working with those kids, we were compiling all the information so that this center could be made possible!
We were planting mustard seeds.
“[The mustard seed] is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:32
It did not seem to me that the work I was doing was furthering the Kingdom of God, but I could not have been more wrong. The things my team and I are doing are helping the Hosts out. By doing some of the manual labor tasks for them, they are probably saving money, money that can be used to further their ministry. By assisting them with their finance reports, we are freeing up time for them to focus on other aspects of their ministry. By making a PowerPoint about children for them, we are giving them the information they need to show what is going on in this country and really make a difference for many of the people around them.
Our tiny mustard seeds are being planted. The jobs we are doing are seemingly small and not impactful. But through the work of our ministry hosts, our mustard seeds will grow into one of the largest of trees, and the children of God around us can come to perch in its branches. Our effect is not immediate, but, given time, it will be felt by many.
***FUNDRAISING UPDATE***
While I am already in the field, I am still in the process of fundraising. I am so thankful for all the support that got me here! I am humbled by the donations I have received. Because of the immense amount of support everyone has given me, I am on $3000 away from my final goal! I have until late December to make this happen! I am thankful for everything – the prayers, the emails, the texts, the financial support! I am thankful for the community I have around me. Thank you for everything!
