A few weeks ago was our Squad Leader’s last day with our team. James has been sitting in with us during ministry and team time, giving us awesome feedback and helping us grow in our new community. We decided to take him out for dinner at a local restaurant here at Lajas de Yaroa to celebrate the much appreciated time he spent with us.
The restaurant is small, but quaint, providing outside seating underneath a straw roof. The tables are made of refurbished panels of wood. On one side, the restaurant overlooks the beautiful Lajas mountains. And, on the other side you can see rolling hills of green.
We were greeted by a nice man with kind eyes that for this blog I will call Mr. Mark. He served us fried fish with tostones and vinegar slaw salad. We also ordered Coca-Cola, which was really refreshing especially since I haven’t drunk soda in years.
Although his restaurant is not something we would be accustomed to seeing in the United States, his tender care and service over us was meaningful. His dishes reminded me of the Philippines. And, I could tell that he took pride in his work and really wanted to honor us; his guests.
Before leaving, I felt led to tell him that we were Missionaries visiting Dominican Republic for a month. Mr. Mark’s eyes lit up and he ran inside to get something. When he returned, he held a Bible in his hand. He shared with us that he experienced Salvation two years ago and had a dream of opening a restaurant.
He asked the Lord where he should go. He thought he’d be led to open a place by the pool or ocean. Instead, God led him to the mountains. He still doesn’t know why the Lord chose this small town on the top of a mountain where rarely any tourists visit. But, God knows and that’s what matters most.
I admired his big faith in the Lord. The excitement in his eyes as he spoke and how he looked out into the mountains brought me such peach and joy. The presence of the Lord is with him. We don’t know God’s plans for us. And, I certainly don’t know what His plans are for Mr. Mark, but a Faith that big is hard to forget.
Perhaps his restaurant is meant to be a gathering place for missionaries like us, needing a little bit of a break to fellowship and eat dinner outside of our ministry home. Perhaps his restaurant will be a place where people can sit and talk about their testimonies and God’s saving grace. Perhaps his big faith will draw people closer to the Lord. Perhaps his restaurant will bring glory to the Kingdom. Perhaps he’ll leave a mark on many others, like he left a mark on me.
