arrived in the town of Azua on the 10th, and are partnering with a
man named Raul and the church that he pastors here. Azua is a town of 17,000
people, and the town itself only has two main streets. So the majority of
people live pretty spread out. It is
very hot here and dry, the usual day tempature is about 90 degrees and and
75-80 at night, and this is their winter. Everyone here is very friendly and the
people from the church are great. I
swear the Lord has been preparing me to travel the world since I was a little
kid. Growing up we had a septic tank so we weren’t allowed to flush toilet
paper down the toilet, and here we have to “Bucket flush” and there is no
possible way to flush paper so you have to throw it away in a trash can next to
the toilet. It took everyone a little time to adjust, but not me…. And here in
the D.R. they run on Dominican time which means that I get there when I get
there. So there is no such thing as being late, it’s kinda nice! The only thing
that is taking some time to get used to
is the guys of the Dominican Republic…. They love American women. Every time we
walk down the street they yell, “Americana”,
or they pssssst at them, and then there is the ever popular I’m just
going to sweet talk you in Spanish while we pretend not to hear them.
The fourteen of
us are living with home openers from the church. It is so cool to see these
people who live with barely anything support and serve us. We have been very
blessed to be here with this ministry. I sleep on the couch at Pastor Raul’s
house, and 6 of the Gentile Warriors share a bed room in his house too; the
other 7 of us are split up between 4 other houses. The food is great;
everything is prepared by the ladies in the home we are staying at, so it is a
genuine Dominican meal. Usually rice and beans with some type of meat. Here is my bed…
Now Traveling
can be fun! In the D.R, I have found that there are many modes of
transportation. Usually we walk if we are going to town, or to someone else’s
house, and that is nice just to get out and see the country; However when it
comes to getting to our ministry sites, that’s when it gets real fun. Sometimes
we play “let’s see how many people can fit inside the SUV.” That is the usual
mode of transportation, and today we managed 13, but when it come to going to
Buenos Ares ( part of the church that is up the mountain some) you have to take
motorcycles. Yes, it has been so long since I have rode any type of motorcycle,
that I don’t even care if it only has 100cc’s.
array of ministry here all out of Raul’s church. He and his wife do so much
with what little they have, and it is very humbling to see the ministry.
Several days a week we teach English to the local kids that go to the
school….oh wait didn’t I tell you that yes they have a school for kids during
the week that is to prep kids for better education, or take in kids that have
been kicked out of the public schools. We also teach basketball, volleyball,
and soccer to them, because they so not know how to play any sports. We take
part in the Sunday and Saturday Church services, as well as help lead in small
groups. We are clearing out a field to
build a soccer field, and cleaning up a future ministry house. This week we
will not have a day off of ministry, because there is just so much to do.
