Throughout our time in the Dominican Republic, we have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people that have completely embodied what this trip is all about. Each one has a unique story and it’s interesting to see how God has appointed this exact time in both our lives’ and theirs to meet and encourage one another in Christ. A few times this month, however, we have met someone whose very existence is a testament to God’s redeeming love and power. The following is the story of one such person. We met Winer (pronounced Win-Air) on our first day of ministry in Mijo. Winer is one of the many children in the area whose smiles mask the struggles of their past. On the surface, he is a happy teenager who jumps to help out wherever possible at the church and loves posing for the camera. The next few days were spent roaming the streets of San Juan, scraping by for food and shelter. Yet in telling his story, Winer is emphatic: he knew at this time that God was with him. Soon he was taken in by a woman who found him and wanted to help him – which meant putting him in an orphanage. Yet on the very day he was to go, Winer received another surprise…his father showed up on the doorstep. While his story could’ve easily concluded here, Winer’s temporary caretaker would not let that happen. Convinced that his father was the one who had beaten him, she was reluctant give Winer up. The boy was given a choice: go to the orphanage or go home with his father. In an emotionally charged move that would forever separate him from his family, he chose the former. Yet Winer’s story still did not stop there. Though we were told few details regarding his life at the orphanage, Winer felt that God wanted him to leave it three years later. Once again, he found himself homeless and humbled before God. He has since forged onward solo – spending the past six years as a teenage bachelor. His days are occupied by church services, helping the local farmers harvest crops and looking after the children of Mijo – which he does willingly with a toothy white grin on his face. After hearing about Winer’s tumultuous past, our first reaction was to pity him. Yet we have come to the realization that this not a story of pity but of power: the power of an all-loving, ever-providing Father. Winers’ is just one in a community full of powerful stories – and we are so blessed to now be written into them. This past weekend, we were able to take Winer out to lunch with our team and to bless him with a gift: a brand new machete (used here for farming work and to cut grass). In return he gave us a huge bag full of mangos from his small plot of land. With the help of our translators, we were able to tell him that we will continue praying for him and that we will never forget him – and he told us his ambition is to become a missionary someday and follow where God leads him around the world like us! When I think of the self-centered kid I was at 17, this completely blows me away. We said goodbye to Winer and to the rest of the community tonight at Mijo after a service of thanksgiving for the work we had done there. The past few days have been spent picking up trash, weeding around the church and visiting community members’ homes – and it was wonderful to celebrate the time we had together. While we are sad to go, we are clinging to the promise in Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” Saying adios to the DR means saying bonjour to Haiti! We leave Saturday morning for Port-au-Prince. Our team will be working with one other team there to help two pastors who have a network of churches numbering over 10,000 people. We will be working with three different “tent cities” there to build relationships with the people and help address their practical needs by distributing food, etc. Please pray for travel mercies, for our team’s health and for our time there this next month. I would be lieing if I said I wasn’t a little nervous about what next month holds, but I know God is good and that he will take care of us. We are told that internet access in Haiti is scarce so while I may not post for awhile, please know that you all are in my thoughts and prayers. Please also check the pictures section of my blog on the left for more photos. Blessings!
Yet behind the jovial front is a fascinating story that says even more about Winer’s character. Winer is a 17-year old who lives by himself, provides for himself and relies completely on God. He was born in Haiti as the middle child in a brood of eight. At the age of three his mother told his father that she was going to the grocery store but she never returned. At that point, his family moved to the Dominican Republic and his father remarried a woman who disliked Winer. She would beat him and turn other family members against him. This made sneaking out to friends’ houses a nightly occurrence. After months of enduring this violence and pain, Winer made a decision: enough was enough. Although he loved his father and siblings, he felt he had no choice but to run away.
