I wanted to write about the most amazing person that God has blessed me with here in the Dominican Republic. Her name is Salanda and she is the Pastor of the church that we do our ministry with, Iglesia de Dios El Remanente.
Salanda has nothing but Love and Praise in her heart. She is constantly loving others and showing that love in many different ways and is constantly praising God and gives Him all the Glory. God has worked through Salanda to open a church in the community of Quija’ Quieta. This church has been a refuge of hope, love, praise, and even shelter for some. In the morning when we arrive to the church, we open it and there are several kids sleeping inside. Some kids just end up falling asleep during an all night prayer vigil, while others find it as a place of comfort away from home. What amazes me is that these kids choose to stay and pray all night and the oldest one can’t be older than 12 while the youngest being 8!!
I don’t know what touches my heart more. Salanda’s willingness, or love rather, to allow her church to be open to the kids whenever they need or the kids that just want to spend their entire nights worshipping God. I remind you that this isn’t a typical church in a typical neighborhood. Its a slum. Poverty is a state of mind. Meaning that every house has bars, if they can afford them, guard dogs, and fences of barbed wire, because if someone had the oppurtunity to take something, they would. So with that said, its a big deal to entrust little kids with the security of the church sound equipment and supplies.
I can’t express into words the feelings I get when I see Salanda. She feels me with joy and life. She radiates God’s light within her. I don’t speak much Spanish at all, so a conversation without Tara is almost impossible. All I can do is share the little bit I know and hug her without letting go. Literally. I hug her for a really long time. To the point that she is probably wondering, when the heck is he letting go. I do that to show her how much I love her and show her that she is special to me. I tell her I love her like 10 times before letting her go and say, “God Bless You” just as much.
I thank God for Salanda. I thank God for the inspiration that she brings me, my team, and the community. I have said many times that if I could, I would replace everything in my backpack for Salanda! I really will miss her and the words of encouragement that she speaks over me. I wish I could tell you about Salanda because I haven’t even scratched the surface.
