Oh, life in the Dominican. Where do I start? The culture. The scenery. The people. I thought I knew what beauty looked like. Ha. Traveling up to the mountains of Los Montacitos has given me a new meaning for the word beauty.
At first looks, yes, there are shack-like homes, floors covered in dirt, children covered in dirt, trash fills the street sides, shrunken dogs roaming the village. Nearby villages do consistently blast music until 5am, in what they call a celebration of the Saints. Transportation does appear as a flatbed truck with more than 30 people in the back including their many boxes of filthy chicken. And that’s only if you want to travel down to city of San Juan. You are allowed to get caught up in the frustration of zero electricity, and no means of sanitization- if you choose.
But this is what beauty looks like to me. I choose to fall in love with all of it. I choose it see my God through all of it. There is no end to the flow of peace over the mountain tops. There is no end to the affection that each family or widow pours over you. I came into door-to-door evangelism as claiming the love of Jesus over each home I would enter. Little did I know that they would know and claim that same love and servanthood over me.
It is evident the fruits that are over the land of Los Montacitos. And no, I’m not talking about the countless trees abounding in oranges, grapefruits, avocados, or bananas. I mean the fruits of the Gospel. You can breathe in the peace that is over the land. You can touch the joy in the hearts of each resilient grin. In these mountains, you can smell the sweet aroma of His sacrifice of pure love that is stated in Ephesians 5:2. My brother and sisters that live in the hills of Los Montacitos know the weight of the Gospel. They understand the joy through sacrifice. The faith in believing. And the sobriety that comes with His affection. They know this King called, Jesus.
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:2 NKJV
