So here I am, sitting in the Dominican Republic during one of my free hours, writing a blog.
I think it’s finally hit me that I’ve left my life behind and adopted a new lifestyle. My previous blog, written during the somewhat lucid hours of 3am, was a reflection on the surreal nature of departing for a long-term trip. Now, here I am in the Dominican Republic and to be honest, it feels pretty normal.
My team and I are halfway through our ministry here. We’ve been helping out a local church in the mountain village of El Circado and sharing the Gospel with the small communities in the surrounding area.
One of the first things that struck me about the area is how beautiful it is. The countryside is up in a small valley in the mountains surrounding by rolling hills that radiate with the beauty of God’s creation in the clear air.
The next thing that struck me was the people here. Everyone seems to know each other here and there is a sense of community that is rare in the States. It is completely normal to walk up to someone’s house and start talking to them. In fact, most people will pull up some chairs for you to sit on. Everyone is very open and friendly and I’ve never felt like I’m intruding.
Although I find myself missing home at times I know that this is where God has me for the next 11 months. It’s gonna be a wild ride but I’m looking forward to it!
It’s interesting because life here is very simple and this has taught me to appreciate the small things in life. I’ve always taken for granted electricity that stays on constantly except for once or twice a year when it goes out. Here in the DR, electricity is only on for about half the day. It will randomly shut off for no reason at all several times during the day for hours at a time. Showers here are taken using buckets outside or there’s also the option of washing in the local stream. Take your pick. Air conditioning is extremely rare and we sleep in tents to keep the bugs from attacking us.
Despite all this, I’m very glad to be experiencing this. It’s taught me how little I can get by on. I’ve taken so many things for granted and now I realize how privileged I am to have had the niceties of life.
Fun story: The farming community that we’re serving has been going through a 4 month drought during the rainy season and their crops are suffering. We prayed for rain when we first got here and several thunderstorms have rolled through in the past week. Praise God! It started raining earlier today so my team and I had a little adventure sitting in the back of a truck in the pouring rain. God is good, though and it’s awesome to see this community give God the glory for the rain that He has sent.
Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers and blog comments. I really enjoy hearing from you and I wish I could be in contact more but I have to go to an internet café to get access and even then, it’s pretty slow. (Still, I was able to upload the two photos) Sorry for the delay in posting this!
