So another week of ministry in Guachapita has gone by. Man, time is really flying by on this whole World Race thing. So I’m gonna do my best to summarize the week of ministry that we’ve had but I don’t know if I’ll remember everything. I’ve realized that I need to start journaling every night about the day so that I can remember everything. I’m gonna start doing that this week, but in the mean time, sorry about this likely less than detailed blog.
So just like the first week, we’re still doing VBS with the kids in the morning. Well, half of our group (including me) is. The other half is working on digging and building a canal. Although on Thursday, I got to participate in canal building. I got an enormous gnarly blister that proceeded to pop rather quickly. Sweet!
So just like the first week, we’re still doing VBS with the kids in the morning. Well, half of our group (including me) is. The other half is working on digging and building a canal. Although on Thursday, I got to participate in canal building. I got an enormous gnarly blister that proceeded to pop rather quickly. Sweet!
But anyways, back to VBS. This week, our theme was forgiveness. We talked about the story of the unforgiving servant and also the story of Joseph. We played games, we sang songs, and we broke up fights. Oh the life of Guachapita. This week was actually tougher than the first week. The kids’ attention span seemed to be shorter. And as mentioned already, we broke up several fights. However, it’s still been great to be with the kids. Pray for patience for us as we continue to work with the kids and try to continue to show them the love of Christ.
In the afternoons, we’ve been doing house visits/evangelism. We visited several people this week just in an attempt to build relationships with them and encourage them. I’ll just cover two visits for the sake of the length of this blog.
One person is Dulce. We actually met her on our first day in Guachapita. Dulce is kinda the “community mother” for the missionaries that come in. We leave our bags at her house for safe keeping, and her house serves as a safe house for us to go to if violence ever breaks out. She also makes an amazing cup of coffee, and on Thursday, she is going to make us an authentic Dominican lunch. What a wonderful lady! It is great just to get to talk to her and hear about her experiences in Guachapita. She has lived in this community since the mid-1960s! She holds a weekly Bible study at her house and just loves to serve.
The other person that we visited this week was Jocelyn. This visit was my first reality check since going to Guachapita. Jocelyn is a 27-year old mother of three kids: ages 13, 10, and 8 (I think). Her husband has a limp due to being a victim of gun violence within the last year. She has lost two of her brothers in the last 4 years due to gun violence. The hardest thing to hear about, however, was her economic problems. Though her husband works as a mechanic, he does not make enough to fully support the family. She has been looking for a job for weeks but has not had success. Her three kids live with her mother in a community nearby because she and her husband are not able to support them. Though she does get to see her kids everyday, I know it must be hard not being able to have her kids live with her. As she continued to tell her story, my heart continued to break for her and her family. Just seeing how much hardship and suffering there is in the world and not being able to help her. Also, just realizing how spoiled we are in America. The pinnacle moment was when she said that she couldn’t cook food because she didn’t have gas. We asked her how much a tank cost, and she told us 300 pesos. I instantly thought, “Oh, I spent that much money on chips and dip yesterday.” I have absolutely no idea what it’s like to go through what Jocelyn and other people in Guachapita and all over the world go through. May God continue to break my heart for these people and may that breaking continue to change how I think, live, and act. Please be in prayer for Jocelyn and her family. Pray for provision, pray for comfort, pray that they may experience the hope and love of Christ through these hard times.
Well, there’s a quick summary of the second week in Guachapita. This next week will be more VBS and more house visits. I should have another update by the end of the week. Also, be on the look out for an update about a Christian rap concert that I went to last night. It was crunktastic!
