Not only does my team get to love on beautiful ninos, but we are able to do some home evangelism and prayer walks!
To be honest this is my favorite part of the day. Everyone is so welcoming. They offer you their only chair; offer you food and drinks… all when you are a complete stranger to them. If 4 people, obviously from another country, came up to your door back home in the states I highly doubt most of us would even answer. In America, this sense of hospitality doesn’t even exist. I challenge us all to become more welcoming and loving to our community. It is the least we can do.
A group of us were walking by one lady’s house when she called to us and asked us if there was anything she could do to help us. We started talking to her, letting her know we were with Pastor Tony, asking her is she knew Jesus and if there was anything we could pray about for her. Her name is Margarita I believe. She just kept repeating “all for God’s glory� After we prayed I looked at her face and saw tears rolling down her cheeks. She immediately got up out of her chair and pulled us over to her neighbors to pray for him. She said he had diabetes. He didn’t seem to be into us, but to she how God within 3 minutes of talking to Margarita touched her day made my heart so happy.
Another highlight was one afternoon, Natalie, Cynthia and I helped a couple of women basically “shuck� peas and keep each other company. This is their living, how they provide for their families daily to earn money. Jobs seem to be very sparse so whatever there is to do is done. This was surprisingly so relaxing and I truly had a wonderful time. Way more fun and rewarding than sitting alone in front of a computer all day in my cube.
Even though many of the people say they are Christians, it is a dark place here. For one within the culture there is a lot of violence. (*Don’t freak out mom and nanny…) The other morning we were all playing with the kids, when all of a sudden we hear Stacey yelling at us to all get inside the church immediately. There was a very angry man running right towards a house we were all around with a HUGE machete in his hand. Thankfully Stacey saw the guy in time for us to get into the church and the man walked away without hurting anyone, he was just really really mad about something. The Lord protects.
Also, being an “Americano� woman here is no bueno. The men are aggressive. It is impossible to walk down the street with out them yelling “I love you Americano� (cuz that is the only English they learned from some dumb song) or they make kissing noises and hiss at you. I’m not telling you guys this so you can have a pre-judgment on Dominican men. In fact this is something I am struggling with. I hate to generalize all the men we come into contact with here. Pastor Tony and our translators have been so amazing and so I hate to judge. I can even see the positive difference in some of the children we see everyday, in their individualism. But I also have to be smart and keep my eyes open and alert for our safety. So I’ve been praying a lot on this. Praying and trusting in God to help me to not have hardened hearts for all Dominican men and also for God to bring those men who need Christ in their lives to our team. So I ask this of you guys too, to not think what all I am saying is true for all the men here, it is just a big part of the culture here.
There is still a strong presence of hopelessness. Poverty has taken its toll on a lot of the people here. They are lost and need faith. But I see hope. I’ve met translators and pastors who have come from violent backgrounds, who have grown up in these exact slum neighborhoods, some who still live there and I can see Gods light glowing from them. It is an honor to hear their stories of faith and to be working alongside them, to be their friend. I pray for lives to be changed. Hearts to be touched. Jesus to heal in His abundance and love. And that is what I am here to do. To be the Truth, the Way, and the Light for all those who do not know what the Kingdom of God looks like.
