Wow...it is Wednesday already...and we are finishing up our time in this community that we now find so familiar...it has been a short time but a remarkable full time of ministry and memories and being moved in Spirit and action here in the DR...
This morning we joined several hundred students for a time of prayer, Scripture, and the singing of the DR national anthem outside before school began...and then we jumped into our painting mode and finished the 3rd floor project, including putting on a new color on today...we are pretty excited to see the progress that has been made thru our work with our Dominincan friends in preparing this facility to open in a few weeks...
The afternoon was filled with time with students from the school...activities included face painting, bracelet making, coloring contests, and ring making...out team has loved interacting with many different groups of children this week...we even popped into a few classrooms to see what they were learning and up to as well...the power of education continues to be reinforced to us here...and w are grateful that even our participation in this trip helps that to be possible for more and more kids at risk and need in this area...you can't help but be excited about what God has in store for them as Christian leaders in the DR in the future...
And then we had our first official soccer match against the JOMA club team from Santo Domingo...our girls had a big win led by goals from Kate, Jen, Anna, Amanda, and coach's son Mitch....we played against a men's club team connected to this group the last couple years, and we love building a relationship where they are excited about playing soccer with Americans, are very interested in what is happening at Cornerstone, and are exposed to what it means to be an athlete who loves Jesus and plays as His representative...it has been a blast to have this sports component to our trip here...
We held our final nightly debrief session tonight as well reflecting on what we've experienced, how we have been impacted by the people and community here, and how we hope to participate in a renewed way in God Kingm work, at home and across the world...there was a spirit of immense blessing among us for the time here and the opportunity to serve and learn and love and be loved in the Dominican Republic...and I hope that all of you connected to this team will have a chance to hear their stories, talk about their questions, and be encouraged by their experience in seeing and joining making Jesus known in word and deed in a place unlike what we call home...
Tomorrow we head into Santo Domingo to see one of the oldest communities in the western hemisphere...and we hope to catch a few final rays of sun on the beach before flying back to snowy Grand Rapids on Friday...thanks for your prayers and partnership...I'll close with the words of the apostle John that summarize what we have seen and hope to live out in the days to come:
I JOHN 3:16-18 (The Message)
This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality.
No comments:
Post a Comment