"do something that would make an impact for years to come" Thu DR team update

Thursday morning came as a great and welcomed surprise for the Dominican home team; we wanted to bless them with time off to stay in bed a little longer, and WE would prepare breakfast for them, as a ‘thank you’ for all of the service they have been to our team. Our team woke up a bit earlier than usual to prepare the meal.
Rayona worked on scrambling 30 eggs; Tom and Po worked together to make some pretty amazing French Toast (even grinding the cinnamon themselves), and Susan fried up ham for the meal, the way we’d been served all week. Both Sara and Jenny worked to create a beautiful and welcoming breakfast table, while Lloyd “supervised” by keeping a close watch on the food. Once the meal was prepared, we all prayed together and ate in near silence (the sign of a great meal!).

After breakfast and clean up (we refused to let our hosts even clean up, of course!), we had a brief siesta, as we prepared for today’s team project: painting the railing that leads from the street level to the church entrance upstairs. Trust me, this was no easy task, but we wanted to do something that would make an impact for years to come. After all, the church was built in 2002 and had yet to have had this task done.  The results were immediately noticeable, and we pressed on to finish as much as we could, even in the blistering sun and 90+ degree temperatures. Many times, we questioned why we decided to take on a task of this magnitude, at this time of year, but were constantly reminded that Jesus is Lord, and we work with the Lord.

Of course, this was brought to our attention as Tom preached the word this evening as Lloyd translated. Tom not only spoke of translations (as Christians, we translate The Word of God to those who do not yet understand it), but of 1Thesslonians 5:16-18, “be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all things”. Even after painting for hours on end with crazy thick, oil based paint (that we STILL have yet to get out of our crevices!), we found that we were happy to have done it, and thanked God for the opportunity to serve our wonderful hosts, and church community in this way. Our group was called upon to share in a part of the service, and we were happy to have prepared a song in Spanish to share with the church, who responded enthusiastically.

Currently, we are sitting around the table, having a wonderful time with the team. Sharing desserts, Chinese energy shots and laughs…lots of delirious, loopy laughs! We hate to admit that our time here is coming to a close, but look forward to spending more time with our Dominican familia. Tomorrow, we take our hike to the top of the mountain, where we will worship our King as one body, speaking (at least) 4 languages, Praise God.

We look forward to sharing tomorrow’s adventures with you, before returning home on Saturday. Continue praying  for us and we will continue to pray for you as well!

#MtnDR15 Team (Jenny K., Sara T., Po C., Susan R., Rayona Y., Lloyd R., Tom M.)