Dominican Republic June 25, 2014

Day 3:  It just keeps getting better...I think that would be the recurring theme of Day 3. It doesn't matter if we are talking about teamwork, the construction, or loving on the community, no one on our team can deny the presence and hand of God over this trip. Today began as a time of testimonies and prayer with the workers, and we were able to speak God’s message into their lives.

Then we got to work and completed the first house. The men on our team took over and worked hard together setting rebar and pouring concrete on ladders, while the women were able to have a small Vacation Bible School session with the kids. One of the team members began to read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, with the help of our interpreter. To our amazement, none of the children had heard the story before. We take it for granted, but these children and teens were so into the story, yelling out answers to the questions and grasping the deeper heart of the message. Today we also gave out Bibles to the children and some older teens. God opened all of our eyes to the hunger and excitement that the Dominicans have for the Word that they had never owned, and after searching the bus three times we had enough for everyone that wanted one.

God is also strengthening the bonds between our team and the local people we interact with. It may be a game of basketball or kickball, watching how hard the builders work through exhaustion, spinning a child on your back until you are dizzy, or even learning little phrases of Spanish to connect more. We are all blown away by how God has orchestrated every person on our team for a specific purpose and how well we all can work together for His glory. He is constantly humbling us, increasing our gratefulness, drawing us nearer to Him, and using us to further His kingdom.

Please continue to pray over our construction, our team, and that the hearts of those we come into contact with may be able to see and accept Jesus as we continue to share Him. Tomorrow will be our last day on the work site, and we are excited to see what God is going to do!