Welcome to the DR!

Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve left y’all hanging with the updates, but we made it to the DR safely and have had a full and fun first two weeks here! We are working and living at an organization called Mission of Hope. Their vision is to see every man, woman, and child transformed through empowering the local church. Their four main pillars are education, nutrition, medical, and growing the local church. Mission of Hope was originally started in Haiti but has since expanded to two campuses in the Dominican Republic. We are staying at their brand new campus that just opened a few weeks ago. A lot of what we have been doing is working on the campus which looks like painting, power washing, and my personal favorite, macheteing fields of grass.

Our first morning here at Mission of Hope I was just filled with so much gratitude. After two weeks of sleeping on the floor at training camp, a bed and a full sized pillow nearly brought tears to my eyes. There were so many other sweet things we discovered upon arriving including wonderful home cooked meals, delicious Dominican coffee at the ready all day long, hammocks scattered all over campus, and dogs everywhere. Not to mention the views are beyond breathtaking. I was filled with so much delight and just felt like the Lord was so kind in providing these small things that meant so much. Over the weekend we spent some time exploring the nearest city of Jarabacoa. We tried some incredible pizza, a local coffee shop, and ice cream! This past week as a team we have been taking turns sharing our life testimonies. It has been so beautiful to hear each other’s stories and the ways in which God has worked in each other’s lives and brought us all here together. There is something so beautiful about the way our love for each other grows as we become closer and begin to know each other in deeper ways. It reminds me that with God we are fully known and fully loved.

On Sundays we go to a nearby Spanish speaking church. We worship in Spanish and it fills my heart to the brim. It feels like a glimpse into heaven where people from every nation will praise God in all different languages. It has been a joy and an honor to experience how believers worship and commune with God in the context of different cultures. It never fails to amaze me how people who have so many differences can find such beautiful connection through God. We also experienced this on one of our ministry days when we spent the day with a Haitian pastor who only spoke Creole. He began playing the piano and singing a worship song in Creole. We recognized the song and started singing in English. It was such a sweet, spontaneous moment with each other and with God. 

This week we have been able to go out into the city of Santiago and meet and interact with locals. Many of the people we have met are from Haiti and have come to the Dominican seeking a safer and more prosperous life. However, there is a large racial divide between Dominicans and Haitians and many of them have experienced discrimination because of this. We went to a Haitian school where we played with the kids and taught them Spanish and English. It was so fun to see their joy and take part in it. I loved that despite the language barrier we were still able to connect, laugh, and befriend those little ones. We have also been invited into the homes of some of the people we have met and had the opportunity to share our lives and stories with each other. One of these times a woman invited us into her home and we learned that she was also a Christian. We so enjoyed hearing about how the Lord has worked in her life and praying for her. After our conversation she told us “I don’t have much but I want to give you all something. I only have water to give you but it is a blessing to bless others.” I was so touched by this gesture and the generosity she demonstrated by giving all of what she had.

The Lord has been so intentional and present throughout these two weeks here in the DR, whether it be through thoughtful gifts from my squad mates, daily rainbows, cross-cultural worship, or beautiful sunflowers. I am so thankful for this experience so far and can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for the rest of our time here!

All my love,

B 🤍