Once upon a time in a land far far away known as the Dominican Republic, a group of missionaries from Little Bethel and Northside Baptist Churches of Georgia began a new day in this foreign territory with a mission to spread the Word of Christ. This is the story of their adventures on Wednesday, June 18, 2008.
In the early morning, the group journeyed off to the village of La Goya. Upon arrival, skits were performed, testimonies were given, and Pastor Richard gave a enthusiastic sermon about Christ dying on the cross for our sins and it “rocked all around” (if you know what we mean) Many people were saved. AMEN! HALLELUJAH! SI! Afterwards, the group headed off to a local church field with the children. There the Dominican boys played a friendly game of the nations #1 sport: Baseball. The zillion Domincan boys were up to bat first. They knew how to knock the ball into far away places! They were scoring runs like no other! It was finally the missionaries turn to bat. They needed some big hits in order to catch up with the Dominicans. Kristin was up to bat first. She blew all of the boys away when she knocked the ball out of the park to score this first run for her team! Myles was next, then Lance. Neither of them could out do the home run hit by Kristin. Then, out of no where! A beast stepped up to the plate! None other than Kenny the Great! With one huge smack of the bat, Kenny made the ball soar miles high into the sky and far over the church! Everyone’s jaws dropped in awe and the missionaries cheered with excitement and glee. Meanwhile, over at the basketball court, the Dominican girls played a local dance game. They held hands and chanted a spanish song while running around in a circle. When the chanting stopped, everyone froze. Whoever moved was out. It took a good 45 minutes to find a winner!
After all the fun and games, yesterday’s food purchased from JUMBO was rationed amongst the village. The food was distrubuted to houses in incredibly poor conditions. The average house was constructed of wood with a tin roof and painted several times with different colors. The paint on several houses has chipped revealing the underlying colors. The majority of the houses are probably no larger than an SUV! The people of the village were grateful for the food as the missionaries said “En el nombre de Cristo!” (In the name of Christ!) To make matters more exciting, on the way to lunch, one of the buses got stuck in the mud. But no worries! Big Country, aka J.D., Gun Show, aka Jason, Toot, Kenny, Donny Squared, Nick, and Wesley saved the day! They bulldozed through that mud and pushed the women on the bus to safety!
Lunch was eaten under a mango tree of La Palabra de Vida (Word of Life) property, where Kenneth explained the vision of the new camp that is going to change many lives of the Dominicans. The missionaries prayed on the Holy ground and then continued on their way. The journey continued onward at a incredibly small local school which consisted of a single room and outhouse. More dramas were performed, testimonies were given, and Pastor Lee preached the Word of God. Many people, young and old, were saved. School supplies and clothing were distributed to all the people. Nothing was taken for granted, not even a No. 2 pencil! As the missionaries were leaving the school, the elders were asked to come into a house and pray for an incredibly sick baby boy. His head was swollen to three times the normal size! Everyone will continue to pray for a miracle to help the child and his family.
Everyone returned home to the SCORE hotel safe and sound. Some played Rook. Some went to the beach. Others went swimming or out for ice cream. All in all, the day was a success and everyone felt blessed to have been a part of it. Now the missionaries rest up for a huge day tomorrow at an orphanage and another village.
On a final note, some wise words from Pastor White: “When we all get to Heaven, we will all be Dominicans!”
Te amos!
Little Bethel Church & Northside Baptist Church
(Kendra, Heather, & Holly) |
