Good morning everyone! We have had a wonderful time so far in the Dominican Republic getting familiar with the city and getting introduced to the people. After a travel day on Saturday, we arrived at the compound around 9:15. We would have been a little earlier, but the further you get away from Santo Domingo, the more exciting the roads become for driving. Our driver miscalculated a pothole in the road, but the guys worked hard and quickly to get us moving again. The locals were wonderful in helping us out (literally!), and already we began to feel the hospitality of the people in Los Alcarriozos. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a very generous portion of chicken, rice, vegetables, and of course "pop". After such an exciting trip, Cristian (the local missionary) gave us a great overview for the week, and after some time to talk about our day and what would come tomorrow we were off to bed.
Sunday started at 7AM. We were up for devotionals, and ready for breakfast at 8:30. We began walking to the church at 9:30, and were very excited to worship with the local church. It is always a joy to worship in a foreign country! The pastor is from Korea, and we joked that we could not understand his Spanish because of his Korean accent! During the service we got to see how Jesus is glorified in the Dominican culture. They like loud music and moving to it! In the little church with a portable sound system and no air conditioning, it seemed as if everyone from the worship team down to the children in the congregation were worshiping with total abandon. It was a privilege to then introduce our team, and Moriah Brillhart sang a beautiful Spanish rendition of "I'm Singing" by Kari Jobe.
After church, we walked back to the compound to eat another very good meal, followed by our first "siesta". We all determined afterward that we are going to introduce the idea of a siesta in America, because resting from 1 to 2 was wonderful! It was a good time to think about the service, and prepare our hearts for the walk that Cristian was going to take us on. Cristian's desire was to not only show us how the people live, but who they are. We walked up and down many different streets, and handed candy to the children who seemed to latch onto us for as long as we had candy to give. Even after, they followed us around the entire time, coming up and trying to talk and then running away. It was a humbling experience to see them and their families smiling and content in their tin homes with one room. Cristian showed us many of the homes and schools that God has miraculously provided money and teams to build, and also shared his vision of what he would like to do next. When asked "How many people have you seen come to Christ because of what's been done here?", he replied, "The exact number, I am not sure. But I know well over 10,000."
We then went to the school, and played baseball (which the local kids destroyed us in), basketball (which we kind of held our ground, but still lost terribly), volleyball (the only reason we did OK is because we are taller), and soccer (we made a noble effort!). It was a great introduction to the kids, and a great time of building relationships. Later this week, we will be coming back to share Christ with the very kids we were playing with. What an exciting time that will be!
As our day was winding down after dinner, we took some time to think about our expectations for coming and our perceptions now that we are here. The people here are very generous, very poor, and very much need Jesus. After a time of great conversation and evening devotions, we were off to sleep to rest for our first day of hard labor.
Today we are sanding down concrete walls in the soon-to-be only weight room around, painting, and cleaning up cement bricks and wood in order to paint. Cristian shared that there is a major drug problem in the area, and the work we are doing is providing people with an alternate place where they can hang out, work out, play sports, and learn about the Gospel. Thank you all for praying for us so far! Please continue to pray for our health, our servant attitudes, and that we would also not miss what God is doing in our own lives through this time of serving Him. More to be posted tomorrow!
For His Glory,
Tim Whitney
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