Well, the trip is winding down to just a few hours and soon enough we will be boarding our plane and headed home! Wow, what a trip! Words can not explain how much we have seen God’s hands at work here in the Dominican Republic, not only in the work we have done in laying down block, mixing mortar or even in shoveling endless dirt, but in the lives of our young people! I could take up a few pages in ways God has been revealed, but allow me to share just a few.
The goal of this mission trip was to make sure we finished what we set out to do in our construction, but our main goal and focus was to have a re-encounter with Jesus.
Our worships this year revolved around a pursuing God who wants to be with us no matter where we may be found and no matter what we may have to or not to offer.
We had an awesome time watching our youth leading out in VBS in songs, skits, activities and engaging with the local kids. It is amazing what can happen when you let young people lead!
We had an opportunity to go out in groups to the town of Quisquella and pass out the Bibles that were sponsored. What an amazing thing it is to see our young people engage with the locals even though the language was a barrier. We have stories about our encounters that will blow your mind. From a young lady who chased us down begging for a Bible, only to tell us that she had been praying for a year for someone to show up and give her a Bible, to going into a family’s home and pray over a sobbing mother who asked us to pray for her son, to a family who brought us a young girl who had been suffering from fever for the last couple of days and asking to pray over her. I can go on, but I think if you ask a young person for their perspective, you will hear amazing stories.
Today was a culmination of Jesus’ work! We drove to the beach and 2 of our young people were baptized! Praise God! We challenged and appealed all of our young people to a closer walk with Jesus and will continue to ray that many accept that call.
Well, I can say that I too have been changed by this trip. My faith has grown in God as I have seen Him at work. I am particularly satisfied in knowing I was able to bring my whole family with me to share in this experience. It was nice to see my daughter Briana interact with the local children and my wife Jeannie coming back to the country we both came on a mission trip 21 years ago.
In closing, if you are reading this, I challenge you to a re-encounter with Jesus tonight. I ask you to please have a re-encounter with your child. I challenge you to take the time to listen to the wonderful stories and encourage them to continue serving God.
See you all in just a few hours!
Blessings,
Ed Garcia
No comments:
Post a Comment