Post mission trip

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support. Thanks for your generosity and love, your kind letters and notes, your encouraging phone calls. We had great success on our mission to bring God’s love and message of salvation to the children of the Dominican Republic. We ministered to over 300 children on a daily basis. Over eighty percent of all these children are under the age of eleven. Most of the rest are under the age of sixteen. We brought the love of Jesus, some food, some clothes, some toys and small gifts to a group of kids with nothing much more than meager shelter. We played games and sang songs. We witnessed to the parents and adults. There were several that gave their life to Christ.

What I thought was remarkable is the smiles and hugs that we received from these kids every time we showed up. They were eager and enthusiastic. I could hardly wrap my mind around the concept of their happiness without having all the “stuff” that we surround ourselves with. I felt shame and humility and even sometimes guilt that I have so much. I will carry these memories around with me for a long time.

These kids have a church and a missionary, Angela Gutierrez, who loves them. But they are still without a building for their church. Logistics and resources prevented us working on the building, however, we were able to give Angela enough money for materials and labor to finish the first floor. Her hope is to build three floors total because there is no room to build outward beyond the walls that are already up. This small piece of land that the church is on is all that is left of the surrounding property that used to be hers. You see, Angela is ministering to the children and grandchildren of squatters who took over her land. Her heart is not to reclaim the land, but to claim the souls of this community for Jesus Christ. She calls their ministry “Evangelizando los Ninos” or Evangelizing the Children. I thank God that I was able to be a part of this great work and I will continue to pray and support this mission.

Thanks to all of you again.