Beginning on Sunday, March 29, and finishing yesterday, Monday, April 13, we helped Pastor Quina host a 14-person team from Puerto Rico and a 21-person team from Nappanee Missionary Church & Transformation Ministries in Indiana.
It was an absolute pleasure and a lot of fun to serve both teams. It was the most physically exhausting period of time we've had since moving here, but it was also the most spiritually and emotionally refreshing time for us.
Ever since we began the process of planning to live here, we knew hosting teams would be part of the experience, and we looked forward to it with great anticipation. Our expectations were not only met, but exceeded, these last two weeks!
These last two weeks have included transporting teams to ministry sites, preparing meals, running errands, cleaning up spills, taking out the trash, sharing laughs, participating in the ministry, conversations with team members and leaders, playing games, sharing testimonies, praying for healing and salvation, playing sports, quiet times with God and so much more. We didn't get a lot of rest, but we enjoyed every minute!
Here are some of the highlights from these past two weeks:
Translating
While our Spanish is nowhere near perfect, we've learned enough to help translate from Spanish to English. This was a big help with both teams. And it wasn't just Dan & Katie who helped translate - Hanah and David both did a great job of interpreting as well. In fact, David served as the lone translator for a group of students who met and prayed for a woman at the park in Guanabano!
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| These leaders needed a little extra shot of energy before starting a full day of ministry! |
Serving
Since our mission in coming here was simply to serve, we felt blessed by the opportunity to serve both Quina and the teams during their visits here. There was a lot of work to be done, many trips between Guanabano and Moca (about a 15-minute drive), many meals to be served and cleaned up, several unexpected trips to stores and numerous arrangements to be made both before and during the visits. We got our hands dirty; we had sore feet and legs; we answered questions; we juggled many responsibilities. And, when our heads hit the pillows, we slept hard! It was the best fatigue we've ever felt in our lives!
Connecting
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| Ministry in local schools was a clear highlight of the Indiana team's visit to Guanabano. |
One of the greatest pleasures for us was being able to connect the Indiana team with the ministries we're involved with here. The connection to Quina precedes us and we were able to help this team continue to build a bridge between Indiana and the Dominican Republic. We also helped deepen the relationship between Nappanee Missionary Church/Transformation and Victor Rojas, the basketball coach here in Guanabano. This team was also the first to be introduced to several local schools. They were given open doors at three schools in the Guanabano area and they made the most of that opportunity!
The Puerto Rico team, which has been working with Pastor Quina for six years, introduced us to an incredible minitry opportunity that's just down the street from where we live. There is a jail at the police station about two blocks from our apartment, and it is currently home to several women. Katie went to visit these women with the Puerto Rico team and has felt led by God to continue building relationships with them and sharing the Gospel with them.
Debriefing
The Indiana team invited us to join them for two days of focused debrief time at a campground in Jarabacoa, a mountain city here in the Dominican Republic. It was a very restful and enjoyable time for us. We also participated in parts of the team's debrief process as we looked back at the week's events and asked God to teach us through them. We spent time with leaders and students in a less hectic, yet very focused, part of their trip. We felt honored and blessed to be included.
Even though we jump back into our normal routine today, it doesn't really feel normal. The experiences of the past two weeks were very impactful and will surely shape the way we approach ministry both here and in the future. Thank you so much for your love, encouragement and support that has allowed us to experience so many incredible things. Hosting teams was a life-giving experience for us ... which is good because we've got three more teams to go!!!! The Bethel Baseball team arrives on June 3 (only about 7 weeks from now) and then we launch into a blitz which includes another Nappanee team and the Bethel Basketball team.
We're excited to see what God does in and through all the teams that are coming to visit. There is so much more that could be written about the experiences of the past two weeks, so don't be surprised to hear from us again soon!
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