Day Six: Lamenting

Today was a sad day. While the whole team has been very positive and upbeat throughout our time her in the Dominican Republic, I have felt a sense of sadness. There is such a powerful oppression for the Haitians here. It is not just poverty of the wallet. We had a few great opportunities today that were bitter sweet. We had a chance to help with the breakfast feeding at a school that was started by Dr.

Sylvia, who works for the Luke Society. Some of us helped with washing hands and others began the serving process.

We left that location and went to another work site in order to help that congregation laying some blocks for their walls. It was a nice change of pace for us to work with the concrete blocks instead of the roofing.

When we got back to the ministry center, we had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Sylvia and to present her with greetings and a contribution from the Shalom Congregation. Our evening finished with a presentation by Mario Matos. His story is a rare story of overcoming countless obstacles to be in a position to give back to the culture and community he came from. Mario’s grandfather came to the Dominican Republic from Haiti many years ago to work the sugar cane fields. His father taught him to read and although they had no books, he gained reading proficiency by reading all of the newspapers that were used as wall paper in his house. Tears welled up in his eyes as he told us of the precious gift of a Bible that someone gave him.

When he was 9 years old, his father, a pastor, accepted a call to a congregation in the slums of Santo Domingo. He reflected how much their quality of life improved by moving from the batte’ (farming community) to the slums. Eventually Mario went to Calvin College for his masters in education. He came back to work with the missionaries in the Dominican Republic as an educator. He continues to help his family with tuition assistance for those who want better themselves.

Pray for those in poverty. Pray that Christian in Shalom and throughout the world will feel the call to be the hands and feet of Christ. Pray that each of us on the team will keep the passion for those we have been serving. Pray to know the ache of God’s heart for his children.