betsycatedumas - DR Week 3

Best. Week. Ever. Not that I’m biased or anything… but I’ve been anticipating this week since before the beginning of the summer. When we saw Southbrook at the airport I was literally jumping and cheering and when my sister and I locked eyes we full on sprinted into each other’s arms. I had a lot of good friends in that group, so you can imagine my excitement.

Ministry was very different for Southbrook this year. There was a chapel that had to be taken down because of roadwork, and so that chapel was donated to a pastor in Santiago. Well, this meant we had a pre-constructed chapel, and with the foundation already laid in Santiago all we had to do was assemble it! Monday was chapel day and it was a blast to work alongside my friends. That congregation already had 2 chapels but the pastor shared how their ministry was expanding and how impactful a 3rd building would be. It was a privilege to hear about how they use their ministry to help vulnerable, exploited, and abused children find hope. So in the end, it wasn’t just another work day, it was a day we got to be part of pushing back the darkness for kids that we may never get to meet but who can now have hope because this church wanted to provide them a safe space to meet and be able to hear the Gospel.

Because we knocked out construction first thing, we had extra time for ministry! We all went to VBS in Duquesa in the mornings and in the afternoons we split up between another VBS in La 31 (the same place we did the Jesus Film with Cedarcrest) and Sports in Bambu. Morning VBS was a sobering experience for everyone. The Duquesa kids were so excited to be at the VBS but it’s difficult to see them living in the conditions they do. They’ve been through so much. About 75% of them are undocumented and are at the risk of deportation. This also means they can’t enroll in school to get an education. A missionary pointed out one kid who had been causing trouble throughout the week. She told me that both of his parents had been deported back to Haiti, so he was practically living on his own in the community. It’s a sad reality but it just emphasizes the importance of the ministry TIME continues to do there for moms and children. And I was so proud of the work my friends put into making and running the VBS, sharing the gospel with those kids, and showing them how loved they are despite the language barrier.

On Friday, Southbrook tried something new; park ministry! In the morning we all went to La Barquita to pray for people, give out gospel tracts, and do a skit and gospel presentation. We then drove to a local church where we went around the neighborhood to pray, evangelize, and invite people to come watch the skit. In the afternoon we did the same thing but we split between two parks in Villa Mella and La Victoria. I went to La Victoria and my little group was able to have a good 30 minute conversation with 2 men about the gospel and the importance of church. In the end we were able to pray over them. Then we gathered together to do the skit and gospel presentation again and afterwards hung out with the people there. I really enjoyed chatting with some of the local teens, laughing with them, and asking them questions about their walk with Christ. It was definitely a different day of ministry but I absolutely loved it.

With ministry (basically) complete, we drove to the market and the beach on Saturday for some downtime. In the evening we had our banquet and sharing time. It was such a joy hearing everyone’s perspectives and experiences from the week. And my absolute FAVORITE part of the week was learning that one of the teens from Southbrook had given his life to Christ that night!! What a privilege it was to celebrate with him, hear his testimony, and pray over him! Praise God!

Sunday was a pretty chill day. We had church in the morning, TIME history in the afternoon, and Youth Group in the evening. So most of the day was spent playing card games and packing. Southbrook and STCH (they’re a ministry neighboring TIME) led the youth service at IBQ in the evening. They did worship, games, and testimonies and a little message at the end. I loved hearing the testimony of one of the girls from Southbrook. Before she was a Christian she had signed up for the World Race because she wanted to travel. Through that she found salvation and God completely transformed her life. It’s such a powerful testimony and it makes me all the more excited to launch in August!!

Monday we said our goodbyes to Southbrook (worst birthday present ever). I miss them tremendously but I loved getting to know the 30 something teens and adults better, especially those I didn’t really interact with much back at home. It was a pleasure serving alongside my church this week and I’m so excited to get home and see how this trip has impacted their day to day lives!

We had 4 days of downtime between groups (hallelujah) so we had a lot of bonding time as interns. Be on the lookout for an Instagram post about that (and maybe even a YouTube video about our waterfall excursion?!….) Yesterday, New Life Church arrived from GA and we have a full week of construction and ministry ahead of us. Here we go!

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