The more the merrier! This week we hosted 2 groups: Life in Christ from Pennsylvania and Dayspring fellowship from Oregon. The groups built the chapel together but had different plans for afternoon ministry, so we split the interns between the two. I got to be with Life in Christ!

Here we say flexibility is the key to ministry, and that was apparent before the week even started. As Dayspring was leaving for the airport they got the news that their flights were cancelled due to weather. Luckily, they were able to book flights arriving the next morning, but this meant that they would miss foundation day, meaning we would have to send all of Life in Christ to prepare the foundation. With only 9 members, I was afraid we’d be there all day but it went really smoothly! It helped that a few of the men already had experience because they did some sort of construction for a living. It was my first foundation day since my trip here in 2024, and I was so glad to be back. It’s a lot of measuring, digging trenches, hand-mixing concrete, and filling said trenches with concrete. After that we laid the cinder blocks and secured it all with the concrete mix. It’s very physically taxing but also very rewarding at the same time because you get to see it all come together in the end.

Coincidentally, we were just 30 minutes away from the new TIME site in Cabrera, so afterwards we visited them and they graciously provided dinner for us! I had never been there before so it was so special  to be able to see TIME in the process of expanding their reach. Ellie (intern) was over the moon that day because Cabrera was hosting her church group for the week!! As a bonus, they were painting a building just down the road from our chapel site, so they visited us on both foundation and chapel day!!

Throughout the week we all did sports ministry in Duquesa but the 2 churches were split into different areas. Life in Christ ran soccer drills and scrimmages each day while Dayspring Fellowship alternated between soccer, basketball, and baseball. Each day before we finished, someone from the group would share their testimony. Once again, we found that flexibility was key. On the first day of ministry we had just set up for soccer and it started pouring out of nowhere. Luckily the Baby2Mom ministry building was right around the corner, so we all booked it there; kids, missionaries, and all. We were able to think on our feet and make it all work inside, but the storm was raging outside. The other group wasn’t so lucky… they had to stick it out in the rain. Luckily we only had light showers the rest of the week so we were able to finish out ministry.

One thing this week really stood out to me. One of the men from Life in Christ was so intentional with the kids and sharing the Gospel with them. Throughout the ministry days, I watched as he pulled aside teen guys and (with the help of a translator) took the opportunity to share the gospel one on one with them. And on the drive back I asked him how it went and his face would just light up with joy as he shared. My heart is so full whenever I see people so passionate about sharing the gospel. So please be praying that those boys would come to know God personally and surrender their lives to Him.

Thursday night we loaded up the truck and trailer and hit the road the next morning around 4:30am to head the chapel site in Cabrera. Throughout the entire week the interns and I were blown away with how well these groups worked in construction. From knowledge itself to their work ethic, these groups worked quickly and diligently. The chapel itself usually takes around 8 hours start to finish, and well…. We were out of there in about 5 1/2!!! Once again it was a privilege to play small part in blessing a local congregation and to enable them to build the kingdom of God more effectively.

Next week will be another double group and I’m excited to see how God will work! Thank you all for your ongoing prayers and financial support. It means the world to me!

In Christ,

Betsy-Cate Dumas