Start of a New Week

Sunday was a day spent relaxing and praising God. We woke up in the morning and made an hour drive to the chapel. This drive was short in comparison to our other rides that we make. The worship was beautiful. We were greeted at the door and showed to our seats, the whole time being smiled at. The worship service was different in the sense that the pastor did not speak right away. We were led in singing by a praise team. It was amazing to hear both the singing in English and Spanish. The people are so loud and joyful! You could barely hear yourself singing. After singing their “pastora” came to speak to us on Samuel 3. She spoke in Spanish, and it was translated into English by Billy. We learnt that we are always being called by God, and have to be at our ready. 

After the sermon we all remarked how well it was done, and how powerful the message was. We were called as a team to the Dominican, to help the people and glorify God, and it’s amazing to feel Him working through us. After the worship service, we were surrounded by all 60 of the congregation. Everyone greeted us with a hug and handshake. It was disappointing to hear that there’d be no second service. 

We returned to our guest house in the afternoon to relax, and hang out by the pool. A couple people attempted to read books for their ISU’s, but that really didn't happen in the sun. Billy was able to borrow some scooters, and Ron’s dreams came true. The boys were all able to go scootering around the small town were staying in for an hour. Sid brought his selfie stick, and they took a lot of selfies! The girls all had their hair braided by a friend of the lady who owns the guest house. So we’re basically natives of the Dominican now. 

The night was spent playing card games, and swimming. Maddy, Karissa, Taylor, and Sarah did not have a moment where they were not laughing. Their dutch blitz game got really intense. It was a relaxing day, and were so happy to be able to have a break were we could just concentrate on bonding and getting closer to God. As Autumn and Ang led us in devotions, we started to sing “The Days of Elijah”. Following the attitude of the church service, there was a lot of clapping and dancing involved. It was a lovely day in all.

Monday:

Today was the start of another work week. We woke up at 7 and got ready for the day. We also experienced “Dominican Time” for the first time. Dominicans don’t really follow a schedule, but just go with the flow. Daniel finally came to pick us up at 9, and we drove off to Belen. We arrived at the school at around 10, and started work right away. 

Sadly the children aren’t at the school this week because it’s their Holy week, but some still came to visit us. We poured cement into the metal structures that we built last week. These structures will be used as the foundation for the second story. Work was very hot, and we took a lot of water breaks! The temperature today was 30^oC, but with humidity it was 36^oC.Don’t worry moms, sunscreen was applied regularly! After lunch we walked down the street to the basketball court. Much to the enjoyment of everyone watching, we attempted to play another game. This game included not only our team, but also some of the students from the school. I’m pretty sure the students won the game, with the help of Josh on their team. Back at the school we watched the workers break the original concrete, and made sure that we stayed hydrated.

Around 3 o’clock, Daniel came to pick us up and we headed back to the guest house. Everyone either took a shower, or jumped into the pool. Sid, Tash, Autumn, Claire, Josh, and Ashley played an intense game of Marco Polo. This game included mistaken names, and the drowning of Autumn. Don't worry Joanne, we promise that we’re keeping her safe! After swimming, Claire found a gecko. Sid decided to keep it as a pet, and kept him on his shoulder for the next hour, until Claire decided to hold it again, killing the gecko in the process. Sid has still not recovered from his broken heart.

After dinner we were led in devotion by Sarah and Claire. We talked about how close we’ve grown as a group, and but also have we have grown spiritually and mentally. We realized how blest we are in Canada, and how we complain about such simple things, when in reality our struggles are nothing compared. We finished off the night with singing “Amazing Grace”. 

Please remember us in your prayers as some of the team members are suffering some homesickness and also stomach sickness. We praise God everyday for His blessings!