Saturday, August 14
Sleep in!! Breakfast at 7:45! The team was feeling the weariness of the week. It's evident because the group ambled more slowly to climb into the back of the pickup. Those in the back of the pickups have coiffed hair at the destination. No beauty contests -- thank God!
The morning schedule -- dramas for the Evangelical Mennonite Jovenes from all over the island at Campamento Bethel. Jovenes are young people, anywhere from 15 to 30 years of age. When we arrived at 9:30 for the 10:00 a.m. service we were told that those at the camp hadn't eaten breakfast yet. We were told that the propane ran out and the cooks were waiting until the tanks were returned. That was OK by our team as we had a chance to be in a lovely, green setting to start our debrief about the trip. Besides a very strong orientation before the missions trip, a time to process and reflect on all the experiences is key to discovering what the trip means for each individual. We've had opportunity to do this 2-3 times before, but this time we had Juan Ernesto with us to share as well. He spoke about the dramas and what a tremendous message they give. "I'm confident that when you are in heaven you will have people come to you and tell you that their hearts were changed because of the dramas." Moreover, Juan Ernesto's thrust at the end of the dramas is a "shout out" to Christians who need to be renewed in their faith and to live righteous lives. Such is what happened after the dramas. Dominican young people came forward to pray for a new breath of the Holy Spirit. We explained that Juan Ernesto was an answer to Tammy's prayers as she didn't know who from the Dominican side would fill in the necessary gap to give an appropriate application to the dramas. Enter Juan Ernesto! He laughed when we told him of our answered prayer because he too had a prayer that people would come to stir the hearts of his people in the name of the Lord. Next time, he said, give him 3 days notice and he would book us all around the island to present dramas.
The group of 400 jovenes rejoiced in song before and after our presentations, singing familiar melodies while we joined in in English. One of the youth even had a vuvuzela (a horn typically used in soccer matches) which he played throughout the time of worship. It was exciting for many members of the team as we ran into other Christians we had worked with while we stayed in El Cercado. Travis and Peter even met the man who's house they'd stayed at during the home stays. Then we all loaded up into the pickup trucks and made it home. Made it home might sound a little too simple... you must keep in mind that Joe was driving 80 kpm! After we unloaded from the truck Daniel commented, "Joe drives like a wild man on fire, with only one goal in mind: speed, determination, and reckless abandonment for all life!" Joe likes to play the game, "smack the passengers in the face with tree branches" as he veers around the road hoping to elicit a response from the screaming passengers. Another favorite game of his is, "atomize the passengers with windshield wiper fluid" as he spatters fluid over the cab.
During the afternoon we rested and rejuvenated. A lot of people took 3 hour siestas, participating in a sleep-a-thon. That night we planned on going to Santil's church, the anesthesiologist at the clinic. That afternoon there was a steady rainfall. Rain in the Dominican keeps the people at home because they don't want to walk or ride their motorcycles around in the rain. So we waited until the rain subsided and ended up leaving an hour later than planned. The church service was held on the second floor of a building, with a balcony that was within reaching distance of the telephone and electrical wires. "That was kind of fun," said Peter. "Touch that, and you're instantly dead," said Mike as he dared us to touch it. The music was lively and the people were genuinely in love with the Lord. The majority of the people there were young people. Again, Juan Ernesto called people up after the dramas to come and rededicate their lives to Christ. Two people also gave their lives to Christ for the first time. It was inspiring to see even more people touched by the Lord and wanting to commit their lives to Him.
Later that night, as Claire packed up to go home the next day, most of the team congregated in Claire, Erin, and Justina's room for a lively and slapstick time of bonding. We talked about the week and shared lots of laughs. It was once again incredible to see how a group of 20 people who didn't really know each other before the trip came together to serve God and left as good friends. Thinking it through later, we realized that there were no cliques or ostracized members. We were all in it together. There is such a joy in knowing one another as Christians. "The fellowship of believers is key in the New Testament, and we definitely experienced it this week," said Peter. It is sad to see our group slowly disband and return home, yet encouraging knowing that the same purpose that we shared here in the Dominican, will continue in CA, MI, OH, IN, PA, Canada, and Holland.
Gloria a Dios!
Tammy, Peter and Hallie (for the team)
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