Hi friends! As I'm posting this, it's my 18th day here! Time has absolutely flown by, I can't believe it! Anyways, here's my next update. thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope my experiences and words are able to help you in some way or another. The Dominican has already taught me so much!
7/17: Sorry for Jumping Off of Waterfalls, Mom
Today, we went to the 27 Waterfalls Tour and it was the most fun!!! We spent the first thirty minutes of the tour hiking through the jungle and eating mangoes. Then, we arrived at the first jumping spot. It was a 25 five foot jump into the water, and I was a little scared, but I took the plunge and it was AMAZING! We had a couple more jumps as we went further into the jungle, and we had fun swimming from pool to pool. The second half of the tour was sliding down smoothed rocks, like a natural water slide! I thought that was even more fun than the jumping. The water was crystal clear and felt so perfect after our hike! It was so beautiful! I definitely want to go on more adventures like that some day.
7/18 Beware of the Falling Lizards
Today was church day! The worship was so good and I loved singing the songs I knew in English while the rest of the congregation sang in Spanish. It truly is so special to hear two languages being lifted up to the Lord. It's such a small glimpse into heaven where we will hear every tongue and nation singing the praises of the Lord around His throne. There's so much power in hearing just two languages lift up His name-- could you imagine hundreds?! It gives me so much joy to think about that!
My favorite part of the service is when the band sang "What a Beautiful Name" (Hermoso Nombre) and every voice could be heard. Everyone in the church was worshipping so passionately, with true dedication to the Lord. It was so amazing!
After church, we spent time at Rigo's mom's house (the same place we went to last week). She made us a traditional Dominican soup, called sancocho, and it was really good! It's really fun to be around everyone and see lifelong friends and family members share fellowship over a meal.
You guys... I'm not even sure how to make this into a smooth transition, but a lizard fell on my last night while I was brushing my teeth. And I SCREAMED and woke everyone in the house up. They all came running out asking what was wrong and it sure did make them laugh when I pointed to the lizard on that ground (that fell on me, if you forgot). It was quite the stressful situation for me. I guess when I get home I will have a new appreciation for closed bathroom windows that keep the critters out. ¡No me gustan las lagartijas!
7/19 My Fan Club Consists of 17 Kids and a Dog
Today, we went to a new community to evangelize and it was quite chaotic, but oh so sweet. There were kids absolutely everywhere and every time I looked behind us, more had joined the entourage. First, it was only three or four boys. But after a Spanish mishap, I accidentally told them that there were more Americans at the church (there were not) so they all went sprinting away, leaving me very confused. But they eventually came back and they had somehow multiplied. After talking to a few people, I looked back again and there were a dozen kids! And eventually it got up to 17! And a chihuahua.
All the girls were so mesmerized by my hair and kept playing with it. Some of them said they had never seen hair as light as mine. And the texture is very different from theirs. The younger kids wanted to hold our hands or under our arms, which was so sweet, but it made evangelism kind of difficult because we were talking over giggling kids who were running all about. It was certainly quite a scene!
But overall, evangelism went really well. I think I spoke very clearly and was able to say everything on my heart. We also talked to about 6 or 7 people which was really amazing because we usually only talk to 3 or 4. But my brain was a little tired afterwards!
7/20 Despacito: The Spanish Song of the Americans
Sadly, today my stomach was hurting in the morning so I wasn’t able to help with English classes or be around the kids. I spent the morning in the church office and took a nap on the couch hehe (I’m a major nap enthusiast for those of you who may not know).
Luckily, Pedro Juan is a super cool dude and doubles as a pastor AND a doctor so he gave me some medicine and I was well enough to evangelize in the afternoon.
But it was so sweet because everyone kept checking on me. Alondra’s mom, Marisol, called her a couple times to make sure I was ok. Pedro Juan went out of his way to make sure lunch would be easy on my stomach— he even went to the store to get me chicken because he thought that would be better for my stomach than the salami we were having. Naomi told me that her and Olivia prayed over me during their Spanish lesson. All the kids stopped by the office to say hi and ask if I was ok. One of the older girls brought me juice and asked if she could refill my water bottle. There’s just so much intentional kindness within the walls of this church. So much love in a way I’ve never seen it before. These things may seem so simple but when you’re in a foreign country and have known these people for only a couple weeks, their love is so greatly appreciated. They give of themselves so freely to me, their church, and their community.
For evangelism, we went to the same community as yesterday and talked to about 5 different people or households. Evangelism went well but it was kind of funny because there was a camera man trying to film us for a Summatt video so it was a little distracting at times. I’m really excited to see the video though!
There was one little boy, probably about 6 years old, who immediately ran up to me, put himself under my arm, and professed his love to me. Then, he serenaded me with the song Despacito. I was quite flattered! I also couldn’t stop laughing. He stuck with me for the entire hour and a half we evangelized and every single time we would start walking, he would either hold my hand or put my arm around him. Sometimes both. And if I wouldn’t hold his hand he would let me know that he was not happy about it hahah. He was sooo precious!
7/21 If Tweens Can Do It Without Complaining, So Can You
Today, class with the kids did not go well. No one was listening and it was honestly just a really aggravating hour and a half for me and Olivia. I love these kids but, man, they can tire me out!
After class, I spent time playing games with a little girl named Miranda. She just talks and talks and talks and it’s the cutest thing. She’s about 5 and absolutely adores hugs, loves gymnastics, and has the cutest Doc McStuffins backpack. She’s such a blessing! She always makes sure to give me and Olivia a hug when she gets to the church and when she leaves. She also loves picking flowers for us. I’m really gonna miss seeing her every day!
For evangelism today, we ventured a little farther into the new community we’ve been going to this week. We started going up a dirt hill and stopped at house along the way up. Luckily, we didn’t get too far up the hill because there were so many people sitting outside. I say luckily because this hill was absolutely HUGE and I really didn’t think my legs were gonna last all the way up it. I wish I would’ve taken a picture because this hill was a beast!
I only directly talked to one person today because some of the older kids from the church came with us and they took the lead! Y’all!! These kids have left me in absolute awe. They are 12,13,14 and they are taking time out of their summer vacations to explain the gospels to strangers. And they can do it so well! They have so much boldness and confidence, they are able to cite Bible verses, and they perfectly explain what the gospel says. My heart wast overwhelmed with pride in these kids. At such a young age, they are fulfilling the Great Commission so well.
I could never imagine doing that when I was their age. I didn’t even fully understand the depth the gospel until I was 17. I'm not even sure I would've been able to accurately explain it when I was younger. And I had so much fear starting evangelism here! But here they are. These kids are showing up & being so obedient and so faithful to the commands God has laid over them.
I say this with so much love but also with conviction cuz y'all need to hear it… if a 12 year old can do it, so can you ;)
7/22 Hike, Then Pray
Today, it was our last Spanish lesson with Naomi! She has been such a blessing to me and Olivia. She has had so much patience with us and has been so constructive in being both a teach and a friend. I'm really going to miss her!
In class with the kids, we had so much fun playing Pictionary with our topic of the day: summer words! The kids were cracking me up with their cute little drawings and how excited they would get while playing.
Evangelism also went well! We went to the same community as the other days this week. We saw a lot of the same faces so we only talked to three people, but I still think they were fruitful conversations. We hiked up the beastly hill mentioned earlier. I was trying to walk up it, but I kept slipping because it's not paved, it's only sand and dirt. Before I knew it, Jenni had grabbed my arm and started sprinting up the hill, so I had no choice but to start running too. We were both laughing so hard! We didn't actually talk to anyone up there. But we did all join hands and pray for all the people we've talked to and for the community as a whole. It was honestly a really beautiful moment, being joined together in fellowship and being able to look over the town.
Prayer Requests
-- For a woman we talked to named Stephany, who has severe oil burns on both of her legs. Pray she has comfort, freedom from pain, and a quick recovery.
-- For a man we talked to name Victor, he has bladder cancer. He also only has one arm. Pray the Lord holds him close and relieves him of all pain. Pray for a cure, for comfort, and for healing.
-- For a woman we talked to on Monday. She is grieving the loss of family members. Pray peace over her and ask God to let her know she is held in her mourning.
-- For a family we prayed over on Tuesday. They asked we pray for their health. Pray the Lord will protect them from disease and heal them from sickness.
-- For me, as I've been having some of my stomach flare ups this week. (It's ok, mom, I promise I'm fine).
-- Prayers for me and Olivia as we enter our last week of missions here. Pray we keep our hearts rooted here rather than being caught up in the excitement of going home. Pray we are able to finish our work here strongly. Also, that when we get Covid tested before we go home they will both be negative. (Both of us feel perfectly fine and have no symptoms, but it never hurts to pray about it hehe).
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!
All of my love,
Emory B.
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