Sunday

On Sunday, we went to Church in Santo Domingo. After participating in worship that broke the boundaries of language and praised a common master, we were reminded of the need for faithful intentionality. Beyond intentions, we must act in a way that pushes us closer to sanctification, which requires an examination of where we are now. We also had an opportunity to meet with some of the youth in the church and discuss faith, life, and future plans.

We were refreshed by God’s word and community.

We also engaged in some team competition. This meant sporting the bandanas that we were given at the genesis of this trip planning journey, three months ago. It also meant chanting (Viva la Verde), swimming, and testing our weaker than desired Spanish abilities. After the frivolities had settled, the red team was victorious. We broke in small groups to reflect on the message from earlier and further our knowledge of each other.

We are refreshed by God’s word and community.

To wrap up the night, we met in the upper room. This is an area that has been described as a “thin space” where God seems a bit closer. God is most definitely everywhere, but this room has a history of “thin moments” where the meniscus of our sin and darkness is stretched and God’s light shines through. During worship and prayer, that light began peeking through. Then it shone upon those present. Then it flooded the area. God’s loved pierced our hearts. We cried because burdens left us. We shook because we were freed. We embraced because He gave us enough strength to pass it on. We resolved conflict because God wanted to remove the barriers that hold us back from serving Him. We prayed over each other because we saw each other as children of God. We praised because God is good.

We desire to be continually impacted by God’s word and community.

We don’t want to let it pass by.
(Andrew Myhal)