A Service Day Without Power

Hello! Today was the second day of service for us. I started out the day drenched in sweat as I realized that the AC at the Diocesan headquarters had turned off at some point in the night. After that, we all got ready and left to go to the church for service. I was in charge of scraping some of the old paint off of the walls of the church building, and the other groups painted the outside fences of the church and church member Ileana's mother's house.

It was very hot outside, but God came with the blessing of rain to help cool us and everyone else at the church down. In between painting and VBS we had lunch, and church leader Katherin's family brought us coconuts to drink the coconut water and to eat the coconut meat. Some us liked them and some of us didn't.

Soon, we started the second day of Vacation Bible School at the church, and I was surprised to see how all the kids connected with each other through faith, singing and dancing, games, crafts, and more. All of the kids seemed genuinely happy and excited even though that there was no power and that it was raining outside.

Seeing all of the kids throwing up their hands and singing together saying "shine Jesus' light" really showed me how the Lord brings people together as one welcoming and loving community. Everyone we have met have been so nice and welcoming, and can show you what a community of faith and genuine support can bring. After our day of service, we continued the day without power once we learned that the Diocesan headquarters had no power, and we had to change our plans mid afternoon and pack up our overnight stuff and things for tomorrow and go spend the night somewhere new.

Today really showed me that what we normally take for granted in the US can just disappear here in the Dominican Republic. It has shown us to appreciate everything that we have and that God will always be there for you no matter what. Overall, we are ready for another day of God's great work. By: Ben Osborne