Week 4

Wow!! I can hardly believe that I am telling you all about my fourth week here!! God is sooo good!! Last Saturday we left around lunch time to head to Monte Cristi where the other orphanage is located that Orphanage Outreach supports. The secular program had been stationed there, and so for last week the Christian internship program moved to MC and the secular program moved to Jaibon. This past week we partnered with Graystone Church (Atlanta, GA) and Old Orchard Church (St. Louis, MO).

In the mornings we hosted a VBS at the orphanage. This is a camp that the community looks forward to each summer. The first day we had 330 kids come. It was CRAZY!!! The theme was Narnia... so the teaching was directed towards biblical themes that are brought up in that book. My role was to help out with the teaching part. It was a cool opportunity because I was able to utilize my Spanish to translate for the teacher (the pastor from Old Orchard) as well as explain the Bible memory games that the kids did. There is no price that can be put on the smiles on the kids faces when they memorized the bible verse!! Also on Wednesday I got an opportunity to communicate very simply my testimony... God is good. I was very blessed by that opportunity. Also, praise God I have another sister in Christ... one girl that I know of accepted Christ.

In the afternoons a group of us went to La Capilla which is a small church in the mountains of MC. I was a team leader for the Blue Team (the older girls). It was such a blessing to be able to connect with them. They each have a story to tell and dreams!! God also used several of the younger babies to share part of His love to me.. I loved getting to hold those precious children. It made my heart sing!!

So this week three new people joined our team. Luke, Chris and Holly. In the mornings we will do work projects and activities with the boys at the orphanage (in Jaibon.. we are back now until August 1st) and then in the afternoon I get to teach the English station for the VBS that we are doing at a local church. I am so excited about this opportunity. God has been faithful. Please continue to pray for encouragement for the team as many of us this is around the half way point of our time in the DR. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. We serve a mighty God, one in whom we can place our hope in. And as John shared with us this morning: Hope is the "confident expectation of the righteous".

Praying for you.
Monica