Today was our last work day in the DR and was filled with a strong mix of emotions. I’ll say more about that in a few minutes but let me begin with the basics of what we did. The day started as usual with breakfast and then loading of the bus. We always mention the loading without much detail but it does involve quite a lot of logistics as well as hefting and toting. Lots of containers of medicine, suitcases full of VBS supplies, water filtration systems, and 20 to 30 thirty pound boxes of food supplements. After a bit of a ride on an old school bus we arrived at Batay 20. We then had to unload all of the same stuff. Lots of hefting and toting again. The medical team set up shop in one small schoolhouse, the VBS team set up in another small schoolhouse, and the water team prepared to walk around the batay and provide filtration systems along with the necessary training. The medical team provided much needed medication to 75 people. The water team provided 39 water filtration systems. The VBS team shared the love of Christ with a good number of children with a variety of crafts and activities. Each of the teams always shares the love of Christ with the people they encounter whether doing medical, water, or VBS. One thing that was unique today for the water team was that the team visited this same batay last year. This provided a great opportunity for them to assess the effectiveness of the distribution method and training. After we returned to the Casa Pastoral we took a few moments to acknowledge the local team of interpreters, cooks, and medical professionals that we are helping to do all of the ministries that we undertake. I mentioned earlier the mixed emotions. One side of this is knowing that we will be leaving our good friends tomorrow and won’t see them for some time. Another side is that we are all very tired and looking very forward to returning home. While we were all processing all of this, the most exciting thing that happened today for me personally occurred after we had eaten and were having a brief team meeting and devotional. This was intended to be short but the group quickly turned this time into a rather lengthy time of discussion about how those of us who have gone on these mission trips can do a better job of sharing our passion for missions with others. I don’t know what will come next but I do know that the spirit of God was moving in our small group tonight and I’m very excited to see how this will continue in the coming months. Please pray for us as we travel tomorrow and as we continue to process how God is working in each of us.
Thanks to all who have gone with us on the trip in so many ways, especially through your prayers,
Steve
PS. Since I have the nightly job of posting the blog, I am going to take advantage of the responsibility and add one message of my own...Take a close look at the pictures that have been posted. You will see a lot of smiling faces. While these trips involve a lot of hard work as Steve mentioned above, they are also full of fun moments and a lot of fellowship with others on the trip. Start thinking now about if you want to be part of next year's trip. - Keith
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