5 people who changed us...

In an effort to share stories of our Dominican Experience, I would like to introduce you to 5 individuals who we met during our time. Yes, it is a top 5, but there is a 5-way tie for 1st.

1. Sam, Jill, Dan, and Joel (pronounced Joe-el) - I know that's four people, but we're going to clump them into one so I can stick to 5. These four were our leaders from AIM. Tremendous individuals with hot hearts for God and missions. I have a feeling we're not done connecting with these folks!






2. Quena - The pastor of the three churches we worked with. In all she is pastor of 6 churches, and another 6 have been commissioned out on their own. She was mainly our cook for this time. My prayer is that her labors to feed us will somehow be blessed through our labors at her three churches.




3. Luis - Quena's grandson. He joined us due to our lack of translators. One Sunday Night, he was talking with Creighton about what it means to have a relationship with Christ. As Creighton shared his story with Luis, Luis realized that he was empty and wanted to go after this walk with Christ. From that moment, he moved from translator to ministry participant. This guy is the real deal.




4. Edwardo - This 6 year old had the fire of God in Him. Several of us were intimidated by his spiritual sensitivity and depth. We first met him at our Sunday morning 4 hour church service, where he recited a 4 minute poem about a son who waited too long to receive Christ. From there, he joined us every day from then on. We asked him his favorite verse, to which is answer was, just like every other 6 year old's, Jeremiah 33:3:
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
He prayed for wisdom and courage over Kyle one morning before going out to do ministry. It was tough to say goodbye to this little guy. I won't forget pulling away from Quena's house, and seeing him sitting on the curb with tear-filled eyes, throwing rocks on the ground. I guess he was 6 years old after all.



5. Sofia - Quena brought this 11 year old to her house to do dishes and other house work while we were there. She has a horrible home life. Underfed, overworked, and not shown love at all. We all took an immediate liking to this girl with the sweetest smile you've ever seen. She went with us to VBS on the first day, and Quena told us that might have been Sofia's first day of fun in her entire life. She didn't know how to interact with others. By the end of the week, she was beeming with energy and love.
It was tough to say goodbye to her as well. She captured our hearts. Our prayer is that she will continue to receive the hugs and love, and know that her Father in Heaven sings over her at night!

Experiences are great and powerful, but it's often God's people who change how you see things.