Transformation - One Day at a Time!

Que tal, mi amigos!

I hope that you are all doing well and want to thank you for taking the time to check up on us and see how things have been progressing during our time here in the Dominican Republic. Today was our last work day at our ministry sites and our time here in Jarabacoa is quickly coming to a close. However, the past week and a half have been filled with incredible experiences and eye- opening observations and I am confident that the memories that we will have from this trip will stay with us for a long time to come and will have an impact on how each of us will view ourselves, the people around us, and the world in the future.

I know for me personally, it has been a very eye opening experience as I have had the opportunity to witness true poverty for the first time in my life. As I look around, I see desolate communities filled with run-down, one or two room houses, families that are afflicted by disease and sickness, and a people group without any hopes or dreams. I know that I can say I have witnessed a good deal of physical, emotional, and spiritual poverty throughout this nation.

If this were the end of the story, then the plight of the Dominican Republic would be grave indeed. However, it is in the areas of darkness that the light shines the brightest and I have noticed that while people here are not as materially prosperous as we are in the United States and suffer from poor living conditions and health standards, the people here truly value each other and openly express it through their welcoming generosity and willingness to spend time with each other, regardless of their circumstances.  For example, during my time here, I have been invited into the homes of different Dominican families and were served lunch on three different occasions and have seen two people stop in the middle of their business to ask how the other person was and show an active interest by taking the time to focus on that relationship, an activity that I feel the United States has begun to lose over the past few years.

Furthermore, I have been greatly encouraged by the work of the missionaries that I have had the privilege to work alongside. They all have different backgrounds and come from a variety of places all over the United States and Latin American, but they all have a prevailing passion for the Lord which draws them to this country and unites them together in a mission to bring help and healing to the Dominican people through their occupations and the hope of the Gospel.  I had the blessed opportunity to work alongside Dr. Fernando Gonzalez as he goes out into the different communities around Jarabacoa to diagnose the sick and provide them with basic medication and prayer. His ministry is an ideal example of relational ministry as he takes the time to visit his patients, sit with them, talk with them, and sing songs of praise to God with them as he plays guitar. His model is just one of the many examples of relational ministries that the missionaries at Students International provide and serves as a model for the future of occupational and relational ministry.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done here and it could be many years before any significant change occurs, but the good news of the Gospel is being shared and lives are being transformed one day at a time, and I am so blessed to have this opportunity to witness it. God bless! Hasta Luego!

 

-Brendyn Miller