Today is our last day in the Dominican. Needless to say, we are very sad because this place has become so special to us all. We were able to gather one more time and eat breakfast before heading to church this morning.
Church today was very special. We traveled to a neighborhood called “The Hole”. This part of the city has the highest rate of poverty in Santiago and it used to be a landfill. We got to walk through the community a little bit and we saw a creek littered with garbage. We were told that houses along this creek collapse when it rains heavily and families end up having to rebuild their homes. This was definitely the most troubled community we witnessed, but were moved when we walked into their church. It was bright and happy, and we instantly felt welcomed and the presence of God.
Although we couldn’t understand the songs, you could feel the passion these people have for the Lord. The sermon was also hard to follow at times, but we went through John 14:22-23, which talks about how God doesn’t show himself to the world and calls us to spread the gospel based on our love for him. Those who belong to him carry out his calling and obey his word. Today’s service was also very special because it was Dominican Mother’s Day. A group of guys who belonged to the church handed out gifts to the mothers of the church. They also shared how they have impacted their lives. It was incredible to see how loving and joyful they were.
As we sit here in the airport in Santiago about depart, we can’t help but feel so grateful. This trip has been life-changing for everyone. We learned so much about ourselves, each other, the Dominicans, but most importantly, our God who is faithful through it all. It is our prayer that we can take all that we have learned and bring it back to the States.
Thank you all so much for following us along our crazy journey. We appreciate all your prayers as we navigated through the challenges we faced. It means so much to us.
See you all soon,
Hannah, Rylee, and Paula 🙂