Shaun is in the Dominican Republic this week with Compassion International, filming the stories of children and familes that have been rescued by Compassion. His pictures and stories bring back memories of the time I’ve spent in the Dominican.
Back in the summer of 2001, I went to the Dominican for a week to help build a church. That week ignited an interest in learning Spanish and living in another culture, so about six weeks later, I moved to San Miguel del Monte, ninety minutes outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to study at a Bible Institute. I lived there for about fifteen months, taking Bible classes and traveling around Argentina running sound and lights for a couple of their different drama groups. After moving back to the states at the end of 2003, I found out my friends that I had gone to the Dominican with were moving there to start a church. So, I took time off from the T.V. station I was working for and spent five weeks that summer in San Pedro de Macorís helping with all the details that are involved in starting a church, like designing and printing a songbook/hymnal, painting the building they rented to use as their facilities, spreading the word about the new church, leading and translating for home Bible studies, and whatever else needed to be done.
All that to say that I am looking forward to hearing and seeing the stories that Shaun will come back telling, stories of the glimpses he gets of what happens when the “curtain becomes translucent”, as N.T. Wright said Tuesday, times when “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” is more than just a nice sentiment.
So what can we do? Compassion is doing a push now to raise money to fight malaria. $10 buys one mosquito bed net, $50 buys five. You can give on their website. Why not?
I’m with Compassion, too! Thanks for the tout!