Thank you for your continuing prayers for us. These past three days here at the DR have truly been very enriching . The presence of God is very real in every situation. It gives us the opportunity to talk to Him and ask Him how we should respond to what we see, to look around us in His eyes of love and feel how He feels for these people. I breaks my heart to see how God feels for the places we have been.
We attended a service at Buenos Aires in the morning which is just a few miles away from Monte Cristi where we stay. This is clearly a more impoverished area. We were warmly greeted by a throng of children, who were just so excited and happy to see us. I never knew how kids could so easily pour out such sweet love on us. They did not treat us as strangers , they just embrace us, sat beside us and love on us in their most gentle and sweetest ways. I couldn’t explain what I felt but as the children sang various songs in worship, tears kept streaming down my face. They were just so into it. I love their voices and God gave me a glimpse of how please He is for the way these children come to Him in worship. Their innocence and humble spirit is what God needs from us. Many of them really smell bad despite their seemingly clean clothes. I wished I could bathe them and teach their parents to take care of them well. But right there God showed me the insurmountable tasks the pastor of this church has to take. Are they prepared for this? Who can they raise as leaders in that church when the parents of the kids are absent. I thank the Lord, I know now what to pray for.
The children responded so well in the skit we presented about the good Samaritan. They were so happy with the art works that they did and with the lollipop each of them got. How I wish we could give more than this, just to make them get thrilled with many of the things many kids in America enjoy. But in the end, poverty could be their richest gain since it is the love of the Lord that they can rest on.
In the evening, we attended the service at Monte Cristi . It is reassuring to see a young boy from a bunch of young girls danced for the Lord. Again, there were just a handful of adults. I feel sad for such a big building that was built for God, and yet it is not filled. The children here are better dressed than the kids in B uenos Aires. We did the same thing that we did at Buenos Aires with these kids and I pray that what they have seen and learned will grow in them.
In both services, Bill Beyer, one of our team members who speaks Spanish preached.
There is so much work to be done here. It is the building of the church that is badly needed not the physical structure because they have one made of stones but spiritual bodies who will be in these buildings. Please pray for wisdom upon the pastors on how to start the rebuilding, how to win people for Christ. Please pray for a few currently being used to help to remain steadfast. Five to six people are in regular attendance in both these churches. Your prayers, our prayers will help resurrect this place where the Lord is hardly noticed.
With gratitude,
Dee Barretto for the DR team
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