Michelle Sherman
Greetings from the beautiful and WARM Dominican Republic!
As we were preparing for our trip this year, it was my hope and prayer that we would have an opportunity to return to the village of Rincon where we served in November 2024. I've carried the people of Rincon in my heart ever since leaving last time, when one of the girls asked if I would be coming back. Today I saw how coming back made a big impact.
It was so sweet to reunite with many of the children on Monday, and today I was also blessed to reunite with one of their grandmother's, Beatrice during SMT (strategic ministry time). As we walked down the dirt road toward a row of houses, Beatrice greeted us with joy and exuberance! She remembered me, greeted me with a big hug, and also asked specifically about Hannah and Reggie, who weren't with us at the moment. She was in the middle of doing laundry, but she stopped what she was doing and pulled out chairs for all of us to sit on. We chatted and prayed, and she even showed us with great pride a framed poster of Shakira inside her home.
I saw God moving in several ways through our encounter with Beatrice today. First of all, the last time I saw Beatrice, she was sick with many health problems and asked us to pray for her. Today she was vibrant and healthy, and even joked about gaining a bit of weight. So thankful to see how God had restored her health and answered our prayers.
Second, our encounter showed me how the Lord uses our encounters when we see and love people the way that He does, that it has a lasting impact on their lives, as well as ours. Beatrice asked us why we came back, and I was able to share that we love them and that Jesus loves them too and I believe that she truly feels this Love.
Last but not least, the Lord showed me how sharing His love has a domino effect. Beatrice also introduced us to her son, as he was taking care of their roosters and chickens, and we were able to pray and share the Gospel with him as well. As we were preparing to go back to help paint at the church, another mom whom we had also met last time excitedly waved us into her home and we had yet another opportunity to share the Gospel and pray with her.
As we returned to the church, the painting was well underway and I had the opportunity to do touch-ups on the completed beams. I'm very detail oriented, so it was the perfect job for me.
Michelle, Beatrice, and Beatrice's mom.
The church building before the roof came off.
The church building after the roof was removed!
Taking down the lights and fans (don't worry, the electricity was turned off!)
These are the beams before we painted them all black.
Robert, Project Coordinator for the Mission of Hope Jarabacoa Campus.
The Pastor had women in the community make us a Dominican Lunch- rice, beans and chicken! So delicious. They invited us to eat it with them in their home.