Today was a
great day. It was a Sunday and the
Dominicans treat their Sundays with an incredible amount of respect. Today was a day of rest after three long,
long days of travel and hard work. We
got to sleep in a little later than usual and then had a beautiful church
service in the morning. The way the
Dominicans worship is like nothing you see in America. They dance, sing at the
top of their lungs and wave their arms high in the air with every song. As great as the morning service was, the real
treat came at the end of the day. After
a long rest during the day and a filling lunch, we again gathered in the church
for a second service. The mood of this
service was completely different. It was a party from the very start. David
Rath spoke a wonderful sermon that was translated into Spanish so the entire
church could enjoy. Then, at the end of
the service, the music picked up. The
entire church roared and jumped around the room. There was so much energy and
excitement. In the corner, two young men
were coming up with their own dances to all of the music and enjoying every
minute of it. Graham and I spotted them
from across the room and ran over to join them.
It was great to see the four of us, though we could not communicate very
well, dance together and shout. The
entire church at this point was jumping up and down and screaming. I am sure the entire neighborhood could hear
us shouting and yelling these praise songs.
The songs blended together and we had no idea what the lyrics were or
when it would end, but we were having a great time. After about fifteen minutes of this, the song
ended and the entire room took a deep breath. The four of us turned to each
other and embraced. We had not spoken a
single word, but we had such a great time together. Immediately after the service, they asked for
a picture with us. It was great to see
our community mixing with theirs and praising God at the same time. One of the coolest experiences I have ever
had.
~Sam
McGhee
It is currently
Day 4 of our Missions Trip and a great deal has occurred. I have made many
relationships so far with some great people, regardless of the language
barrier. At this point in time, I really wish that I had taken Spanish because
I know I would be able to better reach the kids, but I am managing. One of my
favorite kids is Cesar, he is somewhat of a “punk” when I am not looking and he
is rather sneaky, but I love interacting and playing rough with him; I even
taught him arm wrestling. Some of my favorite parts of the trip thus far
include a pick-up basketball game with the Dominicans, Euchre with my fellow
missionaries, and Sam and I’s dancing during the church sermon with Yoel and
Marcenson. Tonight’s church service is definitely my favorite service of all
time. I loved Dave’s message and I thoroughly enjoyed the energy that was
radiating from all of the Dominicans as well as us missionaries; it is amazing
how into the sermon everyone can get when it is in a different language.
Another highlight of the church service was the reactions of people when the
fan turned on, as well as off, it was rather comical. The trip so far has been
amazing, it was rough adjusting to the long days as well as the heat, but I am
adjusting and am starting to be able to take everything in. I love the people and I love what we are
doing. I can only hope that the trip continues on the same successful course.
~Graham
Copus
