A Hot (but Amazing) Day on the Streets of the D.R. by Janice Cooper

We have been blessed with another amazing day of ministry! God gave us a beautiful hot day to be able to get everything accomplished that Score has arranged for us. We are thankful every morning that God is holding off the rain so that we can do our ministry outdoors.

We loaded our buses at our regular time of 8:30 am and headed into the city of Santo Domingo to begin our morning of tract distribution. We entered into the old part of the city at Independence Park. Every member of our team was given a handful of tracts and off they went. For many of them this took them completely out of their comfort zone. As we walked through the street many of our team were surprised to see how quickly people accepted our literature. Most began to read it immediately! Those at the back of the group had the privilege of walking through the street and seeing so many people on either side reading about the love of Jesus.

One man that our teens spoke to asked if he could take extras with him to hand out at the prison and back in his village. There is no telling how much impact this morning’s activities will have for the kingdom of heaven.
We then did some sightseeing, having the opportunity to walk through Christopher Columbus’ fortress. We all put on soggy headphones that were pre-moistened by the group that went before us. Did I mention that it was 100 degrees today and FYI there was no air conditioning in the 14th century?!

We stopped at McDonalds for lunch and then on to the market for an hour of shopping. In case you were thinking it was any cooler there it was not!! The teens loved the chance to barter for their souvenirs.

We arrived home late afternoon and this gave most of our girls an opportunity to walk down to the Lily House and see first hand how this ministry works. We were overwhelmed with the favor that God has shown to Erica in her vision to get women off the street and free from prostitution. We were able to walk through the new facility located right across the street from where they live. This facility is used as a base from which they can work to earn money for themselves and their families. They were busy making jewelry and handbags today. Three women in the room had just received their first “clean” paycheck.  Praise God for this chance for a better life.

We then went upstairs (still under construction) to see the rooms that will be the future site of their bakery with café and their salon. This should be up and running by July! Our final stop was to the Lily House Residence where these women live with their children. The children are taught school during the day while their moms are across the street earning their income. The staff, the women and the children were all so friendly and beautiful inside and out. What a wonderful way to end our afternoon.

Tonight we participated in an Argentine BBQ prepared by the pastors of the villages that Score supports. We not only enjoyed an amazing meal but got to hear the testimonies of Pastor Greg and Pastor Joander! Another great God story of how in 2008 these men were saved as teens, discipled, and now are leaders of their own churches.

 

We as leaders are so proud of the testimonies of the teens that we hear every night about what God is teaching them!!! Pray that we finish strong tomorrow as we have our last visit to our villages. We are so thankful for your prayer support!