Today started with us being able to give our testimonies over the local radio station through the church Principe de Paz. That is an experience I have never encountered before. I was able to go with the people from my home church in Durham, North Carolina. I was blessed hearing the testimonies of my church family. It was awesome! I left wanting to go back for more, wondering how many people heard the Gospel through our testimonies.
I then went with a group to two schools in the Somotillo area. At the first school we ministered to a group of about 30 students. We were able to share the Gospel with them through a Bible story about the character of the man Joshua. The students were so attentive. They were sitting on the edges of their seats grabbing on to every word that our group said. We then made salvation bracelets for every student. We shared with them how each color represented an aspect of the Gospel. From Christ dying for our sins to how we are supposed to live out our faith, the students heard every word. As we were passing out the beads I asked the students to tell me what each bead represented. It put such a big smile on my face as students answered my questions of, “what did Jesus do for you” and “how do we grow with Christ”. We then went to a special needs school and spent time with those children. Some were blind, others deaf and some live with mental disabilities. Those kids absolutely loved spending time with us. They gave us hugs every time we turned around. It was a life changing experience.
The last thing we did outside “Casa de Shelly” today was go to the village of Pascuala. On the drive up there, we through candy and shirts out of the back of the truck. As the kids heard our truck rolling the dirt road they ran to the side of the road waiting for their treats. Being able to see the kid’s faces light up as the dove for the candy and shirts as they hit the ground was an awesome sight. While in the village we played soccer with the locals, passed out balloon animals, face painted and fed the people of that village.
So far this has been a week that will change my life. I pray that I will be able to continue this relationship for years to come.
My day today was amazing! We started it with morning devotions where one of my team mates, Ryan Colpitts, shared about the amazing power that can be ours when we open our selves to the power of the Holy Spirit. In a country where so many need so much it can seem overwhelming. You can wonder what difference one person coming here could make. On our own we can can’t do anything of lasting value or impact. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, amazing things can be accomplished! It was a much needed start to my day to be reminded that EVERYTHING we do needs to be covered in prayer.
After devotions we went to the local radio station at Principe De Paz to share our testimonies and sing a song of praise. As I listened to the testimonies of my brothers and sisters my heart was filled with great emotion as I listened to story after story of how the Lord had rescued each of them from many different trials. It was another reminder of how great and powerful our God is.
After the trip to the radio station I came home and began working with part of our team on installing an electric fence. We needed to set up the electric fence because hogs from the farm got into the corn crop and ate it all. In a country where food is scarce this is a serious problem. Donald had been able to find corn seed so we could replant the fields. The fence installation went well. In a couple of hours we had both fields surround with solar powered electric current.
