Stories from the DR

Hey everyone! I have been back since Saturday morning and have been wanting to get a few updates out to you but haven’t had much time until now. Over the next few days I’ll share some stories with you from myself and the students that I helped lead. 

Thank you so much for your prayers, it was a fantastic trip. God broke hearts in the students for the people in the DR and helped us focus on HIM as the answer and not us. The enemy definitely wanted to make us afraid of ministering in the area where we were (I’ll show that story) but the Father showed up in ways that reminded me that nothing in this life is worth fearing except His heavy hand on sin.

Here is a story from Derek Reimherr, student from the trip. Photo taken by Baily Nevels 

This story is another story revolving around our House Visits. Again we were in “El Trés” and had split off into separate groups. My group was walking around trying to find someone’s house to visit, but we were having some difficulty. We found a few boys and girls that wanted to go to VBS so the girls asked me if I would take them, so I of course obliged them.  As I dropped the kids off, I had one boy, Fahnel or ‘Huggy’ as I called him, that wouldn’t let go of me or my hand. When I went back looking for my group, I couldn’t find them, partly because I found out later that they were already in a house and in part because he kept steering my away from certain areas and groups of people.

 Finaly, I spotted the other group of House Walkers and started towards them, but was intercepted by Corey, our Adventures in Missions -AIM-  project manager (he’s been hanging out with us all week). He was talking with an old friend of his (Jose Carlos?) from when he was here last for a discipleship program with AIM. The man told us he had a “God Story” and boy did he. We were standing under a wooden roof at his fruit stand and he began pouring out a story of his life. Corey translated some of it, but a good half of his words I understood. He told about his drug addiction and how he went through a Christian rehabilitation program. He told us about his redemption through God, a process during which he lost his right leg. The faith he had was outstanding. He invited another man at his stand into the conversation. 

This man (Samuel I believe) began truly ministering to me. He told us all about a lot of believers’ tendency to “trabajan en el medio con el Señor” which means literally to work in the middle, or commit halfway to God. He talked about how in our relationship we fall, but we must get up, and give it up to God. Everything. Hold nothing back and be not a fair-weather believer.

 Honestly, you go on a mission trip expecting to minister. How big it is of God to lead you directly to two men of great faith to minister to you. I was humbled and felt the Holy Spirit weaving through our midst just blessing and affirming the conversation. 

God broke me yesterday. Never put our Lord in a box for what He can do is beyond our wildest imagination.

-Derek