An absolutely beautiful day . . . a cool breeze . . . representatives from approximately thirty families all working together to clean up our ministry site . . . How could this past Wednesday morning have been any better?
As some pulled weeds, others macheted, picked up trash, raked, swept, mopped, scrubbed tables and benches and cleaned the bathrooms. And Carmencita . . .
It was the first time we have tried to gather as a community since last March. Very few wore masks, or wore them correctly. Even fewer tried to be socially distant. There is a mistaken belief in many poor communities that they can’t contract COVID from family or neighbors. They are much more careful if they go into the city. (Perhaps partially because people without masks can be fined.) We won’t be able to have other similar times again soon since so many were directly disobeying the government mandated COVID restrictions, but it was SO GOOD to see and hear our people together. It took everything within me not to run up and hug them all!
My friend gave me Sawyer water filters that were extras from their ministry here in the DR. A surprise raffle finished out the day and ten families went home with a water purification system that has been known to last for ten years! Thank you Terri Nelson!
But not to worry! All the other families left with bananas from my yard. (I’ve become a banana farmer during the pandemic. ). Our people like to cook with green bananas, so I’ve learned that I don’t have to wait for them all to be yellow to give them away.
Keep praying with us for creative ways to reach out to our community during these tough times. We continue to distribute food to our most vulnerable families and to produce Sunday School type activities for home use. Facing another camp-less summer is hard for our kiddos. Pray for creativity!
