Score International

Today was by far the hardest day of our entire trip. The day started like any other…in fact, it started out with relative ease. Basically, our morning consisted of taking a drive to the capital city to do a little sightseeing & shopping in the Straw Market. During that time we were able to literally pass out thousands of tracts to the people in the old colonial section of Santo Domingo. Like most big cities, the people are used to literature being handed out &  accepted them with relative ease. However, unlike many big cities, the people DID NOT discard them in the nearest trash receptacle– instead, many took the time to read them. In fact, in one of the local fast food restaurants (Pollo Rey) a cashier asked for a tract & was seen welling up with tears while reading it in the back near the fryers. We pray that God will speak to these people through the literature that was passed out. After lunch we switched up gears & headed to a handicapped orphanage across town. This is where the day took a turn. Before arriving we were instructed that we would be working with severely physically & mentally challenged young children– children who had been abandoned & left to die due to their limitations. Because of their limitations it would be next to impossible to share to them through drama & testimony like we did in previous areas. Here we had the (seemingly) simple task of just being there– to place a loving, caring hand on a child who has never really known love outside of the nurses who tend to them on a daily basis. Just to see the joy that the simplest touch or smile brought to these children’s faces was enough to melt the most hardened of hearts.  However, our time of singing, holding, & just touching the children & babies came to an abrupt end when we were informed that while we were there [some of us even in the same room at the time] a young child had passed away.  This devastated all of us. Five minutes prior, some of our team had been gently stroking this child’s back while she was presumed to be asleep. The ride back to the Complex was relatively quiet & tear-filled, but we had to stop & thank God for the new life this child had with her Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. In the evening following dinner, we all sat down to discuss the day & have devotions. We were challenged to think about the things we lay before God at the altar:  are we giving Him our best, or are we just giving Him our spoiled-rotten leftovers? We were also challenged through testimony to not look back on our pasts, but to look forward to the things that God has for us & to remember that His blood covers all our shortcomings. If we dwell on them, then we will be rendered useless for the task that God has called us to do. It’s sad to think that we only have ONE full day left, however we are anxious to return & share what God is doing in our lives!