Resources & Updates

Faith, Fun, and Fellowship in El Cercadillo

“Que lo que” (Dominican for “what’s up”) from the Dominican Republic!

Wow! The last twenty-four hours has been nothing short of heaven on Earth. Despite spending most of our day yesterday under the rooftops of our home from rain, our First Presbyterian and Dominican brothers and sisters in Christ, were able to learn about the classic story of David vs. Goliath through VBS. Several members of our FPC family came together to re-enact the skit on the outside patio of our home, giving the community of El Cercadillo a first-hand reminder that “the victory belongs to the Lord”! The monsoon of rain that we experienced was as if God was giving us all a life lesson to have faith in Him, like David, to conquer the Goliath of weather that we needed to endure.

After learning about the importance of having faith in Christ, the children of El Cercadillo were given the opportunity to individually design crowns to put on their head. The smiles and joyful radiance that the children displayed on their faces as their finished crowns were placed on their heads, provided a foreshadowing of the glory and love that we will experience as sons and daughters in Heaven under Christ’s rule.

During the evening, as the rain began to subside, we were given the opportunity to take the children of the community to a local nearby field; only a short five-minute walk away. As we strolled through the puddles on the dirt roads of El Cercadillo, we were met by motorcyclists riding past us, neighbors greeting us outside of their homes, and a group of men playing a game of pool outside at a local hangout spot. When we reached the field, I was in awe as the green vegetation and mountains of El Cercadillo were seen in the backdrop of the field. The field was in between three to four houses. The field was an abandoned, overgrown baseball field, complete with two horses grazing on it. The children ran across the field playing soccer, volleyball, and any other creative games that they could play with our FPC team.  It was a joyful bliss for everyone who was there having fun. The evening ended with everyone coming home to a delicious Dominican dish called “Pigeon Soup”. The dish contained pork, beans, and Dominican pumpkins mixed with rice. The meal was very delicious.

At the start of today, we began the morning with Pedro Kelly, a Food for the Hungry translator and talented musician, playing the worship song, “Breathe” (“This is the Air I Breathe”). We then dove into the scriptures of Isaiah 58, discussing the meaning of what true fasting appears like today. Afterwards, we made home visits to local neighbors in the community, getting to know the neighbors in the community, and prayed for them. We later assisted with the construction of a water well in the community by laying dirt, helping mix concrete, and having fellowship with the workers in the community. I don’t know what tomorrow brings but the Lord will provide for our team.