HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLY!!

This morning we walked to a church down the street and attended service. While most of us couldn’t understand what the pastor was saying, the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt throughout the worship and message. Some of us even recognized the worship songs and were able to sing along in English! It was fun to attend church together as a team. I think it helped us realize that the God we serve in the United States is the same God everywhere we go.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed. We went back to Score for lunch and had a few hours to nap, read, and play cards. Our new friend, Courtney, (that plays tennis for USF) joined us for the afternoon! At 2:00 we left for the Lily House which is a branch of Score that helps restore the lives of women and families that have been victims of human or sex trafficking. About 100,000 women are forced into prostitution in the Dominican Republic. The leading cause for this is that 75% of these women are single mothers and they’re trying to find a way to feed their children.  Lily House teaches these women how to make jewelry, bake, and run a business so that they can get out of the prostitution industry and provide for their family in a life-giving way. They provide counseling to help restore them physically, emotionally, and spiritually; as well as, provide spiritual guidance to help them understand their worth. We got to shop in their store and buy coffee (woohoo) and pastries to be a small part of their restoration process.

Go to https://scoreintl.org/ministries/lily-house/ to find out more! I HIGHLY recommend at least watching the video at the bottom of the page.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the beach! We played in the sand, listened to music, jumped over waves, and enjoyed the heat of the sun. It’s going to be a shock when we come home and it’s freezing! The Caribbean is beautiful and we are soaking up every second of it.

Although the day was amazing, I think we can all agree that the night was our favorite. Quite honestly there aren’t many words for it. After our nightly devotional, we divided into two groups. For the next hour and a half we admitted our fears, wrestled with questioning, and learned who God is to each other. It’s amazing how much you don’t know about your teammates even though you spend most of your time with them. Honestly, tonight was the most beautiful depiction of the church that I’ve been a part of. We were made to learn from one another and talk through our questioning. Words can’t explain how special this night was for us.

Finally, we ended the night in some highly competitive games. Needless to say, it led to shouting, wrestling, blood, and broken nails. If that doesn’t explain our team, I don’t know what does.

Prayer: that we continue to grow in our relationships with each other, God, and the girls at the orphanage.