June 10 Carson Lane First UMC Orlando

After a tiring day of travel, and a restless night drenched in sweat, we started our adventures in the Dominican Republic. Waking to a delicious breakfast certainly started he day off right. After a brief devotion learning about David, we set off towards Cuesta Arena. As soon as we arrived at the school, the children began pouring in, waiting for us to start playing with them. A boy named Isaiah stood out to me right away. He was wearing a Derek Jeter jersey and as we played baseball it certainly seemed that he had a little bit of Jeter in him every time he swung the bat. After a short lunch break, we walked with the kids down a trail towards at the river which acts as the water source for the town. As we walked, the beauty of the country and the spirit of the people was blatantly obvious. The sound of the river slowly grew louder, and eventually, after seeing a few smaller streams, we stumbled upon the main body. The mountains laid upon the horizon of the river, shrouded by a haze of clouds, was definitely a site to behold. The majesty of God in this place was more evident than ever. After a hike that seemed much shorter on the way back, we continued to play games like hopscotch and baseball and encouraged the kids to read books to us as we relaxed in the shade. Right before we were getting ready to leave, two men, Guillermo and his friend walked over with a guitar and sat beneath the mango tree that sits in the courtyard of the school. I joined them and tuned the guitar as best I could and handed it back to Guillermo’s friend. He began to play, and although he was singing in Spanish, Carla, one of the adults with us, pointed out that it was a familiar melody line and I soon recognized it as a song we sang many times at church. I found peace in that moment, as I sat beneath the mango tree, listening to him sing. I knew that there was hope here.