Praise the Lord for His glorious grace in our safe return to the States. What a fantastic week! It is definitely bittersweet coming home- great to be with the family, but my heart is already overseas in many ways...
The most common question asked after a break or a trip is "How was it?", and while there are plenty of good intentions with that question, to ask only that just doesn't cut it in my book. A question needed in addition is "what did you learn/how did God grow you?" during the trip, and the best one: "how did you become more like Christ because of this trip?" So, after a brief summary of the trip, I'll write a response to the week in light of the latter questions.
The DR Trip, "By the Numbers":
1 - Number of passports lost between customs in Miami and Richmond, VA. That would be my passport. Please pray that God's will be done in this situation- that either I'd know to just purchase a new one or someone would be moved to contact me and send me the found passport. May God be glorified!
2 - Number of airport/airplane employees that got a bit mad at me on the flight home.
3 - I had three grabs and/or catches as center-fielder in our baseball game with the Dominican kids. I also dropped one fly ball. It was a blast, though!
4 - The "showers" taken in the river, usually with a dog swimming beside us. We were oh-so-clean and fresh-smelling by the end of the week!
5 - The number of mornings we had eggs and salami for breakfast. Needless to say, we had our fill and were ready for a different morning food by the end of the trip...
6 - We found 6, count 'em: 6, tarantulas on the property of the camp. I only had the privilege of seeing two (and aiding in the death of one) of them, but we found and killed 6 in all.
7 - The days spent in the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic.
8 - The guys who had thrown up by the end of the trip. I had a stomach ache for half a day but, by God's grace, never hurled. We had plenty of other little illnesses, but God was faithful through it all and many were just for 24 hours...
9 - The hours spent (including lunch break) working each day- from 9 am to 6 pm.
10 - The sought-after number that victoriously ended a game of corn-hole (bean bag toss). This was one of the activities we'd indulge in after dinner each night...
...13 - The number of students that used their spring break to serve the Lord through constructing a sports camp for children of all backgrounds in the Dominican Republic. It was a phenomenal privilege to get to know the guys and I'm very thankful for how God allowed us to unify in our purpose and grow in relationship with each other.
We ended up clearing ground and constructing (minus the tarp and sand) a new volleyball court by the end of the week. The other, more prominent, project was continuing to build the dining hall. We mixed mortar and used blocks to build up the pantry and kitchen areas. See the video below for a guided tour of the camp...
What did I learn?
I was wonderfully reminded at how important a small word of encouragement can be. So I haven’t played baseball in a long time- I played t-ball and coach pitch but haven't even played a pick-up game since then (you can count the number of times I've played "catch" on one hand). I was cautious at the start of our game with the kids (because all of them are 100x better than me), but then the first pop-fly (a ball hit probably 50-60 feet in the air) came my way…… and I caught it! Praise the Lord! Wow! It was SUCH a rush! Haha… a very normal play for most baseball players, but for hardly playing at all, this was a fantastic feeling! I’m not seeking to boast in this (except in the Lord- praise Him for this blessing!), but building up the story to the climax: after that catch, one of my new friends from Penn State, JP, said “Great catch, Luke!” This is a guy I came to respect a ton because he worked very hard day-in and day-out and didn’t really join in with the other guys joking. So this is a solid guy, overall, and this small encouragement REALLY blessed me!
I say this because, amongst all of the wonderful moments on the trip, this small word of encouragement sticks out to me more than most (if not all) of my memories! So a word of encouragement can have a HUGE impact on someone’s day, week, trip, or even life! 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:29.
How did I grow to become more like Christ?
The first few days of the trip, due to a phone without a charger and no alarm clock, I was not waking up early and because of always being around people (a semi-lame excuse), I didn't spend a lot of time with the Lord. This manifested itself in my going along with the "borderline" conversation and joking (the very thing I'm trying to avoid) and also just not being as encouraging as usual. I grew very sick and tired of this by the third day and discovered that some of the guys (Kent and Dan) were waking up early in the morning. Kent began waking me up before the sun came out and it was a night and day difference (literally) from how my other days were going (mindset-wise as well as verbally). I was reminded and encouraged that the time with the Lord in the morning (for me) is not just important, but necessary. Jesus set the example and we need to realize that His time with the Lord is what allowed Him to keep persevering day in and day out! I rediscovered my dependence upon the Lord- a true answer to prayer! Mark 1:35
I am forever grateful for your prayer and financial support on this trip. The last day we were able to play with the kids and to see the fruit of our labor really put into action. Many of the guys said "it really tied the week together" in the best way possible. Thank you all so very much.
I encourage you all to do your best to encourage all around you! You have no idea how much a small word can impact a person. Also- never forget that the time you spend with Jesus, whatever time of day it happens, is vital to your walk. We can never live this life the way we're called to on our own.
Please continue to keep the camp, school and kids in your prayers, as well as Jon and Alison Mittelman, the missionary couple that is serving at the camp. Enjoy the pictures and video!
In His strength alone...
Luke
PS The church service previously mentioned consisted of a baby dedication, 13 baptisms, a wedding reenactment (that included wedding cake), a time of worship, a sermon, and an intermission. All in all, a 3 1/2 hour church service! T'was a wonderful experience... worshiping the Lord with the Domincans. I can't WAIT for Heaven!
The most common question asked after a break or a trip is "How was it?", and while there are plenty of good intentions with that question, to ask only that just doesn't cut it in my book. A question needed in addition is "what did you learn/how did God grow you?" during the trip, and the best one: "how did you become more like Christ because of this trip?" So, after a brief summary of the trip, I'll write a response to the week in light of the latter questions.
The DR Trip, "By the Numbers":
1 - Number of passports lost between customs in Miami and Richmond, VA. That would be my passport. Please pray that God's will be done in this situation- that either I'd know to just purchase a new one or someone would be moved to contact me and send me the found passport. May God be glorified!
2 - Number of airport/airplane employees that got a bit mad at me on the flight home.
3 - I had three grabs and/or catches as center-fielder in our baseball game with the Dominican kids. I also dropped one fly ball. It was a blast, though!
4 - The "showers" taken in the river, usually with a dog swimming beside us. We were oh-so-clean and fresh-smelling by the end of the week!
5 - The number of mornings we had eggs and salami for breakfast. Needless to say, we had our fill and were ready for a different morning food by the end of the trip...
6 - We found 6, count 'em: 6, tarantulas on the property of the camp. I only had the privilege of seeing two (and aiding in the death of one) of them, but we found and killed 6 in all.
7 - The days spent in the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic.
8 - The guys who had thrown up by the end of the trip. I had a stomach ache for half a day but, by God's grace, never hurled. We had plenty of other little illnesses, but God was faithful through it all and many were just for 24 hours...
9 - The hours spent (including lunch break) working each day- from 9 am to 6 pm.
10 - The sought-after number that victoriously ended a game of corn-hole (bean bag toss). This was one of the activities we'd indulge in after dinner each night...
...13 - The number of students that used their spring break to serve the Lord through constructing a sports camp for children of all backgrounds in the Dominican Republic. It was a phenomenal privilege to get to know the guys and I'm very thankful for how God allowed us to unify in our purpose and grow in relationship with each other.
We ended up clearing ground and constructing (minus the tarp and sand) a new volleyball court by the end of the week. The other, more prominent, project was continuing to build the dining hall. We mixed mortar and used blocks to build up the pantry and kitchen areas. See the video below for a guided tour of the camp...
What did I learn?
I was wonderfully reminded at how important a small word of encouragement can be. So I haven’t played baseball in a long time- I played t-ball and coach pitch but haven't even played a pick-up game since then (you can count the number of times I've played "catch" on one hand). I was cautious at the start of our game with the kids (because all of them are 100x better than me), but then the first pop-fly (a ball hit probably 50-60 feet in the air) came my way…… and I caught it! Praise the Lord! Wow! It was SUCH a rush! Haha… a very normal play for most baseball players, but for hardly playing at all, this was a fantastic feeling! I’m not seeking to boast in this (except in the Lord- praise Him for this blessing!), but building up the story to the climax: after that catch, one of my new friends from Penn State, JP, said “Great catch, Luke!” This is a guy I came to respect a ton because he worked very hard day-in and day-out and didn’t really join in with the other guys joking. So this is a solid guy, overall, and this small encouragement REALLY blessed me!
I say this because, amongst all of the wonderful moments on the trip, this small word of encouragement sticks out to me more than most (if not all) of my memories! So a word of encouragement can have a HUGE impact on someone’s day, week, trip, or even life! 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:29.
How did I grow to become more like Christ?
The first few days of the trip, due to a phone without a charger and no alarm clock, I was not waking up early and because of always being around people (a semi-lame excuse), I didn't spend a lot of time with the Lord. This manifested itself in my going along with the "borderline" conversation and joking (the very thing I'm trying to avoid) and also just not being as encouraging as usual. I grew very sick and tired of this by the third day and discovered that some of the guys (Kent and Dan) were waking up early in the morning. Kent began waking me up before the sun came out and it was a night and day difference (literally) from how my other days were going (mindset-wise as well as verbally). I was reminded and encouraged that the time with the Lord in the morning (for me) is not just important, but necessary. Jesus set the example and we need to realize that His time with the Lord is what allowed Him to keep persevering day in and day out! I rediscovered my dependence upon the Lord- a true answer to prayer! Mark 1:35
I am forever grateful for your prayer and financial support on this trip. The last day we were able to play with the kids and to see the fruit of our labor really put into action. Many of the guys said "it really tied the week together" in the best way possible. Thank you all so very much.
I encourage you all to do your best to encourage all around you! You have no idea how much a small word can impact a person. Also- never forget that the time you spend with Jesus, whatever time of day it happens, is vital to your walk. We can never live this life the way we're called to on our own.
Please continue to keep the camp, school and kids in your prayers, as well as Jon and Alison Mittelman, the missionary couple that is serving at the camp. Enjoy the pictures and video!
In His strength alone...
Luke
PS The church service previously mentioned consisted of a baby dedication, 13 baptisms, a wedding reenactment (that included wedding cake), a time of worship, a sermon, and an intermission. All in all, a 3 1/2 hour church service! T'was a wonderful experience... worshiping the Lord with the Domincans. I can't WAIT for Heaven!
Our work in progress- the new dining hall.
Andrew Elgert, Evan Balaber, Will McAuliffe- JMU Dukes on a mission.
The basketball court and present-dining area.
The Uruk-Hai of the DR: Me, Joe, Dan, and Jeremy.(Video Coming Soon, Lord Willing)
Guided Tour of the SB2W Dominican Republic Sports Camp!
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