So let your light shine

It has been a wonderful week. After arriving in the Dominican Republic on July 1st, I spent one week with a team from Washington Avenue Baptist Church in Tennessee. It was a small group of 8-12 graders and we spent the week going to sugar cane villages (or bateys) in the area. We spent about 2 hours each day playing with the kids in the hot sun. Then, the group would perform skits for them and then explain the gospel and the importance of having a relationship with Christ, and each of them also gave their testimonies. (Imagine being 13 and understanding your committment to Christ enough to share it with complete strangers! What amazing kids they are!) Their skits were so awesome! There was one that was based on Matthew 13 and the parable of the seeds. I long so much to have the good soil. If you haven't read that in a while, you should. In the book that I am reading, Crazy Love, the author talks about how many Christians assume that they have good soil, but that in reality many of us have soil full of thorns meaning that we fall to temptation easily -- wanting to have Christ and the things of the world at the same time. The truth is, though, that we only need Christ. The things of this world don't matter. The second skit was one with a chain where death had a man bound. Jesus kept trying to free the man, but he rejected Him over and over again. Instead, he tried to get help from money, from sports, from love... and nothing worked. Finally, he surrendered to Christ and He freed him. What a great message! This week, I helped feed a village for a week, translated for people who don't speak Spanish and served teams from all over the United States as they come here to serve the less fortunate. I leave today a link for a ministry called Gloves for God. This ministry is out of Woodstock Georgia and the people involved collect money and used gloves, repair them and then bring them to the Dominican Republic and give them to kids who may need them. Today, I watched a baseball game and then listened to the gospel being shared with the teams. Gloves for God is an awesome ministry! You should check it out! http://www.gloves4god.org/. From all of the experiences and conversations that I have had this week, in combination with the relationships that I have built, I have learned so much. I hope to grow in my desire to be bold in my faith and love on those around me. Lastly, I have truly enjoyed being around everyone that I have met this week. Whether that be kids from a team, youth pastors, missionaries, parents or new friends, I am truly blessed. My verse for the week that I have been holding tight to comes from Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket, instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let yor good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father." So let your light shine!