Day 9: Messengers of Love
¡Hola a todos! Let me update you on the exciting things we’ve been doing these past few days.
This is Boca Chica! One of the most popular beach towns, this Caribbean town is built next to white sands and the blue sea. Coming from Southern California myself, seeing such clear blue waters where its shore seems to not move at all because of the still sea was so breathtaking to see.
A vendor passed by as we ate lunch, and we decided to get some coconuts as huge as our heads! The vendor cut it with a machete, and we drank the juice and ate the meat inside the shell.
So this was just one day of the past four days that we haven’t been updating you all on, but since then, we’ve been witnessing the activity of sharing God’s love and truth with others. Reunited with the Cheon ail Guk missionaries (you can read more about their mission on our website!), we have been going to the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo once again.
As each day passes, we become even more desperate to connect with more youth and invite them to our cultural event. We’ve also been giving lectures on what CARP is about and the principles that we should abide by to contribute to world peace and find personal joy and purpose in life.
A first-year participant of GPA, Joshua Buergi, shared, “Witnessing has been a really great experience for me. The students on the campus we go to are so open and friendly. I feel amazed whenever a guest comes to hear a lecture. Even though we are only witnessing for one week, I feel that I am growing my heart a lot. I thought that for witnessing, you just have to convince guests to come to receive a lecture, and then they will be interested or not. However, it is not that simple, and some guests are challenging to take care of or to deal with, and I really have to exit my comfort zone to love them. I am so grateful for this experience in the Dominican Republic and the opportunity to witness to God's children here. Thank you!”
In the evenings, we’ve been learning more about this community's brothers and sisters. Let me introduce to you two extraordinary people who previous missionaries witnessed to! Their names are Carlos and Shaneilla, an inspiring and beautiful couple who together are the leaders for CARP Dominicana.
Since we landed here in Dominicana, this couple has been looking after all 18 of us. From the delicious meals they pour their heart into to even providing us with spiritual food through their guidances, we wouldn’t be alive without them! These past two days, we’ve had the honor of hearing from their testimonies of growing to be the bright, responsible, and loving couple they are now.
Every single person has a unique path that God guides through, and this couple expressed to us their determined and filial heart toward God, wanting to place Him first above all else. Soon, all of us were sitting on the edge of our chairs, smiles beaming from ear to ear, eager to hear the next story they had to share.
Can you imagine being able to offer your whole life for God’s Will, so much as even to be willing to marry somebody of a different background, stay in another country for over four years as a missionary, continuing to lead a public life after all this? By the end of the testimonies, I even saw tears trickling down the faces of some. Their investments and sacrifices have definitely laid the foundation for bringing even more youth to this center.
Finally, we’re coming to a close for our stay here in Santo Domingo before we head to the other cities. Stay tuned for the rest of the updates. Until next time, ¡Ciao!
Generation Peace Academy
Rie Horii
Blogger, Dominican Republic