Thursday, March 26, 2009

Praising God for a Safe Arrival!

Greetings to everyone back home! We have safely arrived in the Dominican Republic. Following a flight out of Miami International Airport, we are currently at Metro West Caribbean Mission House in Puerto Plata where we will be staying for the remainder of our trip. After exiting the airport here in the D.R., we managed to squeeze all 23 of us into one large van while the majority of our luggage was piled into another. Driving through the streets of Puerto Plata, we stared out the windows and absorbed the atmosphere of our new surroundings. Children walking home from school, tree-sloped mountains, signs written in Spanish describing the stores, gas stations, and markets of the city--every scene that whizzed by the windows introduced us more to the city of Puerto Plata.

Upon arriving at the mission house, which is only a short walk from the nearby beach, we settled into our rooms, met together for dinner, and walked to the shore. We met back for a time of devotion in which Michael Giglio, a Spanish-speaking missionary and our translator/chaperone for the trip, shared with us his testimony. Mike spoke and gave a great introduction to the trip, talking about his life as a missionary in the Dominican Republic as well as Colombia. He shared Lamentations 3:27 with us, which says, "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in His youth." That's us! We are here to minister to those in need and to share the gospel with those who have ears to hear.

As we prepare to settle in for bed, we eagerly await how God is going to work through each of us to further His kingdom. Tomorrow we will be heading out to a needy school of 80 students as well as to an orphanage for special needs children. We greatly appreciate all of your prayers, and look forward to hearing from you soon. Ben, you are in our thoughts and prayers--get well soon, bud! Stay tuned for future updates, and goodnight from the class of 2009.

Posted by: Steven Gallo