Dominican Republic Day 3

DR Blog, Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Parkview Baptist Church

Our day began at the breakfast table with Anita bringing our morning devotion. In anticipation of building walls today, she shared Ephesians 2:19-22, a verse that reminds us that we are citizens of God's kingdom, members of God's family, and bricks in God's dwelling place. The building we built today is made of styrofoam, but it is held together with steel and concrete. Our lives and our churches are nothing more than styrofoam, but they become strong when they are held together by Jesus.

Pastor Cavier was leading devotionals with the workmen as we arrived on site. Our team began gathering blocks for building the walls on house number 59. Only the outside steel was in place so we began building the outside walls while a crew drilled the holes in the slab for the steel on the inside walls. We marked the "cornerstone" with our church name. By lunch we had finished the first half and we were ready to place the steel and pour the bond beam after lunch. We poured the concrete (by hand using buckets) and still had time to prime the exterior of a fourth house.

The overall theme of the week for the children's programs is "The Golden Rule." Today's lesson focused on being honest. The children had fun learning about Jonah.  In addition to the snack time, which is always a hit, the children really enjoyed playing with bubbles. The children had made individual letters  that spelled "The Golden Rule" and they were excited to see their letters up on the stage today. 

Highlights:
Geraldine was moved by a little boy who stood up during the prayer and repeated it as it was being said. Our team was glad to hear that some of these children would be available to sponsor through Orphan's Heart new child sponsor program. Charles enjoyed the camaraderie of the Dominicans as we worked side by side with them today. They taught us some Spanish words and we taught them some English words. They really have a great work ethic and attitude. With every block the team put into place, we were reminded that Jesus is our Cornerstone and His Church is His chosen dwelling place.