The last three days at Youth Camp were wonderful. We heard some amazing teaching during the days, and some outstanding preaching at night. A handful of us caught a bug of some kind and had to miss a few of the services (me included!) but what we were a part of was spectacular.
Thursday we arrived at camp in Maimon. The very first meal served was fried ham & cheese empanada's, which was one of the best meals served the entire time in the DR. Service started sometime around 8:30pm that evening with a bang. The Dominican's were definitely ready to worship. Our choir sang it's first song in Spanish. We Give You Glory or Te Doy Gloria. Bro. Justin Reinking opened the camp meeting with a tremendous message titled 'Taste & See!' The entire congregation responded to the Word of God and we experienced a wonderful altar service that evening.
This was during worship on Friday night. There is some Creole influence on the island because of the Haitians that have migrated over, and that cultural influence shows up in the way they worship. This is a Creole song about smashing the devil. The people LOVE this song.
One of the things that struck me was something Bro. Shirley said to us at the beginning of the trip. Dominican worship is much more demonstrative than what we see in the States. That can be intimidating at times but what Bro. Shirley said was wonderful. He said, "If you think about it, we praise God in the flesh. We have to." And it's so true. Our worship to God is done through our flesh, and it's okay if our culture influences how we worship.
I'm not usually a "shouter" but there was such a freedom to worship in these services. It was a liberating feeling knowing I could praise God right alongside people whose language I couldn't speak. We were worshipping the same God, and that's it's own language.
Bro. Wilhelm did a fabulous job in all of the services and Saturday night was no different. He had previously visited the DR, and knew Bro. Juan Bautista. They had preached together before, and they were a dynamic duo!
God really poured out his spirit during the last three days at Camp. As much as our team was a blessing to the church people there, the Dominican people were a blessing to us.
I was talking with one of our team members the night before we left, and she was telling me how she had felt at a loss the entire trip because she couldn't communicate with the people. In this last service, during altar call, I snapped a picture of her praying with one of the church ladies. It was such a powerful moment. She later told me it was at that moment that she felt the connection happen. She didn't know what the Dominican woman was saying, and vice versa, but they were both interceding for each other in a heavenly language.
Sunday morning we had one final service before leaving the camp. This one was different because the Youth President, Bro. Samuel, was preaching, and he didn't have an interpreter. One of our team members was interpreting in a microphone for our group, but it was very hard to hear if you weren't right in front of the speaker. Every once in awhile I would catch snippets of things being said.
Altar call was given, and people began to pray. God's presence swept into the tabernacle, and even though I had only caught bits and pieces of the sermon, I knew exactly what had been conveyed. I felt a breeze, and when I looked out the door it was pouring rain outside. It made me smile because my pastor preaches to us a lot about how the natural reflects the spiritual, in all aspects of life. And in that moment, as God was raining down showers on the outside, his spirit was raining down peace on our hearts in the tabernacle. It was the perfect way to end our stay in the Dominican Republic.
This was during worship on Friday night. There is some Creole influence on the island because of the Haitians that have migrated over, and that cultural influence shows up in the way they worship. This is a Creole song about smashing the devil. The people LOVE this song.
One of the things that struck me was something Bro. Shirley said to us at the beginning of the trip. Dominican worship is much more demonstrative than what we see in the States. That can be intimidating at times but what Bro. Shirley said was wonderful. He said, "If you think about it, we praise God in the flesh. We have to." And it's so true. Our worship to God is done through our flesh, and it's okay if our culture influences how we worship.
I'm not usually a "shouter" but there was such a freedom to worship in these services. It was a liberating feeling knowing I could praise God right alongside people whose language I couldn't speak. We were worshipping the same God, and that's it's own language.
Bro. Wilhelm did a fabulous job in all of the services and Saturday night was no different. He had previously visited the DR, and knew Bro. Juan Bautista. They had preached together before, and they were a dynamic duo!
God really poured out his spirit during the last three days at Camp. As much as our team was a blessing to the church people there, the Dominican people were a blessing to us.
I was talking with one of our team members the night before we left, and she was telling me how she had felt at a loss the entire trip because she couldn't communicate with the people. In this last service, during altar call, I snapped a picture of her praying with one of the church ladies. It was such a powerful moment. She later told me it was at that moment that she felt the connection happen. She didn't know what the Dominican woman was saying, and vice versa, but they were both interceding for each other in a heavenly language.
Sunday morning we had one final service before leaving the camp. This one was different because the Youth President, Bro. Samuel, was preaching, and he didn't have an interpreter. One of our team members was interpreting in a microphone for our group, but it was very hard to hear if you weren't right in front of the speaker. Every once in awhile I would catch snippets of things being said.
Altar call was given, and people began to pray. God's presence swept into the tabernacle, and even though I had only caught bits and pieces of the sermon, I knew exactly what had been conveyed. I felt a breeze, and when I looked out the door it was pouring rain outside. It made me smile because my pastor preaches to us a lot about how the natural reflects the spiritual, in all aspects of life. And in that moment, as God was raining down showers on the outside, his spirit was raining down peace on our hearts in the tabernacle. It was the perfect way to end our stay in the Dominican Republic.
