We be is writing, ya’ll from the cafeteria / living area at the SCORE complex. Due to some computer problems and limited access to the internet, our blogs are a little behind. Don’t worry, we will catch up! (eventually). Today we had the privilege to do manual labor at a Church plant that SCORE is in the process of building. Several team members had the opportunity to try new things such as painting, climbing in steamy hot attics and even using a jackhammer. We spent the majority of the morning using the jackhammer to dig holes for fences poles, clearing rocks and debris to make way for the fence, and tearing down an old shack. In the afternoon we painted bathrooms, the stage, and furniture for inside the Church.
Today was a really good day. I (Jay) loved the energy when we first got to our work project at Juan Dolio Church near the campus. When we first got there, I loved the fact that immediately everybody tried to do something or made themselves available for something. Some of the projects that were being done in the morning included jackhammering stone to make holes for the fence, running pipe in the attic, wood work in the Church, and clearing rock and debris to make way for the fence. Also, several team members tore down an old shack. A cool part of the day was when one of the Dominicans came with a machete and chopped out roots and debris. You could tell that the Dominicans do this kind of work for a living. I found that probably no body in the US could match their work ethic. For example, one guy was jackhammering all day from before we arrived until just before we left. It was humbling to see him pull the generator by himself and then to find out that he only made $8 for the full day of work.
Another funny part of the day was when one of the guys asked me, “What sport do you play?” I answered, “Football.” After a few seconds I said, “Did you expect me to play anything else?” We shared a laugh together at this joke. A really good thing about today was the laugh
I (Abbey) also enjoyed the day a lot! The best part of the day for me was being able to see how the Church interacts all over the world. We are a bunch of college kids on Spring Break who are painting bathrooms a burnt orange / maroonish color, and somehow that is affecting the Church. What a gift to us! I enjoyed being able to spend time in cramped bathrooms talking with Nathanael and Coach. Today was a day that was filled with encouragement and fellowship among our team and among the other workers at the project. While painting one of the bathrooms, Nathanael and I both painted faces on the wall. I was able to leave mine on the wall as a mural and sign it: “Avi.” Avi is what the Dominicans call me when they try to pronounce Abbey.
Something that really impacted me during the day was the affirmation I felt that misisons in some avenue is something that I am called to in my life. The longer I am here the stronger that affirmation gets. It is incredible to me! Even with only a few hours of sleep and the manual labor, I was increasingly more excited about the work, the fellowship and the idea that what we were doing was a part, though small, of something in the Kingdom. Also, this evening I was able to play music with one of the interns here. He led worship for us and it was such a blessing! It has been awesome to see how the different groups, interns and staff members here this week all come together and bless one another in unexpected ways.
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