the paquettes

Tuesday started out rainy.  And in the rain, Dominicans rest.  I kept imagining all the homes we saw earlier in the week with their roofs made of tin scraps.  All the rain that must be falling in their homes.  We drove to the Mak school still.

Do you see their skin?  This is how we were “glistening” with sweat all day every day!.

playing in puddles at the Mak house waiting to hear where we were going

I was slated to take pictures of the soccer tournament that morning in Tamarindo, but we weren’t sure if the tournament was still going on because of the rain.  There would be some very disappointed boys if we had to cancel.  Thankfully, the rain came in bursts, and so the boys were able to start play during a long dry period, and continued play in the pouring rain even when all of us took cover in the vans.

soccer!

the light blue team won, can you tell?!

After lunch, we came back to the Makarios house with the remainder of the time to rest and reflect. We had an ESL class coming later in the afternoon, but that was it. I should of been reading my Bible, meditating on his Word to give me strength for the rest of the week, but I just didn’t have the motivation. It was a cool afternoon, the steady rain bringing respite. It felt good to just lie in bed. Our kids played happily with the Makarios host family kids (who were the same age as them!  Such a blessing!)
Later that evening, something someone said really hit me: Why don’t we keep reading our Bible everyday when it is so beneficial to us? I love the Bible! I love chocolate too, but I have no problem eating it everyday! So why do I struggle so much to read the Bible everyday when I love it?
Satan is at work.
Ella had a break down later in the bunk room. She cried because she wanted to go home and she missed Asher. When I asked her why she didn’t want to play with the village kids anymore, she replied, “Because I don’t want to play with sticks and rocks all day!”  Ella missed the comforts of home.  This mission trip was “rehab” from our “mistress(es)”, (the thing(s) we miss most at home that try to take priority in our lives over our relationship with God.)   It could be a person, a hobby, toys, facebook, a certain food…

I stayed off the internet and my cell phone for 7 days.  It was a great rest for me, and reminded me that I can be without those things and my world will not crumble.  With my cell phone (and my data plan!) I feel in control.  Lord, help me remember YOU are in control!

Rilyn was feeling it too, but not one to have outbursts like Ella, she journaled her thoughts.  She told me later that she drew a red heart with sin around it because she knew worrying and being fearful were sins and she needed to bring all these things to the Lord.

Darianny is our Compassion child we were going to meet on Friday

It was time for ESL class. On the agenda was the DR kids “buying” small toys (with tokens they had earned throughout the summer) using English words. My girls were eager to help with this!

“How much does that cost?”

“I would like to buy…”

The Lord ended our day with a beautiful sunset!  Tomorrow would be a new day full of God’s grace!

*to read about day 4, click here. To read about day 6, click here*