Missions Trip to Bani

Last weekend (Saturday – Monday) we left our home in Juan Dolio and travelled across Santo Domingo to end up on the other side of the city, in a town named Bani. Those names probably don’t mean much to you, but in essence it means that we left our beach comforts, crossed the capital, and about two hours later ended up among some of the mountains of the Dominican Republic. It was a fantastic change of scenery for all of us.

We went to Bani as a sort of mini-mission trip, and we plugged into one of the churches there. The pastor of the church (Vernon) opened his home for us to sleep in, and although quarters were certainly cramped, it felt like home. Their hospitality towards us was superb! And if I started telling you about the food – the amount of food, the quality of food, the yumminess of the food, and… Well, pretty soon this would turn into an Anthony Bourdain blog instead of a blog about our mission trip. Suffice it to say, everything was absolutely mind-blowingly delicious!

Of course, mission trips are supposed to be about “ministry” not just the food and the hospitality, yet I think that a lot of the ministry was in the sharing of food (breaking bread together is a form of communion) and hospitality is a Biblical imperative (Romans 12:13). What I’m trying to say is that we were ministered to during our stay there.

Whenever anyone engages in missions, whether full-time or short-term, one always walks away blessed. I’ve worked with enough groups to recognize that God seems to have a pattern of out-blessing those who are available to be a blessing. Every short-term group that rolls through the DR comes expecting to be a blessing in some way to the Dominican people, and yet they always leave happily humbled at having been so deeply blessed by the Dominican people. This is magnificently illustrated in II Samuel 7, but I’ll save that for a later blog…

Anyway, we did accomplish what we set out for which was also to minister. Our ministry focus was divided into both helping repair the church building and helping encourage the Church body. We succeeded in some of the church repairs by painting, cleaning, and more. We also succeeded in encouraging the Church. Saturday afternoon we played softball (and other games) together. Then one of our students shared the Gospel with a translator. That evening we helped lead youth group. We led their games, helped with their music, and one of our students shared her testimony in Spanish. Sunday morning some of our students helped in children’s Sunday School – all in Spanish! Then during the morning service we prepared some special music, shared another testimony (in Spanish), and translated the message. For the Sunday evening service we prepared some special music, and two more of our students shared their testimony in Spanish. It was very encouraging for us to see our students boldly connect with Dominicans in Spanish after only a few months of studying the language! We also helped encourage them by just giving them an opportunity to get out of their own community. We took a lot of the young people out to a nearby beach and just had some good old fashioned “fun in the sun.” And, of course, it’s all fun and games until some of the students decide to throw their leader into the ocean…But it’s okay I’m plotting my sweet revenge on them still. J

Victory Over Sin, Part 2

The following message is brought to you by Connecting with the Carters. Please check out our previous post to see Victory Over Sin, Part 1.

[Review: A serious introspection on our sinfulness reveals who awful we truly are. As a believer in Christ it is important that we also look on the flip side of the same coin and see the wonderful grace of Jesus which reaches you and even me. Therefore, as McCheyne suggests, if we take a look at our sin we must also take ten looks on Christ.]

Of course, looking to Christ – even ten looks on Christ – will impress more grace in your life than looking at your sin. The Bible urges us to fix our eyes steadfastly on Christ (Heb. 12:2). That means that our gaze on Him has got to be constant, a lingering gaze.

Grace enables us not only to overcome our sin, but also to forgive ourselves when Satan whispers in our ear telling us that we are “Guilty.” Grace allows us to tell Satan to shut up! Grace also enables us to be able to forgive others.

During the Hamartiology class, I got really frustrated with Adam and Eve for messing everything up so badly. I mean, they had it perfect! Then I realized I would probably have done the exact same thing. Philip Yancey noticed that, “Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.” And C.S. Lewis warns us that, “This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behavior we expect from other people.”

So how can we remedy this? We remedy it by showing them grace. Because grace was given to us not as something to keep to ourselves, but as something to freely share with others. We are responsible for what we do with the grace that is given to us.

Sometimes we get greedy with God’s grace, as if it might run out on us. But it won’t. The Bible tells us that God’s grace is abundant (II Cor. 4:15). And in another passage it heightens that reality and tells us that God’s grace is exceedingly abundant (II Tim. 1:14). His grace is manifold or multifaceted, giving us the idea of a kaleidoscope (I Pet. 4:10). Again, there is no way that the grace of God can run out on you.

Therefore it is up to you to use it and to share it. Use it on yourself; stand on grace. Use it on others; show them God’s grace. “The world can do almost anything as well as or better than the church. You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer grace” (Gordon MacDonald).

We need to show grace to ourselves and to one another. After all, the grace that we have is all because of regeneration (being born of God or re-birth).

Our regeneration is a great display of God’s amazing grace because our regeneration is possible because of the cross. Nowhere else in all of History can you see God’s grace more magnificently displayed than at the cross. “[Christ] bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you are healed” (I Pet. 2:24).

Our sin, our guilt, our lack-of-grace for others is killed at the cross. There we are re-born to live in righteousness and healed by His wounds!

At the cross, at the cross

Where I first saw the light,

And the burdens of my heart rolled away,

It was there by faith,

I received my sight,

And now I am happy all the day!