We're Back!

It is so good to be home... but every second in the U.S.A. was incredible and we loved sharing with many of you in your homes, churches and local restaurants :)

This week I sent out our new prayer letter so instead of writing basically the same thing I'm just including the highlights.

If you would like to receive a prayer letter every few months please email me at rslara14@gmail.com!

Prayer Letter Highlights:

I can hardly believe that fall is almost here! The summer seemed to fly by with hundreds of people who passed through the SCORE complex, weekly discipleship, baseball and much, MUCH more. Still, we are thankful for every moment as God stretched us and molded us through our summer ministry.

             Summer began with a week of camp and we stood in awe as church leaders and pastors stepped up to the plate and got totally involved! Together with local pastors we got sprayed with hoses, covered in eggs and thrown in a mud pit and even after that we had the privilege to sit down with teens and see many come to the Lord. We are excited to begin youth group this month and follow-up with those who made decisions.

These past few months were a particularly tough time for the Lily House ladies as they worked hard in the salon, bakery and store with the hundreds of people who passed through the doors. They stayed strong and we watched as God has continued to transform them to be more and more like Him. It was exciting to see some of the women who have never shared open up and give their testimony. This is part of their healing process and it was awesome to see. Please remember our new girls that have just arrived at the beginning of this month. We appreciate prayers as they begin the program since the first 3 months are the hardest.

There are no words to express our thanks for our time in the states. God protected us and allowed us precious time with many loved ones. My sister’s wedding was gorgeous and Robersy loved meeting many family members for the first time. Then each and every visit in Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania and New York was a refreshing time for our hearts, minds and souls.

Now we begin our “regular” (which is never regular, haha!) schedule. Pray as relationships are formed and spiritual needs are met at youth group, baseball practice, discipleship and on the streets. We can not do this with out our brothers and sisters in Christ covering us in prayer so please remember us weekly as we serve here in the Dominican Republic.

Titus 2:7

             Dropout rates are extremely high in Dominican schools. Many families struggle to afford education and many kids dropout to work and help their families with daily needs. Still one of the biggest reasons for dropping out of school is baseball.

             If a child has the slightest talent in baseball they are encouraged to leave school and focus 100% on baseball. They are the “hope” for a family, village and country. Robersy was one of those kids…

In 8th grade Robersy gave into the pressure and gave his ALL to baseball. He thought he was done with school forever. God had other plans.

When Robersy began discipling the baseball boys he was honest that one of his biggest regrets was not finishing school. He struggled telling them to finish when he hadn't so… he decided to lead by example and went back to school.

This month Robersy graduated high-school! He is excited to have finished, but has already expressed interest in attending college. We pray that God opens the door for this! More than this, however, we hope that this example encourages his boys to finish school and we look forward to attending more graduations PRONTO!

Trip to the U.S. of A :)

As mentioned before, we truly thank the Lord for an amazing trip to the USA. Although originally planned in order to attend my sister’s wedding, God opened the door to speak with churches, Pastors and individuals regarding support. Although there has not been any commitments made for support as of yet, we trust that God is able to provide all of our needs.

Also, due to popular belief that the Christian life, and even more so, the missionary life is BORING we wanted to share some photos of a few of the amazing things we experienced during our 3 weeks. We are witnesses that our life is anything but boring! There is true joy (and a lot of fun) found when walking in HIS perfect will!

 

These photos are different from our prayer letter so if you'd like to see some more... email me to get our prayer letter OR check out my FB page :)

GOD BLESS!