JARABACOA.

  The first 2 months of the Race are complete and my team just experienced our first ministry change so I wanted to document the place that has shaped my initial impression of the Race.

We arrived in the Dominican Republic on January 30th & were so kindly welcomed by the hospitality of our first ministry host called “Mission of Hope.”

As an organization following Jesus Christ, Mission of Hope exists to bring life transformation to every man, woman, and child. With campuses in the Caribbean, they partner with local churches to transform lives through church advancement, nutrition, education, & medical care. Our team has specifically had the privilege of serving through manual labor, empowering local Church leaders & teaching in a Haitian school.

We have been living on their new campus in Jarabacoa and helping them get settled in (they moved in shortly before we got there). Serving has looked like manual labor, Gospel-presentations through house visits (in local Haitian communities), & daily encounters with local Dominicans (taking advantage of opportunities to share the Gospel w/our taxi drivers, kitchen staff, etc).

I honestly feel speechless to express all that God taught me in Jarabacoa but these first 6 weeks of the Race have been crucial in my journey.

Below are just a few of the key lessons He has so graciously taught me.

1. I am insignificant.
   This has honestly been the most humbling and valuable lesson. Living & serving in a foreign country where you aren’t initially familiar with the culture, don’t speak the language, and are trying to communicate the Gospel in a way that is culturally consistent~ you’ll realize pretty quickly how small you are, and how BIG God is. This has been a key lesson for ministry and life in general- I am NOTHING without Him (John 15:5) and completely dependent on His Spirit to do anything effective for His Kingdom.
2. different language, same Name.
   Some of the most impactful moments have been where I get to share in prayer with my Haitian/Dominican brothers & sisters. There is POWER in prayer. Nothing is more beautiful than hearing & participating in prayer in another language- although we might not be able to understand all the words, we are praying to THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES, Whose glory surpasses all understanding!!! I am never more in awe than when I get to pray with these sweet people, not knowing the same words, but knowing the same God and able to affirm His greatness in their expressions of prayer, adoration, & worship.
3. Sabbath.
   One of my greatest joys has been the reminder that every.single.part of my day can & ought to be spent with my Creator. Though it is counter-cultural to my North-American thought processes of wanting to “do, do, do” & “strive as much as possible” to ‘accomplish’ as many things as I can in the day, I have learned of God that there is a kind & gentle invitation to actually slow down and spend the majority of our moments with Him. Though ministry has been demanding at times on the Race, there have also been plenty of moments to just “sit & be slow.” When there are empty spaces in the schedule, I am often tempted to fill it as quickly as possible, but I have been asking God to grow my heart’s desire to be to fill those ‘empty spaces’ with more time in the Word & more time with Him. Because truly, spending time with the Creator of the world is the most effective way I could spend any day and the grounds for overflow of effective ministry.
4. One of my greatest lessons from serving with ‘Mission of Hope’ (our 1st ministry host) is the importance of empowering the locals.
   So many of our “ministry ventures” looked like meeting up with a local Pastor who has a relationship with MOH & partnering with him in local house visits. I have been reminded that while short-term missions is important and does have value, our most effective usefulness & fruitfulness comes from encouraging local ministry leaders who are investing in long-term discipleship and relationships.

Of all the many lessons The Lord has given me, one of the sweetest ways I have seen His goodness in Jarabacoa was Pastor Job. Pastor Job is a local Haitian Pastor with a deep heart for his people. My team was led in ministry by him weekly; we would meet in his community & prayer-walk around the streets, following his leading to houses that he wanted us to visit and share the Gospel with, inviting those families to his Church. When you meet him, you are immediately greeted with the biggest grin, strongest hug, & “God bless you, God bless you, God bless you!” (the only phrase he knows in English). 

My grandpa went to be with Jesus almost a year ago & I believe The Lord gave me a reminder of him in Pastor Job- a man of little stature, but BIG in love for Jesus, grace, humility, & a tenacity for the Word of God. We got to visit Pastor Job’s Church our last Sunday in Jarabacoa & it was the greatest blessing to me. 3 hours of pure worship, reading from the Word, & communion between Haitians, Americans, & Dominicans~ such a picture of the Body of Christ partaking in unity for His namesake.

My grandpa was the most impactful spiritual giant in my Christian journey & I have often found myself missing his earthly presence & words of wisdom.

Pastor Job felt like a “God-wink” at me, reminding me that the Godly characteristics and passion of this saint I so deeply admired are represented by other brothers and sisters in Christ across the world. Grandpa Adams preached the goodness of God and perseverance of the saints until his last breath. Pastor Job loves his Haitian people with the most genuineness and authenticity I have ever witnessed. I aspire to be like these men- living in the faithfulness of God and loving His people all the days of my life.

Jarabacoa was a sweet way to start the Race and I am excited for all the many more lessons to be had in the next transitions, ministries, & countries.

In the words of Pastor Job,

“Bondye beni w” (God bless you)

& in the words of grandpa Adams,

“Keep on keepin on”

💛kenz