We are extremely sorry for the delay! It’s been difficult for the blog writers to get access to the internet. We know…excuses, excuses!!!

Anyways, since the last time we wrote, we have had some pretty amazing experiences. We spent our weekend in Boca Chica to the east of Santo Domingo. It is difficult to describe our emotions after this trip. When we arrived we knew that Boca Chica was a rough neighbourhood and had a reputation as a party town and “red light” district. But we couldn’t have been prepared for everything that was going to happen there. We had planned to go out for a walk on the street Friday night, but one member of our team was sick and the weather was unpredictable, so we were grounded in our hotel. We spent some time in prayer for the residents of the town, the “working girls” and the “customers” who come from Europe to take advantage of them. The following morning we spent some time on the busy beachfront. People of all ages walk back and forth all day selling everything from sunglasses to manicures. We had been hoping to talk with some of the younger boys who shine shoes for a living, but we couldn’t find them until fairly late into the evening. We learned that the reason for this is that the police had been keeping them off the street-they are seen as an annoyance to tourists. As night fell, the team prepared once again for a street walk. Our intention was to pray for Boca Chica and engage in conversation with the people who are out and about after 11 P.M. Taxi drivers, prostitutes, tourists and “bar owners.” These are the characters that flock to the main road every Saturday night. Believe it or not, everyone in this town is trying hard to find a solution for the troubles of their lives. This reality became crystal clear to us all, when a member from the team was approached by a prostitute. It was a shock and set the mood for the rest of the evening.

Immediately we knew that this town was in desperate need of help greater than anything we could offer! We quickly gathered ourselves and began to roam the streets in prayer. As the night progressed, we truly felt how important it was to be here. We truly were light in a dark place. People began to ask what we were doing exactly, standing in a circle in the middle of the road. We knew God was working, when the people’s response was “Yes, we need prayer”. We had the great opportunity to pray for a taxi driver who works all night driving drunks and rowdies home, just to work for a little bit of money for his wife and kids.
The reality here is that although people recognize the reality of God for the most part, if you mention salvation to them they will generally tell you that now is not their time. Jesus can wait a little bit longer for them. It is a disheartening attitude, but then on the surface there is little encouraging about this town. There is no church to provide a consistent witness here. The residents know that it is a mess. But the morning before our prayer walk, Alex was talking with a woman who runs a Christian organization with her husband in Boca Chica. She was also able to hand out a Spanish Bible to some of the shoe shine kids outside our hotel on Sunday morning. There are rays of light here, and God is bigger than any of the town’s problems. It is not out of His sight, and His Son died for every single person who lives, works and plays there. Please keep Boca Chica in your prayers this week. Remember us, too, as we journey west to Barahona and possibly into Haiti for the weekend.

Love from Santo Domingo,
Alex, Britney, Emily, Josh, Kody and Shantol