Update from Grupo Gringos

We've had a great trip so far. Our group was united on Monday when Steve finally arrived after canceled flights and a night spent at JFK in New York. We have been stationed across from the Library in a place called “The Embassy” where there are various meeting places assigned so that students can hang out with people from their hometown. Unfortunately, there haven't been very many English speakers in this area of campus, but God has given us a lot of grace to be able to communicate with patient Dominicans who somehow understand our broken Spanish.

John was able to meet a student who was eager to practice her English. She was very open to hearing the Gospel and took materials with her on Tuesday for herself and her friends. On Wednesday we met up with her again for ice cream and a trip to Guibia where she heard the Gospel again more in depth. She understood the message but wasn't ready to count the cost. She promised to think about it and hopefully we will get a chance to meet again tomorrow.

While traveling to our station on Wednesday, Steve and Trevor met a girl who was interested in practicing English. They were able to meet up with her on Thursday during Intercambios and found out she was a Christian who is looking for fellowship, and is hoping to live in Chicago this year as part of her program to learn English. They were able to connect her with Michael from La Vid, and she was excited to learn more about the ministry.

We were also able to meet with a girl Laura met on the trip last year whose birthday is on Friday. Coincidentally, another friend also named Laura had a birthday on Wednesday, so we celebrated both of the girls' birthdays with Bon ice cream on Wednesday. It was an encouraging time to reconnect and spend time sharing about what God was doing in their lives.

Most of our nights in Santo Domingo have been spent at Guibia playing volleyball. This has led to many great relationships and conversations. Some of the people we met on Tuesday night have been back every night since then, and we're praying that our last night here, Friday, we will see the fruit of these relationships.

On Saturday, we are planning to start the day by watching the sunrise on the beach and spending time with the Lord through His creation. Afterwards, we'll be heading to the Colonial Zone, and are hoping to bring some of our Dominican friends with us to show us around and engage in spiritual conversations.


Prayer Requests

• For La Vid- for encouragement and more students to get connected as a result of our time here.
• For salvations- that the seeds we've sown would lead to people's repentance from sin.
• For our Saturday plans- that our love for one another would have an effect on the Dominicans that come with us.
• For safe travels back to Des Moines.

-Grupo Gringo: Steve Rude, Trevor Luster, John Traynor, Laura Brill, and Jazmin Straw!