Jesus Loves Them All

 "Jesus loves the little children of the world"...a painting we have at our mission house in the Dominican Republic. But y'all, He does! Petete (a now 16 year old boy who has raised himself and lives on the streets that we are able to feed and let bathe and play at our mission house daily) fell asleep in front of our freshly painted wall and I couldn't help think about how much Jesus truly does love ALL the children of the world. The dirty ones, the ones with no mom and dad, the ones with no shoes, the ones with no clothes, the ones who smoke and do drugs, the ones who have stolen and landed in prison, the ones who have iPhones and nice houses, the ones who have everything in the world yet are constantly wanting more, the ones who think they have life all figured out on their own, the ones who don't love Him back...He loves them all! They are all His children and He calls them His. I don't know about you but this brings me such a peace. No matter who you are, where you live, or what you've done, He loves you. I am His child. You are His child. And Petete is His child. Jesus loves the little children of the world. #missionaryatheart www.dominicankids.com

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Heartbreak and Trauma

The Dominican Republic is all over the news and social media right now. Investigations are being held after a women was brutally beaten while on vacation and multiple other adults have also suddenly died while vacationing. Although all of that is happening in a different town than we serve in and known as a much more touristy part of the island, our little town in the Dominican is much more rural and poor compared to where those tragedies took place. People don’t vacation in the town where we serve. It’s not pretty and the poverty is shocking. Most people cannot even bear to look at the poverty that these families face on a regular basis. The tragedies you are hearing about on the news are things our kids see and experience every single day. Not necessarily with Americans but with their own people and family members Living on the streets and living in extreme poverty in a third world country is a heartbreaking and incredibly traumatic way to live. I honestly cannot wrap my head around what these kids face on a daily basis. I am however very grateful they are able to escape the poverty and violence for a few hours each day and come to our mission house. They are able to bathe, count on a hot meal, get clean clothes, and just be kids for a little bit. Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to change lives in the Dominican Republic one at a time!! Get to know our kids: www.dominicankids.com/projects

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