Boca Chica

April of 2013 began a 7 week long missions trip to Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. It was our first prolonged missions trip as a family. We lived on a friend's sailboat in the marina of this small Dominican town. We went out without a direct plan or mission, we only knew that we were to go and love the people of this town. The dynamics of this town is staggering.

It is a town known for prostitution of men, women, and children. It's a mini Thailand where often times tourists flock to this area specifically for the drugs and sex. Our family immediately was noticed by the locals. We were often offered drugs, and sex as we walked down the streets as a family. After some time, when the locals realized we were not interested in using their drugs, men, women, or children, but that we cared for them and wanted to spend time with them they began to soften towards us.

We spent time loving and encouraging the kids through pizza parties in the park, and we noticed that these children who used to solicit their goods or bodies now ran and gave us hugs and would sit with us wherever we were. The adults too would spend time with us and we were able to hear many of the locals stories and pray with them.

There was a deep desire in this area to know God, unfortunately there were very limited healthy ministers to serve the people in this area. Most often, we found that people who had reached out to their local churches they were robbed from, discouraged, and left hurting more deeply than when they had first sought their church to begin with. I am sure there are some great men and women of God in this area, but the sin and darkness of the town is so heavy it was extremely hard to find places where these people could be ministered to and discipled.

As our time ended, it was with bittersweetness that we returned home. We now know the need never ends, there is much work to do, and while it is sad to leave the smiles of those kids and adults that had touched our lives we trust God will grow the seeds that we offered in love.