Joyful Journey

Today was a special day for the Dominican churches. A fellowship day was enjoyed by the Moca and the San Pedro Congregations.

Fellowship
Twelve members of the Moca congregation left Moca at 5 AM and made the three hour drive southeast to San Pedro. When they arrived there were hugs to go around for all as the members of each congregation greeted each other. After catching up on each other's lives and sharing news, we all gathered in the church for a worship service. Julio started out the service with the hymn, "We Are One" which was sung with gusto by all. The sermon message was based on serving others in humility out of gratitude for all that Jesus has done for us.




Food
After the service, the San Pedro congregation served a lunch for everyone. After the long drive, the guests were happy to have a plate of rice to calm growling stomachs. Olga had prepared the rice on an old tire rim converted into a grill. Charcoal is placed inside the tire rim and the rice pot fits conveniently on top of the rim - works great!




Fun
After eating and more visiting, Julio took his guests around San Pedro so they could see the city. Many of them had not been in San Pedro before. We spent some time at the beach, a special treat for the people from Moca since their city is in the mountains, and even though they live on a island they are quite a ways from the beach. Julio also took the group to the downtown area to see the central park and the shops.




After a busy day, it was time to say goodbye and head home to the other end of the island. Everyone said farewell with content hearts, having created many happy memories with their Christian family and having strengthened the ties of faith that bind us together as one in Christ. As Alex said, "We live in different cities, have different experiences and lives, but our forgiveness is the same. We have the same Savior. We look forward to being together in heaven where our fellowship will be enjoyed every day".

Praise and thanksgiving be to our Savior for all He has done for us, for the free forgiveness he gives, for the faith he works and preserves in our heart and for giving us opportunities like these to share fellowship, faith and fun with other believers.