"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor... and you will be blessed" Luke 14:13

3 years ago, I didn't know what it meant to be poor, I didn't even know that verses like Luke 14:13 applied to the 21st century. Moving to the DR definitely opened my eyes to just a sliver of what 1.4 billion people in this world (% of people living in extreme poverty: 1/4 of the world's population) call "life".

So what is God's response to this? Didn't he come to bind up the broken-hearted, and provide a garment of praise for those with a spirit of despair? It is SO OVERWHELMING and UNFAIR! But God in his sovereignty (he so-very-reigns!) calls his church, the largest army in the world, to live in service to others, that HE may receive all the glory.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

I spent 3 weeks in the DR in July leading mission teams to serve the orphan, the widow and the poor. One team of 12 women spent an entire week giving VBS to 300 children in a poor slum area in Santo Domingo. Besides VBS they spent 1 hour each day visiting the homes of the children in the community, bringing Spanish Bibles to their parents, praying with the sick, and sharing the good news. One home we came to was that of Vicenta, a 50 year-old grandmother with 12 grandchildren that she cares for.

When we arrived to their home, it was 4pm and she was cooking a small pot of white rice: the very first meal her grandchildren would receive that day. I couldn't believe it. I was overwhelmed. God, why aren't you helping this family? Why don't you do something?"

And then, I saw her grandchildren gathered under a tree, sitting on scrap cardboard, with backpacks, notebooks and pencils. In the middle of summer (school was out) they were writing their alphabet and working on math problems. There is no way that Vicenta can possibly afford school supplies for her grandchildren when she can't even purchase food.....

I felt the love of God surround that home as I felt God whisper, "I am doing something... through my people". Those children received their school supplies through VisionTrust, by the help of sponsors, who have said "I will make a seat at my table for you. I will make you an honorary member of my family, and make sure you have everything you need to go to school, hear the Word of God, experience His love through Christian teachers, receive food and a vitamin, and receive an education so that you can hopefully break the cycle of poverty your family has been living in for centuries."

"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor... and you will be blessed" Luke 14:13