a day in the life at hope mountain (pt.2)

Just like most great parts of the day, the afternoon starts out with food. As morning ministry ends, the black wooden stairs produced the sound of a heard of elephants. Once again a group of hungry missionaries made their way to the deck for the beloved daily rice and beans meal. Lively conversations of morning ministry and afternoon anticipation arise as all the teams come back together once again. Our lunch turns into our afternoon break. Little by little people make their way back downstairs, and as I finally follow suit, I already see people below enjoying their siesta. As I look at one side of the pool, I see friends playing upbeat early 2000’s music as they begin their workout. On the other side I hear sweet country music playing as others lay out to soak up the sun. I head to my room, tiptoeing quietly to my bed as not to wake up the afternoon nappers, grab my book, and head back out to join my friend. I read my book, stick my feet in the pool to combat the heat, and occasionally check my shorts tan line as I rest my mind and body during siesta. Before I know it, we are gathered back on the porch to start the afternoon off in prayer before ministry.

At 2pm our group walks through the streets, handing out flyers to neighbors. We are inviting them to our talent show we are putting on at the end of the month. As clouds begin to cover the sky, we invite local children to meet us at the basketball courts to play. We pull out a jump rope, puppets, and many fun other toys. Wholesome laughter fills the air as we play for hours before getting rained out.

As we walk back to base, soaked, we contemplate what the next hour and a half will look like before dinner. We have a lot of time to spend with God, serve our community, as well as rest here. For many of us, the free time looks like showering, reading, or calling our parents. The day seems to wind down at base, while our neighbors play loud reggaeton, so the party never seems to end. As we eventually eat dinner at 6:30, we reflect on our day and fill our bellies with veggies, meat, and maybe even pasta. The sun sets, and for most of the teams the night looks like board games, team times, movies, and sometimes spontaneous late night pool parties. 

The second half of the day is just as eventful as the first half. Every day of ministry looks different and every day has Jesus right smack in the middle of it. The little moments during the days here are so incredibly sweet. Hope Mountain provides a space to walk alongside the Lord, to leave with funny stories, and safely face the hard moments.  Praise the Lord for nights at Hope Mountain DR!