Fall 2024 was quiet as far as short-term teams in the DR, but that doesn't mean we haven't had any short-term volunteers. Quite the opposite, in fact: September & October saw two visitors that technically fell under my purview, each participating in a type of service specifically designed for individuals in their situations.
The Rev. David Mommens, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Melrose, MN, joined us for five weeks as the guinea pig for Expanding the Spanish Footprint, an immersive Spanish experience for pastors and seminary students. The name is the goal: equip candidates to effectively preach the saving Gospel to Spanish-speakers in their communities. Melrose is teeny (pop. 3,598) but made up of at least 25% Hispanics, and neither of the other two churches (Catholic and Pentecostal, respectively) is doing anything to evangelize them.
David stayed in a mission apartment in the heart of the same neighborhood as the Santiago-based missionary team (and married seminary students) and benefited from their Dominican hospitality; his social calendar grew to be more packed than mine.
It wasn't all fun & games, though; he was here to learn, and learn he did with 20 hours of language instruction per week.
Outside the classroom, weekly commitments included workshops on some of the rites in
Pastoral Care Companion, a deep dive into the historical and theological context of religiosity in Latin America, and visits alongside pastors and students.
The world also became his classroom as he spent a morning on campus at Concordia the Reformer Seminary, helped officiate no less than FOUR (!) orders of service including two installations, and made a weekend bus trip to/from Santo Domingo with [non-English-speaking] students from Guatemala and Cuba, respectively.
Around the midpoint of David's stay, Allison Sigmon arrived to Shadow a Missionary. "Shadows" are individuals who are seriously exploring missionary service; in some cases, they're in the early stages of the application process. They stay with - and do "normal" life with - a missionary in a role that mirrors their interests, regardless of geographic region. Allison, a college student from NC, is considering the diaconal route, so she shadowed Deac. Tirzah. The idea is NOT to plan a week full of activities, but enjoying what our city has to offer is part of normal life, hence a group outing to Lunes de jazz (a low-key live jazz concert held at a bar downtown).
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Pray for David, that the Lord would bless his continued language acquisition efforts and open hearts and minds to hear the message of salvation in their heart language. St. Paul's plans to begin a Spanish service in December; the first four sermons are written. Pray also for Allison, that the Lord would grant her a discerning spirit as she considers how and where she might best serve Him in the future.
Until next time, blessings in Christ!
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