-Spring Breakers, meet Starliner, the first National Staff of Dominican Republic -

     This was a phrase I heard a lot during these two weeks working along with college students, the national directors (Leyla and Prospero), Stinters and Spring Breakers (Vision Trip) every time I was introduced to someone. To this phrase I added the following: The first (National Staff) but not last, God willing!

     My first day this year working along with Spring Breakers as a National Staff was with the first team of Spring Break (Vision Trip), all belonging to the Mid-South region. As a first assignment I had the opportunity to give a tour to Anna and Katherine around UASD campus, at the end of the tour we sat down to pray to share our faith. We planned to walk and choose groups of no more than three students to go through the pamphlet "Would you like to know God personally," we will not make a mess.. Our first attempt was two girls sitting on the floor near the administrative offices who spoke English and they kindly said they could not pay us attention because they were busy. 

     We kept walking and
our second choice was a girl sitting alone and was not doing anything but she did not want or could not pay attention to us because she was waiting for her sister to go eat and kindly dismissed. (What was happening to us was something strange and bad because
the students in the Dominican especially students from UASD like to talk to strangers so they would stop doing what they are doing to talk to them).

     We walked with a mission to pick someone, when at that moment a group of six students started calling repeatedly (shouting): Come here, come here!! We want to practice English... My first comment was: Oh no! This will not be good, they are a large group and they will not take us seriously, but it would be very rude if we ignore them...

     Everything turned out better than we expected, and
even two more students were added to the group while doing "Solarium" which is a survey of images, which is a tool that leads us from social conversation to spiritual conversations and is usually after this tool that we share the gospel. But this time, we did not present the gospel, because it was about to reach the bus that was going to pick up the youth of the Vision Trip, so we took their data to maintain communication and invite them to “Vida Estudiantil” (Cru ) meetings. Later that week 4 of them went to one of our weekly meetings. Another young woman recognized me in the Subway and asked for my personal phone because she is interested in ministry. To date, three weeks ago of the first day with that Vision Trip and we are still in communication. Exciting!

     The day did not end there for me, but I went from the campus to the apartment of the girls (STINTers) to dress a little more elegant, because I was going to participate in a conference dinner for businessmen and professionals organized by Campus Crusade for Christ which had as speakers a National Staff and two businessmen involved with Cru, all three are of the United States, the theme was "Leadership and business under the biblical approach" conferences were very motivating and God touched many lives of businessmen that were already Christians ... The night ended with a university teacher and professional accounting who was so encouraged by the conference that she expressed their support and desire that in the college she works we will open a “Vida Estudiantil” movement. Our prayer and plans this year is to start a movement in the O & M University where the teacher works.

     The rest of the week was a blessing! The Vision Group Trip ( 26 in total) divided into different campuses worked with students not only from Santo Domingo but on Wednesday we aside it  to go together towards San Pedro (this time , the 26 Vision Trip, Stinters , National Directors and myself) to support student movement there. In San Pedro, we not only share the Gospel person to person but the University coordinated together with student leaders of our movement an activity in the large auditorium of the library, It was the same of "Leadership and business under the biblical approach" this time addressed to students of that university. The audience was not completely filled but about 50 new students were there, and we have contact information for all of them to connect them with the movement. And as the first night of the week there was good response and reactions to the conference there was also equal response among students of San Pedro in the conference.

      I am writing too much of just one week (sorry), so I'll end with two things, (1) stats of this week expressed in total:

• Pre-spiritual talk [87]
• Spiritual talk or point of decision for Jesus, [183]
• Students received Jesus [15]

     and (2) Recognizing the work of our National Directors, Leyla and Prospero who worked tirelessly in organizing, planning and caring for Vision Trip, students and STINTErs (that’s why we call them parents), also the STINTers, who helped in the organization, planning and evangelism of these two weeks, the students of our movement, without them wouldn’t have been possible to reach as many students as we did, because they helped us in translating the Spring Breakers and shared the gospel with passion and conviction. For each of them I give thanks to God always!!