In July, I made my second mission trip to the Dominican
Republic. Our mission is to help
construct the Church of San Simon in the Barrio of San Marcos, a small Barrio
on the outskirts of Puerto Plata. Puerto
Plata is on the north coast of the Dominican Republic is a hot and humid, but
also very beautiful.
My first trip to San Marcos was spiritually
fulfilling and I was with the nicest and most loving group of people I have
ever known. When I returned to the States,
I felt sad because I knew that I would probably never see all of them again and
I knew in my heart that I had been a part of something special. I also missed the people of San Marcos,
especially the new friends I made, Anna, Stephany, Gary, Padre, and so many
more that made me feel at home.
The second trip to the Dominican Republic turned
into a religious experience. The picture below is what the shoring looked like for
the second floor. We were going to poor a few tons of concrete and I and everyone
else were very worried. The group the week before said they prayed for the supports
to hold.
Our group prayed too and I said a special prayer
one evening before bed. The next morning I had just shaved and was walking back
to my bed when I stopped and had a powerful vision. The vision was of a group of
Angels approaching from high up in the sky and as they entered the church, an Angel
grabbed each post and held it steady. I told the Dominican priest about the vision
and that night at church he told his congregation and they sang a special song about
Angels. The next day was the concrete pour.
Now, I have had visions before, but the next day
was special. When we were about two blocks away from the church site a powerful
feeling came upon me. Sometimes I have the same type of feeling when I preach. We
pulled up to the church and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love. I didn't not
see the Angels, I felt them, and the feeling was one of peace and love. I have never
felt such an overwhelming feeling of love. I started crying, but hid myself so no
one could see me.
Then something told me the Angels had accomplished
their job and would be leaving soon. Almost immediately my mind seemed clouded and
jumbled like and then it cleared and a voice and image appeared in my mind and told
me that an Angel was staying behind to oversee the church and that his name was
Raphael.
I didn't know who Raphael
was and so I looked him up on the internet and found out he is an Archangel, I guess
the church we are building means a lot to God. The next day we went by the church,
the concrete had dried, and we could walk on the roof/second floor. I had our translator
tell the padre about the Angel and Padre said he was going to hang a picture of
Raphael in the church office.
Until now, I have only
shared this experience with a few close friends, however I feel the need to get
this out and let people know what happened.
Some will think me crazy, others will think me blessed, but I believe I
was part of a special event.
May the peace of the
Lord be always with you!
