Preparing for the groups

Posted by Brian

We have just a little over a week until the first of 2 groups arrive to work with us this summer. We are planning a multilingual concert in which Josh Davis is going to perform. This concert is intended to bring Haitians and Dominicans together for worship. To say that the relations between these two countries are strained right now is an understatement. In the past month there have been mass repatriations of haitians living in the DR. Thousands have been arrested and sent back to Haiti. This stems from an incident where alledgedly 2 haitians killed a couple in a campo area close to Puerto Plata. In our neighborhood we have found signs posted on telephone poles saying "get out haitian invaders" and have a drawing of a person being hung.
Thsi is not a feeling shared buy the majority of Dominicans but when things go wrong there is a tendency to blame others and Haitians are always around to be the scapegoat.

Continue to pray for the children of the bateys and Bethany's health.