A Starving Nation

Before reading this post just remember that I have only been here a little over a month. I do not claim to have all the answers, this is just my observations, they are allowed to change in the months to come.


From an American observation.


This is a starving country. 

Here people are fed off of rice, plantains, bread, and potatoes. Full carbs with barely any nutrients. Complete with processed meats, mostly salami.

We are eating very much and starving ourselves at the same time. We are eating things that look like food and smell like food but aren't actually good for us. This is the same as America, don't get me wrong McDonalds isn't exactly healthy. But I think as Americans we have a lot of research and studies showing what foods are good and bad for you. Here they just encourage you to eat more. We are starving ourselves by over eating.

Here no one carries around money or minutes. There is no embarrassment with someone asking to use your phone because they ran out of minutes. They usually ask me and I am sure it has something with an American white girl, she has to have minutes. I run out of minutes and money faster when I have it, I have learned its better not to carry it.

Here putting 25 pesos of gas in your tank is perfectly acceptable and no one looks at you like anything is wrong. Sure in America I did that when I was 16 and had no money and wanted to take my friends cruising. But men who should be financially stable doing it? Here people are in so much debt and the interest rates are so high they will also being paying off INTEREST. Here people put on a show like they have much when really they go home to matted one room houses and face reality once again. Here if you have money you spend it, there is no word such as saving here.

I am not telling you anything new, most people all around the world suffer from the same problems with different appearances.

But here just like most places around the world there is a Spiritual Starvation.

I have not found a solid church and don't know if I will ever will for a while. I am on my knees about this everyday. The pentecostal movement has taken the DR by storm and has left false hope and a false God. We are starving ourselves of our salvation.

Oh how desperate we are in need of biblical pastors to feed starving christians.
How desperate we are for shepherds to lead flocks through the bible, study it, preach it and live it.

Right now and for the past ten days there has been a festival going on in Hato Mayor, everyone keeps telling me how bad it is, but I have never gotten an answer as to why it is bad..."lots of drinking" "Someone died once at it" these are the answers I hear.

Christian stay far away and just say things like its bad. (Don't worry Jan I didn't go, doesn't mean I didn't want to)

I think, "Where would Jesus be if this festival was going on back than?"

You think he would be running for his house and locking himself up for 14 days until its over?

I highly doubt it. Aren't we suppose to love the sinners? For what are we? Sinners. Where is grace?

But how will they know they need to go love the least of these if they are not taught? How can they be taught if there is no one to teach?

Where do we start?

We need the Lord desperately in these starving nations.