Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 
Psalm 146:5–8 

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In 2015, I had the opportunity to participate in my first Willow Creek global serving team in the Dominican Republic. Together with Willow’s local church partner, Fuente de Vida, our purpose was to help expand their church and school buildings and to help repair a few homes in the local community. 

I was paired with a local craftsman and church member, Domingo, to remove an old concrete floor in the church—me, who had never swung a sledgehammer. Domingo patiently showed me the process, then spent the next two days watching over me to make sure I didn’t lift any debris that was too heavy or injure myself with the tools. When we broke for lunch, we prayed and ate together. One day, as we finished eating, Domingo sang his favorite worship song for me and our lunch table. It was filled with hope and adoration for our God, in whom he put all of his trust. I’ll never forget it. 

I looked around that day, surrounded by a community of people who were faithful in prayer and trusted in God. Many of them were local craftsmen and artisans who understood how to use the resources God provided to them. They were living out the truth of Psalm 146 every day.

It became clear during that trip that we weren’t there to help, but to partner. What a gift to work hand-in-hand with a church and community that had already put their greatest hopes and faith in God. They had little material but overflowed with love and fellowship in their community. They were part of a church busting at the seams with people who brought the greatest resource on the planet—themselves.

In real-time and outside of myself, God showed me what hope in adversity looks like. Fuente de Vida and the amazing people in their community helped me far more than I could’ve ever helped them. I hope I made Domingo proud.

Next Steps

• As I’ve contemplated areas where I can hope anew or trust God more, I return to the worship song, Same God. I hope you’ll lean into where you can hope and trust in God more in your life, too.
• Learn more about Willow Creek’s Global Outreach opportunities.