Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic: November 2013

It's now been two weeks since we've gotten back from the Dominican Republic. I've been trying to work out in my head how to explain what I experienced during my time there. Those eight days made a great impact on my life. Our team left November 8th. There were seventeen people on our team. I had told someone the day before we left that I wasn't praying for everything to go smoothly, but that I'd find God's peace in the difficulties. I wasn't praying for my words to be heard, but that God's message would be clear through me. I wanted to enjoy the journey and not miss the lessons God wanted to teach me. As we left, early enough to see the sunrise in the air, the colors of the rainbow reminded me of God's promise to be with us in the unknown.

We flew from Indianapolis to Newark, NJ, and on to Santo Domingo. Except for a short delay from airplane mechanical problems and some minor (to me major) turbulence, the flights were smooth. Ryan met us at the airport with the bus. All our luggage arrived without a problem (and we had a lot!).

We loaded up the bus to head to La Romana (where Ryan and his family live) and on to Higuey, where we were staying with Pastor Victor and his family. I found it very interesting to compare the roads, people, towns, and countryside to what I'd seen in Haiti six months before this trip. There are many similarities and many differences. We arrived Friday evening and got settled.

Victor and Heidy's house

 

 Saturday we went to the church in Higuey and started on the work projects- the biggest was building an approximately ten foot addition onto the back of the current church. The ditch was already dug to pour the concrete foundation into, but the pile of dirt/concrete they removed had to moved. So we picked up shovels and started shoveling into wheelbarrows. We filled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow that the guys moved to an open lot and dumped. Kelsey and I were determined to finish the pile before we left for lunch, which humored some of the Dominican guys we were working with, but we were so close! It was a feeling of accomplishment to finish the job. 

After lunch the guys continued work projects and the ladies gathered at the church for our event. It was decided at the last minute to split my message and do another event later in the week, so I had to be flexible (which I've learned as a teacher). 

 I spoke about how God can take our lives, something we may see as ordinary, and turn them into something extraordinary. Erin (Ryan's wife) translated for me. It was my first time speaking to a group of ladies (normally it's to children) and having everything translated into Spanish, but Erin made it seem easy.
God knows what each lady needed to hear. They seemed to enjoy the craft and I enjoyed coloring with a few of the little children that came.

As the ladies were leaving the teens started arriving for youth group. We did some games with them and then I shared the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego- standing up for what is right. Ryan translated. He did great having the teens act it out and be involved. My battery operated "candle" furnace made the point- with a few laughs. After my lesson Greg taught them 4-square, which was somewhat challenging with the language barrier.

They seemed to catch on after we demonstrated. Youth group ended with the power going out (which isn't uncommon) and them singing "How Great is Our God" in Spanish. That almost brought me to tears. My first full day in the Dominican Republic was sometimes overwhelming, but so rewarding! 




Church was Sunday. We went to church in La Romana in the morning.

The service was in spanish, but for me sitting in the middle of over one hundred kids and watching them as they sang and danced, the language difference wasn't important. Greg gave the children's lesson on Noah's Ark.

He did a great job communicating the lesson that Noah obeyed and God saves. In the adult service they sang many songs I love and because they posted the words I began catching on to the spanish words. Their enthusiasm and passion are indescribable! Halfway through the service the kids were dismissed and we went with them. We split into two groups- Erin translated for me as I did the craft and Ryan translated for the group that did the games.

There were about 90 kids and it was organized chaos! They caught on fast to the rainbow/ark craft and it turned out really cute. After the younger kids did their craft, we switched and the older kids came in to do it. I enjoyed working with kids from as young as 3 years old.


After church Ryan gave us a tour of the medical building that adjoins the church building and explained what the plans are as the construction gets done- ER, OR, dentist, patient rooms, doctor's offices.

Then we went to Jumbo's to eat and shop around (kind of like a big Sam's Club/Walmart). I bought some Santo Domingo coffee to bring home.


In the evening, I found my favorite place was the roof of Victor and Heidy's house.

The sunset was beautiful. I could hear the different sounds of the city-music, children, laughter. I could peek into the lives of those passing by, the young boy happily playing with rocks in the puddles, and the wandering horses. I could see part of the city and the mountains in the distance. It reminded me so much of the view from the roof of Sonlight Academy in Haiti.

We went to the Higuey church for the evening service. I got to hold a two month old baby boy that fell asleep and slept the whole service on my lap.

His mom just kept smiling and afterward she thanked me. Greg spoke from Matthew 9 how God accepted Matthew (a tax collector) and all God asks of us is that we take the first step towards Him and He'll accept us as we are. I'm beginning to connect with the people at the church through a smile or a hug, even though we may not speak the same language. 


Monday, my partner in crime (Kelsey) and I filled buckets with water to use for concrete. We passed out candy to kids in nearby houses. We even chased down a couple kids walking home from school just to say hi and give them some candy. (They started running because they didn't understand why we were trying to catch them, but stopped when some kids told them why.)

I practiced carrying water on my head as the other Dominican/Haitian women do, which gained some laughs from the rest of the team and Dominican workers. (I still need more practice.)

I helped shovel gravel to make concrete mix.

In the afternoon part of our team did the Noah's Ark lesson with the children at the Higuey Church while a few of the others and me continued to mix concrete and move it to the guys laying blocks behind the church.

VBS at Higuey

acting out the story of Noah's Ark

We finished in time to help with the craft for the VBS. Around 50 kids came.

One new thing for me were the tarantulas! And yes, several got a good laugh seeing me react to the ones I did see (too close I might add).

I really enjoyed talking, singing, and laughing with Victor and his family, Ryan, Nahum, and the rest of the team. I'm finding it's the little moments of each day I treasure the most, like seeing a little girl and her baby brother walking hand in hand down a dirt road. 

 

Tuesday I helped mix concrete (by hand), carry water and blocks, and learned how to put mortar between blocks and stack the blocks.

I am so thankful for the guys who were willing to patiently teach me how to do these jobs! 

Tuesday afternoon was the second ladies event. This time was easier. We had 20-25 ladies and several children. I finished my message on "Ordinary Into Extraordinary" and we did the other two crafts we brought. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Wednesday we went to Bayahide to the beach (Caribbean Sea). What a place!

It was a beautiful day (as it had been all week). The water was just the right temperature and the colors ranged from dark blue to turquoise. It was a day to relax, swim, visit, shop, and walk the beach.

I loved the warmth of the white sand and seeing the waves crash against the shore. I loved seeing the children splash in the water. I loved hearing the laughter. I did NOT like the few times waves crashed over me when I wasn't paying attention and I inhaled salt water.

lunch at the beach

I went to some of the shops, but didn't like haggling the prices, so I sat on the beach and soaked up the sun most of the time. Before we left the beach, there was a baptism for four people. It was so exciting to see these people make a commitment to give their lives to God.

I am so thankful I got to be a part of this moment in these four people's lives. 

Thursday our team split up again and some stayed at Victor's house to paint the inside and outside while the rest of us went to the church to work on getting as far as we could on the wall. They tried to teach me how to level the blocks as I put them on, but I'm just too slow.

The wall connecting the church to the new addition had to come down and that was something I could do to help! I wasn't sure I could swing the sledge hammer, but after trying it, I was able to knock out part of the wall with each swing.

I had fun this week trying to keep up with the guys, and surprisingly was never sore.

Ryan, Ricardo, Cliff

Thursday night was prayer meeting at the Higuey Church. Because a Haitian church joins them once a month, it was quite full. We got to see some of the guys we had worked with all week one last time. The Haitians dress up in their Sunday best for church. Several different groups or individuals sang songs or the whole congregation would sing a song. In between they would pray for different countries or other needs.


 
 I stood at the back and watched in amazement. It was one of the highlights of my week. I cried as I realized I was falling in love with this place. The people welcomed us with open arms. They were so appreciative of what we did.
 
Friday we went to Punta Cana to the new school that opened this year.

Glenda and I split the English classes and some of our group did the PE classes.

Even though I was teaching basic colors, etc. it felt so good to be back in a classroom again.

using colored t-shirts to reinforce the lesson

 
Erin translated for me only when it was necessary. We did flashcards, simple games, and a short craft to reinforce colors.

   The school is pre-k through 4th grade and has about 100 students currently.

Before we left we prayed for the pastor/director and Ryan gave us the vision for the school- to support the church and its outreach to the community. We went back to Higuey, packed up, and spent time praying for Victor, his family, and the church. He wants to reach the families of the kids that come already and he wants to own a house to be able to reach out to the community better. It was really hard to leave Higuey, but as we left we saw a beautiful rainbow and what a comfort that brought me.

 

Friday night we stayed in a hotel with a pool in La Romana, had pizza for dinner, and went to a baseball game.

I would have thought I was at an American game except for looking around and seeing we were in the minority as white people. That was a unique experience and even though I don't watch much baseball, I had fun. Everybody was together one last time.

breakfast at the hotel Saturday morning

Saturday morning we said goodbye to Victor, Heidy, Abby, Christian, and Ryan, which was hard to do, and headed back to Santo Domingo to the airport.

Heidy and Victor sharing before we left (Ryan translating)

Victor, Heidy, Abby, Christian

I don't know how you can grow to love people so much in a few days, but I did. I'm already praying God will show me a clear direction for my future. The trip home had its difficulties, but we all made it in the end. Along the way were more goodbyes, but God willing our paths will cross again. God taught me many things this week. He gave me courage to do things I didn't think I could do. He gave me the strength to do physically tough jobs. He kept me safe and healthy. He reminded me I don't have to change the world, but to start with loving one person and serving right where I am. He showed me the danger of becoming indifferent and comfortable in my life. I saw the joy and contentment these people have in spite of their simplistic lives. I am learning, daily, to see things as God sees them, to love people as He would, to live each day to the fullest, and give God the only thing I have to give- myself and my dreams. 

Ps. 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.