2nd Trip To The Dominican

June 2008

I am sincerely grateful for the prayers and support our team received when we traveled to the Dominican Republic. It is an amazing experience, one that continues to influence my life there and at home. We spend our time helping to build churches and doing children’s ministry but the main purpose for our being there is to build relationships; relationships with the people in La Romana and with Christ. Learning about and living a missional lifestyle is a study in flexibility, acceptance and inspiration. A Christ centered life.

This trip was different than my first trip last year. Then I was a blank slate with no expectations going completely on faith. Considering that I was added to the team 3 weeks before they left, I had no birth certificate, no passport and the week was in May (fortunately it was the week of testing and I do not teach during that week - a God thing, it was all a God thing!) This year, I found I was looking for people, experiences and things a recognized. A lesson learned this year, it is better to live life in faith, a blank slate that God fills with His glory. I was very happy to see Francis, a boy who touched my heart last year. Alyssa asks each year if Francis can come live with us. He and his brother used to live with his Grandmother. I learned that she passed away this year and they live with an Aunt and 14 other family members. The school that we work with in the DR has been accepted in the Compassion International program. This program lists the children for sponsorship which pays for their education, supplies and meals at school. Children ages 3-8 are eligible for sponsorship. Once sponsored, the children stay in the program until they are 20. Pastor Isidro has a spirit filled heart for these children and does not turn ANY child away from school regardless of finances. Francis is eleven and too old for sponsorship but Pastor Isidro and I have worked out a way to finance Francis’s education and I am pleased to see his progress from last year. I first met Francis in a group of children that were intrigued to write their name on a magna doodle toy I had. Francis could not spell his name. His teacher tells me this year that he is writing and reading some… Praise God!

We spent the week working with children, teaching lessons on unity in the church and working together for Christ. Somehow the language difference doesn’t seem to be a barrier. My Spanish gets better each trip and interpreters help immensely. The prayer walks through the barrios are always a special time. I am thankful to everyone who helped me gather Neosporin for Pastor Isidro. He immediately put 4 of the tubes in his pockets to keep with him as he walks among the children and visits the people in his perish. We were able to go and care for various families in both Haitian and Dominican barrios. The Haitian Barrio has a large gang population but I have never felt unsafe and the gang members understand we are there to help and support those in need. It takes an afternoon to travel out to Batay Mosquito which is a Haitian refugee community that works the sugar cane fields. We take food there. Last year I met a little girl that also touched my heart. She had long hair like McKenna but dark, big eyes like McKenna but deep brown and the same age as McKenna. I got to see Felicia again and she is growing, like McKenna. We also were able to complete a roof area of Pastor Santiago’s church that will provide space for Youth Ministry. This is something I could not do without the support of friends and family. Next year, God willing, Alyssa will join me.