Serve the World: Servir al Mundo – Dominican Style

Dear Baby Girl,

Before I forget, I must write up a blog post about our mission trip to the Dominican Republic.  For many years, I’ve felt called to serve the world outside of the United States, but I listened to the lies that were told over my little shoulder:  that I’m not ready, that it’s not the right time, that the world is a scary place, that I’m not good enough, and so on.  They were all lies that I believed for many years.  And, I’m glad that I stopped believing the lies because the barrios of the world offer so much love, beauty, and life that it is overwhelming to think about.

You know, the Bible is very clear that we should go, that we should, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  And the Bible follows it with, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  And, God was.  He was there in the Dominican Republic.  He was there before we arrived; he was there when we were there; and, he is there now.  And, I am so grateful that we got to be experience his presence and the love of the Dominican people on our trip.  It’s was so exciting for us all! (Matthew 28:19-20)

So, with that thought in mind, let me recap our trip, which took place on July 14 – 20, 2018.  It was the best trip that we have ever taken – I am sure of that.

Day 1: Travel Day (Saturday)

We arrived at DFW at 12:30 pm and got on the flight at around 2:30 pm.  We sat on the runway for an hour because there was a small tear under the plan that the mechanics needed to fix.  (Thanks, pilot, for telling us that fact.)  I was sitting in the middle seat between two people I didn’t know, and Da-T and you were seated with strangers, too.  We arrived in Miami, and we had very little time to get on our connecting flight to Santa Domingo.  You and I sat together on the flight to Santa Domingo next to Josh and Kristyn, two of our team members, and we got to hear what to expect from our trip.  That was a great flight!  We arrived in Santa Domingo at around 10 pm EST, and we went through customs where both of us slipped on the floor with our luggage.  Remember when I let go of my luggage when I was on the stairs, and it just went down the stairs by itself?  I meant to do that!  (LOL)  After we got through customs, we were greeted by our new friend, Elizabeth, who encouraged us to get some airport food and drinks.  We got chicken and cheese empanadas, a coke, an orange Fanta, and a huge hot dog that had four different sauces, grilled onions (I think), and bacon on top.  It was a huge thing that was unknown to me, but it was so good.  (I really just wanted a hot dog with mustard, but I got the deluxe dog because I didn’t know how to tell the cashier what I wanted because I couldn’t speak Spanish well enough to talk to him.)  Elizabeth had Caribanas chips (delicious) and cold waters for us when we got on the bus/guagua that had the curtains in the color of the Dominican flag.  We watched a movie on the bus and saw someone planking on a motorcycle as they rode down the highway.  We arrived at the apartment about an hour later, and it was very nice.  It was clean, had power, and had AC in the main areas.  Yea!

Day 2:  Batey Lecheria (Sunday)

After we enjoyed a great breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs with bacon chopped up in it, and fresh-squeezed passionfruit juice, we got on the bus/guagua that had green curtains inside of it.  Our driver’s name was Natalee (sp), and he was our driver for the entire trip.  Juan, a.k.a. Machete Man, was sitting in a white plastic chair across the street acting as our daytime security guard.  Hey Hey, the rooster next door, had done an excellent job of crowing at midnight, 2 a.m., 4 a..m., etc.  Kokie, our resident outdoor dog, also pulled his weight in keeping us awake throughout the night.  We all felt very loved when we boarded the bus at about 9:30 a.m. and headed to Batey Lecheria, which is a very poor Haitian village in the DR with elders who were at one time Haitian refugees.  When the guagua arrived in Batey Lecheria, the beautiful kids were waiting for us.  I didn’t really know what to expect when we got off that guagua, but it was amazing.  Trini grabbed you.  Rosemery grabbed Da-T, and three girls that I didn’t know grabbed me and didn’t let go.  They took us to an open-air building with blue walls and tiles on some of the floor.  The children led us in worship, which was so special.  Brad led the kids in the Cha Cha slide and Macarena, and they loved that.  I told the kids my story of how accepting Jesus as my savior had made me unafraid.  Then, we fed them potatoes, eggs, and a chocolate cinnamon porridge, which they were very grateful for.  The kids colored a coloring sheet, and I went around and taught some kids the English words for the animals that they were coloring. Finally, we walked about their village, prayed for some of their families, and got to see the 25 Project mission center* that is being built in Batey Lecheria.  When we returned to the open-air building with blue walls, we sat as a team and ate ham and cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and more delicious chips.  We had pear, cherry, or peach juiceboxes, and we thought that was the best food.  We were alone as a team, except Cindy, the little girl who always wore fancy dresses, joined us.  She decided to joke with us at lunch by hiding behind each of our backs.  Then, she would just giggle, giggle, and giggle when we “found” her.  Finally, we loaded up on the bus, had some free time at the apartment, and then ate lasagna and salad for dinner.  We celebrated team mate Ron’s birthday with a very good grocery store birthday cake, balloons, and a rousing rendition of “Happy birthday!”.  He turned 82 in the DR, and we were happy to celebrate him.  Josh led our group in devotion that night, and then we prepared for our small groups before bed.

Day 3: Bible Camp (Monday)

After we enjoyed a great breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs with bacon chopped up in it, and fresh-squeezed passionfruit juice, we got on the green-curtained bus/guagua to head to the Santa Domingo outdoor convention center area where our Bible camp was held.  The kids, who are boarded there onsite during the camp, were waiting for us.  When I got off the bus, I looked for our Luz, our sponsor child, and she immediately knew who I was.  She grabbed me, and we hugged.  And I said, “Mi corazon,” over and over again.

Our team ran a Bible camp for the kids who are supported through The 25 Project.  The kids led us in worship for about an hour, singing and dancing in worship to our God.  They had prepared skits and dances in costumes just for us, and we sat with the kids who grabbed us from the bus. I sat with Luz, and we just hugged each other and held hands while we worshipped.

Josh and Cynthia, one of our wonderful translators, introduced the theme for the week, learning the names of God, and the main scripture for the week:  “Those who know your name trust in you…” (Ps 9:10). Then, we broke into small groups where we talked about some names of God (Promise Keeper, Provider, and Protector) by learning the Bible stories of Abraham and Sarah having a son (Promise Keeper), Daniel in the lion’s den (Protector), and Jesus feeding the masses (Provider).  You, Da-T, and I were part of the small group with the six to eight year olds. 

We did some Brad exercise activities (love!) and then served the children the best beans, rice, chicken, and cucumber cole slaw ever.  Finally, we each painted a tile to be hung in the mission center, put Dominican flag tattoos on the kids when it poured rain, participated in a thorough Bible study with the older kids, and played basketball with the boys and mango toss and cheerleading with the girls.  I got my hair done by some girls, and we finished the day with swimming and great conversations with the kids.  

For dinner, we had roasted goat stroganoff.  It was really good, and you didn’t care that it was goat.  Grace, one of our wonderful kids on the team, led us in devotion that night, and then we prepared for our small groups.

(Luz was very helpful with the tattoos.  She learned how to do it and then taught a lot of the kids how to do it in her native tongue.  She was a big help because I couldn’t teach them how to do it.)

Other scriptures:  “Even children are know by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.”  (Proverbs 20:11) “You are wonderfully made.”  (Psalms 139:14)

Day 4:  Bible Camp (Tuesday)

I woke up at 4:45 a.m. and started praying immediately.  I knew that was what I was woken up to do, and so I made it happen.  At about 6:15 a.m., I went to the common area where we always ate, and Carl, one of your favorite team members, had made Dominican coffee.  It was delicious with a little bit of their whole milk.

We ate breakfast and headed off to Bible camp.  There is nothing like being greeted at the bus by kids from the DR as we arrive at camp. Today, our sponsored child dedicated her performance during worship time to Jeff, and he went up and sat as the kids sang their song. I also was asked to join in a couple of the dance performances during worship.

During our small group time with our six to eight year olds, we learned about the name of God, Jehovah Rapha – God is a healer. I taught the Bible story of when Jesus heals the paralyzed man after he is dropped down through the roof of a house. We showed the little girls some photos of the story on my phone, and the kids really listened well today.  Then, we led the kids in a popcorn prayer during small group, and three of our little girls said prayers to our God while Raysa, our translator extraordinaire, translated what they were saying.

We hugged and held hands all day long, which is something I will remember for the rest of my life.  When it poured rain, we changed our plans.  A group of us girls played the kid’s version of the “Head’s Up” app in Spanish with Raysa and Paola, our other amazing translator.  They tried to describe something to Andreina in Spanish, and she would guess the word.  But, I don’t know Spanish, so I got to act out Bugs Bunny and a monster.  Needless to say, my Bugs Bunny and monster acting need work.

You got your hair done by a wonderful gal, Tania.

After camp was over, we went back to the apartment and had roasted chicken and the best mashed potatoes for dinner.  We also had avocados that are as big as our faces.  For dessert, we had scrumptious passionfruit mousse.  We were licking the bowls clean, and Elizabeth had an extra one for the person who could guess the right number.  Carl got the extra mousse, and we didn’t let him forget it.

In the evening, we went back to the camp and had movie night with the kids where we watched “Despicable Me 2” in Spanish.  We just hugged and held hands with the children during the movie because that is what they want to do.  That night, they received solar-powered lanterns to take home with them, glow sticks, and lollipops.  It was heaven.

Scripture:  “There is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend.”  (John 15:13)

Day 5:  Bible Camp (Wednesday)

Today was the last day of Bible camp. During Bible camp, they are boarded at a city-government facility where people have events. So, with that being said, today was the last day that most of them would each have their own beds, clean toilets, showers, running water, electricity, and food. It’s overwhelming to think about, to say the least, and it makes my problems and concerns seem so small.

We started the day in worship to our God with performances from many of the children. There were many amazing performances from the kids. At the end of the service, you and I had the opportunity to glorify our God in song by performing “Oceans” with one of our translators, Paola, who played the guitar for us. I spoke and asked everyone to sing it in their own language, even if they couldn’t sing, because our God always wants to hear from us.

Then, we broke into small group where our amazing Raysa, our translator, and I got to communicate to our group of 6 to 8 yr old kids about the best name of God: savior (Salvador). After the story, I taught them the colors of Christianity. We drew a cross and put the colors of Christianity on the cross, along with our names. (black for sin, red for his blood, white for making us white as snow, yellow for being a part of God’s kingdom for today and eternity, green for growing in our relationship with Christ, and purple that Jesus is king yesterday, today, and always).

At lunch, we served the children pinto beans, Spanish rice, a pork dish, cucumber cole slaw, and strawberry “kool aid.” They always tell us THIS is our favorite meal.

After lunch, we played on the playground, had a Ron dance party with the kids, made a toilet paper roll car for craft, and sat and talked with the kids while some played with their cars.

At the end of camp, we gave each child a certificate with a character trait awarded to them. They also got care packages and photos of all of the families from our teams packaged together. Out of everything in the care package, the children wanted to see the photos of all of us because they value people most.

Luz got the artistic award from her small group.  I wish I had gotten a photo of her with her $5 Beanie Boo from Five Below. She loves it so much. We taught her that his name is Ferris, and his birthday is November 21. She plans to sleep with him and celebrate his birthday with a small cupcake (5 cents) and a candle on top.

One of the kids got a felt pen, and I told him that type of pen was the favorite of all teachers everywhere.  I speak truth right there.

And most importantly, during free time after lunch, I got to listen to and discuss our Luz’s spiritual journey with her through Raysa, my amazing friend.

The bus was late to pick up the children, so we got to hug on these kids some more. What a blessing! Many of them cried when they got on the bus because they wanted to stay with us.

After we arrived at the apartment, we had a taco buffet bar for dinner with a side of nacho cheese Doritos and cheese puffs.  We loved the food!  We ended with a devotion time led by DeeDee, one of our wonderful kids, where we talked about our experiences for two hours.  We cried and prayed over what we had experienced.  (Da-T admitted to the group how much he had missed the Dominican Republic, that he absolutely loved everything – the good and the bad – about it.  I said that I loved seeing how our kids had loved the kids of the DR, that it was amazing to see.  I also said that I wanted to bottle up that love and show the whole world how our kids are capable of serving the world today.)

Scripture:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his begotten son, that whosoever believes in him, will have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

Day 6: Villa Laura (Thursday)

Today, we visited the kids and their families in the village of Villa Laura, which is a Dominican village filled with beautiful Dominicans.  It is very close to the Haitian village of Batey Lecheria, so the Haitian children were also in Villa Laura when we arrived.  Unlike Lecheria where we had a shaded meeting place to interact with the kids, Villa Laura didn’t have that.  So, we met on an unshaded dirt road, and it was very hot.

The day started with Brad doing what he does so well – leading all of us in the Macarena on the road in the sticky, humid heat with the sun beating down on us.  Then, we fed the children a boiled egg, potatoes, and hot porridge flavored with chocolate and cinnamon.

Next, we went to visit and pray with the families at their homes.  We got to meet our sponsor child’s family and see her house.  I told Luz’s grandmother how much I appreciated her taking care of Luz since her parents are working elsewhere in the Dominican Republic.

I had the most amazing encounter with Wilton’s grandfather, who is 93 and has 20 children with the same woman.  He speaks Spanish slowly and quietly, but he was determined to tell me about his relationship with Christ.  I could understand so much of what he said, even without an interpreter, and after we had spoke, I felt like I had had a true God encounter on that dusty road.

Jeff and Luz walked with some people from our team to a home where they were served lunch because the family wanted to serve them a meal.  Six or seven people from our team had lunch of Alfredo chicken penne pasta and rice.  Then, they went to the church to worship.  What a special moment for him to be a part of!   

Then, we said our goodbyes and left the village.  We traveled to the colonial historic district in Santa Domingo, and we saw Michael Jackson dancing, singing, and looking for a bit of cash for his performance.  We went into a really nice, big grocery store with air conditioning; we saw the pigeons eat out of the hands of people who had bought bird feed, and we watched an older lady start dancing with a band who was hoping that we would pay for their efforts.

Finally, we ended our day at the beach where we had a wonderful meal, fun, and a time of reflection and devotion.  

Day 7:  To the Airport (Friday)

We ate the wonderful breakfast (seriously loved the eggs and toast), packed up our things, and then gave a love offering to the ladies who cooked for us.  We prayed for them, and then we loved on our hostess, Elizabeth.  We laid hands on her and prayed for her and cried.

The gals from our team gathered together and prayed for a team member who was having surgery on Tuesday.  Several of us got down on our knees to pray, which is my favorite way to do it, as you know.

We left a lot of our clothes and our supplies on the beds so that Elizabeth could distribute to people as she sees fit.  Our suitcases were definitely not as full as when we came.

Before we got on the guagua for the final time, we said our goodbyes to the dog, Kokie, and said our goodbyes to Emerson, one of the people who works with the 25 Project (and Elizabeth’s very good friend).

Then, we got to the airport and said our goodbyes to Natalee, our bus driver.  He was a very good bus driver.  We ate at Domino’s Pizza in the airport, and I bought you a souvenir shirt.  We made it to Miami and then home, where we hugged our fellow team members goodbye.

My Favorite Souvenir

I have one souvenir from the Dominican Republic that I plan to keep forever. It cost a dollar, but it has more value than you can imagine. It’s worth more than gold to me.

I actually brought this souvenir, this dollar store bracelet, with me to the Dominican Republic, and it has a story.

During the school year last year, I would wear it at my school, and the students would ask me about it. I would always tell them that it was my reminder to have and give joy on a daily basis. They would nod their heads but not say too much.

The kids in the Dominican Republic asked me about this bracelet, too, as I would wear it daily. I would tell them, “Es mi brazalete contento.” And, they seemed to understand those words without any other explanation. They loved my bracelet.

When my bracelet arrived in the DR, it was clean, but it’s covered in Dominican dirt and dust now; and, I just can’t seem to wash it because I have to wear it that way to school next year. I want my students to know how God is moving in the hearts and minds of the Dominican people because now it is so much more than just a reminder to have joy. It’s a reminder of how God is working all over the world to draw the broken closer to him.

Reflections

• Always say yes to travel.  You will get a great idea of God’s world if you do.  Spend your money on travel.  It is worth it.
• We have a real opportunity and obligation to make a difference in the world, and always say yes to that opportunity and obligation to serve.  (These are my hashtags that I used to communicate on Facebook throughout the trip: #servetheworld, #obligationandopportunity)
• Find your joy in God and people, just like the Dominican people showed us.  These precious children showed us how to live:  running by and cheering at the bus, holding hands, kissing cheeks, hugging, and lots of smiling.
• Be contagious with your joy and gratitude of life.  When you share joy and gratitude, people will want to know why you are filled with these good things.  And, you will have the perfect opportunity to tell them why:  Jesus.
• You may experience a bit of sadness after your trip is over, especially when it is totally awesome.  That’s normal.  Be grateful and determined to do it again.  Don’t let the temporary feeling of sadness stop you from going again.  Use it as a catalyst of determination to find a way to….dot, dot, dot…go again.
• When you see God doing something big or doing something small in the heart of his creation, pray in gratitude for his greatness and goodness.  Our God always, always, always wants to hear from us.
• When there is nothing more that you can do, pray.  We left these precious, beautiful children in the Dominican Republic, and now we pray.  God is moving in the hearts of minds of the Dominican people – it is so obvious – and we pray for their needs and desires with gratitude and joy.  We pray that God guards their hearts, minds, and bodies, just as we pray it for ourselves.
• And remember one of my go-to verses when you hesitate:  “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged.  For the Lord will be with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:9)

I’m sure that there are more words of wisdom, and I would love to hear the words of wisdom from our team.

About the 25 Project

I cannot say enough good things about the 25 Project.  They are doing amazing things to reach children in the villages of the Dominican Republic, Sierra Leone, and South Asia (India).  You can sponsor a child through the 25 Project, either as a 1/2 sponsorship or a full sponsorship.  When you sponsor a child, that child becomes part of a regular feeding program, is able to attend school, is able to get school uniforms and supplies, is able to get regular medical care, and is told about the love of Christ and what he did for us.  They are ministered to on a regular basis by the 25 Project staff in their country.

* The 25 Project mission center is being built in the Haitian village of Batey Lecheria.  With this building, the DR children will have a place to go after school for tutoring; they will be fed there; they will be able to play games and attend movie nights.  They will have a safe space to hang out.  Please pray for the completion of this building.  Their efforts are hampered by the weather, funding, and other things.  I pray that when this center is built that it will serve as a light for the community, just as the Bible says:  “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house….” (Matthew 5:14-15)

If you would like to learn more about the 25 Project, please see https://www.25project.org/.