Today was a day to remember! We went to Cuesta Arena, and took a little nature hike to the river; that was awesome. On the way I saw how people were living. It just made me feel bad because they barely have anything. Those kids were loving and kind. Then we went to another little town and had juice and crackers and taught a lot about God. Then we went to eat dinner and tonight we’re having a sleepover with one of the girls from Los Cocos.
Friendship rocks!!! Today was the best day ever!!!I made a couple of friends in Los Cocos. They are very nice, and I can tell God is with them because if I went up to talk to them they would have ran away like anyone else but God had them to come and talk to us. Today I think God has taught me about trust because how the girls trusted me and my group. Another lesson He taught us is how much we have in America and how little they have in the Dominican Republic. You can probably see that I am absolutely glad that I came on this trip and I hope many others will join me the next time.
Talk about rain and FUN!!!! We did a lot, the only thing I thought about this trip was boring was this Spanish church that went on about 2 hours and I couldn’t understand one thing they were saying. I had fun writing this blog and another was playing with the kids at Cuesta Arena. I learned how to jump into a jump rope while the rope was turning. We also made butter with cream and salt, it taste like the butter at my house. I made a couple of friends even though I don’t speak Spanish.
American Airlines!!!! All of our flights were on time….for the most part; however, when we landed in Santiago we were missing 4 pieces of luggage. After standing in line with everyone else we were told they will be delivered sometime tomorrow. It is great to see the Pastora , her family, and the church members with open arms and dinner waiting! After eating dinner we arrived at La Islita, the girls chased the spiders and the frogs out of the rooms to make them “safe”. Everyone enjoyed their first cold shower and headed off to bed.
As we pack our bags for our longest trip yet, we are reminded of God’s continual blessings. We have our 10 ceiling fans, bathroom faucets, plastic fruit, and yes even the kitchetn sink packed. As I was getting together the money we had to take, I decided we needed more. Stepping out in faith, I asked for $1300 more than we actually had to take. Two days later, I recieved a phone call from one of the ladies on the trip. She said she had talked with one of her friends and they cut us a check. Not for $1000 or even $1500, a normal round number; but for $1300.
During the trip, Drew shared a book with me that talked about mission work and servanthood. One of the stories was about a church that was trying to figure out how to deal with the poor and homeless showing up on their doorstep begging for money. They spent hours coming up with policies and procedures and debating whether to give out money or vouchers or referrals. After a long afternoon of discussions, the minister was leaving for the day and ran into the church janitor taking out the trash. Next to the dumpster was a homeless man sleeping on the ground.
It is amazing how kids can open your eyes to things. Each day at the work site, many of the children from the village come to visit. One of their favorite things to do is use our digital cameras. That was fun until they wanted to see all the pictures saved on my camera. As two 14 year old girls scrolled through my pictures, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as they saw vacation pictures, wedding pictures, pictures of our church…. all of a sudden now, looking very luxurious, much more so than what I would describe my life normally.
Today was a great experience of partnering with the locals from Cuesta Arena in the beginning stages of foundation and block work for a mission house that will host future mission individuals/teams. On a lot of mission trips we do the work according to how we think it should be done and we most or all of it ourselves. What an awesome experience working side by side with Dominicans and Haitians slinging shovel after shovel of sand, cement, and water to make nice batch of mortar for block to be laid.
Well after my first 24 hours in the Dominican, I can defiantly say this is an amazing place. The hospitality and love that we have experienced from everyone is amazing. Even though our flight was several hours late arriving, the pastor of the church insisted we go to her house for dinner despite the fact it was close to 1 in the morning. And boy was it worth it! Her family can cook and yall know I like to eat!
