12 days later... and I'm back in America!

It has been a wonderful past two weeks.

I just got back from the Dominican Republic last night. I can't even begin to explain about it in great detail... so much has happened. I will try though.

We left for a hotel on Monday- we stayed the night at the hotel and then got up really early to catch our flight on Tuesday. I have to admit that the few days before we left I was not very excited. I guess I just didn't know what was going to happen, or what to expect. But I was a little nervous. This was my first international mission trip.

Tuesday: we connected flights in Miami - I said my goodbyes to friends and my parents and sent the last text messages for the next 12 days. We arrived in Santo Domingo and I started to get really excited! The funniest part of the day was when I was sleeping on the bus next to the window - and this man in a truck beside us knocked on my window and started waving at me and made kissy faces. I was rudely awoken from my nap and startled at the Dominican man staring at me. Welcome to the D.R. - at least he didn't shout Gringo or Americano at me - like the kids did occasionally. We arrived at our base and spent the night getting used to the Dominican heat.

Wednesday: breakfast was at 7:30 and after making sandwiches and figuring out which sight we would go to - our teams departed. We had to split up the Acts 1:8 group to make sure we finished the projects at two sights in Santo Domingo. I went with the group that installed a water purification system in Ima Rosa - a community about an hour away. I worked with health education - which meant a few skits and lessons and then carrying kids on our back around the room. They shouted at us in Spanish (something I got used to) to run faster or to spin them around faster. By the end of the day, I was drained, dizzy and very joyful.

Thursday: the same deal as Wednesday. Lots of running, sweating, getting yelled at in Spanish and happiness. The kids started asking us for water today. "Agua..?" They would hold up a cup to us and present the precious child face - that you can't help but say yes to.. but we weren't allowed. We only had so much water for the team and our translators and leaders told us that we needed it so we wouldn't get dehydrated... but I couldn't help but start feeling a little sad that I couldn't give the children water.



Friday: the same thing happened as the past two days... but there was some extra excitement today. Some of the girls thought it would be fun if I chased them.. So instead of just tackling the boys - poor Joe & Brad - they started picking on the girls on the team so we would chase them - of course we had to give in and play! After a few hours of running, when it was almost time for the kids to go home, they found a water source (not pure water) . One of the guys on the team, Daniel, yelled at them and told them not to drink the water or throw the soccer ball at the little girls getting water (they didn't listen). I jumped in and turned off the water and tried with my horribly broken Spanish to tell them to get water at their house. One of the little girls that had insisted on me chasing her and carrying her on my back - threw her cup down and screamed as loud as she could and then stomped away. All the girls followed her example and I felt like a terrible person. After a few minutes of suffering from a slightly broken heart and teary eyes, I collected myself and remembered that they would soon have pure water and hopefully understand why we were there and that I wasn't the most horrible person ever.


Saturday: This day- the vision clinic part of our team came to Ima Rosa. I decided to jump out of the comfort box of screaming children and work with the vision team (since they wanted to switch jobs for the next site). After a long day of reading prescriptions, handing our glasses, and realizing that everyone is picky and selfish, I saw one of the little girls that threw her cup down. Her name was Diana. She looked at me, shrugged her shoulders, and ran up and hugged me and insisted I pick her up. It was great to be able to have the translator tell her that I thought she was a precious little girl and that I enjoyed being able to play with her this week, but that I wouldn't be back tomorrow. She put her head in my neck and I carried her around for a little while longer. By the end of the day, she wouldn't look at me without tears in her eyes when I tried to say adios. It was a bittersweet sort of feeling. But after the hard work of our water team - the kids of the community will have pure water and more importantly learn about Living Water.

Sunday: The Acts 1:8 team and translators traveled to Jarabacoa. I have to say that this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

Monday: We traveled to a place called "The Hole" and it is exactly what the name says. A Hole. There is a river that runs through the little community and it is full of trash. There is a mountain of trash also. Inside the little trash river were dead animals, people using the bathroom and also people getting water in jugs to use. We were disgusted... in America we don't think about where our water comes from - we just turn on the sink and use however much we think we will need (plus more). Never do we have to worry about parasites or worms or bacteria... it's just a normal thing. We can shower and get water in our eyes or water in our mouths and not be nervous about getting e-coli. It's not that way everywhere else. Here these people were surviving and living in this hole and getting their water from the same place were dead animals float. And our mission to put in pure water and tell these people of God's love and power becomes more real and important every second we smell the sewage run through the city and stare at the mountains of trash.

Tuesday: same thing - the Hole. I do have to tell you about the children at this place. They were so happy to see you, touch you and have you hold them. They would yell "Americano!" every time they would want our attention.. or whenever they would see us for that matter. They were the most appreciative children ever and the most without (to our standards). And they were the most beautiful.

Wednesday: I went to a different site - a school close to our base at Jarabacoa. It was no where close to the poverty level like The Hole, but still in need of glasses and God's love. This was the last day of our working part of the trip. I was exhausted physically, mentally and challenged spiritually - the best place to be when you are learning humility and how to rely truly on the Lord. I was so thankful when the end of the day came... but a little sad to be leaving my first international mission adventure in a few days.




Thursday: we went to a water fall. amazing! it was a great place to witness the love of God in his creation. - I climbed up a huge rock and then found a smaller one to watch everyone play in the water as I journaled and focused on the Psalms. This was also the day we traveled back to Santo Domingo.



Friday: Beach Day (and shopping)! I got to get a few gifts for some people. It wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be - I had to learn to ignore the "Hey Girl, Look!"The beach was beautiful and it just so happens that I am not immune to the sun's rays, in fact they decided to burn me!

Saturday: we came home this day. There was a lot of singing, "I'm leaving on a jet plane... don't know when I'll be back again!"

I discovered a lot of things while on this trip.

- I am very prideful
- I need passion to be able to carry out the vision
- I like children
- I LOVE to read
- I still need wisdom (notice the first discovery)
- I missed America more than I thought I would
- I can survive without my phone
- I am a typical American

& while I left with a huge taste of humble pie, it was a good feeling. I guess the term would be "on fire". Yep. It's not that happy-go-lucky- hooray for Jesus feeling.. But it's the - i am not- but God is - I need Him everyday - I need to tell people about Him - sort of feeling that makes you know that you need grace - but that God offers it - and He wants us to be involved in His story and we need to seek Him.

So... here we go. now it's time to learn the whole application in life thing.