After leaving Puerto Rico at the end of January, we traveled to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for a few days of debrief and rest, and then moved on to the lovely town of Lajas where our entire squad of 47 was joined together for the month. We stayed with the Dominguez family (Vicki and Ruben and 4 of their children—Junior, Jojo, Star, and Solimar) on their beautiful property up in the mountains.
Our squad consists of 7 teams, and so every day my specific team had a different ministry assignment. Each day we did one of the following:
1) teaching English at a children’s center in town about an hour away, 2) a prayer walk through the small town of Lajas, 3) grounds work around the compound digging holes and building stairs, finding rocks from the creek to make walking paths, and working with the lighting and septic systems, 4) teaching English at our hosts home to the neighborhood children, 5) a prayer walk/evangelism day through the town of Santiago about an hour away, or 6) work duty around the property which included cooking all the meals for the day, cleaning, tutoring the kids, and doing laundry. I really loved teaching English and making relationships with the kids, as well as being able to use my Spanish to help out in a variety of ways each day.
Because there were so many of us, we had the opportunity to live in our tents for the month which was a really great experience. Because we only had one bathroom, many of us chose to bathe in the river/waterfall that was on the property which was a huge blessing as well as a memorable adventure.
We woke up each morning to the familiar sound of the roosters, geese and turkeys that lived next to our tents, found out that toilet paper and peanut butter are two items of more worth than gold, cooked and ate traditional Dominican meals each day, frequently witnessed cows and chickens roaming through our “tent city”, learned to love one another through the struggles and brokenness, spent our free time bonding with the Dominguez family, playing basketball with the neighborhood youth, and walking through Lajas making friends with the market owners, found power and authority through prayer, and learned what it means to be truly vulnerable with one another.
My month in the Dominican Republic was incredible. Not only was I surrounded by some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, but I also learned so much about myself… about the importance of integrity and commitment, the call we each have to discipleship and that it will cost us everything we have, the power of a positive attitude, that discipline is necessary for growth, the freedom that comes from vulnerability and forgiveness, learning to walk in self-love before I can adequately love others, and the challenge to continually put others needs and wants above my own.
I’m so blessed to be able to share my journey with you, and I am extremely grateful for your love, encouragement, support, and prayers. I love you all and miss you more than you know! My daily prayer for each one of you is this:
“I continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.” –Colossians 1:9-12
