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Well, we’ve settled in at home. As you heard at church on Sunday, I had a lovely homecoming. Two little faces peeking through the foggy glass on the front door, vibrating with excitement to hug their mom.  Well, truthfully, Callum bypassed the hug and started searching through my bag for a gift. (Sucker!!! No gift for him! I had even given them the heads that I didn’t bring them anything. I didn’t want their excitement of seeing me to fade to tears of disappointment that no gifts were in my tote.) A quick reminder that I had nothing for them returned his focus to his mom for a big hug and a happy reunion.

On Saturday we got to sleep in, so that was nice. We then ate breakfast and lunch at the hotel, and played keep-up with a volleyball in the pool. We said good-bye to Megan and gave her some “Canadian” presents to remind her of home. Then we went on the plane to come home. I watched some movies and Peter, Adam and Liam played cards while Faith and Elijah played a drawing game and Elijah was the worst ever. Then we landed in Toronto and went back to the church, while eating pizza that the drivers (Trent, Aaron, Joanne, and John) had picked up on the way down.

One person that I don’t want to forget form the DR is John, one of our translators. He was really funny & kind. It was inspiring to see how passionate he was about helping his community, and his jokes and constant good humour were definitely bright points of the trip. 

-Ben

After a long day of working on the flood wall on Wednesday, came the much anticipated day off. We left the hotel on the bus in the morning for a river-boat tour, featuring many of the DRs native plants and animals. A walk through the garden revealed many types of bananas, coconuts and many of our favourite tropical fruits in their natural environment. I have been forced against my will to mention the sauna tree (sauna pronounced SOW-nuh, where SOW rhymes with cow). I can’t believe Charlotte and Erin convinced me not only to mention the sauna tree, but also to explain how to properly pronounce sauna. (Yes, you’ve been saying it wrong your whole life. No, google doesn’t know how to pronounce it.) Many of the fruits held medicinal qualities I’d never heard of. Next came introductions to some native animals, namely the crocodile and the snake, followed by the river boat tour. On our way downstream, we witnessed some amazing trees, birds, and nausea (Faith). When we reached the ocean, we left the boat for some time in the sand, where we found seashells, bright colourful stones, and plastic. 

After the return trip up the river, we had lunch, and set off for the hotel, where we had the rest of the day to ourselves. We all had a break in our separate rooms, where we killed time and experienced more nausea (Emily) before supper. We ate before going back to our rooms where the leaders tended to Emily and the kids played cards. We played Dutch Blitz, and experienced nausea one final time (myself). While I was down and out, the rest of the team met for a group prayer time, where members prophesied over each other, and experienced the love of God through each other. I really have no idea what happened after (or during) the prayer meeting, but I assume everyone kinda just went to bed. So there you have it, everything I can remember or was told about Thursday. Only two days until our triumphant, exhausted return.

This is Peter, by the way.

Thursday was our fun day! After a good sleep-in for most of the kids and some morning yoga for the leaders we packed up and went on a quick day trip. Our destination was a garden kept by a local man whose desire is to educate about the local flora and fauna. We learned that there are 8 kinds of bananas and approximately 300 kinds of coconuts! Crazy! Many of the plants, he told us, are used as treatments for varying illnesses including diabetes and cancer. We learned about a plant that’s red pigment is commonly used as makeup, and we were encouraged to try some on. As the pictures can show, that pigment looked great on us! As well as plants this man also has a crocodile, iguana, and snakes. He told us that he wants to teach about these creatures so that people won’t be afraid and kill them needlessly. We can certainly say that we weren’t afraid as many of the kids got to hold the boa constrictor! After the tour we went on a river boat cruise ending at the ocean. We paused at a sand bank so that we could swim in the spot where fresh and salt water meet and explore the beach for a while. We then cruised back to the garden to have lunch in one of the tree houses on the property. Following a brief sun shower we made our way back to the bus and then the hotel.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool, at the beach, or in the hotel rooms. In the evening the group got to spend some intentional time in prayer. Each member of the group received a time of prayer from their peers. While I was unable to attend (due to some common travelling issues I can tell you about when I’m back) I heard from many that it was a beautiful and encouraging time, where the kids were able to pray for one another. As per Faith “It was interesting and fun” (Faith Pring, 2019).

Emily

I think Charlotte is going to talk about specifics of what we did on Wednesday, so I’ll fill you in on today (Thursday) and then make some general observations about my first visit to this culture. 

Today was our “fun day”, meaning that we got a break from Megan ;0)  Our translators for the week have been Makendy, Jon and Papito, and they picked us up from the hotel at 10:30 this morning. These young men have been so amazing and so much fun! We went to a small nature reserve-type place, where the owner and creator of this place introduced us to many native species of plants, telling us all about their medicinal qualities. It reminded me of First Nations friends who know so much about our native plants in Ontario. It is so cool how God created so that we could actually survive off of the land, and use her plants as treatments for common medical problems. We then went on a riverboat ride to the intersection of said river and the ocean. We beached the boat on the freshwater side (the river side) but in a few short steps we were able to walk in the ocean and collect sea shells. What a beautiful place!  Isolated and quiet, except for the roar of the surf. 

Now we are back at the hotel and the kids and leaders are catching up on some much needed quiet time. Some kids are sleeping, others are reading. And most of the adults are lounging by the pool (painting, reading, reflecting, writing). 

A few thoughts are mulling around in my mind currently. While I have been on several similar trips, this one stands out for a few reasons…

Reason number one is Megan. What an intelligent, gifted, friendly, hilarious and loving person!  I have known Megan for about 10 years (I think), but my interactions with her were back in Canada, doing youth ministry. She was amazing at youth min, but I would definitely say that she is even more in her element here, doing this community development work. She is teaching us all so much about how to come alongside, rather than give handouts. I have never worked personally with a missionary who has grasped this concept better than Megan has. As a result, she has really empowered the communities that she works in. Charlotte can attest to the difference, because Charlotte visited Acension 10 years ago, and the village was in a much different place. Megan gets to know her community, works with the community leaders, and allows the people themselves to improve their village. But  not just that – everywhere Megan goes, she has conversations with people – from little 2 year olds to very old men and women. Each time she talks with someone, she translates for us and she adds in, “I learn so much from _______”, or “__________ inspires me so much”. She truly honours those around her. I love it.

Another difference I’ve noticed is that it seems as though every continent except North America has a much better grasp on what “community” should look and feel like. I could talk about community in Christian terms, but even non-Christians seem to do community well here. I believe one part of the reason community is more dominant here is that people here (and in so many other places that I’ve visited outside of North America) do not have the option to live life in isolation. In North America, it is so easy to isolate ourselves and do life solo. We have our individual houses. In our houses we have heat and a/c so that when the weather isn’t nice, we can just stay inside. We have multiple rooms in our houses that allow us to escape from people we don’t really feel like being around. We have appliances that make cooking and cleaning quick affairs, as opposed to drawn out tasks. So, over time, our culture has put a higher value on comfort than on community. This is sad. Who was it that had the original horrible idea that we could live better in our own separate large houses? The North American experiment of isolation living pales in comparison to the joyful community living that is found elsewhere. Surely we too would find more joy if we did community better. How can we bring about change in North America – or even just in Simcoe County – so that we too can experience the multitude of benefits that living communally brings? 

The testimonies – Megan has arranged it so that we have been blessed to hear the stories of at least 6 people. 4 of those have been teenagers/young adults. What an impact this sharing of stories has had upon us all! A few common themes stand out: the majority of these beautiful people were abandoned by their parents at a young age (middle-school age). They ended up taking care of their younger siblings (sometimes up to 7 siblings). Almost everyone came to love Jesus because a friend invited them to church/youth group. They all gave Jesus a chance and He brought about incredible changes, as only He can. I am praying these stories are having a lasting impact upon our youth – they definitely are having an impact upon the adult leaders.

Alright, now I’ll really stop. I don’t want to make you all think that Adam and Elijah slacked off by only writing a paragraph for their combined post… Thanks to you all for your support, prayers and thoughts. We are all making the most of every moment and putting your time and energy and money to good use. 

Erin.

What a day!  We had a jam-packed day and arrived back to our hotel at 9:30pm. So, no blog post tonight. We will double up tomorrow and share all of our stories at that time (pictures too).

Please pray for our team. We have a couple of kids who are definitely feeling the heat and will benefit from having a later start to the day tomorrow. No one is really sick, but we have had one case of heat rash and two sore tummies. I’m praying that a good, long sleep tonight will do wonders and that God will bring everyone back to 100% for all of the adventures that tomorrow will bring.

Gracias!  Erin.

ps. Thanks to those of you who have been prayer warriors for us!  I gave the team their handwritten cards this evening; your words of encouragement were awesome. We appreciate you all lifting us up each day.

Today we woke up, ate got on a bus and went to Ascension Village. We dropped off the clothes we brought down here at a clothes shop then went to see the house Meghan is renting for a guy named Jonas who is running an after school meet up where he helps kids with their homework.

After that we went to Canta La Rana to do more work on the wall. We worked for 4 long hours. It was cooler today because there was a nice cool breeze. All of us worked really hard and got a lot done. Adam had a nosebleed and was told to quit working by Emily and he didn’t listen. We poured a cement pole, filled gaps on the wall and are very close to being done!

After a long hard day of work we came home and went for a nice refreshing swim. After supper we had our debrief then decided to go for a walk on the beach which turned into mayhem as Elijah started a splashing war. After our fun on the beach we all had a nice shower and played cards before bed. 

Adam and Elijah

Today was an other amazing day in the DR for our Adamant Group. We started with a pool-ocean side devotional. We focused on how we are to do our work like we were doing it all for Jesus. That was a great message for all of us as we headed into our busiest day yet. 

We started with a walking tour of  Ascension Village. We headed up to the top of the hill and met several residents on the way up and down. We arrived at the feeding program just in time to help serve  the food and wash the dishes. The program was run by the Pastor of the church we attended yesterday. Clairabell has a deep love for Jesus and her community. After all the work was done she graciously shared her testimony with all of us. Inspiring!

I learned that when I reach my hand out to a little girl for a high five and she reaches out to asking to be picked up, if you pick her up, you can have a special moment – but she may not want to let you put her down again and when you have no idea who her mom is, it can start feeling awkward! Mom did come to the rescue!

After the feeding and clean up was done, we were able to go speak to the 19 yr old preacher that shared yesterday with so much passion. He inspired us with his story of redemption. God has very big plans for Miguel!

Then it was off to build a wall around another GoMAD building in the community of Canta Liranta. The block wall is going to provide a place for local residents to go when the river floods the homes in the area. We tried to help and hopefully stay out of the way of the contractor, Mario, and his team who were working on it. We got to mix cement on the ground, move it and keep Willie (another worker) in cement blocks. It was fairly mild today. 30C plus humidity.   I asked Mario if anyone other than Gringos on mission trips build walls in the afternoon instead of doing it in the morning. He grinned and said No!

After we had worn ourselves out, kids started showing up for the youth drop in. So we all got to play volley ball, draw, shoot hoops, play Rojo Light, Verde Light, wrap a kid in toilet paper and hear about Jesus (in spanish). I did learn that if a DR teenager suggests that you come and shoot hoops, he actually intends to school the old fat gringo in 1 on 1. I am glad that we have the NBA title in Canada right now, or I would have been embarrassed. Very cool to connect without knowing their language. 

I have experienced so many emotions in the last 3 days. I think that the biggest one has been a real sense of gratefulness to the people that we have visited. They have been so welcoming and they have taught me so much about themselves, their community, their way of life and how God has been working through them to improve their community. We have also been introduced to many people that are selflessly giving of themselves for others. It has really challenged me to think about what my life is and what it could be! 

So it is off to bed for a well deserved rest to get ready for more of what God has in store for us tomorrow. Please continue to pray for our kids and leaders. Please ask God for safety, but most of all for us to see all that He has for us to learn about Him and His will while we are here!

Rick

It was an amazing day of seeing God at work in the midst of poverty and heat. The privilege of worshiping with other believers is always a high but especially today as our speaker was only 19 and he spoke with such passion and excitement. I was not sure what he was saying as our interpreter was not there until the end but it was cool to see his enthusiasm as he preached the word. Hallelujah  is the same  in both languages. I was also moved by seeing the young people participating with smiles, and leading with their instruments. We were greeted by some of the believers after with warm handshakes and lots of hugs. 

My God moment was meeting Jonas who is 16 and spends his time after school tutoring other kids five days a week. Some days he has as many as 43 kids. What moved me to tears was his small office with one desk, chair and a small collection of books. The kids sit on the floor and it was that which made me cry. This was in a shack with about 4 rooms and it was a collection of rubble and dirt with no chairs or anything in it. The kids sit on the floor in the dirt to learn. Jonas was so humble and he had such a sweet spirit. He seemed much older. When I asked him what he wanted to do when he finished school he said he would like to be a lawyer to help people. Wow such love and dedication for those in his village. Such love that he shows the way Christ does to us.

Last but not least was Megan sharing one example after another where God has supplied the needs of the people. Megan and her team are now working in 5 of the surrounding villages. God has given Megan wisdom to come along side the people and seek to help them to be self sustaining. In this they are not totally dependant upon others but they are learning to be more self sufficient which is awesome!! Two examples of this is their new bakery to bake bread and a start up of classes to teach mechanics. This sounds great but when you see the big cement oven and the other crude implements you see it is nothing like North American bakeries. The oven is started and run by wood at all times even today with temperatures in the high twenties. John made homemade pizzas for us!!! 

One last observation is how Megan is greeted by young and old like a superstar. She is so loved and touched constantly by the kids, seniors and most all she meets in the village. We toured very simple homes, the mission building, walked around manure piles, in and around the pigs, roosters and the many clothes hanging on wire and it never ceased to amaze me how the smiles, and greetings were so encouraging. She has 13 kids who call her mom or dad depending on their need. She is amazing and wise and gives Glory to God for the life she lives. Truly an inspiration to me.

Kathy

Our second day was very interesting; the first part of our morning was sitting in a traditional Dominican church service. The church service was nothing like we have in Canada, the music was very loud and upbeat; everyone sang. It was weird listening to the sermon because we didn’t have a translator, but it struck many people in our group the same way it would if it were an english sermon. After the sermon ended we all went to the back, which was the feeding house.  There was already enough workers, so we pitched in washes dishes and wiping tables. Many little children from there became our friends, they hung out with us for the following hours to come, we also got to meet Megan’s children.  When we had finished washing the dishes Megan and John took us around Ascension & Caraballo. It was quite amazing seeing the happy smiles and warm attitudes towards us when they live so close together and in different conditions from what we are used to. It is a little sad to think that people in Canada are not as friendly and grateful – and they have so much more. The day was very intense but at the end of the day I can say we learned a lot and had a ton of fun. 

Faith