On Friday, February 22nd, we were scheduled to leave early in the morning. Due to our lovely Iowa weather, our flight was delayed, which meant we would also miss our connection flight in Atlanta. My brother was flying from Arizona, so he obviously did not have any issues with snow, but our delay caused him to have to sit in Atlanta for quite a while by himself. We got another flight scheduled from Atlanta, which brought us to another airport. We then hopped on a bus for a 3 hour drive to camp. When we got to camp, we ate, got settled in, and it was time for bed.
Saturday, we woke up, had breakfast, and did a tour of the school we were working at. This also gave me a chance to see the gym that the group had worked on the previous year, so that was a really cool experience seeing that. I had heard so much about the work the group did the previous year, so it was great to see it in person.
Next, we went outside the school grounds into the community. Before we left, Christian Santiago, director of the Lighthouse Projects DR, told us to keep in mind that we would see some unusual things. His words for us were, "It's not good, it's not bad, it's just different." This was an eye opening experience. It made me appreciate everything I have. I kept thinking about my 1 bedroom apartment and how sometimes I complain that I don't have enough room and now sitting here in that apartment it seems like a palace. We handed out candy to children and you wouldn't believe the smiles on their faces. They were so appreciative of something so small. It's even those little things that made me realize how much we take for granted.
After that we ate and then went to work in the afternoon. I thought I was in pretty good shape, but I found out pretty quickly that I am not used to manual labor. Another thing I take for granted. I should be more thankful for the opportunity I have and the job I have. One thing I remember from that afternoon is when Bill Clark from Project 52 and I were talking about the workers on the site and how they never quit working because if they do, they will get replaced right away. That made me really think about the times I don't give 100%.
Sunday morning, we woke up early and headed to Las Charcas to play softball. Apparently, I am a little rusty playing because I took a routine fly ball off my head, but Ryley caught it off my head, so we still got the out. We ended up rallying in the last inning to win. After the game, we had a lunch prepared by Christian's family and it was awesome. After lunch we headed out for more softball and then gave equipment to the guys we played against and to the kids from the area. Probably one of the coolest things that happened to me on this trip was as we were leaving one of the guys gave me the biggest bear hug and he had a tear rolling down his face. Even though we couldn't understand each other, I knew how much he appreciated what we had done.
Monday morning we headed out to the job site. I got to try out laying brick for the building that will be dorms at the school for teams to stay when they come for mission trips. It was something I had never done before, so I enjoyed it.
Tuesday, I spent the whole day scooping rock into buckets to be poured into the cement mixer. After work, we played a couple games of basketball. By the time that was over, we were all pretty exhausted.
Wednesday, I woke up pretty sore. I could really feel it while I was scooping rocks again. I still enjoyed it though because my dad, mom, brother, and me were all working in the same area, so we got to have some family bonding while working. We quit working a little early and some of us played softball against some 14-15 year old kids. It was fun to see how much they enjoy playing the game even though they did beat us. After that we ate, showered and headed off to church. Church was an awesome experience. A young lady, Debbie, who is from the area and worked with us during the week translated part of the service, but most of it we could not understand. Even though we could not understand, it was clear how passionate they were about worship. Another highlight from church was when a 9 year old boy came and just rocked the percussion. He was extremely talented and we really enjoyed watching him. All the people were very appreciative and thanked us over and over for joining them in worship.
Thursday was the last day of work. It was almost sad to leave the work site that day. Even though it was tough work in the heat, part of me wanted to keep working. I can't wait to see the finished product. After supper, we had a time of reflection on the week. It was pretty powerful to hear everyone's highlights of the week.
Friday we left camp on a bus and headed to the resort where we spent a day on the beach and caught a show in the evening. A few of us got called on stage for a dance contest, which was a great time. It was great to spend time with the group and just relax and have a good time.
I am more than happy I went on this trip. There are so many things I learned. As I mentioned before, I have a new appreciation for what I have and the opportunities I have here in the United States. We have opportunities a lot of people in the world will never have. One other thing I learned is the value of relationships. I have never really been shy, but I think sometimes I get so busy with my life that I forget to just stop and talk to someone I don't know and just get to know them.
One thing I also really gained from the trip was the devotion time. There were a lot of things I took away from the devotions and it also made me realize I need to take that time every day. It all goes back to getting caught up in the busy lifestyle. It's not that I don't have the time, it's that I don't make the time.
The one thing I learned the most is that you don't have to do something big to do mission work. We can do it in our everyday lives. As pastor Jon Dawson explained, a mission trip like this can recharge your batteries, but you can do mission anywhere at anytime, even if it is something small. The challenge I have given myself is to use the things I have learned from this trip in my daily life.
It was great to spend the time working with the 23 awesome people I went on this trip with. Many of them I knew before, but some of them I got to know over the course of the week and we all got along great. Project 52 is a great organization that is doing great things.
Below are some links to check out and a few pictures. Thanks for reading. I know it was long, but I hope you enjoyed it.
Lighthouse Project Facebook
Project 52 Facebook
This is a link to a blog written my teammate John Kelling. It is a great story about Debbie who is a great person who worked with us most of the week. http://my-fathersvoice.blogspot.com/2013/02/rolling-santo-domingo-style.html
No comments:
Post a Comment