Dios les bendiga! (God bless you!) We are here and safe. The past 48 hours have been jam-packed with travel, tiredness, arrival, worship, work and reflection. We are finally here- and our experience so far has been a rich one.
Upon our arrival in the Santo Domingo airport, we were greeted by Fernelis (Dominican), JD and Martha (a couple from Kenya), three of the Foundation for Peace missionaries. All of our luggage arrived safely and we loaded a bus to San Pedro for the 45 minute drive to Hogar Christiano por fe- the orphanage where we are staying.
Our welcome was warm (in every way) and the people at the orphanage are wonderful hosts. We unpacked, ate dinner, and changed into church clothes for evening worship. When we arrived at worship, the first thing we noticed was the animals- bunnies, goats, pheasants, turkeys, peacocks, guinea pigs…the list goes on. All the animals were roaming around in the open field as we gathered on a cement outdoor basketball court for worship. There were also buildings surrounding us- a vocational school. An elementary school, offices, a kitchen, and one building that looked unfinished.
At worship we met Jose- the man who started the whole project to build the schools, and to start the farm that surrounded us. We learned that his pursuit of a degree in economics is what originally brought him to San Pedro, but that the needs of the community have made him stay. Instead of focusing on his career, he has devoted his time and energy to helping a community thrive. Many in San Pedro suffer from hearing impairment- which makes it hard for them to find and hold jobs, and places some of them at the mercy of those who would harm them.
Jose introduced us that first night to Lloida- a woman who has been through hell and back- and informed us that this week we’d be working to help her re-claim her God-given self worth and dignity. One of her many trials was to have given birth and then have her child taken away from her- a pain that is very raw and real for her each and every day. Another one of her trials has been her life on the street- no place to lay her head and no community to support her. The work that God will do through us this week is to complete the building that will become Lloida’s home.
After that introduction, we continued in worship. There were prayers, there was a sermon, and even some great Dominican singing. One of the highlights for many in the group, however, was the liturgical dance. A group of young women from the local church danced to 6 or 7 worship songs, and it was very moving. One group member shared that they were feeling down about the language barrier- but through the dancing he felt he didn’t need to know the language. He could understand what they were expressing to God, and it moved him.
After a night of much-needed sleep, we headed out for our first day on the work site: sand-sifting, bucket lines, mixing cement, transporting rocks and dirt, and laying block were all on our agenda. We worked ourselves weary in the morning, and ate lunch on-site. The afternoon’s rain showers slowed and scattered our work a bit more, so we ended up playing a fun game of kick-ball with our newly made Dominican friends from the community. We were sweaty, but smiling- it was a great beginning to our trip!
Then, the evening brought with it the project of medical hygiene kits- and we were able to make over 900! On our clinic day, we’ll hand out one hygiene kit per person who comes to the clinic. For many- it will be the only medical attention they receive in a year’s time.
Evenings back at the orphanage also have us meeting in small and large groups- reflecting on scripture, singing together, sharing our high points and low points of the day and praying together. Now we’re off to head to the work site again this morning- so I’ll sign off for now, and hopefully get some pictures up tonight!
Dios les bendiga!
Amen!
Submitted by: Rev. Abigail
