Day 5
Today was like every other; expecting to wake up at 6:10, the boys slept through the alarms again and were up at ten to seven, making it to breakfast with a few seconds to spare. After our Dominican style Frosted Flakes cereal, we headed off in the van with Franklin. Driving through the busy streets of downtown Santo Domingo, we arrived 30 minutes later than normal due to traffic. Once we arrived, we got straight to work. We finished building some of the walls, chiseling out plaster to open another window space, and started the long journey of plastering the new walls we built. Due to the fact that we had to fling it at the wall, we ended up with more plaster on ourselves and in our hair than on the walls. During break time, Franklin and the foreman showed us a traditional Dominican dance. Miss Petrusma also had the opportunity to help teach English and Math to some of the students. She learned a new math concept which she plans to use at PRC once she returns to the Canadian cold. When we left the school, we brought one of our Dominican friends, Ronny, back with us for a swim. After swimming, we had a delicious taste of the North American world with spaghetti. We ended the evening with games and devotions before heading to bed.
-Brooklyn, Maaike, and Kelvin
Day 6
This morning was a morning that shocked us all: the boys beat the girls to breakfast! Following that shock, we piled into the van again and headed to Belen. Upon arrival, Keirra, Maaike, Brooklyn, and Kate were led upstairs into a room full of piles of books that needed organizing and placing on shelves. The rest of the team kept working downstairs mixing concrete, plastering, and cleaning up. After a quick snack break at 11, the whole student body and our whole team walked over to the church where the students sang a couple of songs for us and some teachers thanked us for coming. Pastor Santos thanked us for giving of our time and money to spend a week with them. Lots of pictures were taken, facebook names were exchanged and hugs were given. That afternoon Franklin drove us over to the beautiful ocean where we spent a relaxing afternoon. Thankfully no one was burnt to the point of pain! The rest of the evening was spent in team devotions and relaxing at the camp.
-Brooklyn, Maaike, and Kelvin
Day 7
Today was filled with visiting 3 other COCREF schools and going to the market in the afternoon. The kids at the schools were all very welcoming. Lots of kids wanted us to play with them and we had a hard time leaving. The market was a learning curve for many as we had to bargain in order to get the best deal. For some this was enjoyable and for others it was a challenge. After the market, we had some time to visit the main office of COCREF and ended up meeting the team from Toronto District Christian High. After enjoying some fellowship, we met up with Mario for supper and were given some beautiful t-shirts that we will treasure forever. Guillermo also joined us for supper. He also works for COCREF. More pictures were taken and farewells were said to Mario. After supper, we met up with the TDCH for ice cream before heading back to camp. The ride was filled with beautiful singing that was enjoyed by all. A very sad farewell was said to Franklin; we will miss his beautiful chicken impressions. In our devotions at night, we talked about how we all enjoyed this trip immensely and will have a hard time putting our experiences into words. We all felt encouraged spiritually and also felt that we were an encouragement to those around us. We will miss the amazing people that we met in the Dominican and wish them the Lord’s blessings in their work to provide Christian education for children in their community.
-Brooklyn, Maaike, and Kelvin
Day 4:
Today was a very eye-opening experience for all of us! Franklin picked us up at 8:30 this morning and drove us over to Pastor Santos church (who is also the principal of Belen, the school where we work.) We were told we had plenty of time to get to church but by the time we got there, church was in full swing. We were welcomed by a chorus of voices being lifted in praise to God. After listening to more beautiful singing in Spanish, we were invited to the front of the church where we sang a song in half Spanish and half English. We shared some more English songs with them before taking our seats once again. Franklin took his place at the front beside the Pastor and began to shine in his translating abilities. Pastor Santos spoke on 1 Corinithians 13 and our need to serve with love at all times or it will be meaningless. He connected this to our willingness to come and serve the local people with love. After lunch, we visited Franklins house and met his adorable 7-month old son and 3 (turning 4) year old daughter, as well as his wife. We were immensiy impacted and encouraged by their abundant compassion and hospitable hearts. The love of Christ was clearly shown in the lives of Franklin's family and the local Christians. After our visit, we were driven back to our camp where we hopped in the pool and enjoyed some relaxing time. Supper was served at 6:30 and social hour followed. Devotions became a long affair after dicussing the day and the impact that it had on our lives.
-Brooklyn, Maaike & Kelvin
Day 3 :)
This morning, the boys destroyed every stereotype when they weren't even awake when the girls were already at breakfast. After they were swiftly woken up, we all piled into the van. We returned to Belen Christian Reformed School and finished up some demolition, cleaned up, and started mixing cement. Soon, the work on laying bricks began. (Side note: if you ever need bricks laid, call Elijah. Guy's a natural.) The rest of the work day was spent cleaning classrooms that had just recently received doors (for the first time ever, thanks to the many generous donations to the Providence Team!) and continuing with the brick laying. During the evening, we met our new driver/translator, Franklin. We headed out to a nearby mall and had pizza for supper. All in all, it was another productive day!
-Brooklyn & Maaike
Bienvenidos!
(Note: Due to intermittent wifi connectivity, updates may be inconsistent.)
Day 1 :)
At approximately 2:30 am, our group of 11 students and 2 adults excitedly hopped out of their beds, threw some last things into their suitcases, and skiddadled to London. After praying together, we piled into the Anje-mobile and the Zekveld's trusty pick-up and departed for Buffalo, New York. Upon our arrival in New York, we were all disappointed to see that our flight was delayed an hour and a half. However, this did not dampen our adventurous spirits and we landed in Santo Domingo at 7 pm. A smiling Mario Matos was there to greet us and loaded us up into a van that brought us to Camp Bueos Nueves where we are staying for the week. Maria and company had some delicious supper waiting for us. Of course, we were not just going to go to sleep right away so after devotions we hopped into the pool for a quick dip. Shortly after the camp turned to silence as us weary travelers fell into a deep and restful sleep.
Day 2 :)
At 6:30 sharp the alarms buzzed and we all stumbled out of our beds and followed the smell of deliciousness to our breakfast. Mario once again graced us with his presence and introduced us to our driver and translator for the week, Victor. We piled into the van and braced ourselves for some Dominican driving. Before the excitement began, Victor sat us down and was determined to learn our names. To our great surprise, he remembered them all day and even gave us some nicknames (Ex: Jordan is officially Michael Jordan). He also made us feel very safe and we arrived at Belen Reformed Christian School. We were greeted by some very adorable and enthusiastic kids they even sang us some songs! Shortly after, we set to work clearing out two rooms that will split into a computer lab, library, office space, and a classroom. Then the fun began. Sledge hammers were flying, plaster was everywhere, cement was cracking, and the project was underway. The rest of the day was spent creating new doorways, cleaning up plaster and cement, meeting the students and teachers, and preparing for the construction of a new wall. By the time 3:30 rolled around, we headed back to the van, stinking of hard work, sweat. After a refreshing swim, supper was served and devotions were done. Overall, t'was a productive and eye-opening day.
~Brooklyn & Maaike
