Hi friends. Today we started our day off by having some amazing bacon and toast. (Yes they do eat bacon and toast in dominican.) Today however was quite a special day since we had the choice to decide which school we wanted to go based on our connection with the kids. For me it was Juan Calvino because I felt like I had a better connection with the kids there. As team two headed out to Apocolipsis my team walked to Juan Calvino to prepare to start our work. Walking into Juan Calvino everything felt so familiar almost making me forget that I’ve only been in dominican for five days. Saying hola to everyone I see has slowly become a part of my daily life. We started our work and then played volleyball with the older kids. Many memories from today such as dancing with older kids to songs I’ve never heard before, hugging 15 kids at once and getting my hair braided from different girls in the room are some memories that I will cherish forever. After lunch we said bye to everyone then went to the waterfalls. The waterfall was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and one of the best place I’ve ever been to. After we got back we changed and went to the cultural party that was taking place at the basketball court downstairs. Watching everyone laugh and dance with people they might’ve never met before. I don’t know, sometimes it just makes me wonder how all these people are so happy. It feels like anyone around them could be a source of joy and just pure happiness and not from satisfactions or substances. It is crazy to see how “innocent” everything is for them and how much trust they have in people. Which is not something we will experience in canada. Today was a great day and it makes me sad realizing that time can’t pause forever at this moment. It is quite funny how we walked into the room complaining and living with broken floors, no sink, no water, no shower, no electricity. but we walked out of the room with our hearts filled with joy and memories that will stay with us forever. Spending time with the team in such a different environment and going through all the highs and lows together has created a stronger bond among all of us.It has been so incredible to see how God works in peoples lives and that everyone could experience him in their own way. Which it just makes me so happy and makes me smile whenever I worship him. To me this trip wasn’t just a vacation to Dominican but a time where I can appreciate and have a real connection with the people around me. Through watching how god works in our lives and how love really works. Oh I already know I’m really going to miss this place. (And Franklin of course!)
Written by Hannah Chu
Today was our last day staying at Juan Calvino, and as I prepare to go to bed, I already miss the students, staff, and other people I met. While working at Apocalipsis, I became friends (very quickly, in fact) with a young boy named Randiel, and although we could not understand each other very well, we became close regardless, and he gave me gifts (a pair of friendship bracelets) that I will value highly as sentimental treasures. Later on, we visited the Salto Socoa waterfall, where I had a great time standing under the waterfall, swimming with friends, and admiring the view. In the evening, the students at Juan Calvino prepared a special party for us, with dancing, singing, and plenty of food; it was the most fun I’ve had at a party in a long time.
As we worked at both Juan Calvino and Apocalipsis throughout the week, I always wondered how the people here were so optimistic despite their economic circumstances. After watching them for a few days, I understood; what they lacked in material wealth, they made up for with great spiritual wealth. Since you cannot have both material and spiritual wealth at the same time, the people of the Dominican Republic have become rich in spirit, allowing them to become more closely connected with God. We in Canada have material wealth, which means we often find ourselves more distant from God. But you don’t need expensive instruments or grand halls to worship and become closer to God, which the people of this beautiful country have shown me.
Written by Clayton Ng
for our last breakfast in Juan Calvino, we had bacon, our first time since we landed in the DR. It was like a taste of home but it also made to sad to think about that in only a few days we would be back our boring cold everyday lives and it made me wish we could just stay there forever. Today my friend Dabien (we know him as “rizz kid” ) gave me a tour of all the class rooms around the school introducing me to his friends and also telling me which students were together and who had a crush on who. He also introduced me to his ex girlfriend?? It made me feel so welcomed that i was getting to hear all the chisme about the all the students. In one of the classrooms there was a group of students listening to music and dancing in circle, which I was promptly pulled into. It was a really cool experience to learn Latin dance by the students and to hear what music they liked to listen and dance. They were also very interested in what kind of music we listened to in Canada. the principal later came in to scold them because the music we were dancing to was not very school appropriate.
When coming on this trip i initially expected to maybe not relate the kids much or that they might behave differently then in Canada, as the culture in the DR is very different than back home. But the longer I’m around the students, the more i realize how the same we are. It made me realize that no matter where in the world, or how different the culture kids will be kids and teenagers will be teenagers, and made feel even more connected to the students and more sad that we would be leaving the next day. You can really see God working through the students at Juan
Written by Will Nicolas
Hola!
Today we woke up to a beautiful Friday, and an a amazing breakfast made by the wonderful ladies here. The feeling of waking up in a place like this is like nothing else - the roosters crowing, the sun shining through the windows, the smell of fresh air, and the heat of a tropical place. This place is going to be so hard to leave but not just for me, for everybody. But were not gone yet so we are definitely going to enjoy our finals days the most. Since it was the last day going to the schools we had the choice of going to either Apocalipsis or Juan Calvino. I choose to go to Apocalipsis because I felt that the relationships I made there were stronger and I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to them one last time. The kids at Apocalipsis are some of the most joyous and welcoming people I’ve ever met. It was so heartwarming to be welcomed right away by people you’ve never met before. During our time at Apocalipsis we went on a walk around the Baté - seeing the different houses, ways of life, and people who live in the Dominican. It was very cool for all of us the see the contrast between Canada and the Dominican. If you were to walk around a town in Richmond you wouldn’t see many people outside, whereas in the Dominican people are outside all the time. Not only because in the Baté their houses aren’t the best but because they want to build and grow their relationships with the people around them. The culture in the Dominican is very relationship based which is very inspiring to see, because our culture in Canada is pretty different than it is here. But after we walked through the Baté we went back to the school and started worshipping with all of the kids. When worshipping with the kids, it’s very cool to see how excited they are when singing and how all they want at that time is to worship the Lord with all their hearts. This teaches me how I should be worshipping when I’m home; instead of just singing the words I need to start singing from the heart. After worshipping with the kids, we had a few minutes to hang out with them continue to build our relationship with them until we had to stop for lunch. After we ate lunch, we had a little bit more time to hang out with the kids which is when I played volleyball with a few girls and then also some basketball with some of the boys. It’s really easy to talk to the kids because they don’t care if you can’t speak the language they just care if you’re willing to hang out with them and get to know who they are by writing things down on a piece of paper to help you understand or drawing things out. They don’t even care what you do with them. They just care that you’re there and they love you for that. It was hard to leave Apocolipsis today because I know that I probably won’t be able to see the kids again. It’s sad but also exciting to know that I was able to plant a seed into their lives, help them with their relationships with others, and also grow in their relationship with God. I loved every kid at Apocolipsis so much and I know I will remember the memories I made this week for my entire life, because every moment was a blessing, and for every moment I am grateful. I will keep every kid in my heart and I will continue to pray for them in hope that their hearts will be healed and transformed by God. After the sad drive back from Apocalipsis we had 15 minutes to get ready to go to the waterfall. Driving around the Dominican is always such a cool experience because there’s so much green everywhere and so many happy people to see and wave that through the window. We even passed by a pineapple plantation which was awesome to see. The walk down to the waterfall was also very beautiful. It was a little bit steep and very rocky. A few people tripped but everyone was fine in the end. The Waterfall was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It was like a dream, and I wish all of you could’ve experienced and seen it for yourselves. We spent a few hours at the waterfall swimming, talking and hanging out with each other. These are the days that I’m gonna miss the most when we get home. After spending time at the waterfall we were ready to walk back up which was harder than walking down as you could imagine. It was a steep walk, but everyone got up pretty quickly. When we got up people were getting dry so we went straight into the buses to drive back to where you’re staying. When we got back, it was time to start getting ready for the cultural party the high school kids at Juan Calo had for us. At first we danced around, listening to music and hanging out with the high school kids. It’s really cool to talk to kids your own age from different places like the Dominican. You can get different perspectives and different ideas of what their life is like here. After dancing it was time for high school kids to show us some skills. They sung for us and they dance for us which was really fun to watch and they were so good at doing both. After they sang, we sang three worship songs for them. And when we were done singing, we finally got eat food. The food here never disappoints. It is always so flavourful and good, and everyone loves to eat it. After having delicious food, we played musical chairs with some of the high school kids. Unfortunately us Canadians did not win and one of the Dominican girls did. That is basically what we did all day Friday. This is definitely one of my favourite days.
Since I’ve got here to the Dominican Republic, God has been showing me many things. One thing he’s showing me is how to become a more open minded person. I’ve learned how to accept new people and a new cultural experience into my life. They have taught me to be more open-minded, like everyone is here. Another thing I’ve learned is how love is shown in different ways. Love can be shown through servanthood, gifts, even a small smile towards someone. The people here show love to anyone and everyone. This has taught me to be a kind of person who loves anyone no matter what. And I think this is the reason God put me in this place; to learn from different people and change my way of life. The things I’ve learned here are like no other, and they will stick with me forever. My hope is that this is the same for my team and also the kids that we connected with. I thank God every day that I was able to go on this journey and connect with so many people, my team and the kids here. If you’ve read read this far, thank you I know it’s long. Just know your kids are safe. They’re all having a great time, and God is keeping us in His hands. We will see you guys soon.
God bless!
Written by Kiarra Baiza
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