Today was the first day that we woke up in the Dominican Republic. We had to wake up at 8am here, which is the equivalent to 5am back in Vancouver – a challenge to overcome each day and earlier during our stay. Eating eggs and bread for breakfast equipped us with the energy to get through the day, starting with church.
The churches in this country are extremely loud yet so powerful. The New Life Christian Reformed Church welcomed us with open arms and we got to hear a real-time translation of the Pastor Ben; however, what was the most impactful to us was how powerful the Holy Spirit shined through him. We didn’t need to fully understand the language to see that he is on fire for the Lord.
We were ended up singing “yo tengo gozo” in front of the congregation at the end of the service. Some students were able to have meaningful interactions with the children present, including learning handshakes and talking about common interests.
Afterwards, we went to have tuna sandwiches, with the tuna being prepared in a traditional Dominican style. The teachers recognized our exhaustion from the previous day’s travels, and allowed us to have free time. Many of us decided to take a walk led by Mr. Sipheer to get ice cream and explore the area of Sabana Grande de Boya.
We were brought with curious stares from the locals, as we stuck out like a sore thumb. Nevertheless, they were extremely friendly towards us, shown through the hugs from the kids we met while taking a photo (attached below!). The cultural shock hit hard, especially seeing the difference of quality of life between our comfortable lifestyles and their poverty.
When we came back from the walk, we were greeted by a chicken! Many students passed around the animal and took fun pictures while waiting for our dinner of rice with veggies and beans, the original dish that we were served during the final Dominican Meeting before March break.
We practiced and thoroughly planned for tomorrow, where we will be enhancing the school communities we will be helping out with through labour and VBS. After eating dinner, we had our first quiet time devotionals, where we would practice introspection through journaling and then shared our highlights, unexpected moments, and worries with the entire group and then more in depth with our small group. We ended with prayer, and we thank all those who have been praying for us and our safety in this journey.
Also mom, if you’re reading this, my data isn’t working which is why I haven’t texted you.
Written by Keira Uy!
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