Day 1 – July 26 – Travel to DR
Today was an early riser day, 4am to be exact. I grabbed my carry-on backpack and headed off to Dunkin Doughnuts for an early morning cup of java. I don’t know of too many better ways to wake up at 4am than traveling down to DD for some coffee. I get to the building and load up the vans and it is on our way to the airport in Orlando. I was hoping for a nice little nap in the van, but Tom kept me awake with some very entertaining stories. I learned that it is not good to go across state lines to propose to your girlfriend while carrying weapons and mass quantities of liquid enjoyment. Anyway, we arrive at the airport and unload 17 people and thousands of suitcases. We were able to clear up a small glitch in some of our tickets and other than that it was a great and easy trip to Puerto Plata.
It may have been easy to the Dominican Republic (DR), but now it was time for an adventure. We stuff our luggage into the back of a small SUV and under the seats of the Daihatsu and we are off. I learned very quickly that there are very few rules in the DR when it comes to driving. I thought that rush hour traffic in Pittsburgh was bad, no; give me the ‘Burgh at rush hour any day. I also forgot to mention that there are at least twice as many motorbikes (motorcycles) as there are cars and trucks. There were motorbikes passing us on the right and left; in traffic or out of traffic. If there was a little space, a huge truck would take it. If there was no space, a car or motorbike would take it. It was insane! There were hundreds of cars, thousands of motorbikes, and a few herd of cattle. I was really grateful that Brian had been driving down there for a number of years. Finally, after what seemed like days (2 hours, max) we get to the road for the compound. I thought we were almost there. I was wrong.
I do not think I will complain about road construction again. It would have been nice to see orange cones and smell asphalt, which would have meant they were fixing the roads. Not so much. If you have ever been down a road that used to be paved and time has taken its toll on the road and caused giant craters and gorges in it, yeah, that’s the road to the compound. They need to hire a full-time chiropractor to stay at the compound. I think we were on that road for another day and a half (maybe 30-40 minutes), and we finally get to the compound. We unload our gear and greet our interns (Brandon, Catherine, Chad, Michal, Rebecca, and Sean) and Brian and Tammy.
I think one of the things that I enjoyed most was the cuisine. This is just another time in my life that I relate things to food. When I was at New Brighton I would talk with ‘Bubba’ about different parts of the U.S. and the good food in those parts. Thursday evening was a great meal of red beans and rice. Carmen was an amazing cook all week. We clean up and get ready for ground rules and a name game. The name game consisted of a Beaver Dance and a bunch of us figuring out that our brains can not do some hand motions. It was amusing and helped us all loosen up a little. They went over the ground rules and sent us off to bed. Tomorrow we get to conquer El Morrito. Good Night.
Day 2 – Friday, July 27 – Up El Morrito
Today were blessed to greet our morning to the serenade of two of our interns, and we get the privilege of greeting the sun as it rises and as it sets. After an enjoyable breakfast of fresh pineapple, granola bars, beef jerky, and a ½ gallon of water, we are off to the mountain. After Brian drives us to the starting point of the hike he tells us the names that they have come up with for our hike. Now remember this is after we are away from the compound to run away and hide. We are now in it for the long haul, regardless of what Brian is going to tell us about the hike. The names are Stage 1, Purgatory, & hell. Once you climb the hell part of the hike you arrive at the pearly gate (an old wooden gate) and you can see our destination. We can’t wait to get started.
Stage 1: This was a lengthy, uphill hike on loose rock & gravel, ending at a slippery river we need to cross. The difficult part of this section was not the degree of the grade, but the fact that there was very little shade and it was 95% uphill was not fun. Stage 2: After crossing the slippery river you are in stage two. This is an extreme, painful, uphill crawl over clay, rocks, and gorges (gully, abyss, canyons…) that was very difficult to climb. My calves and thighs were on fire, and my shirt was a much darker shade of gray, thanks to my body’s air conditioning system. The good news about this stage was that the sun did not seem to come out for long periods of time, and we were able to rest in different areas of shade. We finally get to our much appreciated break before stage 3. As we are sitting and enjoying our break, Brian lets us know that the little hill we are at the base of is what we are going to be climbing. Fun times! This section started with an extremely intense climb. There were two ways to go at the hill, neither of them enjoyable. One went straight up the hill and the other zigzagged its way up the hill. I choose the zigzag method. I do believe that this was one of the longest periods of time in my life. You reach the top of the hill in front of you and you are greeted with the base of the next hill you are suppose to climb, and this happens time and time again. We climbed uphill the entire time during stage 3, until we reach the pearly gate. By this time my calves and thighs were numb, so I am not sure if they were on fire or not. We take a short breather at the gate and we can see the school in front of us. The only problem was that that school was another ½ mile to ¾ of a mile away, and we had to go down the steep hill to get to it. Finally, we reach our destination. This was a long and painful journey up a mountain, but the view that we had made it worth it.
The day is not yet over. We are only at lunch time. After a couple tuna fish sandwiches it is off to a work project. I was hoping that we would paint the little house that was a couple hundred yards away, but no. We were off, back up to the pearly gate and past it by a mile and half down hill! Yeah, downhill! As we reach this little house we begin painting it a bright blue and pink. These were standard colors of the DR houses, and about halfway through our job we were blessed with pineapple and coconut. I do believe that I at two coconuts and an entire pineapple by myself. It was awesome! The coconut milk was like a natural Gatorade. Remember how excited I was about the downhill hike to the house, I am that much not excited about the uphill hike back to the school.
We had beans and rice for dinner again. After we clean up everything from dinner we get ready for the gospel meeting (which I found out when I got back from painting, that I was the speaker). I have never used a translator before, but we were going to give it a try. This was an amazing learning experience for me. Only through the awesome power of our Heavenly Father were the Dominican people able to get a message out of what I said. I was so nervous and barely got through it. We finished up the meeting and joined the Dominican people as we watch the Spanish version of Shark Tale. I think that we watched the extremely long version of this because most of the American people were asleep by the end of the movie. We longed for a good night sleep, but what we received was a breezy, uncomfortable nap. I can not even call what were sleeping on a mat, we had 30-40 mile and hour winds, and a thin bed sheet was what we dealt with. I think we may have averaged about 2-3 hours of sleep that night.
Day 3 – Saturday, July 28 – Down El Morrito
As we creaked and groaned ourselves awake, we could not contain the anticipation of climbing back down El Morrito. This should be a much easier trip; down the mountain, across the river, and to the truck, no. Instead of my calves and things being ablaze, my hamstrings decided that they felt left out the day before and they wanted to be in constant pain today. First thing in the morning we were greeted with an uphill, zigzag, clay canyon. The rest of the hike was a “downhill, rocky, slip-n-slide, ‘I am glad I have a hiking pole’ kind of a day. This day can be summed up by the word, noise.
There were a lot of different noises. Skidding shoes on the trail, yells of pain, laughter when others fell, laughter when you fell, groans, general encouragement, birds, rivers, and prayers for safe travel were all heard on the way down. We finally cross the slippery river and we are almost to the place where we are going to do some work. Just a reminder of what we have gone through in the past two days. A 3,000 mile hike up the mountain, a 200 mile hike to a work project while on the mountain, and a 3,000 mile hike back down the mountain. Now we are going to hand mix some concrete on the ground! We did mix enough concrete for an entire floor for a little house, some of us painted a house, and some of us put tin on a couple of the roofs. The thing that kept me going was sugar cane and the swim in the river at the end of the hike.
A refreshing dip in a clear Dominican river is a nice way to end two very difficult days of climbing. It was refreshing until you try and jump into the river. I attempt to climb out to the end of a slippery tree that overhangs the river and I pull off a perfect slip & grab with a ½ twist into the river. I am not sure if the pain of burning my arms and legs was what upset me or the fact that no one caught it on video so that I could have at least won $10,000 on America’s Funniest Videos. I was told that I looked quite amusing falling and hanging on. All in a days work for a youth minister.
That sounds like enough fun for one day, but not for the warped mind of Brian and his band of interns. Let’s kick them while they are down and really have some fun. After dinner we (Brian) decided that we would have a soccer game. Great! Two more hours of running on legs that have not had this much exercise EVER! I have not played that much soccer since I played at Ohio Valley, I can’t complain too much though. I really enjoyed it and it helped me loose a little weight. After an intense game of soccer and our devo I enjoyed a refreshingly cold shower and the most comfortable 4 inch thick mattress in the world. We had a wonderful night sleep that night.
Day 4 – Sunday, July 29 – Rio San Juan
Today we were blessed to sleep in a little! It felt so good. After another wonderful breakfast of granola bars, pineapple, and water, we worshipped with some of our Dominican brothers and sisters. It was very uplifting. We would sing a song in English and one in Spanish. Steve K. brought us a great lesson from Psalm 1. We ate lunch and packed up the Daihatsu for our first VBS and it was in Rio San Juan. As we arrive at our spot for the VBS and the children are already there in their seats. This first VBS in the DR was a great learning experience for me and the rest of the team.
It was a disaster. Not everything, just the skit, and not the entire skit just my part. I completely butchered the Spanish language. If anyone got anything out of our skit it is only through the grace of God. I could not even understand what I was saying! That is terrible. Our theme for our VBS was Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Good lesson, terrible Spanish on my part. The children really enjoyed the crafts, the games and the snack. It was awesome to watch the Maricamp Road group communicate the love of Jesus Christ without being able to speak much Spanish. After many masks and puppets were made and the last of our cookies were eaten we were off to the house of TJ & Holly McCloud.
TJ & Holly live and work at a local coffee house in Rio San Juan. They work with Oswald and a group of boys to reach out to the people of Rio San Juan. Please visit http://www.tjandholly.blogspot.com/ and keep them in your prayers as they continue their ministry. After a feast of hot dogs and sun chips we head inside the coffee shop for a time of fun and worship. TJ translates the story of Saul on the road to Damascus and Steve (Saul/Paul) and Pete (Guard) do an amazing job of acting the story out. We sing some songs and enjoy the fellowship of the people there in Rio San Juan. We also played a game that involved yelling fruits and stealing chairs, an enjoyable game to watch while eating lemoncias. A lemoncia is a small fruit that you peel off the skin with your teeth and such the fruit off of the pit. It was very good.
Back to the compound for another game of soccer; I am not really sure why I put my body through all of this, but it really was fun. I am trying to learn how to say no to those invitations, but until I learn, play ball. We play again until our devo time. Our devo times were really enjoyable. They were a time to sit, relax, sing, and reflect on a very full day. Each devo was candle lit and lasted about 45 minutes to an hour. Our devo speakers were Steve, Carter, Dean, and I. Each man did a great job of presenting their thoughts and asking for the thoughts of others. On each night there was good dialogue and a process of opening up. I think everyone enjoyed the times we had together like that. After a brief shower it was off to bed and say goodbye to another day in the DR.
Day 5 – Monday, July 30 – Puerto Plata
Today we were off to Puerto Plata. We were going to have another VBS, visit a fort for lunch, visit the hospital, and the dump. We changed things up a little bit for our skit. The children really don’t know how fortunate they were. I don’t think our group could have handled that much of my terrible Spanish. We now have four readers and three actors. This makes things much easier on the children. Each VBS was a little different venue. The first was an open air schoolhouse, and this one was a little ally between some houses. Once again the looks on the faces of the children as they sang, was incredible. The skit went much better and we even switched up the way we ran crafts, games, and snacks. The snacks were last and there was not a giant stampede of children. Our game, craft, and snack teams were awesome!
On to the fort. This was a very nice & relaxing way to recharge, eat lunch, and make sandwiches to take to the dump. There was also a small group of us that went over to a fort that was built by Christopher Columbus’ brother. There were lots of interesting artifacts and displays. The most fascinating part for me was the entrance and other security systems. As you enter, you cross a bridge that went over holes in giant rocks. What we were told was that this used to be filled with water and they would burn the bridge the men were standing on. When they burned the bridge the men would jump into the water that had giant iron spikes in the holes of the rocks. If you were able to survive that, you would enter the main part of the fort. All of the doorways were about four feet tall, so that you had to duck down to get through the door. At the other side of the door would be two men with giant axes waiting to…you get the picture. It was very interesting standing and walking where Christopher Columbus walked around.
Now it was on to the hospital. Some of the people that have been to the DR before said that today would be emotionally as difficult as the mountain was physically difficult. They were right. We disembark the Daihatsu and arm ourselves with the packets (shampoo, soap, toothbrush, & toothpaste) to hand to the patients in the hospital. To say the healthcare system in the DR is bad would be a huge understatement. It is as close to non-existent you can get without disappearing. The beds and other pieces were very outdated and they do not dispose of used medical items in a sanitary way. I can not remember seeing a hazardous waste container anywhere, but I do remember a nurse throwing a needle in the trash can.
Half of our group went to the female wing and half went to the male wing and we all met in the children’s wing. I went with the group that visited the ladies. We would walk into a ward and give them one of the packets. It is amazing to watch God work through us. Most of us could not communicate very well with the ladies, but through a smile, a hug, or holding someone’s hand we were able to show these ladies that God loves them and we are praying for them. We would sit on the bed next to them and talk and then sing a couple of songs for them. After Joakim preached to them, we would bid them “Adios” and move onto another wing of the hospital. As we moved to the children’s ward we past the area where they would keep the little babies. This was tough to go by. There was a baby in there that was no bigger than my hand, and she did not have an incubator, oxygen, or sides to her bed. She just laid there in her bed with a halogen lamp on to keep her warm.
On to the dump. This was awesome! As we arrive at the dump there are only a few people standing at the entrance. When we hand out some things at the end, there are many more. Now you may be asking why people are hanging out at the dump, well this is there home. The Dominican people and the Haitian people do not get along with each other at all. It is similar to what the Jews and Samaritans went through in scripture. They just don’t like each other, so the Haitian people need to live somewhere, and the dump is that home. The first thing we do is start to have a sing-off with the Haitian people. They would sing a song in Creole and we would sing one in English. This was just another moment on the trip that I get to see that our language really doesn’t matter. What really matters is that our heart is focused on our Heavenly Father.
Back to the compound. We are blessed with another amazing meal by Carmen, and a high-intensity game of volleyball breaks out. This is both amusing and entertaining to watch and participate in. Another devo, cold shower, bed, and it is good-bye to another day in the DR.
Day 6 – Tuesday, July 31 – Community Day
Today is a day of fun and fellowship with the people around the compound. Ceretha, Katelyn, Dean, Chad, and I head off to visit with our family. I felt so bad for Chad because he felt terrible, but he toughed it out and did a great job leading us. We were blessed with the farthest walk from the compound, but we needed the exercise. The drawback to the long walk was that we get less time to fellowship with the family we are visiting. Chad did his best to help us communicate with them, and we tried to amuse the two little girls that lived there.
I would like to say that Ceretha is a genius and a wonderful woman. I am not sure who had more fun with the play-doh and bubbles; the two little girls or the five of us. We found out that each one of us has a little play-doh artistic ability in us. We crafted rings and necklaces for the girls and each of us came up with a cool way to write our name in play-doh. Dinner was rice, beans, chicken, and salad. Great stuff! We also had a type of juice that was very sweet. The lady brought in one of the fruits and it looked like a gigantic orange that was still a little green. I don’t know and I don’t care, it was good. We also enjoyed a cup of really sweet Dominican coffee. I got two because someone at our table did not like coffee.
We were able to take the two girls back to the compound with us for our last VBS. More crafts of lion masks & lion puppets. One more time of watching the children throw bean backs at the lion face (& Carter and Dean). One more time watching the children get blindfolded and play pin the tail on the lion. And regrettably it would be the last time that I would play “El Rey” (the king) in our skit. Each of the VBS days was a little different. Each of them was a success. The children know that God loves them because we were there being light in a dark world. This was another wonderful moment to sit back and realize that we serve an awesome God and these kids were able to see that.
The children slowly drift home and we are able to begin the process of packing up to head home. It doesn’t seem like tomorrow should be it, but it is. Time goes so fast. We have another amazing dinner and get involved in another game of soccer. I tried not to injure myself or blind anyone else. I now realize how World Cup referees must feel at the games. We had Americans, Dominicans, and Haitians trying to communicate and play the game of soccer. I also came to the realization that soccer is a game that can bridge the language barrier. All you need to do is organize people into two teams, point them in the proper direction, and play. It was crazy and great in the same moment. Another devo, cold shower, and adios to another day in the DR.
Day 7 – Wednesday, August 1 – Beach Day!
The last full day in the Dominican Republic. A day of work and fun! First thing in the morning, we head off on the Daihatsu to our work project. Part of our group will assist Wilson and tin a roof, while the rest of the group will paint a house.
If you were a perfectionist housing contractor, the Dominican building scene is not for you. We used palm lumber and there was not a straight or square piece in sight. We did what we could with what we had. Not only was the lumber crooked and warped, but the other enjoyable aspect of the building process was the tools that we used. Sears and Craftsman have spoiled this want-to-be handyman. Our saw was, oh, what’s the right word, dull. Dull, dull, dull! Did I mention dull. I came to figure out there are a couple of ways that you can tell if your saw is dull. Number 1: If you look at the teeth of the saw from the side and they are round, you have a dull saw. Number 2: If one of the Dominican men runs up to the house and gets vegetable oil to make it a little easier to cut through, you have a dull saw. Another thing to make life a little tougher was the fact that you were cutting and hammering palm. Palm is an incredibly hard wood to cut and pound, Steve K. was fighting with the palm during the project. Life was not made an easier for Steve, because he had to straddle a very skinny branch and duck under the live power lines that were above his head. With all that said, Steve did a great job helping Wilson. We were now heading back to the compound to change and load up to get ready for the beach.
Shopping in Rio San Juan was a great learning experience for me. I learned how to exchange US dollars into DR pesos (33 pesos to 1 dollar), everyone knows Brian, and how to negotiate with Dominican shop owners. A great time was had by all. The bank where we exchanged our money was the first A/C we felt in about a week. For some reason no one inside was in a hurry to get to the front of the line. Each store that we went into, someone knew Brian, and they told us that they would give us a good discount because they knew Brian. I am not sure if we did get the best price, but I did get my shopping done with the money that I had allocated. The highlight of the shopping trip was a little milkshake ship off of the main street. I got two ICE COLD bottles of water and a orange-pineapple milkshake for $85pesos (about three bucks). Now back onto the “back adjuster” (the Daihatsu) for our trip to the beach.
We get to go on a road that is paved a little bit better than what we are used to. On our way to the beach, there are all kinds of things to see. From people to animals and houses to scenery, all of these things are wonderful sights. One of the things that we pass is the Playa Dorada Golf Club. I love to golf and I would love to golf at this course. It is rated in the top 100 golf courses outside of the United States. There is not a lot of what we saw that I can put into words, but I will try. The water: clear. The sky: bright blue. The cliffs: breathtaking. The sand: warm. Carter, Tyler, Wilson, Pete, and I took a walk down toward the cliff that housed one of the greens to the Playa Dorada. It was amazing to think that our Father created this for our enjoyment. He created it for moments like these. He created it for us to look at it and proclaim that there is a God in Heaven and to praise Him for it.
Now back to my favorite part, the food. Dinner was incredible! Fresh fish (See Picture), rice, salad, and ice cold Sprite. When I mean fresh fish, I mean head, eyes, and teeth attached fresh fish. Great stuff! But even the food could not compare to the light show that God had prepared for us that evening. The sunset was nothing like anything I have ever seen. Reds, blues, yellows, oranges, and purples were dancing across the sky and water. The colors were changing so rapidly that if you took a picture and looked down at the screen, the sky was a different color. All of these colors set in motion, framed by the Atlantic and the cliffs, and all of this in perfect harmony with the soundtrack of the ocean. We serve an amazing and awe inspiring Creator.
Day 8 – Thursday, August 2 – Travel Back to the USA
Going home! A day that is filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I can’t wait to see my family. On the other hand, I want to stay and help the Dominican people. We pack up our gear, grab some last minute pictures at the compound, and finish our part of the sidewalk. Now we are off to Puerto Plata. I really can’t say that I will miss riding on the road that the compound is on. More cars & trucks, more motorbikes, and yes more cows in the middle of the road.
Brian takes us to restaurant with authentic American cuisine, so I order a Cuban sandwich. Go figure. Now I am on a mission. I am armed with $330 pesos and I need a big picture for our living room at home. This is somewhat of a tall tack because the size that I want usually runs about $800 pesos, but I will prevail. To my surprise I found a desperate vendor who sold me a rather nice picture for $330 pesos. I am getting the hang of this negotiating thing. I don’t think his partner was very happy though. I could hear yelling in Spanish as I left the storefront. Oh well, my gain and it looks rather nice in my living room.
We finish up lunch and head off to the airport, where I get a few laughs at watching so many different cultures collide together and try and get their point across. Everyone thinks that the other person should speak their language, but somehow, someway we all manage to get through with a little delay. There was yelling, confusion, sweating, not much forward motion, and many eyes rolled, but we did make it. After we make it through customs we learn that we have an hour delay. Not a big deal, because we had a three and a half hour layover in Miami. Have I mentioned the word delay yet? If I haven’t, that is the word of the day, delay. Our hour delay turns into about an hour and a half, but we are off to Miami.
Above the Atlantic was like flying over a paint factory. I never realized there were so many shades of blue. Dark blue, light blue, sky blue, and a deep blue. There were so many little islands and so many places where it looked like no one could live, but they were beautiful. We serve an amazing God that likes to share a part of His glory with us.
Don’t forget our word of the day, delay. We were slightly happy with our delay in Puerto Plata because that would mean a shorter delay in Miami. Not so much. That plane was delayed, we will be an extra hour or so. So what do 17 people that have been in the DR sweating and working do when they have a three hour lay over, we go to Chilies. There is nothing better than shocking your system back into reality with Chilies steak fajitas. As we were sitting down a group of people at another table saw our shirts and asked us about being in the Dominican Republic. We come to find out that there flight to the DR was cancelled and they will not be able to go until Saturday. There are worse places to be stranded than Miami, FL. Anyway, the short story is that we talked and had a fun time with those four people and they bought 10 of us cheesecake. How awesome is that! That almost makes the day of delays worth it. Almost.
Now we are headed to our gate to try and fly out, and we find out that the plane is even later than expected. Delayed. After waiting for hours in the Miami airport we are on our way to Orlando. It seemed like each place that we went, someone in our group was able to shine the light of Jesus Christ on someone that looked like they really needed it. As we were getting our luggage (which was at every destination) we helped out a young lady with three small children. We all need to make sure we take the time to look around and help those people who are around us.
Our drive from Orlando to Ocala seemed like six or seven hours. In reality it was about two hours, which was longer than any flight we took on this trip. We get all of our goodies unloaded and circle up to pray with our loved ones that have come to greet us at 2am. As I get to my front door I am greeted by a large yellow sign that was made for me by family. I love coming home…
Today was an early riser day, 4am to be exact. I grabbed my carry-on backpack and headed off to Dunkin Doughnuts for an early morning cup of java. I don’t know of too many better ways to wake up at 4am than traveling down to DD for some coffee. I get to the building and load up the vans and it is on our way to the airport in Orlando. I was hoping for a nice little nap in the van, but Tom kept me awake with some very entertaining stories. I learned that it is not good to go across state lines to propose to your girlfriend while carrying weapons and mass quantities of liquid enjoyment. Anyway, we arrive at the airport and unload 17 people and thousands of suitcases. We were able to clear up a small glitch in some of our tickets and other than that it was a great and easy trip to Puerto Plata.
It may have been easy to the Dominican Republic (DR), but now it was time for an adventure. We stuff our luggage into the back of a small SUV and under the seats of the Daihatsu and we are off. I learned very quickly that there are very few rules in the DR when it comes to driving. I thought that rush hour traffic in Pittsburgh was bad, no; give me the ‘Burgh at rush hour any day. I also forgot to mention that there are at least twice as many motorbikes (motorcycles) as there are cars and trucks. There were motorbikes passing us on the right and left; in traffic or out of traffic. If there was a little space, a huge truck would take it. If there was no space, a car or motorbike would take it. It was insane! There were hundreds of cars, thousands of motorbikes, and a few herd of cattle. I was really grateful that Brian had been driving down there for a number of years. Finally, after what seemed like days (2 hours, max) we get to the road for the compound. I thought we were almost there. I was wrong.
I do not think I will complain about road construction again. It would have been nice to see orange cones and smell asphalt, which would have meant they were fixing the roads. Not so much. If you have ever been down a road that used to be paved and time has taken its toll on the road and caused giant craters and gorges in it, yeah, that’s the road to the compound. They need to hire a full-time chiropractor to stay at the compound. I think we were on that road for another day and a half (maybe 30-40 minutes), and we finally get to the compound. We unload our gear and greet our interns (Brandon, Catherine, Chad, Michal, Rebecca, and Sean) and Brian and Tammy.
I think one of the things that I enjoyed most was the cuisine. This is just another time in my life that I relate things to food. When I was at New Brighton I would talk with ‘Bubba’ about different parts of the U.S. and the good food in those parts. Thursday evening was a great meal of red beans and rice. Carmen was an amazing cook all week. We clean up and get ready for ground rules and a name game. The name game consisted of a Beaver Dance and a bunch of us figuring out that our brains can not do some hand motions. It was amusing and helped us all loosen up a little. They went over the ground rules and sent us off to bed. Tomorrow we get to conquer El Morrito. Good Night.
Day 2 – Friday, July 27 – Up El Morrito
Today were blessed to greet our morning to the serenade of two of our interns, and we get the privilege of greeting the sun as it rises and as it sets. After an enjoyable breakfast of fresh pineapple, granola bars, beef jerky, and a ½ gallon of water, we are off to the mountain. After Brian drives us to the starting point of the hike he tells us the names that they have come up with for our hike. Now remember this is after we are away from the compound to run away and hide. We are now in it for the long haul, regardless of what Brian is going to tell us about the hike. The names are Stage 1, Purgatory, & hell. Once you climb the hell part of the hike you arrive at the pearly gate (an old wooden gate) and you can see our destination. We can’t wait to get started.
Stage 1: This was a lengthy, uphill hike on loose rock & gravel, ending at a slippery river we need to cross. The difficult part of this section was not the degree of the grade, but the fact that there was very little shade and it was 95% uphill was not fun. Stage 2: After crossing the slippery river you are in stage two. This is an extreme, painful, uphill crawl over clay, rocks, and gorges (gully, abyss, canyons…) that was very difficult to climb. My calves and thighs were on fire, and my shirt was a much darker shade of gray, thanks to my body’s air conditioning system. The good news about this stage was that the sun did not seem to come out for long periods of time, and we were able to rest in different areas of shade. We finally get to our much appreciated break before stage 3. As we are sitting and enjoying our break, Brian lets us know that the little hill we are at the base of is what we are going to be climbing. Fun times! This section started with an extremely intense climb. There were two ways to go at the hill, neither of them enjoyable. One went straight up the hill and the other zigzagged its way up the hill. I choose the zigzag method. I do believe that this was one of the longest periods of time in my life. You reach the top of the hill in front of you and you are greeted with the base of the next hill you are suppose to climb, and this happens time and time again. We climbed uphill the entire time during stage 3, until we reach the pearly gate. By this time my calves and thighs were numb, so I am not sure if they were on fire or not. We take a short breather at the gate and we can see the school in front of us. The only problem was that that school was another ½ mile to ¾ of a mile away, and we had to go down the steep hill to get to it. Finally, we reach our destination. This was a long and painful journey up a mountain, but the view that we had made it worth it.
The day is not yet over. We are only at lunch time. After a couple tuna fish sandwiches it is off to a work project. I was hoping that we would paint the little house that was a couple hundred yards away, but no. We were off, back up to the pearly gate and past it by a mile and half down hill! Yeah, downhill! As we reach this little house we begin painting it a bright blue and pink. These were standard colors of the DR houses, and about halfway through our job we were blessed with pineapple and coconut. I do believe that I at two coconuts and an entire pineapple by myself. It was awesome! The coconut milk was like a natural Gatorade. Remember how excited I was about the downhill hike to the house, I am that much not excited about the uphill hike back to the school.
We had beans and rice for dinner again. After we clean up everything from dinner we get ready for the gospel meeting (which I found out when I got back from painting, that I was the speaker). I have never used a translator before, but we were going to give it a try. This was an amazing learning experience for me. Only through the awesome power of our Heavenly Father were the Dominican people able to get a message out of what I said. I was so nervous and barely got through it. We finished up the meeting and joined the Dominican people as we watch the Spanish version of Shark Tale. I think that we watched the extremely long version of this because most of the American people were asleep by the end of the movie. We longed for a good night sleep, but what we received was a breezy, uncomfortable nap. I can not even call what were sleeping on a mat, we had 30-40 mile and hour winds, and a thin bed sheet was what we dealt with. I think we may have averaged about 2-3 hours of sleep that night.
Day 3 – Saturday, July 28 – Down El Morrito
As we creaked and groaned ourselves awake, we could not contain the anticipation of climbing back down El Morrito. This should be a much easier trip; down the mountain, across the river, and to the truck, no. Instead of my calves and things being ablaze, my hamstrings decided that they felt left out the day before and they wanted to be in constant pain today. First thing in the morning we were greeted with an uphill, zigzag, clay canyon. The rest of the hike was a “downhill, rocky, slip-n-slide, ‘I am glad I have a hiking pole’ kind of a day. This day can be summed up by the word, noise.
There were a lot of different noises. Skidding shoes on the trail, yells of pain, laughter when others fell, laughter when you fell, groans, general encouragement, birds, rivers, and prayers for safe travel were all heard on the way down. We finally cross the slippery river and we are almost to the place where we are going to do some work. Just a reminder of what we have gone through in the past two days. A 3,000 mile hike up the mountain, a 200 mile hike to a work project while on the mountain, and a 3,000 mile hike back down the mountain. Now we are going to hand mix some concrete on the ground! We did mix enough concrete for an entire floor for a little house, some of us painted a house, and some of us put tin on a couple of the roofs. The thing that kept me going was sugar cane and the swim in the river at the end of the hike.
A refreshing dip in a clear Dominican river is a nice way to end two very difficult days of climbing. It was refreshing until you try and jump into the river. I attempt to climb out to the end of a slippery tree that overhangs the river and I pull off a perfect slip & grab with a ½ twist into the river. I am not sure if the pain of burning my arms and legs was what upset me or the fact that no one caught it on video so that I could have at least won $10,000 on America’s Funniest Videos. I was told that I looked quite amusing falling and hanging on. All in a days work for a youth minister.
That sounds like enough fun for one day, but not for the warped mind of Brian and his band of interns. Let’s kick them while they are down and really have some fun. After dinner we (Brian) decided that we would have a soccer game. Great! Two more hours of running on legs that have not had this much exercise EVER! I have not played that much soccer since I played at Ohio Valley, I can’t complain too much though. I really enjoyed it and it helped me loose a little weight. After an intense game of soccer and our devo I enjoyed a refreshingly cold shower and the most comfortable 4 inch thick mattress in the world. We had a wonderful night sleep that night.
Day 4 – Sunday, July 29 – Rio San Juan
Today we were blessed to sleep in a little! It felt so good. After another wonderful breakfast of granola bars, pineapple, and water, we worshipped with some of our Dominican brothers and sisters. It was very uplifting. We would sing a song in English and one in Spanish. Steve K. brought us a great lesson from Psalm 1. We ate lunch and packed up the Daihatsu for our first VBS and it was in Rio San Juan. As we arrive at our spot for the VBS and the children are already there in their seats. This first VBS in the DR was a great learning experience for me and the rest of the team.
It was a disaster. Not everything, just the skit, and not the entire skit just my part. I completely butchered the Spanish language. If anyone got anything out of our skit it is only through the grace of God. I could not even understand what I was saying! That is terrible. Our theme for our VBS was Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Good lesson, terrible Spanish on my part. The children really enjoyed the crafts, the games and the snack. It was awesome to watch the Maricamp Road group communicate the love of Jesus Christ without being able to speak much Spanish. After many masks and puppets were made and the last of our cookies were eaten we were off to the house of TJ & Holly McCloud.
TJ & Holly live and work at a local coffee house in Rio San Juan. They work with Oswald and a group of boys to reach out to the people of Rio San Juan. Please visit http://www.tjandholly.blogspot.com/ and keep them in your prayers as they continue their ministry. After a feast of hot dogs and sun chips we head inside the coffee shop for a time of fun and worship. TJ translates the story of Saul on the road to Damascus and Steve (Saul/Paul) and Pete (Guard) do an amazing job of acting the story out. We sing some songs and enjoy the fellowship of the people there in Rio San Juan. We also played a game that involved yelling fruits and stealing chairs, an enjoyable game to watch while eating lemoncias. A lemoncia is a small fruit that you peel off the skin with your teeth and such the fruit off of the pit. It was very good.
Back to the compound for another game of soccer; I am not really sure why I put my body through all of this, but it really was fun. I am trying to learn how to say no to those invitations, but until I learn, play ball. We play again until our devo time. Our devo times were really enjoyable. They were a time to sit, relax, sing, and reflect on a very full day. Each devo was candle lit and lasted about 45 minutes to an hour. Our devo speakers were Steve, Carter, Dean, and I. Each man did a great job of presenting their thoughts and asking for the thoughts of others. On each night there was good dialogue and a process of opening up. I think everyone enjoyed the times we had together like that. After a brief shower it was off to bed and say goodbye to another day in the DR.
Day 5 – Monday, July 30 – Puerto Plata
Today we were off to Puerto Plata. We were going to have another VBS, visit a fort for lunch, visit the hospital, and the dump. We changed things up a little bit for our skit. The children really don’t know how fortunate they were. I don’t think our group could have handled that much of my terrible Spanish. We now have four readers and three actors. This makes things much easier on the children. Each VBS was a little different venue. The first was an open air schoolhouse, and this one was a little ally between some houses. Once again the looks on the faces of the children as they sang, was incredible. The skit went much better and we even switched up the way we ran crafts, games, and snacks. The snacks were last and there was not a giant stampede of children. Our game, craft, and snack teams were awesome!
On to the fort. This was a very nice & relaxing way to recharge, eat lunch, and make sandwiches to take to the dump. There was also a small group of us that went over to a fort that was built by Christopher Columbus’ brother. There were lots of interesting artifacts and displays. The most fascinating part for me was the entrance and other security systems. As you enter, you cross a bridge that went over holes in giant rocks. What we were told was that this used to be filled with water and they would burn the bridge the men were standing on. When they burned the bridge the men would jump into the water that had giant iron spikes in the holes of the rocks. If you were able to survive that, you would enter the main part of the fort. All of the doorways were about four feet tall, so that you had to duck down to get through the door. At the other side of the door would be two men with giant axes waiting to…you get the picture. It was very interesting standing and walking where Christopher Columbus walked around.
Now it was on to the hospital. Some of the people that have been to the DR before said that today would be emotionally as difficult as the mountain was physically difficult. They were right. We disembark the Daihatsu and arm ourselves with the packets (shampoo, soap, toothbrush, & toothpaste) to hand to the patients in the hospital. To say the healthcare system in the DR is bad would be a huge understatement. It is as close to non-existent you can get without disappearing. The beds and other pieces were very outdated and they do not dispose of used medical items in a sanitary way. I can not remember seeing a hazardous waste container anywhere, but I do remember a nurse throwing a needle in the trash can.
Half of our group went to the female wing and half went to the male wing and we all met in the children’s wing. I went with the group that visited the ladies. We would walk into a ward and give them one of the packets. It is amazing to watch God work through us. Most of us could not communicate very well with the ladies, but through a smile, a hug, or holding someone’s hand we were able to show these ladies that God loves them and we are praying for them. We would sit on the bed next to them and talk and then sing a couple of songs for them. After Joakim preached to them, we would bid them “Adios” and move onto another wing of the hospital. As we moved to the children’s ward we past the area where they would keep the little babies. This was tough to go by. There was a baby in there that was no bigger than my hand, and she did not have an incubator, oxygen, or sides to her bed. She just laid there in her bed with a halogen lamp on to keep her warm.
On to the dump. This was awesome! As we arrive at the dump there are only a few people standing at the entrance. When we hand out some things at the end, there are many more. Now you may be asking why people are hanging out at the dump, well this is there home. The Dominican people and the Haitian people do not get along with each other at all. It is similar to what the Jews and Samaritans went through in scripture. They just don’t like each other, so the Haitian people need to live somewhere, and the dump is that home. The first thing we do is start to have a sing-off with the Haitian people. They would sing a song in Creole and we would sing one in English. This was just another moment on the trip that I get to see that our language really doesn’t matter. What really matters is that our heart is focused on our Heavenly Father.
Back to the compound. We are blessed with another amazing meal by Carmen, and a high-intensity game of volleyball breaks out. This is both amusing and entertaining to watch and participate in. Another devo, cold shower, bed, and it is good-bye to another day in the DR.
Day 6 – Tuesday, July 31 – Community Day
Today is a day of fun and fellowship with the people around the compound. Ceretha, Katelyn, Dean, Chad, and I head off to visit with our family. I felt so bad for Chad because he felt terrible, but he toughed it out and did a great job leading us. We were blessed with the farthest walk from the compound, but we needed the exercise. The drawback to the long walk was that we get less time to fellowship with the family we are visiting. Chad did his best to help us communicate with them, and we tried to amuse the two little girls that lived there.
I would like to say that Ceretha is a genius and a wonderful woman. I am not sure who had more fun with the play-doh and bubbles; the two little girls or the five of us. We found out that each one of us has a little play-doh artistic ability in us. We crafted rings and necklaces for the girls and each of us came up with a cool way to write our name in play-doh. Dinner was rice, beans, chicken, and salad. Great stuff! We also had a type of juice that was very sweet. The lady brought in one of the fruits and it looked like a gigantic orange that was still a little green. I don’t know and I don’t care, it was good. We also enjoyed a cup of really sweet Dominican coffee. I got two because someone at our table did not like coffee.
We were able to take the two girls back to the compound with us for our last VBS. More crafts of lion masks & lion puppets. One more time of watching the children throw bean backs at the lion face (& Carter and Dean). One more time watching the children get blindfolded and play pin the tail on the lion. And regrettably it would be the last time that I would play “El Rey” (the king) in our skit. Each of the VBS days was a little different. Each of them was a success. The children know that God loves them because we were there being light in a dark world. This was another wonderful moment to sit back and realize that we serve an awesome God and these kids were able to see that.
The children slowly drift home and we are able to begin the process of packing up to head home. It doesn’t seem like tomorrow should be it, but it is. Time goes so fast. We have another amazing dinner and get involved in another game of soccer. I tried not to injure myself or blind anyone else. I now realize how World Cup referees must feel at the games. We had Americans, Dominicans, and Haitians trying to communicate and play the game of soccer. I also came to the realization that soccer is a game that can bridge the language barrier. All you need to do is organize people into two teams, point them in the proper direction, and play. It was crazy and great in the same moment. Another devo, cold shower, and adios to another day in the DR.
Day 7 – Wednesday, August 1 – Beach Day!
The last full day in the Dominican Republic. A day of work and fun! First thing in the morning, we head off on the Daihatsu to our work project. Part of our group will assist Wilson and tin a roof, while the rest of the group will paint a house.
If you were a perfectionist housing contractor, the Dominican building scene is not for you. We used palm lumber and there was not a straight or square piece in sight. We did what we could with what we had. Not only was the lumber crooked and warped, but the other enjoyable aspect of the building process was the tools that we used. Sears and Craftsman have spoiled this want-to-be handyman. Our saw was, oh, what’s the right word, dull. Dull, dull, dull! Did I mention dull. I came to figure out there are a couple of ways that you can tell if your saw is dull. Number 1: If you look at the teeth of the saw from the side and they are round, you have a dull saw. Number 2: If one of the Dominican men runs up to the house and gets vegetable oil to make it a little easier to cut through, you have a dull saw. Another thing to make life a little tougher was the fact that you were cutting and hammering palm. Palm is an incredibly hard wood to cut and pound, Steve K. was fighting with the palm during the project. Life was not made an easier for Steve, because he had to straddle a very skinny branch and duck under the live power lines that were above his head. With all that said, Steve did a great job helping Wilson. We were now heading back to the compound to change and load up to get ready for the beach.
Shopping in Rio San Juan was a great learning experience for me. I learned how to exchange US dollars into DR pesos (33 pesos to 1 dollar), everyone knows Brian, and how to negotiate with Dominican shop owners. A great time was had by all. The bank where we exchanged our money was the first A/C we felt in about a week. For some reason no one inside was in a hurry to get to the front of the line. Each store that we went into, someone knew Brian, and they told us that they would give us a good discount because they knew Brian. I am not sure if we did get the best price, but I did get my shopping done with the money that I had allocated. The highlight of the shopping trip was a little milkshake ship off of the main street. I got two ICE COLD bottles of water and a orange-pineapple milkshake for $85pesos (about three bucks). Now back onto the “back adjuster” (the Daihatsu) for our trip to the beach.
We get to go on a road that is paved a little bit better than what we are used to. On our way to the beach, there are all kinds of things to see. From people to animals and houses to scenery, all of these things are wonderful sights. One of the things that we pass is the Playa Dorada Golf Club. I love to golf and I would love to golf at this course. It is rated in the top 100 golf courses outside of the United States. There is not a lot of what we saw that I can put into words, but I will try. The water: clear. The sky: bright blue. The cliffs: breathtaking. The sand: warm. Carter, Tyler, Wilson, Pete, and I took a walk down toward the cliff that housed one of the greens to the Playa Dorada. It was amazing to think that our Father created this for our enjoyment. He created it for moments like these. He created it for us to look at it and proclaim that there is a God in Heaven and to praise Him for it.
Now back to my favorite part, the food. Dinner was incredible! Fresh fish (See Picture), rice, salad, and ice cold Sprite. When I mean fresh fish, I mean head, eyes, and teeth attached fresh fish. Great stuff! But even the food could not compare to the light show that God had prepared for us that evening. The sunset was nothing like anything I have ever seen. Reds, blues, yellows, oranges, and purples were dancing across the sky and water. The colors were changing so rapidly that if you took a picture and looked down at the screen, the sky was a different color. All of these colors set in motion, framed by the Atlantic and the cliffs, and all of this in perfect harmony with the soundtrack of the ocean. We serve an amazing and awe inspiring Creator.
Day 8 – Thursday, August 2 – Travel Back to the USA
Going home! A day that is filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I can’t wait to see my family. On the other hand, I want to stay and help the Dominican people. We pack up our gear, grab some last minute pictures at the compound, and finish our part of the sidewalk. Now we are off to Puerto Plata. I really can’t say that I will miss riding on the road that the compound is on. More cars & trucks, more motorbikes, and yes more cows in the middle of the road.
Brian takes us to restaurant with authentic American cuisine, so I order a Cuban sandwich. Go figure. Now I am on a mission. I am armed with $330 pesos and I need a big picture for our living room at home. This is somewhat of a tall tack because the size that I want usually runs about $800 pesos, but I will prevail. To my surprise I found a desperate vendor who sold me a rather nice picture for $330 pesos. I am getting the hang of this negotiating thing. I don’t think his partner was very happy though. I could hear yelling in Spanish as I left the storefront. Oh well, my gain and it looks rather nice in my living room.
We finish up lunch and head off to the airport, where I get a few laughs at watching so many different cultures collide together and try and get their point across. Everyone thinks that the other person should speak their language, but somehow, someway we all manage to get through with a little delay. There was yelling, confusion, sweating, not much forward motion, and many eyes rolled, but we did make it. After we make it through customs we learn that we have an hour delay. Not a big deal, because we had a three and a half hour layover in Miami. Have I mentioned the word delay yet? If I haven’t, that is the word of the day, delay. Our hour delay turns into about an hour and a half, but we are off to Miami.
Above the Atlantic was like flying over a paint factory. I never realized there were so many shades of blue. Dark blue, light blue, sky blue, and a deep blue. There were so many little islands and so many places where it looked like no one could live, but they were beautiful. We serve an amazing God that likes to share a part of His glory with us.
Don’t forget our word of the day, delay. We were slightly happy with our delay in Puerto Plata because that would mean a shorter delay in Miami. Not so much. That plane was delayed, we will be an extra hour or so. So what do 17 people that have been in the DR sweating and working do when they have a three hour lay over, we go to Chilies. There is nothing better than shocking your system back into reality with Chilies steak fajitas. As we were sitting down a group of people at another table saw our shirts and asked us about being in the Dominican Republic. We come to find out that there flight to the DR was cancelled and they will not be able to go until Saturday. There are worse places to be stranded than Miami, FL. Anyway, the short story is that we talked and had a fun time with those four people and they bought 10 of us cheesecake. How awesome is that! That almost makes the day of delays worth it. Almost.
Now we are headed to our gate to try and fly out, and we find out that the plane is even later than expected. Delayed. After waiting for hours in the Miami airport we are on our way to Orlando. It seemed like each place that we went, someone in our group was able to shine the light of Jesus Christ on someone that looked like they really needed it. As we were getting our luggage (which was at every destination) we helped out a young lady with three small children. We all need to make sure we take the time to look around and help those people who are around us.
Our drive from Orlando to Ocala seemed like six or seven hours. In reality it was about two hours, which was longer than any flight we took on this trip. We get all of our goodies unloaded and circle up to pray with our loved ones that have come to greet us at 2am. As I get to my front door I am greeted by a large yellow sign that was made for me by family. I love coming home…
