Today we were up at 7am for devotional readings, breakfast and last preparations for the kids. Camp started at 9am. Kids were at the door at 8am, waiting with GREAT ENTHUSIASM.
The kids were exposed to soccer, volleyball, basketball and
art. Some of the campers showed up in
their school gym uniforms (long pants & collared tshirts) and it was HOT
today! Full sun and heat! Luckily the courtyard had some shade! The kids were excited about each station they
played at and so were the leaders.
Art camp was quite an adventure! Campers learned that art is
a display of God’s beauty in this world. The high school students had to help
the art teacher interpret Spanish and give directions; thank goodness for our
patient high school volunteers! The campers worked creatively on coil pots,
pinch pots, and stamping while the high school helpers distributed supplies and
collected projects. Everyone did an excellent job! We are truly blessed by
young adults willing to serve God and one another!
Carrie hard at work with one of her many students
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Jennia giving great encouragement, a student making a pinch pot and Ty playing soccer with the girls.
1, 2, 3 Jesus at the end of David's station. Why not get excited about Jesus?
JD and Carter with Jennia and Grace instruct some students on the finer points of ball handling.
Madi and Gabbi working hard to scrape the inside of the church.
June 17, 2016
2nd day
of camp: This morning was a crazy one. The guys were all up on time
today, and all of them actually got breakfast. Today was lots of work,
including painting the church, clay projects in art, and lots and lots of
basketball and soccer. The kids were
thrilled every time they got to a new station, and participated in most
activities with joy. I had a great time
getting to know the kids, and even participated in a pickup game of basketball
with some of the older boys. After camp,
we followed up with some more painting in the church, some more basketball and
a LOT of cards. Overall, we’re tired,
but have had a great day.
- Zachary Seitz
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| Zachary working hard as we paint the sanctuary at Ebenezer Church |
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| Everyone loves volleyball!!
Hello all, or should I say Hola todos! We ended our 2nd
full day here in the Dominican Republic and let me tell ya it was a blast. I helped
translate in a station where the kids chose whether they wanted to play soccer;
I mean futbol, or basketball. Most of the kids chose basketball, which
surprised me, but turns out there are a lot of LeBron fans here. Most of the
girls, however, wanted to play volleyball. For lunch we had a scrumptious meal
of rice and chicken with beans. It reminded me a bit of my mom’s cooking so my
tummy was happy. Although, I was not in the art room, after lunch I took a peek
at the kids’ creations and man oh man are they great. One child even made a
Mickey Mouse (a universal character)! After camp ended the group went to the
church and practiced a song that we’re singing at church on Sunday. Dare I say
we sounded great! And for dinner we had some wonderful tacos and tortilla
chips. So all in all I would say our 2nd day went swimmingly.
- Dorie
Pierre
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| Dorie and Mackenzie having a blast translating at camp!! |
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| Some of today's artwork |
Two days down here in Barahona, and they have been two very
busy days that have been both very revitalizing and very exhausting. Today I was in charge of the soccer station
with Griffin and Sophie and it was so fun to interact with the kids and watch
their skills improve. My favorite part
was when a kid wasn’t participating or wasn’t too confident and I was able to
go up to the child and work with them. The one on one attention and encouraging
words (tu puedes.. you can do it!) went a long way. It was awesome to see a confidence
and a sense of accomplishment in their eyes, smile, and actions. I am feeling extremely grateful for the
opportunity to spend a week with these children and see the excitement and joy
in each and every person. I hope we can bless these kids, but I know they have
already blessed us in more ways than one. I know I have learned more from them
than I, by myself, could ever teach them. As fun as it is to teach and play
with these kids, it is also very exhausting. By the end of the day, I am ready
for a nap, some food, and a shower. The best part of the day, in my opinion, is
still to come. At night we all gather for a good game, good
conversations, worship, and devotionals. The time to be up on the roof, feeling
the breeze, and just being with our team is awesome. This trip is an amazing
time for growth in many ways and an awesome time to escape the worries of this
world and focus on people besides ourselves, and most importantly, our
wonderful Creator.
- Lisa Simmons
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| Griffin, Sophie, and Lisa with a group at their soccer station |
June 18, 2016
Today, I was a group leader. Since we had five group leaders
and only four groups in the first half of the day, I got to sand the church wall
with a rock because we are repainting it. I’m more than positive that the rock
didn’t do anything, but they told me to keep going. The second half
of the day, I got to lead a group of older girls. They were so fun to talk to
and get to know! I had to play every sport with them just so they would play. I
think I ran out of air in my lungs on the second station (I had three more
stations to go). Let me tell ya, those girls were in shape and might I add
feisty. The second group I got to lead was my all time favorite. Three years
ago when I came here for the first time, there was a girl in my group named
Rosa. She was eight while I was 14 years old. We were best friends from the
first day of that week. The year after when I came back to the D.R., I asked
the girls where Rosa was. They told me that she went to a different school. I
got so sad because I thought I would never see her again. Yesterday, I saw a
girl that looked just like her! I asked the girl if she remembered me…her face
lite up, and she replied saying, “Gabby.” I gave her the biggest hug possible!
This trip, so far, has been amazing! But I cannot wait to go home to share the
love of Christ just like the people have shared with me here.
- Gabby
Lyon
The first few days here were great.
When camp starts
everyday, the kids are so excited to see us. They are all smiles; it makes my
day every time. Most of the kids seem to understand me. Luckily, when they
don’t there is usually a kid near by who does, and they explain what I can’t. Although
it is hot, it isn’t hard to stay
hydrated here; I always have my water bottle near me. I am having a lot of fun
here.
– Kaylee Puthoff
– Kaylee Puthoff
I wasn't very confident in my Spanish prior to the trip. But, with experience I have become very confident in my Spanish. Having to speak only Spanish in my AP Spanish class was awful at the time, but it made me very prepared for translating. I have made really good friends with some people my age. It’s been really cool. I also sat in on the Dominican church worship team’s practice. It was unreal. Just during practice I felt God’s presence and it was awesome. And, my birthday was great! Tonight after dinner they brought out a cake for me with a flare on top of it that said “Felicidades”. Didn't get the experience that most people get when they turn 18, but I think mine was much better. This trip has done nothing but help the fact that I want to live on this island one day.
- Drake Heidepriem
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| After practicing for our song we will sing Sunday morning, some of the team decided to try and rap |
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| Campers showing off their masterpieces |
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| Our room full of their beautiful creations |
June 20, 2016
The kids are super friendly and very
interested in “Americanos.” The culture is a lot different. From the roof of
our place, you can see many one room shacks as houses, and everyone is always
out and about on the streets, basically spending the whole day outside. The
view from the roof is spectacular, seeing the crystal clear water with the
mountains in the background is just breathtaking. I’m pleasantly surprised that
I am able to communicate with the kids fairly easily, and when I don’t know a
word I can just point and they pick up on it. The church service was very
vibrant and full of energy, and it was a great experience. Sharing the gospel while serving is a humbling and amazing experience, and I’m
glad to be here.
- Carter
Brand
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| Carter helping at art camp |
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| The incredible revival we got to be a part of |
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| Carter accompanying our team as we sang at the revival |
Hola everyone! Today was eventful for me. We played
some pretty fun basketball, volleyball, and soccer games. To motivate the girls
that were playing, I told each one (individually) that they were the best ones
on the team- believe it or not, it worked.
Also, after translating a Bible story about Daniel and the lions’ den, I called
on someone to pray out loud. Unfortunately, the person I called upon was mute. I have to hand it to her. She prayed her little
heart out. And danced for us as well. I couldn’t decide whether to cry because
it was so adorable and innocent, or feel bad because I called on her to talk
out loud in front of a group of people. Everyone was wonderful and fun today,
and we were all pretty tired at the end of the day. My heart
is happy and full.
- Mackenzie
- Mackenzie
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| Mackenzie and her team of "all stars" |
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| Mackenzie showing them how to play defense |
The Dominicans have been so kind despite the fact that every
time I try to talk to them, I completely butcher their language… (I guess 3
years of Spanish hasn't been enough). I
worked with soccer skills on Saturday and I think I’ve broken the limit of
number of times anyone should say “Muy bien” in 3 hours. The breeze has been a
blessing today; Sunday was quite the scorcher.
- Katie
- Katie
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| Katie and JD working hard painting the inside of the church |
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| Katie showing her soccer skills |
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| Keaton and his basketball studs! |
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| Sweet girls with Tracy at Art Camp |
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| Sharing Jesus with the group at the end of camp |
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| Everyone loved volleyball today |
June 21, 2016
This trip has truly been one of the most heart-moving trips.
From seeing the sweet and beautiful faces of the kiddos, to looking at all of
what God has created. My heart is so much more appreciative of what I have now,
after seeing how minimal others live. A storm occurred last night and the only
things on my mind were the families that have cracks in their roof or unstable
walls. It broke my heart to think how wet and cold they must be. My mission is
to come back here multiple times because this is a country that is dear to my
heart and I want to help it. People say
that we will change the kids’ lives, but they truly are changing ours.
– Love, Claudia
– Love, Claudia
It is unbelievable the things you realize on a mission trip. No matter how many times you go on one, even if it is to the same place and you are doing the same service, you always end up learning something different every time. This time, God has chosen to show me how important of a virtue joy is in this world. He has taught me exactly how much a simple smile or “Hola” can make someone happy for even just a few seconds. You never know exactly how much those few seconds can mean to someone. For example, on this trip, I met a girl who did not remember me at all from when I came two years ago. But today, she whispered in my ear the words, “I love you” in English. I will never forget that moment for as long as I live, because it showed me that I was helping spread God’s love in an indescribable way. I want all who read this to remember how important joy is. Go out there and give someone a smile, or give someone a compliment. It will amaze you with how good it will make the both of you feel.
~Grace Dickmann
Bus ride to the beach
Claudia and her sweet group of girls
Grace and her friend, Francheska
The girls were especially competitive
The whole group at the Olympic Village
