Day Four

Hola everybody,

My name is Kayla Towell and I will be writing for the DR blog today! Today I had the priviledge to help with the VBS here at the Ebenezer school. We taught about Galatians 6:10-20 and how to ¨put on¨ the full armour of God. It was cute to see the drawings of themselves in full armour that they drew. Helping with VBS also refreshed me on some of my Spanish and gave me some practice. I enjoyed it very much! Otherwise, this week I personally have helped with digging the holes for the Creole church building and with scraping and painting classrooms. As you may have heard from the other blogs, forming and digging those holes at the church site is not exactly a walk in the park. It is hot, there is no shade other than a tarp we propped up in the corner, and the soil started off very hard. However, as usually, God never ceases to amaze me and remind me of just how fortunate and blessed my life is as well as this experience in itself. Every time I felt tired and felt like giving up, He would put a particular verse on my heart. Philippians 4:13... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That gave me the perseverance and the determination and the energy to keep going full force, with everything I have...through Christ who strengthens me! The experiences we are having and the relationships we are building with each other and with the Dominicans are unlike any other. We have amazing people on this team and outstanding members of the community here in Barahona. Some of the testimonies I have heard and just the joy I have seen from the locals is admirable and truly incredible. I am so blessed to have been able to come on this journey! Continue praying for strength for us all and for the love of a servants heart to continue strongly in all of us.

We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!

P.S. A little shout out to my family! Dad, Mom, Cody, and Claudia – I miss you and love you guys so so much! Thank you so much for allowing me to come on this trip and supporting me and always being there for me! Also, to my bestfriend Joey – thank you for being such an incredible support with everything and for being my bestfriend centered completely at Christ!

Oh, and... Claudia – David and Ashley say hi! J

Adios and God bless!

In Christ,

Kayla Towell

This young man is really artistic in drawing  himself wearing the armor.

Brennan helping teach the English lesson

Hola, it is Tyler McGhee...so basically this whole time I have done one of two things for work, paint or dig the foundation for the Creole church!  It was really cool to paint this time because we are painting the same rooms I painted on my first trip here (two years ago).  So, its kinda like a redo!  Then the digging, well that has been going along nicely.  We are digging columns right now for a Creole church and the holes have to be five feet deep and five feet across...so they are quite big holes.  I think this trip, more than my previous two have made me appreciate what America gives us every day.  I can definately say I am increasingly appreciative for what we are just given every day. 

Adios, 
Tyler McGhee

Team Estrogen showing their strength!

Hola! This trip has been such an amazing experience so far and many new things have been introduced to me along the way that have been so exciting. Most of my time has been filled with hard work in the hot weather, but in the middle of those times great things have been happening. One thing that ceases to amaze me is the barriers that are being broken between us and the Dominicans as we build relationships with them throughout the time we have spent here. We have interacted with the kids through teaching them English, VBS, playing sports, and playing games that they teach us. One large barrier that we have is the language that we speak. It is no secret that we cant communicate in words unless somebody is able to translate what they are saying. Even though that is something we have to work through we have learned to still build relationships with the Dominicans. Today a group of us came back from the digging site and walked in to a hallway with other people from our group and also Dominicans. What was happening was our group was singing songs that we know, such as How He Loves Us by David Crowder Band, and we all started to sing along since we knew the song. Now this may not be as exciting for you if you don´t like music as I do, but the Dominican, Jerry, started to play his piano right along with us. It is just so moving to see something like music break down the barrier. It is tremendous to realize the things that are universal because it shows how much we can still have in common. Although the digging holes and painting is extremely fun (not at all) my favorite activity so far is playing with the kids in VBS and when they come to play. They lighten your spirits immensely even if you are tired, sore, and very hot. All of them are so welcoming which makes it so easy to jump right in and have a good time. Lastly, the biggest thing that I have realized being here is how much we truly take for granted. Now to most of you that might seem cliche but you really do see things that we dont realize are something not everyone has. All of these things and more have been such amazing and new experiences that have been so exciting!

Michaela Long

Kristin painting the trim on a classroom on the third floor.

Caitlin and Mackenzie pose for a quick picture.

Alex and Matt take a picture, surrounded by joyful VBS students.

Hannah is reviewing the months of the year.

Marisa and Adrienne by Gigantor the Rock. Now this rock is in 1000 pieces, thanks to all the digging team!

Hola amigos. Me llamo Sam McGhee. This trip thus far  has been life changing.  I have learned a lot from the Dominicans despite the many challenges we face every day.  The language barrier between us is extremely challanging to overcome.  Despite my one year of Spanish 1 at Findlay High School,  I cannot communicate very well with the locals. Shocking I know.  All around the school we see poor and run-down houses and shacks.  People with barely any money or food compared to our luxurious American lifestyles. It is hard to imagine living here after being spoiled so greatly in our amazing country. The thought of me living in a shack with my entire family and not being able to move or better myself easily is unsettling. Despite these hardships, the people seem more than happy with their living arrangments.  Maybe it’s because they have never seen or even heard of the American dream.  Or maybe it is because God provides everything they need to live a happy life right here.  It is very hard to imagine a life in the Dominican Republic from an “Americano’s” perspective but from their perspective it is their life.  It is everything they deal with every day. It is fun to see the emotions of the little kids as we drive through the streets of Barahona. They light up and smile and even blow kisses at our bus.  The perception of Americans in this region seems to be positive.  We also have become very friendly with the children around our school.  We play imaginary catch with small kids from the 5^th story roof of our school to the streets of the village.  Little girls recite handshakes and clapping games to the girls in our group that they met that day at school. In the afternoon, we play basketball with the older boys from the area.  These games don’t always include friendly taps on the back and praises for the opponent doing something extravegant. They usually include arguing in languages the other person does not understand and push and shoving when someone enters the lane.  At the end of the day though we shake hands, have a laugh, and try to talk as much as we possibly can before the leave for the night.  It has been a great experience thus far and I am looking forward to the days ahead of me!

Adios, Sam McGhee