A Day for Giving

Kioskea, Dominican Republic; Thursday, April 1

Before we left Mirquea's school on Tuesday, Dale got a list of things to stock the pantry with. So we went to the store and got it all, in order to deliver it to her on Thursday morning. The reaction on her face and the cheers of the children were incredible! The whole trip would have been worth it for just that moment.




A Surprise for Cindy
Danielle and I spent Tuesday with Cindy and her baby while we were at Mirquea's school. During this time, Cindy really attached herself to Danielle. And Danielle felt deeply for the situation she was in. It must be really rough to raise a baby in this neighborhood at the young age of 16. So Danielle surprised Cindy with a bag full of baby supplies, a pair of shoes (she wasn't wearing any!) and some new clothes. You should have seen the look on her face! She was so excited she went to get her mom who lived down the street. She wanted her to meet Danielle and show her all that she had been given.



Monte Christy

I have seen some pretty terrible things in my time in the third world, but nothing compairs to what I saw at the Haitian Elderly home that we visited on Thursday afternoon. I decided I can't bring myself to show it online, so I wanted to share about a man a few beds down instead, named Enoch (in the green pants).

Enoch is 85-years old. He grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His daughter dropped him off at this Haitian elderly home and told him she’d come back for him soon. That was four years ago…But he doesn't seem to let that discourage him. He is still very proud of her. A group of us gathered around him as he told us stories of his life through his broken English. He made us all laugh a lot, as he talked through his big smile. He stepped out of the room for a minute and came back with a small photo album full of family photos. He flipped through the album, pointing out snapshots of his daughter and son and grandson. He was so proud of them. And then he pulled out a photo of him and his wife on their wedding day. His face lit up. I could tell he really loved her. Standing there with Enoch made me smile, even though I felt like crying.

The House of Light

San Pedro, Dominican Republic; Wednesday, March 31

La Casa de Luz (The House of Light) is a special needs orphanage that was started by an American couple living in Florida. There are 3 nurses and 1 doctor that live there and care for the children. It costs about $8,500/month to run the facility, but lately the funds have been quite hard to sustain. They usually consume 200lbs of rice a month, along with beans, sugar and flour. Chicken is rare.

I met a very extraordinary five-year old girl here, named Elisa. She is smart and sassy and extremely independent. Although her limbs don’t function correctly, she has taught herself how to get by; like when she blew bubbles. She uses her leg to hold up her arm which brings the wand close enough to her face so she can blow.

Elisa & Me

Joy & Rachel Blowing Bubbles with Ruth

Sandy

Bobby

Kristen & Lauren have both worked with special needs children back in the States. These two children in particular need to be held close, or else they can't sit up.

Mr. Smith

Nate

Claudia

Sam


Los Montones
We visited a new church in Los Montones. DJ led worship, Dale spoke and the Dominican pastor named Greg gave the sermon. He is 19-years old.

Danielle and I with the young women from Los Montones.

Life in Kioskea

Kioskea, Dominican Republic; Tuesday, March 30

We spent the morning at a day-orphanage in Ki0skea. The children from the surrounding neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo come here for education. This neighborhood is known for its theft and voodoo practices. All of this activity with no education is a bad equation for the children. So a women named Milkea started this day-orphanage in order to give these children a chance to rise above the statistics. God has blessed her efforts with several dedicated and loving teachers who come, regardless if they get paid that month or not. They labor day in and day out because they realize that these children are the future. These children, when empowered with knowledge and love, can change the Dominican Republic. These children can be the future leaders of their country.

Last year, the students at The Rock raised money to renovate Milkea's school. They stocked the shelves with food before they left, but upon our arrival, the shelves were bare. Milkea has to send the children home during lunch time because she has nothing to feed them.

But what they lack in supplies, they make up for in love. The teachers know that God is in control and will give them the strength to persevere. And they do. Their love is strong and their faith carries them forward. It is times like this, when God brings them encouragement. Here, DJ sings with the children about the love of God; their little voices fill the small school room.

Danielle and I met Cindy and her 1-year old daughter at Milkea's. She is 16-years old. She helps out at the school and has grown up in Pueblo Nuevo. We got to hang out with her for the rest of the morning.

Although 70% of the world is made up of water, 80% of the world population doesn't have access to it. The water problem in this community is huge. So where do they get their water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, washing? As we visited different houses, we didn't realize we were walking through it...the little stream running through the street...that is it...

Mani explained to us that this community has hacked into the main water pipe underground that runs to the city. They made their own faucet by connected this hose to the pipe.

If the children don't have running water, they have to spend each day going to get it which means they can't go to school. This cycle can't be broken unless someone decides to invest time and money to dig a well. Most governments in developing countries don't make clean water a priority due to the long list of other priorities already pending. This issue not being addresses is taking its toll on the people, both in the DR and worldwide. As we walked through the neighborhoods, we found out several students from Milkea's school sick from this unsanitary water.