Time for an update! Thanks for tuning in again.
This week was very encouraging as I am beginning to wrap my mind around what God has in store for me on my trip to Santo Domingo and beyond. Our team had a good bonding time over dinner this week. We are comprised of 10 students, 6 guys and 4 girls ranging from Sophomore to Senior. Before January I had never met most of the team, so I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone.
I’m also glad that my good friend Ben “Chappy” Chapman is on the trip, too. Ben, a sophomore, is in my fraternity and we share a similar passion for Christ and the Spanish language. Ben spent last summer interning at a missions organization in the Dominican Republic, so he has all sorts of insights into the culture (aka all the coolest words and phrases they use!). So far I’ve learned, “Oye pana, ¿qué lo qué?” (translation) “Hey dude, what’s up?”.
God has also been amazing so far in providing financial support. We raised about $500 from our pretzel fundraiser and just learned this week that the college is going to cover 33% of all our travel costs. God is good!
Looking ahead to this next week we will be doing some cultural training, complements of Grove City’s Office of International Education. I’m not really sure what that will entail (hopefully some samples of traditional food!), but I’m sure it will be helpful.
I thought I’d put together a little cultural training of my own, just for you…
Dominican Republic – A Brief Description: If you were Christopher Columbus, where would you set up camp and establish the first capital of the New World? You would land on the island of Hispaniola and establish a little town called Santo Domingo. Though I’m sure Martha’s Vineyard was a close second choice.
The Dominican Republic in the Caribbean
Today, Hispaniola is shared by two nations – Haiti on the west and the Dominican Republic on the eastern half (observe the nifty map). A relatively young democracy, the Dominican Republic is the Caribbean’s second largest nation next to Cuba. Biggest exports include food, minerals, and Sammy Sosa.
While the Dominican Republic has enjoyed more economic prosperity than some of its neighbors, it has been hurt by government corruption, fraud, and extreme monetary inflation (another kind of fraud). According the the US State Department, Dominican children in public schools average only a 6th grade education level. And while GDP per capita (estimated average income) is $8,217, 16% of the population lives on less than $2/day and 29% are malnourished. Check out this UN Development Report for more statistics.
Numbers and statistics, however useful, never tell the full story – or even half the story for that matter. I won’t be going to the entire nation of the Dominican Republic. I will be engaging one city, one neighborhood, one family, one face. I am leaving my native soil to go meet people, to see how they live and worship, to hear their stories, and to serve them with the little I can offer. Most importantly I will learn – from others, from failures and frustrations, from God.
Prayer Requests: Please continue to pray for team unity and friendship. Pray for patience and faith, especially since several members of our team have never had any previous experience with mission trips. As for me, pray that God would fill me with humility and prepare my heart to serve those in Santo Domingo by finding ways to serve my team this week in our preparations.
Hasta pronto,
~M
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Dude, have an awesome time. We’ll be praying for you. Take care of all the linguistically challenged folks.
I pray your experiences are for lifetime. I have been there 4 times and it has been adventurous each time…even during hurricane Hannah. Have a great time and I pray for the safety of the team and your travels.
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