Looking back on our time in the Dominican Republic I find myself still smiling. It’s been a little over a week since we have returned. We have made new friends, witnessed the incredible gap between the “have’s” and “have not’s”, and in little ways brought some hope and some help to the people of Algodon.

Jesus words still echo in my heart… “Whatever you do for the least of these” Matthew 25:40

Our Trip was Based on 3 Beliefs…
  1.  God’s business is our business
  2.  We can’t do everything but we can do something
  3.  We want to build lasting bridges serving the community of Algodon

Our team of 20 was amazing. Each day they rolled up their sleeves asking, “How can I help?” Each day they connected with community leaders and families and children. Each day they came home tired and dirty and smiling. Each day their hearts grew and grew as they served in the name of Jesus.

The Children of the Nations DR team was wonderful as they helped us navigate, translate, transport and understand all that we were seeing and doing. The Algodon community opened their arms and hearts to us as we spent every day in their community… hoping for a smile, a connection that let us know we were welcomed.

And the kids… Wow. When you meet “your kid” for the first time it’s awesome. To visit in their homes and meet their families was powerful. They have so little… dirt floors that they sleep on, minimal food and water. Health and sanitation needs were a constant. So much of what we saw seems to be straight up a very big hill. But there is hope…

Finding Hope…
  1.      Jesus… Pastor Jack and his people stand in a very big gap. They bring Jesus to Algodon each day. This is tough spiritual territory. Many come from Haiti bringing with them a mix of Haitian Vodou and varying forms of Christianity. We saw the potential for greater impact in Algodon with a little help and a little more horsepower. We are grateful for this little church with so little resources faithfully serving Algodon. Hope...

2.      COTN… Children of the Nations began its work in the DR in Algodon. They have helped establish an excellent school (K-8) serving Algodon and the surrounding area. They create bridges to sponsor children in areas that you and I could not. They supply daily meals for children and their families. They also provide transportation to high school and tuition for college (this is a really big deal). Health Care is another important piece provided by COTN. And the projects… COTN identifies the needs in Algodon that teams like ours can accomplish to impact the community immediately. Hope...

3.      Something… We know we can’t do everything but we can do something. 
             I am only one, but still I am one.
             I cannot do everything, But still I can do something;
             And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
             Edward Everett Hale 1902

We did not go believing we are the answer that would be foolish and naïve. We went to simply do the something God has asked us to do… using our skill sets, compassion, resources and time to humbly serve in Jesus name. 

1.  We built a bridge & drainage channel so kids & staff no longer need to walk through the mud to get to school and church.
2.  We placed ProVector Flowers around the community to help alleviate diseases carried by mosquitoes.3.   We provided health care working with the COTN medical staff… a real eye-opener.
4.   We handed out 25 baseball gloves (thank you SD Padres) and played baseball (they love baseball) on a dirt field complete with grazing goats that maintain the outfield grass.
5.   We led VBS with kids from the community.
6.   We built and painted a new gate for the school.
7.   We ran into sugarcane fields (with help from the kids) to pull, peel & chew the sweet inside that provides work for many.
8.   We took our sponsored kids for an afternoon of fun to a beautiful area where waterfalls and pools created a tropical oasis… very different from the mud and dirt of Algodon.
9.   We hosted a dinner with Algodon leaders to hear their hearts and to understand their needs.
10. We prayed, journaled, worshipped and read asking God… “How can we help and not hurt these dear people?”

By the time we left hearts have been connected, children are no longer just pictures on the refrigerator, projects have been completed, tears shed… I believe God is smiling. Now we will unpack both our luggage and our hearts as we develop next steps and return trips.

Thank you to all of you who… helped, supported, followed, sponsored, prayed for this trip. And to those who served by getting on an airplane travelling to a place you had never been to serve and love people you had never met... You guys rock.

This is what I know… God has Algodon right where He wants it. 

      Algodon is in plain sight for churches like ours to see and to serve… In Jesus Name.

                 COTN Link      Gathering Link

To Be Continued…Deron

Today was our last full day in the Dominican Republic. As we put this together our eyes are swelling with tears and our hearts are broken, but full of love. Our last day here is impossible to describe. So many mixed emotions, but if summed up on one word ... bittersweet. 

The day began with some finishing touches on our projects in Algodon. The bus unloaded us this morning where we finished our skin care clinic that we started yesterday. We played with the kids and took some more photo's. We walked around the village once again to exgrave it in our hearts and in our memories because we knew it would be the last time we would see it for a while. 

The afternoon was our favorite part of the day if not the whole week. We picked up our kids from the batey, and we took them to some waterfalls and natural pools that were about 30 minutes away. It took us an entire school bus plus a 15 passengar van to get there because we took so many kids; and thay was only the Gathering sponsorship kids! It was pure bliss seeing the exictement on the faces of these kids. So many of them have never been far away from their batey before, let alone somplace as gorgeous as this. When we first arrived at the falls the kids immediately jumped in and started having a great time. It was during this time that we gave them our gifts we had bought for them. They we simple things like hygeine products and small toys, but they we elated to recieve them. Our translators did an excellent job of making sure EVERYBODY went in the water. They picked a few of us up and threw the dry ones in the pool. It was hard to be mad at them because it was actually really fun, and their spirits are just so cute. Some time had passed and Zach decided he needed to be baptised. We suggested he get baptised in a couple weeks when the Gathering has their baptisms and luau. However, the Holy Spirit moved him so much it needed to be right there, right then! Deron gave the invitation to anyone else who wanted to be baptised .. and one other did! Our friend and translator Francis needed to rededicate his life. You can see the photo's of this epic moment below. The whole afternoon was filled with laughter and excitement. Lis brought our some facepainting for the kiddo's. It was so funny how none of the kids really knew what it was. We had a translator explain to them not to get it wet because it will was off, but of course there were some touchups by the later afternoon. 

All good things must some to an end. The evening started to some upon us and we had to go home. Everyone was a mess trying to explain to there kid(s) they wouldn't be able to see them anymore because we had to go back home to San Diego. The scene of the bus pulling away with little hands sticking out the window was unbearable. As they hit the rode we all heard one last scream of "Adios" and "Gracias". I think it was at that point everyone on our team had agreed we NEED to be back!

This evening, we shared one last dinner together. Our translators, house staff and COTN staff members all joined us. They threw us a little fiesta with music, dancing and lots of great food. Raymon (a translator and new friend) made us a slideshow of our experiences over the past week. He surprised us with it tonight and played it for us. He did a really fantastico job. There wasn't a dry eye in the room! He also gave us a copy of it on a CD. We cannot wait to share it with you all.

Well tomorrow we leave our mission house at 6 am. 13 of us go off to Punta Cana for a few extra days, and the rest of us catch a plane home! Though we are leaving, we leave our hearts behind with the promise to come back soon. Hopfully we also leave behind some impact emotionally, physically and spiritually. While some have given their blood, sweat and tears, to this amazing place, some have even given their lives to God.

Although this is the end of our trip, it is not the end of our journey with COTN nor the end for the people of Algodon.

El final!

As we put this together tonight, we are in complete shock that we are on the 6th day in country. Where has all the time gone? The good news is we are REALLY enjoying ourselves and have no concept of time. The amazing things we have seen, and the great things we have done have truly have been life changing. Not only life changing for the 20 of us, but equally as important for the people of Algodon. 

Our morning began with some cloud cover. We were all very hopeful that the clouds would stay in hopes of cooler weather and shade from the sun. However, the sun came out by the time breakfast came. The heat and humidity greeted us good morning rather rudely. Before heading into Algodon this morning we went shopping! Our leaders from COTN took us into Barahona where we went to a few shops and stocked up on snacks and supplies we needed. We later unloaded in Algodon and started a Vacation Bible School for all the children. Jessi and Yvette taught all the kiddos some Indian Hills Camp songs like "Watermelon" or the D.R. version "Sandia". They also taught them "Wadaleywatcha" and "I want more of Jesus". It was pretty adorable watching the kids sing along and do the motions. After that Jessi and Yvette taught them the dance to "Cotton Eye Joe" which we played off a phone and Deron's speaker. Then, we divided the ninas and ninos into groups. The boys stayed and read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. The girls went and listened to the story of Noah's Ark. Afterwards, they switched areas and listened to the opposite story. 

In the second part of our day half of our group went and painted the new gate we built. Since we had some leftover paint we also went and painted some other gates we found nearby. The rest of the group did some medical attention to the kids in Algodon. Many of the kids here suffer from scabies, lice and rashes that are found on their heads. The first step was to wash their hair in the sink by the school. The second part was an assessment of their needs done by a nurse of COTN's and the Gathering's nurse Laura. From there we smeared some shampoos and creams on their heads to prevent these illnesses. We then explained to their parents what the treatment was and how to use the rest of the creams we gave them. Unfortunately we ran out of medical supplies, so we gathered some funds this afternoon and went into town to purchase some more for the remaining children which we will treat in the morning. As we left the batey this afternoon, we prayed a blessing over the batey and the people of Algodon.

This evening we invited many leaders from COTN and the batey of Algodon to join us for dinner and a discussion about the future of Algodon. They shared with us what they believe Algodon still needs, and what would make it even better. They shared their needs of more cl

This morning's festivities began with a visit to a different batey close by. We ventured to Altagracia to give out more ProVector flowers. Because we had some extra flowers left over from yesterday's dispersion in Algodon, we gave some of the extra's to needed families in Altagracia. When we got there they had a class going on in the school. We heard lots of kids screaming and having a good time. Their laughter was extremely infectious, and it was a blast watching them play outside in their courtyard. Later in the morning we went back to Algodon to play with the kids there. Each of the Gathering's sponsored kids received a brand new San Diego Padres baseball glove thanks to a connection Barb had in SD. You should have seen those faces light up when they got to unwrap them and start to play catch with their friends who also received one. The other kids got to play with some bubbles. A few of us team members held the bubble container and wand, and then held the want to the kids mouthes to blow the bubbles. The anticipation for each of their next turn was priceless! We wish we had brought more, and I am sure they do too! While this was all going on, the big manly-men were out in front of the batey pouring more concrete to fill the ditch we've been working on.

In the second part of the day we broke up again in 2 groups. One group stayed in the front of they batey to work on a new gate for the school. It required lots of digging, welding and cementing. Tomorrow we should have the gate painted and installed. The second group went to play again with the kids! Yvette got a large group of kids together and she read them a book in Spanish that she brought with her. The whole time reading she kept her (teacher voice), it was quite adorable. Soon after that we had a baseball game with all the boys in the batey. Jessi was the captain of one team, and Noma was the captain of the other. Jessi's team won by a landslide 7-2. The girls went to do relay races in a field close to the baseball field. There they split the girls in two groups and had the girls to a relay race to Sue and Kim on the other side. We also had a good time snacking on some sugar cane. The sugar cane here grows everywhere and everyone in the village chews on it at any given time. A few kids took Deron and Lis into the field and showed us how to cut it down and peel it to suck on the sweet sections of the stock. 

As we are wrapping up the evening, we had a presentation done to show us the importance of child sponsorships. We learned a better idea of what exactly happens when you sponsor a child and what they receive because of their sponsors. Child sponsorships are such a life changing experience for these kids, and extremely necessary. Our team is just so incredibly grateful for the amazing work that COTN does, and are truly blessed to be apart of it. So, Gathering family ... we are all coming home with profiles, pictures and stories of these kids. When we get home we are going to be looking for sponsors to hook up with these amazing kids!

Today we spent most of our day, in our adopted village, Algodon. In the early part of the day, we continued our ditch digging project in front of the school and church. Others of us began our ProVector flower project. We walked around the village and gave out plastic flowers that hold mosquito bate in them. The idea of these flowers is that they kill down the mosquito population and there for less bugs in the bateys. Because we had more people than tools, another team walked around the community and picked up trash that quite often builds up on the side of the roads. We then buried it into the earth. Another bug focus of our day was finding our adopted children. All of our team members were able to track down their child(ren)! We were so excited to finally be able to make face to face connections, tour their homes and meet their families. 

In the second part of our day in the village, we continued work on our drainage project. It was quite an event pouring, mixing and smoothing the concrete we made (by hand) to create a walkway through the drain. This effort was a little different from how it has been the last few days.Tons of nationals came out of their homes to help us. They at first seemed curious to see what we were doing. Then, soon after they grabbed a tool and joined in on the fun.

Our hearts are definetely being softened. We have seen absolute poverty in this village. Algodon is the poorest batey that the Dominican Republic has. These kids barely have clothing, and their parents can't give them enough to eat. We are very aware of how blessed we are for the things we have and even where we live.  

What a day! Last night was our first official night in the misson house. We all appreciated a full flow shower and air conditioning to sleep in.

This morning we loaded up the bus and headed for Algodon. Our first stop was to the COTN facility. We had a brief meet and greet of each of the staff members, and then we all introduced ourselves. In spanish even! From there we toured the rest of the facility which included a clinic and surgical room. Then, we proceeded further into the Batey where we were greeted by many little ones. We took a walking tour of our adopted village, and a few of us got to meet our sponsored children. Everyone in the Batey were super photogenic. They constantly asked for "photo, photo!" Many individuals recognized us from church the morning before!

During the villages siesta time, we headed back to the mission house for lunch and a rest time before heading back out. Jessi and Deron lead a few of us in a core work out. Most everyone else hung out and enjoyed the pool.

Later that afternoon we visited Los Robles which is a different Batay close to Algodon. The children there were incredible friendly to us. The flooded us as we got our of the bus. Each of them wanted us to either hold their hands or pick them up and carry them. It is quite evident this is a relation-based community. All 20 of us had children at each side of us the entire time we walked around the community of Los Robles. Friom there we ventured back to the Algodon Batay and began our ditch digging project. We had many hands! However, not enough tools. So, half the team dug the ditch and everyone went and played with the children. Barb was very creative. She made ribbon battons with some sticks and old video tape of the kids had given her.

That evening we made our way back to the mission house were we enjoyed dinner together. We had a small devotion time, just like the night before. We had some worship songs and prayer time. A perfect way to end the evening. As the blog is updating now, we can hear a hard core game of Nertz going on in the Higgins room. 

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for Alexis. She is doing so much better today. She is easily keeping down fluids and solids. She was even able to swim in the pool and attend our afternoon activities. 

We apologize for the limited pictures available. The internet connection here is very slow to upload anything let alone enormous file sizes. However, we are extremely greatful for being able to use their computers!

We woke up this morning and made a quick move over to our Mission House called the "Betesada Casa" in Barahona. We had breakfast there and afterward had a brief orientation before heading to our church service. 

We had a short bus ride over to the church in Algodon. When we walked in the service has already started, but people were  immediately interested in us. The worship service had a couple different types of drums and one person playing the keyboard. They had no official worship leader or vocalist. Each singer came up individualy and took turns. Everyone else in the congregation sang with her and danced in the aisles. After the worship the pastor came up. His name is Pastor Jack. One of our COTN translaters translated the whole service for us. Pastor Jack dedicated a great deal of the service time by intoducing The Gathering to the people of Algodon. They first introduced our group leaders. So, Holly Cunningham went and then Noma. Later they gave Deron the podeum ... Even away from the Gathering he was given the opportunity to share the love of Jesus! The people of Alogodon seemed to really enjoy his "Deronisms." After the church service everybody wanted to say "Hola!" and give us a hug, and I do mean everyone. They are a very friendly group of people, and we loved taking some pictures with them and getting to introduce ourselves before our projects begin on Monday. 

We got back on the bus, and it took us back to our misson house for lunch. From there they took us to a couple of different beaches. However, not without some issues :) Our bus broke down just a few hundred yards from our drop off point at the beach. So, being the adventurous group that we are, we decided walking to the beach was alot better than staying in the humid bus. Our COTN leaders we concerned about us walking on the side of the roads because they're are some CRAZY drivers here in the Dominican! However, we convinced them otherwise. After a few scrapes and bruises, a walk through a rapid river, sharp rocks under our feet and some steep stairs we made it to the beach! Many of us froliced in the warm water. Others of us were run over by massive waves, and most of us left our marks in the Carribean water (if you know what we mean.)

After our beach excursion, we made our bus ride back to the Mission house for some dinner and reflection time. We are now currently enjoying some music brought to us by Rodney via a borrowed guitar.

We do have one prayer need. Alexis came down with some food posining. She is doing a little bit better, but she is having a hard time keeping fluids down. All prayer her way would be greatly appreciated!

Day 1 was a success! We landed safely in Newark, New Jersey. We had about 10 minutes to transfer planes and board. Quick enough for a bathroom stop and enough time to snap a quick pic of the New York City Skyline before we were back on a new plane on route to Santo Domingo.

We landed about 4 hours later and made our way past customs and got our passports stamped with the official Republic of Dominican stamp!

From there we met our bus driver at the Bon (ice cream shop) and we drove 20 minutes to have lunch together. Then, we drove 3 hours into the city of Barahona.

Our mission house was full that night with another group that would be leaving Sunday morning, so our team stayed the night in a nearby hotel that is owned by friends of COTN. Some rooms had air conditioning, but the sea breeze and ocean view made it all worth the stop! That night we had dinner together and shared new stories about ourselves with each other.

The team is checked in at the airport! We are waiting in our terminal for our pilot to show up. A bit of delay here, due to our flight captain calling in sick today. We should be lifting off at 10:30 tonight!

In service on Sunday, July 14th the congregation prayed over our 20 team members for a successful, safe and happy trip ...