Our home away from home.

Mark and I are home. We have been for almost 2 weeks. The trip to the Dominican was Awesome, Heart-Breaking, Amazing, Depressing, Uplifting, Joyful, and something I would do again in a heartbeat. We were up early and to bed late and with so many things seen and felt in between, I don't know where to start.

This is why I haven't written. I really have no words to describe what we saw, felt, smelled, heard and experienced. What I can tell you is that if you want to feel every emotion in the world- this is the place. We saw our sponsor kids, held babies, hugged moms, delivered food, played basketball, played the drums, laughed, cried and laughed some more. One of us even got stung by a jelly fish. (don't worry- he's O.k. and no....no one had to pee on him)

A very special moment for me was when I and 2 other women had the opportunity to visit the home of a family in one of the Batey's. Right away I noticed that this was a family of almost all women. 1 mom, 4 daughters, 1 son and 1 grand daughter. The second thing I noticed was the house they lived in. (If you look up the word 'house' in the dictionary, you will find the words, “a residence for human beings”. In the four days that I had been there I saw some homes that would make you seriously reconsider that definition).

Compared to what we had seen just days before, this house was beautiful. Four walls, dirt floor, no windows, a bedroom sectioned off by a curtain and a very small kitchen. There was a front and back entrance, no running water, no bathroom and electricity from a generator for maybe 3 hours per day. 2 small bean plants and a papaya tree in the “backyard”.

What makes this house so special to me?....

She built it. All by herself. No help. A mother built a home for her and her kids. With her own hands. And she did a magnificent job.

When asked what her dream was, she replied as any other mother in the world would, "that my kids have more than I do. That they would have more than this"

As I walked away from her and her beautiful children, I thought to myself, "that is one of the strongest women I have ever met".

10 days later I'm standing in Future Shop looking at the new iPad and I'll admit...drooling. It's a feeling too weird to put into words. This trip is going to take me a little more time to process than I thought but I'm very grateful to have been part of something SO much greater than me.

I'll leave you with pictures of our Dominican Family and to them I say, "How thankful we are to have spent time with you. Please know that we will see each other again and until that day we send you our love and prayers".

Our sponsor young man- Randy and his family


My Mom's Sponsor Girl- Clara


Our Sponsor Girl- Mari Yenifer