Dominican Republic Trip Day 2 Recap
Today was packed full of events that we will remember for a long time. We visited a local orphanage with the intention of serving the local kids, but I think all would agree that the kids ended up ministering more to us. Their love and attitude was infectious. Next we went and had lunch with the Minister of Sports for the country at the Olympic complex in Santo Domingo. We were truly treated as honored guests to the DR.
Finally we played a couple more games. The environment equaled anything that any of us have ever seen. The community showed up in great numbers and they were such a fun crowd. The team had a live DJ and commentator (think the Dominican version of Rucker Park) who played music and entertained throughout the game. Our teams both played well and continue to show improvement.
To every person who gave and allowed us to experience this country.. . we can’t thank you enough. We promise that we are taking many pictures, and we will get them posted when we are able to get time.
Coach G “It was awesome to meet the Minister of Sports and hang out at the orphanage, it’s tough to ever complain about not getting anything after seeing all they lacked and how happy they were regardless.”- Brendan Marschner “I had a great time at the orphanage, it was a life changing experience.” –Ander Galfsky “I made a friend at the orphanage, her name is Sandra.” –Evan Lewis “It was a real blessing to be able to go to the orphanage and meet the Minister of Sports of the Dominican Republic.” -Austin Hancock “I loved to meet the orphans; their excitement was infectious.” –Collin McKay “I met some really cool Dominican people today; needless to say, I won’t be back to the States for awhile…” –Griffin Schamp “It was a great experience hanging out at the orphanage with all the kids and meeting the Minister of Sports” –James McLean “Had a great day with the orphans, going to miss them a lot” –Madison Dockery “I heard a girl at the orphanage say ‘We pray for you everyday.’ The impact that should make on you is self explanatory.” –Ben Hardiman “The kids at the orphanage were really inspiring; it is definitely an experience I will remember forever.” –Clay Smith “It was really inspiring to see the positive attitudes that the children at the orphanage were able to have despite their circumstance, it was an incredible experience.” –John Crain “The orphanage was fun and it was great to meet the Minister of Sports.” –Conner Hayes “The Dominican girls taught me more than I could ever teach them; they taught me that material objects mean nothing and that hope and love are the greatest gifts that God can give us.” –Ian Thom “After visiting the orphanage this morning I fully realized that happiness does not come from ‘things,’ but from the love of God and his people.” –Alex Perkins “It was an humbling and inspirational experience visiting the orphanage. It served as a tangible manifestation of both the kindness and depravity that humans impart on each other. The girls were every bit as joyful as their American counterparts, and it was incredible to see such happiness given their circumstances. It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of that happiness”-Morgan Lauten. “I had fun with the kids, lunch was a blast, and the playing atmosphere was exhilarating.” –Colin Henry “I enjoyed hanging with the girls at the orphanage and planting a tree with the Minister of Sports today!” –Jason Holland The Lord is clearly doing wonders here in the Dominican. The children at the orphanage taught us a lot through their appreciation and faith. It was a life-changing experience. –Robinson Daniels Visiting the orphanage was life changing and experiencing something like this was a blessing and changed my perspective on life. You should never take life for granted, because there is someone in the world that wished that they had it as good as I do.- Larry Thomas Today was awesome visiting the orphanage. It only took an hour or so being there to really touch my heart and make me realize how good we have it. Not only realize that, but realize that even though those girls are in an orphanage they had huge smiles on their faces and still praise Jesus for the life that they are given. It was a blessing to be with them today. – Kelly Assinesi Concluding the second day in the Dominican Republic, the biggest takeaway personally is witnessing the happiness of the Dominican people. Despite being one of the poorest countries and having close to nothing, they are positive and extremely friendly people. The girls at the orphanage were a prime example, they had no parents, no one but each other and were some of the happiest children I had met. Though life is tough here, people continue to have a positive outlook on life. –Ross Welch I think everyone here had a fantastic day, from start to finish. We had an awesome time at the orphanage this morning playing with the kids and we finished the day playing two exciting games. –Alex Avery Our second day in the DR was an awesome day, we got a got chance to visit an orphanage where we played games and sung songs with a group of amazing young girls. I also got to meet a young local boy at our game he ended up sitting on our bench, joined in a few chants and even stood in a few huddles. It was so rewarding getting to see how happy these kids were that we were just here hanging out with them. –Mason Holle
Day 2: Today was indescribable. No words I can write on this post will do justice to the experiences we were blessed with today in the Dominican Republic. However, I will do my best. First, it was an incredible honor to be welcomed into the Ministerio De Deportes Y Recreacion and have lunch with the current Minister of Sports who is also a former Vice President of the Dominican Republic. The hospitality that they welcomed us with was unprecedented (sorry south it even beat the ole “southern hospitality”). Next, we visited an orphanage for girls, “Pasitos de Jesus”, filled with 33 lovely young ladies. I thought that I was coming into this Country in order to change the lives of as many Dominicans that I could through spreading the Word. Turns out that it was my life that would be changed forever because of this trip. These girls were abandoned by their blood, that who were supposed to love them forever. They have what most people in the U.S. would call “nothing,” and yet are stronger in their Faith than I am. Through simple interactions including making music together (Thanks for teaching me how to play the Guira ladies!!), drawing on the ground with chalk, and playing volleyball, those girls showed me the true meaning behind appreciation, family, and Faith. Thank you for changing my life, inspiring me, and welcoming us into your home with open arms. I will never forget what I learned today. Shout out to Carmen for putting some awesome cornrows in my hair and to Anelv for her leadership and beautiful singing! Until next time – Zac Richards To “Miss” Stacie: Wish I could have gotten a refresher on some Spanish vocab and grammar. To Samuel: Don’t worry, the Gospel is surely being preached in the Dominican Republic. To everyone else: Thank you for supporting us in this trip, your investment will bring greater returns than you can imagine! –Coach Lyon “With each passing moment on this hopeful island one particular conceit becomes evident: All of our perceived hardships become as flotsam in a sea of selfishness, crashing into the hulls of other blind vessels.” –Jonathan Vines Wow! The only word that I can come up with this late is incredible and that does not even come close to describing today. We had the chance to meet some incredible young ladies at the aforementioned orphanage above and the love and joy that they had and showed is remarkable considering the life experiences they have had to endure. We had such a great time singing and playing with the toys that we were able to bring to them; it is going to be a memory that I will not forget for the rest of my life! Afterwards, we were invited to have lunch with the Minister of Sport for the entire nation! He had previously served as the Vice President of the Dominican Republic! We planted a tree with them that will be there for a long, long time which is pretty cool if you really think about it! We then played in an incredible environment that which was a lot of fun! We have posted pictures of our visit to the orphanage visit online by clicking HERE! We will post videos from the visit once we make it back stateside. We are hoping to have up pictures up from our lunch and game sooner than that! - Coach Parrish
