Community is Here

This summer I learned a lot. This video is something our team put together to highlight what we learned.

The Hole

This is in a community in Santiago, DR. It is built around this trash dump that is in and around the river. I was given the opportunity to work on the quite needed water purification system here. I also got a chance to explore a little on the other side of the river via this bridge,


I spoke with several people around the area that gave me some insight into the community and I also got a chance to talk with a pastor across the river. It was unbelievable to see the filth the people live in. You could also see where complete houses had fallen into the river. The man I am speaking to in the next picture had two or three family members lose houses to this foundational problem.Our last day we spent several hours teaching adults and kids health education. This is an awesome opportunity because a little information and clean water can prevent parasites and the like. I was in a skit showing the harmful effects of unclean water. The people in the picture represent germs from dirty water(like from the river).

What is Poverty?

In Heina Abajo many kids were without clothes. Most of them had a least underwear but shoes were rare. Several of the younger kids had pooched out stomachs and belly buttons as a result of probably parasites or malnutrition. The kids loved having their picture taken...The kids were crazy. They loved it when we sang english songs like, Singing in the Rain with them. They would try to speak spanish to us and couldn't understand why we always responded with, "No se"(I don't know). They didn't seem to know they were in poverty. They loved life just like kids in the US. They had fun with what they had and loved to be held and smiled at.

Brett Dennen says in one of his songs, "In a world of suffering, why should I be so blessed." Even though the people in this community were not living as if they needed more, it's difficult to understand why or how I have so much more than them.

First few days of the DR

Currently I'm sitting in an air conditioned restaurant enjoying some sweet tea and quiet. This is quite the contrast from my 11 days in the heat of the Dominican Republic. There was no air conditioning and no quiet while in a poor community giving out free eye exams and glasses, doing health clinics, playing with children and installing a water purifier.

My first two days were spent being the organizer/bouncer of the vision clinic in a community called Heina Abajo. I had a chance to speak a lot of spanish while in the DR but during these times my comprehension was at an all time low. I must admit that at times my frustration got the best of me. Later in day two I realized that no one could understand me if I spoke english so when anger began to rise I would just "express myself" in english. Many of the older women were very sympathetic to my stress and when I began "expressing myself" they would pray for me. No joke, they would just start praying in spanish. It was an interesting contrast.

Day three I got dehydrated and barfed. That's pretty much all I did. But I saw some beautiful qualtities of care that the Dominican people have. My helpers from the past two days, sat with me, held back my hair and took care of me. There were several others that cared for me by giving me water, gatorade or offering to take me to the hospital. I hardly knew these people and they truly cared for me(despite my grossness).

I'm going to split up the trip into a few posts. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!