By: Ellen Brown
On February 1st, I embarked on the trip of a lifetime to the Dominican Republic. I remember the night before I left feeling unprepared and very nervous. Once the team gathered at the airport the nerves were gone and, while unsure of what the upcoming week had in store, I was prepared for whatever God had planned for me.
Each morning we started the day as a team in a time of devotions before breakfast.
We visited two schools almost every day to share the story of Noah with kindergarten and Grade 4 children. I had the privilege of narrating the story while the rest of the team participated as animals on Noah’s ark.
The children were then invited to say a prayer to ask Jesus into their hearts. That was the most rewarding part of the whole week for me.
In the evenings we got to worship with the joyful and loving Dominicans. We went to a total of 5 different churches and we were always greeted with warm hugs from every member of the church.
Two very special friends made the 8-hour bus trip from Punta Cana to visit us in Esperanza, Jonathan and Sara Rodriguez!
Many in the Kingsview family would remember Jonathan and his mother, Sara, who came to Canada in 2006 for Jonathan to have heart surgery at Sick Kid’s Hospital. Jonathan is both healthy and very tall; I didn’t recognize him when we met again after 7 years.
All of the families that we visited while we were there were very welcoming, generous, and full of love. As many families are in need, it was a blessing to be able to deliver food gift cards to a number of them.
My week in the beautiful Dominican quickly came to end and I realized I was not ready to go home. The team connected so well with each other, as well as with the local church leaders who assist with the program. It was a long, sad goodbye at the airport for all of us.
I can’t wait to go back to visit all of my new friends and search for what else God has to teach me. If you haven’t been on a missions trip, I would recommend it for people of all ages. You’re always the right age to experience God’s work in the lives of people around the world.