Hey bloggerz!!! Good news—we made it. We started the morning off by meeting at DeVos at 3:30am and landed in the DR at 1:45pm. Yes, we’re very tired, but still thriving. At the airport Go Ministries picked us up and took us in vans to our home for the week. When we got here, we were served sandwiches and delicious pineapple then had siesta time.
After a good nap, we explored the local streets of DR. We realized quickly that they like their music loud and don’t necessarily watch out for you walking down the street, particularly the people driving motorcycles. The driving age isn’t quite like it is in the US as we saw what looked like to be 10-year old’s driving motorcycles. Needless to say, we stay close to the side of the road.
We met our first couple friends hanging out outside their homes. We brought plenty of energy and sports equipment to supply them with an hour of fun. Soon enough our couple friends grew, as many local kids quickly realized what was going on. Through frisbee tossing, football throwing, and bubble blowing, we all became connected through sport. Although none of the kids spoke English, we found our own ways to communicate and quickly felt God’s presence. Even though we played with these kids for just an hour, they were already asking “Manana?” and giving us big hugs as we left. The joy they received from us messing around with them for just an hour was super fulfilling.
We grouped up for dinner and met our cooks for the week. The nice ladies prepared us rice, ground beef, chips, avocados, and pineapple. As dinner was finishing up, the power went out. The cooks then insisted on washing our dishes for us because us Americans would use too much drinking water to do it. As everything got cleaned up we hopped in vans and drove to go get ice cream from a local ice cream shop. The shop had many flavors such as birthday cake, café, and rum raisin (still wondering why Jordan got that). Brett and Kyle, our Go Ministry leaders, paid the bill and continue to show us what it means to serve. Kyle has been in the DR for 10 years serving with Go Ministries and Brett has been with Go Ministries for a couple of months. Fun fact, our home for the week is placed on the street where Go Ministries all started.
Our home is a three-story place used for mission workers like ourselves to help in the local communities. There are bunkbeds three beds high for both boys and girls, and then an upstairs kitchen and gathering area to eat and hangout that is all outside.
As the night winded down we came together to express how we saw God throughout our day today. There was everything from reducing anxiety on the way here to seeing smiles on the faces of kids who in our eyes don’t have a lot. We’ve come to realize the locals here might not be rich in materials but are rich in love, and happiness.
Overall, we had no complications traveling and are blessed to have made it here safely. We still have many questions going into tomorrow, but are continuing to keep an open mind. Thanks for checking in J.
Audrey and Brady
P.S. Check out Go Sports on Facebook for some additional pictures and updates from the week!