Hey Everyone! It’s Cole and Amanda back with more stories from the DR from Thursday!
Bright and early, the guys woke up again and got a card workout in up on the roof. Then our first start to the day was breakfast with our wonderful cooks Maria and Sandra. They made us pancakes and bacon!! Following breakfast we got to hear our bus driver, Narciso’s, testimony and had a great devotional time about multiplication and spreading disciples!!
We got all packed up and headed out for the resort we’re staying at for the night. Before making the two hour trip there, we took a stop at el monumento de los héroes de la restauración. John told us a bit about the history, but the views spoke for themselves. We hopped back on the bus and headed for the resort!
After two hours, we finally made it! The resort was gorgeous! We checked in and were welcomed with a buffet lunch with all you can imagine. You could catch most of us at the pasta bar in which you could add anything you wanted, and they would cook it right in front of you, or watch us enjoying the yummy Dominican Republic ice cream. You wouldn’t believe how good some simple vanilla or chocolate ice cream would taste!
That was only the beginning of the wonders of the resort. We spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean, sitting on the beach, or jumping in the pool. The water was unbelievable warm which was incredible.
We then all joined back up together for some dinner and followed with a recap of the week on the beach. The sound of the ocean crashing and slight breeze was nothing but remarkable. We finished the night hanging out and relaxing as a group! It was a phenomenal day of relaxation and reflection together!!
We are so thankful for the opportunity to spend time at the resort and can’t wait to continue the fun tomorrow! Thanks for reading!
Hi! Hannah and Tyler here to give you some highlights from our day! We started our second day in the beautiful Guaymí territory at 7:00 am with an amazing breakfast cooked by our host family. We had scrambled eggs, sausage, gallo pinto, and fresh fruit. There was also a fire mango juice (freshly pressed!) that everyone particularly enjoyed. We hopped in our transportation for the day- two open bed trucks. We did an off road trek through the mountains for an hour and a half before we reached our first destination.
We arrived at a small elementary school in the middle of a valley in the rainforest, and began to play all kinds of sports with the kids. They were HYPED. After about 45 minutes of playing all sorts of stuff with them, the kids were gassed so we had a great opportunity to teach the kids how to get their own fresh water with our Sawyer filters. They were beyond joyful to receive this life altering gift. After we finished at the school, we loaded back into the trucks and locked back in for the next leg of the journey.
Our drivers were AMAZING!! The muddy roads made for a difficult trek, but they navigated it like champs. We headed to the second elementary school. The school was placed on the side of a mountain so the views were crazy. Here, we played with the kids again. They enjoyed the game of lacrosse and picked it up very quickly. A couple of us even got a new experience with a primitive bathroom (aka a hole in the ground). After playing with the kids, we again passed out water filters for them to take home. They were amazed at the demonstration showing how the water can filter muddy water into crystal clear drinking water.
We loaded into the trucks one last time, and with some white knuckled driving up muddy hills, we ended up back to the pastor’s house with some of the most incredible views in the world behind us. We had an amazing lunch waiting for us, rice with beef and vegetables, IT WAS GAS. After that, we had free time to do whatever we wanted and everyone split up to do some incredible things.
One group decided to hike back up the mountain (the best group, since we were in it!) The pastors little tiny dog even trekked the mountain with us. The views were absolutely breathtaking and totally worth the muddy slip-and-slide back down the trail. Another group decided to swim in the river and they got to see Carl catch a fish with the pastor’s son named David (it was David’s first time catching a fish!). Another group bought sugar cane at a local grocery store and even got to see it cut in front of their eyes. One of the best things about Guaymí is that the people are in touch with nature and utilize it well for cooking and other aspects of their life.
We all converged back at the house, showered and cleaned up for dinner which consisted of some pork which was smoked all day under banana leaves and tasted fantastic. The food here has been absolutely incredible and so different from what we eat at home. After dinner we got together for team time and listened to incredible testimonies from Audrey, Caleigh, and Kali. We continue to be incredibly thankful at how close our team has grown in the short time that we have all been together.
As we close out our last day in Guaymí we continue to be grateful for the experiences we have been given and the ways we have seen God work this week within our team and the people we have gotten to meet. We are both sad to leave and thankful for the impact that this place has had on our lives.
First thing’s first: At 6:00 am, a few of us were up and at ‘em working out. We had an intense HIIT circuit that had some of us crawling away from the basketball court, haha! After the workout, Kevin gave his testimony to us. It was an incredible statement of intense drive and passion, all channeled through Christ. After Kevin shared his testimony, Brooklyn and I went on a walk through the Batey to say ‘Hola’ and ‘Buenas Dias’ to everyone in the Batey. These early morning interactions were my absolute favorite.
For breakfast this morning, we had eggs, pineapple, and a breakfast item similar to cream of wheat! After breakfast, we did our devotional about mentors in our lives. Then we traveled to Batey Cuchilla and met Pastor Francisco. We split into three groups and painted three houses. The first house was blue, the second house was green, and the third house was yellow! Sami was able to paint the yellow house which is her favorite color! While we painted, we could hear children inside the houses singing and laughing, and it was beautiful. At one point, the children saw an airplane go overhead and all sprinted to the street to shout: ‘¡Un Avíon!’ It was nothing shy of poetic. Em painted the green house and had the opportunity to meet a local named Alex. Alex is a native Haitian, but he moved to Pennsylvania and West Palm Beach, FL during his lifetime. He was deported back to Haiti, and he found himself going to the Dominican Republic to live in Batey Cuchilla. He shared lots about his faith journey. He had attended church regularly in the states, he says, but he stopped going when he arrived in the DR. Due to the language barrier (Alex speaks Creole, and the DR is primarily Spanish-speaking), he stopped attending. He also has fears of appearing ‘dirty’ in the church. I reminded him that the Lord does not care; He is loving of everyone, no matter their conditions.
The locals helped us paint without us even asking, and they were so patient with us. After we finished painting, we prayed over some of the locals and the pastor and headed back to Batey Nueve. For lunch, we had a delicious rice and bean mixture, the incredible Batey bread, and a vegetable medley. Then we started our drive back to the Med Center in Santiago. We stopped once at a convenience store and got ice cream bars! Oh my, talk about a drive… it was LONG, but Narciso got us home safely.
Throughout the drive, everyone had their time to take a short nap and reset from our journey. There was lots of small talk, hair braiding (thanks Amanda and Ruby!), laughing, and processing. A beautiful five hours for our team, I must say! We arrived back for dinner, which was spaghetti and pineapple. Next, we heard Em and Brooklyn’s testimonies and had some great conversation and prayer afterwards. We all hung out for the night and played cards, read, and journaled.
To have experienced the Batey’s with such a sound group of people was the biggest blessing. Together we were able to embody what it means to be a Christ-centered community. We all worship one God; we all know one story: The Gospel.
Hey guys! Ainsley and Kali here. Today we locked in at 4:30 am sharp to embark on our journey into the Guaimi Providence, which is a reservation. We stopped along the way at the Musmanni bakery for some quick; fire food. That jon was good. DonRon, our bus driver, absolutely clutched up driving the stick shift bus to make sure we got there safely. The views were breathtaking and made the 7 hour drive feel so fast! When we got here, we were welcomed with open arms and the home-cooked lunch hit the spot. Then some of us did some exploring and we found a sweet river, some amazing swinging bridges, and even wild horses!
After, we went to the local school and we played sports with them. Such as FÚTBOL SUIIIII!! Mmm actually, it was the best thing ever and the kids got excited to play the beautiful game of fútbol/soccer in the rain. (Unreal and so amazing <3 ) After the games and brazy fútbol, Kali and Kevin demonstrated how to use the water filters to the community so they could have access to clean water. We got to give away 30 tap filters from Sawyer to change the lives of the families in this community. Their smiles were amazing to see, and this community truly has been nothing short of generous and they demonstrate love so well in everything they do.
Once the water filter demonstration was finito, we made friendship bracelets at the pastor’s house where we are staying and ate some delectable empanadas. They were hot, crispy, and FRESH! It was such a great bonding moment for the team and there was lots of laughs. Some of the people in our group went on another hike and what was thought to be a short walk turned into a journey and a half up a mountain. It was an unexpected, but yet such a rewarding adventure. Let us tell you, it was MUDDY but the views and the mems made it so worth it. Truly, an amazing experience.
Dinner was so yummy, but we had unexpected guest(S). Due to the rain, something that only happens twice a year happened to us. WE. WERE. SWARMED by flying ants! Don’t fret, they are completely harmless, and just wanted to see whats up. Some of us enjoyed that extra protein (See Brendan O’Donnell). Team time after dinner was very special. We got to hear three amazing testimonies from Justin, Hannah and Cara. It is truly touching to see how much our team has bonded over the past couple of days. Tucker led us in a bible study about the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord’s Mercy. It was a great way to end our day and reflect on how God is moving in Costa Rica and in our team’s lives.
We started off our day with a cardio workout at 6 am at the church basketball court in Batey Neuve. This was followed by breakfast and devotional time. This allowed us to learn more about the importance of mentorship and how we are called to mentor others towards Christ. This was a great way to start, before we headed out to the first village to distribute water filters.
Our first stop was Tamarindo. This is a small village that sits outside of the Bateys, and is distanced from the sugar cane fields and lined with beautiful mountains. Pastor Edward welcomed us into his church as he gathered the few members of the congregation. We stood next to him in the front of the church and sang a song of thanks and worship before beginning the explanation of the water filters. Next, we provided a live demonstration of the filters, in which we made the water visibly dirty. After the water traveled through the filter, it appeared clear and safe to drink. Following the team demonstration, we broke into small groups to work hand and hand with a community member in their homes to create the filters. The members were extremely grateful.
After all of the members received filters in their homes, we traveled to the other side of Tamarindo to distribute more filters. We followed the same sequence as we provided a demo for community members. The goal of the demo is to educate the community on the filters to ensure sanity and future longevity. After, we built another 25 water filters for the people. As we were building the filters, we also made sure to love on the community members and share the word of God with them. We used the water filters to provide an image of how accepting God can take our dirty past and make them clean and pure. After our first two stops we returned back to Batey Neuve for lunch! The morning consisted of lots of smiles, worship, and water filters.
Lunch in the Batey Nueve is something that truly feels like a dream. Fresh fruit, warm meat, and ice cold water, the blessings seemed to overflow. After spending a morning with people who have nothing in “our eyes”. The feeling of wanting to give back was something Sam and myself had talked about while on the way to continue to hand out water filters. We arrived at the church in Batey Seis and were greeted by pastor Ricalvin and his congregation. The warm eyes, massive smiles of the kids waiting on the street seemed to uplift everyone’s spirits. As we got off the bus the kids met us with high fives and hugs as we ventured into the church. Inside the church you could feel the presence of the Lord as Ricalvin addressed his congregation. He did so in such a way that brought nothing but hope and love to the people he was speaking too. The water filters were easier to assemble as we had been preparing and presenting them all day to various people and groups. The confidence from those who shared and demonstrated was something that was truly inspiring.
Another aspect of the day that i am sure we will never forget was playing with the kids. They insisted on playing all kinds of games, from piggy back rides, to rock, paper, scissors, to baseball with a bottle cap. The joy and the smiles on the kids’ faces was something that brought an exuberant amount of energy to the group. I saw peers interacting and engaging with them like they had been babysitting them for years. Confidence was shown by just jumping in and engaging with them in every way possible regardless of the language barrier. After some play, and distribution of the water filters we headed back to Bate Nueve for dinner.
After dinner the neighborhood children came out to play with us. We played everything from rubber band flipping, to baseball, to basketball and arm wrestling, dominoes and cards. This was something out of a dream as we all were able to intermingle and spend time just enjoying life together. The little girls offered to braid anyone’s hair who wanted and they were incredible.
The boys were competing on the basketball court without shoes on like it was game seven of the NBA finals. The pure love for being around each other couldn’t have been more clear. The devotional and shared stories that followed were a blessing as we debriefed the day, shared our experiences and offered support as testimonies were gracefully shared. It was another beautiful day spent in Bate Nueve, one that was filled with many blessings, lessons, and laughter.
We’re excited for what tomorrow will bring! Go Hope!
(Note: This was written on Monday night. We were not able to post the last couple of days while we were distributing Sawyer water filters, so we’re going to post a few times today so you know what we’ve been up to!)
Just messin’, 14 hours later we have arrived to the beautiful village of Batey Nueve. We were welcomed with smiling faces and joyful laughs. But let’s take a moment to reflect back on the day, through the eyes of Jack and Sophie.
The day started early. The boys were up at 4:30am to get a pump in. Then the group had a quick breakfast and loaded onto the bus at 6am.
Things were going well and we made it to our first rest stop to grab a snack and stretch our legs. We got back on the road and headed to the grocery store to get more 5 gallon water drums that will be used for the water filtration.
After leaving the store we were ahead of schedule and lunch was ordered. Things were good and then the bus started to hiccup. Narceso, our bus driver, pulled us over safely to check what was up. Time was around 10am. We had a feeling it was going to be a minute so we started to play some games. Competition was high as we played many rounds of Wah, kung fu, master, and rock toss. The man the myth the legend, Narceso, found out there was a problem in the fuel line and blew out the gunck. And just like that we were back on the road.
All was good as we entered Azua, which is known as the drug capital of the DR and has a very rich history with their independence. Little did we know we’d have quite the history with the town as well. Lunch was picked up at Pollo Ray’s and we stopped to get a second opinion from the best mechanic in Azua. The bus was pulled into the shop to be checked out and we kept ourselves busy by watching the organized chaos that is the Dominican traffic. Why have stop signs and speed limits when all you need is a horn? The mechanics thought they had the problems resolved at around 3pm. We hopped back on the bus and continued our voyage to the Batey’s.
Brooklyn said a beautiful prayer asking for safety for the rest of our trip, but right as we got out of Azua, the hiccups returned. And Narceso’s poor baby needed to return to the mechanics. News came that we were in need of a new bus and it wouldn’t get to us for another 2 hours. But you can only watch traffic for so long so we set up camp in a gas station. The two women that were working were very kind allowing us to stay and entertain ourselves for the time being. Bonds truly kept getting stronger as laughter was a common denominator.
As 6 o’clock rolled around the new bus arrived and we loaded our supplies through the use of an assembly line, Henry Ford would be proud.
The trailer was hooked up and it was time to continue our treck. Soon the city life turned in to rural villages and John, the GO minister, began to tell us stories of the Bateys (the villages). One thing that stood out was the influence of Voodoo and how it confuses people and leads them away from Jesus. John believes Voodoo is the reason why Haiti continues to struggle. One story in particular outlined God’s work here in the DR and how He transformed a witch doctor into a firm believer. Truly incredible how God works.
Through the sugar cane fields we could see that Batey Nueve was in sight! Hurray! However, as cheers died down we began to turn around, something felt lighter. Sure enough Narceso noticed that the trailer fell off so we said “adios Batey Nueve” and headed back to find it. Luckily we didn’t have to go back to Azua, the trailer was just down the road. We hooked it back up and headed back. However, it wouldn’t be a true trip to Batey Nueve without one more bump in the road. The trailer fell off again so we carried it the rest of the way to the church.
Our exhaustion quickly faded as we were greeted by smiling faces! It felt like a welcome home. After unloading and playing with the kids, we heard from two important members of the church, Alexandria and Jose. Rain began to fall, the power was going in and out followed but their testimonies continued. We got to hear from three of our SEED members as well, Amanda, Ruby, and Justice. Truly incredible to hear your peers’ stories.
This day may sound like it was never ending, and at times we felt the same way. But God had a plan and each stop allowed us to not only grow in our faith in Him but to grow in our friendships with one another. Overall, we are left with great memories and many laughs.
We started the day by waking up at 6:10 am and had the most delicious breakfast. Which consisted of pancakes, fruit, bread and a traditional Costa Rican juice. We hopped on the bus around 7:05 am and headed to the UAI prison Push The Rock partners with. At the prison, we had the opportunity to play a basketball game. Everyone participated and it was even some of our team members first time trying to play basketball! We had a great time and enjoyed showing Gods love and kindness through the game of basketball.
After our game; 2 of our team members Kevin and Tucker gave testimonies to both basketball teams. We learned valuable lessons from our team members about how God has a plan to prosper you and never to harm you, and how He will never forsake you.
We were pleasantly surprised and incredibly blessed to be able to hear testimonies from 2 inmates in the prison who volunteered to speak on the spot. We learned how their faith has grown incredibly while in prison and they feel spiritually filled when they dive into the scripture. We were moved from their testimonies and were shown again how God moves in so many different ways and how his reach is so vast.
As we drove back we were shown scenery of the mountains and forests that surround San Jose and it was a true testament to beauty of God’s creation.
For lunch we had spaghetti with Costa Rican meat sauce, salad, garlic bread, and cupcakes. The food has been so good and we have loved getting to taste true Costa Rican flavors. Carl had 3 plates for lunch which was a PR.
Following lunch we hopped on the bus to head over to Project Abraham; A School/Daycare with an emphasis on assisting single moms who have endured hardships. We taught 3 different age groups ranging from Kindergarten to 6th grade, and engaged in fun games like relay races and banana split which was traditional Costa Rican game amongst children. We also had opportunities to coach them in familiar sports like Soccer and Basketball; While also having an opportunity to introduce a new sport to them, lacrosse.
Kali and Hannah shared testimonies to the children and left them important lessons about choosing Jesus in spite of many other worldly pressures.
We came home and ate another wonderful meal prepared by none other than Donya Xena. We ate chicken over a bed of white rice, salad, muffins, and fried plantains covered in cheese. After dinner, 3 team members: Tyler, Marcus, and Ainsley gave testimonies which were very powerful and impactful.
Overall, we had a great 4th day and we can’t wait to wake up at 4:15 in the morning tomorrow!!!! Stay Tuned! #PrayersNecessary
Happy Memorial Day to all of our favorite people back home! We hope you had a wonderful day.
We started off this sunny Monday with a traditional Costa Rican breakfast called gallo pinto. Most people have gallo pinto (rice and beans) with every single meal. We only had it this morning with eggs!
After breakfast we hopped on the hot dog mobile (our bus) to take the steep, curvy trek to Linda Vista School. On our way up we could see the whole city of San Jose. Upon our arrival the kids were excited to see us. They were even jumping in our arms.
Throughout the day, we had the privilege of teaching gym to 1st through 6th graders. We played sharks and minos, did relay races, jumped rope, played lacrosse, soccer, and basketball. The gym and school looked a lot different than what we may see back home, but in the best possible ways. These kids were full of joy, energy, curiosity, and pure gratefulness throughout the day which definitely made our day easier. Brendan, Carl, and I (Caleigh) were even able to share the game of lacrosse with the kids which they had never heard of before. I (Maddie) also had the opportunity to teach kids how to use my softball mitt. It was amazing!
During our break for the day we were able to see one of the prettiest landscapes we have ever seen.
After our time at the school we drove back down the windy, steep road and arrived back at AMCA house! Here, we had lunch which was fish and cheesy mashed potatoes. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
Next we walked to the local park down the street. We spent some time as a team teaching our sports to one another. We realized that not many times back at Hope do we get to try other sports that aren’t our own which made the night fly by.
Finally (we were hungry… psh Kayla) it was time for dinner. We ate beef on rice with brownies (something new!). Side note, chocolate is so much better here.
We ended the night with heartfelt testimonies from Olivia, Natalie, and Maddie. We are so grateful for their stories which reminded us of God’s goodness and how He meets you where you are at the most unexpected times.
We can’t wait to share all of the beautiful pictures with you.
Hey extended SEED Costa team, Happy Sunday! Brendan and Natalie here for todays rundown. We had a busy day today that started early at a local bakery.
The bakery was lined with all sorts of goods that we had never seen before. Every team member got to choose two pastries and said they really enjoyed their breakfasts (savory and sweet!).
After breakfast, we walked home to get dressed for church. The congregation was small but they welcomed us with open arms and smiles. They worshiped with incredible passion and it was special to share ours with them as well. As the worshiping was happening, Carl and I had a lot fun trying to pick up on all the words of the songs using our very limited knowledge. One of songs played during worship was “Yahweh”. This is commonly played during chapel back home, and everyone was really excited to hear it. We also loved the sermon. The pastor and his son-in-law did a good job translating it for us. They had excellent chemistry together.
Once church finished up, we hopped on the bus and drove over to the Lincoln Mall here in San Jose. We haven’t seen a mall so busy in years! The food court was full of soccer jerseys because the Costa Rican League 1 Championship was today. The game was taking place a couple miles down the road so all the fans were out getting ready. We each got to choose our lunch, and there was plenty of places we recognized from home.
Our shopping trip wasn’t done there. The next stop was Walmart. The list of necessities included local chocolate and coffee. We are looking forward to sharing it with you guys once we get back home (If any of it makes it back!)
We made our way back to the AMCA House and had a little bit of time before dinner. We worked on prepping water filter buckets for later in the week, and were able to catch the second half of the local soccer game on TV while working. For dinner we had tostadas. So yum!
Next was team time. The Wolma’s all shared their personal testimonies and we loved hearing about each of their stories. Then we moved into bible study focusing on making the most out of difficult times.
We’re all super excited for tomorrow. We can’t wait to go to the Linda Vista school and play with all the kids. Time to get some sleep!
Hey everyone! Justice and Syd are here today to talk about the highlights of our day. We had a packed day today, but are thankful for each moment we had.
We started off the morning with a nice, but challenging, body weight workout that consisted of using a deck of cards. The workout was 109 regular push-ups, 109 decline push-ups, 109 crunches, and 109 squats (f.y.i. I did not participate ~ Justice). Once we finished up those workouts around 8am, we went our separate ways for about 15 minutes to get ready. Breakfast consisted of cereal, milk, and scrambled eggs. After breakfast, we went over our Devotionals with John and learned about how he came to do missionary work. In a brief summary, although he wasn’t the perfect Christian growing up (just as none of us are perfect and learning daily) he felt that God was always orchestrating his path. He ended up meeting a man through a friend named, Brook, who was already doing missionary work. Even though he denied God’s calling of doing missionary work for months, he ultimately found himself asking to become a missionary and that’s where his journey began. Proceeding his wonderful story, we all walked to church, where the women were wearing modest clothes (such as dresses, skirts, etc) and the men wearing collared shirts and trousers (khakis, slacks, etc). On our way to church, we passed through Little Haiti. Although it’s only a couple blocks around the corner, we felt as if we were in a completely different area. Rather than speaking being greeted with a Hola, we were greeted with a Bonjour. The environment seemed less up kept and the makeup of the people were that of Haitians rather than dominantly Dominicans. Once we made it through Little Haiti, we made it to church, which was called, Iglesia Cristiana Central G.O. Ministries. The church was nondenominational and they were worshipping with clapping of hands, singing out loud, playing the guitar, drums, piano, etc. They were very hospitable people and welcome us with open arms. We celebrated and prayed for all of those whose birthday was in the month of May and celebrated Dominican Mother’s Day as well. There was communion involved and I also observed that they had a baptism tank. The message, although we couldn’t comprehend it due to language barriers was beautiful. We were able to understand through the passion, intensity, and reading of the word. Once the sermon was finished, we worshipped a song that was half Spanish and half English and it was a heartwarming moment that will forever be cherished. We also learned, Dios te bendiga, which means God bless you!
After having sandwiches for lunch back at the Med Clinic, we headed out to the Leadership Development Center for their field day. In addition to the previous day of only basketball, there was soccer, wiffle-ball, volleyball, and even a little football! It was so special to see how all the different kids welcomed one another and welcomed us. We learned that there are no boy volleyball teams in the DR, but boys were still participating in the game (and they were really good!) solely because they enjoyed it. This reminded us that no matter what sport we all play, having fun should always be the most important aspect. Throughout the entirety of the field day, all of us were able to connect with so many kids through so many different sports. This is one day that I think we will all remember!
Driving home from field day, we were all very sweaty (and smelly) but more importantly we all felt very grateful. Once we got back “home”, we had some downtime before dinner. Some of us showered, played games, or just relaxed. Most importantly, Justice FINALLY got his suitcase and Syd won her euchre game! Which one of these is more important could be up for debate. For dinner, we headed to a local spot for empanadas. There were so many options to choose from and I don’t think anyone could have made a bad decision. This was a lot of our first times having empanadas and it’s safe to say none of us were disappointed. We also had the opportunity to try very unique flavors of pop, like butterscotch and the DR version of cream soda. This meal was a 10/10 for sure!
Once dinner was finished up, we headed over to the church to pack up some things that we’ll need for the next few days. We are headed to Batey Nueve (Village #9), which is a more rural community in the sugar cane fields. While here, it is possible that we might not have internet or cell service. Please don’t be concerned! Blog posts will resume as soon as possible so you can all continue to follow along on our journey! Pray for save travels, we head out at 6 am and have a 5 hour journey to the Bateys!
