(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.
Jack Mack and Soph signing out!🤙