Mon voyage,en

The following posts are written by Chris Dreeson, a teacher from Miami, Floride, and a recent participant in our June 2016 voyage. Prendre plaisir!

Dimanche

Church was a wonderful experience for me. There was much love there. I truly appreciated the music on many levels. The leaders were certainly filled with the Holy Spirit and the congregation responded beautifully with song. My fervent wish is that members of my own congregation at KPC could sing with such fervor and devotion, but admittedly they have been getting better. I appreciated the projected lyrics and I tried my best to sing in Spanish and found that I knew many of the words and phrases though I don’t speak the language well.

After church we took a stroll through the surrounding village and it struck me that I have far too many blessings in my life and that I’d really like to share them, distribute them, and spread more love and devotion to my brothers and sisters in Christ. I was also thankful for meeting Scott and Jake and rejoiced to see that other fathers and sons in the world could be as close and as loving as these two. It made me miss my son and I texted him how much I loved and appreciated him. He texted me back and it was beautiful. Then I texted my daughter and she responded in similar fashion. It was a miniature love fest on a phone.

Even though I saw poverty today, and garbage, and difficult living conditions, I saw more smiles and more welcome gestures today from the villagers than I’ve seen in my own neighborhood, where everyone lives their own lives rather than communal lives, shared lives, mutual lives. The Lord spoke to me today that not only is much to be done here in the company of these beautiful young people from Orlando and Jacksonville, but also on my own street and my own village. I thought I would be sad seeing how people lived today, but instead I rejoiced at their love and their love of simple things: a kind word, a smile to a stranger, an embrace of an old friend, a toddler being bathed in the waters of Christ.

It was a beautiful day. I eagerly anticipate working tomorrow to help work wonders for the Lord. We are all humble servants of Christ and called here for a purpose. It is simply to love and be loved.

Lundi

To speak truly, I was nervous inside because I really wanted to make a valuable contribution to the mission today, but I was not sure if I would. It didn’t take me long to realize that the mission is definitely not about me or my contribution. It was a glorious day.

The morning involved the group helping with Jenny’s future house. Jenny is a teacher for Mission Emmanuel and her family will be moving into the house upon its completion. The group basically formed a bucket line, with my friend Scott helping at the beginning of the line shoveling dirt and mixing concrete; others helped with putting the concrete in buckets; others passing buckets in or back out. Since I was one of the tallest in the group, my job was to pass the bucket up to Luis so he could pour the concrete into the various corners that needed it. Initially it was pretty easy, but then the buckets started to feel heavier, especially on the lift up to Luis. Thankfully one of the youth leaders, also named Chris, stepped in as lifter and I went to his job as passer. At one point I started singing “Amazing Grace, Our Chains are Gone” and several members of the youth group joined in. A nice moment.

But much more special than that was John’s testimony at lunch. He was sitting with me, Scott, and Scott’s son, Jake. He spoke of the moment that he truly knew he was a Christian, and it happened in the very room we were sitting in four years ago during Wednesday night’s service (despite the mosquitoes). He is a rising freshman at UNC Chapel Hill and he is truly articulate and sincere. His most powerful testimony, for me, was when he began speaking of his family’s sponsorship of a local child through school. For only $40 par mois, the child will be able to go to school and get a quality education. I was so moved by his story that I instantly went over to Emanuel, the sponsorship coordinator, and let him know that my family would also like to sponsor a child.

After a lunch break, we took a tour of Mission Emanuel’s facilities. At the mission site, they have a water purification plant that purifies 5100 gallons of water per day and has been directly responsible for decreasing children’s mortality rate by more than 70% in recent years. If that wasn’t enough, they also provide medical facilities to the local village (at a loss of $70,000 per year, but they shift other budget items to make it work) and even provide physical therapy. They also make wheelchairs from parts made from prisoners in the United States. Mission Emanuel also sponsors a school for children, English education, and makes valiant efforts to stay with these children until they enter college. One of them, Yan, is going to major in chemical engineering. I met him after church on Sunday because I was so impressed with his guitar playing.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get better, we were given a challenge to go into the community and make connections, even if there was a language barrier. So I accompanied Scott and his son and we mostly interacted with children, giving out packs of baseball cards that Scott and his son had wrapped with rubber bands, or distributing barrettes to the little girls, and even a soccer ball. But we also stopped here and there and simply spoke with the villagers despite my halting Spanish. They are so loving and appreciative of our efforts and I must confess that I truly admire their love of simple things and how they live so openly and communally. Even from fifty yards away, across an overgrown field filled with garbage, the children would spot us and yell, “Americanos!!” Their shouts provided the direction of our path.

I’m not sure why I waited so long to do one of these missions, but I know I’d like to come back ideally with my wife on a family trip, and again by myself with a men’s group. That’s not to say that I mind being with these incredible young people, but I know the dynamic of those other trips would be fulfilling in a different way. I am hoping and trusting that my wife will agree that sponsoring a child is simply the right thing to do.

Mardi

Our collective mission today was an interesting one: we moved a huge pile of sand from ground level to the third floor of the soon-to-be community fitness center. No doubt that sand will be mixed with water to create cement for finishing the walls and floors. I went to the very top knowing that one of the harder jobs would be to take the bucket of sand, create a new pile, and then pile the empty buckets for the trip down. The life-giving breath of God was seemingly ubiquitous: in the flora and fauna surrounding us, in the light seeping in through the arched windows, in the breeze that managed to cool those of us at the top, in the songs of the young women serenading the reinforcements and the wire and the cobbled concrete. The life-giving breath of God was in each grain of sand that found its way up the precipitous stairs, much like it is evidenced by each grain of sand that gets vaulted by the incoming tide. I remember thinking of my muscles and how they were reacting, the lactic acid building and the fatigue beginning to arch, and again I realized that all of this surrounding me, inhaling and exhaling, had nothing to do with me or my minor ailments. It was a collective effort to stem the force of poverty, to alleviate suffering, to promote education, to purify water, to raise awareness that children are in need, to eventually share loving moments with those stricken with leprosy, to abandon the selfish focus of our “me” generation and attempt, even vainly, to become a true servant of Christ.

Any feelings of inadequacy began to fade knowing that the focus had to be turned outward, away from selfish desires. But it was also frustrating to know that so much more had to be done, and would more visits to the Dominican Republic possibly put a dent in all that needed to be accomplished? But, bien sûr, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and many of us stepped together today, even in the simple swinging of a bucket full of sand. I have a strong feeling that I’ll be returning to this place.

Again, the best part of the day was the community visit, and most especially when Scott and his son Kyle decided to pull the magic soccer ball out of the bag. The street’s energy transformed almost instantaneously when the initiated soccer game became a communal volleyball match. Street children, a Dominican mother, and Mission Emanuel members became members of the same team. Crazy Gatlin let a parade of screaming girls up and down the street in miniature shouts of joy; Max chased boys with a leaf and created a strange and magical tag match, Parker tossed a baseball with a young man who clearly enjoyed doing something as simple as playing catch, PG sat on the curb with clearly happy Dominican girls and simply enjoying their company.

Mercredi

Back to Jenny’s house today for our final day of labor. I truly wished we had met her. I only know that she is a teacher for Mission Emanuel, and perhaps that’s all I need to know. Much progress was made in such a short time and I truly admire the strength of the Dominican workers. They never tire.

Angel Joel Lantigua Panteleon. My wife and I have the means to help change this boy’s life here in the Dominican Republic by sponsoring his education. I simply know it’s the right thing to do. I pulled his picture from the board today and it was done.

The power of a mission trip such as this lies in the pursuit of the ultimate passion: Christ’s journey. He simply encourages us to love each other and live each day with an eye towards Him, perhaps asking the question, “What would Jesus do”? I’ve seen Jesus many times on this excursion, this quest, this journey. I’ve seen Jesus in the faces of the Dominican people of all ages. I heard Jesus in the passion of their voices in church this evening. Strangely enough, I smell Jesus in the omnipresent garbage in the village of Cielo that does not stop its people from the pursuit of simplicity and goodness.

And in the decompression phrase of the day, with a chance stumbling onto a deliciously delightful film called About Time (2013) where I laughed and cried and rejoiced in the central message of the film. It reaffirmed what had been echoing from the concrete walls all day: to live each moment and embrace life. I have far too many blessings in this world and it’s time to redistribute them.

So, l'ange, I write this to you now in English, hoping someday that you’ll be able to read it. Maybe I’ll learn enough Spanish to tell you. But our commitment to you comes with no strings attached. My wife and I are simply doing what is right, and somehow God in His infinite wisdom allowed our lives to come together. I am hoping we will meet for the first time tomorrow, but in all likelihood your providers of your education will live far away. Because of that I am putting a great deal of faith in God, vous, your parents, and Mission Emanuel. I pray tonight before I lay my head to the pillow that God will enfold you in his arms and create a beautiful life for you. I pray that He will help to mold you into a man of integrity and good deeds, always being a “man for others”. I pray that He will lift you up into his grace and mercy and allow you to live the fullest life you can possibly live: eventually with a beautiful family. And maybe one day, long after my wife and I are gone from this world, you may take a few moments to reflect on the goodness of creation, thanking God that you have devoted your life for the betterment of others. Et, if we’re lucky, my wife and I will smile down upon you from heaven, eagerly awaiting you there with open arms, as we await our own birth children.

Je vous remercie, Lord, for another beautiful day.

Jeudi

The word “leprosy” is mentioned 27 times in the Bible and one would think that the disease is along the lines of the plague or smallpox, essentially wiped out. And that is true to some degree. But in the Dominican Republic there is one place, called a leprosorium, where patients afflicted with the disease are cared for. Aujourd'hui, we visited that place. It’s a community of people who have contracted the disease and essentially have been discarded by their families. We were informed that these patients rarely get any visitors. We were also told that once the disease is regulated with medication, it is not contagious. The main doctor who cares for these patients has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to his patients at this hospital.

As we got off the bus, we were greeted by this phenomenal doctor who gave an informed presentation, through a translator, of the three main forms of leprosy. But he also mentioned a fourth type that he himself discovered: the leprosy of the soul. He had told us that an initial manifestation of the disease is a white spot on the skin that grows insensitive to touch. Regarding leprosy of the soul, he cautioned that if someone stops caring for others, they too also grow insensitive in a profound way. He exhorted us to never stop caring.

We then broke up into small groups and visited various patients, but my favorite was Luisa. We met her in her room as she sat on her bed. She has no fingers and she told us in Spanish that she also has no toes, but we wouldn’t be able to see that because she was wearing socks. She said it in such a funny way that we all laughed with her. A wicked sense of humor. Somehow I became translator and somehow God gave me the strength to comprehend much of what she was saying. She spoke of her parents, of her friends that she has not seen in years, and how special it was that we came to see her, that we were in many ways her family. I assured her that this was true, that we were all brothers and sisters in Christ and I asked her if she had accepted Christ as her Savior and she smiled saying, “Por supuesto, joven”. (Bien sûr, young man). As everyone left and went to another room, I couldn’t help but stay with her. She spoke more at length about the simple things she appreciated every day: her comfortable bed, her table to put her things, her warm and colorful socks, her nurses and especially her wonderful doctor. She looked at me with those beautiful swollen eyes and simply said, “Canta mas para mi”. How could I refuse? Then my eyes became red and swollen, with tears streaming down my face, especially when she started to sing with me: a beautiful tiny voice. So I softened my voice to blend with hers and she exclaimed, “Non, no, Canta, Canta!” Never before have I felt a stronger presence of Christ than in that room with Luisa.

After lunch and thinking that the day simply couldn’t get any better, Emanuel, one of the sponsor coordinators, offered to drive Scott, Jake (his son), and me into Nazareth to meet the children we had decided to sponsor. In his infinite generous nature, Scott once again asked if I would like to give my sponsored child a gift (earlier in the week, Scott had kept me amply supplied with packets of baseball cards for the village boys and colorful barrettes for the village. girls). This time the gift would be a red soccer ball.

As we drove up to the gated house, I saw my future sponsor child, l'ange, dart behind a car, but I knew it was him from his smile in the photograph. Angel lives with his abuela during the day because his mother has to work to provide for the family. There is no father in the picture and this story is far too often replicated in this island nation. But Mission Emanuel has determined that to break the cycle of poverty (and perhaps also the cycle of apathetic fatherhood) the mission must focus on providing quality education, quality medical care, and quality water for the surrounding villages. Due to Angel’s dog barking, Angel’s uncle came down from his apartment across the street and spoke to use in perfect English (being from New York!). He told us how happy he was that Angel would be able to go to school with many of his friends now who attend the private school sponsored by Mission Emanuel. He was very direct letting us know how much better the mission school was on a variety of levels including the quality of the teachers, the activities, and simply the attitudes of the children who attend. Everybody wants to be there and everybody wants to succeed. I had a chance to speak briefly with Angel, who was understandably shy, but certainly not letting go of his brand new red soccer ball. The light of Christ was just as bright in his eyes as it had been in Luisa’s eyes earlier in the day. I was doing just fine until the machismo uncle gently pulled me aside as we were leaving and, with tears in his eyes, said “Brother, I can’t thank you enough for helping out my nephew.” In Spanish I told him, “El gusto es mio, Senor. Todos somos hermanos en Cristo. Solo asegurese de que trabaja duro en la escuela.” (The pleasure is mine, sir. Just make sure he works hard in school.). He simply nodded his head and gave me a hug.

We ended our day with a visit to a vast array of souvenir shops (certainly my least favorite of all our activities of the week, but definitely a chance for the youth group to buy some trinkets and learn the art of bartering), an informative walking tour of Santo Domingo, and finally another wonderful restaurant with no wait or want of food and, this time, some fine dancing entertainment that involved many of the youth eventually cavorting themselves.

It is impossible to truly articulate my thanks to so many people on so many levels: to Chris Masciatti for sponsoring my trip here; to my wife Lynne for even allowing me to go on such a trip; to Jim and Cindy Sweeney and the Mission Emanuel summer staff for being kind and gracious hosts; for Scott and Jake for being the best mission companions anyone could hope for; for Rodolfo for his exceptional driving skills; for Emanuel and Nicole for making the idea of sponsorship a reality; for the exceptional kindness and gratitude of the Dominican people everywhere we went, for the youth on this mission for their energy, compassion, and love; and most especially for the doctor, the patients, and most especially Luisa at the Leprosorium for defining what true humanity is and should be.

I hope and pray that I may return to the Dominican Republic on another mission trip, perhaps with the men’s group and even more so with my wife if I can convince her.

Matthew 25: 35-40 : “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; I needed clothes and you clothed me; I was sick and you looked after me; I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, tout ce que vous avez fait pour l'un des moins de ces frères et sœurs de la mine, vous avez fait pour moi.”