Hello everyone! I just wanted to say a quick thanks for all of you that take time to read my blog. I spend a lot of time writing them, so I appreciate all the little messages and comments you’re sending me! Your support and encouragement mean the world to me, so muchas gracias!
Today we were on our way to see kids and one of our instructors fell into a deep hole up to her knee and scraped her leg up pretty bad. I was right behind her when she did it, and she passed out from shock after pulling it out of the hole. It was pretty scary, but a guy pulled over and drove her to our site. His name was Angel…coincidence? God is constantly doing little things here and it’s amazing to see how He’s working.
We saw 3 children today. For some reason I feel that my Spanish is regressing. It was the hardest thing EVER for me to even think of simple words in Spanish, and my fellow students and I have decided that this is because our brains are so full that they have reached their max capacity. Any new words that we are taught are literally going in one ear and out the other…so I’m going to wait until my brain recovers to attempt learning more Spanish. J
The internet is down again tonight so my blog will be a little late. I attempted skyping my mother today but her skype wasn’t working. It seems that in the rare case that our internet is working that something else tends to go wrong. Oh technologyJ. We also got the opportunity to go to San Fueres which means 100 fires. This place has quite the history. Apparently it started out very small and was considered a slum with prostitutes and gangs running it. It has grown immensely and community groups have fought government to make some major changes. A stunning fact we learned is that there are 500,000 people living there and only 250 are employed. Employment and health are the two biggest issues this town is dealing with. Many of the people make a living by going through dumps and trying to find plastic or glass bottles to sell. This determines if they are able to provide for their families and are more than not going hungry. It was definitely a crazy experience and as some of us mentioned in the reflection today, we feel as though we are looking through a window even though were there. It seems so unreal that people live like this every day, fighting just to put a meal on the table. We climbed to the top of the highest spot in the city and were able to look out over the entire town. It was unbelieveable to see the conditions these people are living in…it literally breaks your heart.
Something that I’ve been dealing with is the guilty feeling that I have been so blessed to have been born to an amazing family in the land of many opportunities. One of my friends made the comment today that she felt guilty for buying ice cream after we visited there because she didn’t need it, and these families didn’t even have enough for a small meal. I have now come to a realization…notice I didn’t say conclusion. This is because I don’t know that I’ll ever feel that I am completely right or will ever fully understand why they were born into these circumstances and not me. I’ve came to the realization that God has a plan and a purpose for us all. We are born into certain families, given certain opportunities, and embedded with different desires all to meet our purpose. I don’t think that it is fair to feel guilty for what we have been blessed with just because we have seen others who were not given the same things. What is important is that we show others God’s love and do our best to follow God’s will. I believe that I am in the Dominican Republic for a reason…I am here to serve. I will never be able to feed all the hungry people, teach all the parents how to better care for their child’s special needs, or give any of them a better life, but I am able to use the gifts that God has given me to share with others. I am doing my part by doing the best that I can do address each and every parent concern about their child. I am becoming a better person by seeing our world in a different perspective that I know will change me for the rest of my life. To me, this is what it is all about. Yes I’ve been frustrated many times already, yes I’ve cried and felt so hopeless that I’ve questioned my presence here, but I’ve also learned a lot about myself and another culture. It’s a great experience and I am so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to grow as a person and touch a few lives. Thank you all who have supported me emotionally or financially. Your prayers have helped me get through this thus far. I remind myself everyday how much God loves each and every one of us. He does care about our every desire, tear, and moment. And that is all for my feelings todayJ
Thanks for reading! BUENOS NOCHES!
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