We woke up early, scarfed down breakfast and headed for the church this morning early. When we got to the church we gathered in the chapel, prayed and introduced ourselves to our Dominican work partners. I shoveled, raked, and hauled coarse gravel for half a day. It was the definition of back-breaking work. It was glorious! The Dominican sun, humidity, and the smiles and laughs of the kids all day really made me feel blessed. The idea of a “work day” is very different in the Dominican than in the States. We took turns with the four shovels that the church had to clear all the gravel out of the playground next to the chapel. When I wasn’t helping with the work the Dominican kids would play pranks and tell jokes to all of us. I became the official translator of our small group and translated everything from “What is your name?” to some admirations from the young boys. Lunch was amazing authentic Dominican food and while the adults sat and digested the rest of us went and played baseball and basketball with the kids. By the time we had to leave for the day we had almost completely cleared the playground! I would have never thought we could finish it today.
Today I realized what mission really is all about. It’s not just to do the work (which is very important) but to also connect with the people. I thank God that there were only 4 shovels, not only because I could rest some of the time but because it made the rest of us look up from our work and interact with the kids at the church. Sometimes in the US we go to work, work hard constantly for 8 hours and then go home. Many of us don’t know much about our co-workers and we don’t really enjoy the freedom of enjoying our hard labor. In the Dominican work is only a part of life, not life itself. The lunches are 2 hours long and creating community is far more important than making sure a job is done vigorously and perfectly. I never thought hard labor in heat and humidity could be a breath of fresh air.
I am very grateful to God that he has given us the insight to find where our help was needed and the strength to go through it despite our fear and angst. There were many times before we left that I questioned whether this was the right path for me but now I know it was. Already this has been one of the most profound and enlightening experiences of my life. I can’t wait to come home and share my experience in more depth with you all, but for now I’m so blessed to stay and continue to help these people doing God’s work and connecting with them. Please pray for us, you are in our hearts.
Your sister in Christ, Courtney
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