Wonderings and Wanderings

The true team - Dominicans, Haitians, and Americans (and a couple of Canadians thrown in.)

I returned Saturday evening after eight days in the Dominican Republic working with Servant’s Heart Ministries. I led a team of six others from our church.  It was an amazing week of ministry, of relationship-building, of warmth! (literally since it is snowy here and sunny there).

I love to travel, to immerse myself in other cultures, to meet the large family of God. I find joy in bringing a team along – especially newbies who remind me of the first-time awe and joy of a mission trip.

I’m grateful for the physical reminders of what daily life is like for the majority of the world.  Did you know that if you make $35,000/year, you are in the top 5% of the wealthiest individuals in the world? Rich is relative.  Riches are relative.  I’ve met more joyous and grateful individuals in my travels around the world then I do in my community here.   I’m not romanticizing third-world nations or pretending that everyone in these communities are just simply happy folks and pure of heart.  They are human and there are individuals in every community that are negative, opportunistic, greedy, and self-centered. Every community has them.

But there are so many who demonstrate joy, hope, and peace regardless of their wealth or possessions (or lack thereof.)

One of the things that continually impressed us during our week of service were the volunteers.  They came from the community (not all from the church) and they gave their time and their strength to the construction project.  We were amazed at their hard work.  We were humbled by the shoes they wore that were literally held together by threads.  We were challenged by their since of community – sharing what little they had with one another.  If someone brought a bowl of rice and beans for lunch, one would take a bite then pass the bowl to the next person.  No one took more than their share.  The same with water and with tasks on the site.

In our culture of individualism and self-reliance, we have much to learn from those cultures, who often out of necessity, developed a value for community and continue to protect and nurture that value. Working together, we accomplished an amazing week of work.  Working independently, we would have nothing to show for it.

….But I do know when I’ll be back again. (if things go according to plans which you never know.)

I head out early Friday morning with a team to the Dominican Republic. We will be working with our partners, Servant’s Heart Ministries, in Sosua, Dominican Republic.  We usually spend a week with them each June doing a mobile medical clinic.  However, we are coming this week to help begin construction of a permanent medical clinic at a location where we use to do a mobile clinic.  How exciting to see the community come together and provide for this great need. There is no care for thousands of people in these areas.  What little care there is they often cannot afford.

The clinic is being built onto a local church and it has been the pastor of this church that has dreamt this project and seen it into reality. To me, it is such a wonderful testimony to why the church is here.  Not just to tend to the spiritual needs but the physical needs as well.  Jesus modeled for us the need to meet physical needs – like hunger, thirst, and yes, healing – before someone is able to listen to truth that will heal the soul.

I will be posting updates from our trip on our church’s mission blog. Please feel free to check in each day and follow our progress throughout the week.