Dominican Republic Trip
This was Freedom Christian Schools 11th trip to Juan Tomas, Dominican Republic.
Our school has a lot invested in this ministry.
On Friday, April 2, at 4:00 am, 20 students and 4 adults boarded a bus and headed for Chicago to board a plane for the Dominican Republic. It was a long day. We had no trouble with the luggage or tubs arriving that we took down. The team arrived at Fountain of Life Christian School at 10:00 pm, unloaded our luggage and set up our mosquito netting and went to bed. We got up the next morning and were given a tour of Paul and Linda McMillan’s goat farm. They are the missionaries that are there that minister and work with the Dominicans. We then decided the work projects for the day and began. While we were here, we did the following work projects: students painted, put up fence posts and stretched fencing, moved dirt and gravel, put up steel beams for swing sets. We also dug a 250 ft. trench 2ft. deep. Our school has been known to be a group that works very hard and gets much accomplished. This group was no different as they lived up to the Freedom tradition. Carl Key would agree with this statement. He complimented our students on a job well done.
We also had time to relax. The teens played mostly basketball and some volleyball at night with the Dominicans. They also had time to play with the young kids at night. We also had an opportunity to do a 3-day Bible club in a Haitian village. Finally, we ended the week by going to the market and then relaxing at a resort for the day. This was a trip that affected both teens and adults for eternity
Following are some comments from some of our students:
"This trip has opened my eyes to how I need to be thankful for all I have. The people here have next to nothing, but are some of the happiest people I've ever met!!" ~Amanda R.
"I've learned many things on this trip. These people have shown me how God really should be worshipped. They have such a passion for God. Also, they've reminded me how important relationships are. They have almost nothing, but still are happy just being together." ~Julie G.
"Today was a good day in the Dominican. Our team finally finished the trench. There is still work to be done, but we are having a good time. It is sad to see our week is almost over. Being here has shown me that friendships with these people are very special and important. I have made many friends. I've helped many people. They are so caring towards us, and I have seen that I too need to be caring to everyone, and not just myself. I am sad to see this week end. I will see you all soon." ~Stephanie W.
"God has definitely brought me here for a reason, and I'm starting to understand why. I am glad to see the impact we have on the children, but more importantly the change in my life and the bonding within our team. The never ending trench project came to completion as we sacrificed a little extra time to finish before supper" ~Tyler C.
"So far on this trip, God has taught me a lot about the blessings I have received in my life and how I should be grateful for them. The Dominicans here have so little compared to me, but yet they are not thinking about what they don't have. They are thankful for what they have and are happy. It's just convicting to think how greedy we can become when we have no true reason for it. We should be grateful for what God has given us, because it is more than most people. Please pray for us as we continue our ministry here and that we could make a difference in these people's lives." ~Savanna J.