Our team has been visibly changed by the experience. Through HOH, it was made possible for Twenty-one Christians to come together and serve the Dominican people and allow us the opportunity to live out Jesus’ greatest commandment: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Upon arrival, we got to take in the breath-taking beauty of the Hispaniola Island. A coastal ride to our beach-side villa, a home cooked meal and a magnificent sunset over the ocean gave us the feeling of royalty! We were humbled by the servant hearts of the Handfuls of Hope staff and by God’s beauty surrounding us. Nothing motivates a servant’s heart more than to be served themselves! We were here to serve and felt so honored to be served as well. We were ready to pay it forward.
As an American, we tend to forget we are part of the richest people in the world. We have so much money that we have convinced each other we should all have our own house. We should all have our own car. The more money we have, the more separated we choose to live. How many of us really know our neighbors? This question came to mind while walking through the villages and witnessing the huge family feel. Everyone knew everyone. They watched each other’s kids and hung laundry together. The sense of community was reminiscent of my parents’ stories of their childhood.
During our stay, we pack 250 bags of food and deliver them to 5 villages across the DR. We play games packing the bags to make work fun and can’t help but speculate how many meals this food will make, how many people it will feed, how many prayers will be said over the food we are holding. Ultimately, we wonder, “How many people will be impacted by a few strangers?” God knows every single hair on our heads. He hears our prayers, and He nudges us to action. People like you and me who think, “What can I do? I’m not big enough to affect anything significant.” God doesn’t need to move mountains to make monumental changes in this world. One act of kindness always leads to another. He just needs you.
Early in the week, we worked together to complete a few maintenance jobs at the Handfuls of Hope school. Painting the building and the basketball court gave our team an opportunity to build camaraderie and provide something tangible to the community.
Mid-week, we ventured out on the streets evangelizing to anyone sitting outside. We were all assigned with a translator and all we had to do was invite kids to play sports. Seemed easy enough for a first-timer! I never had the courage to street evangelize but with the friendly setting and help communicating, I challenged myself to do something outside my comfort zone and wondered, “How many other hard things have I been ignoring lately?”
When we got back to the Handfuls of Hope building, we started setting up nets and bringing equipment out of storage. Shortly after kids were playing baseball, basketball, volleyball, sack races, jumping rope, and even making bracelets. It was so much fun! Sports are a fantastic way to reach kids transitioning into adulthood. So many of us made it through our teen years because we had a great coach, great mentor, or great teacher present in our life. Isn’t that what God wants from us? To allow Him to be present in our lives.
We visited 5 villages throughout the week and at every village, we were welcomed with joy, laughter and even singing! The curiosity of the children and willingness to try to talk took away the fear of making a mistake. With a constant language barrier, we relied a lot on body language and facial expressions to understand each other. The innocent smile of a joyful child makes you feel like you’ve seen the face of God.
Every part of the trip has rolled around my mind multiple times and every time, I think of another reason to go back. I want to encourage every single human being to go on a mission trip if given the opportunity. It is life changing to see the way someone else lives, to bring a little bit of joy into their lives and allow them to share in our lives and bring joy to us.
Novation Church
Trip Participant, Jamie Pander
