Day 6 - Friday
I Wish I were an Octopus
Friday morning began in two separate parts. Jim, Deron, Phyllis, and Lis requested to go into Algodon one last time to play and walk around the village. Jim played baseball with the boys in the field. The rest of the group walked around touring the village with our friend and translator Jason. Jason was kind enough to show us where he lived and toured along with us sharing more about Algodon. While we were there we tracked down a few of our sponsored kids and got to see the outsides of their homes too. While we walked through the village we had a swarm of kiddos beside us the entire time. Each of the children fought over taking turns holding the hands of our team members. A few of them starting hitting each other so they could hold our hands. It was hard to be upset and correct them over something so delicate and tender as a hand being held. I wish we could have spontaneously sprouted extra hands, as many as an octopus, so each kid had their own hand to hold instead of sharing fingers to hold onto. We made our way back to the school for some playtime. You can see in pictures that the kids had a blast playing with us in the grass. A few of them taught us how to play some hand games. From what we could understand, one of the games is where you place your palm on the top of the person’s on either side of you. They sang a sweet little rhyme and if the song ended while your hand was being slapped, you were out. Another game was a hand clapping game similar to what we could call “Slide”. Spending a last few hours with them in our village was exactly what we needed.
At the same time, the other half the group was at the casa teaching the closing message for girls on Women of Godly character. The girls seemed like totally different people when they pulled up in the bus this morning. They were singing and shouting loudly with excitement. When they exited the bus they came up to each of us and greeted us with hugs and genuine smiles. It was so warm, we too, had beaming smiles. Noma concluded our session with a lesson on Hannah. The girls had a rich time together discussing the importance of using your little for God’s big. You may know that Hannah was considered barren. However, God eventually enables her to conceive and give birth to a son. Later, God asks Hannah to give up her one and only son (sound familiar?). Because Hannah was willing to do so, Her son became a profit and shared with the world the coming of a savior, Jesus. We soon later released the girls into the pool. Full steam ahead they jumped in whole-heartedly. You have to see the pictures. The joy on their faces is absolutely indescribable. The girls even got to stay to have lunch with us! It took some coaxing to get them out of the pool, but when you hear “food is ready”, you really only do one thing – grab a plate and get in line. The veranda was filled with the sweet sounds of laughter and conversations buzzing. It was difficult to have to leave that space and say goodbye to the girls we’ve spent so much time with this week. But this goodbye was nowhere near the level of difficulty as the one we would face just a few hours later.
Leaving Eden
The afternoon of our day was probably the event that we were both looking forward to the most, and at the same numbingly dreading. One of the best benefits on going on a mission’s trip with COTN is getting to meet the children you sponsor. Without a doubt, getting to go the falls with your kids makes that quality time even more special. We heard the, ever so famous, honk of our bus pull up to the casa. Inside were our anxious and delighted sponsored children from Algodon. Our team entered the bus and found seats amongst our elated children and took off. Along the way we were listening to happy travel music including the Beach Boys’ “Kokmo”. The lyrics to that song go, “We’ll get there fast and then we’ll take it slow”. What a beautiful thought to explain how we were feeling in that moment. We were on our way to one of the most beautiful places in the country with our beloved. We wanted to get there as soon as we possibly could, but when we did we desired for the time to come to a complete stop. If only that song had been a foreshadowing sentiment to bless over our time at the falls. We unloaded off the bus to the gorgeous landscape. This Garden of Eden lookalike resembled something out of page 16 in a travel magazine. We spent hours playing in the cold waters of the pools and soaking in the tropical, lush greenery. We took pictures with our kiddos in the waterfall and snapped a few pictures with them eating their snacks and opening the gifts we had given them. The gift giving process was quite different than what we have ever experienced. The kids sipped and savored every little item they pulled out of their bags and held it closely. After they went through it all they wrapped it all back up in pristine condition and clung to it like a baby to their blanky. They were interested in what each other received, but they weren’t grabby or possessive like the bead and bubble incident earlier in the week. Even though we were there for a couple hours it seemed like only minutes had gone by. Before we even got there it seemed like it was already over. After our time at the falls, we can better relate to Adam and Eve in a whole new way. After their banishment from the Garden of Eden can’t you just picture them pleading with God not to make them leave? Can’t you imagine how saddened and sorrowful they felt leaving? It’s just a glimpse at how our team felt at the falls. The struggle was in part due to having to leave such a serene place, but mostly because we knew it was the last time we would spend time with our kids for… who knows how long…
Sweet Agony
On our bus ride back to the casa, we had kids in our laps and others side by side. It was a bittersweet sight seeing sponsors with their children laughing, smiling and chattering away. We sang silly songs the whole way. We would sing an English song, then the kids would sing one in Spanish. It was a beautiful exchange of music. However, all good things must come to an end. Before we knew it we were back at the casa. We all exited the bus together and headed to the lawn for prayer. We offered thanks to God for such a picture perfect afternoon, and prayed that our kids would be well taken care of while we are gone. We also prayed that one day we could return to see them again soon. Cue the waterworks… Our eyes filled with tears as we gave hugs and said our final goodbyes. We walked the longest journey of our lives when we took our children’s hands and walked them to the bus. They stepped back up into the bus and poked their heads out the windows. They waved goodbye as Alejandro drove their precious little faces back to Algodon. To say we were sad to see them go would be a gross, inappropriate understatement. Our team stood there motionless, broken hearted and devastated. In the comforting arms of each other, we were drowning in our own tears.
Hasta La Pasta At the Casa
The COTN staff in the Dominican Republic really knows how to soften the blow of goodbyes and heartache. They threw us a large party to celebrate our coming and to thank us for the gift we have given to them with our presence. It seems like our team should have been throwing them the party. COTN does so much work on a daily basis for the children of the Dominican Republic. We just came in for a few short days; they are the real heroes. But, that just shows the nature of their hearts and their welcoming hospitality. The entire, in country, COTN staff and their families came over to have dinner with us. A huge feast we had! Plus! They surprised us with singers and dancers from the batey of Algodon. What a treasured moment we had all together. Before we knew it we were saying “Hasta La Vista” once again. It seems so silly to get so close to people you’ve only known a week, but the staff we’ve established relationships along the way have been so rich that length of time just seems so irrelevant. With heavy hearts we waved goodbye as their rides took them home, but not before adding them on Facebook, of course.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie…
You’ve likely read the children story, If you give a Mouse a Cookie. If not, (SPOILER ALERT) the story goes… If you give a mouse a cookie he is going to ask for a glass of milk. Well… If you send our team to the Dominican Republic… we’re going to want to stay forever. For those of you at home who are missing us, it may seem like we’ve been gone FOREVER! However, from our perspective it seems like time here sped up faster than the engine of a Formula 1 car. No amount of time would ever seem like enough to us. Our team has been talking about how nice it would be to stay longer. We’re even talking about our return and what projects we would like to do next time. You see, trips like these aren’t exactly vacations; they are so much more. They are physically, mentally, and most of all emotionally draining. However, they are also more rewarding than any gift you can receive. Experiences like these show you what’s possible beyond your dreams and challenge you for paths you may take in the future. Now, don’t get us wrong. We aren’t suggesting you book the next flight to sub-Saharan Africa to care for the victims of highly transmittable diseases. That kind of commitment isn’t for everyone. But take it from one of the 10 of us; God is going to guide your footsteps if you are willing to move your feet. Maybe, for you, that means sponsoring a child for the first time. Maybe that means you strengthen your relationship with a child you currently sponsor. Perhaps it is as simple as sharing the love of Jesus with a close friend, or sharing this blog with someone to reassure how God can take a group of 10 crazy people and allow them to be instruments in His big, glorious plan. Here is what we know, when Jesus invites us on an adventure He shapes whom we become with what happens along the way. There is a quote by David Platt from his book entitled, Radical. He says: “…orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names… see their faces… hold them in your arms. But once you do everything changes.” He couldn’t be more right. The faces you see on a sponsorship page or even in the photographs you’ve seen on this blog, are real, living, breathing children who need more people like you and me to give them a renewed life. The truth is we didn’t change the world over the course of the last few days together. Jesus will do that, and is doing that. The most we can do is change the world for one child (or maybe 2 & 3). So, we are going to continue loving through sponsorship…
One.
Child.
At.
A.
Time.
Until next time,
Gathering Team 2015
Prayer Requests:
Pray for our return home. Pray that not only do we land safely, but pray for the culture shock we are anticipating.
Continue to pray for our hearts. As overjoyed and fulfilled as they are, we are missing our kids more and more.
Pray for Angela and Susan on our team. Susan received a phone call a few days ago that he dad underwent kidney surgery to remove a tumor. Please pray that he will heal and recover quickly. Also pray that Susan and Angela would be able to fly to China to see and spent time with their family as soon as possible.
