At the end of a very rewarding week of VBS with the kids of Montellano and Mosuvi; and, working to paint and provide other services to the Colegio Episcopal Nino Jesus school and churches in Montellano and Mosuvi, we took the free day to travel to Puerto Plata. Along the way we stopped to visit this local artisan. From a tree branch and using a machete he produces the works of art you see here. The attached video shows the carving process. All the people I’ve met on this trip, including the artisan and his wife, have been kind and generous. Despite what at times may seem desperate conditions they live their lives with deep pride, warm hearts and ready smiles. I came here thinking about what I could do for them. I leave with the knowledge of what they have done for me.
Today was our fun day! We returned from our morning tour for a very quick turn around to get to our snorkel tour on time. We boarded the boat and sailed around for about 45 minutes before anchoring at our first snorkel spot. It was beautiful and our guides got into water with bread to attract the fish which was a very interesting experience! We swam and snorkeled for almost an hour before sitting on the boat and having a delicious lunch, grilled chicken and kebabs and corn! After that, we sailed back to Sosua beach to swim in that inlet, and take turns jumping in the water off the boat. After another quick trip of sailing, we headed back to the beach and the hotel to get ready for dinner.
We had a feast with all of the teachers from the Colegio, Padre Pedro and his family, and Padre Raul. We had a wonderful dinner continuing to get to know each other and planning our future visits! After many hugs and photos together, we had a gift exchange and said goodbye.
We spent the morning exploring puerta Plata. We began at a little wood shop, where we got to see a live example of how this man turns tree branches into parrots! He also makes a lot of flamingos and other animals, all crafted with his knife and then hand painted. We got to visit the kitten im his shop as well. We then saw Spanish fort along the water, and took a walk around the path there. There were two stray dogs on the path who befriended us. Then we had a quick trip into the plaza to walk around before we had to head back to the hotel for a sailing and snorkeling trip.
We awoke to another beautiful day in Sosua! After coffee and breakfast, we head to the bus to find Pedro, our original driver, had returned from his regular job in the Dominican Air Force where he had gone to the border with Haiti on assignment for three days. He is an expert driver, quickly navigating the hectic roads!
On to Mosovi! The trip takes us through what were old sugarcane fields before the mill closed several decades ago. We have asked, but been unable to find out why the land is mostly unused and has not been utilized for other purposes like farming.
We made tremendous progress on Thursday painting the church in Mosovi, but there is still a lot of work to do. One team worked on all the detail finishing on the church, while another larger group painted the original mission church ( essentially a gazebo) which is used as a fellowship area today. A third team worked to prepare vacation Bible school.
After lunch at the Nino de Jesus, we returned to Mozovi, this time we must’ve picked up 30 kids in the bus, which made it quite crowded with the 20 of us.
Vacation Bible school has been a huge success in both locations but the numbers are astounding in Mozovi. We don’t know where all the children come from but today there were about 80 super excited kids! (On previous mission trips here we had only 20 to 30 children attending.)
The kids again had a great day, playing with the balls, jump ropes, doing their crafts and doing the Bible lesson. Late in the afternoon clouds began to form, and as the vacation Bible school was ending and our painting projects were almost finished, the rain began. It cooled us all off from what had been another hot and joyous afternoon.
After dinner, Jenifer showed us how to make Anglican prayer beads. Patrick made great progress and had 27 beads properly strung, but he lost all of them, searching for the final lost sheep (28th bead).
We started our morning off with breakfast at the hotel, as usual, and then got on the bus. We first drove to the school in Montellano to pick up some supplies left there. Additionally, Perla and Manuel came with us to the Church in Mosovi. Once we arrived, we started prepping the walls and painting them. Some of us also worked on making friendship bracelets for the children.
At around 12:00 we got back on the bus to return to Colegio Episcopal Niño Jesús for lunch. Lunch consisted of chicken, rice and beans, as well as an avocado tomato salad. It was very good, and afterwards we drove back to the church. On the way we picked up some of the children for vacation bible school. During vacation bible school there were many activities but we began with making name tags and the prayer chain. We played outdoor games and then went inside for the lesson. Then we followed it up by making snakes out of old ties. We stuffed them, tied knots along the tail, and then hot glued eyes and tongues to them. Everyone then played outside more and we painted faces until we began to sing. We sang songs in Spanish and did the corresponding dances. Finally before the children left, we made some beaded necklaces and bracelets. The the kids left and we took the bus back to the hotel. At the hotel some of us same in the water and jumped off of rocks, while the others rested from our day. Dinner was then served at 8:00. It was pasta with some kind of cream sauce, breaded chicken, and french fries. We then ended the night with evening prayer and reflected on our day.
After lunch at Colegia Episcopal Niño Jesus, we prepped the crafts for vacation bible school in the afternoon. When the kids showed up, they were very excited to make more name tags and prayer chains. Without their parents to pray for on the prayer chains, many of the kids ended up praying for Ginger and Patrick. One of the teachers played music on a speaker that many of us enjoyed dancing to.
When the dance circle came to a disappointing end, the children split up into their three different age groups to do a lesson and crafts. The youngest age group made clothespin butterflies and tissue paper crosses. After crafts we went upstairs to sing, and many of the little girls wanted to braid our hair. It took a lot of willpower to sit and let my hair be yanked and pulled in different directions. One girl ended up braiding my hair for the rest of the afternoon and while it hurt my head a lot, it was worth it to see the happiness on her face.
Today we got a 30 minute later start on breakfast which some of us really enjoyed. While having coffee and waiting for breakfast we met a sweet dog which we named BooBoo. BooBoo had lots of love to give us all. He followed us upstairs in the hotel and even briefly joined us on the bus before being asked to wait behind. We are praying Jorge and Jean bring him back to Arlington!
Once we got to school this morning we split into four teams. One group prepared for this afternoon’s bible school and organized our other donated items. A second group continued painting outside at the school. Part of this group finished painting the interior courtyard wall. The other part painted the outdoor wall, which really needed it. A third group went to the store with Padre Pedro to buy some supplies. And the fourth group went to the church to begin our painting efforts there.
It felt like our hottest morning yet, especially for those working without shade. By the time all the groups reconvened at the school around 12:30, we were very ready for a lunch break but thrilled to see how much better the school walls looked.
After an incredible lunch at Colegio Episcopal Niño Jesus, we met the Vacation Bible School kids for the second time. 17-year-old Manuel helped Claire and I make name tags for the the throngs of children launching themselves towards the prayer chain table and the craft rooms. During the making of egg carton fish and plastic cup whales with a side of Jonah, the daughter of our bus driver Pedro questioned me intensely about words in English. Como se dice “familia” en ingles, “como estás” en ingles, everything and anything she could think of. We traded bracelets and she hugged me goodbye on the bus ride home.
The question of the day at evening prayer was “Who on this trip or during this day lightened a burden for you?” For me, it was the kids I met who brightened my day the most. Manuel and the necklace he made me, Pedro’s daughter and her bracelet and curiosity, 4-year-old Keyly Mariel teaching me clapping games and her joyful “te amo!” to me as she left on the bus, the girl who asked me to help her get a turn on the swings. They will be the ones I remember most when I come home, the ones who lighten my burden for years to come.
Tuesday morning was filled with sanding and re-touching the walls surrounding Colegio Episcopal Niño Jesus, along with prepping for our second day of Vacation Bible School.
By 3:30 a.m. this morning, 18 of our 20-person mission team had gathered at Dulles Airport to begin our adventure in our distinctive red mission team t-shirts with our “Sent off to serve” motto on the front. We found each other easily and stayed together (almost resembling a flock of red flamingos) as we navigated through the airport. Enthusiasm for our mission, an airport shuttle, and a well-placed airport Starbucks carried us through to our flight to Newark.
Unfortunately, the Hazzards ran into flight delays on their way out of Richmond early this morning and were not able to make our flights as planned. We miss them today, but we are grateful that they will join us tomorrow to make our team complete.
Our flight from Newark to Puerto Plata was delayed by a few hours, so the red team used the extra time to chat, take photos, eat breakfast, and, in some cases, sleep. Eventually, our boarding time was announced, and a cheer went up at the gate. We joyfully showed our passports, and we were finally on our way to the Dominican Republic!
– Heather Willis
Once we touched down in Puerto Plata, our group transitioned through customs smoothly. So much so that when Jorge discovered that one boarder protection guard’s son was an avid soccer player, Jorge gifted him an Arlington Soccer jersey. A twenty minute bus ride to our hotel completed our long day’s voyage, and our feet on Dominican soil and bounding off beautiful cliffs brought us great serenity.
– Annie + Molly Moore
We can’t wait for ours days ahead and are grateful we can share it with everyone reading! Image left pictures the sunset from our hotel balcony.
St. Peter's Dominican Republic Mission 