DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RECAP/REFLECTION: Joe Daugherty

The Gordon College Men's and Women's Tennis teams recently returned from an eight-day mission trip to the Dominican Republic. While there, we served with the organization Mission Emmanuel, working in a neighborhood in Santo Domingo called "El Cielo." Mission Emmanuel has spent the last two decades in this neighborhood, changing it for the better both physically and spiritually.

Our teams spent the majority of the trip building a house for an elderly couple that lived in the community. On our second day in the Dominican we laid the foundation and by the time we left the walls were nearly complete. It often took several attempts for us to make sure a cinderblock was sturdy and level, but it was exciting to see all the progress we had made before we left. The owners of the house thanked us for our work and we were able to pray over the house with them on our final day there. Working on the house was an excellent exercise for our team and really grew us all closer together. I never thought we could have so much fun mixing cement and laying cinderblocks.

For many of us, the most impactful day of the trip was spent at a local leprosarium. The people living there had been removed from the community due to their struggle with Hansen's disease. Although the disease is not actually contagious, societal misconceptions have caused these people to be alienated. Many of them have also been abandoned by their families. While visiting with the patients, all of us were struck by the beauty of people who are totally reliant on Christ and have found joy in him despite their suffering. The people we met did not have anything by the world's standards, but they had found joy and peace in Christ despite their earthly pain and suffering.

One of the themes that kept coming up during our trip was the concept of abiding in Christ. John 15:5 (ESV) says "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." We were able to hear a sermon on John 15 while we were there and it was a blessing for all of us to focus on this scripture in the DR. Breaking from our routines at Gordon was a wonderful opportunity to take time away with God and consider what it looks like to abide in Christ in our lives. When we debriefed as a group each night, one of the consistent themes that emerged was that true joy cannot be found in a life apart from Christ and we were all able to witness that firsthand in the Dominican Republic.

–Joe Daugherty is a senior economics major from Norfolk, Va.
 

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RECAP/REFLECTION: Haley Bean

This past winter break, our team had the opportunity to travel on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic where we served with a local ministry, Mission Emanuel. For most of the week, we worked alongside a group of high school students from Rockford, Illinois.

Our main project during the trip was to build a home for a local family in the small village of Cielo, one of the communities in which Mission Emanuel has had a long-standing presence. In our short visit, we were able to finish almost all of the walls of the new house, both inside and out. The majority of the work was manual labor. We mixed the cement and concrete on the ground and made bucket and block lines to bring everything to the housing site. Each day, members of the community willingly offered their help.

We also had the opportunity to spend a few mornings and afternoons in Cielo where we met some of the most kind, loving and Christ-centered people. The children were so excited, yelling "Americanos!" when they saw us, and were patient as we talked with them with what little Spanish we knew. There was so much joy in this community that has so few physical possessions.

Each night, we met as a group to process the experiences and conversations we had. The debrief we had the night after our visit to the leprosarium was one we needed the most. The people we met were cured of leprosy, but many had lost limbs and suffered nerve damage in the process. We had the chance to listen to the leprosarium's doctor, Dr. Castro, speak about this disease and his patients. He explained that there are three kinds of leprosy. The first is less noticeable, the second is more visible in that it causes disfiguration, and the third, leprosy of the soul, is the deadliest as it causes souls to be filled with negativity and lack love and compassion toward others. He told us that many of the patients' families dropped them off at the leprosarium, providing false addresses and phone numbers so that no future contact was possible. Aside from mission groups, they do not have many visitors. After all the physical pain, suffering, and neglect they experienced, these men and women were still filled with so much joy and overwhelming faith in God.

At some point over the course of our trip, we all commented on the simplicity of life in the Dominican Republic. In our own lives, we are always so occupied by our schedules and are constantly thinking about the next task to complete. It was so encouraging to have the week to take a step back from our hectic lives and instead focus on sharing His love with others without distractions. The people of the Dominican Republic taught us what it sincerely means to experience joy in simplicity.

It was an amazing experience to be able to spend a week with wonderful teammates to serve others and share God's love. We saw the pure joy and commitment to Christ from so many people we met on our trip. It was an honest reminder that God is always with us and His presence is everywhere.

–Haley Bean is a junior finance and accounting double major from Trumbull, Conn.