Must You Pack a Suitcase To Go On a Mission?

The answer at St. Anne's is: NO!!!

Today was the first session of Mission Possible, a day camp for rising 6th through 8th graders. For the next week this group will meet in the morning to read the scripture theme for the day, sing and prepare to head out for the day's outreach event. Upon returning to St. Anne's in the afternoon, the group will re-read the scripture and discuss the project of the day and journal about experience.

Monday is a team-building day. We drove to Claude Moore park and spent the day getting to know each other through better by using problem-solving activities. We also got the chance to swim for a while before heading back to St. Anne's to wrap up the day. We'll be working in four locations in Northern Virginia this week as we live into the theme, "Growing Hearts for Mission."

We're Heading "Home"

With Father Hipólito

An essential part of every mission trip is the "going home." Leaving the people who have been so hospitable and so much a family for the week, and heading back to the people who are also family, is a bitter-sweet event.

Bob and Stacy

And so, we said goodbye to our Cristo Salvador family on Sunday after church with tears and hugs and promises that we'll be back next year, "si Dios quiere."

Jim and Lazaro

We boarded a comfortable, air-conditioned bus and drove to the north coast for a couple days at the beach before catching the plane to Virginia.

The beach is beautiful and we've been lucky enough to have Poly, Lilian and their kids with us here... kind of a gentler way to start the work of re-entering the culture we live in "the rest of the year." How do we integrate the experience of living in the Dominican Republic with open hearts and open hands with the busyness of work, studies, traffic, bills, and all our other obligations. Tough, it's tough!

Tomorrow, I'll make my own café con leche. I'll do my laundry, I'll get a reminder call from the dentist. I'll long for a hug from Leonardo, I'll wish for the chaos of passing out and collecting crayons from the VBS kids. I'll hear Fr. Hipólito's voice calling, "MARTA!" in my head but not with my ears. And I'll get a call from my granddaughters, I'll get excited about sharing our experience with my St. Anne's family, I'll get a frappuccino and I'll remind myself that we are separated only by distance in miles, not by distance of the heart!

It's been a GREAT trip! Thank you, St. Anne's. The team will be fired up for a while, ask us about DR2010, we'll be happy to tell you.

More photos here.

Yesterday Was Tough

After much preparation and many prayers of petition,  the 2010 DR mission team has spent a very fast week here in Santiago. As I write this, we have been in Santiago exactly a week. And now, we're preparing to say our good byes.

Friday is always my most difficult day. I start the day tensely, praying for a re-make of the loaves and fishes miracle while we pack up 200+ goodie bags to be given out at the end of the VBS session. We strategize how to dismiss the kids so that no one gets trampled and each child gets a bag.

After working with the week's theme of Noah, it will come as no surprise that Friday was the day God made a covenant after the rainbow appeared in the sky. Our rainbow was made of post-it notes!

The session began with a fierce tropical rain shower. Kids came in wet. We sang, we chatted about God's promise to never cause that kind of flood of destruction again and the responsibility we have to keep God's creation working in the way God would want us to keep it. We colored. We sang some more. And then... it was time for the bags!

I caught Milet's eye and we went upstairs to fetch the bags. Poly sang a calmer song than usual. The kids were told that we would dismiss them pew by pew. Finally, we opened the door and started sending them home.

Why do those kids love those little bags so much? Why will some of them actually accost each other in the street to take a bag that has pencils, stickers and some cookies? The week's activities are really about the relationship we share. They know my name because I've been here so often. They learn the names of new team members. They ask to have their pictures taken with us. They want to know where Fiona and Matt and Ann and Kati and Susan are. I have to comfort myself with the idea that the pencils are fine but the hugs we've given them will last as long in their lives as the hugs they've given me last in mine.

DR2010 Team w/ Constanza in the background

We also said goodbye to our construction crew. Chencho and his brothers Danilo and Mariano are also part of our Dominican family. Each time we pack up to head home, I know that I leave a part of my heart in this place and I carry them all home with me.

Today we took a field trip to Constanza, a beautiful drive into the mountains and a rich agricultural area of the country. Tomorrow we'll go to church at Cristo Salvador and then head to the north coast for a couple days on the beach. We'll be home before we know what hit us!

Watch for more photos. I wanted to make sure you all know we're thinking of you, that we're grateful for St. Anne's support of this trip, of this relationship. Pray for us tomorrow morning, as I know the people of Cristo Salvador will be praying for you.

Faithfully,
Martha

Rainbows

If you have been following this year's blog you know by now that our theme for the vacation bible school has been Noah's Ark. It's remarkable how this has permeated everything we have done. 

Martha wrote in the blog yesterday that it rained hard, in the morning steadily, and off and on the rest of the day. As we were waiting for the guagua (that's small bus-- into which can be crammed anywhere from six to twelve people—in Spanish), Father Hipólito mentioned that Dominicans were especially adverse to rain. “In this country,” he told us, “water, especially coming down from above is considered evil.”

That got me to thinking. In a place where there is a distinct rainy season, where floods are frequent, and an island, a place effectively separated from the rest of the world, at least until the advent of air travel, water must be daunting. And then I thought, working with the flood story, a universal mythic metaphor, stay with me now, maybe there is an inborn fear of water in all of us.

This makes the Noah story an important one for everyone. 

Yesterday afternoon, as we left a local store, there was a gorgeous rainbow in the sky, stretching from horizon to horizon, in vivid rainbow colors. There was a rainbow in Noah's story too, if you remember, and we see that today as a symbol of God's willingness to stay involved with humanity, no matter what, a metaphor of hope. In the past few days significant things have happened on a larger then usual scale for the people of the Dominican Republic. 

This is a nation of amazing resources, natural and human, and a nation that is growing up. President Obama invited President Leonel Fernandez to the White House to discuss matters of import for both countries of this island, the DR and Haiti. On a lighter note (although for a diehard Red Sox fan such as myself) David Ortiz, a Dominican and a Red Sox won the hon-ron (Dominican for home run) Derby at the All-Star Game festivities. In so many ways this appears to be a country moving into a new place, a place of prosperity and self confidence. Certainly, it faces many challenges, but this is no longer a nation staggering under post traumatic stress syndrome from the reign of the terrible dictator Trujillo. 

There was another downpour this morning, while we were working in the new school. When
I looked out the door, through the curtain of rain there were a half a dozen kids were cavorting, most stripped to their underwear, having the time of their lives. I so remember doing the same. Hope, hope in the next generation, of this country, of the world. We are finishing up a week of being with, and working for the children in a barrio in a country far from home, and yet, it seems the next village over. We have witnessed, we have been part of a hope, a joy made real in the radiant faces of those children dancing in the rain. We work for, we pray for, we hope the day when the clouds will fly away, the sun will shine and all creation will dance in gratitude, peace and harmony.

And then it rained...

Brett creates an ark

The VBS theme this week has been Noah and the Ark. We started on Monday talking about God's good creation. Tuesday brought the bad news that the creation had been squandered and God wanted to have a do-over. Therefore, Noah was contacted to build an ark.

Kids' planks fill in the ark outline

Our ark was crafted by Brett Nelson with the able assistance of Art Light and Bob Van Hoecke. It's a masterpiece! The kids were given "planks" of paper and asked to include their names in a drawing of something God had made. We pasted the planks to the ark, symbolizing how we should listen to God when asked to do something others might think of as crazy.

Thanks for the lift!

Today, Wednesday, was a rainy day here in Santiago. Appropriate to the theme! As the children entered, they were given animal stickers and helped to put them up on the ark.

After we talked about all the things that were covered up by the water and all the work Noah's family must have done on the ark, the kids had some coloring pages to work on. There was the usual hunting for just the right color crayon, jockeying for a photo, questions about whether there were toys today, questions about where some of their favorite St. Anne's folks were.

Well, that was fun!

VBS at Cristo Salvador is an intense session of songs, story, crafts and behavior management. In fact, it can wear a person out in a very short time!

Tomorrow we'll talk about sending the dove out to look for evidence that the waters have receded. The craft requires some prep work, tracing a dove and cutting it out of a paper plate. While the guys hauled sand at the children's shelter work site, Eleanor and I started work on the craft. Before we knew it, we had lots of help. It was great fun having our Cristo Salvador friends take up scissors and gather around the table for a work session.

With any luck, there will be sun tomorrow!

Everyone helps prepare!

For more photos, click here!

Noah's Ark

Danilo and Jim building the stairwell.

So if you remember the Disney movie "Fantasia," you must recall the scene famously called the "Sorcerer's Apprentice." Remember the brooms, all the brooms dancing wildly around the room, spilling water until finally the whole house is floating away. Well, that's exactly what the work site was like first thing this morning. We were trying to put flexible plumbing pipe together to get water from the street onto the roof to make concrete when chaos struck! Pipes falling apart, water flying all over the place, people running around (me included) trying to fit the pipe back together again, or turn the water off at the street, or just get out of the way before getting drenched (I did), which didn't feel so bad in the heat. Finally, we got the pipe pieced back together, then... no water, a water main break a block away shut all the water on the street down. Not to be dissuaded, we set up a bucket brigade and brought water from the church's cistern across the street. Mission accomplished, although by that time it was too late to do the roof, so we helped pour stairs instead.

Smoothing out newly poured stairs.

So goes a day like other days on a construction site on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic, humor and flexibility essential attributes. Yet the work gets done, and wonderful functional schools and churches get built. We have worked with Chencho, the master builder on other projects, San Lucas Church, and a house in the poorest section of the barrio. There is a lot of mutual affection and respect and he is just a delight. Yesterday afternoon during vacation bible school I spied him in a back pew watching the kids sing, having a great time.

That there is poverty, abuse and deprivation in this neighborhood is simply a fact, and an obvious one at that. But what is not so obvious is the strong sense of community. People genuinely care for each other here. For the second time I have witnessed Padre Hipólito

build a congregation that became a family, and now he is fulfilling a dream in this place by adding a school for the children. It is, if anything ever was, the work of the Holy Spirit.

Tomorrow, hopefully, we'll get to the roof, but tonight, in my tiredness, and in my missing you all, I give thanks to God that those of us here, because of your commitment and love, can be part of this holy thing. We are, after all, representing you.

Monday - Lunes

Chencho checks out his new crew!

Today was our first day "on the job." We had all slept well, eaten a hearty breakfast, brushed our teeth and put on our workin' shoes. Father Hipólito came by to make sure we were ready to go and then called us a cab. Some of us piled into the van and some climbed into Padre H's car and we headed out through the Santiago rush hour traffic. Over the river and up the hill we went. Those of us in the car made it to the church where we waited for the van to arrive... and waited... and waited. Oops! Wrong turn! They showed up after a detour to the hill next door.

Jack waiting for an empty bucket.

This trip has been one of meeting up with people we haven't seen for a while. Today we saw Chencho, the job foreman. We worked with Chencho on the construction of San Lucas and on a house rehabilitation in the Cristo Salvador neighborhood 5 years ago. This was the first time we'd seen him since then. What a great reunion! We got a tour of the children's shelter, from the roof down. Then we put on gloves (yes, and sunblock) and got to work. Some of us shoveled sand, others raised the bucket of sand to the roof, and still others broke plaster off the walls in the section of the shelter that has been remodeled from an old house.

Surrounded with love and admiration.

A full bucket heads across the street.

After a break for lunch, we had our first session of VBS. About 80 kids came today. Poly led songs, we talked about God's good creation and drew animals on paper plates. Seeing the kids was great. Those of us who have been here before saw familiar faces. I was astounded to hear that one of the boys I've known has just finished 6th grade and is 11 years old! Where has the time gone? Isn't he still a very little boy?


The day finished with a trip down the street and around the corner from our hotel to La Sirena and the market before we had dinner and our nightly meeting.





We have much to be thankful for today. Good work, good company, many blessings. Now we rest and start again tomorrow!

Click here for more pictures.

Sunday Morning at Iglesia Cristo Salvador and an Afternoon With Family

“I think this is a new section of pavement,” Eleanor said, “I don't think this store was here two years ago,” I added. So was our conversation during the first drive across the bridge and up the hill to the little community of Pastor. Even though some things have changed there is so much more that is familiar that it feels like coming home. It certainly felt that way as we walked into the Church, hugging adults and children alike as there was mutual recognition. As Father Hipólito, the acolytes, and I prayed before beginning the service it felt both like being home at St. Anne's and preparing to lead the service again at Cristo Salvador. It is a joy and a privilege to preside at the Eucharist with this wonderful congregation, and my Spanish is getting better!

Sunday afternoon conversations.

Yum!

We were invited to a fabulous lunch at the home of Fr. Hipolitó and the wife Dulcina where we also watched the final game of the World Cup. Even though the Dominican Republic is a fanatical baseball place, the strong connection of a common language and heritage created a vocal fan base for the team from Spain and shouts of joy reverberated though the neighborhood when the game was won in overtime.

Spain! ¡España! ¡Campeones! Champions!

While we were at the Church this morning we stopped in to check out the school which is being built across from the Church. It is up, the concrete block walls and the roof, but just. There will be plenty to do. It's really exciting to see Fr. Hipólito's dream come into reality. Within the next year there will be a thriving school for kids from the barrio.

A first look at the shelter project.

It feels good, to see this neighborhood, and the Church become a better place. Tonight we walked to San Lucas, the beautiful church we worked on for several years. It is a thriving community, someday Cristo Salvador and the school will be just like it.

St Paul said in the letter to the Romans: "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Paul's right, you know, in the end it's not about being right, or successful, or powerful. it's about being faithful, and hopeful, and loving.

DR20

Care and Feeding of Missioners and the Blog!

Good morning from Santiago! This is Martha writing.

The 2010 Dominican Republic team has arrived on site! We had a very smooth trip from Dulles through San Juan, Puerto Rico to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. While in this current age of travel there is not much "feeding" done by the airlines, we were well taken care of! All bags arrived with us, customs and immigration were cleared with no problems and we were met on the sidewalk by a grinning Father Hipólito.

I know that part of Father Hipólito's smile came from seeing the familiar faces of Jim Papile, Art Light, Eleanor Ware and myself. The other part came from realizing that when I told him were were bringing "tall guys," I really meant it! He looked waaaay up into the faces of Brett Nelson, Ben Webster and Bob & Jack Van Hoecke and welcomed them to the Dominican Republic.

As I write this, we are assembling for a quick breakfast and then headed up to church at Cristo Salvador. By day's end we'll have more stories to tell and maybe a picture or two. For now, know that greetings will be offered on behalf of all the people of St. Anne's and we will think of you all as we worship here today.

So, we'll try to "feed" this blog more regularly as we progress through the week! Keep in touch!

Day 7-Our Last day

Our final day at Stenton Family Manor held mixed emotions. While we were all ready to journey home to see our families and get some rest, it was very difficult to say goodbye. We knew that we probably would never see these particular children again. They, too were aware that we would be leaving. We all made the most of the time with lots of hugs and piggy back rides. I think the favorite activity however was the relay races and water balloon toss!

Before we left, we had the opportunity to talk with the staff to ask what particular items were most needed for each age group and we left behind not only all of the equipment we brought, but lots of ideas for activities for the summer.

Our trip home was smooth, with lots of chatter, laughter and sleeping! Several of the missioners talked about their experiences and how much perspectives were changed. It was a wonderful week for all of us and many are already looking forward to next year!

Thank you again for all of your prayers and contributions. Everything we brought was in full use when we left Stenton Manor and now we know what things to bring for our next mission!!

The Philadelphia Mission Team 2010