In March I was blessed to be able to take a trip back to my recent life in the Dominican Republic. Though I was only there about a week and a half -- not nearly long enough to catch up with everyone I wanted to catch up with, I did get to see a lot of good friends, hug a lot of little ones from the neighborhoods, and hear a lot of updates and stories of what is going on in people's lives.
I was struck by the continued serious needs in communities close to my heart (Like Pancho Mateo, in the photos below) - needs for specific support related to increasing deaths from HIV, increasing concerns about immigration and the rights (or lack thereof) of Haitians and other foreigners born in the country, etc. I spent a lot of time hugging crying people -- hearing stories of friends (of mine) who had unexpectedly died, sharing the tears of families who had lost loved ones to sickness or violence, hearing about ongoing issues with domestic violence, and the ongoing need for increased employment opportunities, and I observed the lives of economically-forced prostitution lived by some women as a difficult but necessary source of family income when jobs and funds are scarce (an issue that's been close to my heart since I first arrived in the D.R.). I felt the many hopes and fears for the future from home to home and town to town, as I visited, related to all of these issues, and it was a wonderful time of catching up with friends, but also an unexpectedly heavy emotional journey.
In the midst of much hope and much fear regarding immigration and deportion, I loved seeing little friends like this below (one of Dominican ethnic background and one of Haitian ethnic background), both growing up in the same town, hanging out as friends with no differences between them. As always, children are a source of hope!
But please do continue to pray and advocate for immigration justice in the Dominican Republic
(and in the U.S. as well.) Human rights is a big issue right now, affecting many lives.
I was reminded again of some of the most important things in life when I saw this wall-hanging (above) in a friend's home in Pancho Mateo. It says: "Where there is faith, there is love. Where there is love, there is peace. Where there is peace, there God is. And where God is, you don't lack anything."
I was thrilled to be able to hold my friends Carlito and Claudia's "Miracle baby" - a child we all thought might never be born. Yet there he is -- alive and well. :) Welcome to the world, Yan Carlos!
I was also thrilled to re-connect with old missionary neighbors from Canada and Haiti. These guys live in Canada now, and I currently live in the U.S. So it was wonderful to all three be back on Dominican turf, at the same time, on the porch of the home we shared for more than 2 years of my past few years in the D.R.
Below is a photo of us 4 muskateers -- some of the people I lived in the same building with for much of my time in the D.R. We were glad to all reunite for Sadrac's Party, for his Graduation from University in the D.R.!
It was good to go back to visit New Life Church (Nueva Vida) just in time to participate in the "sending prayer" for several missionary friends who had spent the past few years in the D.R. and are now heading "home" to the States to work in other types of ministry and service. The concept of
"Home" can be a very complex thing.
Below is my little friend, Wilmery, pretending to take my photo (completely her own idea,) with a broken cell-phone carcass she found. This hug-savvy 2 year old is one of my favorite sweet kids in Pancho Mateo, and with that fake camera, she showed why she's truly a girl after my own heart! :)
Below, the youngest Elementary and Preschoolers of Pancho Mateo are loaded into the back of the pick-up truck that will take them to school
My friend Mecho's littlest son, a new kindergartener (in the blue shirt with football, below) apparently wasn't too excited about about leaving mom for the day to head off to school. :)
But go he did.
God bless the Samaritan with the pick up truck, who has set aside time and gas on a regular basis to make sure these kids without transportation have no excuse not to be in school.
My heart certainly remains in the Dominican Republic. To show you one reason why these folks have captured my heart, I'll end with this great little video (Sadly, it seems the video is too big to post. So I'll leave you with this photo.) It's of a family who are friends of mine from Pancho Mateo. The father is blind, the mother is deaf and mute, the grandma (as you could observe if you could see the video) is a matriarch with a lot of family members sometimes in need of assistance. Here the elementary aged daughter of the mother and father, who has a lot of responsibility to be helpful at home as you can imagine, was determined to learn to tie her father's tie as they prepared to head off to church. This video only shows one segment of the attempt. But it was a really beautiful 15 minutes of tie tying trying! They asked if I could help, and I sadly had to admit that I'm inept at tie tying! :) After multiple attempts, and with Grandma giving guidance, she eventually got the job done well! I love the humor and patience they all exhibited. (Wish you could see the video!) Applause -- for a family that patiently struggles and laughs together!
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