Levi: I really enjoyed working with Carlos and his projects. He’s a great man with a big heart. I also appreciated hearing Pastor Eddyson’s story. His vision for the community is excellent and helping them get closer to their goal was my highlight of the tripLaurene:I really loved the overall mission experience with HFL - meeting new people, stepping outside my comfort zone and diving deeper into Dominican culture were highlights of the trip. I feel like we maximized our time here and had a positive impact on many people that crossed our paths. It was and always will be an absolutely unforgettable experience!Emily:The trip was amazing! We witnessed Gods love through the people and how they served each other. A week of laughter, hope, and growth!
Luke: One of the highlights for me was seeing pure joy on the children’s faces from games with the girls or baseball with the guys. One of the bigger takeaways for me is how systemic and behavioral poverty is. While there is a definite need for resources to build up communities, the root cause of poverty comes back to those two things. “Poverty is a state of the mind and of the heart, not due to a lack of resources. The answer is to change their heart and behavior through the Bible and local leadership” - Carlos
Tanasha: This trip was a fantastic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the local people and growing with each other. Not only are they always laughing, which I love, but they are also always ready to share about the work they’re doing and patiently explain their well thought out plans and goals. I find the passion they have for making change for the better inspiring.I also learned that I love Dominican coffee and ice cream, which isn’t important but it’s definitely nice.I truly will miss the people here, but that just means I’ll have to come back one day :)
Amy: These past 10 days have been very eye opening in many ways. I have learnt so much about the culture here and heard many amazing testimonies. Definitely has been a 10/10 trip! (Or as we would say GAS.)
Thomas: Looking back, I hope that the work our team did over the past 10 days will have a lasting impact on the communities of New Jerusalem and Batey Vasca. That the construction projects we did will be a benefit to these communities and that they may continue to grow and develop. But most importantly, I hope that the relationships we formed and conversations we had will remain with us as we enter back into the reality of daily life in North America. I hope that we were able to encourage the local community leaders and give them the means to continue the important work that they're doing, but also that our team may be encouraged by what we've seen and experienced in the Dominican Republic and that we may learn from their close relationship with God and reliance for all things in Him.
Heading
The last two days went by really quick. The work in the Batey is finished, and the team spent a good evening at a baseball game and headed home on Thursday. After a long trip with delays everybody made it back to Chilliwack. It was a great experience to work alongside Carlos and his team in the Dominican Republic. We will remember and reflect on the things we have experienced and the people we have met. Some team members wrote down their final thoughts about their experience:
