Can we go back now? – Gavin Smith
I’ve been a supporter of Joshua 1:Nine for several years now. We are a baseball-loving family, and this seemed like the perfect organization to support. President Kristin kept telling me that we needed to take an Impact Trip, and that it would be an amazing experience for my family. We finally made it happen, and she was right–it was an amazing experience that words can’t begin to explain.
My family consists of me, my husband, and our 11 year old baseball player son. We convinced another family of three to come with us–they also love baseball, our kids are on the same Little League team, and the dad is their coach. Three other people joined our group as well. We all met at SeaTac airport and made the trek to the Dominican Republic. We flew into Santo Domingo and had scheduled a visit to the Seattle Mariners academy before the bus ride to Barahona, where we’d be staying for the week.
Our first full day there was a Sunday, so we went to church as a group. It was quite different from the services we’re used to–it was significantly more energized. After church, we ate delicious pizza and then headed for the beach. Let me tell you–the water was so beautiful. We loved it.
On Monday, we made the 30km bus trip from the Hotel Costa Larimar in Barahona to Fondo Negro for the first time. The excitement started building as soon as we saw the colorful Fondo Negro sign. We went directly to the community center to start setting up the dental clinic. In our group, we had a pediatric dentist as well as a doctor. Once the community center was set up, they got to work. Over the course of the day, they provided dental care to 110 people!
For the rest of us, our service project for the day was to sort through books that were provided through a grant from various Spokane Rotary clubs. Because of this amazing grant, we were able to give every single student in three schools their own book to take home. The smiles were amazing to see. I hope they love the books!
Another service project we did during the week was to paint two homes. You see, they paint their houses every year, but paint is expensive. We purchased the paint and painted for them. I’m not sure if I got more paint on the houses or myself–I’m not the best painter– but we sure had fun!
The afternoons were all spent at the ballpark. Our boys jumped right in with the kids in their age group. One of my favorite things on the trip was seeing the baseball team immediately connect with our boys – treating them like part of the family. Language wasn’t a barrier, and it was absolutely beautiful.
Another thing that struck me is that the baseball team had a limited number of bats and baseball gloves. They shared all of their equipment. My son is usually very protective of his glove, but I watched in awe as he shared his glove between innings, with no hesitation! I was also struck by just how incredible these players are – scooping up the baseballs with such ease and throwing them so fast, and hitting the ball so far. It was impressive. I loved sitting there and watching the kids all play.
On our last day with the team, we got to join them for dinner. Joshua 1:Nine built a kitchen at the facility, and twice a week they feed dinner to all of the kids. It was a simple, delicious meal of chicken and plantains. We explained to our own boys that for some of these kids, these are the only two meals some of the kids get during the week. When it was time to leave, it was so hard to say goodbye.
While coming home from every trip can be nice, I just wasn’t ready to leave. We met so many wonderful people who let us be part of their lives for a week. I remember at the beginning of the week I told Kristin that I bet my son asks to come back within a few days of being home. I was right! We all want to do another Impact Trip.
It’s so nice seeing the direct impact that our monetary donations are having. It solidified for me that this is such a great organization and we will continue to support them.
I invite you to join me in being a team sponsor. Just $40 a month feeds a child for a month, helps support the coaches and cooks, and provides educational staff. And then, I urge you to go on an Impact Trip like we did. It was an experience that we’ll never forget. And we can’t wait to go back and do it again! If you are interested in supporting the team, click the link below and sign up. It’s really easy!
– Karen Volkman
Come learn more about these kids and support the mission!
CHANGE YOUR LIFE! TAKE AN IMPACT TRIP!
Did you learn about the kids at the breakfast and now you want to see what’s going on with your own eyes? We are taking groups to spend a week with the kids in the DR! If this sounds like something which you are interested in being part, let us know by clicking the link above to send an email and we’ll get you more information!
As always, we are thankful for you, our supporters. We pray you are happy, healthy and know the peace that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. He’s got all of us in his hand, here and abroad, and for that we are forever thankful. Thank you for your prayers and ongoing support!
With deepest gratitude from the guys.
