When I stepped into the hot humid air for the first time in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic I knew my life was going to change. I had never been on a missions trip and this was the first one. I was nervous but at the same time very excited. It was the summer in between seventh and eight grade, the air was hot but I was ready.
For the trip we stayed with Score International which was a compound within the poorer parts of the Dominican Republic. We went to sugarcane villages each day. We meet more and more kids as the week went on. We went to a few orphanages to play with the kids there. Those children taught me a lot about life even though we had no way of having a real conversation together.
We passed out food to families in some of the villages and put on a skit for them to see. We acted out simple needs that we have or sins that we all commit while people just passed by. But, then after it all Jesus came and saved us all from what we were suffering with. We had someone explain what was going on in spanish so the could further understand.
On this trip little did I know that this beautiful week was going to take a turn for the worst. When one of the students on the trip began throwing up it just went down hill from there. We had brought a sickness with us that infected us all. Those who weren't sick helped those who were, thus spreading the germs faster among the students. When the leaders started getting sick it was to hard to go any where and complete the mission we were sent there to do.
Rapidly one by one we each got sick. I was one of the last ones to catch the horrible virus. We each threw up so much that when we got to a point where we had nothing more to throw up. Our bodies were weak and most of us slept a lot. I slept through most of the day waking up at seven o'clock at night to go to the bathroom and drink more water. Then I fell asleep that night at 9 o'clock to sleep through the night till 8:30.
Once most of us recovered we planned on going out again to visit some of the villages. When I ate food for the first time with another girl in my room it took us all but ten minutes to throw it back up again. Myself and a few others missed the souvenir shopping day but our friends bought things for us. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned but God's work still gets done even if it is your own heart. This was first learning experience of what it means to be truly grateful for what you have. There are people in this world with way less and we must think of that when we complain about the items we do have.
This trip impacted me so much and I grew in my spiritual walk with the Lord that I decided I would come back the next summer as well. No one got sick on that one and I even brought my little brother Cody who had just finished sixth grade along for the trip. I got to see some of the same kids as I did the year before and even spend time with some new kids in different villages.
Life Lesson #9: Don't take anything/anyone for granted because you never know how long they or you will be around.
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