Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in D.R. through giving

Going into the village of Bombita, I knew I had to prepare myself for what was in store for me. It was heartbreaking seeing some of these small children with no shoes on their feet, ripped clothes, and lacking the luxuries we take for granted in America. Yet, through all they’ve been through with the little they have, they still held on to one valuable thing… their happiness. These kids weren’t complaining, instead they were running around smiling, laughing, and taking care of one another. 

My groups mission was to give back to this strong community. Some of their houses had no roofs and I unfortunately had to see someone sitting on top of a pile of dirt calling that their “home”. To help, we built roofs and painted some houses, planted greenery, and my favorite part: loved on the orphans. 

Throughout this trip I realized how amazing it felt to give. I noticed one of the girls who had been with me a majority of the trip had worn flip flops that being held together by a piece of tape. I put my shoe next to hers to check if we were the same size. It was a perfect match. I knew I would later be taking my Nike shoes off my feet and giving them to her. Her face was priceless as if she had never received a pair of decent gym shoes. It was so worth it. Then, not expecting anything in return, a similar experience happened to me like in Lisa Leonard’s blog. On the last day, these three girls in the picture came up to me to say goodbye. Not only did they give out hugs but actually were the ones to give ME a gift. They are the ones who had so little, yet willingly gave to me, who had so much. It’s something I will never forget.

The Week that Changed Everything

My Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic

Going to a foreign country at 16 years old with people you had never met before?! Trust me, I was anxious and nervous, but I knew I really wanted to and had to go. After a lot of fundraising and convincing my mom to let me go, I was on a plane heading to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. And oh how I do not regret it. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. 

My church, New Life Midway, set up this mission trip with the AOTK organization. 

We first went to an orphanage in Santo Domingo filled with all boys. There was a lot of basketball and competitive Uno being played. Although, we were really there to redecorate and fix up their worn down office. Next, we went to the village of Bombita where poverty was extreme. My group visited these Haitian immigrants houses and prayed for each one. We put in more work by fixing up roofs and painted homes. Through out the trip at Bombita, everybody loved on the orphans and seemed to have a group of kids attached to them. We fed over 100 children at the center AOTK opened up. To end the trip, the village put together a concert where we praised and worshipped God in the rain. It was honestly amazing and one of those experiences that you want to relive. Before getting back on the bus, my group gave back to the children whether it be clothes, snacks, or shoes. My whole perspective changed, my faith changed, and I changed. I came back to the United States more grateful for everything I had and was striving to become a better person. 

To read more about mission trips, visit Experience Mission Blog

Meet Juan Carlos

Juan Carlos Michel is a 17 year old orphan from the village of Bombita in the Dominican Republic. I met him on my missions trip and he made a huge impact on me. He’s the most sweetest, funniest, helpful boy. He made my trip so much better and always had me laughing. He would poke me and pretend to not be the one who did it which helped lifted my spirits up when I was tired and hot. 2 years later and I have not forgotten about him. 

The AOTK organization opened up a center down at Bombita providing daily meals. The only sad thing is that the children have to be sponsored in order to be able receive the meal. That means many children get turned away and are not able to go inside and eat if they do not have a sponsor. Being in poverty, majority of those children will go days without a healthy meal. I experienced first hand the heartbreaking sight of hungry children wanting to go into the center but being told they cant. At the time I was there, Juan Carlos did have a sponsor and luckily was able to get a meal.  

At first, this post was going to be a feature story about Juan Carlos, but then now I noticed he unfortunately has no sponsors. So i’m hoping to just throw this out there and all it takes is one person to see it and be apart of something amazing by sponsoring him.