Over the course of the month we worked on several different projects alongside the American groups that came down. Three main groups traveled to Santo Domingo, one from Montgomery, Alabama; another from Orlando, Florida; and the last from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was very interesting to be there with several different groups of people, as each was quite different: in personality, age distribution, size, dynamic, and focus. For example, the Alabama group was a youth group of mainly high-schoolers, and they were determined to – and did – get a lot of construction done while they were there. The Winston-Salem group, on the other hand, did much less construction (although that was partly due to the rain) and focused more on relational outreach such as Bible school, the Haitian literacy program, and other events which they organized to better get to know and fellowship with the community. This is, of course, a pretty surface example, as the other differences, in personality, group dynamic, and otherwise, are much more difficult to describe, and not terribly relevant anyway. I can very briefly say that the Alabama group, being comprised of youth rather near our (the staff’s) ages, was generally the most energetic and fun for the staff. And being from the Alabama in the Deep South it was funny to watch the regional dynamics which popped up between Alabamians, North Carolinians, and the Northerners from Rockford, Illinois.
As far as work projects went, they can be divided into a couple different types. First were the one-time, start-to-finish construction type projects. The there were about five separate projects which we worked during the month.
First was Karina’s house, where we mixed and poured the concrete floor and primed and painted the walls, and were able to dedicate the finished house at the end of the first week. Finally having their house finished was a huge blessing to Karina and her husband, who had been living in just half of a house for almost a full year. They had been constructing a house as the money became available to add on, which was a very slow process. Mission Emanuel saw this and decided to help them finish their home. Construction on this half of the house had begun before we arrived – hence the rather small amount of work that had to be done to finish it.
The second and third projects were beginning just as we got there, so we got to build and watch them grow from the ground up. These two projects are situated side by side, only about five feet apart, and will soon be houses. One house is for Vijo and Glendy and their family. Vijo and Glendy are employed by Mission Emanuel and used to live in a house on Mission Emanuel’s property. As Mission Emanuel has expanded, however, their house needed to be turned into offices, so another house is being built for them in the community. The other house is for the family of Aquelino (I think I spelled it right…), who is the physical therapist at Mission Emanuel’s medical clinic who works with their special needs patients.
When we arrived, these two soon-to-be houses were just ditches dug in the shape of a house and rooms where the footers – the foundation – would be poured. When we left, the cinder block walls were going up on each house, and were nearly finished at Vijo and Glendy’s. To get to that stage, however, we had to twist the rebar, mix and pour the concrete footers (using a lot of small buckets), level out the ground in each room, and lay a lot of block. It was pretty dirty and very hot and sweaty, but, believe it or not, we quite enjoyed doing the work. There’s just some about using your hands and body to work and tiring yourself out that you miss when you only use your brain to work, sitting and reading and typing or whatever. It’s a good feeling, a good kind of tired.
I should also tell you about the amazing Haitian workers that work/put up with us at the construction sites. There were about four or five of them always around this year, including Marcos, Luis, and others that I don’t want to try and spell their names because I’d probably get it wrong. They are some of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen, and really good sports, considering they have to teach us how to do everything and fix the things that we mess up. We joke that they see us coming and say (in another language), “Crap! We were getting so much work done, but now those Americans had to show up.” They are, of course, much more efficient workers than we are, and probably can work about twice as fast as we can with better quality. We’re always amazed when we finish work in the afternoon then come back just the next day to see how much work they’ve done. The point being, they’re just awesome.
The next project was one that began in March, actually the one that I worked on during my spring break trip. This was Dominga’s house. In March not much was there yet and we were just smoothing out the floors and pouring some concrete in the columns. When we got here this time, though, the walls were finished and plastered and the roof was already on, with a pile of sand outside just waiting for us to mix into concrete for the floor. So, during the third week the Orlando group mixed and poured the floors, then sanded, primed, and painted the walls. Other workers put in the doors and windows, and it was finished! We dedicated it the Friday of that week – an exceptionally beautiful and powerful thing. There is a story behind that house, and Dominga herself could be a saint, she is such a loving, humble, and godly woman. I’ll tell you more about that time later.
The last project that we worked on during the month was a palm garden in the Mission Emanuel compound. This was also a very special project with a story. It was (and is) special because it is more than just a garden to look nice – it is also a memorial. It was constructed in memory of a student named Spencer who was from Winston-Salem and loved to come to the DR, but who committed suicide earlier this year. Since I’m not from there I don’t any more about him and what happened than the relatively little that I’ve heard. However, I do know from what I’ve seen and heard that this garden is beautiful and lasting show of support and love for him and his family in a time when they certainly need those things. And not only is it a show of our human love, but as a living memorial it proclaims the glory of God alongside the entire creation.
In addition to these beginning to end construction projects, there are also some ongoing projects that we worked on. One was helping to label and bag bottles of water so the Water Treatment facility can sell them. I say this is ongoing because every day we would finish a few thousand bottles of water we would come back the next day to find another mountain of full bottles awaiting us. Personally, I rather enjoyed the work, as mindless tasks can be rather stress-relieving before they become completely boring. And, after all, it was a good cause because according to their sampling tests, this is the cleanest water in the entire country.
Another ongoing project was the Haitian literacy program. It’s just a literacy program because many of the Haitian children do not have the proper documentation and can’t be in a real school. I unfortunately didn’t participate in this very much, although I wish I had. From what I know, all of the children were learning how to read and write in Spanish, as well as singing, praying, and of course, playing. Although not technically a school, this may appear to be the closest to what a school would look like in the United States, as the Haitian children are generally more disciplined and well-behaved than the Dominican children, though no less fun and cute and awesome. This program is really crucial to the Haitians, as simple education goes a long way toward breaking the cycle of poverty.
Perhaps the most permanent ongoing project for Mission Emanuel and the Americans who come is to build relationships and love the people of Cielo and Nazaret, the neighborhoods where the Mission works. This is without a doubt the most important part of the trip and the means by which Christ’s love is most shown. Certainly, we show Christ’s love to people in a very powerful way by providing for their physical needs, and in some ways this backs up our words. It’s like James says: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” But, in response to spiritual need, Christ himself most showed love by hugging and touching and smiling and talking – personal contact. As I’ve said before, it is our time out in the community that most changes us, the Americans, and, I think, the Dominicans as well. It’s in these relationships, though they are unfortunately fragmented or cut far too short, that the most redemption happens for this place and its people, and for us. This is how Jesus works – person to person, face to face.
To see photos of the projects, go to my facebook pictures: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1268050533&v=photos. I'm having trouble getting them in the right place to put them on here.
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