Journey 2017 - Preparation

This year's Dominican Journey Team is very small - 3 people to be exact (Bea and John Henderson and Vic Lytle).  We leave Toronto on February 4th for a one week stay in the Sosua region near Puerto Plata, where Dominican Journeys have been going for 12 years.  We will be working again with Servant's Heart Ministries, based in Nova Scotia.  We had thought about taking a year off and trying to put together a bigger group next year, but decided we wanted to see the school addition completed.  Because we are flying with WestJet, we can each take a 50 pound bag of humanitarian supplies in addition to 50 pounds of personal goods.  Also, we travel 'carry on' which enables us to actually take up to 100 pounds of humanitarian supplies per person.  Thanks to the generosity of our many friends, we have raised an impressive sum of over $14,000 for the work of Servant's Heart Ministries and donations are still arriving in the mail and being given to us in person.  Every penny will be used to help the people.

Supplies include art/craft supplies, personal care items, black shoes and blue pants for student uniforms, school supplies, over the counter medications and vitamins, and baby things.  We received over 20 knit items for babies.  Some people ask why they need warm clothes in a hot country, but the fact is that Dominican nights can be cool and the houses are not heated.  Also, Vic picked up 50 pounds of dried fruit from Ontario Christian Gleaners. 

One of the knitters made 14 little dolls.  The dolls were given brown faces so they will feel at home in their new country.  We already have more knitters recruited to knit more of these for next year.

They are called Izzy Dolls and crochet and knitting patterns can be found on the Izzy Dolls site.