Tuesday, February 25, 2014

It was another beautiful warm, sunny morning.  I gave the ‘Inspirational Talk’ this morning.  I talked about the importance of relationships and community.  I read a ‘Letter to the Editor” from the Toronto Star from 2007 in which a High School student, a Muslim girl, was asked to do volunteer work at a community hall, which turned out to be in an Italian Catholic church.  While she does not celebrate Christmas she was asked to help children make ornaments and simple gifts at different centres.  During the morning, an elderly lady came up and hugged her and kissed her on both cheeks, all the while rambling on in Italian.  The girl had no idea what was said, but knew it was a heartfelt and unique experience.  The girl later learned that the lady was telling her, “ It doesn’t matter that I don’t know you or where you are from, we are all alike in some ways”.   The girl who wrote the letter said that it gave her a new attitude towards others, and a hope for the future.

Our work here in the DR it is no different, we are always helping others whom we do not know and who don’t know us, but by working side by side we are equals and while we speak different languages we feel connected by the fact of our humanity.  It is one of the things that keeps me coming back year after year to do what little I can to make another person’s journey through life a little easier.  It is about giving hope. 

Today our team visited the senior’s residence in Puerto Plata that we visited last year.  We entertained them with singing and presented them with simple gifts.  The ladies were treated to manicures and the men to baseball caps.  Some residents were given hair trims by one of our team members, who is a hairdresser by profession.   A few of us played dominoes with the men.  Gift bags were left with the nuns who run the residence, to be distributed as needed.  Fabrics and sewing items were also donated.  We then spent the remainder of the day painting all of the walls surrounding the courtyard and hallways of the facility.  The nuns were overwhelmed with our generosity and thanked us over and over. 

The Seniors Were Waiting

Sister Explaining What to Do

Tom & Pauline Paint the Railing

Nahlah Cutting a Resident’s Hair

Jim Paints the Top

Bea Paints the Bottom

Chuck Paints in Between

Note:  During last year’s visit were learned that the nuns needed a new sewing machine, which has now been purchased.  We didn’t get to see it because a woodworker has taken it to his shop in order to build a more substantial work table for it.  The nun’s old sewing machine has also been sent off to be repaired.

Monday, February 24, 2014

We had a very productive day.   The 2 ½ Amigos (Vic, Chuck and John) went with Phil to the hardware store and picked up wood then went to Phil & Donna’s house where we spent the day cutting out about 50 pieces from 3 sheets of plywood.  We will assemble 2 portable library carts for the school in Sosua Abajo.  Our return for a few hours on Wednesday and again on Thursday will hopefully allow us to complete them.  

Chuck, Vic and John (taking picture)
Cutting Pieces for the Library Carts

For lunch, the resort supplied us with roasted chicken and potatoes, which was a pleasant change from years of ham & cheese sandwiches, alternating with cheese & ham sandwiches.  Phil & Donna sat with us for lunch and filled us in on the general operations and philosophy of Servant’s Heart Ministries.  We also were taught the ins and outs of working to help people without making them dependent or expecting handouts.  It is a delicate balance which requires experience to understand what works and what doesn’t.

The remaining 12 team members went to the school at Sosua Abajo and broke into 2 groups.  One group did crafting and games with the children while the other group painted.  The painters kept Dario and Chris busy running for more paint every couple of hours.  Journey teams are noted for their ability to exceed expectations – as they learned today. 

The Church and School at Sosua Abajo

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Yesterday, our group of 15 arrived at the airport on a school bus from Kitchener.  Bea & I met the bus at the 401 Park & Ride.  The check-in went smoothly except that 4 hockey bags of supplies (of 30) nearly went to the DR via Winnipeg.   Luckily the attendant noticed the anomaly and corrected it.

Journey 2014 Team Members
at Pearson Airport in Toronto

We were wearing our Journey 2014 T-shirts In the waiting area and became the focus of many inquiries about our work.  A group of 6 from Sault St Marie was heading to the DR to work in a village about an hour and a half from Puerto Plata.  I spent a long time chatting with Dominic, a contractor from Montreal, who travels frequently to the DR to work independently with poor people in a village.

Marlene, Margaret, Marliese & Uli 

Our flight, which left 20 minutes late, was a bit bumpy in spots but was otherwise great.  A fellow in the seat behind us on the plane was another humanitarian who has paid for and helped build a house and is coming down to start his second.  Bea was talking with one of the flight attendants who said that she knows several WestJet employees who also do volunteer work in the DR.  

Phil Williams of Servant’s Heart Ministries
Securing the 30 Hockey Bags to his Truck

 This morning (Sunday) we went to a church service at Templo Bibilico, where we were enthusiastically welcomed.   They remembered many of us from our work there the last 2 years.  We were all introduced by name and later in the service we sang a couple of songs for them.  We were treated to juice and snacks afterwards.

The Team is Treated to Juice and Cookies 

In the afternoon we drove to Loma de Los Chivos (Goat Hill) to visit Maria and her family, for whom we sponsored and helped to build a house last year.  She and her family were thrilled to see us.  Maria gave us a tour to show all that she has done to make a home for herself and her children.  The children all looked so healthy compared to last year. 

Maria Gives the Team a Tour of Her Home

We then visited Victoria, for whom we are sponsoring a house this year.   Her old house, all but the kitchen, has been torn down and the new foundation is poured.  We will return on Saturday for the dedication, when the walls and roof should be up!

Victoria is standing beside the remains of her former house.  The foundation for her new house has been poured.  She is living in the tin shack, which is actually her kitchen.

Journey 2014 - Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Yesterday (Tuesday) I drove to Cambridge in snowy conditions and met Vic, our treasurer, to drop off some more money from our fundraising and to pick up 2 empty hockey bags for the rest of the soccer equipment, soap, lap blankets, baby caps, carpentry materials, etc. that was still piled on the floor in our dining room.  Most of it is now packed and the remainder may have to wait until a ‘sea container’ goes down in the spring.  We put bars of soap into the soccer shoes to get more into the hockey bags.  The 105 baby caps that we packed today were all knit by our friend Auntie Audrey.  

I have now finished drawing the plans for the library carts that some of us will be building for the school in Sosua Abejo where we have done painting and crafting the past 2 years.  I modified a cart sold by Louise Kool & Galt here in Ontario.  We will be building 2 mobile carts, one for each floor of the school.  

Cabinet by Louise Kool & Galt	Auntie Audrey displaying her 105 Caps for Servant’s Heart Ministries' new Pregnancy Resource Center in Nazareth
John Drawing Plans for the Mobile Library Cabinets	Bea putting bar of soap into soccer shoe - serves 2 purposes!

Journey 2014 - Sunday, February 16, 2014

Since ‘packing day’ last Sunday, Bea and I have been busy organizing and packing donations that continue to pour in.  Anita, of ‘Chance to Play’, dropped off 4 sets of soccer uniforms, including cleats, plus 2 boxes containing 40 new soccer balls.  Another friend, Sarah Fernandes, who is involved in mission work in the Philippines, dropped off a couple of boxes of soap, shampoo and other toiletries, most of which will go to a senior’s home in Puerto Plata and the ‘Pregnancy Resource Center’, run by Phil and Donna of ‘Servant’s Heart Ministries’, in Nazareth.  Bea has also been crocheting ‘lap blankets’ for the residents of the seniors home and also found some bargains at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in town.  Bea and I have continued to  fundraise by putting on a Chili and Games Night and another soup lunch following church service. 

Donation Basket for Fundraising Activities Norval Presbyterian church sponsors Alex and Andy, students in Paradise and Nazareth schools.

Chilis to suit various tastes were provided at the Saturday games night.

Journey 2014 - Sunday, February 9, 2014

Our Journey 2014 Shirt

 Our Journey 2014 group spent several hours in the afternoon organizing and packing supplies that we have been collecting to go to the Dominican Republic.  Each of the 15 team members will carry 2 hockey bags weighing up to 50 pounds apiece.  We are travelling with WestJet which allows double the amount of stowed luggage for humanitarian travel groups.  Team members are asked to limit their personal travel requirements to ‘carry on’, which isn’t that hard when traveling to a hot climate, in order to maximize the amount of supplies we can carry.  Any hockey bags which were not used today will be filled with dried soup mix from Ontario Christian Gleaners based in Cambridge, Ontario.  Bea and I will also be carrying 4 team sets of soccer uniforms, including boots, compliments of Anita Bergsma and the Georgetown Soccer Club.  Anita founded an organization called ‘Chance to Play’ in 2011 and soccer equipment has been sent to several countries.
Team members pay for their own plane ticket and accommodation, so that 100% of the money that is raised will go directly to the projects in the Dominican Republic.  At last count, the group had raised over $16,000.

Adult Medications for a Clinic in the village of Liberation	Baby Food / Formula for children’s programs in the villages of Ascension and Nazareth.	Baby Supplies for the new Pregnancy Resource Centre in the village of  Nazareth
Some of the baby hats knit by the ladies of Norval Presbyterian Church	Jeans for Ascension and Socks for residents of a Senior’s Facility, run by the ’The Sisters of Charity' in Puerto Plata	Baby dresses knit by Edythe of Georgetown, Ontario

We will be working with Servant’s Heart Ministries, a charitable organization founded by Canadian couple, Phil and Donna Williams.  It is based in their hometown of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.  The base for the organization’s fieldwork is in the Dominican Republic is in the town of Sosua where Phil and Donna now live, just east of Puerto Plata.

Cathy reviews our itinerary / projects we hope to be doing.

One of the members of Journey 2013, Vic Lytle, stayed in the DR for another week to continue working with Phil & Donna Williams of Servant’s Heart Ministries.  Vic visited Bea and I this morning to update us on projects and provide some pictures.  We had left money to have gravel put on the school yard at Sosua Abejo.  This has now been done.

Truckload of Gravel at 9:30 a.m.

Labourers from Dunnville, Ontario

School Yard at 1:00 p.m.

Another job completed was the pouring of a cement floor in Maria’s new house.  The Dunnville team again provided much of the labour for this challenging job.  Cement had to be wheelbarrowed down a long incline and then up a very steep grade into the house.  Vic reported that no mishaps occurred and the work was completed by early afternoon.  A follow up visit to the site found Maria sweeping and washing the new floor.

Loading the Wheelbarrow

Leveling the Floor

Maria & Son on Newly Washed Floor

The house in Nazareth that we painted the previous week has been fitted out with doors and shutters. It will soon be ready for the new owners to move in.

The House in Nazareth

Vic kept busy for parts of two days at Cangrejo, cleaning and reorganizing the storage shed in which Phil keeps all his tools and supplies.  Containers were purchased for storing the sorted nails, screws, etc. which generally are bought in bulk and come in plastic bags.  Another job involved fixing up a screen device and sifting sand to be used for making wall ‘plaster’ for the houses.

Storage Shed at Cangrejo

Vic spent a lot of his time just talking with Phil & Donna about their work and filling them in on our perspective of things.  Generally, our team felt very good about our work with Servant’s Heart Ministries.  Vic was glad to have the extra time to assist Phil & Donna and to provide our feedback.