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Good evening!
Saturday was our last day in Juan Tomás. We woke up a little earlier than usual and, after a delicious breakfast, we said our goodbyes to all the people we had met and interacted with over the past few days. We then loaded onto the bus and headed to Vasca, a Haitian community on the eastern end of the Dominican Republic, where residents live and work in the sugar cane fields.
Upon arrival, we noticed that the community was quite different from Juan Tomás. Kids swarmed the bus as we pulled in, giving us hugs as we exited and staying close to us until we said goodbye.
The girls led a VBS program about Daniel in the Lion’s Den for the younger children and another on the Fruits of the Spirit for the older kids. They also had the opportunity to lead an English lesson for the older group. After the classes, we played soccer and baseball with all the kids until lunch.
After lunch, the girls went to the local corner store and prepared 15 food bags for families in the community. Afterwards, they helped host a birthday party for a young boy. Meanwhile, the boys began bending and tying rebar in preparation for the footing of a new wall. Later, they started mixing and pouring concrete until around 7 o’clock.
At 8 o’clock, everyone gathered in the church for a youth service, which included lots of singing and a message delivered in three languages. After the service, the girls slept on mattresses in the community center, while the boys slept on mattresses on the church floor. It made for a slightly buggy night!
This morning, we woke up and joined a beautiful church service, which included music in both English and Spanish. After the service, we traveled to San Pedro de Macorís and spent a relaxing afternoon at the beach.
At the beach, we enjoyed a delicious pizza lunch, played volleyball and football in the warm water, read books, and soaked up the sun. Along the shore, we even saw parrots, monkeys, and horses!
Later in the evening, we returned to our hotel, had dinner, watched the Leafs game, and wrapped up the day with a trip debrief. It was a restful and refreshing day, but we’re definitely starting to miss all the smiles from the kids!
