I can't believe it's already been 2 months since we headed to the Dominican Republic
with an amazing team on a service trip for Kingsview Sponsorship Program. Tyler and I
found out just weeks before the trip that we would be joining the team to
document the trip and the work of the organization in order to create promotional
material for Kingsview. It's safe to say that we didn't even hesitate to say YES! Praise
God we had just updated our passports only a few months before this unexpected
adventure and with a little rushed packing and preparing - we were off!
I am so thankful to God for opening this door for us. It did so much good for our hearts
{in more ways than you possibly can imagine!} I am SO excited to be sharing with you
just a handful of some of my favourite photos - but I have to say - I cannot wait
for Tyler to share some of the many video's we shot! For now though, I hope these photos
and captions help you to get a small taste of this amazing trip and this awesome
organization and all the work they do in the Dominican Republic.
A big aspect of this trip was visiting schools and documenting children in their classrooms //
Going to school in the Dominican is free for children - however, you must be able to afford the cost
of school supplies & uniforms and sadly, many kids come from severe poverty and cannot cover
the cost of these things, resulting in them going without education. Even many of the kids in the schools
were clearly coming from poor homes - but their JOY was contagious. These kids did not take
their opportunity to learn for granted. Thankfully we had many opportunities to pray for
these kids and share bible stories with them... thankful for how many of them listen intently
and even joined in praying with us.
A big highlight of the trip for both Tyler and I was breaking out the Drone! Originally we brought it for
our work purposes, but it very quickly became a huge source of fun and excitement and surprise for the
kids & adults wherever we went! I can't wait until we are able to share the footage we captured!
Most of the schools were surrounded by gates & fences, and quite often there we kids from the
communities who were not able to attend school, but they would watch us from the fences!
We loved every minute of going over and saying hello to these beautiful kids. On one particular
day, some of these kids were let inside the school grounds and it was so emotional to watch
them experience a classroom for perhaps the first-time, but also quite possibly the only time.
Onelly. This little boy could brighten any room. Onelly has suffered from disabilities for his entire life,
and having been left by his mother, he is being raised by an older widowed woman who has no
relation to him. I held back tears almost the entire time when we were capturing Onelly's story.
The selflessness of the woman raising him - his constant request to be prayed over - his love
for church - the JOY of the Lord was evident in this story - even out of the brokenness and
complete despair - God was working in this beautiful soul.
The boys orphanage. This was probably the hardest day. This was a place of emptiness. Not only was
it evident in the run down facility, the flooded rooms and leaking kitchen. The condition of the orphanage was
definitely poor - this is a place of deep need. But beyond material things, looking at these boys made my heart ache even more. I can't imagine how empty they must feel at times. The needs of their hearts run deep.
Being able to hang out with them for a few short hours, make them smile and pray over them was
wonderful - but it felt so small and insignificant. My prayers for this place and these boys continue on.
Pray that these boys would experience the fullness of God's love in a way that renews their
strength and fills their souls.
Opening Sponsor Letters. If YOU have a sponsor child - go and write to them right NOW!
It was such a joy to witness how far a simple letter can go.
