I will be going with an organization called Project Manana. Brian Berman, the one who started it all, contacted me via FaceTime last week and talked with me what I would be doing with him and his team if I was interested in something like this. Only after a few minutes of talking, I was hooked.
Hooked on the idea that I would be going to the Dominican Republic once again. Hooked on the idea that I would be working with locals and children whose daily dose of happiness is seeing people of a different skin color come and visit them to spend their time with them. That is what they solely want.
These children -- living in conditions that Americans would call unsuitable, receiving only one meal a day from nutrition centers, whose play item is maybe a stick or some other piece of trash -- only want affection, time spent with them and for you to share the smile on their face as you draw with sidewalk chalk on the ground, or play jump rope with them one more time even though you are already out of breath, or blow bubbles only for them to run through them, pop the bubbles and laugh.
Moments like these give these children a chance to feel love from a complete stranger. The small things are what matter to these children, They do not see the difference between you and them, that you are more privileged or that you have more money; they see that you cared enough to come all the way to them to spend time with them and that they are important enough to you.
I cannot wait to get there so that I will be able to experience these things again. I will miss every person dear to me, without a doubt. But it must have meant something to the Man up stairs for me to go again or all of this would not have happened. So I am going with an open mind spiritually, mentally and physically, only hoping that I can be the feet for what God wants me to do.
Please walk with me on my journey through the Dominican as I spend 7 weeks with Brian and his team doing what the Lord wants us to do.
