The CTK mission team at Hogar Niños de Dios in Moca, DR.
I had never traveled to the Caribbean nor served on a mission trip, so when I saw the posting in our bulletin months ago, without hesitation, I decided I would participate. I do not have an easily defined motivation, other than I sincerely believe I was called by God to do his work. “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 I was ready to move my mountain with God’s supervision and assistance.
Driving onto the Dominican Republic Mustard Seed campus, I knew my experience would be life-changing. My only hope entering this experience was that I could do my best to help the residents and staff at the residence. As soon as our van parked, four or five children aged seven to ten ran out to greet us with open arms, bright eyes and wide smiles. Some of the other children who were not mobile waited in their wheelchairs until we approached them.
Their greeting immediately drew me, Father Jon, Nancy Daly and the ten high school students into their community. And it was this sense of community that reinforced itself time and again as the week progressed. The Hogar de Ninos facility provides non-stop care for thirty-four children aged two to sixteen with varying degrees of physical, mental and emotional capabilities. Volunteers help the full-time staff with daily cleaning, physical therapy assistance and garden work. We also spent a significant amount of time each day playing with the children under a pavilion on the campus. Equipped with separate dormitories for the children and the mission volunteers, a dining hall and its own chapel, the self-contained community promotes togetherness, growth opportunity and most importantly God-centeredness. One morning Father Jon celebrated Mass, in Spanish, for us and some of the residents. My most fond and vivid memory of this celebration was watching one of the residents with somewhat limited mobility get up and start dancing and clapping his hands during the offertory. So moved by the music, he shared his joy with all of us.
No one child affected me. They all did. Being present for the children–sharing a smile, a touch, a kiss–had a profound impact on me. I return with so many memories, but none as great as this: simple acts of attention and presence can make all the difference in another’s life, but also our own. I sincerely felt God’s light and love during my week in the Dominican Republic.
Jennifer Thiel is a parishioner.