Some Words from our Seniors

This week has been fabulous! We have experienced God’s love in so many ways. The students having been sharing every evening what God has shown them throughout our different ministry opportunities. We have six seniors this trip and they would like to share with you.

I really love the culture in the Dominican. The people here are so independent but at the same time, share everything with each other. In America, we have so many privileges that are taken for granted; things like food, education, and wealth. Dominicans have no money, scarcely can afford education for their children, only eat when they can, and are the happiest people I have ever seen. It’s silly to think that our own nation, founded on Judeo Christian principles, has less hope, happiness, and independence than a third-world country, but it’s true.
-Britton J. Medley







This week has been a life changing and thought provoking week for me. I have made a ton of new friends, strengthened old friendships, and learned so much about God. There are two things that happened to me this week that have changed my perspective on a lot of things. First, we visited a huge school. We did our lessons, etc. but I remember turning and looking outside and seeing these little kids standing on the other side of the concrete walls trying to listen to our lesson. These kids want to go to school and they can’t. Why? One reason is because they don’t have a uniform. Do you want to know how much that costs? Approximately $10 to $15 and we get to go to school for free.

The second thing is when we went to the girl’s orphanage. It was opened by one woman who had a calling from God. I remember going there thinking how sad the girls should have been, but instead they were happy. I was amazed. Instead of us helping them, they took our nail polish and paints and brushes and treated us like giant Barbie dolls. They had the time of their lives. I realized then that real beauty isn’t in a photo or sunset but in a child’s smile, one that is truly happy.
-Ashley Daniul 

My highlight this week was in LaYeugada. I met five sisters Marisol, Mariana, Daniella, JoanDe, and Rapheala. These girls took me to their house and my mom shared the gospel with their mom. The mom whispered in my ear “You are welcome here any time and if you need anything please ask we would love to help.” This family has nothing and was more concerned with my well being. It brought me to tears. -Emily Major

Through this mission trip I have sensed a common theme, God can work miracles through one faithful follower. We went to an orphanage that was run by one middle aged woman who felt led by God to care for the needy girls. Through her faithfulness she now has her own facility that cares for 34 girls. Later that day we visited the Emmanuel House which is run by a woman name Mirqueya, she grew up in poverty and went on to become a teacher. She grew up in, Quisqueya, the same village that Alfonso Soriano came from. She saw a need for a school to educate the extremely poor and disabled. Through her faithfulness, she too has a fairly new building that currently teaches and feeds 152 kids daily. This trip has encouraged me to be faithful to God despite my circumstances and whether or not I am doing it alone.
–Ben Burtis

For me, the highlight of my week was going to the all girl orphanage. It was awesome to see how excited the girls were to have people willing to play beauty shop with them. All they wanted to do was paint our nails and do our hair and it was great to let them do that for us. I also loved seeing how willing the guys were to have their nails painted and do what the little girls wanted. It brought us together as a group and really showed how simple acts of kindness can be.
–Nicole Watterud 


 We did so many great things this week in the Dominican Republic that it would be impossible to choose one thing that was my favorite. One of the best however was the experience of going to the girls’ orphanage. We went there in order to show them the love of Christ yet they showed us God’s love just as well if not better than we did. My time at the orphanage was split exactly into three activities. Almost immediately after stepping off the bus, I encountered a small girl who motioned to be picked up. She then proceeded to lead me all over the yard, pointing and naming things; talking for the sake of speaking. For example, window, Jessica, go over there, puppy, kitchen. But she was so happy. When she finally got tired and wanted to sit in the shade, her “sister” decided to paint on me with nail polish. This triggered a reaction in some teenage girls. They came up to me “levantos sus manos” we need to wash your hands. Those girls used valuable polish remover to clean my hands off in their home. With a girl on each side and one in front of me, the girls I came to take care of provided for me. If that does not exemplify a servant’s heart, nothing does.

Finally, they sang for us right before we left. The girls have beautiful voices and while they sang they came out into the audience and hugged us all. These girls have been taken in because they have been orphaned, abandoned, or abused. Some cannot go to school because of learning disabilities and others because legal records could put them back into abusive homes. Despite these struggles every single one of these girls loved on us as Christ loved them. My life has been nowhere near that, yet I do not show that kind of love to everyone I meet. These girls provide a valuable lesson on the strength and depth of God’s unfailing love.
–Caitlin Radziewski

We would like to say once again how much we appreciate all the prayer and support we have had from home in order to make this life-changing week a reality. Please continue to pray for each of us as we return to North Syracuse. We don’t want the lessons learned here to stay here. We want our lives to continue to impact our world and communities as we return home!
-Liz Sorber