Hi everyoneeee!!!
Well, it's another lazy Saturday here in Jaibon! Matthew is at the airport picking up new interns, Amanda is playing with the boys at the orphanage, and I am here writing. We have officially been in the DR for 5 weeks now! Time flies by so fast here, I feel like it was just Sunday, and now we have said goodbye to so many volunteers (we had 102 Americanos here this week!) and more than half of our interns. It is bittersweet, to say goodbye to people. We have only known each other for 5 weeks at the most, but it feels like we are the best of friends, because we spend so much of our time together. We have become like family, and I can honestly say that my experience would not be the same if even one person was not here.
These past couple of weeks have been crazy here. We spent the last few weeks doing our normal routine of camps out in the community in the morning and afternoon, and spending most of our free time with the boys here at the orphanage. This week, with all of our volunteers, our schedule has been a little different this week. We split up into 3 groups, and in the morning, we went to three different campsites in Jaibon or the neighboring city of Laguna Salada. But in the afternoon, we spent one day here with the boys, and another day at camp, and a third day at a batey in the community. A batey is another word for a village or community. Today, Amanda and I had the privilege of going to a Haitian refugee batey, where the community consisted entirely of illegal immigrants from Haiti. We held more naked children than I ever thought possible, and we fell in love with every single child. One child, whom I lovingly named naked-crayon-eating-Godzilla ate crayons and was naked and destroyed everything. The only words that came out of his mouth all afternoon were “cana” which I took to mean “Americana.” I walked over to where my friend and fellow intern, Laura was holding a precious Haitian baby girl. I noticed that Laura was crying, and she said that she had been singing “Jesus Loves Me” and she said that it meant something new and different standing in that village holding those children. Just then, a little boy came up to me and lifted his arms up to me like he wanted me to hold him. He was also naked, and had something white caked on his forearms, which I took to be flour or something of that nature. I picked him up and he wrapped his arms around me so tightly, and the feeling that came next was completely indescribable. I looked around and saw the children being loved on, and this one boy who was in my arms, and I knew why Laura had been crying. I started to cry myself. Amanda said it best tonight. She says that when we drive up to this orphanage or when we get off the bus at places like that batey, it feels like we are coming home. I don’t want to be anywhere else, and if I had my choice, Amanda and I would still be at that batey, holding those babies. (Needless to say, Amanda and I both had babies fall asleep on us today at the batey. Baby whisperers, just saying.)
I wish that you all could be here to meet the boys here at the orphanage and the kids that we have encountered at camps in the community or at that batey. I wish you could see Jimmy and Lorenzo smile and speak in Creole, and laugh at Lolito when he gets excited around all the Americanos. I wish you could take a nap with Jonel and laugh at Luis Alberto, Alex, and Manuel when their pants fall down. I wish you could see Fautico’s smile when you call his name, and listen to Jose play guitar, or get a hug from Chipa. I love these boys here more than words can express, more than my own life, and I want them to have the best life possible. I want them to know that they are loved and that they matter. They matter to me, and they sure as heck matter to God. And if you were here, I would want you to come to camp one day and listen to the Banana Song. Because nobody goes bananas like the kids in the DR.
Please say prayers for our team for energy and strength and perseverance these next couple of weeks. Pray for Amanda’s Spanish. And of course, our tummies. Pray for safe travel for our friends who are flying home Saturday. And pray for our babies here at the orphanage. Pray for them everyday.
ALSO! We have 3 more weeks here, but if you'd like to send some mail (we love mail here and I haven't gotten any yet!) that would be AWESOME! The address is
Our name
Hogar De Esperanza de los Ninos
Orphanage Outreach
Calle Altagracia #80
Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Please keep in mind it takes about 2 weeks for anything to get here, and we have to pay for big packages. But if you have some free time in the next few mins, send us a letter! They make us feel special!
Well, it's another lazy Saturday here in Jaibon! Matthew is at the airport picking up new interns, Amanda is playing with the boys at the orphanage, and I am here writing. We have officially been in the DR for 5 weeks now! Time flies by so fast here, I feel like it was just Sunday, and now we have said goodbye to so many volunteers (we had 102 Americanos here this week!) and more than half of our interns. It is bittersweet, to say goodbye to people. We have only known each other for 5 weeks at the most, but it feels like we are the best of friends, because we spend so much of our time together. We have become like family, and I can honestly say that my experience would not be the same if even one person was not here.
These past couple of weeks have been crazy here. We spent the last few weeks doing our normal routine of camps out in the community in the morning and afternoon, and spending most of our free time with the boys here at the orphanage. This week, with all of our volunteers, our schedule has been a little different this week. We split up into 3 groups, and in the morning, we went to three different campsites in Jaibon or the neighboring city of Laguna Salada. But in the afternoon, we spent one day here with the boys, and another day at camp, and a third day at a batey in the community. A batey is another word for a village or community. Today, Amanda and I had the privilege of going to a Haitian refugee batey, where the community consisted entirely of illegal immigrants from Haiti. We held more naked children than I ever thought possible, and we fell in love with every single child. One child, whom I lovingly named naked-crayon-eating-Godzilla ate crayons and was naked and destroyed everything. The only words that came out of his mouth all afternoon were “cana” which I took to mean “Americana.” I walked over to where my friend and fellow intern, Laura was holding a precious Haitian baby girl. I noticed that Laura was crying, and she said that she had been singing “Jesus Loves Me” and she said that it meant something new and different standing in that village holding those children. Just then, a little boy came up to me and lifted his arms up to me like he wanted me to hold him. He was also naked, and had something white caked on his forearms, which I took to be flour or something of that nature. I picked him up and he wrapped his arms around me so tightly, and the feeling that came next was completely indescribable. I looked around and saw the children being loved on, and this one boy who was in my arms, and I knew why Laura had been crying. I started to cry myself. Amanda said it best tonight. She says that when we drive up to this orphanage or when we get off the bus at places like that batey, it feels like we are coming home. I don’t want to be anywhere else, and if I had my choice, Amanda and I would still be at that batey, holding those babies. (Needless to say, Amanda and I both had babies fall asleep on us today at the batey. Baby whisperers, just saying.)
I wish that you all could be here to meet the boys here at the orphanage and the kids that we have encountered at camps in the community or at that batey. I wish you could see Jimmy and Lorenzo smile and speak in Creole, and laugh at Lolito when he gets excited around all the Americanos. I wish you could take a nap with Jonel and laugh at Luis Alberto, Alex, and Manuel when their pants fall down. I wish you could see Fautico’s smile when you call his name, and listen to Jose play guitar, or get a hug from Chipa. I love these boys here more than words can express, more than my own life, and I want them to have the best life possible. I want them to know that they are loved and that they matter. They matter to me, and they sure as heck matter to God. And if you were here, I would want you to come to camp one day and listen to the Banana Song. Because nobody goes bananas like the kids in the DR.
Please say prayers for our team for energy and strength and perseverance these next couple of weeks. Pray for Amanda’s Spanish. And of course, our tummies. Pray for safe travel for our friends who are flying home Saturday. And pray for our babies here at the orphanage. Pray for them everyday.
ALSO! We have 3 more weeks here, but if you'd like to send some mail (we love mail here and I haven't gotten any yet!) that would be AWESOME! The address is
Our name
Hogar De Esperanza de los Ninos
Orphanage Outreach
Calle Altagracia #80
Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Please keep in mind it takes about 2 weeks for anything to get here, and we have to pay for big packages. But if you have some free time in the next few mins, send us a letter! They make us feel special!
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