This past week I had the pleasure of co-chaperoning a group of 23 travelers from Watkinson School who spent one week in La Romana, Dominican Republic. My first trip to this area was in February of 1990 with a group of 11. My second trip was a four-day jaunt with my nephew (Josh), brother-in-law (John) and my brother-in-law’s brother (Todd). Despite having been there twice before, this week was a new adventure for me in several ways.
First, I was traveling with my husband and two sons. What a joy to see my boys leaning into the work they did and friendships they made this week; but more on that in a subsequent post. Second, I have never been in La Romana with a group this large. In one week we were able to treat 406 patients, distribute 450 food kits, and make 30 water filters. Third, I was managing the work and schedule for the team. I am a doer, and my focus on managing was a huge shift away from my natural tendencies.
After having arrived at dinnertime on Saturday evening (and being greeted by Josh and John who were there working on another project), our team settled into Casa Pastoral (dorms and a dining hall, part of the mission of the Maranatha Baptist Church). After a scrumptious meal, team members relaxed and realized our hosts were going to take very good care of us this week. Our living accommodations were very comfortable (though spare) and we even had wifi in spots to be able to blog and post photos to facebook. After dinner the team had its first taste of working together, bagging almost 200 food kits using food purchased in bulk with team funds that were sent to the mission prior to our arrival. A food kit consisted of about 20 oz of rice, 20 oz of beans, a 12 oz bottle of oil, a pound of spaghetti, a 10 oz package of corn meal, a 5 oz can of hot dogs, and a 6 oz can of sardines. We had a problem-free travel day, and easy pass through customs, and team dynamics were excellent. All in all, a great first day.
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