A Dominican Republic Journal
By Missy Roetter, Youth Coordinator
From The Outlook, September 2007
Amazing is the best word to describe this year's Journey to Adulthood (J2A) pilgrimage to the Dominican Republic and their last four years together. They have succeeded in every challenge put before them: the fi rst to build a raft and fl oat across Lilly lake, raised a record amount of funds from the Mothers Day car wash, largest J2A group ever to travel on a pilgrimage and first to travel outside the U.S. Parishioners should be very proud of this group's hard work, their love for others and the deep spirituality shown on the pilgrimage.
Our start was rather tumultuous. The airline cancelled our flight to Miami leaving 21 pilgrims stranded at the airport. Thanks to one persistent parent, Mark Mecker, we were finally able to secure a fl ight arriving in San Pedro at midnight rather than the scheduled time of 2:30 pm. From there it was a one-hour drive to the Kellogg Center, an Episcopal retreat conference center located in the center of San Pedro De Marcoris, our home base for nine days.
Each pilgrim carried an extra suitcase filled with donations from the community and the parish. Teen member Colin Fong secured a large donation of baseball equipment from the Indianapolis Indians. Many parishioners gave over-the-counter drugs and school supplies, all of which are badly needed in the community. Old acolyte and choir robes were also donated. All in all we carried more than 800 pounds of donations to the Dominican Republic.
Ellen and the Rev. Bob Snow and Sister Jena Gabriel greeted us at the airport. We must have looked like a bunch of rag-tag pilgrims coming off the plane after 20 hours of traveling. The Snows are the directors of all mission trips in the Dominican Republic and had been working closely with us on our travel arrangements. Sister Jena Gabriel is from the Episcopal order in Cincinnati, the Sisters of the Transfiguration. She began the mission work at El Centro Buena Pastor (Good Shepherd Center) in the neighborhood, or barrio, of Las Flores 20 years ago after a hurricane devastated the island. The center is a school, nutrition center clinic and place of worship.
Las Flores is a very poor barrio and the services provided by the Sisters of the Transfiguration are sorely needed. The school provides preschool and K-8 classes to more than 300 children. Very few parents can afford tuition so nearly all the children are on a scholarship (beca, in Spanish). Few of these children would even be able to attend public school, which still requires that they provide their own uniforms and books.
I was amazed at how quickly the teens adjusted to the Dominican environment. The rooms at the Kellogg Center were not airconditioned except for three. It didn't seem to bother the teens one bit. All the pilgrims enjoyed the cuisine. They especially loved the fresh fruit and juices. Every day began with Morning Prayer led by one of the pilgrims and Compline each evening also led by the teens. It was a joy to see them so comfortable with the prayer book. We had several worship services in the church in Las Flores?all in Spanish, of course. The pilgrims were able to follow along in the Spanish prayer book.
Our mission work was to clean out a newly acquired building to be used as classrooms for grades 6-8. The teens got to work immediately cleaning out all rubble and junk? it seems like the Dominicans never throw anything away. We then sanded the walls and painted them white. The windows had not been cut out yet, so the interior temperature had to be over 110 degrees with no circulating air. Chaperone Peter Sehlinger, our connection with the Sisters, was the workforce organizer. Without his leadership and translating, we never would have finished the five-day project in just three days. That was some of the hardest work I have ever done on either a mission trip or pilgrimage. Trinity pilgrims worked harder than any construction crew and never once complained! There was plenty more to be accomplished in this poor little community.
Neighborhood kids surrounded us every day. Several helped us paint and sand the building, then joined us for lunch. Our teens didn't need to speak Spanish to communicate. Hand signals, smiles and laughter were all that was needed. This connection between the two groups made the entire trip worthwhile. After all, the goal of the J2A pilgrimage is to find God's love in a new or old way. We all felt that love through the eyes of the Dominican people. A small group of kids even walked all the way to our conference center in the evening to continue playing with the pilgrims. This was no small feat because the neighborhood they had to cross was not the safest.
Sister Jean organized a baseball game between the U.S. contingent and the local Dominican Little League. The first day's game was a complete shut-out; we were the entertainment for the locals. On the second day, the teams were mixed which enabled us to redeem ourselves with a few base hits. After the game Trinity pilgrims gave the baseball supplies to the Dominicans. The look in their eyes was priceless when we gave them the used bats, gloves, ball and bags.
On Saturday the group enjoyed a trip to the capital city of Santo Domingo, the oldest city in the New World. On Sunday after a worship service in Las Flores, the teens toured the cave Cueva da Las Maravillas. This cave contains drawings from the indigenous Taino Indians, dating back 1,000 to 3,000 years. Monday and Tuesday we spent at the beach, a 15-minute drive from the Kellogg Center. Some of our pilgrims practiced their sailing skills, some snorkeled in the beautiful blue waters, while others enjoyed the cool breeze and a good book. The beach was a welcome site after such hard work.
Our flight home ended the same way it began, canceled flights and a late night. The airline put us up in a lovely hotel in Miami, however; the group was sent home on three different fl ights the following day. Once again I was amazed at the patience and composure of these teens during the trip home. Their love for each other and the Dominicans is truly amazing.
