[Guest Post] Melissa shares about our time with the school children

Waiting for the bus

What an experience our family has had. Two days ago we learned again how schedules are different in the DR.  We took a 20 minute walk to meet the bus again. This time we walked in the daylight.  We praise God for our family as they greeted every Dominican passing-by with a smile and an "hola."

We arrived at the bus stop "on-time." The target time was 3pm. We arrived at 2:59pm.

We waited.

We waited.

We waited.

Getting on bus

A good lesson in patience emerged because we waited for over an hour before the bus arrived.

Excitement and nervousness stirred in our kids--uneasy about the unknown. We arrived at the school. The schoolyard was filled with children dressed in blue & white uniforms. The sheer numbers of students amazed us.  Six years ago only 40 students attended. Today almost 600 students attend in two sessions--morning and afternoon.  The wealthy Dominicans and nationals pay for their kids to go to school in the morning session. Then in the afternoon session the poor families especially the Haitian children go to school for free.

Johanna, the Principal

The principal Johanna gave us a tour of the school and we interacted with the students during on of their recesses.  The girls painted fingernails and faces. The boys played a pickup game of basketball.  Our children showed brave hearts as they tried to communicate with the students.

The most stretching experience was the bus ride after school. Imagine 90 kids plus 12 US Citizens packed into a 66 passenger bus. The afternoon session had Dominican and Haitian children to take home.  So we felt  surrounded. The school children wanted attention and love, so they crowded closer and closer--pushing each other out of the way to touch us. Of course, our children were overwhelmed.  Personal space is different here in the DR.

Our family was taken-aback by the visible poverty and odorous filth as we dropped children off at their homes. But there was hope.  On each child's face hope shines through. Praise God for this school's dedication and love for the children who attend the school. We look forward to spend more time with them and possibly sponsor one of the children as a family.

Thanks for your prayers. We leave in four hours for the airport. We are scheduled to arrive at 10:30pm tonight. Adios!