21/03/15: The Final Few
First of all: yes, I know that this post is like, five days late. (Sorry!!) Thanks to pesky little things like lack of internet connection, post-concert exhaustion, and draining plane rides, I haven't been able to really sit down and let my inner blogger run wild and free, but here we are now, at last. Within these past few days, a lot has happened, so on the bright side, this should be an interesting post. (Apologies in advance if it gets kinda long though. You may want to grab a snack or something before continuing.)
Monday, March 16th was our second day of the music camp. We started our day off bright and early by cramming into our beloved van and weaving down the crazy Dominican roads to Emmanuel Christian School. There, we met up with our DR friends and toured around their school, popping into various classrooms and performing for the students. It was so neat to see where our new friends went to school, to now have an actual picture in our minds of what their day-to-day life is like. From there, we began some vocal exercises to prepare our voices for a long day of singing. After a good 20 minutes of this, we broke off into our respective groups, (Canadian and Dominican students) where we practiced our own individual pieces that we'd be performing at the concert the next night. One of the songs that our group rehearsed was a really powerful piece called "Praise is What I Do". The song is all about continually praising God and pursuing joy, even in the midst of brokenness, hardship, and pain, and for the first time ever, it really hit home for us. We were all so moved by the lyrics, especially one verse in particular that went: "Praise is what I do/even when I'm going through/I've learned to worship You/and though my circumstance/doesn't even stand a chance/my praise outweighs the bad". There was something about the rawness of the lyrics mixed with the visuals and feelings of brokenness that we had all experienced recently: whether in what we'd seen there in the DR or things we've dealt with in our own personal lives, that moved everyone in our group to tears while rehearsing. It was such a powerfully vulnerable moment for each of us, and as we sat in a circle, attempting to sing through the tears, we felt ourselves grow a little bit more: both in faith and in our bond with each other. It was in that moment that we became more than just choir teammates, and even more than just friends. We became a family. After rehearsals came lunch with our DR friends, followed by a jam session, and later, we practiced 3 songs that both our Canadian choir and the DR choir would be performing together at the concert: Oceans, How Great is Our God, and Amor Como Fuego, the song that our team had performed in church the day before. Even though our team knew Oceans and How Great is Our God in English, we decided to add a Spanish verse or two into both of these songs, to celebrate the language of the people in the Dominican and to show that God is for all people of all cultures. Afterwards, we decided to teach our Dominican friends a piece from our repertoire called "Amani": a Swahili song meaning "peace". After performing it for them with our whole choir, we then decided to break off into separate groups, (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) to teach them the individual parts of the song. It was mind-blowing how quickly they learned just by ear, and within half an hour, they had practically mastered a song that took our Canadian team about a month to learn. It was so cool! After a mass-choir jam to "Amani", followed by a quick game of volleyball in the school parking lot, our team hopped back in the van and headed home, where we ended off our day with a delicious dinner followed by a crazy game of soccer.
Monday, March 16th was our second day of the music camp. We started our day off bright and early by cramming into our beloved van and weaving down the crazy Dominican roads to Emmanuel Christian School. There, we met up with our DR friends and toured around their school, popping into various classrooms and performing for the students. It was so neat to see where our new friends went to school, to now have an actual picture in our minds of what their day-to-day life is like. From there, we began some vocal exercises to prepare our voices for a long day of singing. After a good 20 minutes of this, we broke off into our respective groups, (Canadian and Dominican students) where we practiced our own individual pieces that we'd be performing at the concert the next night. One of the songs that our group rehearsed was a really powerful piece called "Praise is What I Do". The song is all about continually praising God and pursuing joy, even in the midst of brokenness, hardship, and pain, and for the first time ever, it really hit home for us. We were all so moved by the lyrics, especially one verse in particular that went: "Praise is what I do/even when I'm going through/I've learned to worship You/and though my circumstance/doesn't even stand a chance/my praise outweighs the bad". There was something about the rawness of the lyrics mixed with the visuals and feelings of brokenness that we had all experienced recently: whether in what we'd seen there in the DR or things we've dealt with in our own personal lives, that moved everyone in our group to tears while rehearsing. It was such a powerfully vulnerable moment for each of us, and as we sat in a circle, attempting to sing through the tears, we felt ourselves grow a little bit more: both in faith and in our bond with each other. It was in that moment that we became more than just choir teammates, and even more than just friends. We became a family. After rehearsals came lunch with our DR friends, followed by a jam session, and later, we practiced 3 songs that both our Canadian choir and the DR choir would be performing together at the concert: Oceans, How Great is Our God, and Amor Como Fuego, the song that our team had performed in church the day before. Even though our team knew Oceans and How Great is Our God in English, we decided to add a Spanish verse or two into both of these songs, to celebrate the language of the people in the Dominican and to show that God is for all people of all cultures. Afterwards, we decided to teach our Dominican friends a piece from our repertoire called "Amani": a Swahili song meaning "peace". After performing it for them with our whole choir, we then decided to break off into separate groups, (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) to teach them the individual parts of the song. It was mind-blowing how quickly they learned just by ear, and within half an hour, they had practically mastered a song that took our Canadian team about a month to learn. It was so cool! After a mass-choir jam to "Amani", followed by a quick game of volleyball in the school parking lot, our team hopped back in the van and headed home, where we ended off our day with a delicious dinner followed by a crazy game of soccer.
Tuesday was concert day. We all woke up as early as possible to sit outside in the fresh warmth of the morning and have some intentional quiet time with God. It was probably one of my favourite mornings on the entire trip. Instead of waking up to the hustle and bustle of trying to get ready quickly to make it to the camp on time, it was a really nice change to just sit and experience God's creation and hang out with the Big Guy for a while. It put all of our hearts and minds in a good place, to remind us that our purpose on this trip is not to be perfect musicians, but to worship God through our music and interaction with others. After breakfast, we loaded up in the van once again and headed down to Emmanuel, where we went through another full day of camp, just like the other days: starting off with warmups, breaking off into our individual groups, then after lunch practicing various songs all together. Today when we were practicing with both of our groups together, we decided to teach them "Hosanna", one of our longest-running songs in our choir which is very near and dear to our hearts. We taught it to them in the same way we taught them "Amani": by performing it for them as a whole group, then breaking off into individual sections to teach them the parts, and once again, we were blown away by how quickly they learned it. It was probably one of the coolest things ever, to be able to introduce a song that held so much meaning to us to a group of people from a totally different part of the world, to expand the message of that song even that much farther. It felt like our family was growing, which was so special and meaningful for each of us. After camp, we headed back to the compound for a quick swim, shower, bite to eat, and then freshened up for the concert. Excitement and nerves started to build more and more, which eventually escalated to a climax when we drove up to Emmanuel Christian School and saw the stage where we'd be performing in only a few minutes. After a soundcheck, pep talk, and a prayer, the concert began, starting off with some AMAZING performances by some local praise bands and dance teams. Their energy and passion was infectious and inspiring, and we wanted to capture that as we went on stage to perform our first of four sets. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Due to some technical difficulties, as well as some overwhelming nerves, our first few songs didn't go quite as planned. They weren't total disasters, but they definitely weren't as good as we knew they could have been, and feeling somewhat discouraged, frustrated, and deflated, we finished off our first set as best as we could. Knowing we couldn't continue with this kind of attitude, our team decided to go off into a quiet corner while some other groups were up onstage, and just prayed. We were losing our focus: our mindsets had suddenly become more concerned about being perfect musicians and getting all the technical details right, rather than performing for the sake of worshipping God. Spending those few minutes in prayer was so vital for us. It soothed our nerves, lifted our spirits, and made us remember why we were there, and so, for our next few sets, we gave it our all. By the end of the night, not a single eye on our team was dry. We sang with everything we had left in us, devoting every note, every lyric, to God, and it felt incredible. You could definitely feel His presence onstage as we were up there, and the love that was poured out as a result was unlike anything I've ever experienced before. It was a life-changing night for me, as well as the other members on the team, and I know that I'll always treasure the memory of standing there onstage, tears flowing down my face, singing louder and more enthusiastically than I ever had in my life because we were dedicating it all to God.
Wednesday was our last full day in the DR. This was the day that we got to do our work project, as well as tour around some of the other schools that EduDeo partners with. Our job site for the day was Renessair Christian School, where we would be painting some classrooms. We started off by touring the school, popping into a bunch of classrooms, meeting the students, and, of course, singing for them. (I mean, come on. We're a choir team. We can't resist the opportunity to sing.) From there we were assigned various jobs: from scraping old paint off the walls, to doing trim, to grabbing rollers and painting over large sections of wall. It was hot and tiring, but we made it all go faster by, (you guessed it) singing, which actually made the whole experience super enjoyable. After a couple hours of hard work, we washed up for lunch, changed into some "nicer", less paint-stained clothes, ate, and then headed out to another school sponsored by EduDeo, where we visited several classrooms and performed songs for them. The kids were all so welcoming and enthusiastic, and most of the classrooms even sang songs back to us after we performed, which was adorable and so much fun. Once we were done there, we headed back to our compound where we had a pool party with our DR friends, which felt sooo nice after a long day of working in the intense heat. Later, the DR friends left to go back to Emmanuel Christian School to set up for our farewell dinner that night, which we showed up to only a couple short hours later. The evening involved lots of lively dance numbers, a beautifully done dramatic presentation, some crazy fun games, and, best of all, pizza. It was a very bittersweet night. On one hand, it was awesome to hang out with these new friends of ours, to laugh with them, talk with them, and to realize how close we've all become in only a short amount of time. However, there was a cloud of sadness looming above all of us, as we knew that this was the last time that we'd get to be with each other, which became especially apparent when we had to say our final goodbyes at the end of the night. So many tears were shed, and we all left feeling like a little piece of our hearts were missing. And, honestly, sitting here now, it still feels that way. The friendship we had with the people in the Dominican was so strong, and I know that our Canadian team has been talking and thinking about our Dominican friends every day since leaving them. They were such special, talented, hilarious, and accepting people, and I hope that even though we're from completely different countries and circumstances, we still hold onto that incredible bond we shared.
Thursday. The day we finally had to pack up our suitcases and head back to the chilly land we call home. We all started off our morning by waking up at the crack of dawn to sit outside and watch the sunrise together one last time, to try to capture a final glimpse of the incredible beauty of the DR. It was spectacular, like God was putting one final exclamation point on the end of our sentence. Even though we were all dreading having to say goodbye to this incredible place that had stolen our hearts, we couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of awe and joy at that wonderful display of creation. It was the perfect way to end off our trip. After breakfast, we gathered our luggage, bid one final farewell to our sweet little compound, and then headed out on our way. We took one final, quick stop at a touristy market so people could pick up any last-minute souvenirs, and then booked it down to the airport where we said goodbye to our faithful bus driver and Harvid, our awesome tour guide, and then officially began the journey home. Saying goodbye to the DR was one of the hardest things I think I've ever had to do. This past week was so powerful, challenging, yet incredibly fun and exciting. I've learned so much about other cultures, about my friends, about myself, and about God. After these experiences, I see the world through new eyes, and having to say goodbye to the place where all this happened felt like saying goodbye to an old friend. The farewell was inevitable, but it hurt nonetheless, and even now, after being home for a couple days, I still feel homesick for the Dominican Republic. It was so amazing, and I feel so blessed that I got the opportunity to go on this trip. The memories and bonds that were created were so rich, and I know I'll treasure them for a long, long time.
Once again, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who supported our team on this trip: whether financially, through encouraging messages, or through your thoughts and prayers. We could not have done it without you. We all feel so blessed to have such incredible supporters. Trips like this are no small undertaking, and the fact that you were all so willing to give of yourselves in order for us to have this experience is so, so cool. Thank you all.
God was definitely at work during this experience. Please continue to pray that the bond we formed while we were down in the DR doesn't die out, but instead, only continues to grow. A spark was formed while we were down there, and if we keep God at the centre, that spark could fan into a flame that can touch so many lives.
Thank you, once again.
God is good.
--Heather
Once again, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who supported our team on this trip: whether financially, through encouraging messages, or through your thoughts and prayers. We could not have done it without you. We all feel so blessed to have such incredible supporters. Trips like this are no small undertaking, and the fact that you were all so willing to give of yourselves in order for us to have this experience is so, so cool. Thank you all.
God was definitely at work during this experience. Please continue to pray that the bond we formed while we were down in the DR doesn't die out, but instead, only continues to grow. A spark was formed while we were down there, and if we keep God at the centre, that spark could fan into a flame that can touch so many lives.
Thank you, once again.
God is good.
--Heather
16/03/15: The World is Big and Cool
Sunday: a day when Christians everywhere get to
meet together in a common location to worship God, and this Sunday was no
exception for us. We awoke to a beautifully peaceful morning after getting to
sleep in a whole extra hour (!!), which we greeted by hanging out by the mango
tree in our compound, (yeah, we have a mango tree. It’s pretty freaking cool)
and doing devotions and singing hymns. It was so great to be able to start our
day off by getting our heads in a Christ-centered place, to really remind us of
who and what we’re here for. Not long after, we all hopped in our snazzy van
and zipped down the road to church, where we performed two songs during the
service:” Hosanna”, a piece that we’ve been singing since last year, and “Amor
Como Fuego”, which is a Spanish worship song meaning Love Like Fire. The people
in the congregation really seemed to connect with the lyrics as we sang them,
which was amazing to experience. It reminded us that we’re not just singing
nice songs for other people to hear, but rather, we’re worshipping God first
and foremost. Being able to sit in on the rest of the church service was really
neat too. In some ways, it was very similar to a “normal” Canadian service in
the way that it was run, but yet there was something so different about it that
really made it impactful for each of us. The way they sang their praise songs,
the way the pastor preached his message, and even the way the people responded
to that message was so full of raw, beautiful passion. They threw their hearts
and souls into every moment of that service, and it was so meaningful for our
team to see that, even though we may be from different cultures and we may not
speak the same language, we’re all still loving and praising the same God.
After the service, our team enjoyed lunch with our Dominican friends, played tag with some of the little kids in the church parking lot, and then walked back to our compound together with our Dominican friends. From there, we quickly changed out of our church clothes, (which were now considerably hot and sticky) and put on some fresh “casual” clothes, and headed down to an old, touristy marketplace to walk around in some shops. There was so much to see, smell, hear, and taste there: from street performers, to freshly painted artworks laying out on the side of the street, to ice cream cones, and craft stands galore. It was a playground for the senses, and once again, it was so, so cool to get to experience a bit more of the rich culture down here. The weather was beautiful too, and the way that the lazy afternoon sun bounced off all the old, picturesque buildings and streets made everything that much more beautiful, like we were walking inside a storybook. Seeing God’s creation like that was special for each and every one of us, and it was the perfect way to end off a busy, yet incredible day.
Every day gets progressively better and better, and it’s been such a great experience getting to learn and bond and perform every day. Please keep praying that we continue to stay safe and healthy, so we can all return home with awesome stories of what we’ve done.
Till tomorrow…
--Heather
Every day gets progressively better and better, and it’s been such a great experience getting to learn and bond and perform every day. Please keep praying that we continue to stay safe and healthy, so we can all return home with awesome stories of what we’ve done.
Till tomorrow…
--Heather
15/03/15: Beaches are Cool.
Day two: after waking up to a sizzling, humid day, we geared up in our swimsuits, lathered up the sunscreen, and headed down to the beach for our long-awaited beach day. Despite the dark clouds looming in the sky, it didn't keep us from having a blast swimming in the ocean, going for walks up and down the beach, and enjoying lively games of Frisbee and volleyball. Even when the clouds did decide to burst open into a downpour, we didn't stop, but rather, started up a rowdy, muddy game of beach volleyball with our team, our new Dominican friends, and even the odd stranger who wanted to jump in on the fun. After a full day of activity, we hopped back in our van and headed back home, where we cleaned up and then headed out once again to see a showing of the new Cinderella movie. All in all, it was a highly successful, relaxing day, which gave us a much-needed opportunity to rest our voices for our next few days of singing and performing. It was so cool to be able to experience the warmth of a beach in March, when we're so used to bleak cold at this time of year. It was a real blessing, and it really helped keep our spirits and our energy up.
--Heather
--Heather
14/03/15: The Journey Begins
First of
all: hi Mom. I’m not dead. You can breathe again.
Second of all: holy heck. We’re finally in the Dominican Republic. The past two days have been a flurry of activity, and sitting here now, it’s hard to recollect everything back into fully formed ideas, but I’ll give it a shot. Thursday morning we met in the Toronto Airport at the oh-so-lovely hour of 3;00, hung over with exhaustion, yet bursting with excitement even still. There was something about all meeting up and realizing that we were actually going that sparked an energy in our group that remained with us for the rest of the day. Despite a cramped plane on the flight to New York, a four-hour layover in the JFK airport that was filled with cupcakes, McDonald’s runs, and rowdy card games, and a three hour flight after that, somehow the excitement stuck with us for the entirety of our day. That being said, our day wasn’t over, even after our final landing in the Dominican. After stepping off the plane and walking smack-dab into a wall of intense heat, (they weren’t kidding when they said it was hot here) we were greeted by the many friendly and enthusiastic faces of the students from Emmanuel Christian School who we’ll be working alongside this week. Their welcome was warm, and there was an instant bond that was formed in that moment. From there, we hopped on in a van with our new Dominican friends and headed down to the compound that would become our new home for the rest of the week, and though we were all tired, sweaty, and in serious need of some supper, we still gathered together whatever energy we had left and had a wild jam session in the van to end off our action-packed day.
Day two brought even more activity. After a delicious breakfast, we headed down to Emmanuel Christian School for the first day of our music camp. There, we met up with our new friends from the day before, where we did vocal warm-ups, then split into two groups: Canadian students and Dominican students, where we each practiced our own individual pieces that we later performed for each other. It was so cool hearing the songs that they sang, that, even though we didn’t understand all their lyrics due to a language barrier, we could still understand based on the way they sang it. It sounded so genuine, so full of emotion, that you could actually feel the song as they sang it, and despite the striking heat, we still managed to get chills. Then began a spontaneous session of simple, ridiculous fun with our new Dominican friends. They taught us rhythm and clapping games, we taught them songs like Father Abraham and the Hokey Pokey. Never in my life have I seen a group of 16-18 year olds get so stoked over the Hokey Pokey, but I think that being able to have fun and laugh over something so seemingly childish was so refreshing for every person in the group. After lunch, we headed down to a local church to practice a piece together that we’ll be performing in church on Sunday. By this point in the day, we were so tired and hot, but once again, we gathered together our energy for one final jam session together to end off our day.
Second of all: holy heck. We’re finally in the Dominican Republic. The past two days have been a flurry of activity, and sitting here now, it’s hard to recollect everything back into fully formed ideas, but I’ll give it a shot. Thursday morning we met in the Toronto Airport at the oh-so-lovely hour of 3;00, hung over with exhaustion, yet bursting with excitement even still. There was something about all meeting up and realizing that we were actually going that sparked an energy in our group that remained with us for the rest of the day. Despite a cramped plane on the flight to New York, a four-hour layover in the JFK airport that was filled with cupcakes, McDonald’s runs, and rowdy card games, and a three hour flight after that, somehow the excitement stuck with us for the entirety of our day. That being said, our day wasn’t over, even after our final landing in the Dominican. After stepping off the plane and walking smack-dab into a wall of intense heat, (they weren’t kidding when they said it was hot here) we were greeted by the many friendly and enthusiastic faces of the students from Emmanuel Christian School who we’ll be working alongside this week. Their welcome was warm, and there was an instant bond that was formed in that moment. From there, we hopped on in a van with our new Dominican friends and headed down to the compound that would become our new home for the rest of the week, and though we were all tired, sweaty, and in serious need of some supper, we still gathered together whatever energy we had left and had a wild jam session in the van to end off our action-packed day.
Day two brought even more activity. After a delicious breakfast, we headed down to Emmanuel Christian School for the first day of our music camp. There, we met up with our new friends from the day before, where we did vocal warm-ups, then split into two groups: Canadian students and Dominican students, where we each practiced our own individual pieces that we later performed for each other. It was so cool hearing the songs that they sang, that, even though we didn’t understand all their lyrics due to a language barrier, we could still understand based on the way they sang it. It sounded so genuine, so full of emotion, that you could actually feel the song as they sang it, and despite the striking heat, we still managed to get chills. Then began a spontaneous session of simple, ridiculous fun with our new Dominican friends. They taught us rhythm and clapping games, we taught them songs like Father Abraham and the Hokey Pokey. Never in my life have I seen a group of 16-18 year olds get so stoked over the Hokey Pokey, but I think that being able to have fun and laugh over something so seemingly childish was so refreshing for every person in the group. After lunch, we headed down to a local church to practice a piece together that we’ll be performing in church on Sunday. By this point in the day, we were so tired and hot, but once again, we gathered together our energy for one final jam session together to end off our day.
So what does the rest of our trip hold? A lot more singing, a lot more learning, a lot more bonding, and a lot more unforgettable adventures. There is so much rich culture here in the Dominican, and it’s a lot to take in at once, but I know for a fact that the things we learn now will impact us for the rest of our lives. Thank you to everyone who’s been keeping us in their prayers, and we hope that you continue to do so. Also, stay tuned to the blog for more updates and pictures as our adventure progresses!
--Heather
--Heather
18/02/15: In the Process
It's almost here.
Just a few short weeks from now, our team of weird and wonderful humans is going to be hopping on a plane and taking off on an incredible adventure to the Dominican Republic. To be honest, the whole concept still seems pretty surreal yet. For so long now, this trip has just seemed like a crazy dream, and the fact that it's going to become a reality in such a short time is both exciting and overwhelming. Honestly, it's hard not to get excited when thinking about what we're going to be doing down there: whether it's learning more about music in a camp we're attending, getting to know the people in Los Alcarrizos and doing some community service projects alongside them, or even just experiencing the rich culture that the Dominican has to offer. The experience seems more fun and rich than anything I've had the opportunity to do in my sixteen years of being alive, and I, for one, am super stoked and very thankful to be able to be go. Also, not gonna lie, the idea of getting to go to somewhere warm soon is pretty nice. (I mean, snow is pretty and all, but if I have the option of being someplace where I don't have to worry about getting frostbite after standing outside for ten minutes, I'm a-okay with that.) Of course, incredible experiences like this don't come without their fair share of hard work. This is the season our team is living in now: a season of hard work, deadlines, and scrambling to get everything prepared before we leave. It's easy to get stressed out in times like this, when there seems to be so many things to do in so little time. However, you can either let high-pressure situations bring you down, or you can use them as learning experiences. And boy have we ever been doing a ton of learning in the past couple months! How, you ask? Well, here are just some of the many valuable life lessons that I, for one, have learned throughout this experience so far:
Just a few short weeks from now, our team of weird and wonderful humans is going to be hopping on a plane and taking off on an incredible adventure to the Dominican Republic. To be honest, the whole concept still seems pretty surreal yet. For so long now, this trip has just seemed like a crazy dream, and the fact that it's going to become a reality in such a short time is both exciting and overwhelming. Honestly, it's hard not to get excited when thinking about what we're going to be doing down there: whether it's learning more about music in a camp we're attending, getting to know the people in Los Alcarrizos and doing some community service projects alongside them, or even just experiencing the rich culture that the Dominican has to offer. The experience seems more fun and rich than anything I've had the opportunity to do in my sixteen years of being alive, and I, for one, am super stoked and very thankful to be able to be go. Also, not gonna lie, the idea of getting to go to somewhere warm soon is pretty nice. (I mean, snow is pretty and all, but if I have the option of being someplace where I don't have to worry about getting frostbite after standing outside for ten minutes, I'm a-okay with that.) Of course, incredible experiences like this don't come without their fair share of hard work. This is the season our team is living in now: a season of hard work, deadlines, and scrambling to get everything prepared before we leave. It's easy to get stressed out in times like this, when there seems to be so many things to do in so little time. However, you can either let high-pressure situations bring you down, or you can use them as learning experiences. And boy have we ever been doing a ton of learning in the past couple months! How, you ask? Well, here are just some of the many valuable life lessons that I, for one, have learned throughout this experience so far:
1) Procrastination isn't the greatest thing. When you're in a situation that has very strict deadlines on when forms have to be handed in, when money has to be deposited, etc., leaving things till the last minute isn't gonna help you, or anyone else. Get things done on time so you're not that person who's left panicking and/or crying at the last second. (Yes, I have been that person. Judge me as you will.)
2) Nothing brings people together like sharing a meal with each other. Some of the most fun I've had with this team is on those long, hectic nights where we've stayed after school, had a meal together, and just talked. I feel like each time we do this, we grow together as a family, which is so vital when you're taking on such a big project like this trip. There's something about being together and eating that makes you loosen up. The conversation flows more naturally, the laughs come easier, and the friendship comes closer together. Pizza=excellent bonding tool. Enough said.
3) Teamwork. This is a biggie. Asking other people for help isn't a sign of weakness. If anything, it's the opposite. Learning how to work with others well is such an important life tool. When you know how to cooperate and collaborate successfully with a team of people, then you have the ability to flourish in so many situations. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or offer a hand to someone who looks like they need help. It brings you together and, in the end, is super rewarding.
4) Spanish is a beautiful language. That's just a fact. Everything sounds better in Spanish.
5) Don't be afraid of trying new things. Spending your entire life inside your comfort zone isn't healthy. Learn how to break out of your shell and experience new things, no matter how weird, hard, or scary they initially seem. This is probably the biggest lesson that I personally have learned. Don't be afraid of taking risks. Even if you take that risk and fail, it's okay, because you can learn from your mistakes and use them as motivation to improve. Be okay with putting yourself in a seemingly uncomfortable situation every now and then, because at the end of the day, you'll learn more from experiencing life at its crazy points then you would from playing it safe all the time. Seize opportunities as they come to you. You won't regret it.
Now obviously, these are not all the lessons we've learned so far. There have been so many other growing experiences that we've had over the past few months as we've been prepping for this trip, and honestly, not all of them have been easy. There's been bumps and bruises along the way, and you know, maybe that's the best part about this whole ordeal. The fact that we've been able to use these tougher times to grow as individuals says a lot about this team. We've come a long way since our first couple meetings back in September, and it's exciting to think how much farther we'll go as this journey progresses. The process may not always be pretty, but when it's all said and done, the end result will be something awesome, something that, hopefully, we can walk away from as changed people.
Of course, this experience would not be possible without all of our amazing supporters. Thank you so much to everyone who's
2) Nothing brings people together like sharing a meal with each other. Some of the most fun I've had with this team is on those long, hectic nights where we've stayed after school, had a meal together, and just talked. I feel like each time we do this, we grow together as a family, which is so vital when you're taking on such a big project like this trip. There's something about being together and eating that makes you loosen up. The conversation flows more naturally, the laughs come easier, and the friendship comes closer together. Pizza=excellent bonding tool. Enough said.
3) Teamwork. This is a biggie. Asking other people for help isn't a sign of weakness. If anything, it's the opposite. Learning how to work with others well is such an important life tool. When you know how to cooperate and collaborate successfully with a team of people, then you have the ability to flourish in so many situations. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or offer a hand to someone who looks like they need help. It brings you together and, in the end, is super rewarding.
4) Spanish is a beautiful language. That's just a fact. Everything sounds better in Spanish.
5) Don't be afraid of trying new things. Spending your entire life inside your comfort zone isn't healthy. Learn how to break out of your shell and experience new things, no matter how weird, hard, or scary they initially seem. This is probably the biggest lesson that I personally have learned. Don't be afraid of taking risks. Even if you take that risk and fail, it's okay, because you can learn from your mistakes and use them as motivation to improve. Be okay with putting yourself in a seemingly uncomfortable situation every now and then, because at the end of the day, you'll learn more from experiencing life at its crazy points then you would from playing it safe all the time. Seize opportunities as they come to you. You won't regret it.
Now obviously, these are not all the lessons we've learned so far. There have been so many other growing experiences that we've had over the past few months as we've been prepping for this trip, and honestly, not all of them have been easy. There's been bumps and bruises along the way, and you know, maybe that's the best part about this whole ordeal. The fact that we've been able to use these tougher times to grow as individuals says a lot about this team. We've come a long way since our first couple meetings back in September, and it's exciting to think how much farther we'll go as this journey progresses. The process may not always be pretty, but when it's all said and done, the end result will be something awesome, something that, hopefully, we can walk away from as changed people.
Of course, this experience would not be possible without all of our amazing supporters. Thank you so much to everyone who's
helped us over the past few months: whether you've donated to our team, supported us in prayer, helped us in our fundraisers, or even driven us to and from our early morning and late-night meetings. Your contributions have not gone unnoticed. Also, thank you to EduDeo ministries for giving us this opportunity in the first place. (You should go check them out at: https://edudeo.com because they really are quite fabulous.)
As for now, please pray that God will continue to work in this team, and that everything that happens, whether it's in our planning, our rehearsing, or in what we do with our time down in the Dominican Republic, will all be honouring to Him, because He's ultimately the reason why we're doing this. It's all a process, but with God at the centre, something amazing is bound to come from it.
--Heather
As for now, please pray that God will continue to work in this team, and that everything that happens, whether it's in our planning, our rehearsing, or in what we do with our time down in the Dominican Republic, will all be honouring to Him, because He's ultimately the reason why we're doing this. It's all a process, but with God at the centre, something amazing is bound to come from it.
--Heather
