In August, I answered a last minute call to participate in a one week mission trip to the Dominican Republic with the Trinity Habitat Global Village Team. It was a great opportunity to serve families in need of safe, decent and affordable shelter. We arrived in the capital city, Santo Domingo then took a bus to San Juan de la Maguana, a small city located in the western part of the country. From there we drove to a village to build a house for a woman named Yolanda.
Yolanda is a 65 year old widow who is deaf and lives with her 18 year old son. Yolanda and her son lived in a small one-bedroom house made of bamboo. Our mission was to build them a new house in three days. Yolanda was a very happy woman and always did what she could to make us comfortable. Every morning she made us coffee and cooked us food while we worked, even though she did not have enough for herself and her son. At the end of each work day, she gave us water to wash ourselves and even offered to clean our clothing. When the house was completed and ready for her to move in, Yolanda expressed her gratitude by giving us her only pig. However, we said, “no, thank you.”
Yolanda is very grateful that our team came from the United States to help build her house and she is happy and joyful to have a home where she can safely live with her son. This mission experience has ignited my passion for making this world a better place!
