My senior class went to the Dominican Republic last week on a missions trip. It was an amazing experience. We had three ministry days where we visited different schools. The first ministry day my team went to the Emmanuel House which was a school with disabled kids. As soon as we got there the kids were hugging us and playing games. We went through part of the program we had prepared for them. Seeing their happy faces as we danced was something I will never forget. Then we split up and helped the two disabled classes do the craft. They loved it and we played with them when we were done. After we left we went into the village an ministered to some of the houses and prayed for them. We all took turns talking to the people and praying and it was so cool to see the way my classmates stepped out of their comfort zones and interacted with them. The second ministry day we went to a village school with lots of kids. We did the program there several times. We had time to talk to the kids and some of them spoke a little English. On the last ministry day we went to our partner school, Ensanche Altagracia. I got to meet the kid my friends and I sponsor and it was so cute. He was adorable. There were several kids at that school that I formed connections with and it was hard to leave.
Throughout this trip my classmates and I all grew closer and we got to know one another in ways we didn’t before. I saw some people changed for the better and I know I was. I was stretched in many different ways some small and some larger. I let go of my anxiety and gave all my worries to God. We had a small group every night and we discussed events from the day and prayed together. It was very helpful for me and allowed me to grow in my relationship with Jesus. I surrendered control of my life that week and let God move in and through me. It felt so good to serve God and help the kids even though they probably ended up helping me more. The kids and the people there forever have a place in my heart and I’m already ready to go back.
-Hailey Mast