Ready Set Jet
By: Jonathan Buchanan
IT Operations Manager
The Claflin Company
On Feb 1, 2018 I embarked on my first mission trip to La Romana in the Dominican Republic. It was easy for me to be anxious, but that subsided with the arrival of the Acoaxet Chapel Mission family. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as more members arrived, we waited to have our duffel bags full of supplies from the packing party checked in. This was interesting because some of the bags were just a little bit over the 50-pound mark, so we had to make some adjustments. Finally, everyone was on board and ready to embark on this week-long mission.
It was 3:30 am when we arrived at our home for the week, Casa Pastoral compound in LA Ramona. The refreshingly rustic location was beautiful, accentuated by the arrival time. We had our own silent tour as we found our way to the rooms. The men’s and women’s dorms were on 2 separate floors but laid out the same; 10+ bunk beds lined the walls like military barracks with 2 showers and 2 sinks to share for each room. We settled in and jumped in our bunks to get some rest before the sun came up.
Saturday morning after breakfast we spent the day unpacking duffel bags and sorting all the donated items. In the mix of duffel bags were medical supplies provided to me by The Claflin Company. The items provided were general and after close examination greatly appreciated; sometimes you don’t realize what you need until it’s given to you. All these items were brought to a separate room where the medical supplies are kept securely. I also took the opportunity to get acquainted with our housing and the surrounding areas in the daylight. The roof top presented a breathtaking view of the ocean and the houses around us. In the distance I could see the sugar cane factory that is open 24 hours a day, I had to get used to the impressively loud horn they blast to announce the shift changes.
The rest of the weekend was used for visiting friends of the mission in order to reconnect and follow up with different mission church related projects. I was also introduced to the Light a candle mission Fundación Enciende Una Luz. They helped us navigate to our construction site and all the villages for the medical team and any other excursions. “Their staff is comprised of doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and others with special skills to carry out their work. Light a candle welcomes collaboration with individuals and organizations of their country, as well as international partners.” – http://feul.org/about-us/
At this point there was no physical labor yet, purely conversation and some demonstrations. On Sunday we took a trip to a friend of the mission church group, all were invited which included me and several others that were not officiated with the mission churches. The service was held outside, and the translators were very busy helping us keep up. Sunday’s message was about unity and helping one another. The music was local flavor performed live with a few unfamiliar instruments to me. I enjoyed the mix of music, nature and the sounds of all the children playing close by. It was an unrehearsed harmony with no sheet music needed, we all just soaked it in. Upon our return it was time to unwind and get ready for our first work day.
Monday morning was Day 1 of our work week and we were up at 5:30am. I was very impressed with how well we navigated getting our day started. No stragglers, we were packed and headed down for breakfast promptly. After breakfast the team was broken up in to two groups; medical and construction. Everyone gets to say what area they would like to focus on and the leaders assign members to keep both groups balanced. I was assigned to construction. We loaded up the bus and on the ride people told stories about this location being built. I was shown pictures that painted vividly a progressive time line for the work completed the previous years. When we arrived at the resource center the streets were empty with an occasional echo of voices confirming activity in the area. The reactions of our veteran mission members acknowledged the progress that has been made since their last visit. We worked our way inside and were introduced to several skilled workers on the second floor.
Our Goals:
1. Prime and paint the second floor (Larger Room)
2. Tile, prime and paint the second floor (Smaller Room)
3. Add a wall on the second-floor (smaller room).
4. Tile the second floor Kitchen area
5. Tile the second-floor bathroom and walls.
Everyone got to work and we found our flow very quickly. We did have a translator on site but he could not be everywhere so we had to depend on gestures and piecing together the little Spanish we did know, and of course Google Translate to the rescue. As we got to know everyone better, I found that many of them spoke multiple languages including Spanish, French, English and Creole. Conversations would start in one language and end in another and the transition was amazingly smooth. All locals working the project were kind and accommodating, making it so easy to work along side them for the time we were there. We eventually made it to the end of our first work day and everyone was exhausted but happy with the progress made on day one. Once we got back it was straight to the showers. Water is quite limited, so our showers had to be very short and leaving the faucet running was not an option.
Tuesday was just as busy, but we had a great system in place to keep the work moving. This day there was several different mission team members, because we alternate between medical and construction which allows everyone to get experience in all aspects of the mission. The new energy was welcomed, and our second day of construction was very productive; you could really see the work starting to come together. At the end of the day while we waited for the bus to head back to the compound, I worked my way to the roof of the resource center and found a corner to sit in on my own. It was refreshing to take in the view and reflect a little on the time spent here so far; 3 days to go.
Wednesday I was asked to help with the Medical Team. I looked forward to working with a different team to visit locals, the core reason we are there. The batey (sugar worker’s town) was fairly active when we arrive; everyone, especially the kids, were happy to see the team. With swift efficiency one of the schools was set up as a medical center. There were several stations each village member would visit. Blood pressure and heart rate was recorded, the dentist did a check, then they would sit with one of the medical team to get examined and discuss any ailments. Donated clothes were available for them to take if they needed. I was assigned a station outside where vitamins were provided for the children and adults. I had a great time interacting with the kids despite limited verbal communication. The children would ask a lot of questions, they were very curious as all children are and were not afraid to learn about you. We stayed until every man, woman and child was seen. With medical supplies running low or depleted we packed up for the day and headed back to the compound. It was such a different experience from construction but I’m glad I participated.
Thursday was back to construction and it was great to see how far they got while I was gone. I was anxious to get back in to the swing of things, as I saw we were very close to hitting all our goals. I did a lot more painting and priming this time, which was a change of pace from the duties I performed on Monday and Tuesday. Thursday was going go be my last day in construction, so I buckled down and tried to get as much done as possible before the end of the work day.
Friday came and I was once again with the medical team, but this time I would help the evangelist. Not all the locals were able to come to the medical center so, evangelist would talk with the residents of the bateys and provide help if possible. This time the batey we visited was very close to downtown, it was much larger and had a different feel than those in the rural areas. It was quite the labyrinth and easy to get lost in, so we had to stay close to the medical center location. With the help of our translator we were able to make rounds and have good conversations with the many people in the area. The line for medical was out the door, but it soon diminished, and our day ended.
After work ended and we regrouped at the compound everyone got on the bus and we headed to the beach for dinner and to watch the sunset. What a great night to connect with the entire mission team and talk about our experiences. The constructions goals were all met and the medical team was able to visit around 8 bateys. Much of the conversation revolved around how much we were able to accomplish and many were talking about plans for next year (Mission Trip 2020). The flight home was quiet, personally I was mentally preparing to get back to normal life and reconnect with loved ones to share my experiences. Some where just taking in the last moments of this trip, even willing to stay longer if it was possible.
I will be on mission trip 2020, there is so much to do and if I’m able to I will continue to help as much as possible. Maybe it will introduce me to other opportunities, you never know what life will throw at you.