The Dominican Republic wasn't on my to-do list the summer of 2013. But now, sitting in an unairconditioned room filled with a hundred kids, full of laughter and singing. My eyes started to water as I thought of their lives and the pain that they go through every single day. They don't seem to realize this agonizing hurt as much as I do. I feel the tears on my cheek and a tug on my t-shirt. I hear the unfamiliar words of a different language. All I can do is smile and say, "todo va estar bien", "it's going to be okay."
Waking up this morning was one of the hardest moments of this entire trip. It was our last day in this beautiful country. Looking out the window, I felt my stomach clench at the thought of leaving these wonderful people behind. A part of me wanted to handcuff myself to the staircase and "lose" the key. Today's schedule consisted of construction on a young single mothers home. I wasn't expecting what was to come. The emotion, the love, the gratefulness... It was as if she had never experienced anything like this. My heart sank and I held back my tears. We rebuilt her house into a home that people in this country envied. Later on that day, I found myself surrounded by a dozen kids latched on to my legs. Looking down and seeing the difference between my lifestyle and theirs, I remembered earlier that day. Seeing the tattered and torn day to day life that, from the beginning, was their everyday normal. Those children were not the, so called, "poor" ones; I was. The individuals surrounding me had each other and that was all that they needed. In the United States we have iPads, cell phones; something glued to our faces on a daily basis. Observing those kids, I craved what emitted from their presence; love. Sure, I had parents and friends that loved me, but not like this. This love was different. It was as if God was right in front of me, presenting His creation. The very thing that I had never noticed.
In that moment I realized my higher calling. God hadn't brought me to this country to have a "good time" but to show me the big picture. Individuals around the world live the same life as these wonderful children. They have a longing to be loved. Loved by someone who actually cares about them. I decided that day to strive to share that love with the world, no matter how difficult it may be; this is what I was meant to do. Life is not about how much money you produce or receiving awards. The journey that you are walking is about touching ones life in a way no one has ever done before and loving every minute of it.
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