SFC Travelers

Claire Hi! Today was a somewhat typical day. We woke up bright and early at 6am and gathered in the chapel. We went into our quiet time and did a study on faith. After our quiet time we headed to the chapel and heard an encouraging message about faith by the one of the micro finance site leaders. Breakfast today was baked oatmeal with fruit and yogurt which is definitely one of the crowd favorites. After breakfast the women's sports team headed off to one of the public schools that we help with. The Hato Viejo kids were preparing for their matchup against the Los Higos kids that would come later in the day. Though I am not the most talented volleyball player, the kids were fun to play with, and encouraged me even though I messed up during scrimmages. We headed back the base for lunch after practice and relaxed for about an hour. We met up with the Hato Viejo kids and drove in a bus all together to the court. It was cool to see two of the schools that we had been going to and he...

Hello everyone! I am part of the physical therapy site which has been a very crazy and heart-warming experience. Coming into this trip, I was excited to work in physical therapy due to the fact that I love to volunteer, and I want to eventually be in the medical field. However, I was very nervous because this was my first year at Santa Fe Christian and I did not know anyone on the Dominican Republic team. But, once our team met at the airport and we began our journey, I felt that our team became very comfortable with one another and I created new friendships. At the physical therapy site, every weekday except Thursdays, the team spends the morning hours at the nursing home to help mobilize and give attention to the elderly. Even though the nursing home can be frustrating at times (sometimes the residents resist being mobilized), it is always amazing to hear all the people’s different backgrounds. On Thursdays when we do not attend the nursing home, our physical therapy team goes ...

Today was probably one of the best days I have had all week! This morning we woke up like usual for our morning worship and quiet time. Then after breakfast we went to our sites. My site is Special Education. It is a day program for people, ages 3-21, with special needs. The school's name is Genesis and classes are organized by age groups and staffed with full-time teachers, interns, and short term missionaries like us. Usually, I would be put in a different class every day and help them learn or just walk around. However, today Mateo, the psychologist at the school, let me follow him around and help with therapy for the kids. I was able to help two kids today and I got to learn so many techniques for therapy. With one of the kids, I helped him learn how to speak by massaging his cheeks in certain ways. It's going to be a long road, but I believe he can do it. While it was difficult, I loved every second of it. I definitely feel called to work as a therapist when I grow up.  ...

Going into a mission trip, my initial thought was that I would be going to only help people. However, I didn't realize how much of an impact coming here would have on me. I got assigned to the education site "Mata Gorda," which is a Christian preschool. Even though we've only been here for about a week, the relationships I have already built with these children are unexplainable. I can truly see the heart in this culture and how strong their relationships are in this community and it's nothing like what we have in California. Seeing these kids every day has truly touched my heart and has opened my eyes to the fact that even though they may not have the same kind of material things that I have been blessed with, they have this sense of happiness that I have never been able to witness. Even though not all of them have a good background or strong household, I see this sense of peace and joy that they have in their lives. It has helped me learn to trust God because...

Hi everyone!! Today we got to sleep in two extra hours which was super nice because we were all super tired. In the afternoon we got the opportunity to go to a church in town. The whole service was in Spanish but there was a translator which was nice because I couldn't understand any of it lol. Even though it was in a different language, it was super similar to how church is back in the States. The message was about going against the culture of the "majority" and putting your faith in Jesus now because you never know when he will return. I am assigned to the Media and Communication site. Our site leader, Misael, is from Venezuela. He is hilarious and super nice. Everyone knows him here. The Media and Communication site is responsible for taking pictures of each site and posting on social media. At the end of the two weeks, we produce a video recapping our time here. This is a really important job because many of SI's supporters are on social media and documenting th...

Que lo que! Since I started at my site, Education at El Callejon, I have truly had such an amazing and once in a life time experience. The people here of all ages are so loving and hospitable no matter their circumstances or timing of our visit. The children are no exception to this. The niños are extremely affectionate and love to help us with our Spanish. I have found myself especially amazed with their energy and positivity, despite the intense heat, humidity, and mostly their attitudes while dealing with the high level of poverty that exists in El Callejon. As explained by my site leader, Joel, who experienced similar situations himself growing up, many of the children come from broken homes without two parents, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and parents beating their children regularly. This was especially real when one of the students, Juliana, came to class with multiple open wounds on her arm. I only noticed the fresh wounds on her arm when she attempted to put tape over it an...