TBC Dominican Republic Mission Trip: Hugs Are a Universal Language

Today's blog post is from Adina Peyton:

Today was an awesome day working in Batey 106. We started with a yummy breakfast at the Mission House of scrambled eggs with peppers and onions, fresh fruit, bacon and croissants. We arrived on the job site to the children cheering when they saw our bus approaching. We have already started to form great relationships with the local residents in the batey.

The batey is located 30 minutes outside of any real civilization and the residents have no running water or electricity. However, these people are very happy and welcoming to our team.

There were three construction teams today. One team worked on mixing concrete for the walls on the lower latrine (latrine #2), while another at the upper latrine (latrine #1) worked to assemble forms, cut and place rebar and prepare for a concrete floor, while the third dug the footers for the foundation of the water purification project. The team shoveled a lot of sand, gravel and hauled a lot of water for the concrete. Glenn Bowers was affectionately labeled “Beefcake” and Steve Ryan was mistaken for Nicholas Cage. Chuck “sunscreen” Rehage made sure the entire team was sunscreened and safe.

The morning session of VBS included acting out the story of Zacheus, as well as singing the song of Zacheus in Spanish and English. They also decorated their own backpacks. The VBS team canvassed the batey and visited each home inviting the children and the parents to VBS on Wednesday. With the help of Renee Ryan and our Spanish speaking interpreters, we have had no language problems. Hugs are a universal language.