Report from Virginia Tech
We got the chance to hear different speakers and visit different places in the country. I am very thankful for these experiences. One speaker named Pastor Joseph was a man from Haiti, (which shares the island with the Dominican Republic), who recently moved to the Dominican Republic in order to work toward justice for Haitians living there. We learned that people with Haitian decent in the Dominican Republic are mistreated; the kids are even separated in schools. He is currently living in a village composed of his fellow Haitians not far from Esperanza and has helped provide health care, clothing, a Christian church, and four volunteer teachers for their children who received no education before. We brought this village some donated items one day and got the chance to walk through it. All of the very small buildings were made out of pieces of metal trash. These people live with such drastically different conditions than I do. It really left me feeling thankful for all of my physical needs being met and the many opportunities I have. I was also left feeling strong compassion for them and an eagerness to help.
During Pastor Joseph�s talk he gave us, he mentioned that he had prayed long and hard about the condition of his people and God led him to Dale, our team leader. Some of my friends that went on the trip have not committed their lives to God but are curious about Him. Hearing this comment and others like it caused them to raise questions and started lengthy conversations throughout the trip where other friends and I were able to share more about our personal relationships with Jesus. It was an amazing opportunity in an amazing setting and I�m so glad I got to be a part of it.
On the last day of our visit we got to see more of the country as we went to a cigar factory, lunch, and the beautiful beach. We hiked a mountain that overlooked the practically untouched shore before swimming in the clear blue Caribbean. This was a great chance to marvel at God�s infinite glory.
When it came time to leave I really didn�t want to. I am currently planning to go back with a group of people this June. I look forward to seeing the boys that I fell in love with over the week as well as sharing the adventure with a new group of volunteers. If you are interested in coming with us or becoming involved in any way, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. We are working on different ways to fundraise now. The Orphanage Outreach website (www.orphanage-outreach.org) is also very helpful. I would highly suggest that you take advantage of this awesome opportunity or one similar to it. No matter what your major is and no matter where you are in your relationship with God, you will make a difference to these people and they will make a difference to you. This experience is highly beneficial and unforgettable.
Dale's book is available online along with some other items to help promote the book. .
All of Dale's books are available at www.lulu.com/barhanna Books Relating to the Language of Jesus
Mailing Address: Snail Mail
Mailing address
(via the kindness of our friend):
Dale and Marta Johnson%
Leticia Minaya
Roman de Pina �35
Mao, Velverde, Republica Dominicana
January 17, 2005
Field report from Good Samaritan Orphanage, Dominican Republic
Report from University Volunteer
Caitlin McHale's travels to Latin American over break
To start off the New Year, some friends and I spent a week volunteering at the Good Samaritan Orphanage in a town called Esperanza in the Dominican Republic.
The orphanage is home to 23 boys ranging in age from 3-16. It was truly an amazing week! We went through an organization called Orphanage Outreach. It was really a great chance to experience the different lives of others, meet some great kids and volunteers, practice Spanish, enjoy warm weather, and learn more about God.
Our team leader, Dale, was an extremely amazing man who has spent fourteen years of his life living in a Christian monastery near the Iraqi border in Turkey. He ran refugee camps for Iraqis fleeing into Turkey. He also is one of the world�s leading experts in the language of Aramaic. Mel Gibson�s crew came to him for help with The Passion of the Christ. Now he and his new wife Marta have devoted their lives to the orphanage and the Esperanza community. Our other team leader, Coco, has spent her adult life working with people who are both deaf and blind and is now spending two years at the orphanage. While she is there, she is teaching sign language to the teachers at the local deaf school. The deaf there presently aren�t using any sign language to communicate.
Our main objective for the week was to serve by spending time with the boys and to hold learning labs in the mornings to enhance their very important education. They were still on break from school during our trip. I teamed up with two other volunteers to teach science. My vocabulary of Spanish science words was greatly increased, especially in the category of insects. The boys are absolute experts at catching bugs! They dove into ant hills, grabbing the very ants whose pesky bites caused us �Americanos� to change from our sandals to tennis shoes during a game of baseball the night before. My roommate, who spoke no Spanish before the trip, taught math. Other volunteers with little or no Spanish experience taught art, music, or English.
After spending a few days getting to know the boys, Willman, an orphan who has grown up at the orphanage and is now employed there, told us each of their case histories. It was heartbreaking to picture their individual faces as we learned that their parents had died from AIDS or that their mothers who were prostitutes weren�t able to take care of them. The latter was the case for many of the boys. We learned that the Dominican Republic is one of the largest countries in the prostitution industry and these orphaned children are among one of the many troubles that result. But it was apparent that the orphanage is now their home and that all the boys are brothers.
Dale and Marta Johnson,
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atten. Dale and Marta
6111 Robert E. Lee Street,
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