Our Trips

2008 Dominican Republic

November 2–7, 2008 Compassion International is in the Dominican Republic with six bloggers. Known for its resort-speckled beaches, there’s another side to this Caribbean nation unknown to most vacationers. Visit this page daily to see it for yourself.

To sponsor a child through Compassion International today, visit Compassion.com.

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My Favorite Moment

Posted on Nov 8, 2008 by Marlboro Man

I didn’t expect this to happen, but the entire time Marlboro Man and the girls were gone, I obsessively followed along not only with his and the girls’ various accounts of the trip, but also those of the other travelers in their group. I looked at photos, read everyone’s different stories and experiences, presumably in an effort to feel as connected as I could to what was going on with my family in this whole other country. Before the trip, I expected to revel in the free time, catch up on my to-do list, and do my own thing. Instead, I sat and read and followed. It’s been a wonderful “trip” for me, too.

A Piece Of Mi Corazon

Posted on Nov 7, 2008 by Melanie

After we visited another Compassion project yesterday, we went to the market since it was our last day and we all wanted to pick up a few souvenirs to take home.

You Saw Me When Nobody Saw Me

Posted on Nov 7, 2008 by Mary Ostyn

One of the things that I feared as I prepared for this Compassion trip is that my previous exposure to poverty in Ethiopia would make me feel less for the children in the Dominican Republic. I was afraid I would be jaded. If you’ve seen one tin shack, you’ve seen them all, right? I mentioned this to my cousin Dave, a thoughtful man, and he said, “Well, maybe you’ll be less overwhelmed than some people. Maybe that will let you write better.”

Chino, My Sponsored Child

Posted on Nov 7, 2008 by Jennifer Donovan

Brian pulled me away from the hand-clapping game I was playing with the children. “Jennifer, now we’re going to meet the child you sponsor. It’s Leuris, right? They call him Chino. I was in his classroom, and let me tell you that you’ll have your hands full. He’s cute, but wild.”

Daniella

Posted on Nov 7, 2008 by Brian Seay

This is Daniella. She is absolutely one of the sweetest girls I have ever met in all my travels with Compassion. On top of that, she can do an impressive game where she does the hula hoop around her neck. The Compassion project we visited today was one that I visited several months ago when I was in the Dominican Republic with some artists I work with. That day back in June was fun and I asked to go back to this specific project because the children were just a blast to play with. I stepped into the yard today where Daniella was playing and she dropped her jump rope, ran to me, grabbed my leg and started screaming “Esposa? Esposa?” The nearest interpreter to me said she wanted to know if my wife was with me.

Looking For Someone

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 by Mary Ostyn

In four days of Spanish class, otherwise known as the Compassion blog trip, I’ve managed to learn a few key phrases. I can ask children their names and ages. I can say, “How are you?” I can say hello, goodbye, beautiful, and smile. If someone asks if I know Spanish, I can say ‘a little’. Not a huge vocabulary, granted, but more than I’ve possessed up til this point my life, a fact which pleases me ridiculously.

A Day At A Project

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 by Keely Scott (photographer)

As a Photographer. . .
I love my job and these photos give a glimpse as to why.

A Chance At Success

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 by Marlboro Man

Yesterday we learned about a different aspect of Compassion’s ministry: the Leadership Development Program (LDP). This program allows children who have graduated from Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, and who show exceptional leadership skills, the opportunity to receive a university education. The program pays for all the expenses related to getting a degree, including books, tuition, food, healthcare, and housing.

Ordinary Superheroes

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 by Tim Challies

This is our last day in the Dominican Republic. Tomorrow morning we will head for the airport and from there we will fly for home, leaving the developing world and returning to the developed world. As much as I’ve enjoyed this experience, I can’t deny that I’ll be glad to be home. I’ve been to many homes here in Dominican Republic but I don’t know if I’ll remember any of them more vividly than Julia’s house. I wrote about Julia yesterday, describing the kind of poverty she had experienced as a girl—poverty that forced her to wear a borrowed dress just to have her photo taken for Compassion’s sponsorship program. Now a university student as part of Compassion’s Leadership Development Program, tears spilled from her eyes as she remembered the shame of poverty. Today Julia lives in a slightly nicer home—though dark and musty and sad by our standards, it was positively luxurious compared to many we saw and compared to what she had known as a child.

Dominican Diaries - Day Four

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 by Nick Challies

Today was a very fun day--probably the most fun day we've had the whole time. Early in the morning we went to a project. When we got there the kids were singing but soon it was time for recess. I'd love for my recess to be that long (though I think they made it much longer than usual because we were there). I played volleyball, monkey in the middle and a game where we passed a soccer ball back and forth. My dad helped some of the girls and boys skip. We also tried to play a game kind of like dodge ball. We served them their snack that was a kind of cornmeal soup or mush made with milk.