{The children, staff, and mothers who welcomed us as we drove up to the Child Sponsorship Program in Santiago yesterday morning.}
Yesterday was a day of firsts… my first day to use a bathroom without running water, my first time to speak from a stage with an interpreter (They asked us to come up to the stage and say a few words to the 200 or so children and moms who were gathered at Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Project in Santiago), my first time to eat Dominican food (it was delicious!), and my first time to visit a home with a dirt floor.
I saw extreme poverty. I cried and prayed with a pregnant mom who lives in a one-room hut with dirt floors, no bathroom, and who is struggling to find food to eat.
I saw immense hope. I stood in another shack with a tin roof and listened to a mother of three who told us how excited she is about her future, how thankful she is to have a part-time job, and how blessed she is to have three children.
I fell in love with the beautiful people in the Dominican. I cooed over adorable babies. I held wiggly children who were eager to sit on my lap and try out my camera. And I hugged moms who are working so hard to put food on the table and clothes on their children’s backs.
I realized anew that there are so many pressing needs around the world. None of us can obliterate worldwide poverty, but if each of us wisely steward our finances so that we can give generously, we can collectively have a powerful impact in reaching those who are incredibly needy.
And I’m inspired to continue on this journey of living simply so that others can simply live.
What an inspiration, seeing the photos and hearing how it is changing your lives. As a long time follower, I’ve been thinking of sponsoring our own child. Your post here brought me to tears and I decided to go for it! right after reading this, my 5 yr old daughter and I signed up to sponsor a 6 yr old girl from Brazil. I can’t wait to see how this blesses us all!
Here is my blog post I just wrote about it, and of course I credited you for the inspiration! Thank you!
http://southernmomsays.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-signed-up-to-sponsor-child-through.html
You are amazing and inspiring! You continue to make a positive impact on so many lives!
I am from Africa and also know the meaning of true poverty. Thank you for sharing your visit and for the compassionate service you are doing.
I visited Dominican Republic in 2001 and I was forever changed – the one thing that will forever stick out in my mind was a little boy who was playing on the side of the road wearing absolutely nothing and playing with a dead mouse on a string. But the thing that I remember? His amazing smile and joy that he had on his face – he could have been playing with a giant Lego set and I don’t think he could have been happier. I will always remember the happiness of all of the people, regardless of their state of poverty. Thanks for sharing your experience – I want to go pull out my pictures from my trip now 🙂
I hope this dosen’t come off wrong, But I’m suprised at how clean their clothes and skin looks. I emagine that that would be hard to do with dirt floors and no water in the bathrooms. These women amaze me with the things they are able to do under these circumstances. Their strength and hope is amazing.
I have chills reading this/seeing the pictures.
Thank you for sharing. It’s so inspirational. Especially this: “And I’m inspired to continue on this journey of living simply so that others can simply live.”
I struggle with living simply, but put in that context…wow. Definitely food for thought.
I’m glad you’re enjoying your trip, stay safe!
Great post! It really sinks in when you see the photos. It breaks my heart to see that but to hear how thankful the mother was (thankful for the things that matter most) was great. During those times when I think “I wish I had this, I wish I had that…” it’s stories like this that makes me realize that I have it pretty good and should be thankful for everything I have!
Tears in my eyes. It is my goal to be a better steward of my finances so that I am able to give more.
Thank you for reminding everyone that there is SO much that needs to be done around the world and that there are quality organizations like Compassion. When we first started our Dave Ramsey FPU class it was the same week Compassion came to our church and we decided it needed to be part of our monthly expenses – our Compassion child recently graduated the program and we now were matched with another older child – the older kids have a MUCH harder time getting and keeping sponsors – I hope people will consider sponsoring a child!
Love the toilet picture. Never been to the DR, but I have my fair share of toilet, or no toilet, memories where I live in in Asia. If you have a hole in the ground and water to make it go down, your in the middle class poor in my book. Very true, we can’t help everyone in one night, but duplication goes a lot ways. Once you have seen poverty, you can not be resilent. Through ministries like Compassion International, and people like you, the world is waking up!!! I’ve read the statistics on wide spread poverty today verses 10 years ago. Way less. None of that changes the pain I feel over one starving child, but it does comfort me on days I feel alone. God is on the move. Bless you!
My flag! My city! My people!! ;-)Thank you Crystal for sharing this post! I’m a Dominican living in NY and follow your blog daily! I love this post, it brought tears and smiles! I love the fact that you were able to see the spirit of my people, despite of all the “lack of material things” and struggles they go through! You have made my day!!!
You are truly an angel and an inspiration to many. What a kind, compassionate, generous person. The pictures and post made me cry. It is so sad what people and children are forced to endure. Thank goodness for generous people like you. Keep up the good work! We are all cheering you on!!
How sweet! I just want to scoop up those babies! You are so amazing, to see you use God’s gifts in such a way is inspiring!
Hey, i currenty live in dr and would love to meet with you and interview you for my webpage cutegeek.com and get everyone to know your book… Email me at [email protected]… Thanks , olga polanco “brand new newlywed who adores your daily tips….
My heart jump when I saw my flag.
I’m a dominican who live in Illinois and had fallow your blog for a couple year now. Thank you for sharing not only the struggles that my country suffer but also their beauty.
I’ll share with you latter the recipe for the typical dominican food, rice, beans and chicken. ( la bendera).
Thank you for your love…. enjoy my little island
Your are so inspiring! Thank you for sharing your life journey with so many. Amazing how many lives you have touched by listening to God’s call to go outside your comfort zone. Thank you in so many ways!
Great job Crystal! You are so inspiring! You should feel proud that your good work is inspiring so many people (including your children I am sure)!
You are amazing!
My goodness, that last line about living simply so others can simply live had me crying. What a blessing you are, not only to those of us ladies who sit here and read your blog every day and are blessed by it…but to those babies and children and mommies you are ministering to right there. Praying God’s blessings on you and your family. And thank you for sharing.
Crystal,
I was praying for you today. Thanks for sharing your reflections. You are so inspiring to us all.
Oh Crystal! I am living vicariously through you! I have been to Dominican 3 times to serve the wonderful people there and they are the most loving, giving (even though they don’t have a lot), hospitable (even though their homes don’t seem like much) people. It truly feels like a second home to me.
I wanted to mention that after 25 years of being in full-time ministry the pastor I used to work for started an organization called International Youth Initiative (IYI) http://us.iyiglobal.org/ in 2002. IYI reaches youth (12-24) and empowers youth workers to invest in the youth of the Dominican Republic. IYI brings down teams of people throughout the year to support and meet as many needs as possible.
His daughter also has a HUGE heart for the Dominican people and has traveled to the DR probably 25-30 times in her life (she is very invested in the people there!). She is just starting a business called Liberate Apparel https://www.facebook.com/LiberateApparel?ref=ts#!/LiberateApparel?sk=wall. Her and her friend recognize that the women and mothers in DR need to break free from the cycle of poverty. Liberate Apparel is designing clothes and picking out fabrics and then flying to DR to train the women their to make these clothes and Liberate Apparel will send the clothes back to the US to sell them so the women their can support themselves and their families.
Any and all work in the DR and Haiti is so needed! Their spiritual needs need to be met as well as their physical needs. I’m joyful in knowing that so many people have the same heart for the people of DR.
The “living simply so others may simply live” is such a beautiful and important philosophy. So often we fall into the frugality trap of saving money for the sake of saving money (or for the sake of having money to spend on other things). But, we should be saving money so that we can give it to others who desperately need it in order to live. I’ve experienced many of the things you wrote about while in Haiti. Reading the perspective of someone having those experiences for the first time brings me back to when that was me. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, for inspiring and for just being obedient….wow.
Inspiring. I love how you make the connection between frugality and making a difference in the world. “If each of us wisely steward our finances so that we can give generously, we can collectively have a powerful impact in reaching those who are incredibly needy.” Well said!
once again, your generosity and kindness bring me to tears.
Thank you for all you do! You are blessed so you can be a blessing to others! This is absolutely beautiful and inspiring!!!
So inspiring Crystal! It’s easy to get caught up in all the things we don’t have until we step back and see the big picture. Thanks for giving me a glimpse of the big picture today!
Thanks for sharing! It’s very inspiring!
I’ve seen this in Mexico as well. It never fails to leave me speechless. And more inspired than ever. Thank you for sharing this.
When I was little, my family went to the Dominican with YWAM (Mercy Ships specifically though I don’t believe the two are connected anymore) and helped build a feeding centre. My parents have continued to support the centre as well as the YWAM base there. It is a lovely place and I would love to take my family there sometime to help in someway.
Crystal thank you for sharing today. The pictures brought tears to my eyes. I’m so glad you shared pictures because I’ve been talking to my 5 year old twins about your trip and they have included it in their evening prayers so it will be nice to show them pictures.
It brought back memories of all my mission work in Romania and the time I went to a “villege” made up of a few shacks with barely any roofs, mud floors and kids half dressed because they didn’t have clothes or shoes. We were bringing food and it was the start of winter and had just begun to snow. We made it a mission to find out exactly how many men, woman and children it was and a week later we returned with socks, boots, hats, scarfs, and mittens for everyone that we had bought at the markets. We were so grieved and touched by this “villege” and my friends 3 year old was with us and asked if she could give them her shoes!! It’s one memory that I’ll never forget.
Wow, what can I say about those pictures…it looks so overwhelming. I’m glad that they have you to help them 🙂 And I love your comment at the end: “…living simply so that others can simply live.” It really puts things in perspective.
You as so awesome and inspirational, I love your site and your mission. God bless you, it is rare to see some one with such a generous heart.
I grew up in the Philippines and I’ve seen poverty first hand. The pictures look very familiar but what made me tear up is your compassion and generosity. I wish there are more people like you in this world. Thank you.
I love seeing your pictures and hearing your stories! We went to DR on a mission trip in 2006–it was a life changing event. So, I can kind of relate to your experience there. The people are truly wonderful. It was difficult to hear about the devastation after the Haiti earthquake–it really hit close to home for me. Thank you for sharing!
I am so encouraged by this post. Jesus asks us to do exactly what you’re doing– I’m proud of you!
You are an earthly angel! Thanks for the continuous inspiration to be better, live more simply, love harder, & give more!!
All I can say to you Crystal is that you and your husband are walking Jesus Talk!!! Amen for that! I’m from Honduras and I know and have seen everything you have shared in here before and I feel grateful for people like you who cares about others and at the same time challenge and inspired; I really love your last sentence: “And I’m inspired to continue on this journey of living simply so that others can simply live.” Have you read the books of K.P. Yohannan? He teaches and challenge the church to live a simple life in order to bless others in real need!!
What a post! Thanks so much for sharing. I really love your last line…I never thought of it that way…”so others may simply live…” What a perspective!
well done! thanks for sharing your journey. i, too, was moved by crazy love. we are now fostering a baby to possibly adopt (that is in God’s hands), there are so many children in need of good families, as well as parents that need mentoring. would you use your forum to educate others about this need as well? we were sent here to fulfill “the great commission”, i urge others to dig deep and see what they can do.
enjoy your trip. it is inspiring to see people, living in such poverty, love God, take care of each other and have such joy. it makes you think about what really matters.
No words… how truly blessed we are. Thank you for this post.
Crystal, my husband and I started a mission organization called Believer’s Bridge in 2007 just for the purpose of sending a missionary to an area where mission organizatios had pulled out years ago due to terrorism. There are no terrorists there now, only drug dealings.
However, the situation is the same as your story in the rural areas of Andahuaylas, Peru where we work. And your blog has helped us the last two years in finding ways to supplement our measly $1500/month budget. We continue raising support the best we can in an economy that is less than ideal. My teenage son and I also started making jewelry as our “tent-making” business.
We hope to go to Brazil to start a similar ministry on the mouth of the Amazon River. I was actually born in Brazil since my parents were missionaries there from 1960’s-80’s. Hopefully we will find ways to save even in a foreign country. I will miss all the free things you can get in the US though!
Crystal this is incredibly inspiring to read. The pictures are very real and make me feel exactly what you saw. Thank you for sharing this. It is obvious that all moms share a common bond.
Thank you for sharing. It’s my hope to someday take my children (when they are old enough) in a mission trip like this to learn about others less fortunate.
These pictures made me cry! Thank you for doing this! I will make sure my children see these too!
Truly you are my hero and I want to be just like you. I want so badly to be able to do this as well. What a dream come true!!! Thank you so much for doing this and sharing it with us.
Love what you’re doing there. I’ve been to Peru on a mission trip and my parents went to Haiti recently so I know what your mean about seeing the poverty first hand and meeting the people. I became so attached to some of the locals. It really personalizes their struggles and opens our eyes to just how poverty stricken other parts of the world are. Aren’t the people amazing as they show their faith and tell what they are thankful for? Thanks for your great example of godly stewardship and God Bless.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us and reminding us how fortunate we are and our responsibility as God’s children and human beings to share anything we can with those less fortunate. Having come from a poor country in South America myself, those photos and stories were awfully familiar. Thank you for reminding me today how lucky I am and reminding me to give back.
Thank you for sharing, Crystal! And I love your last comment/quote.
I love, love that statement you made – “And I’m inspired to continue on this journey of living simply so that others can simply live.”
Crystal, this made me tear up a bit. My mom is from Santiago and I still have family there. Thank you for all you do!
Thank you for sharing your generous heart with readers. Great encouragement that we can all make a profound difference, simply by focusing our hearts on others.
These stories brought tears to my eyes. I realize how blessed I am to be living here in the US. So glad you’re sharing this journey with us as it will inspire me and others readers on to ways we can help out others around the world.
On another note, now I know I must be getting old. You and your husband look like you are about 18 yrs old. 🙂
There is poverty like this in the United States. I grew up with families that did not have indoor plumbing (and still do not).
I know, but as a whole, we are still much better off here in the US then in other countries.
…and we also have services here in the US that others around the world do not have. We are all family. Love has no borders.
“And I’m inspired to continue on this journey of living simply so that others can simply live.”
As I sit down to pay bills, I needed to hear this today.
Thanks for taking us along on your trip.
Need to hear that today.Having a family crisis that may have me leave the state.If so then some of our moving money will be used.I keep worrying about fiances then trusting God.Of course having some one in the ICU is not helping either.
Ah, this puts our lives in such a different perspective! We have several pricey home repairs that need to be done and struggle at times to pay the bills, but for as “poor” as we think we are, we still have a nice home, steady income, access to good medical care, and a pantry and fridge full of food. So really, what do I have to complain about? Thank you for this post, Crystal. I needed this reminder today.
Amen!
I couldn’t wait to wake up and see if there was a report from you about your trip. It has been a blessing for me to see the DR and it’s citizens through your eyes/experiences. I appreciated it; please keep the journal entries coming!
Thanks Crystal! This really puts life in perspective…….
I’ve traveled to the DR for missions work and this post brought tears to my eyes. You have captured the beauty and the heartache of the country.
That is so amazing! I am really glad that you’re sharing this journey so the rest of us can see and be reminded of how we can all make a difference.
Crystal, I am so grateful to you for sharing this with us. I am crying as I type this. You and your family are such beautiful people and I am truly inspired by you. We strive to give generously in our community but I was telling my husband just the other day that I want us to reach out to others outside of our community who have even greater need. I will keep you and your husband in my prayers while you are away from your home and family.
Thank you for sharing about your day! I have yet to visit outside of our country, but I really hope to one day. We all have to believe that by living simply, we can make a difference for at least one family living in extreme poverty. That is why I love the mission of Compassion, helping one child at a time to be released from poverty in Jesus’ name. Continuing to pray for you as you continue your adventure!
Beautiful people and wee one’s. While it is heartbreaking it is encouraging because of hope….that we may all do our part in this hurting world. Tell us more about the food?!
Wow.
I’ve been to the DR twice, and have been consistently amazed by the spirit of the people. What a blessing, I hope you continue to learn and grow and have some fun too!