Welcome to the blog of our Exploratory Trip to the Dominican Republic, February 13 - 21, 2012.  Thanks to the folks from the SE Convocation of our diocese for these pictures from their journey to the DR (specifically El Carreton) last month.  We'll soon have some of our own posted.

There are eight of us in this group: Tar+ and Julius from Valdosta, who have already arrived in the DR as of February 8th, Savannah from Jacksonville (who's really from GA!), Laurie from Savannah, and Michael, Fred, Josan and I, who are all from Statesboro.  Laurie, Josan and I are the 'newbies' in the group, having never been on a mission trip to the DR before.  Tar+, Julius and Fred have made many trips and done lots of good work down there, building a school and working on the diocesan camp.  They're quite familiar with the whole diocese and the people.  


Our trip will be based out of Santo Domingo, with day trips to various communities.  For those of us from Statesboro, our more immediate goal is to determine a good site for our youth to come to for their mission trip this summer.  A more long term vision is for parish mission trips in the future.  

I'm very much looking forward to this journey.  I've never been to the Carribbean, except vicariously through Fred's pictures from previous trips.  I know I have a lot to learn from the people and how they live and understand the world, and live out their faith.  It's a colorful world in many ways, and though they don't have the material things that most Americans seem to find so needful, from the stories I have heard already, Dominicans seem to take much more joy in life.  Hmmmm.    

 

This is a journey rooted in faith and I can't wait to see what God will show us, but there are always the practical things.  Again, lots of details and lots of things to happen between now and when we leave.  Still have to pack.  Gotta remember to get the passport out.  Get the cell phone activated for overseas.  Clean the cat box.  Pay bills ahead.  Not to mention a very busy weekend at church - benefit concert, parish meeting, and fundraising dinner/auction.  All the usual things.  It's always a blend of the practical and the mystical, the material and the spiritual, earth and heaven.  We always have one foot in both worlds.  It's a matter of keeping our eyes and hearts open to what God will have us see this day and this moment.  

My feet are itching to move and see something new in God's incredible world, meet some new people, taste some new foods, hear some wonderful stories.  Let the journey begin!