Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton College volleyball team departed for the Dominican Republic on Tuesday for an eight-day sports ministry trip in partnership with GO Ministries. The team will be based in Santiago, conducting three clinics, competing and working with Go Ministries on several local service projects in the area.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Please check back to this web page throughout the week of the trip for updates from Thunder volleyball players.
UPDATE #1 (May 14) --- UPDATE #2 (May 15) --- UPDATE #3 (May 16) --- UPDATE #4 (May 17) --- UPDATE #5 (May 18) --- UPDATE #6 (May 19) --- UPDATE #7 (May 21)
UPDATE #7 (May 21, 2019) - Written by the coaches (Stephanie Schmidt & Nick Maruyama)
PICTURED LEFT: The Thunder volleyball team showed up to support Wheaton alumna and former Thunder women's soccer standout Kelsey Graham (front middle) in her soccer match on Monday. Graham spent much of the past week with the team in her role with Go Ministries in the Dominican Republic.
We are writing this final recap from the Santiago International Airport as we wait to board our flight back to the States. Yesterday we woke up at the resort in Puerto Plata and enjoyed a relaxing morning. Some of the girls even got up to see the sunrise over the ocean! Most of the team played sand volleyball with (or against) Nick and Primo, and we got several hours of sunshine. Despite Coach Steph's warning to use sunscreen, too many opted for pain and regret and are feeling it today. Thank God for aloe! After lunch together and waiting for Primo to change a flat tire on one of the vans, we headed back to the church (about a two-hour drive through the mountains). We got a little rest, enjoyed a quick dinner, and then had a surprise – our host Kelsey (a full-time staff member with GO Sports and a former Wheaton soccer player) plays with a Dominican soccer team, and she had a game rescheduled last-minute against a Haitian team, so we got to go watch and cheer, albeit in the rain for 60 minutes. Kelsey's team won 4-0 and we got to embarrass her by yelling her name every time she touched the ball. We then returned to the church for one more night of rest.
This morning, we enjoyed our last Dominican meal for breakfast before walking several blocks to the GO Store where they sell merchandise made from their "Kingdom Businesses" – shops that GO has created to employ local workers and provide additional funds for their ministries. Everyone on the team purchased something, ranging from scarves to purses to stickers, and Nick bought a sweet bucket hat. After that we walked several more blocks to GO Ministries' seminary and heard from Jeff, another full-time staff member and leader of the "Seminary of the Americas." He gave us a short presentation about the dynamics of their philosophy and theology of the Dominican church, the Kingdom of God, and what they are trying to accomplish as they help local pastors plant churches around the country (currently at 70 and counting). We (Steph and Nick) have been continually impressed with everything we've learned about GO over the last week. Their faithfulness to be the hands of feet of Jesus is so evident in how they've structured each division of their ministry, and God is clearly blessing them because of it. We both have said multiple times over the week, "This is so amazing … they're just doing it right." In every area of ministry, Dominican leaders are chosen, hired, and empowered to lead the way, and GO just functions as a support system and resource. We hope Wheaton volleyball can continue a partnership with GO Ministries, and especially GO Sports, for years to come.
The team has loved experiencing God in another culture and seeing how He is already working here. Each of the girls has been impacted in a specific and unique way, and it's been fun to hear them process their experience. When we return home in a few hours, make sure to ask them, "How was your trip?" and expect them to give you a one-word answer that will hopefully entice you to want to hear more!
If you read this in time, we'd love prayers for our travels and the quick layover that we have in Newark (including going through customs!) before we head home. We'd also love you to pray for each of the girls to feel long-lasting impact from this trip, and you can also join us in praying that God would provide a volleyball coach for GO Sports so that they can develop a girls program in the near future.
Thanks to GO for having us, and we hope to be back soon! #rollamos
UPDATE #6 (May 19, 2019) - Written by Sadie Elsenbroek & Colleen Smith
Hola from the Gran Ventana resort in Puerto Plata! This morning, a few of us got up and started off the day with some devotional time on the roof of the church we are staying at in Santiago (Iglesia Central). It was such a cool perspective to see the members of the church coming in from the neighborhood and greeting us with a bright "buenos dias!" After breakfast, we walked over to a Go Ministries leader's house for a Bible study with other Go Ministries members and leaders. There, we met another group from Hope College that was beginning a week similar to ours. Then we headed back to church for the service. A few of us were able to understand the message, but those of us that couldn't were still able to see the work of the Holy Spirit working through the people. During the worship songs, all you could hear was the church singing loudly in one voice to our King in Spanish. It was such a beautiful experience knowing that although we were singing in a different language, we were all worshipping the same God.
After church, we headed to the beach! It was a two hour drive full of good conversations and even better views of this gorgeous and lush island. When we arrived at the resort that we are staying at, we had lunch right away. It seems a little questionable that we are staying at a resort on a mission trip, but after Kelsey reasonably explained that time to debrief and contemplate God's work throughout the trip before we head home is necessary to be fully aware of His work and how this effects our lives after the trip, it made sense. Often times, we go home after mission trips thinking that our lives at home will be changed, when in reality, we don't always give ourselves the time necessary to reflect on what God was teaching us. Coming to this resort is providing us with a space to step away from the work we have been doing, reflect on how God has been working, and allow us to prepare for life at home after this experience. After lunch, we headed right to the beach and jumped in the ocean instantly. We spent our time at the resort this afternoon relaxing, playing volleyball in the pool with Primo (we're gonna miss him!), buying some souvenirs, making sandcastles, drinking VIRGIN pina coladas, and soaking in the Dominican sun!
After dinner, we had our debriefing time. We went out to the beach under the moonlight and started by singing some worship songs. Then, we reflected on how God has been working in each of our lives this week, and why He has been showing us the things He has been. It was incredible to talk about and reflect on the things God has been doing amongst us here. This time of debriefing was so beneficial in our personal reflection and created a time and space to prepare for life after these experiences. God has done some phenomenal things! We ended the night by singing a few more songs including Oceans, which we also sang in Spanish in church this morning, and has sort of become our theme song of the week. We ended with singing the Doxology underneath God's beautiful sky, full of stars and the bright moon, with crashes of ocean waves in the background. We're looking forward to more beach time and good conversations tomorrow, but we will miss all of the experiences we've had on this island with Kelsey, Primo, Rachel, Venezuela, Luis, Leonardo, Cris, and many more! See you soon America!
UPDATE #5 (May 18, 2019) - Written by Briley Brogan, Kaylee Byerly, & Sofia Pluhar
Today, Saturday, we started our day off with breakfast and then we headed to the park for the final day of our volleyball clinics. Today's focus of the clinic was to incorporate volleyball but primarily to have lots of fun with the girls. If you are interested in watching the clinic, you can watch the live stream Instagram story on the Wheaton volleyball Instagram page (@wheaton_vb). We played games, such as, sharks and minnows, queen of the court, and relay races. It brought the team a lot of joy and rejuvenation to see the girls grow in their skills and enjoy playing. After the games, we sat together with the girls as Deb shared a piece of her testimony. She shared that in the beginning of high school she felt as if she had to be perfect, yet, God revealed to Deb that her value does not come from her successes nor failures but she is loved by her Father, regardless. Kelsey then asked follow up questions which brought out responses from the kids from which we were able to witness how God has spoken uniquely to each girl. One of the most memorable responses was from a girl who said, "God loves us because He created us!" And when she said this, all the other girls started clapping. It was precious. After, we took photos with them and said our goodbyes.
Next on the agenda was our local tournament. Our tournament was hosted in the gym that was used for the PanAmerican games in the early '90s. However they had not kept up the facility, so the longer we played, the more the lights went out. By the end we were playing with only two lights on, which worked better as spotlights. Even so, it was neat to play in such a facility and we were thankful to be out of the sun and in the shade. As we were playing, the doors were open and at one point, a man in a motorcycle rode up into the gym to watch. We faced some competitive and skilled teams, and ended up going 1-2 for the day. Our last match in particular was super high energy and we feel that we clicked and played well as a team. We were thankful the Lord sustained us through these games even though we were all exhausted.
To finish off the day, we had a yummy dinner, but even yummier ice cream. We went out to a local ice cream shop and some of us even went back for seconds (cough cough Briley). We are thankful for a tiring but joyful and worthwhile day. We can't wait for what tomorrow brings!
UPDATE #4 (May 17, 2019) - Written by Audrey Gerze & Sam Woods
We got to wake up 20 minutes later today than usual, it was amazing haha! We headed to the work site to try to finish off the last of our trench. We got to see kids again and interacted with the construction workers as well.
(From Sam: Towards the end of our work shift, a little girl befriended me and wanted me to hold her and braid my hair and she was super cute and the little boys said we had the same hair color. Then Miguel taught me some Spanish words and the other little boys laughed as he quizzed me on what I was learning. Luis took my hat and sunglasses, but I couldn't be mad because he wore them with so much swagger it would make anyone smile. Then, probably my favorite moment was when I was holding the little girl and she was hugging me and playing with my hair as two of the little boys let me fly their awesome kite in my other hand and it was really high up in the sky with a beautiful background of green trees and mountains - God's creation all around in the children and the scenery and it was wonderful.)
(From Audrey: A few boys told me they didn't like my nose ring. They all can't be winners).
We traveled back to our home base to have lunch and were surprised with juicy watermelon rather than the usual pineapple (although it was missed). We were able to have a longer siesta time and some girls took naps while others had an impromptu worship session—in Spanish! If your daughter/friend likes to speak Spanish or sing in general, you can bet they were there. We then walked through the neighborhood we have been living in to visit the huge medical clinic that GO Ministries has built recently. We were able to meet one of the American nurses working there, however, most of the people employed at the clinic are Dominican. The locals are able to receive health care without outrageous prices. Also, if you know of any medical schools/groups or even individual health care professionals looking for flexible short term missions, they are always looking for ways to expand their mobile clinics in different areas around the Dominican.
We then made our way to the court for our second day of the volleyball clinic for the local girls. It's safe to say that we saw girls open up and relationships starting to cultivate through drills, games, and high fives. It seemed like the Lord was waiting for our clinic to finish in order to start the rainfall that came afterwards.
We finished the day at La Sirena (the Dominican version of Target) to get souvenirs, snacks and ice cream (and a churro for Audrey). We quickly celebrated a birthday for one of the property staff at the church and we will be resting well tonight! Please continue to pray for supernatural energy, easy connections with locals and hearts ready for molding through our next day.
UPDATE #3 (May 16, 2019) - Written by Alecia Funk & Abby Boss
We started the morning off refreshed from a good night's rest (an answer to prayer from the night before!). After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, we loaded up the vans and went to the worksite. The itinerary for the day consisted of digging a trench along the edge of the field where a barrier wall will soon be located. There was also a group sifting rocks from sand. Although it sounds simple, the work was actually very complicated due to our lack of resources. We were working with shovels and only two wheelbarrows! The weather was pleasant in the morning so we did not overheat (yet!!) and working with mountains in view always keeps God in the forefront of our minds. We took a break in a nearby church, which is sponsoring the field, for lunch.
After eating we served a meal to about 40 kids who participate in a nutrition program to fill in the gaps that their education system leaves, and were able to spend time with them, using our Spanish to the best of our abilities. We spent the rest of our usual siesta time with the same kids. There was lots of messing around with volleyballs and hair. Kelsey, our leader, took some of us to the store to pick up sodas and snacks, while the rest of us were getting our hair braided by the sweetest little girls. We all felt very loved by this simple act. When we finally had to head back to the worksite we picked up where we left off. It had become considerably hotter in the afternoon, so we loaded up on sunscreen and bug spray, so we only were toasted slightly in these two hours. Although the weather was tough, God showed us His provision through small gusts of wind, conversations with local boys and workers, and progress with the trench itself.
Finally, we made our way back to the dorm, where the rain that had begun to create havoc. All water and power was turned off just as some of us were about to hop in the shower, so we resorted to an outdoor version, on the roof of the church. Showering on the roof was a joyful memory for a lifetime!! We ate courtesy of the light that the inverter provided, and waited for the rain to subside before heading to our game. Our American cultural lens was challenged as the location of the game was questioned and then changed, but all the better because during the extra time on the bus we were able to make Nick accidentally tell Primo, our driver, that he was embarazada, or pregnant, instead of embarrassed, the word he was looking for. After arriving at the final destination of our game, another outdoor court, we played an adult club team. We really enjoyed playing this team at a high level, but unfortunately our tired bodies were not able to pull out a win. However, we were able to share community through testimony and pizza afterwards. We love playing teams from a different country, with a different style. Overall, today was full and tiring, but simultaneously impactful and exciting. It is exciting to see God at work every day!
UPDATE #2 (May 15, 2019) - Written by Ellie Brown and Mia Staub
Here is a quick run through of our day: We got an early start on our day at 8:00 a.m. and were out the door to our first service project of the week by 9:00 a.m. Our drive took us through the city of Santiago and into a new town. We got to spend a few hours this morning working on a soon-to-be baseball field which involved shoveling dirt, carrying buckets of rocks, clearing shrubbery, receiving corrections on our pick axe technique from a 12-year-old boy, and running away from a tarantula (or playing with it if you are Nick).
After working we played some pick-up volleyball with some of the kids around the church. Following lunch, we headed off to the developing Go Ministries site. We got to see where all of the fundraised money was being poured into and see the future of Go Ministries coming to fruition. We then headed to a park where we led a volleyball clinic for the local girls. Before we began, a rainstorm hit, but this provided us with time to get to know the girls. Grabbing a peanut butter and jelly, we headed off to our match where we played a local university team. We lost in the fifth set, but it does not take away from all that we learned today. We ended our day eating empanadas back at the church where we are staying. Overall, the day was full of adventure, sun, and learning more about God's beautiful creation and people.
Ellie: My highlight of the day was getting to work out on the site digging up dirt and debris in preparation for the baseball field. Yes, this was hard manual laborious work, but it was work that was making a difference and you can see the physical impact of our time and energy. To be totally transparent I struggle with short term missions, under the notion that we come here to serve, but really we look like tourists invading on people's lives hoping to receive some "rich, life-altering" experience from it. Today was different though, today we were able to help serve these people and not just be bystanders in the mission, but participants, aiding in the building of God's Kingdom. As challenging as it was, being out there in the hot morning sun with fellow believers working to serve a greater purpose was impactful because it showed what God really wants his church to look like. Not white walls and a church steeple, but likeminded believers working side by side to serve each other, to serve the Lord.
Mia: The highlight of my day was all of the kids we met today. There were about 10 boys helping us at the service project. Each one eventually made his way over to where Colleen, Abby, Sofia, Briley, and I were working. I did not know each of us could have such poor technique using a pick axe. No matter how hard we tried, one of the boys would take it from us. Although we relied on the boys for some of the pick axe work, they still wanted to have fun with us. Each one would ask one of us to give them a wheelbarrow ride the next time we had to use it. At one point, there were probably five or six of them in one wheel barrow as Abby tried to push them across the field.
Also, we met some amazing girls at the clinic. There was one girl who would turn to me, make eye contact with a little smirk, and raise her eyebrows repeatedly. I would do the same thing back and this would go on for some time until she had to get on the court. At the end of the clinic, a little girl got up in front of everyone and prayed for everyone and the day. It was so sweet and incredible to hear her speak to God with courage as she stood in front and some friends and some total strangers. The kids have some of the most amazing spirits that brighten my day as we are quickly moved from one place to the next.
UPDATE #1 (May 14, 2019) - written by Deb Smith and Marlee Anderson
Today was filled with a lot of travel. We left campus at 3:00 a.m. to catch our 6 a.m. flight. Most of us got a couple hours of sleep before this, but not much. Coach didn't sleep at all. Our first flight, from Chicago to Newark, was about two hours. We met our California girls at the Newark airport and after a quick layover and coffee break, continued on to Santiago. The second flight was around four hours and arrived around 2:00 p.m. their time.
As soon as we walked off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and immersed in a foreign language. Customs went way smoother than many anticipated and were out of the airport in less than an hour. We were all really excited to add or receive our first stamp in our passports! We met Kelsey Graham from Go Ministries who will be leading us all week, outside of the airport. After loading up our luggage, we hopped in vans and after a short 30-minute drive, we arrived at the church where we will be staying all week. We will be staying in one big room that has triple-decker bunk beds, but thankfully, it has AC. Coach will also be sleeping with us all week! SLEEPOVER!!!
After we got settled in and had a quick snack of chips and salsa and some sandwiches, we took a walk to tour the surrounding neighborhoods. We were able to watch a Go Ministries girls' basketball practice and interact with some of the local kids. The children were so filled with joy and were eager to talk to us and give us high fives. Their joy and carefree spirits were contagious and we are all so excited to spend more time with them. On our walk, there was a light rain that caused the local school to close a little early. Kelsey kept saying that she hoped it wouldn't rain, but in actuality we were so glad it did as it cooled us down a little bit. It was such a blessing and a clear example of how God provides and cares for us in even the smallest of ways.
After our walk, we went back to the church and ate a delicious meal (with amazing fresh veggies and PINEAPPLE) prepared by some women from the community. After that, we shared a quick devotional and went over the schedule for tomorrow. We are all very tired, but happy and extremely excited to love on the people of the Dominican Republic through service. God has already been working in small and huge ways, and we cannot wait to see what He is going to show us and how He is going to work through and in us.
