The Longest Day

Hello, all! Today was our first day in the Dominican Republic. Though, I guess I should start with yesterday. We arrived at the church at around 5pm on Sunday and left by 6pm. Arriving in Orlando later that night, we tried to get to sleep as soon as possible.

Because of the flight schedule, we had to be out the door by 2:30 the next morning. I don't think I can say I got more than an hour of sleep. Nevertheless, we were soon on our way to the Dominican Republic and we couldn't be more excited for it.

Today feels like it's going to be the longest day of the entire trip, and probably the most tiring. This definitely had its effect on our group-one mission tripper almost lost their airpods, passport, and wallet in their exhaustion. By this afternoon, we were all struggling to stay awake and taking any opportunity for a power nap.

Despite our fatigue, however, we stayed focused on all the things we will be doing in the coming days. We walked around the city and began familiarizing ourselves with the local culture, picking up any spanish that we could.

Having seen how wonderful of a community this is, we really couldn't be more excited to begin painting houses and leading kids in VBS, regardless of how much more exhausted i'm sure we will be. I still can't believe we are here with the opportunity to help out. I feel like I am about to fall asleep right now but I know we have a good night's sleep and an amazing week of volunteering ahead of us. Please send your thoughts and prayers for a safe, well-rested, and meaningful trip. -Luke Osborne