One of the great things about the Dominican Republic trips is the organizational skill that Bruce and Judy Jones bring to it. And one of the most important things they’ve learned is that those of us that don’t participate in heavy labor on a regular basis need a break from it. This year’s schedule is a perfect example. The simplified 10-day schedule was:
Day 1 – Travel
Day 2 – Construction
Day 3 – Construction
Day 4 – Construction
Day 5 – Medical Clinic
Day 6 – VBS & Beach Afternoon
Day 7 – Construction
Day 8 – Construction
Day 9 – Construction
Day 10 – Travel
After three days of construction, we need a break. Bodies that aren’t used to heavy labor tend to wear out after a couple of days, especially in the DR heat. The medical clinic is not quite as physically demanding (for those of us not in the medical field at least) and is somewhat less strenuous. Day 6 was vacation bible school and our afternoon off at the beach. VBS is one of those activities that I find myself always trying to avoid. And yet any time I end up participating I come away the better for it. This year we were performing the skit based upon “Jesus feeds the 5000”, for the kids. Somebody obviously had come across my acting resume, and yours truly was picked to play the part of Jesus. OK – maybe the fact that I was the only one with a beard had something to do with it, but let me enjoy my moment. The play, the music and the arts and crafts were all fun – and a welcome respite from the heavy labor. Next up – The Beach!
After the VBS we took a 40-minute drive to the beach. We go to a local beach, rather than a tourist beach. The drawback to that is that it is not as clean as the tourist beaches. However the lack of vendors pushing their wares on us more than makes up for that. I decided to just chill a little after we got there. I wasn’t quite ready for the water, or the sun, yet. However as I prepared to head down to the surf I came across Matthew Royer, hopping along the sand, writhing in pain. A little ways up the beach, Bob Broeze was on his side in similar discomfort. The word soon spread that one of my only phobias (that I am aware of) was present: Jellyfish! Now in Bikini Bottom (Spongebob Squarepant’s home for those not familiar) the use of jellyfish indicates pain and danger, but in a “Three Stooges” kind of way. In the real world, it’s not so funny. As more and more people were stung, I quickly decided that the water was not going to be for me today. Although I have never been stung before, I have always had a fear of jellyfish and their presence has always limited my enjoyment of the beach. I decided to find other ways to enjoy the beauty of the afternoon.
After lunch Sandy led a group of us on a walk up the beach. We looked for shells and interesting rocks. I spent some time talking with John Heller and just enjoying the walk. I wasn’t all that interested in collecting more stuff. After all, I still have a bag of rocks stuffed in my closet for fear that Michelle will come across them and think I’m becoming a collector of things like my dad. I then let the main group go ahead while I hung back and spent some personal time appreciating God’s work.
At one point I looked out into the ocean and watched as the waves came in, smashing rocks and grinding them down in the never-ending process of creating sand. To the left the beach ran along past where we had set up “camp” and continuing around, and out, to a “point”. To the right the rest of the group kept walking until they reached a place where a river ran into the ocean. Behind us, some 50 miles away, mountains rose up giving a perfect counter-balance to the beach in front of me. As I spent some time enjoying the views, two thoughts crossed my mind: (1) the bible was right, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”. (Genesis 1:31) and (2) how could we have taken what God had created and made such a mess of things?
As I finished contemplating this I could see that Dave & Peter Richards were some way ahead of me and Kelli Regan was about the same distance behind me. I decided to take the opportunity for some quiet reflection. I spent a good 15 minutes or so strolling back to our beach site. A couple of nights earlier, in small group, we had discussed whether or not we missed quiet reflection time – being in such a large travel group. At the time I hadn’t thought it was such a big deal, yet now that I had it, I was appreciating it. I had a chance to consciously think about how much I missed Michelle, Lizz and Jimmy. They are such a central part of my life, and yet sometimes I feel as if I don’t leave enough of my energy for them. I thought about my relationship with God and how I can continue to serve him. Sharing this trip with anybody that will listen would be a good starting point.
After I got back to our beach spot, I was astounded by the growing count of those that had become jellyfish victims. But what really amazed me was how many people were still in the water. Based upon the reactions of each person that was stung, it wasn’t that the experience wasn’t that painful. It really looked like it hurt and made me wonder: How many Christians need to be stung by jellyfish before they’ll leave the water?
I spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach near the water, talking with Doug and Lisa Hoglund, Kami Schall (my DR wife) and Susan Sciarratta. We discussed religion; the trip and our families back home. As the day progressed I began to think about the rest of the week, the progress we had made and what else needed to be done. And still, Christians were being stung.
Then, just as it appeared that the day was winding down, Bob came over and recruited for a last dip in the waves. Doug, Lisa, Kami and Susan all followed Bob in. Finally I decided, “What the heck”, and raced in myself. I ran in, got through a wave or two, and dove in. As I came out and wiped the water from my face, Kami turned to me and asked, “Are you over your fear yet?” I quickly replied, “Heck no. I’m out of here”, and began to run back in. After two or three strides I felt a shocking, stinging sensation on the big toe of my right foot, followed by a series of other pains up my foot. As I hopped out of the water, in the same pain I had seen in so many others, I realized that the answer to my question was 14. It takes 14 Christians to be stung by jellyfish before they’ll leave the water.
Say a prayer for somebody today.
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