Jake's Trip to the Dominican Republic

In April of 2009 I was blessed to be a part of a Vision Trip sponsored by Compassion International. Here are some pictures in chronological order. There is a banner at the bottom of the page where you can sponsor a child...
The view out of the plane as we left Miami, FL	The wing of the plane out of my window.
Me after literally running through Miami International Airport.	We finally landed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Happy to have made it with the rest of the team.	Yes, they lost my luggage!
Spence Smith (formerly of Big Tent Revival) was our trip leader and helped with my luggage situation.	Bernard greets us on the bus.
We are on our way!	The view out of our hotel room.
We were treated well and ate well.	Day one: On our way to the first Compassion Project.
The Compassion Project in Santo Domingo.	Frank Seamans from Legacy Five on the bus.
The front gate of the project.	Our first chance to see the kids at the project.
The little boy with his head down was a gift from the Lord...	Sweet faces eating what is provided by the Project.
Older students help with the younger ones.	Beautiful little girl...
...Full of personality!	Singing and learning how to play the guitar.
The view from the balcony.	Doctors and Dentists visit the Projects each week to offer medical and dental care that the children wouldn't receive otherwise.
Compassion staff photographer Keely with a child in the background.	My girls have this exact playhouse. It really hit home...
	Gerald Wolfe of Greater Vision.
Alvin Currington visits with the kids of the Project.
The kids are sweet and loving.	Keely was taking a picture of me taking a picture!
Gerald Wolfe surrounded by kids.
	A new basketball hoop for the kids, a real luxury there.
The kids on the playground upstairs.
	The wonderful kitchen facility at the Project.
Rodney Griffin of Greater Vision visits the children.	Michael Turner of Daywind Records show a child his picture.
Children looking in.	Mark Hazelton, Spence Smith, and Ric Sieben of Compassion.
Parker Webb of the Webbs visits a classroom.	Parker engages the kids in a Thumb War!
The backup power for the building was truck batteries.	Lining up to go play.
Across the street from the Project.
Heading outside smiling and happy.	Keely Smith, Nan from Compassion, Taryn Fowler, and Tyler Smith.
Scott Howard of Legacy Five enjoying the chirch service.	The pastor of the church leads the children in prayer and worship during one of their daily services.
	The kids sing during the service.

A dance troupe interprets a popular Gospel song.


Legacy Five performs for the service.	Legacy Five's Tim Parton at the piano.
Parker Webb, Alvin Currington, Taryn and Scott Fowler.	Spence Smith, Tyler Smith, and Gleen Dustin of Legacy Five.
Inside the home of Michael Turner's sponsored child. Here is the child's aunt, cousin, and Hannah Webb of the Webbs.	The floors of the home were hard chipped concrete.
Kids from outside the home look in to see what these strangers have brought to their neighborhood.	A sponsored child's mother smiles
	Michael Turner smiles with the younger brother of his sponsored child.

You can see the light coming through since the roof is only sat upon the top of this small dwelling.	Jacob Kitson of Greater Vision eats lunch at the Project.
Mark Hazelton, Zane King, and Spence Smith enjoy luch at the Project.	We felt a little more at home with Coca-Cola on the table!
Charles Humbard of Gospel Music Channel	Tyler Smith (the son of Michael W. Smith) was great with the kids.
	Gerald Wolfe was asking some very important questions of Keely Scott.
	Taryn Fowler is surrounded by smiling kids.
	The kids are smiling becuase of people just like YOU sponsoring them...


Outside of our hotel's front doors...It looks beautiful but the entire shoreline is covered in garbage and smelly refuse.	Our shuttle bus.

The view from our room. I shared a room with Alvin Currington. Alvin is a concert promoter from Alabama. He and his family sponosr multiple children and have a great heart for Compassion and its ministries.
We were waiting in the lobby to head to dinner.

We had dinner in a restaurant that was in an actual cave!
	On our way to Batay Magdalena and Project DR-462.
In the lobby before boarding the bus the morning of the second day (out of sequence but too big to put earlier!)
Zane King on the bus.	The Project church

The even use Peavey equipment in the Dominican Republic!	The small church that makes a huggoe difference in the lives of these children.
Inside of the school was a room for teaching work skills to the kids, like sewing here.	Another classroom for the kids' education.

An outdoor classroom...	...Full of smiles!




	Inside the Church for service





	Rodney Griffin and some of the great kids at the project.
Parker and Hannah Webb visit with their sponsored child on the playground.	Preparing lunch. On the far right is the Pastor of the church.
	Kelly Howard and some of the beautuful girls of the Project.




Jacob Kitson watches as the kids play.	Alvin Currington visits with a little girl that he sponsors and her mother.


Taking advantage of all available space.	Charles and Rodney look through the fence onto sugar cane fields.

The back fence looking out onto the sugar cane fields that surround this community of Hatian refugees.





The roof of the classroom needs attention.

Tyler Smith shares his tender heart with the kids.



	Looking down the street outside of the Project.

	Outside of the house of a sponsored child...
	Alvin visits with the family of his sponsored child. Through the door in the background is the outdoor kitchen. There are two bedrooms off of this one. The adult sisters share one with their kids and they rent out the other one to make ends meet.


	Kids looking in from the street.
The family outside of their home.
Jacob struck up a friendship with this young man, a sponsored child for many years.
A truly heart-felt, "Thank You."
Me and some of the kids from the Project.	This young lady spoke english and was explaining that the other young man wanted something to remember Jacob by. She suggested that they exchange watches...
	Charlie Humbard and Zane King outside of the home that we visited.
Jacob exchanges watches...a very memorable moment!	Our interpreter, Elena, was handing out a few stickers.
An older man carring his machete to the sugar cane fields.


Behind the Project...
	Back in the bus getting ready to leave the Project.

We had handed out bubbles, stickers, and suckers that my daughters, Allison and Cadence, had picked out for the kids.

We didn't head straight back to the hotel. Instead, we went to the major garbage dump for the area...	'''Where we found people living in the dump. They spend their days searching for food or items that they can clean and sell in town.







	The smoke is from fires that are lit underneath the piles to try and dissuade the people from digging through the trash...Still, people live, eat, and sleep in the garbage dump.
I was shocked at the price of a bottle of pop...Until they explained that it was in pesos!	On our way back to the hotel.
We attended a dinner for the Leadership Development Program graduates. These are college-aged kids that have been with Compassion through their college years.


	The morning of our last day as we prepare to sight-see and visit historical parts of Santo Domingo.




















































	Legacy Five and Greater Vision were filming promotional spots for Compassion. We were at the top of the fort...







Filming the Greater Vision promo spot...


	The first Catholic church in the Dominican Republic...


	The entrance of the Catholic church.
Not the Catholic church...

	The restaurant where we ate lunch.












	On our way to the airport...




Apparently, Glenn didn't like what Jacob had said!	I'm on the way back to the States. Tired but extremely blessed!
Tyler Smith reading on the way home.	Tim Parton studying a jazz chord book on the flight...