Cadie in Dominican Republic

    I went to the Dominican Republic (DR) to serve the community in the Cielo Neighborhood. I didn't know many people going into the trip, but I got to become better friends with my roommate, Zuri, and a couple of other girls. The person I got to know best was Holly Kate. She's going to be a senior at TCA, and is writing her own book. It was fun to bond over our mutual love of reading and turtles. 

    I saw God's work almost everywhere throughout the trip. His presence was especially clear as we were blessing the house we helped build, and during our final night of worship. It was amazing to bond with the families whose houses we were building. One person who deserves an honorable mention is Carlos, we worked on his house all week, and our whole group grew very close with him. By the end of the week, Carlos was insisting that we all call him Abuelo. It was very difficult for us to say goodbye, but the knowledge that most of us will be returning next summer lessened the parting blow. 

    Some of my favourite memories of the trip include taking a tour of Santo Domingo where we learned about the island's history, getting to know Carlos better, and observing the crazy antics of the boys on the trip. These antics include, but aren't limited to, getting stuck in elevators and/or bathrooms, bleaching hair, piercing noses, angering hotel guests/staff, causing minor car accidents, and being overall menaces to society. 

We were supposed to get back to Dallas on Saturday evening, but had multiple travel delays and finally arrived home Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, we were stuck in Miami for 2 nights and ended up having to fly to Houston and then take a bus to Dallas.