Welcome to Second Presbyterian Youth Ministry!

Welcome to the Blog that is entirely dedicated to the youth activities at Second Presbyterian Church! Here you will find the latest information on outings and gatherings, photos, and more. Enjoy!

Friday, July 15, 2016

DR 2016 - Thursday, July 14

Hola from the Dominican Republic! It’s Olivia Smith and Rachel Delaney reflecting on Thursday. We had the opportunity to go to Vacation Bible School and construction today. We started the day with Vacation Bible School at a nearby church where we walked around the barrios (neighborhoods) to find more kids to come. Then we sang some familiar and some new songs in Spanish. Members of our team acted out the parable of the lost coin as Pastor Enol read the story from the Bible. We then split into groups: crafts and games. Both of us helped with games for the second half and Olivia helped with crafts during the first half while Rachel did games. During games, we played with chalk, bubujas (bubbles), and pelotas (balls). Some kids just wanted to sit, talk and take pictures with us (the girls mostly wanted pictures of Rob). Then we went back to the church to sing more songs and let the kids recite the verses from the week. Then we piled into trucks and cars to get back to the guesthouse for a delicious lunch. After dishes were done, some of us prepared to go to construction while others visited the barrios, helped with tasks around the guesthouse or rested. At the construction site, we helped make mortar, shovel rocks, filled in the space between bricks with the mortar, and were made fun of by the Dominican workers for taking a group picture. In the past year an enormous amount of progress had been made. Last year there was only half of one side of the wall surrounding the new clinic. This year one and a half sides of the wall surrounding the clinic were finished and some walls of the clinic had been built. Being a part of the construction team allowed us to see the way Dominicans build structures and see the hard work it takes to make it happen. It was humbling to be a part of such a huge project that so many people have contributed to in order to make it possible. After we got back from construction, we took a quick snack break before heading out to the barrios to play with the kids one last time this week. We took pictures with the kids and gave many piggyback rides before it started to rain when we had to say goodbye. We raced through the rain to get back to the guesthouse, and then Patty gave us a tour of the current clinic. It was really interesting to see how the sanitation and other conditions of the medical office here are so different from those in the US. Kyle and Josh, a couple helping Dan and Kari this summer, then took a group of us to a nearby stadium with basketball courts, a track and more. This gave us a chance to experience even more Dominican culture and have some interesting conversations with the people there. We returned for an amazing dinner of cheesy vegetables, meat, fresh fruit, salad, cookies and more. After dinner, our group met for an evening devotional where we reread the same passage that we read the first night here. We then finished our meeting with the sharing of communion. We now prepare to return to Santo Domingo and, soon, the United States where we hope to share and use what we have learned in our everyday lives. -Olivia Smith and Rachel Delaney

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

DR 2016 - Wednesday, July 13

Buenas noches! We got up this morning at 6:45 to a delicious breakfast of baked oatmeal and fresh Dominican fruit. Each morning before breakfast a different staff member from Solid Rock leads a brief morning devotional for our group, to center our day. Today a staff member named Kyle talked about worries and learning to surrender them to God and pray for peace, which was very encouraging. After breakfast, we split into VBS crew and construction crew and headed out for the day. VBS had a great turnout of over 200 kids. We sang fun songs and learned about the story the Prodigal Son with a fun puppet show. We enjoyed doing the craft and games with the kids, who were all so happy to be there. After VBS and lunch, we went to the local market for a fun scavenger hunt competition. It was so neat to see more of the Dominican culture, interact with local people, and see all of the different things sold there. After the scavenger hunt, we had free time. Many of us went into the barrios to play with the kids, which is always such a joy. Then as a group, Ken took us to the clinic construction site, which was amazing. As we both went last year, we can testify to the tremendous progress of the project. Last year, we worked on the surrounding wall of the clinic, and when we went today we witnessed the walls of the clinic itself. It is huge and we were inspired by how much of an impact it is going to have on the community. It truly is a revolution. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local restaurant called Bienvenidas, where we had wonderful Dominican food, including rice and beans, fried plantains, and even fried cheese. Then we went to Bon, an ice cream shop, which was refreshing. As we have done each night, we met as a group at the guesthouse and broke down our day, talking about what moved us, surprised us, and where we saw God's presence today. It was another beautiful, hot day in San Juan. over and out Madison and Meg

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

DR 2016 - Tuesday, July 12

Today, Larry, Andrew and Warner (myself) worked at the construction site of the new clinic. We continued the work of yesterday's group by completing the forms for the concrete foundation of a section of wall around the clinic. Soon, concrete will be poured into the wooden forms we helped build and a cinder block wall will be built on the foundation. The work wasn't easy for us. We were very impressed by the efficiency of the Dominicans' work. They did a great job guiding us and teaching us skills to help us work better. It was very satisfying to see the forms completed for that section of the wall. However, it was also humbling to know that once the concrete is poured and has set, our forms will be disassembled and reused. -Warner McGhee
Day two of vacation Bible school had a much larger attendance than the first day. Each kid really seemed to enjoy all the activities we had planned for them. For instance, I encountered a young boy who was really struck by the beauty of his cup-cake wrapper turned flower craft. Their ability to find joy in very little things was very moving. After a walk from the guest house to the city, we finally arrived at the cathedral. The whole building was very unique from the church we had attended on Monday. The cathedral had a steeple that the majority of the group climbed up. The view was absolutely beautiful and I am sure the locals are very proud to live in such a neat area. There was a female softball team awaiting for us at the stadium. We divided up into two teams and started the game. While I was playing in the outfield I initiated a conversation with one of the Dominicans on my team. I learned we were both the same age and that she had a sibling living in the US. Although my team lost, I really enjoyed that us and the Dominicans came together and played baseball. -Cate Duckwall

Monday, July 11, 2016

DR 2016 - Monday, July 11

The 2016 second presbyterian representatives awoke this morning to a tremendously vibrant sunrise and an outstanding meal put forth by the members of Solid Rock International. The first day of vacation bible school and construction work had begun! As the wind blew through our hair during the truck ride to the community church, we looked with amazement and awe as we witnessed the locals going about their day. The loud noises in the street, the local people, the animals, and the vendors equally contribute to this unique Dominican Culture. Upon arrival at the church we were greeted by a massive swarm of local children ready to sing, dance, and worship with us. The interpreters began the presentation with a number of children's songs and dances, to which the local children were extremely bold and willing to dance and sing. The amount of love, joy, and appreciation these children have was absolutely contagious and extremely inspiring to us. As the vacation bible school came to an end at 11 o'clock, we said our good byes (until tomorrow) and headed back for a some lunch. Immediately following lunch, our group ventured into the barrios to meet and play with the children. Walking through these barrios is like walking through an entirely different world. It is amazing how little these people have, but it is astounding how much love and kindness they were willing to share with us. Later that evening, our new Youth Pastor, Rachel, challenged us with a question, which was: When was a time that a person showed you unexpected kindness? I think the entire group would agree that the Dominican people are the epitome of what it means to share kindness. The Dominicans, young and old, are willing to meet new people, who look different from them and can't even speak the same language, with welcoming smiles and warm hugs. Part of these reason that our church hosts this trip is to introduce and educate the dominican people about God. But, more importantly, we are hear to learn from the Dominican people about humility and true happiness. We will remember our experiences here for the rest of our lives and hopefully we will learn to cherish what we have, because many individuals have far less than we do. -Alex DeFelice

DR 2016 - Sunday, July 10

On Sunday July 10th, we arrived at the guest house. We started with an exaggerated but necessary orientation program, and ate lunch after a prayer. We later went to the barrios, or the surrounding neighborhood, and had an eye opening experience by witnessing how much fun these young children could have using just their surroundings. After dinner, we went to a Dominican church service like no other service I have ever been a part of. They had a talented band that played what could best be described as Christian Rock with a Hispanic twist. They sung in Spanish, but were kind enough to put the words on the screen in English for us. The service was up-beat and welcoming to everyone regardless of our inability to communicate. The barrios and the service were an intense and humbling experience for all. -Joe Boxley