Dominican Republic Blog-Day 9- Kaleb Gibson, Pitcher, North Greenville University

At first I was skeptical about coming to the Dominican for a week but I’m very happy I did. I’ve had opportunities to help people in need and really make a difference in the communities here. Out of the several activities we’ve done here so far this week, two have stood out to me. We went to a local school with kids only a few years old who were unable to speak English. We danced, laughed, and played games with them. The smiles that I was able to put on those kids faces were truly heart warming and something I’ll never forget. It’s amazing how even with a language barrier we were able to connect with those kids and have such a great time. My second favorite activity was going to the girls and boys orphanages. We were able to connect best with the two orphanages through sports. It was super fun to be able to get competitive with the two groups. We didn’t need to know each others names or even know the same language. We just bonded through the things we love. It was obvious that these kids thought the world of us. We walked up and it immediately brought smiles to their faces, no matter the age. Also, I noticed that these kids were grateful for what they had; even though in their case was very little. This experience made me realize that I don’t thank God enough for the amount that he has blessed me and my family. This trip has moved my heart and brought me closer to God and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to share my blessing with others.