July 15 – Matthew Gross

”Today we went to El Penon and we gave out food bags and walked around to meet and pray for members of the church. After, we headed down to the baseball field to meet the team. They just got back from a 22-2 win but were still head over heels to play some more. I think the Dominicans passion for the game is very inspiring. Through this whole trip we have been to many places and experienced many cool things. I have taken a lot away from it but the thing that stands out to me the most is to never take anything for granted. Through the two games I learned a lot. I saw how the Dominicans train and how they become such good baseball players. They don’t have the nicest fields or equipment but they are always having fun, I realize now how much I take my equipment or our fields for granted. When we went to both orphanages it was a really eye opening experience. Seeing how the kids interacted with each other and watching them help each other and even help us out was really neat. It showed how much their relationships meant to them and I hope to never take mine for granted again. Lastly was Kike’s house, it was tons of fun and I grew both physically and mentally through this experience. Seeing how hard these workers worked with very little technology and for really little pay really helps me realize how much I take my education for granted. This trip has been very life changing so far and I just hope to continue to grow as a person through it!”