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Returning from our 17th trip to the Dominican Republic made me think about one of Nick's character strengths - Perspective. Making this trip so many times gives me pause to consider whether it could ever become routine. But by the end of this trip, as it's been with every other, Jay and I are reassured the experience is never the same.
Each day is always appreciated through the eyes of those who've joined us for the first time, as well as those like USC student, Lauren Wehn, who made this her third trip with us. It was powerful to hear from Lauren how she's felt connected to Nick on all three trips and also how she's been inspired to consider joining Mother Teresa's order of the Sisters of Charity as her experience with Thrive in Joy has guided her towards wanting to spend her life caring for the vulnerable and those living with scarcity.
On each trip, I also look forward to reconnecting with the history of the island and visiting the fort you see in the distance. On past trips, we've always taken a team photo on the steps of the fort. This time, however, the fort was closed for restoration so I took this photo through one of the cannon portals.
After Christopher Columbus's arrival on the island in 1492, Santo Domingo became the site of the first cathedral, hospital, customs house and university in the Americas. This colonial town, founded in 1498, was laid out on a grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World.
Perspective: Sometimes we are on the outside looking in and sometimes it's possible to become integrated into a culture no matter where our origins. 17 trips to this welcoming country have made us feel more like Dominicans than just visitors or tourists. Despite history's inevitable failings, whether one travels to another part of the world to serve, or takes on a local cause to right injustices, we're all part of an evolving history bringing new perspectives that, in some small way, might make a difference in the lives of future generations.
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