An extraordinary experience of God amid an unprecedented global crisis

 

Shania Esquivel interacts with second grade students at the Café con Leche School in the Dominican Republic. Esquivel was one of 10 Newman Center students from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi who made the journey to serve the children. “The love that was shown in the Dominican Republic is a love so deep that it truly cannot be put into words. I can only relate the feeling to a type of love given to us by God,” Shania Esquivel said.  View YouTube link here.

Bea Romo | for STC

 

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Newman Center students bonded over a mission trip to Cafe con Leche School in the Dominican Republic. Pictured from left, Cristian Soliz, Francesca Carranza (front), Aliciana Mireles, Melanie Walz, Natasha Medina, Yasmin Sanchez, Shania Esquivel (standing), Katelyn Jezierski (front), Michael Lozano and Jessie Baza. See more photos below. Bea Romo | for STC

I accompanied a group of ten students from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Newman Center on a service trip to the Café con Leche School in the Dominican Republic. We immersed ourselves in a cultural experience of service, community and spirituality. We deepened our relationship with God and with one another through service. The love, the novelty, the openness, the multiple encounters that we experienced, and the enthusiasm of everyone were the elements that gave birth to the ecosystem that nourished us throughout the week. It was in that ecosystem that everyone flourished while acquiring deep insights into life.
 
The team’s journey began much earlier than the trip itself. In September 2019, we started meeting regularly once a week to prepare individually and as a group. This preparation consisted of lots of work, fundraising, personal reflection, prayer, paperwork and developing school activities. During this time, we experienced beautiful growth as individuals and as a community. “God was present through it all – even before we left – we were fundraising and preparing our hearts to serve these children, and throughout the journey,” Jessie Baza said.
 
God’s love empowered us throughout this period in many ways, especially through the overwhelming support of our Newman community and many local parishes, organizations, and individuals who made this trip possible thanks to their donations and personal gifts.
 
The group arrived in Santo Domingo on March 7, before the coronavirus had become a pandemic. The small group worked with young children in a school in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods’ in the outskirts of the country’s capital. And they were hosted by a Focolare group that lived in a house nearby.
 
On the first day at the school, Cafe con Leche (coffee with milk), we had the impression that there was some disorganization at times. Nonetheless, there was a powerful sense of harmony that took you over and swirled you into the atmosphere of love that they teach and practice at the school. Our time there was a “school of life,” and we were gifted with so many fundamental lessons in only seven days.
 
Sophomore student, Shania Esquivel, shared that during their service week, they were able to teach the children some English words, dance, make slime, introduce the Thanksgiving holiday, and much more. “The feeling of seeing the children so happy and grateful for what they have had an enormous impact on me,” she said. “While we did teach the students many things, I was ultimately the student at the end of each day. I was able to learn about their culture, ways of living, new foods, language, and overall, how to appreciate everything that God has given to me.” 
 
The whole experience was amazing! We felt so blessed for being called to be part of it. We immersed ourselves in community life, in a constant “self-giving” mindset, in the new friends that we were making at the retreat center and at the school and in a different culture that made us more dependent on one another. It opened the way for us to slide into the powerful experience of God that each one of us had. One of the main takeaways that came out of this experience is that every participant reflected on the reality lived in those days is the experience of love. Many of the students referred to this in several ways:
 
“This experience has opened my eyes to God’s love. The students at Cafe con Leche really showed me how to love my neighbor. I strive to love like they do,” Katelyn Jezierski said.
 
And another student, Natasha Medina said, “I felt God when we saw where these kids live, it truly touched my heart, it was definitely heartbreaking to see, but it reminded me to be so grateful for what I have,” 
 
And Aliciana Mireles shared, “The main highlight for me was the unconditional love that I received from the children at Cafe con Leche. Regardless of the hardships, these children experience on a daily basis, they never fail to express their love for one another and towards us.”
 
Jessie Baza shared a valuable lesson on humility and selfless love with us. She said that when they started the activity of the “lava lamp,” she wanted to jump in and teach the kids, but there were other people in her group better suited to do this, as she knew very little Spanish. “I felt sad at first because I wasn’t connecting with the children, but then I realized that setting up the activity with another team member was what I could do with my talents to serve these kids. I learned that I needed to humble myself and let others use their gifts to communicate with the kids as well as using my gifts to serve them in the way that I was able to. When we all did what we could do, the work flowed, and it made me happy to know that we were giving our all to the kids.”
 
The community and spirituality aspect during these days was a key piece in this whole experience as we supported and enriched one another in unthinkable ways. As Yasmin Sanchez and Michael Lozano put it in their own words, respectively: “Living in community for a week was way better than I expected! I saw God in every single one of my brothers and sisters as we grew closer every day throughout our laughs and struggles. Although I was out of my comfort zone, I never felt uncomfortable,” Sanchez said. “We started every morning with an intention, we went to daily Mass, and we prayed during the entire day. Ever since – I’ve been praying for the smallest reasons.” 
 
We’ve built some unbreakable bonds through both the easier and tougher times. We grew together in this experience, and words can’t describe how much I thank them for everything,” Lozano said.
 
“I saw God’s presence throughout the week through Marisol, the principal of the school, the volunteers and teachers,” Mireles recalls. “Marisol shared some amazing words with us and stated that regardless of where we were in the world, we will always be family and are all children of the same Father, and it showed throughout the week.” 
 
Little did we know that by the end of the week, we were going to come back to a different world than the one we had left. “During this time of global crisis, this service trip has brought some perspective in my life, senior, Jessie Baza said. “Life is fragile, and plans change quickly – our experience has taught me how to go with the flow – because we aren’t going to be in control of every situation.
 
“Just as our planned activities changed in the Dominican Republic, circumstances have changed here at home. I will no longer be finishing my last semester of nursing school in person, and I continue to face new obstacles every day. What matters and what I have to keep in mind is the end-goal: why I am going through nursing school, which is to help my future patients feel cared for and get the medical help they deserve,” Baza explained.
 
Some crew members had to say an unexpected and early goodbye to those who will stay at TAMU-CC next semester. Melanie Walz is one of those students who we had to say a quick goodbye after she packed and got ready to move back home, where she will be finishing this semester and waiting to transfer to her new college.
 
“I think and hope, especially since many events have been canceled such as school and Masses, that we will still commit our hearts to trust in God and to serve, in this time. It is definitely a difficult situation, but God does everything for a reason. He has a plan, and we need to trust in it,” Walz said. “I think that our mission trip, in a way, was preparation for the outbreak. At least for me. I think our service trip brought our faith and trust in God to the next level and brought us closer in our relationship with him and others around us. I hope that our trust only increases during this time (of global crisis) and that we can help others to do the same during this time.”
 
Mireles shared that after she got back home, she went to the store to buy something, and in an instant, a man reached for the same item she wanted. “At first, I was kind of taken back, but when I looked around, he was with his two kids and his wife. It made me realize that I can go without this food item. because others might need it more than me,” she said. “I genuinely feel like this experience has made me more grateful. It made me appreciate the things I have and try to work within my means and not be selfish when buying supplies.”
 
In many ways, the group prepared for eventual difficulties, but you can never prepare enough for the moment when you experience them in real-time. These setbacks always came in the most unexpected ways and challenged us to overcome them.
 
Sanchez shared that she saw God everywhere, especially at the Focolare house where they stayed. “The Focolare women that graciously hosted us, greeted us with open arms so early every morning, then every evening; with gourmet meals, a helping hand, and ears to hear out our day. God shined in their kindness through serving us amid their everyday lives, with compassion, and love no matter what.”
 
Sanchez said she struggled to keep laughter and jokes to a minimum at inappropriate times like prayer or someone speaking. “I struggled not having my entire closet to put together an outfit. I struggled being bitten by mosquitoes in the middle of most nights (which consisted of little sleep as well). I struggled to lend an ear when I was ready to rest. I struggled to keep my stuff confined to my area when I had to share a tight space.” 
 
She said she overcame these struggles by focusing a little more on God through everything she faced. “I started with apologizing to those I ignored. The mosquito bites and itch were a reminder that I was in another country for someone other than myself, so I offered them up to God. I pushed myself to be patient with lending an ear because I would want the same thing, and lastly, I learned how to organize myself with the tight space that had been provided, Sanchez said. “I made a little dirty clothes-section, a tomorrow’s outfit-section, and why did I even pack you? section.” 
 
It was a gift for each one of us that will still keep on shaping our lives as we move forward in time. It was a transformative experience filled with graces that will take a lifetime to unpack. 
 
Bea Romo is a consecrated lay member of the Focolare movement. She accompanies young people in their journey of faith, offering spiritual direction to students at the TAMUCC Newman Center and Holy Family Parish.