Day 3 in the D.R.

Today was our last day for visiting the Compassion International projects.  We went to a more rural area today and visited with the children there.  At first we went to one of the kid's homes.  His name is David and he lives with his parents and his two siblings.  We were just so stunned at the living conditions here.  The pollution was just hard to even describe.  They cannot drink the tap water in fear of getting diseases and illnesses.  Today's visit really was heavy on my heart and my heart went out to all of these kids.  It was really hard to take in all that I saw and the amount of pollution was just unbearable.  

David and his tutor at Compassion with his two sisters at his home.

After our visit with David, we went back to the church/Compassion center and played with the kids outside.  Some played soccer, while others played jump rope.  A group of girls came to me fascinated with my cameras and wanted me to take pictures of them.  They loved for me to take the picture and then show them.  What is so humbling for me is that in these pictures, these kids look just as normal as you would see in the U.S., but when you visit their homes, you see how they live and it is nothing short of tragic.  You can see God shining through their smiles and joy illuminates them because of this incredible opportunity that Compassion has offered them.  They have hope for once in their lives and can possible dream a big dream for themselves.  I am so blessed to have witnessed these past few days and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.  I am a changed person because of this and after seeing what I have seen, I feel I have a responsibility to be a voice for these kids.  I hope that your life will be changed just by seeing these beautiful faces.

This is it for now, but I plan on trying to put together a video of all the photos and video footage that we took.  I am eager to show you all just how much this experience has impacted me.  

Goodnight and God Bless  :  )

Leslie