Thoughts on the trip

I am writing this tonight in my apartment, which obviously means we got home safe and sound last night.  Our flight from Atlanta to Des Moines was delayed a half hour, but no other problems.

I tried to think of everything I wanted to write last night on the plane.  I came to the conclusion that there really are no words for all of the experiences and memories I made this past 8 days.  At our final meeting of the trip, the question was asked what our favorite part of the trip was, and also what we will leave in the Dominican and what we will take back with us.  My favorite part of the trip was changing people's lives for the better.  With the gym dedication, hundreds of kids will be able to go to the gym as a safe place to go to get off the streets.  Building the house changed Juanitto's life in thousands of ways.  His daughter is expecting a child, and now will have a safe place to raise the child.  Then I had to think what I would leave in the Dominican.  I stated that I would leave my selfishness there.  I take so many things for granted, and also am way to materialistic then I need to be.  I am going to work hard to correct that about myself.  I then stated that what I took away from the Dominican was a new perspective on life.  I have the best family a person could ask for, great friends that support me in all kinds of different ways, and also a new found faith and belief that God has a plan for me and I need to be thankful each and every day for that.

On the plane I also thought about all the people who helped me pay for the trip and also all the people who went on the trip.  Everyone grew so close to each other, that it was really hard to leave them last night.  I just want to say thank you to my family for helping me out, and also thank you to everyone who went on the trip for all the memories.  

Today has been a challenging day.  During our last meeting in the Dominican we talked about how hard it is to go back to regular life after a trip like this.  It made me feel guilty that this morning that I went to Wal-Mart and got to drive there in my new car to pick up food for the week and everything else I needed.  If I could go back to the Dominican I would do it in a heartbeat.  The people there are so caring and grateful for what they have that it's easy to love it there. 

Our last day was spent at the resort on the ocean.  It was a great time to get to know everyone better, and relax and have a good time.  Memories were definitely made and it was great to be able to do that our last day.   

That about wraps my thoughts up on the trip.  I am not sure how many people actually read this blog, but if you have and you have questions or want to know anything, don't hesitate to contact me.  I am planning on going back every year, and would seriously encourage everyone to go.  It will change your life, and you will have the time of your life.

I am going to continue to try to blog every now and then.  I have no idea what topics about, or how often I will do it, but it is a pretty cool way to get my thoughts out and I am enjoying it.  I will definitely have more to say about the trip, but it honestly has not even set in yet I don't think.  

I have added all my pictures to my Facebook account, so if you are reading this and you are not able to see them, send me out a friend request and I will accept it.  I think I got some pretty good ones that sum up the trip pretty well.

I hope you all have a great week, and I will hopefully be able to catch up with everyone soon.  Thanks again for all the support while our team was there.

Until next time...

                                                            The house at the beginning of the week

After the house was completed

Final Day of Work

Today we finished Juanitto's house.  I know I said I would post a picture, but my computer does not work very well down here.  It was a very hard day, but the end result was definitely worth it.

Today we mixed concrete, finished the roof, painted, and did electrical work to finish up the house.  It was another long day, as we didn't get home until about 7 P.M. 

This day has been pretty crazy for everyone.  We dedicated the house to Juanitto and he is honestly the nicest, most grateful guy you could ever meet.  He is a very hard worker and loved his new house.  We put on a dedication for the family and invited all the neighbors and it was a great time to rejoice and hang out as well. 

This trip has been amazing for me.  It has been great to hang out and work hard with some of my best friends and also try to change other people's lives for the better.  I really cannot put in to words how I feel right now.  It has been great to be here and honestly I want to do more work before I come home.  I know I will be back, and I have many memories to share with everyone when I get home.

This morning at devotion we talked about Staying Strong.  Today's passage was about being even stronger with someone by your side.  Pastor Jon asked for examples and Wayne spoke up about Treye's visitation.  He mentioned that at the visitation there was a man who went up to see Treye and Wayne was standing there.  The man could broke down when Wayne put his arm around him and couldn't say a word because he was crying so hard.  Wayne said he put his arm around him and he felt strength just by being around the man who cared so much for Treye that he couldn't even say a word cuz he was so sad. 

After Wayne finished with the story he looked right at me and said, "That great man was your dad, Mike."  Immediately I started tearing up and thought about that day.  It was a hard day, but we all got stronger because of it and it has changed our lives.

This trip has made me realize that all I need in life are family, friends, and faith and I will be good. 

I am planning on doing a summary of the trip hopefully on Sunday, but the people who have been here before have said that it takes about 2 weeks to actually get back to real world life. 

I also just wanted to thank everyone who is reading this blog.  Everyone appreciates all of your support and prayers and we cannot wait to tell everyone all about it.

Tomorrow is our day at the resort for a little rest and relaxation.  It should be a good time to get to know each other better and also have a little fun as well.

I will catch up with all of you again Sunday hopefully!

Until next time...

A Day at the Farm and Rat Hunt Day 2

I apologize for my spelling on this post because I am writing this on my iPod. The keyboard is really small and I have some pretty big thumbs.

Yesterday was an action packed day. We went to Christian's family farm which was about 2 hours away. When we were there we got to see oxyn plow a field, ride horses, and had a meal there as well. The meat of choice there was goat so that was a pretty weird experience. Chicken fighting is also very big here, so we got to see some chickens fighting as well. None were killed though it was just a practice fight. After that we made the long trek back home and most people slept.

Last night we spotted another mouse running around when we went to bed. It was not the same one, but it is getting easier to sleep with them because I have been so tired. We are still trying to figure out how to catch/kill them, but it's not working.

Today was the longest day we have had here. We had to lay the floor in the whole house today so that meant a whole day of making/carrying cement. They do everything by hand so it is extremely hard work to do. I mixed cement for a while, then carried cement for a while, and also leveled out floors which involves pounding down a 50 pound steel beem with a steel square on the bottom. I have a weird feeling that my back will not be right in the morning.

Today we worked from 8 until 1230 and then 230 until 7. When you take into account the sun and the long hours, it was a very long day. It is all totally worth it though when you see the smiles on the faces on all the people here.

There was one more person sick today, so hopefully everyone can stay healthy from here on out. Tomorrow is our last day of work here, then it's off to the resort to celebrate the trip and also Matt's golden birthday.

This trip has flown by, and I can't wait until next year. We already have an idea of what we are going to do and it sounds pretty awesome.

I will try to blog tomorrow and try to put up a picture of the finished house as well. Hope everyone in the states is having a great week. Be thankful for what you have and keep us in your prayers as we finish out this trip.

Until next time....

First Official Day of Work

Today marked our first whole day of work on Juanitto's house.  We have been there before, but only spent a few hours there moving dirt.  It was Tyler, Ryley, Matt, and also my job to move dirt from a dirt pile to an area in the house to raise the floor up.  I am not kidding you when I say that we hauled over 125 wheel barrels of dirt today.  The wheel barrels here are not in the best shape and kind of hard to run.  It is only 8:35 here right now and we are all thinking about heading to bed soon. 

The house is moving along great.  Juanitto is a man who works at the school we are staying at and has two girls he has raised all by himself.  He is a great person who deserves what we are building for him.  Some people on the team laid brick while others made re-rods and got them ready.  I bent rods some of the day as well.  It was extremely hot here today and there are a few members of the team who are sick.  Hopefully they will all be good to go by tomorrow.

Last night we had a game night with all of us.  The main game we played was Catch Phrase.  It was boys vs. girls and it got really heated.  We were down by a lot in the last game and came back to win and we were all going nuts.   Then we played 3 games of Spoons and I would just like to thank my DeBerg side of the family for all the games of Spoons we used to play.  I ended up winning two out of the three games. 

Overall today was a great day.  I am exhausted and ready for bed, but it was definitely worth it.  I am gaining more and more appreciation for my life each and every day.  I love it here and am planning on coming back each year for as long as I am able.

One thing I did want to share before I head to bed.  We are working on building a house, and the older lady who lives right next to him in a pretty beat up house.  She came up to each of us and shook our hands and said how grateful she was that we were doing this for her neighbor.  She also said that we could come into her house any time to get out of the sun.

That got me thinking about things back home.  If someone builds a house next to anyone back home, most of the time the neighbor is jealous or mad at them because they have a new house and have something better.  I think that is the main thing I will take back from this trip.  I need to appreciate what I have instead of being envious of what others have that I don't.  I am blessed with good health and a great family and that is all that really matters.

Until next time...

The Rat Hunt and Treye's Dedication

I'm going to start this one off wishing Treye a happy 24th birthday.  I miss him every day and its hard to believe the impact and legacy he has on so many people.

Last night we had a little bit of a rodent problem in our camp room.  There is a pretty decent sized rat running around our room and it was very hard to sleep.  Matt saw him the first night, and we were on the lookout last night and the rat ended up coming out for all of us to see.  Needless to say it was pretty hard to sleep last night knowing that a rat could be climbing on me at any time.

Today was a pretty emotional day.  We first off went to church and got to experience a Dominican Service.  They had a pastor that spoke in Spanish and then an English pastor would translate what he was saying.  There were a lot of songs and it was an awesome experience. 

After the service we had to decorate thr gym and get all the chairs set up.  The dedicaton was a pretty sweet way to honor Treye.  There were about 75 people there and most of them had no idea who Treye even was.  That was when I really realized what kind of legacy Treye left.  His grandparents Wayne and Joyce each spoke, and then Matt spoke as well.  They all did a great job and the even went very smooth.  It was a time to reflect and also honor Treye and that is exactly what we did.

Today has been a roller coaster.  Each time Treye's name gets brought up I can't help but think of the great memories we all had with him, and then think about the tragic night he was taken from us.  It is safe to say though that all of his friends and family have come together so much more because of this and its great to have such an awesome support group.  Matt said it well today when he stated that Treye's legacy will continue to live on through the gym that was built in his memory and help kids in the Dominican change their lives and become better people.

Christian, our leader for the trip, said it best.  "I don't care how much you know, until I know how much you care."  That quote sums up the Dominican people to me.  They care so much for their families and community and thats how it should be.  I truly believe every person in the states should have to come down here and serve.  Life would be appreciated so much more if they did.

Tomorrow is all about building a house for a family down here.  It is going to be tough work, but I couldn't be more excited.

Until next time...

Day 1 and 2 in the Dominican

Yesterday we arrived here in the Dominican Republic.  Our flights went very smooth and getting through customs was not problem at all.  Everyone was extremely excited to get to our camp and to finally see what this trip was going to be about.

Friday-When our flights arrived in the Dominican, we all got on a bus and headed to camp.  The drive was about an hour and a half, and it was quite an experience.  In the Dominican they do not have any traffic laws so its every vehicle for themselves.  Horns are not an accessory here they are needed.  When we got to camp we met all of the leaders and they are awesome!  We had our first meal and the food here is great.  Everything is fresh and taste great.  We took a tour of the camp and all those types of good things. 

Saturday- Today has been quite the experience for me.  It started with our morning devotions and breakfast.  The morning is time to reflect and also journal what we experience.

After breakfast we all went to the Gym to put the floor down and finish it up for the dedication that we have tomorrow (Sunday).  It should be a pretty emotional event and I am really looking forward to it.

After Lunch we went to the house we are adding on too and layed bricks and dirt.  Before this we took a walk through the community and it is something that I can't even put into words.  The Dominican people are so grateful for even just shaking their hands.  We had candy to give away and all the children loved us.  We even played a traveling basketball team and had a good time with them.

Today has been so unreal to me.  Walking through the community makes you really think about your life.  I am so blessed with an amazing family and friends that sometimes I just take things for granted.  The Dominican people are so friendly and appreciate everything that we do for them.

I have been here for a day and a half and this trip is already more then I expected.  Everyone is doing great and having a great time!  I have been trying to take a lot of pictures to add to this blog, but won't be able to put those up until I get back home.

The devotion theme for the week is Getting Strong, Staying Strong!  Pastor Jon is doing a great job of leading the devotions and I am really enjoying everything this trip is offering to me.

Treye's Grandma Joyce wrote us all a letter that I thought was interesting.  This gym cost 52,000 dollars and we are dedicating the gym in Treye's name on the day he turns 24.  There are 24 people who are on this mission trip and dedication.

These numbers all are not a coincidence.  This all has happened for a reason and each day I am here I am realizing more and more that its God's plan.

I will continue to try to do this each day I can get WiFi for everyone reading and also to keep a journal for myself to read for years to come.

Until next time!

The Dominican

I figured I would start a blog to update you all on the Mission Trip I will be taking to the Dominican Republic with Project 52.

Project 52 is an organization that was started in honor of one of my best friends who was killed trying to break up a fight.  His name was Treye Blythe and he has touched more lives then anyone could have imagined.  I have attached the organization's website so take a look at it.

www.p52.org

I will try to log onto my computer every night to update what we did and what I experienced each day to keep everyone in the loop.  If allowed I will also post pictures and things like that.

I am new to this blogging thing, so be patient with me and hopefully we can all have some fun with this.  The title of the blog comes from one of Jay-Z's best albums calls the Life and Times of Shawn Carter.  I am looking for a better name so if anyone has any ideas shoot them out to me.

Feel free to comment on anything I say and also tell your friends about this blog.

I am looking forward to blogging on a regular basis about all kinds of topics.

Have a good Day!


The new Treye Blythe Project 52 Gymnasium


Treye's football picture