AllNationsInternational Blog

You are the blessings

“You can bring the blessings of who you are to any situation simply through your loving and compassion. Smiling at people is a great service. Bring forth that place from within you that smiles upon the world and smiles with compassion upon someone in need.”
John Morton from: You Are the Blessings

Object in life

“Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness”
Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Sunshine

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.”
James M. Barrie

The Power of Witness

We talk a lot to our groups about the power of witness. In some ways it is not so important what we do here in the DR. Yes we paint, clean, play, teach, hold hands, and do so much in a day. But the most important thing is just being there for the children. One volunteer was telling us this mornign that she flet so useless because she did not know any Spanish. The kids were talking to her and she just kept thinking there was nothing she could do. Finally a 4 year old girl took her hand and just held it. After a few minutes the girl gave her a hug. In that instant she realized that this is why she had come to the DR. If she had not had been there the girl would have had no one to hug at precisely that moment. It is more about presence and being a witness to compassion.

A Canadian group is joining us today to see what they can do. I hope they can discover the power of presence and just ¨to be¨ for the children.

Father Dale

Everybody can be great

“Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
Martin Luther King, jr.

How To Increase Your Joy Through Service

1. Cultivate attitudes of joy in yourself
Appreciate the blessings that you are and that you have, and feel grateful for them. Choose to smile when you go to sleep, and when you wake up in the morning.

2. Do more that brings you joy
What are the simple things you can do that bring you joy? Walking in the fresh air perhaps, daily meditation, watching an inspiring movie or one that makes you laugh, for example.

3. Cultivate an attitude of serving others
When you assume a serving frame of mind, it is less likely you will feel needy, despairing or dependent upon outer, material circumstances for your well-being and happiness. Giving gives you freedom.

Whether at home or at work, how could you become more mindful of others’ needs?

4. Find out what others need – and commit some time to giving it
Opportunities to serve others will not necessarily fall at your feet. Being pro-active is where you can make a real difference. You can experience great joy through performing simple tasks, like filling envelopes, cleaning, filing for example that take a load off people running a charitable organization.

Go Green, Act Now!

Girls Orphanage – Dominican Republic

National Day of Service

“My daughter and her friend had been planning to go shopping in San Francisco on their day off from school. But when I told them about Michelle Obama’s email requesting that they honor the Day of Service, they postponed their visit to SF. We worked in Mori Point, Pacifica, CA, planting plants to restore habitat for the San Francisco Garter Snake and the Red-legged Frog. Each flag on the hill represents a single plant planted.” Photo via Emily Berk

Barton Brooks volunteering at a school in Udaipur, India on Martin Luther King Day. Photo via Doulat Kalra.

(L-R) Denise Seals, Councilmember Muriel Bowser, Ms. B. Hall, Ms. D. Hall cleaning Raymond Recreation Center in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Jerry Phelps cleaning up Rose Canyon in San Diego, CA.
“Service makes you happy.”

Kate Luna and 226 pounds of food collected in the Junior College Neighborhood in Santa Rosa, CA being delivered to Redwood Food Bank. Photo by Jess Nichol

“Our community clinic, Shifa Clinic, is located Houston, TX.
It is a free clinic and serves the uninsured and under-served members of our community. The physicians and staff are all volunteers.” Photo via Rafique Jangda

1 idea, 18 volunteers (mostly strangers). 535 food items and $200 cash collected and donated to The Sultan Food Bank in Sultan, WA. Photo by Dr. Pat Fox

CONGRATULATIONS AMERICA

No matter what you think politically, what part of the world you live, the WORLD has a NEW LEADER for a NEW AGE

Alberta Student Helps Pioneer Program

Volunteer Service in the DR

Stacy Swain came with her mother this week and offered terrific insight into ways to foster community development. Soon to be a student a University of Aberta she has an extensive background traveling Europe and developing a passion for service to others. We thank Stacy for her heart and service this week, especially to those suffering and needing comfort at the local hospital. Her smile and presence gave hope to many.

Father Dale

Hospital Weekly Vistis

Volunteer Service in the DR

Going to the hospital is always traumatic. It adds to the costs of the family to travel back and forth. If you are poor and go to the public hospital you often have to bring your own bedding and family members must bring food if you cannot afford the hospital food. It is not that doctors and nurses do not care. In fact they do heroic work. A partnership between Domincan Outreach and staff at the hospital supplies dignity packets, blankets, and items needed by many of these families. Today Anita Jupp from Cofresee joined Marta and Maureen Moore to serving the people in the local public hospital. Baby clothes and dignity packets were distributed.

Father Dale

Liz McKie – Aguas Negras

Dominican Republic

Regina, Ontario Volunteer

Volunteer Service in the DR

Volunteers and Inspiration

Volunteer Service in the DR

Over the past month we have had some extraordinary volunteers. One volunteered for three months and recently returned to South Carolina. Some volunteers have assisted projects for a day. Samba and Janice from the Department of Education in Washington D.C. spent a day visiting our school, the hospital, and community police program and were dramatically touched by the experience. Most of our volunteers are terrific people. Samba, for example comes from a family of atheletes. Her dad and uncles played professional football for teams like the Minnesota Vickings, New York Giants, another uncle played for the Harlem Globe Trotters, another uncle was a general manager of a Canadian pro team. It is so impressive when people like this find the work in the barrios, bateys, and neighborhoods as inspiring to them.

Yesterday we have two familes visit our projects One family from Canada were moved to tears when visiting the local hospital and seeing the level of need. Another family from Colorado is coming back today to help with donations of baseball equipment because to loved the contact with the children.

Volunteering changes not only the lives of the volunteers but it also changes those of us who work in the field everyday. The volunteers inspire us as much as they are inspired by the people of the communities in and around Puerto Plata.

Father Dale

Dominican Republic

Feliz Navidad in the Dominican Republic

On a Christmas Pony

Volunteer Service in the DR

As a child I read a book about a boy who got a Christmas Pony. The boy and his father drove to the country at night and found a house that looked remarkably like the workshop for Santa Claus. The father purchased a rocking horse that eventually became a real horse. I shared in the joy of the child who received this present but what was more exciting was the journey he and his father had together. The drive into the night, the discovery of a special place, meeting a strange but wonderful man were the best parts of the story. I have often thought of this story over the years. The lesson I have learned is that it is the quality of the journey that counts not the destination.

Volunteers who come down here to the Dominican Republic and those of us who live here find that it is the journey that matters most. Planning and preparing are moments went we discover our strengths and weaknesses. Ourt abililty to work with others, our tolerence for stress and the unknown are tests during these times. These are the best of times and the worst of times. Like Dickens wrote in his story about Tiny Tim, we find that our hearts are changed not by a single dramatic step but by a thousand tiny steps that moves us to a place we never imagined but always desired.

Happy Faces

Volunteer Service in the DR

Chirstmas in Cangrejo

Volunteer Service in the DR

We had many volunteers to serve the children in Cangrejo on Saturday. Gary and Angela Brawn, a friend of thier family, Linda Rollins, Bernie Swain (who is seen in the picture above leading songs), Johanne Lamont and her brother Gary all from Canada.

Many of the chidlren live in very difficult conditions. Education is the way out of poverty. But a certain moments in our lives we need joy and pure celebration. This feeds our souls and these children we so grateful for this day of happiness. We we all pleased to be able to serve them.

Father Dale

Feliz Navidad

Volunteer Service in the DR

Christmas parties are in high gear this week. Cakes and treates were purchased and brought to Cangrejo school for 66 first graders this week. On the 15th with the help of volunteers from Canada, Johanne Lamont and Bernie Swain who returned for 5 days, we held at Christmas party in the batey of Cangrejo and 100 children attended along with parents. Other volunteers from Canada came including Gary and Angela and a friend of the family. Children were given hotdogs and a bag of treats that included a popcornball, rice crispy treat, candy, and stickers.

On Sunday the process was repeated in San Marcos. More than 100 children showed up for Christmas treats. We sang songs and learned how to stand in a line. Also on Sunday volunteers handed out 40 dignity packets in the hospital. We have never seen so many sick children. Many reported having Dengue fever which is expected during this month of heavy rains.

In all we counted 306 children who were served this week of Navidad.

Father Dale