When I found out I was going abroad to do missions work my heart started to race. The trip was a week long in the Dominican Republic and we were staying in the city of Samana. When we landed after the three-hour long flight I was terrified of being in a new country. Until we met some Dominicans who would be staying with us all week. Well, my confidence speaking Spanish was subpar, to say the least, so it took me about two days to warm up to speaking Spanish around them. The Dominicans I met that day made me feel so welcomed and a part of the community that all my worries seemed to just float away.

The first thing I learned through not speak very much for the first two days was a smile is universal. Me and one of the boys would play catch most days and not say a word to each other. This boy would come to be one of my closest friends by the end of the week. Just being able to play games together created a bond which then leads to us being able to have conversations in a mix of English and Spanish.

Another thing I witnessed was an overwhelming sense of community. One day while mixing mezcla (concrete) a man walked by our work site. He saw I was struggling with mixing and he showed me how to do it properly. He never said a word to me and I to him but he's kind act warmed my heart. He had no idea who I was but he helped out of this goodness of his heart.

Finally, another thing I observed was kindness. While in the DR for seven days so many people showed me kindness. One of the Dominican boys staying with our group would help me with my Spanish every day and I would help him with English. This same boy picked me and my friend's fruit from the trees outside the church every morning. While in the DR I saw how people are genuinely kind-hearted. This transformed my life and made me want not to bring that back my hometown of Lawrenceville GA.

When I got off the plane at Hartsfield Jackson the departing words of my new friend rang in my ear. He told me “ We are never truly separated because we watch the same sunrise and the same sunset every day." Those words helped me wipe my tears and go back to my everyday life. In my day to day life since that trip, I have made the effort to embody the things I loved about my travels.

Now when I see someone I try to smile even if it is just in passing, show kindness to all people I come in contact with, and be an active part in my community. I thank La República Dominicana for giving me these lifelong lessons.