Shaun Groves
This trip I’ve just begun is, in many ways, a blind date. I’ve talked to the Dominican Republic bloggers by phone, traded what feels like thousands of e-mails, read their blogs for many months, but we’re about to meet face to face for the first time.
I don’t know much about these folks, not as much as I should know about a bunch of people I’ll be spending an entire week with. I know Tim and his son are Canadian so they probably like Keanu Reeves movies and bacon a lot. I know Marlboro Man does something with cows. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say he probably enjoys a chunk of red meat from time to time. I know Mary has ten children. Let me say that again. The woman has ten children. So I know she’s probably a little nuts and/or highly medicated. I know Jennifer is from Connecticut but is originally from Texas, and I know Melanie is a Texan. So Jesus probably likes the two of them more than the others. These are just best guesses of courses.
I’ll know the truth soon. In a few minutes we’ll hug and shake hands in the Miami airport, board a plane bound for Santo Domingo, and spend the next several days watching the miracle of hope mingling with poverty in the Dominican Republic. We’ll learn together about what exactly a sponsor’s $32 a month does to transform the life of a child in the developing world. We’ll get our shoes dirty and our hearts filled up with memories of watching the kingdom come to earth. And by the end of the week we won’t be acquaintances anymore. We’ll be friends.
Nothing I’ve found on earth brings people closer faster than serving a cause greater than ourselves. And that’s what this week is about: Spreading hope through the blogosphere and asking readers like you to give it to one child. Thanks for reading. Go here to read every post, and see every picture and video this week. Or subscribe to the trip’s RSS feed.
Nancy Tyler says:
I’m praying over all of you.
Thomas says:
praying…..
Thomas
Isle Dance says:
What special fun. I’m so grateful everyone is blogging about this.
Stephanie Kozuch says:
We had a friend in the Dominican last week deliver a package to our “son” through Compassion, but we aren’t sure if he actually received the box or not. While you are there, if you have a chance to find out and let us know we would be SO SO SO grateful! We are praying for your trip and your safety and God’s working in hearts and lives. Wish we could be along to see our “son” ourselves. He is Ronal Jesus Santos Garcia in the Compassion Project close to Santo Domingo. Looking forward to hearing from you and about your journey this week!
Tim Bailey says:
After many a trip, I am still oddly jealous of all of you. Every time it’s a new experience and a new organizing of priorities for me. I’ll be following closely, closing my eyes to remember the smiles and the love in the children’s eyes…
Cara says:
Shaun, so looking forward to this week in the blogosphere. Just after her trip to Uganda I started to read Sophie’s (boomama) blog and then through her posts, found you. At that time you were in the DR blogging about the kids who are being born without ears, and the pictures of the kids sifting through the dumps. We had been on a DR vacation in January, and so having been in that place, and seeing some of the poverty there… juxtaposed against the beauty, wealth, and waste, on the resorts. I couldn’t just click away. I sponsored a little girl in the DR, and boy, is she every a sweetie! Her letters are so great, already, and her smile in the picture they’ve sent us. Everytime I pass the bulliten board in my kitchen and see her, I smile back.
I want you to know that God has already used you to make a difference there, and I know He has GREAT things in store for you all this week.
May He watch over, guide and protect you all. And may He break our hearts, if that is what it takes, to make us snap out of our complacency, and begin to bring hope and justice to this world.
cate says:
I sponsor a child in the DR as well… and I hope to do a trip one of these coming years. I look forward to hearing about what it’s like in the next few days. Thanks for sharing.
Beth Nance Hildebrand says:
Shaun, This is wonderful to see that you’re with Compassion and you’re going to DR! My family adopted a girl from Mexico and I hope that someday we’ll be able to visit her. I look forward to seeing how God will be working through you this week!
Beth Nance Hildebrand
Grace says:
Hi Shaun. I noticed your comment about Mary. I don’t know her but I do know that children are a highly under rated gift from God in our society. We do everything we can to keep our fertility under our control and forget that it’s God who opens and closes the womb. We kill children who are still being knit together. I can’t help but notice the irony that you are on a trip to help children. Do you really value children? Personally I’m praying that God will have His way in our family and I won’t do anything to prevent that.
I hope that you are touched on this trip, perhaps by the children
. I pray that you will see what a precious gift they are. I pray that your eyes will see what many are blinded to these late days. I pray that you are blessed as are they.
Blessings,
Grace
Debby says:
Hi Shaun. I noticed your comments about Jennifer and Melanie. Your assertion that Jesus loves them more than the rest of us just because they come from Texas…Heresy! Heresy!
Any serious student of the scriptures knows that Jesus loves people from Kansas more than he loves anyone else! Now, I’m not saying Jesus doesn’t love other people from other less significant states, and certainly Jesus has some fond feelings for those born outside of the USA, however those of us from the land of sunflowers, wheat and Fred Phelps are certainly his favorites!
Blessings,
Debby
**may God pour out in greater measure the gift of interpretation upon all of us.
Ruth says:
I am praying for all of you on this trip! God bless! I know it will be fantastic.
Doug says:
Am so excited for you guys. I pray that God opens all your hearts and your eyes to what is around you. I am confident that you Compassion leaders will once again be a delight to be around and eloquently express your hearts that have been touched by the Lord’s own heart toward His people. You guys really rock.
suzanne says:
Sheesh, Grace, cut Shawn some slack. Comments like yours are a real turn-off to other believers who are here for fellowship and encouragement. Having a lot of kids is fine if you have a heart for it, other do not have the heart for it, and having none or just one or two is fine for them and certainly does not make them a worse person than you. It was obvious to me that Shawn was joshing…but for someone who been through some real challenges raising just ONE child (they are all valued, yes, but not all are “angels”!), I must say that I can relate to his statments! I love kids but don’t want ten of them myself. But God bless anyone who does, they obviously have a calling for it. Blessings to you Shawn for what you do!
Nancy Tyler says:
It’s so great to see so many new people commenting here! Shaun’s sense of humor often gets misunderstood–he oughta use smilies to punctuate when he’s exercising his gift of sarcasm.
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Of all my friends, Shaun is tops in the loving and creative daddy and husband department. And his heart and work for the Compassion kids inspires me to action, and to praise God for creating and using gifted people like him.