You Are Here for a Reason — Part One

Hi Everyone! Cassidy here, back with another blog post! I recently got the incredible opportunity to go on a week long mission trip with my church to the Dominican Republic, and I wanted to share with you all what God taught me during my time there. We spent a week serving in La Cuneta, a remote village in the countryside of the island, in partnership with an organization called Food for the Hungry. 

After three months of training, preparing and packing, myself, and a team of nine others were off to the Dominican Republic! We happened to leave 3 days after I turned 25, and I was so excited I could hardly contain myself (my teammates can vouch for my excitement; I had more energy in the airport at 3am than the Energizer Bunny!). Along with my excitement, though, came some nerves. I knew that this trip was going to be one with lots of walking in heat and humidity, and that it would be a little bit physically taxing on my body. I knew this going into it and tried to be as prepared as possible, making sure that my leaders were aware of my cerebral palsy, and packing my most supportive running shoes. 

Our first night, we stayed in the city of Santo Domingo before venturing out towards the village the following day. That night, we got the chance to debrief as a team, and it was the first time I allowed my months of excitement that had been building up to finally settle. We sat out on the hotel patio, and I paused and took it all in, slowing down my mind and my body for the first time. It hit me what a gift a trip like this was, and I found myself filled with gratitude for the opportunity that God had given me. I told myself that I would become a sponge over the next few days, doing everything I could to truly soak in the experience.

Myself, and my incredible teammates! We had an absolute blast, and after a week spreading God’s love together, these people are like family to me! To my teammates: I couldn’t have gotten through this week without you guys! Thank you all for everything!

The first day in the village was incredible! My nerves slowly started to melt away, and I found myself already amazed at the way that God showed up, even on day one. In the past, whether at home, or even at a church event, I had often found myself having to seek out God’s presence. That wasn’t the case here. Whether it was playing catch with one of the kids, learning how to play dominoes, or just sitting and talking with the community members, God showed up. I felt this peace in the village center that was always there, even when we were running around having fun, and I can only describe it as the peace of God. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was hot. I found myself getting tired faster than I normally would at home. But, I didn’t care! I was having too much fun! Breaks in the shade and hydration were something that we all learned was a necessity, even if all of us were so busy having fun that we had to be reminded to drink water! I wrote in my journal that night to pace myself, and remind myself that it is okay to slow down and listen to my body, and that I still needed to take care of myself, in order to serve others well. 

Hanging out with a few of the kids on our first day in the village! God showed up, even in simple ways like playing catch or jumping rope with them!

As the week went on, I kept finding God showing up in the little things. On our second morning going into the village, God moved within me in a way that I will never forget. Every morning, we had about a 30 minute bus ride from where we stayed into the village. We would start with a short devotional, then the rest of the bus ride would be quiet. Worship music played through the speakers, and we could worship, but we weren’t supposed to talk to each other. I purposely sat by the window every day, so that I could look out at the creation around me. This morning, as I was looking out the window, with a worship song playing in Spanish, the following realization dawned on me: God created all of this beauty, because He thought that the world needed it. The same thing is true for me, and for all of you. God created you, because He thought that the world needed you. Spoiler alert: God doesn’t make mistakes. He was right when He thought the world needed you, and He created you exactly as you are for a reason! I got the opportunity to share this moment with the kids of the village, which was really cool! 

After having that realization, there was a part of me that thought that was it. God moved in my heart in a big way that morning, and that was going to be my major takeaway from the week. Boy, was I wrong! God kept showing up!

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for Part Two to hear more about how God moved in my life during my time in the Dominican Republic!