Feeding Program in Ascension

August 6th, 2009

Everything is going great in the DR. Yesterday we went to a village called Ascension and worked with a feeding program. At the feeding program, we were each given jobs such as washing dishes, serving food and water, and helping the little children eat. My job was feeding the children and because I was out in the dining room I was able to take in a lot that was going on around me. Watching the children eat the beans and rice with such smiles on their faces was a picture that will never leave my mind and made me think about how blessed that I am able to eat three meals a day. One of the hardest things I had to watch was when Jim (the man that runs the program) had to tell people that were waiting for food that there was no food left. This was so hard to watch because some of these people depend on this feeding program to provide them with basic nutrients and now they may not be able to get a full meal until Friday, when the feeding program is open again. Even though it is only the first week, I think that working with the feeding program is going to be the highlight of my trip, and I cannot wait to go back again next Wednesday.
Today we spent the day at Momma D's sorting through donations of basic school supplies, to help her get ready for a new program they are starting up to sponsor children to go to school. Today was a very different day because we were not doing hands on work, but it was awesome to help this program get started. In the words of Sarah and Jessica, "Everyone's still alive and kickin'!"

Joslyn :)