San Pedro de Macoris

Well, it has been a few days since my last update, but I assure you that it is not due to a shortage of events. Tuesday afternoon, we made the journey over to SCORE International from the TierraAlta facility here in Boca Chica. Kevin, Chris, Coach Shaheen, and I joined up with two FCA baseball teams from Georgia and we drove about 45 minutes to a village just outside San Pedro de Macoris. Upon arrival, the FCA teams had their hands full in a game against the team from the village: Yuli Pozo's club. The game resulted in a 10-10 tie after 7 full innings. During the game, the three of us made friends and got to know the people in the village. We played baseball with the guys and walked around a good bit. One of the older baseball players in the village, Calvin, was especially talkative and friendly. He was supportive of my pathetic Spanish speaking ability and met me halfway on most of the conversation. Calvin introduced us to his buddy, Eddie. Calvin and Eddie are pitchers only and clearly the currents studs of the village. It is worth mentioning that Sammy Sosa, Fernando Tatis, Robinson Cano, and many other big leaguers all came from San Pedro de Macoris, just a mile down a dirt road from where we met these two guys. Calvin and Eddie asked us if we wanted to go run with them, we gratefully declined the offer because we didn't want to miss the sharing of the gospel and just simply because we are lazy Gringo's who hate to run in the offseason. However, we did watch Calvin and Eddie throw longtoss across the outfield grass. Eddie says he consistently throws 98 mph and has topped out at 100! I was skeptical at first, but after watching him and Calvin throw longtoss all the way back to around 400 feet, I soon was convinced that he may be able to throw that fast after all. 

This village portrays baseball in its most raw and pure form. No fences. For instance, the players chalk the foul lines with their hands.

The next day, the FCA teams went shopping at JUMBO and bought enough food to feed 120 families for a week. Coach Shaheen, Kevin, Chris, and I loaded up the Suzuki and made the drive to meet our FCA friends in the same village as the day before. The people were so appreciative of the food that was handed out. The hands of God were actively at work. We gathered everybody near the pitchers mound and one of the FCA coaches brought the gospel of Christ using an interpreter. Many of the people made decisions for Christ and Mike Brady, one of the coaches from The Walker School, was chosen to talk and follow up with them. We have thoroughly enjoyed partnering with our brothers and sisters from FCA in Atlanta this week. Together we have truly become the hands and feet of Jesus as we have brought aid and the Gospel message to this village. However, we would be foolish to think that "we brought Jesus" to these people. Jesus was already in this village, we merely met and saw Him here. That's the beauty of this place. And that's the beauty of serving with brothers and sisters who put a great value on humility. We have so much to learn from these people here.

A Visit to a Village

Day #2 : Blog #2
Monday, July 18th
3:30 PM
Location: A village near San Pedro de Macoris, DR.

Well, things are great here. The people are amazing in so many ways. For instance, even though my Spanish is conversational but very rough, all the locals help me out and want to help me figure out what I want to say. I guess they see it as a white person actually being intentional about trying to learn the language of another country, which is sadly hard to come by. In addition to Spanish, baseball is the language of choice. Everyone loves it. I mean everyone. Just wearing a baseball hat gives you legitimacy and credibility with the young guys here. After lunch, we went to a sugarcane village about 30 minutes away, outside of San Pedro de Macoris. As the two buses rolled into the village, tens of hundreds of children, teens, and some adults were following and climbing onto the bus. In fact, two small children jumped onto the bumper as it cruised into the village at a ‘not so safe’ pace. Anyway, no instructions were given to us inside the bus, but the mission was obvious: to love on these people in whatever way possible, speaking whatever language possible (which in most cases didn’t involve any verbal language). I quickly realized that I would be learning from these people, and that any impact being made would be through the Holy Spirit. 

I was immediately drawn to a little guy named Benjamin. He was three years old and didn’t really speak clearly at all. However, Benjamin loved me for some reason and wouldn’t let go, so I carried him around for an hour and a half. Someway or another, I met a17 year old Dominican boy named Elito. He appreciated my decent attempts at Spanish and more than helped me sound out the words that I could not formulate or translate. Elito asked me tons of questions such as “Do you play professional baseball?”, to which I firmly answered, “No…lol.” Then he asked me “Te gustas bailar o cantar?” which means “Do you like to dance or sing?”. I replied by telling him that I often try to dance and sing, but it doesn’t turn out too well. Elito laughed and smiled at me. I thought it was funny that Elito kept asking me about certain girls that came along with us from SCORE International. He seemed to think they were pretty, because he kept pointing at a certain girl and saying “Ella es muy bonita! Tu conoces ella?” Meaning, that girl is very pretty, do you know her? I replied by saying no, but I know she has a boyfriend, merely for the sake of the girl and for the sake of ministry….haha. We developed this little handshake very similar to the classic baseball pound handshake that ends in a predictable bro hug. Nonetheless, I could see the love and joy in Elito’s eyes with every topic we discussed and every moment we shared, whether it was a jab making fun of eachother in our own way or an honest question about the other person’s way of life.

Meanwhile, I am still carrying Benjamin on my hip, who turns out is Elito’s ‘primo’ or cousin. I quickly realized that nearly the whole village was related one way or another, just another cultural difference. Elito showed us his house and introduced us to his family. We saw some Dominican cowboys roping horses in nearby field, which was sweet. Many pictures were taken with the kids. Memories that will hopefully not be forgotten, but that easily can be unless they are written down or recorded by photo. Sooner than we realized, an hour and a half had gone by and the bus drivers began to honk their horns signaling us all to say our goodbyes. Elito and Benjamin understood that we had to go. We walked back to the busses, laughing and speaking rough Spanglish the entire way. I don’t know if I will ever see Benjamin and Elito ever again, but I was blown away at the joy in their lives coming from such little worldly possession. The people in this village are a living testament to the fact that God provides all that you need to live. No fancy cars, iPhones, or technology. Heck, not even running water or electricity! I asked Elito if he know who JesuCristo was. He pointed to his heart and said, “JesuCristo esta en mi Corazon.” Meaning, I have Jesus Christ in my heart. He then pointed up to the sky. I can’t wait to see Elito someday, whether here or all together in heaven.

 Me and Benjamin when we first met.

 Me and mi amigo, Elito.

 Me with Elito and Benjamin.

 Kevin with Elito.

 Chris with a little guy named Manuel.

 The watering hole.

Kevin and I with Elito, Benjamin, and another guy we met. 

Needless to say, visiting the village was the highlight of the day and the trip thus far. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us. I am so thankful that we have been given this chance to visit and learn from these people. Because honestly, I am learning more than speaking, for sure.

Phil.

Inflight Update

Sunday, July 17, 2011

12:02 PM

Location: On an airplane somewhere over the ocean on the way to Santo Domingo, DR

Chris Wages, Kevin Dodson, and I (Philip Tuttle) have embarked on an adventure. With very little planning, the three of us boarded a plane and are now flying down to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where we will be joining former Wesleyan baseball coach Mike Shaheen and his family for eleven days of ministry through the game of baseball. Last summer, I had the chance to go to the DR for about a week with my baseball team from Wheaton. I had an incredible experience at the SCORE International complex, but in hindsight I wish that I had chronicled the adventures hence the reason I am writing this blog.

There is nothing special about Chris, Kevin, and I. We do, however, have a few things in common. We share a common love for the Lord and baseball. All three of us played high school ball together at Providence, but that seems like forever ago to be honest. So much has changed. Life is crazy now. That is why I am so thrilled to take two weeks out of a busy summer and consecrate them completely to whatever God wants to do with them. There are no set plans. Here is what we know going in:

We will be staying with the Shaheen family at their house.

An FCA baseball group might be staying at the complex during our visit.

We will get to visit some sugar cane villages and learn from and minister with the people there.

We will play some baseball everyday.

These plans are vague and seem open ended, and that’s because they are. I am so excited to see what God will do if we dedicate each day to his will. I am not foolish enough to think that we are going down here to “minister to the people of the Dominican Republic.” I plan on learning from the people we meet down here and I hope that God uses the three of us in some sort of way to make an impact for His Kingdom. We are just three college guys who love God and baseball. I will try and update again at the end of our first day or after our second day. Stay tuned to see what God may do with this visit.