In January 2011 two teams from Crossroads traveled to the Dominican Republic as part of a much larger group to serve the needs of the native population both physically and spiritually. One team consisted of the Jaussen sisters: Beka, Mary, and Grace. Each one has submitted a brief report below of their experiences.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
This is my third year going on this trip to the Dominican Republic. I can honestly say every trip has been better than the last. The things I have seen on these trips and the way God has helped me grow in my spiritual walk has been unbelievable. I am so thankful to all of you for allowing me to go on these missions! I also encourage each one of you to go on one because they really are life changing and eye opening.
People always say how much of an impact a missions trip has had on their lives but they never usually explain why. God is working big things down in the DR and I am honored to be a part of it. The people down there are in such a sad state. God really opened my eyes to what is really going on, the Haitian villages down there are a dark, dark place, very scary, and very much a reality check. These villages are very much a part of voodoo and witchcraft and the money they do get out of a day’s work they usually spend it on alcohol. This causes a mass population of children in the villages. There will be a single mother with nine or ten children to take care of. It broke my heart watching these children run around the village, a lot of them related as well, in barely (if any) clothing and having no hope for the future. It is a very humbling experience, and it makes you so thankful to God for the life that He has given us. Being able to come into these people's lives for a week really makes you want to do everything in your power and give them anything they want during the time you spend with them. You just want to pour all your time and love into these people and love is really all they want back from you. It is so awesome to be able to pray over them and watch God work in so many different ways. In one village we were praying for people's needs and praying they accept Christ and also giving out Bibles left and right, it brought tears to my eyes that God gave me such an opportunity to be a part in the Great Commission.
The organization that we go through is called Meeting God in Missions, and that's really what the goal is in the trip: that you will meet God down in the DR and grow in your relationship with Him through helping others. Some people even go down there not knowing what to expect and find their Christian walk completely turned upside down and heading full sprint in the direction it should go. Why, you ask, does this happen down there? Is it because of the teaching? Although the preaching and teaching is great, I don't agree that this is why. I believe that it is a time of humbling, and I know this is something I need so very much. To spend five days out in the sugar cane fields with Haitians and to come back at night and reflect on it is something that is truly humbling. In the morning we have morning devotions, a time where you get alone with God. A time to spend time with Him and only Him. This is the times out of the trips that are cherished the most. It was a time of deep communication with our Father, a time of deep growth in our relationship with Him, and a time of just sitting before His throne basking in His indescribable holiness. These are the times I am really thankful for and times on the trips that I will never give up.
Coming back from the DR is what people call an "emotional high" or "mountain top experience" it is a time when you are on fire for God and want to reach everyone, in your school, on your campus, in your life. This is another thing I love about the DR because it gives me a chance to see how dark our world is around us here in the US and how desperate this society is for righteousness. It gives us a perspective that we should be shining our lights in this darkness.
This is just a little review of what happens in a week at the DR. I just wanted to share the main points because I can write a book explaining the impact this has made on my life. Because of these trips I want to go into a life on the mission field (Lord willing!) and serve God and tell others about Jesus' love. Thank you so much for making these trips possible for me and I very strongly encourage all of you to take up this opportunity to go serve God in a third world country!
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
God Bless,
Rebekah Jaussen
Dear Friends and Family,
I just wanted to take this time and thank each and every one of you for the prayers and support you guys gave me for my recent trip to the Dominican Republic. I can honestly say that every trip I have been on has been the best. I have always been blessed by these trips and each one has been better than the first. The Dominican has shown me what it really is like to live in such sad living situations, but every time I go down there you don’t meet sad people, you meet people that are very loving and that are thankful for being alive. When I go down there people always ask me what the US is like but I really don’t like talking about it because I don’t like them thinking that they have it bad and getting sad. This trip was one of my favorite because I had a chance to have a lot of one-on-one time with God. This year has been very hard for me because since I am a senior I have been worrying about what I am going to do after high school. While being on the trip God showed me that He is always beside us and never leaves us. On this trip I would read my devotions and I read a lot in Deuteronomy, it talks about how God has helped His people live through the struggles as we have and He has enabled them to make it through them. For me this was a really big encouragement because it helps me get through the hard times in life.
I also wanted to encourage each and every one of you to consider attending one of these trips. These trips are life changing. People always ask me what is the Dominican really like, and I always tell them I can show you pictures and try to explain it but you can’t really understand until you experience one yourself. So thank you all for all your prayers and support you have given me and my family members. They mean so much to us. God bless.
With Love,
Mary Jaussen
Dear Friends and Family,
Like every Dominican trip that I have gone on, this one was another amazing experience. I'm writing to thank you because without your generous hearts, this trip wouldn't have been possible for my sisters and me. I am truly thankful to know such selfless Christians as yourselves.
This trip showed me many things. Of course I've been touched by the extreme poverty and conditions that the Dominican and Haitian people live in, but my Christian walk with God has also been transformed and strengthened. On our trip, we mainly spent our time in the Haitian villages because the Haitians that are living in the DR have much worse conditions than most of the Dominicans. Five out of the seven days we traveled down a bumpy, pot-hole filled dirt road for about an hour. Oh, and we were also in the back of trucks. We went through rain, heat, dust, and sometimes the road was flooded into a muddy river. When we got to these villages however, our lives were changed forever by what we saw. The villages that we worked in had sewage everywhere, sick animals, voodoo and witch craft dolls hanging outside houses, naked children, and only one water well. Going into the village was scary at first but the people were some of the sweetest and most welcoming that I've ever met. They were so happy that the 'Americanos' were there to help them. Throughout the week we helped a lot of people, physically and spiritually. We had a construction crew, painting crew, VBS, dentistry, and a prayer group. Throughout the week I worked with the construction guys and the prayer group. I loved working with the construction crew because most of them were men over 45. Even though I thought I'd be bored and have nothing to do while I was with them, I was so glad by the end of the week that I worked with them. Those guys took me under their wing and it was truly a pleasure getting to know them. This was the first trip that I really connected with adults on the trip. As I got to know each of those men, their testimonies really impacted me. One of them, Jeff, had an autistic daughter and he and his wife had dedicated their lives to her. Another man that was a huge testimony to me was Michael. Michael had been in multiple psychiatric wards, clinics, and had been to jail multiple times because of drug addictions, alcohol problems, and theft crimes. Michael got saved when a pastor, Brendan Garner, had ministered to him while he was in jail. Brendan was also on the trip and I loved getting to know him as well. As you can see, one of the things that made my trip amazing was the people that I went with and who I got to know. Another thing that really was great about the trip was that I became a lot closer with my two sisters. As we all grew in our faith, we cried, laughed, and were bonded even closer through God's great love.
One more thing that I loved was my alone time with God. I really had a full week to focus on my relationship with Him. We had devotions every morning along with a worship time as the sun was rising up. One of the reasons that I love going down to the DR is because I can get away from all the distractions of daily life and get completely isolated from all technology. While I'm there I spend so much time with God. I hope you don't think that I have a horrible Christian walk because that's not what I'm trying to say. I just mean that while I'm down there, my walk with God becomes so much stronger and it's a blessing to have a week to solely focus on Him. The week I was in the DR, I was shown and taught about God's selfless and unending love, and how I have to surrender my life daily to Him. I was refreshed and renewed and, for the first time, I was excited while we were boarding the plane coming back to the US. I was excited because I could take what I had learned that week and put it into practice in my friend groups and my high school. I knew that God would be my strong shoulder and that he'd never leave me or abandon me. It was so great coming back and being able to share what God had done in my life that week.
In conclusion, I thank you with more than words can describe. The week that I spend in the Dominican each year helps me so much as a Christian. I encourage each of you to go on some kind of mission trip. You will forever be changed.
God Bless,
Grace Jaussen
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