Day 3 Beach Day- Jessica Bahr

Today was beach day today! From flying off of banana boats, to snorkeling over a coral reef, to running over the scorching sand, or just even relaxing by the ocean side, we did so many memorable things. Being part of a team made the whole experience even greater. 
Snorkeling was such a beautiful thing; there was so much to look at, there was no way of even seeing it all. We swam so close to the fish and the coral that you could even touch it. On the count of three, Carter, Hope, Camber, and I even touched the coral together. The beauty of God’s creation truly had shown in today. 
We even got to go shopping today, which was [unsurprisingly] one of the highlights of my day. In the beginning of the trip we didn’t think we’d get the chance to get many souvenirs, so it was a happy thing for more than just me. Simply seeing another part of the Domincan Republic than we did in the beginning of our week was eye-opening as well. There is so much difference among places here that it’s pretty hard not to notice. No matter where you go though, people are always happy and that’s the most important. It tugs at my heart strings seeing people here so happy, even makes me sad to think that people in the US typically seem to find the bad in situations. It’s just such a better way of living to be genuinely happy. 
With time, even after all that’s been going on in the news, as a team we’ve seen that the Domincan has great potential, even more through Jesus. We, here as a part of Mission of Hope, are part of the beginning to it all. It’s such a joyous thing to be able to be a part of it. Every day changes me in a different way and brings us closer to what we’ve been saved to do, and I couldn’t have wanted to experience more on a trip. 

Also, hello family! I love you from miles away! 

Jessica