AIDS Education Program

(Sorry for the delay on this blog… we have recently become addicted to the LOST series and have spent our evenings watching that in preparation for the third season starting tomorrow… I’m sure you understand. :)

Last Friday we had the opportunity to visit one of the most vibrant, youthful churches we have visited in our six months here. After traveling west for three hours, following the curvature of the coast, we arrived just outside of Barahona to spend some time with a little church full of activity and energy.

The land was brown, dusty and reminded me of photos I’ve seen of parts of Africa. The area is called “Batey 6.” This name means it is the sixth of 10 little barrios in a row, populated primarily by Haitians… we passed Bateys 1-5 on our way to the sixth one, and each one has a huge World Vision sign to welcome you to that particular area. Why the World Vision sign? Because they have health clinics, schools, and child care in the 10 Bateys… it was clear we were in the middle of a World Vision community where there were thousands of sponsored kids. It made my heart leap for joy to see all that orange writing.

After a huge lunch (chicken, rice with corn, kidney beans, potato salad, lettuce salad) with Pastor Esteban Marinez, we walked over to the church building and were greeted by eight young Dominican guys who were really active in the congregation. It was very exciting to see their passion for God and the community they had with one another.

The highlight of the trip, though, was the event that took place in another church in Batey 5. Mark/I didn’t know going into the day, but we were invited to attend a graduation ceremony for a group of young people who had just finished an AIDS awareness course. The Dominican Republic ranks third in the Carribean (behind Haiti and Bahamas) in the number of people suffering from AIDS, and the number of growing every day. Especially in areas such as these Bateys, HIV/AIDS is prevalent and a major problem. Our organization (La Red del Camino) and one of our partners (Esperanza International) had sponsored this course these students, and that day was a big day for them.

Each each student received a certificate of completion, and now they are able to teach others about the causes and prevention of AIDS. It was incredible to imagine the potential sitting in that small concrete church, after visiting with the students throughout the day and seeing the passion they had for their communities.