Travel Journal: Opening my Eyes in the Dominican Republic

During spring break, I travelled to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip led by the Thrive in Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles that provides scholarships to deserving students and organizes volunteer trips abroad to support vulnerable communities.

Thrive in Joy was started in memory of Nick Fagnano, who passed away in 2014 but whose dedication to serving children in the Dominican Republic continues through the annual mission trips led by his parents, Jay and Mary Fagnano.

When our team of USC undergrad and graduate students departed LAX, I was excited because the trip was my first time traveling outside the U.S. I was also overwhelmed with gratitude from the support I received from everyone who donated for me to go on the trip to the Dominican Republic to help renovate a school and orphanage, and provide support to families in need.

We arrived in Santo Domingo late at night. A light rain was falling, and the air was humid and warm. I quickly realized I was somewhere completely foreign: signs were written in Spanish, and the language was being spoken by everyone around me. I knew this trip would be a great opportunity to practice a second language.

The missionaries we’d be working with soon greeted us outside the airport — despite the late hour they were full of energy and, as soon as we climbed aboard our bus, turned on upbeat Latin music on a bluetooth speaker that continued to play as we rode to the hotel we’d be staying at for the first two nights.

Our first day of the trip was Sunday, and we spent much of the morning and afternoon taking a guided tour of Santo Domingo’s historic colonial zone, with its cobblestone streets, busy souvenir shops and even a fortress with cannons!

On Monday, we traveled by bus to Tia Tatiana School in Santo Domingo and began our work. We installed floors in the preschool, met and played with the kids (who were so precious), cooked lunch for students and teachers, and led a leadership workshop for high school students that encouraged them to develop strong character traits and put their personal strengths into action.

The next day, we handed out care packages of food, drinks and school supplies to families living in one of Santo Domingo’s poorest neighborhoods. In the first house we visited, a single mother was clearly struggling. The woman and her baby had little to eat, and were living in a small tin-roof home made of concrete. There was no glass or plastic covering the open windows. The shelves were mostly bare. A crucifix hung on one of the walls.

Yet despite her difficult situation, she radiated her faith and trust in God. It reminded me of a talk IACS President Fr. Dorian gave during a recent spiritual retreat, when he said: we should “need less and trust in God more.” As a college student, I often stress about supporting myself and helping provide for my family. But I realized if this woman can trust in God with her situation when she has very little, surely I can trust in God with mine.

The trip was a great opportunity to not only help those in need, but also to meet new people and make new friends. We moved from our hotel to a retreat center and, while there, I grew close with Crisbel, one of the missionaries based in Santo Domingo. We stayed up late each night, talking for hours about our experiences as freshmen in college and our trust in God’s plan for our futures.

On Wednesday, we visited Remar orphanage. I had never been to an orphanage before, but it touched me to see how much the kids cared and looked out for each other. I also got to know another one of the Santo Domingo missionaries, Maciel, who grew up in the orphanage and wants to give back by serving there, which I thought was beautiful. She helped me practice my Spanish and we bonded over our similar taste in praise music.

While at the orphanage, our team tore down a wall so we could build a kitchen in the future. Although we weren’t particularly physically strong, Crisbel and I still had fun helping tear it down.

We returned to Remar orphanage the next day to throw a fiesta for the children. I spent most of the time playing with a little girl who kept on hugging me, and I loved seeing all the children enjoy the activities we planned for them. The younger kids were so pure and loving while the older kids showed such care and maturity. While everyone at Remar was so joyful during our time there (even the youngest children barely cried), I knew each of the children struggle in ways I could never imagine. I wanted them to know how much God and everyone from Thrive in Joy loves them. It was difficult saying goodbye, but these kids only strengthened my resolve to return one day and see them again.

At the beginning of the trip, our team leader, Tricia Tembreull of the USC Caruso Catholic Center, called our team the “D.R. Family.” I soon realized that we really did feel like a family. I was so grateful to serve alongside our team leaders, my fellow USC students and the Dominican missionaries, and I saw how much we all grew to care for each other in that one week.

Another blessing on our trip was celebrating daily Mass. Before going on the trip, I asked God to open my eyes and heart during our mission trip, and I believed God did that many times. Tricia read a reflection on our last night with the question “Why does God love the poor so much?” The question was powerful because I saw God’s love reflected in the people we served. Despite their circumstances, they radiated the richness of their faith, while so many more privileged people live in the darkness of their spiritual poverty. Despite having nearly nothing, the people I met on our trip trusted in God with a deep love and radiant joy. Now I see how impoverished people across the world are able to live their Catholic faith with strength and dignity. Their lives — and the hope they have for a better future — serve as an inspiration.

As we prayed over many families and their material needs, I wondered: how much more powerful would their prayers be for us? I already know that (God willing) I’m returning next year, especially to see the kids at the Remar orphanage and remind them they are loved. In some ways, it was hard returning home and being a part of a society that is seemingly blind and indifferent to the suffering I saw on my trip. But if they only saw what I had seen and spoke to the people I had met, I know their eyes would open to reality, and their hearts open to God.

Our week in the Dominican Republic went by fast. When I returned to LAX, I was excited to get back to my life at USC, but I was also overcome with sadness after leaving my new friends. I will cherish the bonds I formed with everyone I met. And powerful feelings of hope and excitement soon overcame my sadness: after all, it’ll only be 12 months until I return to the Dominican Republic to help finish the work our team started.

As I made my way through customs at LAX, I said a prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you and please help me to be your missionary here on Earth to do Your will and serve Your sons and daughters. Help me open the eyes and hearts of Your children and let them know they are loved by You. Through Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

Crisbel and I are still besties — we text and Facetime almost every day. We can’t wait for next year when we get to see each other in person again.

Editor’s Note: Lauren Wehn is a freshman at USC majoring in intelligence and cyber operations. She works as an administrative coordinator at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.