Day 7: Puerto Plata. What a relaxing day! Today was truly the ultimate day of rest and fellowship for our senior class. Departing from the mission house this morning, we traveled to a dock in the town of Luperon where we boarded a catamaran. God couldn't have blessed us with a better day for boating: the oceans were calm, there were just the right amount of clouds in the sky, and the warm, Dominican sun was shining brightly. We took a dingy to the boat, and in no time, we were sailing out of the bay and into the beautiful, blue-green waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Laying out in the "hammock" that connects the two hulls of the catamaran, we soaked up sun rays and napped while Caribbean music lilted in the background. In addition, we sailed out to a reef where we had the opportunity to snorkel and swim among numerous tropical fish and coral. What an amazing sight! 
We then sailed to La Playa de Cambiaso, a small shoreside town, to have a beautiful lunch near the water and under the palm trees. Many local children were there at the beach, so we had the chance to minister to them and sing praise songs in their company. You can truly be a witness anywhere you go! Following lunch, some of us swam back to the boat and others took the dingy, but we all enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon relaxing on the catamaran and snorkling for a second time. Now you see, regardless of how much sunscreen you apply, 20 people out on a boat for 6 hours inevitably equals sunburn somehow. Most of us faired pretty well (excuse the pun), but there are those few who came out with skin as red as Logan's hair. All in all, however, it was a fantastic day of tropical paradise that all of us really enjoyed. To be honest, though, it was bittersweet at times. The fact that our last trip together is soon coming to an end is a realization that is hard to grasp for many here. After all, some of us have known each other for 13 years! Kindergarten feels like it was so long ago, and now we're suddenly seniors in high school. Remember thinking how 2009 was ages away? Now I can hardly believe that graduation is only 2 months down the road, and I know many of you feel the same. Despite the sadness that may come with these reflections, the senior class is making the most of this final night of our mission trip.
Seeing as this is the final night, this is likely to be the final blog post. You have all been so gracious in your comments and prayers. We are truly grateful for all of you back home and for your love and support. Though the Dominican Republic has been both fun and a blessing, we are looking forward to coming home and seeing you all again soon. At this point, I would say "good night and see you next year", but of course, this is my final year blogging for a trip. I personally would like to thank you all for your kind compliments, and thank you for reading! It has been my pleasure to keep you all updated throughout this week and in past years as well--I will certainly miss it. And so for one last time, good night from Puerto Plata, and good night from the Class of 2009.Posted by: Steven Gallo
<< Home