Crown Council Humanitarian Blog: Day 1 Friday November 4, 2011

It's hot. It's humid. It must be the Dominican Republic. After a month of cooling temperatures in Salt Lake City it is nice to get back to "summer" weather here in the Dominican. Most of our team started traveling Thursday night and finished their journey in the early afternoon when they arrived at the Santo Domingo airport. Lunch at the airport was pretty uneventful. Old friends embraced and new friends got to know each other over Quizno sandwiches. After a short bus ride to Hotel Europa we found out that there was only one lost piece of luggage, but it soon arrived and the whole group made their way to dinner.

At dinner we met Dr. Patricia Diaz who welcomed us to the Dominican and shared a short, but powerful message from the bible. She told us about a great leader who was told by God that if he kept his arms raised his army would win a battle. After a long period the leader grew weary and his arms began to drop. His friends came to his aid and helped hold up the leader's arms. Dr. Diaz asked each of us to hold up the arms of those who become tired or weak. She reminded us that we are all brothers and sister and must love and care for each other with the same passion as a family.

Then Dr. Roy Hammond reminded us that this experience is not about fixing people's teeth, it's about allowing ourselves to change. He shared his vision for our week together: 1) to give each of us the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of the people who live in the Dominican Republic 2) to help those who are less-fortuneate then us, and make them feel loved and appreciated 3) to provide much needed dental care.