 |
| Chris Goodyear (center) and the FFP mission team in La Victoria. |
"I didn't go on a mission trip expecting my life to be changed, but that's exactly what happened!"
Chris Goodyear didn't go on a mission trip because he felt "called" or was looking for a life-changing experience. He went because his daughter was going and the trip leader, Frank Speranza from Long Valley Presbyterian Church (LVPC), needed more male chaperones.
"I figured my job would be to watch over the kids and keep them out of trouble. As a long-time soccer coach I was very qualified for that task!"
During pre-trip meetings Chris started to get a feeling this trip might be different than he expected. "For starters, we were going to be building a church--and I hadn't even attended church in decades! And when past trip members shared their stories about oneness and community I didn't understand what they were talking about."
It wouldn't take long to find out. "I was blown away by what I saw at the airport in Santo Domingo. The members of La Victoria church (LVPC's partner community) gr
eeted us with banners and singing. Americans and Dominicans ran to hug each other as friends were reunited. To witness this connection ... well, right there it was, 'Wow!'"
"On our first day at the work site I experienced a whole range of feelings ... expectation, exhilaration, excitement, humility and fatigue. The community was much poorer than I expected with unpaved roads, no running water and houses made from scraps. As we worked hand in hand with our Dominican friends to put in the floor of the church, I started to see for myself what community looks like ... how everyone joins together to help each other ... and how 'play' between children is a universal language."
"I'm a naturally cynical person, especially when it comes to organized religion, but at our first worship in La Victoria I witnessed genuine outpouring of faith--unlike anything I'd ever experienced. In the unabashed sharing of love for God I felt within myself gratitude and joy. And I felt God banging on the door of my heart saying, 'Let me in!'"
"As we spent ten days working, playing and worshipping together, I watched two very different groups of people join together in oneness, bound by a common goal and shared faith in God. And I was now part of this group."
"This experience was a turning point in my life. I learned so much from the Dominicans. I saw what working hand in hand looks like. And I realized that God hadn't deserted me. He had been there all along waiting for me to turn back toward Him. When I returned home I joined LVPC and am now an active member. This year I plan to return to La Victoria for my third mission trip!"
"I didn't go on an FFP mission trip expecting my life to be changed ... but evidently God had other plans!"
