The Sponsor Visit
Hugs for Kids, the Dominican Republic.
We walk past a dog,
who, seemingly, with enormous effort, lifts itself from a pothole in the middle of the road giving way grudgingly to a slowly approaching pickup. The old truck, low riding and piled high with fruit, blasts a continuously repeated, distorted, recording from a megaphone attached to it's crumpled hood. In front of us, blocking the way, a brave tourist sits in a clear spot on the curb while his sandals are expertly “detailed” by a young boy.
Crossing the road
we step over a variety of suspicious looking discarded objects in the street while searching for a safe place to put our feet and negotiate our way to the dry side. We squeeze past vendors and swing around a leaning hydro pole. Before us, curtained doors of narrow rooms face a crooked alleyway where food is being prepared and children play. We pass a group of men, sitting on well used plastic chairs smacking down dominoes on a small wooden bench. Just ahead we approach a communal wash area with bathrooms and washtubs. Laundry, hangs from the low electrical wires crisscrossing just above our heads. A few small colmadas sell basic necessities, water, rice, beans…
Just around the corner we are visiting a home
It has all been arranged in advance. We call out at the door and wait. A curtain swings back and a young man blinks his eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight. “Como estas” The translator introduces the sponsor and explains that we are from the Hugs for Kids School and we would like to say hello to his sponsored child. We hear the child’s name called out repeatedly, then there are the sounds of a scuffle as a very young child is thrust out through the doorway.
We all paste smiles on our faces
as a very small young boy with back and hands pressed to the wall behind him stares with huge eyes that dart from side to side. He is petrified. Before we can say or do anything the child darts into the alley and runs. I turn to the sponsor, smile, and say;
"Not all sponsor visits go this well"
This is Cangrejo, and the home of our “Hugs for Kids School”.
By Dave Chapman
Sponsorship Coordinator
Servant's Heart Ministries
Dominican Republic
