Why are we doing this?

As a Catholic, I am always called to serve the individuals of various communities, especially those who are less fortunate than I am. When I was approached about joining a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in conjunction with Sigma Chi, I immediately enlisted knowing that this would be a wonderful opportunity to help members of one of the poorer communities in the Dominican Republic, L’Elmo.  By helping to re-build the community center in this small Dominican village, I am looking forward to not only getting the chance to provide a much needed service to the local community, but also to having the opportunity to broaden my horizons and gain a better understanding of the conditions of communities similar to L’Elmo throughout the world.

Growing up in a middle class family in the United States has been a privilege, and I thank God everyday for the wonderful opportunities that I have been given.  However, I also feel as though my experience living in a first-world country has sheltered me from some of the realities of the “real” world.  One of these realities includes understanding the poverty and suffering extant in a number of less fortunate communities throughout second and third-world countries. L’Elmo is one such community.  While I understand that participating in this mission trip will not solve the economic problems prevalent in the Dominican Republic or even L’Elmo, I am excited about having the chance to positively influence a community in need.  In doing so, I hope that this trip will not only help me open my eyes to the suffering that takes place communities such as L’Elmo, but that it will also help me better appreciate the smaller things in life.

~Jeff Anderson

One of the major reasons for me to attend this trip to the Dominican Republic is to expand my horizons. I feel that often we are engulfed by our everyday routines and our everyday worries, we lose perspective on what life actually is and how it actually works. Often I feel that we forget how fortunate we all are and we stress endlessly on things that are insignificant in the greater scope. By going to a place like Dominican Republic, and helping those who are truly in need will absolutely help me as well as the rest of our group to see just how life works outside of our usually scope of familiarity. I think not only can we bring our values as well as our most precious convictions to aid those in need, we can learn from them a perspective that can truly help us in pursuing a greater path of service to others. 

~Pete Zhang