I spent the past week in the Dominican Republic. It wasn't my first time to the island but this wasn't an all-inclusive, fruity drink vacation. I went with my team to build three houses for families affected by diabetes. It was hard work; it was hot and it was so incredibly rewarding.
I think we all took away lots of different lessons from the experience, mainly just how fortunate we all are....and that we don't really have any 'real' problems. These people didn't have food or shelter. They didn't have their basic needs covered.
What stayed with me was how easy it was to help. It only took two days of hard work from about 70 people and we changed three families' lives forever. It made me so aware how easy it is to help. For the most part, it is just about time and effort. And so often, we claim we don't have enough of either. After seeing the level of poverty they lived in, I am positive that we all have the time and effort that's needed to help those less fortunate. The hardest part is getting motivated and deciding what to do. The easy part was the work.
Now I'm spending another handful of days in the States finishing up a training camp. This one is primarily meetings. My job has seen several roles change, which means I'm juggling more than normal. This should all settle down by the new year but again, not a real problem. After this training camp, I'm heading up to see my sister for a few days and I cannot wait to see her.