Meeting the Castillos

The following testimony was written by Celeste Bettino. She volunteered with Dove Missions for 2 days in November, and also sponsors Leuri's family.

My November 09 mission trip was certainly a unique first-hand experience.
I was very impressed with the building and especially the way Liz and Cathy have partitioned it off for different activities. The number of donations the Mission has received--clothes, games, education material and medical supplies was also impressive. I was at the Mission’s Boys and Girls Club for two days; the first day, Monday, November 9 was a holiday and Club staff were preparing for a holiday celebration later in the afternoon. The morning was devoted to home visits and delivering parcels to sponsored families. It was wonderful to glimpse their grateful and appreciative reactions.

Although I had previously done mission work in Cuba and observed impoverished areas with dilapidated housing, the housing conditions in the Puerto Plata slum areas were beyond dilapidated; they are utterly deplorable with families living in makeshift housing with substandard or non-existent sanitary facilities.

After we completed several home visits, we returned to the Boys and Girls Club and finished setting up for holiday party. An eager group of children were waiting outside for the Club to open and the party to begin. The children were elated to be at the Club and so appreciative that they kept thanking us over and over again for the party. It was obvious to me that the Club has had and continues to have a significant impact on these children.

At this party I was fortunate to meet my sponsored family, the Castillos. They have four sons; I am sponsoring Leuri, the Castillo’s oldest son. Mr. Castillo attended this party. I was told later that it was rare for a father to attend an event at the Club. It was obvious to me that Mr. Castillo is grateful for this opportunity and is very interested in improving the living conditions of his family. I was especially honored when Mr. Castillo told me I was always welcome in his home.

On my second mission day, Saturday, November 14, I along with other volunteers spent the day sorting through the mounds of donations and organizing them by content. The intent of which was to make Christmas gift baskets for the families.

The younger children arrived around 11:00 a.m. and were shown a video on respect and acceptable behavior. The Club staff teacher, Teresa, reinforced concepts in this video. It appears to me that she is totally committed to this Club. She was especially gentle in the way she handled the children and kept redirecting them to the lesson when they became restless and unfocused. I was told that the children have come a long way from the disorderly group they previously were.

The DOVE Missions staff is doing exceptional work with these children. The children I observed were so eager to be at the Club and enthusiastic in their use of Club resources. The children know that there are people who care. The education requirement that the Club imposes to be eligible for sponsorship is significant. Education is the key to improvement.

I look forward to returning to Puerto Plata and continuing my involvement with DOVE Missions.