Day 4 - 2025
Friends for Life – Amigos de Por Vida
Today we spent the day with the staff of Vision Celestial at the beach. There were 14 Staff members with our team at the Oceana Beach Club. A day with just the staff was such a gift for all of us. Fun, Laughter and Friendship ruled the day.
As this is my first time visiting the Dominican Republic with Hillside, I wasn’t sure what my expectations were. Meeting my sponsored child was, of course, amazing. The joy of the children thoroughly infected all of us. You just can’t help but smile.
Another unexpected joy for me was meeting the wonderful, loving staff who shared our day at the beach today. So, I thought I would introduce you to a few of these wonderful people.
Pastor Ernesto and Altagracia Batherny (Pictured with Wayne Freeman and Dan Carl): They are both incredibly caring and gracious as they lead the various ministries at Vision Celestial. Ernesto’s calm gentle spirit and Altagracia’s can-do attitude make them incredible pillars for this ministry.
Henry Mendez (Also pictured with Dan Carl): Henry was one of our drivers and key translators this week. When he is not helping in the ministry, he runs his own company in the DR. His ready smile made it a pleasure to hang out with him. I’m also jealous his English is probably better than mine.
Eridania and Angela (Pictured with Chasity): We got to see close-up this week how Eridania and Angela teach the younger children at Vision Celestial. Strong patience, care and love are characteristics that describe them to a tee. We loved working with them with this special age group.
Tom Yaccino (Pictured with me). Tom is the Director of Del Camino Connection. Tom is also the glue that holds all this together. He is incredibly knowledgeable on the Dominican Republic and his driving ability though the city is impressive! His organizational skills have been pivotal for our trip. We so much appreciate Tom for all his hard work making this mission a success.
This is just a snapshot of some of these partners in the ministry. Not just the DR Team Partners, but Hillside’s partners. The blessing these fellow Christ Followers bring us is unmeasurable. They are, to be simply put, our Friends for Life. They are now my friends for Life.
You may ask yourself why you should want to join on a future DR trip. My reason is the love of children, and the honor of making Amigos de Por Vida.
Dave Singh for Hillside 2025 DR Team