Another trip with Dr. Peter Morgan and the Mission Life International team is in the books for me! This was my fourth time going, my third time as a doctor. My first trip was as a student in December 2021 and I look forward to any chance I have to go back and serve.
If you followed my instagram stories, you saw just how many bumps I had along the way, but once I was able to get there and unite with the group (close to 90 chiropractors and students of chiropractic!) it was all worth it. Continue reading below to read my daily recaps and learn more about our organization. Feel free to also hop on over to my instagram account; @dr.sydneyfenton to find pictures and videos on my page and in my MISSION TRIP highlight bubble!
Tuesday
What was supposed to be the day of arrival turned into a day of a missed flight, an unexpected connection with a new friend and lessons learned. I was delayed leaving Charlotte into Miami, missed my connecting flight by 20 minutes which was the last flight out to the Dominican Republic for the day. I was booked for the next flight out the next morning and shuttled to a hotel near the airport with 5 others from my flight. We made small talk on the ride, all giving a small snippet about why we were going to the DR. That night, I walked into the hotel’s restaurant and was waved over by one of the ladies from my flight and invited to eat dinner with her. I found out she was also headed to the Dominican Republic as a missionary as well. She was on her way to work alongside teachers to better equip them to serve students with behavioral disabilities. Her name was Lynn, some call her Lyndy and she called me Sydney Australia. Her story and life’s passion was so interesting to me and something I am so thankful I got to listen to and learn from. She was from Australia, had come to the states for her masters degree, and had traveled all over (Korea, India, Dominican Republic and more) on many many mission trips helping teachers all along the way. She adopted a son from her time in China, bought a farm that housed and employed different minorities as they got on their feet and so much more. Before this dinner, I was so disappointed and defeated feeling like I was already missing out. I would miss meeting everyone at the same time, I would miss our first dinner, I would miss the bus to the hotel listening to the excitement of the students on their first trip. I thought I was missing so much when really I gained so much wisdom from someone that lived so fearlessly and loved so unconditionally. Something I strive for every single day. I was right where I needed to be.
Wednesday
The day I got a fresh start and tried again! I woke up and met Lyndy downstairs to catch the shuttle. I shared snacks and a charger since all she had with her were her donations she was taking (and I had my things in my carry-on since my donations were in my checked luggage). We got to our gate, exchanged more stories over coffee and made sure our luggage was loaded on this flight. Never once did I feel like I was in this predicament left alone and that connection is something I am so thankful I had. I made it to Santiago, Dominican Republic with no problem. I got to say goodbye and good luck to Lyndy and watched one of the others on my flight reunite with his father after not seeing him for 17 years. It was a heartfelt moment and a bittersweet goodbye to new friends as we embarked on our own journeys. I had a 4.5 hour ride to Dajabón, where I would meet up with the rest of the team. It had started to storm and they were all making their way back to the hotel for dinner and to decompress after their first day of serving.
Thursday
The first day I got to serve and be with my group! We were group #2 and our bandanas the students wore all week were red. My team got assigned to go to the hospital in Dajabón first. We loaded up on the bus, introduced ourselves and headed out for the day.
[Those of you that followed along the last trip (September 2023) know I, alongside Dr. Lindsay and a handful of others spent around the clock care for a mom, her preemie twins and the hospital staff caring for them. I had learned before heading out the sad news that unfortunately both twins ended up passing after we had left last time. Djoulie and Djoulisa, the twins and their mom, Elise taught us so much and I am so thankful that we got to meet them, love them, and care for them for that time. Djoulie and Djoulisa may have had a short short time on this earth, but had such an impact on many, many lives.]
After hearing the news about the twins, arriving at the hospital brought back a lot of emotion. Sadness to know they were no longer here but also gratitude to have been dialed in and connected with this hospital to come back and serve. My translator (who is so empathetic, smart and an absolute joy to be around) helped me get the students set up and begin serving hospital staff and patients. We also went into the pediatric room where there were 3 very sick kiddos with high fevers, flu diagnosis and unexplainable convulsions. I got to treat these kids and teach the students that were with me what I was finding and doing as we also served the family members and hospital staff. When the crowd dwindled down, we had a short walk to the park where we got to meet and serve more people in the city of Dajabón. They don’t have a chiropractor here and have very limited health care compared to what we are used to. They are always eager to find us, hop on our table, and tell their family and friends when we are there. My team did such an incredible job serving and caring for all those that wanted to be seen and I was so thankful for their eagerness to learn and serve! Red group, best group.
We then headed back to the hotel for lunch and a quick rest before heading over to the Codevi Factories. This is a factory that employs around 20,000 Haitians and 5,000 people from the Dominican. With the tragedies happening in Haiti, we were not able to cross into Haiti this time, but were able to have the kids of our orphanage and moms and babies of our birthing center brought to us at the border. We had our bus bring over about 100 babies and their mamas from the birthing center. The kids from the orphanage got to come over to help us translate as well as our head of security we employed in Haiti while we were there. I cannot even begin to describe the happiness and joy it brought me to be able to see them and hug them again. It has been since September 2022 that I have been able to see and spend time with them. This moment of reuniting made the two days worth of travel so incredibly worth it. We spent about four hours serving and loving these individuals before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Friday
Friday started off so fun. I got to talk with doctors and students that were curious about what treating the pediatric and prenatal population is like in our office. If you are a patient of mine, or know me, you know how passionate I am about meeting the patient where they are, giving them the care they desire and empowering them to advocate for that outside of my office. I really tried to teach that to those that joined in on our morning session and it really just started my day off on the right note. My team got to load up on a bus and head out to a few different schools. The first school was an elementary school where we got to treat the littles and the staff. We also got to run around and play with them during their recess, get to connect with them and learn more about their schooling. Being in this environment is so incredibly fulfilling. The staff treated me and some others to a cup of coffee, I was given a handmade bracelet and ring made by one of the students and was given many many hugs. The smiles and giggles of these kids is just the biggest blessing and makes these long, hot days so memorable.
We loaded up and headed to a high school where we got to treat the staff, play basketball with the kids and take a bit of a breather before heading off to our final elementary school. They put on a performance for us before we started treating and I even got to adjust some pregnant mamas and feel their babies wiggle around in their bellies. The gratitude felt through their smiles, hugs and high fives is a feeling that reaches my soul so deep it really can’t be explained. My team did an absolutely incredible job hanging in there on this long day, connecting with the kids and improving so many lives through their love and service.
We headed back for a quick lunch and very short break before packing up and walking back to the factory. This day the bus was loaded up with all the orphanage kids and even the ones that have “aged out” of living at the orphanage. They got to hang out and help translate as we served the factory workers again.
After a few hours we headed back to the hotel with the kids. Typically on the last day of each trip we get to have a party at the hotel with the orphanage kids, the translators and our transportation teams. We have a talent show, a dance party and good food before we have to say our goodbyes. This night is always filled with so much love but the goodbyes are so tough. We hand off our donations before they head back. I was so thankful to be able to spend those two days with the kids. It is amazing the connection and bond that can be formed worlds and years apart with these little souls. They are seriously something special.
Saturday
We will usually have one day of play built in on these trips, and today was that day! We loaded up the buses and headed to the beach. The beach we go to is different from any commercialized beach in America and the views take my breath away every time. There are beautiful mountains to hike that allow the most amazing views. It was a beautiful and sunny day. The downtime allowed me to connect with other students and doctors that weren’t in my group throughout the week and I loved hearing them talk about their experiences. Just before a storm rolled in we headed back to the hotel to have one last dinner and group meeting before heading off to bed before going our separate ways the next morning.
Sunday
…and in a blink of an eye it was time to pack up our things, load up on the buses and take a 3.5 hour ride back to the airport. I got checked into my flight, checked my bags, and through security in no time. I said goodbye to the rest of my friends - old and new as we went to our separate gates (there’s only 4 gates in this small airport). I had a delay out of Santiago, making my connecting time even shorter (and surprise there was no other flight out to CLT that night from JFK, my connecting airport). I’ve never been more thankful for a delay than I was when my flight going home was pushed back a couple hours. I landed in New York, enjoyed filling up my water bottle at the airport without fear of the safety of the water, used a restroom I knew had a toilet seat, soap and warm water and ordered a meal full of whole grains, fresh produce and lots of protein.
My travels home from these trips are typically a mix of sleeping on the plane, looking through pictures and videos, and thinking about how grateful I am for these experiences I get to witness and live. I started to jot down some thoughts in my Notes App about my thoughts and feelings and one of my favorite snippets were…”I guess you can say this specific mission was much larger than my time in the DR serving chiropractic to the people of Haiti and the DR. It was learning, listening and being encouraged to be more. To be like Lyndy, to smile more like the kiddos in the DR and love like the people of Haiti. Another trip of life and love being poured into me through the people I got to cross paths with. What started off as being a trip of sadness on missing out, I realized it was bigger than missing out on serving chiropractic. It was because when I’m here on these trips I get to live. I’m not in survival mode, I don't do things because I feel like I should or expected to, I just am. I serve. I am in the moment just being. I’m living in alignment, in connection, in love and in being.”
For those of you who have expressed interest in learning more about the orphanage and birthing center that we visit and support, please visit the link below. We're also happy to answer any questions!
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