In August 2015, I had the pleasure of volunteering for a mission trip in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
I and eight other members of St. Paul Inside the Walls Young Adult Ministry of Madison, N.J., embarked on a life-changing mission to assist at an orphanage called the Mustard Seed Communities (MSC). The current residents of MSC range in age from five to 26 years old. The vast majority of the residents are afflicted with cerebral palsy and are mostly non-verbal.
Many of the children were abandoned at the local hospitals when it was discovered that they had been born with a disability. I learned there were also children who were dropped off at MSC due to the financial constraints of the parents. What was painful to hear was that the parents of the children that were dropped off rarely visit their son or daughter if they even visit them at all.
Charity relies on volunteers
The MSC rely heavily on volunteers for their large projects. My volunteer group was tasked with landscaping around the newly erected chapel. The chapel is hosting a dedication ceremony in October, which will be attended by the Dominican affluent, benefactors, and most importantly the local bishop. This made the landscaping a top priority. When we were informed that the chapel would be the main focal point, we used a portion of our spending money to buy extra gardening supplies and tools so we could work more efficiently on the project.
Landscaping is tough! I never worked and sweated so much in my entire life. We did everything from weeding to actually going into a forest to cut down palm trees and replanting them around the chapel. Despite the eight days of hard labor, the best part was being able to see and spend time with the children at the end of the work day.
Spending time with the children
As tired as we were, we were never too tired to spend time playing and feeding the children. They were so trusting with us, and the simplest gestures would make them smile and laugh. Their childish innocence and wholesome qualities reminded us daily who the hard labor was actually for.
The last day of the mission trip was the most difficult for me emotionally. I couldn't fathom leaving the children, even though when I first arrived at the orphanage I was second-guessing my decision to go to the Dominican Republic. I had never flown outside the country before and had never been away from home that long other than living in a college dormitory.
Volunteering on an international mission trip was beyond going outside of my comfort zone to say the least. However, despite my initial feelings and trepidations, there I was, holding back tears because I had to part ways from these beautiful children.
Continue reading…
Charity begins at home
During the flight back, I began reflecting on my experience at the Mustard Seed Communities. I thought about all the things I take for granted every single day living in the United States. I thought about all that the MSC accomplishes with such limited resources. I also thought about what I can do to never forget what I saw and experienced and how I can keep MSC in my heart.
When I arrived home, I started to look through the Mustard Seed Communities hashtag on social media and discovered that there was an MSC affiliate in my city. I contacted the organizer of the group and was able to participate in their most recent supplies drive where we collected 32 barrels of household supplies which retailed at about $30,000 for the Mustard Seed Communities.
Taking the charity starts at home idea even further, I decided to participate this year in my home office during the USI Gives Back initiative. USI Gives Back is an annual, nationwide campaign in which each of USI's 140 offices participates in local community service 
during the month of August.
Every year the coordinator of USI Gives Back for my office schedules a day for us to volunteer at Camp Moore in Wanaque, New Jersey. (Photo, right, is from the camp's website.) This is an overnight camp for children with special needs.
It's interesting because last year I didn't want to go. I'm ashamed to say I didn't think I would feel comfortable around children with severe disabilities. However, when Pope Francis declared 2016 the Holy Year of Mercy, I had to retool my mind to think how I can be a blessing to someone else and reflect on God's mercy and compassion for myself and others. This is what initially inspired me to volunteer at the Mustard Seed Communities.
Special kids
When I saw that these incredibly special children were no one to fear or to be nervous about, I felt more prepared and comfortable with visiting Camp Moore. I have the children of the Mustard Seed Communities to thank for this.
I feel so blessed and honored to have had the Mustard Seed Communities welcome me with open arms into their home. This experience has now solidified a bond between me and my fellow missionaries and it has also brought me closer to God.
I'm hopeful that with the continued generous support of monetary donations from my family, friends, and co-workers, I will be able to once again participate in another mission trip to the Mustard Seed Communities.
Iman Thomas is an account coordinator at USI Insurance Services in West Orange, N.J. She can be reached at 973-965-3111 or Iman.Thomas@usi.com. Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.