Archive | June, 2025

Campamento 2025 Day 3 (Wednesday) Paseo

20 Jun

Campamento 2025 Day 3 (Wednesday) Paseo

Day 3, we switched it up with a paseo to Bani. Bani is only about 1 hour away. It’s a nice town, home to Albert Pujols, who has done a lot for the community. We visited three places.   

Transportation

We needed a big bus to transport all of us, and that meant Wendy. Wendy’s luxury bus is so big that it can’t come into the Hogar, so we needed to meet him at the elementary school “El Colegio de San Jose.”

Wendy and Wendy
Rosk Stars Boarding
All seats are full

Instagram Heaven

Our first stop of the day was Tierra Tropical, a “magical farm.” It is a real vegetable and flower farm, but it also has friendly animals you can feed, a birdhouse, tractors, and other things you can climb on, and a safari.

Next, we stopped at the Saint Martin de Porres Sanctuary. Wow, Saint Martin de Porres, the first non-white Catholic saint, had a full life! No wonder the Canadian Priest Roberto Hymusskm was inspired to build this beautiful sanctuary with the help of the nearby poor people.

Finally, we went to a lovely and safe park in Bani. We had a fried chicken lunch and the girls played in the playground. It was super fun. They wore themselves out!

The evening circle started a little early and was shorter with no skit. 

It was a day of inspiration, beauty and fun!

Peace,

Ann

Campamento 2025 Day 2 (Tuesday)

17 Jun

Campamento 2025 Day 2 (Tuesday)

Day 2 is always easier than Day 1, and today was no different. We meet every night to discuss what’s working and what’s not and brainstorm solutions. We made a few switches that helped the morning go much smoother. 

We started a little differently, with the drama from yesterday, “Abigail.”  The medianas ran the play and invited the pequenas to be the sheep. It was a smash hit.

Then, we reflected on Martha and Mary at circle time, especially balancing service with prayer and reflection.

The stations ran more smoothly with now experienced women and campers! 

The food was exceptional today, with fresh-caught bacalao, black beans and rice, and a Dominican cole slaw – all beautifully presented. 

The craft went much more calmly. During pool time, a few girls at a time came to the kiosko to do the craft. They had a ton of 1:1 time!

Quick laugh “Tell me nuns raised you without telling me nuns raised you.”

A moment fit this trend today, and we had to share it with readers. One game the girls play in the pool is complete immersion baptizing “in the name of the Father [dunk], in the name of the Son [dunk], and the Holy Spirit [dunk]” 

Thank you for reading, your prayers, your comments, and your replies!

Peace,

Ann

Campamento 2025 Day 1

16 Jun

Today was the first day of “formal” (ish) camp. Let’s start with a new-to-me prayer for campers. 

St. Therese said,

May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle in your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

I discovered this prayer when my sister-in-law gave me an inspiring tour of JPH, a healing center. A poster of this prayer caught my eye because parishioner Therese, named for St. Therese, joined camp this year. Each sentiment aligns perfectly with our hopes for Campamento! This year, we’ll read this as a reflection at the beginning of each traveler meeting. It might become a new tradition!

Today, our woman of faith is Abigail from the Old Testament. What an interesting story of bravery and humility. I encourage you to read it and learn the context. It was such a long story, we had three readers, and the girls listened very well! They answered our “what happened”  questions in our opening ritual. 

The song Lauren Daigle – You Say (Lyrics) is coming along nicely, too, starting with “oo, oh!” 

We had the three stations: English, math, and reflection. We are fortunate to have educators traveling this year. They developed creative lesson plans. The girls are engaged! With so many travelers, they are getting a lot of 1:1 attention.

The older girls learned about internet safety. They said they’ve heard it all before, but Mary had some provocative questions that made them think (we hope) before the post. 

Shelly and Kathy led the art activities. This year, the most artistic girls are repainting the mural at the entrance under Shelly’s guidance. It’s going to be so cool!! Shelly also led the girls in the craft of the day. They came out cute!

After lunch, we had a siesta, played games, and did puzzles, then hopped in the pools. It’s a hot one today, so it feels great. 

Thank you for reading about Day 1 of Campamento!

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Campamento 2025 Travel Day and Day 0

15 Jun

Travel day started at MSP at 3:25 AM on Saturday. The counters open at 3:30 AM. Kathy and Shelly stayed with me. Everyone else made their flights! It’s worth the trouble to leave early, so we arrive in the daytime. Two of us took Delta, and the rest took American. Jackie was already here in the country when we arrived. Sister Grace, Sister Stefanie, and Job picked us up in the guagua, plus a small truck for the luggage. Not much to report, except that for the first time, one bag was stuck in Miami. It arrived today (Sunday) in Azua. So, we left the airport later than usual because they had to report the missing bag, etc.  We did stop at El Carmelo to visit with the Sisters there, enjoy a delicious first meal, and take our traditional traveler group photo in the beautiful garden. 

Arriving at Camp is a unique experience; you have to be here to see it! When we arrived, they were dancing on the kiosk and just started screaming. It was so cute and so fun. 

Soon after was evening circle time of prayers, reflection, and welcoming us. We felt very welcomed and very tired!

On Sunday, we had a small breakfast and then started camp. We had circle time with a prayer and then introduced this year’s theme song, “You Say” by Lauren Daigle, and the name-learning game. Some of the travelers played with the girls more (rock, paper, scissors) while others organized the bags and readied the t-shirts for tie-dying! 

Mass at 11 AM was an experience, as always. A new (to us) priest came to do the Mass. We celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The girls, led by Sister Fifi, sang, and everyone was on their best behavior.

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After a huge lunch, a dance teacher came. It was her third Sunday here. The kids loved her, and we did, too. Each of us participated as we could. She’s a pro! The Sisters are so creative, providing the girls with enrichment programs like dance, tutoring, crafts, etc.

The girls then jumped in the pools and dyed their T-shirts. They are now soaking overnight, and they can wear them on this week’s excursion.

It was a busy, fun weekend!

Ann

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