As the San Diego Regional Representative, I have the pleasure of sharing Plant With Purpose’s story and partnering with local communities as we advocate for rural farming families. Little did I know that this journey would send me tumbling head-over-heels down the remote slopes of rural Dominican Republic (DR)!
Before we get into that story, let me rewind a bit. My first time visiting the field was in March 2023, when I had the pleasure of traveling to Chiapas, Mexico with some fellow staff members. There, I saw firsthand how impactful it is to interact with partnering farmers face-to-face. So when the opportunity to lead a Vision Trip to the DR arose, I was excited! However this trip was unique, namely because the travelers joining us would be teenagers. Historically, Vision Trips take adult travelers through the rough terrain of our programs. Our Vision Trips are a far cry from your typical high school church mission trip! On a deeper level, though, these trips require a posture of learning over receiving. At first, we were reluctant to say yes to a group of eight students who may not know what they were in for. However, after a few conversations with the Village Church, it was clear that their students were special. (Here, I would like to briefly nod to the Village Church, a community that believed in us when we were a smaller organization years ago. That partnership has since grown and blossomed into a long history. I couldn’t have asked for a better community to partner with for this experience).
After months of preparation, we set off for the hills of Piedra Blanca, about 2.5 hours outside of Santo Domingo. There are many special moments from this trip, but I want to share one that I’ll never forget. Toward the end of the week, the local team planned for us to join a farmer and his family to learn about tree planting. However, the previous day, heavy rains washed out the road to his farm. In the midst of this obstacle, the young travelers were unphased. Swiftly (and safely!), they jumped in the back of the staff’s trucks, and we journeyed for about an hour to reach the mountain-top farm.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a local farmer and his family. He led us to an impossibly steep hillside, where we spent the next four hours working shoulder-to-shoulder with the community, planting trees. This is where the strength of the young high schoolers shined through. While I and some of the other adults stumbled up and down the steep terrain, the kids blew past us, bouncing alongside the farmers with joy and vivacity. Our mouths may have been full of dirt, but theirs were full of questions! What moved me most was that our time together was mutually life-changing and transformative. One of the farmers got emotional on that hillside, asking us: “Why would these kids choose to be here?” We simply responded: “We want to learn from you.”
As our work concluded, we were tired (I mean, we worked for four hours!). As we planted tree saplings, the farmer’s wife generously prepared an amazing lunch for us right there on the hillside over open fires. I watched as the high schoolers broke bread with local farmers. Here they were, these kids, raised in beautiful sunny San Diego, relating to farmers on a different side of the world with curiosity and love.
As I reflect on our initial apprehensions about the trip versus the transformative interactions that took place, I am deeply touched. At Plant With Purpose, we are not only concerned with cultivating a community now but also with raising up the next generation (both at home and internationally). On this trip, we were the ones learning from the up-and-coming generation. The high schoolers’ attitudes set an example for us as the adults on the trip. The wisdom of Matthew 21:16 rings true here: “Out of the mouths of infants and babies, you have prepared praise.” To Caleb, Ellie, Elijah, Brody, Mikayla, and Caroline: thank you.
