I was born into poverty and experienced what it is like to go hungry because my parents couldn’t afford to feed me or my three siblings. I was lucky to have had the opportunity to emigrate to the United States, the land of opportunity, from the Dominican Republic at the age of nine. But many children today will never get the opportunity to escape their dire circumstances.
My tough upbringing ignited a deep desire in me to help children in need. Over the years, that led me to contribute to numerous non-profit organizations whose mission is to serve children. But that wasn’t enough to quench my desire to contribute in a more profound way.
Then one night, I had a dream and the name “Kids of Santiago” came forward. I did not know what it meant, but something inside me told me that it was God speaking to me. But without much to go on, I treasured that dream in my heart and kept going about my life.
Until a year or two later, during a family visit to the Dominican Republic, we went to see my aunt who lives in a village of Santiago called San Pablo. I saw children there walking around barefoot and dressed in rags. Right then and there I just knew that I had been called to start a non-profit organization and the name that I had received in that dream became real to me. Now I understand that God calls us to show his love to the world by caring for those in need. There are a few scriptures that capture this:
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”
Proverbs 14:31
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
Proverbs 19:17
“Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”
Luke 9:48
That’s how the Kids of Santiago born and for the past three years, the Kids of Santiago team has coordinated missions to transport donated shoes, clothes, food, and school supplies to Santiago, Dominican Republic. The organization has benefited more than 250 families in the town of San Pablo. To-date, this has all been possible because of the generous donations of friends and family and but are now extending the invitation to contribute to the rest of the world.
Today, we prepare for our fourth mission to the Dominican Republic in December of 2019.
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