I am back in the DR, and tomorrow, we welcome a team of twenty students from Liberty University. Having spent about two weeks in Virginia this past month, I feel more connected to where they are coming from, and I hope I can welcome them well.
My three-week work trip to the States was noteworthy because I got to be face-to-face with New Hope’s audience and see how New Hope inspires others. Ironically, my journey began at home in Nashville, TN.
Nashville, TN
I traveled here because my boss was invited to the CAFO conference and suggested we travel together. Over the four days I was in town, I visited my family, drank great coffee, and attended a movie night my friend hosted! It felt really nice to drive my car around the city without GPS and see the hills I love. I even participated in the book launch party that Room In the Inn hosted to promote “Kingdom of the Poor: My Journey Home” by Charles Strobel, founder of the organization. Two of my friends work there, so I got to visit them and even participate the next day in their programming for a few hours. On my final day, my mom and I watched the sunrise at her house in the countryside and drank coffee before I left for Lynchburg, Virginia.
My mom feeding the donkeys at her house
Lynchburg, VA
Descending into Virginia took my breath away—it is such a beautiful state. When I arrived at our New Hope Girls Airbnb, I brewed some hot, decaf coffee and read the poetry book of my friend and fellow Lumos Scholar, Elisabeth Moss. Her book is called “Stretch Marks,” which is absolutely lovely. I read it until my two coworkers arrived later that evening.
The next five days, my two coworkers and I worked the New Hope Girls booth for Liberty University’s “Global Focus Week,” which focuses on hosting international organizations for business, classroom speakers, and speaker events. I got to speak to two classes: one for social work and another for (randomly enough) a Chinese language class. Admittedly, I questioned if our organization’s causes would align with the interests of students learning an Eastern language. I figured that perhaps a Spanish language class would have been a better fit. I’ll never assume how the message will impact an audience again because one of the girls in the classes was actually from the DR, and she approached me at the booth later; not only did she speak three languages and live a mere car ride away from our organization, but she seemed seriously interested in volunteering in-country. This sort of interaction became a recurring theme. In unlikely places and circumstances, interesting stories appeared.
One night, my coworker and I ventured to one of the girls’ dorms to speak to seventy girls about New Hope Girls. In my mind, I questioned how attentive they would be at 10 p.m. Again, I was wrong—the girls seemed to hang on my coworker’s moving story of the story that inspired New Hope Girl’s establishment. My coworker and I stayed until 1 am with the RAs as we spoke to four girls who expressed their interest in what we were doing in the DR and the possibilities for them to join in the work down there—it was pretty amazing. They were so energetic about their futures and were hopeful about the change happening in the DR.
Us at Liberty University! We met some fellow DR org friends here as well.
Hershey, PA
My coworker and I drove to the land of chocolate amid Hurricane Helene-induced storms. Despite the weather, over 7,000 women piled into The Giant Center for the E-Women conference. Tim Tebow, Jennie Allen, and Shelia Walsh headlined the event. Similar to our five days in Lynchburg, my job was to sell New Hope bags in the arena’s lobby. We did just that and more! At the end of our two-day venture, our team of five packed up our setup and purchased a Panera Bread dinner to be enjoyed in the comfort of our hotel room. We talked, laughed, and ate until sleep overcame us, which was admittedly pretty early in the evening.
The next day, my coworker and I checked out of the hotel and made a pit stop at Chocolate World. We purchased gifts for our DR housemates—super American hot chocolate flavors like s’more, York peppermint patty, and Reece’s—with the intention of hosting a movie/hot chocolate night with them. (Spoiler: they liked the gifts!)
Us in Hershey, PA!
Tim Tebow speaking to a crowd of 7,000 women!
Blacksburg, VA
In Blacksburg, my coworker and I rested for a few days (except for a Chamber of Commerce event New Hope Girls hosted in the local community and a brief lifestyle photoshoot for the new merchandise dropping on the org’s website). We stayed with some loyal New Hope Girls supporters and family friends of my boss’s family. They were the best! We had dinner with them nightly and watched movies, and my coworker and I even got our own rooms AND bathrooms. We got a personal tour of Virginia Tech from our host mom. That was one of my favorite experiences from the intermission at work, alongside my walks around their neighborhood observing the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
Our little event setup. The creation of the balloon arch was a source of stress, I won’t lie.
Lynchburg, VA
All roads lead back to Lynchburg, this time for another two-day E-Women event. This time, I was rejoined with two past interns I lived with in the DR this past summer! This event was our best yet: our crew was great, our sales numbers record-breaking, and the audience was so receptive and kind about engaging with our cause and message. We capped off the experience with a nice dinner downtown with the whole crew before we all went our separate ways. I was happy to be in the States, but also glad to return to the DR!
The crowds can get pretty intense for us!
the 5 am flight out of Lynchburg to DR!