I have just recently returned from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with my church. While I was there I witnessed many things that I would not usually expect to observe in the U.S.A. All the individuals that we came into contact with were very friendly, and without even realizing it, they are extremely virtuous.
The people of the Dominican Republic have unknowingly developed the virtues of friendship and compassion to the highest degree. Our Dominican leadership explained that relationships are so much more important than most ideas about relationships we have experienced. She explained there may be incidents where our bus driver may just pull over on the side of the road and have a conversation with someone he knows that he has not seen in awhile. This actually did happen while we were there. Another place that friendship and compassion was displayed was in the bateys. A batey is a small village of workers for the sugarcane fields comprised of small dwellings that are not built of much more than boxes or sheets of metal. Even though most of the people were to poor to buy medicine, clothes, toys, food, and many other things, you saw kids walking around with cell phones. You may wonder how I feel this displays friendship and compassion. Well, just think about it, these people do not have enough money, yet they will pay money to have cell phones to keep in touch with people. In my understanding, I feel that these examples demonstrate friendship and compassion.
Work and responsibility can fit into one example. The husbands of the families in the batey get up every morning and work in the hot sun, for minimum wage cutting sugar cane. Why would they do this? It’s quite obvious these men are trying to support their families, and acquire better life than what they have been dealt. Imagine for a moment, if you didn’t have air conditioned place to work and when you get home you have to help take care of the family and then as the sun starts to set...