Position: Catcher
Hometown: St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada
Grad Year: 2026
The day began with a delicious breakfast prepared by our chefs at the villa, making a great start to the day. We then traveled downtown to attend a church service, which turned out to be a really meaningful experience. From the outside, the building didn’t even resemble a church, and inside there were only about 60 people gathered in the small space. The entire service was conducted in Spanish, which was something completely new for me and made the experience even more interesting. At this church, communion is taken every week, so we were able to participate. It consisted of a Goldfish cracker and grape juice, a simple yet symbolic reminder of faith. The pastor delivered a powerful sermon centered on God’s unconditional love for us, which really stood out. After the service, we headed to the beach, where we spent the afternoon playing beach volleyball and soaking up the Dominican sun. In the evening, we gathered for our daily “unpack the day” discussion as a team, which is always a great opportunity to reflect and share the highlights of our day together. Following that, Coach Hudak led us in a Bible study that focused on passages from 1 John 15, highlighting three different parables. Each parable shared a common theme: the value of something precious. One example was the shepherd who leaves his 99 sheep to search for the one that went missing. Coach Hudak connected this idea to our games, explaining how whenever a foul ball is hit, the kids in the neighborhood immediately run after it and always return it. Baseballs are incredibly valuable to them; many don’t even have balls without rips, so something we often take for granted is extremely precious in their eyes. Overall, I was very grateful for the opportunity to visit that church and witness the perspective of these people. It truly reminded me of how blessed we are in comparison, and how despite having so little, they remain deeply thankful for what God has given them.
