In the summer of 2024, Jack Hensley served as part of our Summer Staff team in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. What began as a short-term trip turned into lessons and relationships that continue to shape his life today. From serving alongside teams at the Physical Therapy site with Silvio to discovering the power of hospitality and bold faith, Jack’s story is a powerful reminder that short-term trips have an eternal impact. 

Que lo Que! My name is Jack, and I was a part of the 2024 Summer Staff at Students International in Jarabacoa, DR! In addition to working with the teams that came over the summer, I worked on the Physical Therapy site with Silvio!

It has been a year since I was in Jarabacoa, and I find that God is still using relationships and lessons gained from that summer in my life today. The biggest lesson that I have taken into my everyday returning to the States is hospitality. If there is any place that sets a Biblical example of hospitality, it is the people of the DR. Everyone invited freely. Everyone gave sacrificially. Everyone felt joyous in their generosity. It was so inspiring and compelling, especially upon returning to a more materialistic setting back home. It motivated me to reach out to others. In an individualistic culture, hospitality is so vital to grow a community of followers and to spread the Gospel. Whether it is using my newfound love of coffee (thank you, grecas) or hosting school/work/church friends, it has opened the door to further conversation that would be almost impossible without it. Especially with friends who don’t follow Jesus, it can make (and has made) some ask why—a perfect avenue to share “the reason for the hope that you have,” as Peter puts it.

In Jarabacoa, there were so many people that gave generously out of their poverty—something I have never seen or thought much about before. It reminded me of the widow throwing her two copper pennies into the offering at the synagogue, and Jesus telling his disciples that this woman has given more than the rest, as it was all she had. As a daily reminder for myself, I keep two pennies in my car cupholder: something to look at to remind myself that as long as I have those two pennies (and a car to hold them), I still have more to give.

One perfect story of hospitality that I distinctly remember from the summer was with a patient who came to the clinic. She had come 2-3 times per week, and twice over the summer she had invited Silvio, me, the students that were there, and the ladies working at the clinic, all to her house for lunch. Whether ordering pizza or cooking the meal herself, it stunned me how generous she was. She discovered my sweet tooth when she brought out dulce de leche with guava, and on my last day of work she brought me a box of it to bring home, with a heartfelt note on the lid that I still have hanging on my fridge. Every time I see that, I am reminded of just how much it means to be hospitable to others.

Another lesson that I learned, more so when I came back to the States, was the importance of not being afraid to share the Gospel. Working at SI over the summer, being surrounded constantly by those willing to speak boldly about the Gospel and to stand firm on their faith, it carried over as I returned home and when I started graduate school. I had grown up going to church, a Christian school, and a Christian college. But graduate school had no religious affiliation, so it was a whole new realm for me. That being said, before that summer of 2024, I would not have had as much confidence in sharing His Word to the degree that I gained over those summer months. I remember being convicted by sermons I would hear being preached to the students that would come every week, especially a quote from Dave, the baseball site leader. He said, “God did not give you the gifts and talents He gave you so you can get a good job, buy a big house, go on too many vacations, and die in an expensive coffin. He gave them to you so you can honor and glorify Him and disciple others to Christ.”

To anyone considering joining Summer Staff, or any internship with SI, my first piece of advice is GO! The lessons learned, the friendships made, the stories gained, the service offered to God, the Spiritual growth that occurs—the list goes on. The staff is unmatched; a smile comes to my face every time I think of them. My second piece of advice is keep a journal that you write in daily. Be it devotions in the morning, events that happened each day during the summer, or personal prayers to God, it serves as a continual reminder as you rediscover it in the future. My third piece of advice is to try something new when you are there. Before the summer, I thought coffee was bitter bean juice, live crabs shouldn’t be touched with a 39.5 foot pole, and tostones were the only way to eat plantains. After that summer, I don’t go a morning without coffee (or two if there’s an exam), I have stories and photos of catching crabs with my bare hands at night, and I now have multiple ways to cook a plantain (tostones are still the best in my humble opinion). My biggest piece of advice, however, is to continually pray that God moves your heart to be more like His. From that flows everything else. Don’t stop seeking Him; and in all things, obey Him.

If this already-too-long-of-a-blurb doesn’t tell you how much I love and miss that summer, then let me make it clear: SUMMER STAFF ROCKS! The others that also came down and worked with me the whole summer—Raelee, Chloe, Lindsay, and Suz—were some of the best folks to share long car rides and late night games of Five Crowns with. I wouldn’t trade my time with them for the world. Summer Staff was very much an answered prayer and a step closer in my personal walk with God.

Hasta luego, y que Dios le bendiga!

Jack Hensley