Woman Encourages Others To Consider Mission Trip

BENERITO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - We've been following a team of South Dakota business people on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic for the week.

They're helping to build a church. The team is made up of eight men and one woman.

You might see her running to get tools and more than likely using them too. Tammy Rozenboom is the lone woman among men at this Dominican building site.

"The guys are treating me great. They're treating me like one of the guys, which is what I wanted. So we've been having a lot of fun together," Rozenboom said.

Her husband, Dave, is on the trip as well but Tammy is holding her own. She's been part of this building project no less than anyone else, which is a little different than her friends back home were expecting.

"The first question I often got was, 'Oh, are you going to be the one doing the cooking?' And since we've been here, a lot of the group has been wondering how I'm going to be doing the laundry," Rozenboom said.

But her response has been to roll up her sleeves and do what needs to be done. She's been wanting to take part on a mission project like this for a while, but she had to wait for her kids to grow up before she could do it. Despite her own being at home, she hasn't stopped being a mom here in the Dominican.

"The guys have done a great job of playing with the kids, like to join in with soccer or football. But if one of them starts to cry or I can see is a little distressed, the mom in my jumps out and I want to be the comforter," Rozenboom said.

Rozenboom is the lone woman this time. But assuming this project to send business people on mission trips continues, she encourages others to try it out in the future.

The Dispatch Project also has a blog set up with various pictures and updates. You might even see pictures show up of Rozenboom elbow deep in concrete.