"A group of seven members from Immanuel Baptist Church went on a mission trip to the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. Our ages varied from sixteen to a senior citizen, but our desire and excitement were even. In a matter of hours, we traveled across the Gulf of Mexico and found ourselves in a new city and new culture. We met Mr. and Mrs. C., (missionaries) who graciously welcomed us to their home. Upon arrival, we found out that another young member of our church, who was spending the summer in Santo Domingo, was ill and would meet us later. With his presence, our team added up to eight foreigners ready to do God's will.
Our schedule included playing basketball, baseball, making crafts, telling Bible stories, and doing puppet shows at a small neighborhood called Bayona. We headed to a small church in Duarte where we sang songs, acted out Bible stories, performed puppet shows, and made crafts. Lastly, we walked the streets to fellowship with the friendly Dominicans; sparking their minds with our testimonies or short messages (written in Spanish) and translated by mostly young bilingual national Christians.
As a conversational tool, we used cards that had our pictures on the front and the precious proof of God in our lives on the back. We enthusiastically distributed the cards to the people for four days. They graciously accepted the cards, and, we pray, they were read.
Saturday night we planned to show a movie outside a young man's house. This gave us the opportunity to minister to the people. After the chairs were brought in, and the make shift screen was set up, the film "Facing the Giants" rolled. To feed their curiosity, the people of all ages left their homes and gathered in the streets. In 90 minutes, the Dominicans learned of God's grace and generosity. God's power was surely at work that evening as "Facing the Giants" lit up the neighborhood sky!
Sunday we split into two groups. One group headed to a small house church led by Antonio, and the other group traveled to another small church led by a young man named Osirius. Four of us went to Antonio's church and experienced powerful and heartfelt worship along with a wonderful message from God. Experiencing a Dominican church worship service, and witnessing the sincerity of the members, was a blessing to us all.
That afternoon we traveled up the mountains of outer Santo Domingo to join a church celebrating its one-year anniversary. The long drive and hike up the mountain was arduous, but proved to be worth the effort. As each of us entered the small building, the children (who lined the wall) all clapped at our entrance. Soon the little church filled with shinning faces and high spirits.
After the worship music and introductions, I gladly shared my testimony. Our assistant pastor brought the message from the New Testament. As the service ended, the church distributed awards to the members who showed qualities of being the most reliable, joyful and, helpful. Those members who displayed honorable traits also received awards. Refreshments followed and it gave us an opportunity to fellowship with each other before we made the journey back down the mountain. It was a good night to be in the Lord's House and we were glad we made the effort to come.
Over the course of a little more than a week, God used our volunteer group from Temple, Texas to minister to many Dominicans, saved and unsaved. To see God's work first hand is an amazing experience. I cannot wait to be on mission with Him again and I encourage you to do the same!"
Jordan Togami
Immanuel Baptist Church
Temple, Texas
Note: The pictures below are from the trip. Contact us for information on how you can volunteer your gifts and time in the Middle America and Caribbean Region.
