Kevin's post about his trip to the Dominican Republic:
This November I had the opportunity to travel with three men
from my church down to the Dominican Republic.
The trip was designed for us to connect with local churches and build
relationships for a possible future partnership in ministry. Our vision at our church is to link, when
possible, with local churches and build a relationship with them overtime. We feel this would be more fruitful than
simply going in on a short term trip and not truly connecting with the
locals. A pastor friend of mine from Dallas
and his church have been working with these churches for over 7 years and he
invited us to see what God is doing in the DR.
The first part of
our trip was in the capital city of Santo Domingo where we connected with the
local church in a barrio called Simon Bolivar.
At first glance this city seemed hustling and bustling like any metro
area, but as we got further into the heart of the town and outside of the town
the true poverty of the area was unveiled.
The poverty in DR is pronounced, but nowhere near the overall condition
of Haiti which is on the same island.
The average person strives to make $1000 a year in a city where most
goods and products cost the same as they would in the United States. As a result we saw that everybody tried to
sell or barter something from their home or a cart in order to get what they
needed. The water in Simon Bolivar and
most of country is available through cisterns or wells and is not drinkable. People buy water off of trucks or boil it if
they are able.
The church in Simon Bolivar is a humble 20x40 room, but it
is the people that make it so special.
We were able to meet with many of the elders, the pastor, and their
wives on Saturday as they shared their hopes and vision for God’s work. They desire to have a building that would
have a water purification system so they could provide this resource cheaper
while providing income for the church work.
Our partner church is wise in how they work with the locals trying to
help without hurting them. It would be
easy to spend money and get something done but as they shared that a wiser path
would be to invest in local workers allowing the local church to take the lead
in their own neighborhood. 
The Simon Bolivar church also partners with Compassion in
helping get children sponsored in the area.
On Saturday we hosted over 200 kids for a Gospel presentation and we
gave them hacky sacks purchased from our VBS offering. Saturday night I was able to give a marriage
conference to over 180 people. On Sunday
morning we preached at the service from John 15. In the congregation that day happened to be
two of the “worst” men in the neighborhood who were known for their crime and
time in prison. To God’s glory after
years of prayer these men came to know Jesus.
One of the men David is striving to make his living legally so we are
working with a local to purchase him materials so he can build his own boat and
become a fisher. 
We traveled next to the coastal town of Barahona. This was a truly Dominican experience away
from any tourism we got a true local feel.
The church in Barahona hosted an evening concert where the Gospel was
shared and we held another marriage conference.
The conference was special for the couples who really don’t “date or go
out” like we do in the United States. I
tried my best that evening to give my whole testimony in Spanish. They were very gracious. We even had one newlywed couple come into the
conference so we invited them to stay.
We also spent some time giving out Gospel tracts in the streets and to
motorcyclist. This was new for us
because the people all took them and read them over! When they were done they kept the tract. It truly was sowing seeds of the Gospel. We miss that responsiveness here in our
culture. 
Perhaps the most touching parts of our visit to Barahona was
our time at the Haitian Village and at Smiling faces. The Haitian Village was a humbling time as we
walked the dirt streets sharing the Gospel and seeing first-hand the faces of
poverty and need. I was able to stop
and play some basketball with some local kids which was a special memory for
me. Smiling Faces is a school for
special needs children. What is amazing
about this is that the government provides no services for these children. Most parents hide a child with Down syndrome,
cerebral palsy, mental retardation, or other disabilities. The local pastor Julio and his wife Maritsa
had a vision for this school. Maritsa
left her job and walked by faith as God provide just what they needed each step
of the way. The school now has over 130
students and recently graduated some students to join back in the public school
system. The students were so excited
that they wanted us to take pictures with them.
Not many people ever offered to take their picture so it made them feel
special and loved.
These stories are just part of the story because for me the
highlights were the moments spent conversing with the local believers, hearing
their testimonies, and encouraging one another in our faith. I was humbled as I understood how many things
I take for granted in my daily life, yet I was reminded that the power of the
Gospel is about transformed lives. The
Gospel is not about getting more stuff or being affluent it is about pure joy
in the midst of any circumstance because we are eternally rich through
Jesus. The joy of the believers in DR
struck me as it was based fully on what Jesus has done for them. May we all find this true joy and then share
it with everyone we know.
